2012 Haul-Out

It is time once again for the annual haul-out. Actually, this year we took the decision to take Scarlet out of the water a couple of months earlier than normal to address any issues as soon as possible pending our plans to sail to the Med this year.

Scarlet's home for the next 4 weeks

The underside looked to be in good shape but on closer inspection, the anti-foul had started to blister in a number of places where the pre-purchase survey was carried out. I suspect that the paint was scraped away to the gel-coat to get a moisture reading and the patches were just painted over without being primed. Not a big deal but it would mean extra work to 'feather' the edges and apply a couple of coats of primer. The inside of the bow thruster tunnel was also looking a bit 'scabby' so I used a shave hook to remove the flaky paint.

 Thruster tunnel and one of may flaky survey patches on the hull.

Most of the paint in the tunnel now out and the edges of the survey patch now feathered in readiness for a couple of coats of primer. I removed the thruster blades to make access easier.

The stern gear also need a clean and the propeller was coated in barnacles. Over the years I have read many articles regarding prop cleaning but I tend to stick to removing the grunge, a light rub with some wet and dry and finally a polish with some Brasso.

Before



After

Once the survey patches were taken care of, I wet sanded the hull by hand and cleaned the residue off with a mild detergent. The weather by now, had turned very cold and the day time temperature struggled to get much above a few degrees C. This meant waiting for the weekend when it would be warm enough to apply the anti-fouling (Hempel Tiger Xtra). Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans and the first snow of the year arrived.

Thankfully a few days later and most of the snow had gone and the temperature finally rose above freezing.


One issue of concern was only spotted at the last minute just before Scarlet went back in the water last year and this was a hairline crack at the top of the rudder. If the crack was left it would almost certainly result in water ingress and weaken the area around the rudder stock. In order to get to the area to repair the rudder, it first needed to be dropped by about six inches. Thanks to Matthew Yeomans of Mathews Boat Care, the repair went smoothly as you can see from the pictures below.

It is not easy to see but take my word for it, there is a small hairline fracture close to the rudder stock.

 As far as we could tell, little or no water ingress had taken place which was a great relief.

The finished result below

The rest of the work was straightforward and a week later, all was done. All that remained was to have a long soak in the bath, anti-fouling gets everywhere and pop Scarlet Lady back in her mooring.

         

In the coming months the original lead acid batteries will be replaced with Absorbed Glass Mat versions and we are considering fitting a Walder Boom Brake

As soon as the weather improves, we will have a series of shake down cruises before leaving for Plymouth in May.

Trip to Dieppe

We have just returned from a very pleasant trip to Dieppe with friends Tim and Tina who followed on their yacht Shiraz.
We began our voyage early in the morning, leaving Sovereign Harbour lock at about 04.40hrs and motored for the first 15 minutes or so before setting the Genoa and Main sails in about 10 knots of breeze and turning the engine off. Sunrise followed soon after as did the first of many hot drinks that day.

Sunrise

Scarlet Lady. Notice the moon just above the boom.

Shiraz

Are you sure it's another 8 hours to go?!
Louise ponders the meaning of life.

A quiet day in the shipping lane!

The Channel is renowned for the the volume of shipping passing through and is divided into two lanes with a separation zone in between. Our yacht is equipped with an AIS receiver which shows the targets and the closest points of approach so using this and keeping a good eye out (Electronics are not infallible) we made good progress and by the afternoon the weather had improved and we had relaxed into the passage.

Newhaven to Dieppe ferry



Auto pilot is a wonderful thing!

Dieppe was busy when we arrived but the marina staff are very helpful and we managed to berth next to Shiraz.

Relaxing !

Shiraz in Dieppe

Taken from the Yacht Club.

Off to the shops

Despite feeling a little tired from the crossing which had taken about 12 hours, we had been invited to friends who live nearby. Lynne had already mentioned to them a few months before that it would be my birthday when we came out and a wonderful party ensued in the evening made extra special by the fact that Lynne's parents had taken the ferry over during the day to join in the festivities.

Tim and Tina on the right. Steve in the middle having brought over essential Soda Water supplies. Alan in the white hat our kind host (His wife Sarah was preparing a feast in the kitchen) and Lynne's dad Graham on the left wondering why anyone would enjoy Campari !

Having been suitably fed and watered it was time to retire back to the boat and remember NOT to set the alarm clock for the next morning.


Dieppe has may good restaurants especially for lovers of seafood. We dined out a fair bit and had two very good meals at Le Sarajevo. It is a bit of a walk from the marina but worth the effort.

Tina's starter!!!

The weather was a bit hit and miss so we decided to stay put rather than continuing along the coast to Fecamp. This proved to be a good decision as high winds towards the back end of the week caused an uncomfortable swell whilst still on the mooring. Tim kept an eye on the forecasts and we decided to head back on the Friday. Conditions were not ideal and for the first couple of hours visibility was down to a few miles but glimpses of blue sky and the weather set to improve we pressed on. By the time we reached the middle of the shipping lane the wind had died to under 8 knots so on with the engine and for the remainder of the trip back to Sovereign Harbour, we motor sailed.