What have I forgotten?

[Magwitch]

Sound boat, keel bolts (two of them anyway) checked, Paint OK, Wind vane fitted, autohelm checked, spars varnished, sails checked, extra gps fitted and connected to a new AIS receiver, charts ok, pilot books ok, sextant and nav books ok, sea cocks serviced and a whole new engine! So,,,,,,,, what have I missed? There is always something, and only three weeks left to get it right,,,,,,,,,,,,

IanW

[Wild Wassa]

Check for frayed lines and the correct functioning of your self inflating PFD.

Warren.

[Mike Field]

.
Bucket's in place in the head? Cigars over the chart table? Bottles in the bilge?
.

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

Shakedown.
You won't know until you've tried.

[Magwitch]

Originally posted by Mike Field:
.
Bucket's in place in the head? Cigars over the chart table? Bottles in the bilge?
.Oh yes, two buckets, dry stowage for 'baccy and papers, new pipe rack with extra holes for the clay pipes I bought this year, a spare bottle of Wood's 100 rum, BEER! I haven't bought the beer!
I have got half a side of well cured bacon, two pounds of beef jerky, beans, rice, lentils, mung beans for sprouting, sack of spuds, bag of onions, garlic, spices all like that. BREAD! Must buy bread flour and some new yeast.
Must get some non-sailing books.
Spare duvet in dry bag.
Haircut? Nah, no need,,,,,,,,
IanW smile.gif

[Magwitch]

Originally posted by P.I. Stazzer-Newt:
Shakedown.
You won't know until you've tried.True, Heybridge to Falmouth will take care of that. Must avoid treating that bit as a coastal cruise. If I don't it'll take to long and cost to much.
IanW

[Larry P.]

How about you, have a check up, go to the dentist.

[uncas]

Batteries of variuous sizes....Am always looking for batteries and never seem to have enough...
Check the nav lights....fuses....
fire extinguishers....check the old ones...replaced two myself this week.
Dry box for matches...always get damp no matter where I put them.
A few cans of varnish. :D
Flares...make sure they haven't expired...
Dinghy ready with oars etc....

SHAKE DOWN CRUISE a must!
Have a good summer.
jamj

[ssor]

Vitamins especially C.

[Hwyl]

Frequencies for the World Service

Euros (The don't use Escudos anymore)

British climbing shops sell a large heavy duty orange plastic bag, called a "Bivvy Bag". Could keep you dry and warm in extremis. Probably less than 10 quid.

Tristan Jones (who was a made up identity) said he carried (but probably made it up) a cricket set up to convert the natives. I could imagine you doing that--Howzat!!

The mini transat guys have a Camping gaz stove welded to the base of a kettle (with a whistle), hang the whole shooting match from a self mousing hook. I've never used this, but I've been in weather rough enough that an ordinary gimballed stove could not produce a decent brew. I've always thought the Gaz set up would. (you didn't forget the McVities Ginger Biscuits did you, they ward off seasicknes and give you at least 1/2 a knot, don't tell the Americans).

A chart of Salcombe, it's on the way and well worth stopping. Also a chart of Belle Isle, it's not really on the way, but you may tarry.

Jacklines, and I don't mean Heinlen poetry. Do you have granny bars at the mast? Your boat is probably too small. But you should have a good way of clipping on at the base of the mast.

Are you using GPS or Astro?

Is your bacon cured enough to last the whole time? If not Parma Ham will last and it does taste remarkably like bacon.

Nashville Skyline: You can sing the Johnny Cash parts (I wonder if that's available as Karaoke, I mean duets with one singer erased, I digress)

A sunshade other than a Martini umberella nicked from your local.

Do you have one of those radar transponders that amplify the reflected signal back to the ship. I understand that they are available on your side of the pond relatively inexpensively. They've got to be better than the "raincatcher" reflectors.

[NormMessinger]

Um, unless I missed it, you forgot to tell us where you are going?

[Hwyl]

He's off to the high Azore, Norm. We should all meet at Peter Cafe Sport (I've never been, it's high on my list)

http://www.petercafesport.com/cafe.jpg

[ 04-09-2005, 09:47 AM: Message edited by: Hwyl ]

[paladin]

damn....it didn't look that nice when I wuz there......

[Magwitch]

Originally posted by Hwyl:
Frequencies for the World Service

a Camping gaz stove welded to the base of a kettle (with a whistle), hang the whole shooting match from a self mousing hook. .......
Are you using GPS or Astro?........
Is your bacon cured enough to last the whole time?......
Do you have one of those radar transponders that amplify the reflected signal back to the ship. .I have an uprated version (?) of the Camping gaz dodge. A Primus stove which fits inside a galvanised bucket with a kettle , chosen to fit, on top. The bucket and handle provide security and support.
I hope to use GPS with astro as a back up. Two gps's, one driving a Yeoman paper chart plotter and another mounted in the cockpit giving position info to an AIS revciever. I haven't used the AIS thingy before, hope it helps. A Sea-Me transponder would be nice but the cash is spent.
The bacon will keep , quote, "For months", but I have a backup piece in cure for another two weeks. I will not starve, but if I should go short I have weight to spare.
This trip is going to be fun .
I shall write a log on my new lap-top (see, how modern I am,,,,,,,, smile.gif ) and, properly edited to show me in a good light I'll post a copy when I get back.
Norm, I'm leaving the Basin around 1st May towards Falmouth and then, if I haven't thought better of the idea by then, Falmouth toward the Azores around 1st June. Home again before the end of August.
I may be able to find an internet cafe, if so I'll report in when I can.
IanW

[htom]

Fuel(s). Anchors & rodes. Flares. Harmonica.

Best wishes from all of us, even the lurkers!

[NormMessinger]

Ah so. I didn't realize the Azores trip was this year. Good luck to ya.

[Hughman]

Originally posted by paladin:
damn....it didn't look that nice when I wuz there......Chuck, I think he moved around the corner. Barstool sailors or yuppies, I think.

[ 04-09-2005, 09:09 PM: Message edited by: Hughman ]

[paladin]

dunno ferget the ship's kat.....it canna be a proper voyage without the kat....

[Jeremy Burnett]

Will keep an eye open for you in May! Is the bacon dry cured and/or smoked? keep it well ventilated.

[Magwitch]

Thanks Chaps, all good stuff and (mostly) helpful. Good call on the World service, I'd forgotten entirely.
UK types please note : mobile number 07821888466
IanW

[Henning 4148]

Probably you thought of all that, but still

-Safety equipment according to international racing rules or better
-Tools
-Spares
-Procedures worked out and thought through for dealing with defined failures (rigg, sails, engine, sterntube, hull fittings / seacocks, hull, rudder, electric equipment). This will have an influence on the tools, spares and semi finished material you decide to take along with you. In the good old days, there were always a few spare poles on board, why not a few meters of alu tubes of different diameters that can be stored in each other and some fittings, bolts, nuts and washers so you could improvise a spare boom or an emergency mast? A bit of sheet plywood and metal (bronze or stainless?) together with bolts, screws and barbed nails go a long way for jury repairs as well. Some rigging wire and wire clamps can solve a lot of problems as well. Duct tape, under water epoxy and some glass tape

Well, as said before, I guess you have thought of all that stuff anyway.

Other things to look at (you probably also thought of these):
-What would fly through your cabin and could injure you or damage something if your boat did a 360?
-Are washboards and hatches secured / secureable in place, so that they stay in place even if the boat is doing a 360?
-Enough strong handholds on deck, in the cockpit and below?
-Jackstays?
-Epirb

Have a nice journey

[ 04-10-2005, 06:55 AM: Message edited by: Henning 4148 ]

[paladin]

Ian...all jokes aside...do you have a sufficient life rft or survival suit......I could loan you a survival suit and epirb if you wish...all "new" and unused

[boatlover]

Ian W or Jeremy B:

What about a bit of an expedition to Sunny Corner ?

News is wanted of LULU and Company.

Fair winds and following seas on the voyage !

Regards,

Ed R

[Magwitch]

Originally posted by paladin:
Ian...all jokes aside...do you have a sufficient life rft or survival suit......I could loan you a survival suit and epirb if you wish...all "new" and unusedNow you tell me! smile.gif I bought an epirb last month after I found a little extra cash and the price came down. Liferaft I shall hire for the season. Normally for UK home trade waters and the near continent I don't bother but for this trip I thought I'd better.
I'm now running into space problems. Patience is after all not a large boat and modern habits mean the we 'need' a lot more equipment than was thought neccesary in 1936 when Jack Giles designed her. I wish I had the nerve to dump the engine and fuel tanks.
Perhaps next year I'll investigate how I might do that. How much area of solar panel is needed to power all the electronic trancelments I have fitted I wonder? ;)

IanW

[paladin]

list all the electric devices that you have, the type and number of batteries that you use and what size battery do you have on board...I have a solar chart for the sun for the intended route...and also tell me the dates yyou expect to travel and I will run a chart for you.....

[Henning 4148]

Regarding the charge balance, the scientific way forward is to list your electric and electronic devices that are linked to your main system, find out their current rating from the manuals, decide how many hours per day they are going to be switched on and calculate your daily electricity consumption from that.

Then you ask your friendly solar power trader how much area you need in such and such latitude to provide that much electricity in the summer half of the year.

What you will basically find is, that in terms of charge balance it pays to switch most of the gear of once you are out of sight of land and only switch on for short periods, depending on your taste and habit. You may need a bit of red light on the chart table, but not all the time. You may want to run the log all the time. If you work like this, your biggest power consumers might work out as the tricolour, the fridge if you have any (very heavy on power consumption!) and the power water system if you have any.

Next question is: do you need solar, or is it sufficient to charge by engine every few days? If you get into a situation where you need a lot of electricity for any length of time, you might have to switch on the engine anyway to support your power consumption. I could imagine such a scenario if you have a landfall at night and operate radio, lights, decklights, searchlights etc. for extended periods of time.

One more thing to think about is an effective electric or better engine driven bilge pump.

I guess the last point is - there is always more gear you could take along, but as the skipper it is your decision what you take along and what you don't take along. A boat that is overloaded isn't safe either, so (as always in life) it's a compromise.

Enjoy the trip!

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

dry stowage for 'baccy and papers Store the papers in two different locations -
Did you ever pull on a rizla and get the whole pack - like a concertina.
More seriously, are you doing Haybridge to Falmouth solo? if so what sort of watch system are you planning, or will you anchor to sleep?

[Magwitch]

Originally posted by P.I. Stazzer-Newt:
[QUOTE] .
More seriously, are you doing Haybridge to Falmouth solo? if so what sort of watch system are you planning, or will you anchor to sleep?I've got help for a week- another solo Vertue sailor. We often sail together, but in separate boats smile.gif . On those occasions if one of us feels sleepy he switches over to auto and the other closes up and keeps watch for two. Or three. Last year we were three in our Vertue fleet. If a week isn't enough then I'll coast hop. Day sails, plus an occasional over night. I'm still ok for a 24 hour trick, but recovery takes a little longer than it used to.
IanW

[Venchka]

I have a sunglasses fetish. 6 pair at the moment. Spare reading and sunglasses?

Wayne
Loving his excess shades In the Swamp. :D

[Magwitch]

Originally posted by Venchka:
Spare reading and sunglasses?

:D Oh yes, five pair prescription, two pair sun. Also two red/green filters to offset my colour blindness,,,,,,,,,,, and a Tilley hat, very important.

IanW

[Ron Williamson]

How does that red/green thing help colour-blindness?
BTW don't forget zinc oxide.It's good for all sorts of skin ailments besides sunburn prevention.
R

[Magwitch]

Originally posted by Ron Williamson:
How does that red/green thing help colour-blindness?
RA really handy bit of kit for anyone who has red/green colour blindness as I, and 20% of adult males do.
Their web site http://www.seekey.se/atseaUK.htm

saves me from a long description.
It works. I've had one, or one similar, for 20 years.
IanW

IanW

[Matt J.]

Sounds like fun, Ian. Sorry I have nothing to add, but I'm already looking forward to your reporting.

[Ron Williamson]

I think I must get one of those.
Obviously colour-blindness is a sign of great intelligence,despite what SWMBO has to say.
R

[Wild Wassa]

A medical kit suitable for a wilderness environment ... not a medical kit suitable for when an ambulance is only 4 - 7 minutes away.

With light weight splints as well ... with the whole box and dice, including duplicating any essential medications for yourself and others, if others are going.

Warren.

[ 04-11-2005, 02:23 PM: Message edited by: Wild Wassa ]

[Magwitch]

Originally posted by Wild Wassa:
A medical kit suitable for a wilderness environment ...
Warren.Done, full kit for one, four months supply of all my prescription stuff and, because I know two sympathetic dentists and a doctor, three different double courses of broad spectrum antibiotic.
I've given this some thought... The first aid kit for a solo sailor has to reflect the fact that his first-aider is himself. So no point in taking anything that asumes two , one sick, one in full dress paramedic kit. smile.gif I can sew a loose seam in a sail so I suppose the suture kit might come in handy ( smile.gif ) ,but on the last two occasions the I needed stitches one was a head wound and the other was, ahem, elswere,,,,,,,,,,,, in case of a heart attack,,,,,,,? Dunno really. If they got to me in time I don't want them using the electric heart starter jump leads. Just think what an impressd current like that could do to a copper fastened boat like Patience. smile.gif

IanW

[ 04-11-2005, 04:05 PM: Message edited by: Magwitch ]

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

Sounds like you've got it all.
Got one of these? (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=67212&item=7147460650&rd=1)
http://i23.ebayimg.com/02/i/03/cb/62/01_1_b.JPG

[Wild Wassa]

Ian please don't think I'm wishing the worst on you and I'm also hoping that I'm only duplicating what you already have.

Do you have a small bottle of Friar's Balsam in the kit? In a wet or sweaty environment, if you put friar's Balsam on the skin but not on the wound (with a cotton bud) before putting a sticky back dressing on, it will stick and stay stuck while remaining easy to removed, for when it's time to change the dressing.

One of the best field dressings you can use, in case of a deadly bleed are female sanitary pads. The absorbency of these things is very well known. They are a lot less bulky than normal field dressings and are also hermetically sealed.

With the light weight aluminium splints, a mid range aluminium gauze (the bendable but strongish stuff) can be pre-cut into lengths of about 50cm x15cm or cut to the length of your limbs and bent to a concave along the length of the splint, with all the sharp edges taped over. If they are too long they can be folded in half. A cheap foam camping mat pre-cut to size gives cushioning. These things work. With one usable arm the splint can be bent to take any shape.

Buy some Second Skin, for burns and blisters. Once Second Skin is open it starts to dry out, keep a couple of zip-lock bags with the Second Skin. Second Skin is a sheet of gel and comes with some sticky back covering included.

Super sheers from Sierra should be in every medical kit, they will cut with impunity the thickest of material, including leather to the very finest of gauzes ... and the camping mat and all the adhesive tapes.

Warren.

[ 04-11-2005, 05:28 PM: Message edited by: Wild Wassa ]

[Magwitch]

Originally posted by Wild Wassa:
[QB]Ian please don't think I'm wishing the worst on you QB]Not a bit, it all sounds like good advice- which I shall take.
Don't need sanitary pads though- I already carry disposable nappies. Apart from making good field dressings they are also the best thing for drip catching and soaking up the last drops in the bilge or anywhere else. I use veterinary wound powder for minor cuts. Antiseptic and styptic. Got to keep blood off the sails ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

IanW

[Magwitch]

Originally posted by P.I. Stazzer-Newt:
Sounds like you've got it all.
Got one of these? (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=67212&item=7147460650&rd=1)
http://i23.ebayimg.com/02/i/03/cb/62/01_1_b.JPGAn elephant foot umbrella stand?
Silly idea, I stow the umbrella under the wheelbarrow.

IanW

[Paulyboy]

Originally posted by Magwitch:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by P.I. Stazzer-Newt:
Sounds like you've got it all.
Got one of these? (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=67212&item=7147460650&rd=1)
http://i23.ebayimg.com/02/i/03/cb/62/01_1_b.JPGAn elephant foot umbrella stand?
Silly idea, I stow the umbrella under the wheelbarrow.

IanW</font>[/QUOTE]I thought thats where the poopie went!!!!! :eek: :eek:

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

Odd-toed ungulate, rhino.

Goodness only knows what the paperwork for one of those might look like.

Great headline though.
Mad Brit Found Smuggling Rhinoceros on Vertue

[Meerkat]

silvadyne (spelling?) burn ointment - can be a life saver.

At least one space blanket - sure cure for hypothermia.

extra can opener - reduces wear and tear on teeth ;)

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

Must get some non-sailing books Looking for suggestions? or would half a yard of Oxfam's finest fit the bill?

[Hwyl]

Originally posted by Hwyl:
British climbing shops sell a large heavy duty orange plastic bag, called a "Bivvy Bag". Could keep you dry and warm in extremis. Probably less than 10 quid.

I copied down the URL of a newer version of this, from Yachting World. My old bivvy bag has worked wonders in the past. I've used sailbags too. Put a seriously tired, cold dehydrated seasick person in them and the warmth'l do wonders.

Here is the newer version, seems to me a "must have". Fits your parameters Ian--very efficient and yet incredibly silly looking.

http://www.blizzardprotectionsystems.com/images/prod_survivaltube_1.jpg
They have single person ones too, but I thought this would be a good fit. They're about twenty five quid.

Here's the website.

http://www.blizzardprotectionsystems.com/

I have no financial or other connection. (also available in olive drab)

Even though they're from (as I found out by their phone number) well within my old stompin' ground. Hogia Bethesda no less.

[ 04-18-2005, 04:19 PM: Message edited by: Hwyl ]

[PatCassidy]

Just reading your thread for the first time. I assume you are going to Peter's Cafe Sport in Horta. I painted my name on the quay last May.

Make sure you budget for a couple of t-shirts and many beers (or port).

You will need to budget time to paint the quay. Probably can barter with beer for paint and brush.

http://www.petercafesport.com/indexe.html

[ 04-19-2005, 05:48 PM: Message edited by: PatCassidy ]