Its been a while...again!

 A lot has happened in the last few years and 2022 is looking crazy too.

Sailing wise, the Covid pandemic changed a lot of things for me. The first was the impact of the lockdown on the boat. It sounds odd - why would that affect the boat? The inability to check on the boat, to get the cover off and allow it to air, particularly in those cold months, caused a build up of damp to damge the varnish with discolouration and in some places seperation. 

This was compounded by not having winter storage space or somewhere undercover, or the space to errect a polytunnel, to work on the boat. I decided I needed a boat constructed in FRP that would be able to withstand winter conditions and not need painting or varnishing. The search began in winter 2020. I found nothing suitable. In a fit of madness I explore the idea of fitting out a new hull. I had a spare mast and boom and some spare fittings and foils so I thought it was a reasonable option. I contacted Paul Armstrong who had fitted out an Albacore and asked about it. His advise was 'don't do it' - it took him ages and he had to buy special tools. Unperturbed, I contacted Ovington who told me the last two hulls had just been sold to CS Boats. I called Paul Sleeman of CS Boats and we discussed the options, starting with the bare hull, then with a fittings pack, then fully fitted out - with foils, all the while the price was going up but still within my savings. I decided, on the spur of the moment, to buy a fitted out hull, complete with foils, roped and ready to take the mast from 6844. Next task was to tell my wife. And to sell 6812 - a boat I hadn't sailed since 2015 and was in a state of unfinished refurbishment. At the end of March 2021 the second lockdown ended and 6812 was sold to her new owner as a refurb project. 

In May 2021 Paul Sleeman arrived with 8254 and we set about fetteling the rig I had from 6844 onto the new boat. She arrived on a new road base and trolley that I had also purchased through CS boats - an after-thought when considering that I needed another trolley at the least. A new road base for a new boat seemed the right move. 

That weekend I took 8254 to the club and launched her for the first time with a simple naming ceremony - just water! I was asked if it was holy water, I said it is if I say it is! 8254 was duly named 'Outrageous Grace'. Why that name? I never expected to buy a new boat. It seemed outrageous and yet here she was. 'Grace' is a gift that is undeserved, unwarrented, not earned and whilst I did pay for her, the mere fact that I could felt like a gift. Like all things in life, it helps to be grateful to the ultimate gift giver for what we recieve and her name reflects that gratitude. 

2021 was a great start to racing 8254 with some success in the national circuit (I won my first Albaore Open meeting in October) and at my home club with some good results through the year. 

I purchased a new mast early in 2022, which is working well and this means 6844 can have her mast back. She has had some essential repairs done and her deck revarnish with a superb finish, by Paul Sleeman of CS Boats. Now she just needs a bit more work and refitting and to be sold as soon as reasonably possible. She is a quick boat and she looks great. 

I love the look of a good looking wooden hull - they have more personality than the very bland looking FRP hull. I am tempted to keep 6844 but I can only sail one boat at a time.

Is the FRP hull faster? I'm not sure but I think so. It seems to be quicker to get on the plane, the controls work better and the centre sheeting as opposed to aft sheeting makes for better tacking and gybing - especially gybing in a strong breeze as it gives you more control of the gybe.

I'm hoping for some excellent sailing in 2022 as the season unfolds. New sails are on order and performance looks like it will only improve so I'm hopeful of some good results this year too.But other things could crash into all these rather minor hopes, we live in a fragile world with idiots in positions of power that ought not to be. I'm praying that the crisis in the Ukraine is resolved peacefully and we can all breathe a little easier.