2010 season: 11.8nm 11.8nm total

Back on the water at last.
I have been away on holiday in North East India for three weeks (Assam, Nagaland and West Bengal), where I saw some of the most beautiful boats I have ever seen on the Ganges Delta. The canoe on the left is a typical small one. I have yet to edit the photos and to add them to my pages on Indian Boats ( http://www.jegsweb.co.uk/boats/Assam2009/brahmaputra_boats.htm )

I have moved to a new marina in Poole Harbour and launched Daisy G. from the public slipway at Baiter last Friday. I was a bit concerned because the gradient of the slip is notoriously gentle and people have to disconnect their trailers to launch deep hulled powerboats. I reversed until the car tyres were in the water, and that proved deep enough. I couldn't push her off the trailer with my weak arms, but I found I could push her bow up in the air, and then the weight of the boat slid her off.

The new rudder is a joy, once I sorted out the downhaul line. It is so bouyant that the lever-arm on the downhaul couldn't get it right down (my puny arms again) and when I had a trial sail it was realy heavy on the helm. Then I rigged the downhaul as a 2:1 tackle and a good heave got it right down. Now the helm is light as a feather and we really stormed along. I have rigged uphauls and downhauls on the rudder and the centre board as 2:1 purchases, and it really helps a sailor as feeble as me.

I have rigged the Ensign to a flag halyard on the mizzen, so I look much better dressed out on the water

The Chinese yuloh is a total failure. It needs to be at least a metre longer and there just isn't room in the boat to store that. There also didn't seem to be enough swinging room for it. I am back to trying a paddle.