I've got my new sail.

Went over to Cardigan to pick up my new sail from Swallowboats. Absolute hive of activity there, with Bayraiders (20 and 17ft) BayRaider expeditions (which are proving popular) and Baycruiser 23s all over the  place, plus several projects in hand. Could barely move for boats in build, which is very good to see these days.

The new sail is different in design from the original and made by Hyde Sails rather than Jeckels, who made the original. I have a modified sail number now. It used to be BC 01. Now it is BC20 001, which shows ambition. Plus a nice little Swallow symbol.

I have fitted the sail to the new boom and will take it to the boat on Saturday. Sail cover still to come.

Mizzen back on boat but stillno mainsail (9.4nm 40.6nm total)

I picked up the mizzen from Concept Sails Ltd. They have used plain white for the patch and have made a good job of it. Three day turn around and £25 total, so I am very pleased. The fact they are so close to the marina is another benefit. I hope I don't need them again, but glad to know that I can. The slight colour difference doesn't worry me. I think it gives a rather "patched blue water sailor" feel to the boat.

Still no sign of my new main sail, but hopefully it will be here soon. Saw BayCruiser no3 out sailing, now renamed Sigma Six. Looking wonderful and shooting along with full sail set (envy). I was just about reaching 2kts if I was lucky. It was the first time out for her new owner and he looked very pleased. He has got a nice boat there.

Reinforced the glued repair on the boom gallows with a long screw, so all should be solid now. Just need warn weather and a full set of sails now.

Mizzen repaired

Just heard that my mizzen has been repaired and I hope to pick it up this weekend. Very fast turnaround, about three working days. Just need to see the quality of the work now.

Mizzen off for repair

I have sent the mizzen off for repair at a small workshop in Poole. If all goes to plan, I should be able to pick it up on my next visit and be back in business. Fingers crossed that the new mainsail has appeared by then as well.

Damage to mizzen sail

This photo shows the damage to the mizzen. Bad damage to two panels, but a lot of chafe in the third panel as well. The ideal would be to replace all three panels, but a smaller patch would probably work just as well. The leach edging strip is undamaged and the panels are quite flat, so hopefully repairs are possible.

The burn marks on the lower section are very strange. The largest burn is on the side of the mast sleeve, and then get progressively smaller as you go out. The mizzen was rolled around the mast, so how this inside out burn occurred is beyond me. Should be easy to stitch a small patch over each hole. I'll treat myself to a new sail one day.

More sail problems (9.0nm 31.2 nm total)

Went to check boat after this appalling weather. Took my little dinghy on the roof to try her as a tender as well. Found that the top of the mizzen had come loose and had flogged and chafed until there are several holes in it and the leach is damaged. Now I am down to just the jib. There is also a mysterious line of holes across the bottom of the mizzen. It looks like a burning ember from a fire has landed on it and burned through. I am just jinxed this year. My wife thinks she can make the repairs if I can find out what cloth was used, so I shall be contacting Jeckells sails on Tuesday.
Motored to Brownsea Island and after a walk motored and sailed, very slowly to Shipstal Point for lunch. I can sail across the wind with just the jib, but only about 1.5kts. Motored back to mooring, with the engine cutting out intermittently. Seems to be hard to get the fuel through.
I rowed out in my dinghy. The skeg wheels worked perfectly. She is quite tender, leaning quickly if I move. She is so small that she settles surprisingly deeply when I get in. Easy to row, but she really needs longer oars, I have just got 6ft ones. The bow is so sharp that she doesn't run up the beach, she just stops dead when she hits it. She tows beautifully, much more steadily than the inflatable. As she stands, it is hardly worth taking her down just as a tender, but if I can get some better sized oars, she would be a pleasure to row.


I met the new owner of Baycruiser no.3, who is going to keep her on at Poole on the neighbouring mooring, so there will still be two down here. He was just rowing around having a look at the moorings when I came back in. Very big spring tides, 0.3m- 2.3m which is big for Poole. Sunny by the time I left, but still very cold.

Daisy G anchored off Brownsea Island