Wildbird

The first signs of spring

Ah ha!  A  sighting of the lesser spotted yachtsman. Like the first cuckoo, its a great indication that spring is round the corner. The chink of paintbrushes on varnish pots. Sails being put back on, decks being cleaned. Even had my first sighting of the blue-faced boiler-suited species.   Someone will go out sailing soon!

It makes a nice change from the quiet of the almost deserted marina - almost deserted that is, other than workmen and cranes and incessant banging whilst new piles are driven in.   Roll on summer!

The prospect of spring is getting me enthusiastic about cleaning Wild Bird up. Already the Boracol is working its magic on Wild Bird's decks- all green has gone virtually overnight, although it's left a sort of grey residue. I gather that will go over a few days. Today it's the coachroof's turn, ready for the new solar panels.

Sea dog blog

Its me, Skye.  You can call me "Admiral"

They took me by surprise.

I've often wondered what "boat" meant, other than a small and funny shaped house which I  get to by going along strange moving wooden pavements (but, joy of joys,,often covered with mussels, which I love).

Today they put me in my snazzy  lifejacket, and turned a key and an engine started up in the house/boat. Oh my word.. 

Soon we were out in Plymouth sound.  I wasn't at all sure about this... but the crew were tasked with reassuring me that it was all ok.

We went "up the yealm"  - this transpired to be  a river, not something rude, and after lunch and being hissed at by swans, headed back towards Plymouth.

Much to my surprise,  the boat sprouted white flappy things which I'm told are called "sails".   I'm used to it rocking about, but this was something else...

 

Quite fun really!   I could quite take to this. Although after a couple of hours, it was time for a snooze.

My only complaint is that when the boat is tipping up, as it seemed to do, the decks are a bit slippy. I've asked the boss for some deck shoes for future trips. 

Sea Change

Sea change - by Jane Verburg


Do you know what it’s like to live with the sea
in your hair,
inside your head, knitted into your sleep?

Its noiselessness, noisiness, tied to your fingertips,
its seaweed rolled in strandlines strung to your toes,
its thumbprint pebbles caught in the curve
of your turn,

its sea glass in your pockets,
its curlews lifting in wide ribbons wrapped in
the palm of your hand.

Do you? Do you? I do.

The long rangers

 Perhaps one of the best things about going on an SSB course - or more officially "GMDSS Long Range Certificate (VHF, SSB and Inmarsat)" - is meeting other people and feeling inspired again about this "going off into the wide blue yonder" lark.    I may not make it to places as far flung as the one in the piccy above (thanks panhala!), but I'm going to have a jolly good try.

Of course the people who go on SSB courses aren't typically those who are content to potter about in the Solent on day sails. No, instead, all the peeps on my course seem to have their eyes set on far horizons...   ...David with his boat already in Turkey (last year's trip) and planning to go over to the Carribean  next winter; Malcolm who has already sailed around the world on a British steel challenge boat and now who is heading off in spring generally south (on another Bowman); Shane who is kitting out a cat for the carribean; Andy who is looking for a boat - perhaps a Nicholson -to take to the middle east, and Duncan whose boat is already in Fiji.     To add to the mix, I find I'm sharing a B&B with Eileen, who is in the solent doing a ship's captain's medical course prior to setting off next year with her daughter dual handed on her boat (currently in the Turks and Caicos) on the Blue water rally.

All inspiring stuff!     Apart from learning the intricacies and significance of 2182, 2187.5, 8291, 8414.5 and other sundry kilohertzes, pressing LOTS of buttons, pretending to be a competent radio operator on board "Sultaeins Swieiss" (do they do this deliberately to test your capabilities at the alphabet?) offering assistance to a fishing boat in distress, and of course the obligatory "boarded by pirates" Mayday calling procedure, we had a good time swapping stories and plans.

And now I have the "certificate" - or will when AMERC issue it - and will be legal when of course I buy the SSB!