We are afloat

We are afloat At long last Sea Bear has been launched and we are afloat moored to a pontoon in Swanwick marina. It has been a long haul and with many frustrations with dealing with the boat yard and contractors to get all the work done. Even now there has been a last minute hitch as the riggers haven’t fitted the new vhf aerial. It’s enough to try the patience of a saint. But we are all provisioned up and passage plans made so tomorrow should see us set up for our sail from the Solent up to North Wales.

Afloat at Swanwick

Learning new skills

The weather has not been kind for fitting out and so I am a bit behind. I had planned this weekend to be a big push to move things along. Instead I am snowed in at home. Still I thought I could do something useful. I’ve been a sailor for over 10 years now and I had never spliced multi braid rope. High time I learnt.
The mainsheet traveler control lines on Sea Bear were attached to the traveler by passing through an eye with a stopper knot to secure. Awkward, ugly and lubberly it called out for two eye splices.
So it was out with the fids, read the instructions and watch tube videos. I made my first mistakes on a bit of gash old rope before turning to the control lines proper.
Here it is my first multi braid eye splice.

first eye splice

A new boat for the Skipper

19th Oct 2012

Having sold my last boat (Dansa) in May I was on the lookout for a new one. For a while I had been undecided about buying another boat but the lure of the sea and sailing was too strong.  It had to be the right boat of course, not too big, not too small and I had, in the course of a few years sailing, drawn up  a list of desirable features, which resulted in a shortlist of boat types.  For various reasons that list had been whittled down to two and then ultimately to a Vancouver. So the boat search began.

After  viewing a few other Vancouvers,  I spotted Sea Bear for sale and as soon as I viewed it thought “This is the boat for me”. So I  put in an offer, had a survey done and come to an agreement with the owner over the price.

Then it was the big day, I met the owner Michael and he showed me over the boat and showed me where things were and the operation of things. This included lighting the Dickinson Stove. As it was a damp and drear day this was appreciated and the cabin was soon snug and warm.

Paperwork all completed and Sea Bear was mine. Later I walked to “The Jolly Sailor” for beer and a meal, returning later to spend my first night on the boat.

Sea Bear at Swanwick