Stuck in the Studio.

Ive been either housebound with a stinky head cold or stuck in the studio during the recent incessant rain. Once I started to feel human again I started work on some pencil drawings from some recent field sketches from Shetland & Fair Isle, the Cairngorms and the Highland Wildlife Park plus one from Loch Tay. They are quite relaxing and fun to do, time will tell if they sell. I've included a few of them below.

Carrbridge.

Cairngorms from Loch Morlich

Cairngorms from Glenmore

Loch Tay

Arches at Furze - Fair Isle

Sheep Craig - Fair Isle

Ruin near Culswick - Shetland.

Snowy Owl Study

Lossiemouth to Chatham Sailing Trip 22nd July to 1st August Summary

8 day trip turned into 11 day trip.

Lossiemouth to Whitehills to refuel, to Holy Island, to Amble for repairs, to Whitby, to Lowestoft for yet more fuel, to Queensborough for more repairs and finally to Chatham.

We missed seeing Bell Rock lighthouse, Bass Rock, Bamburgh Castle and the Farnese Islands due to thick fog and missed Southwold due to fuel issues and time constraints.

No rain but a lot of fog for first 3 days or so then lots and lots of sunshine but unfortunately very little wind.

Mechanical Issues.

     Water pump bearing failure at Amble.

     Impeller failure and subsequent cooling system airlock in the Thames estuary.

Other problems/mishaps.

     Ran aground in harbour entrance at Amble and stuck for a couple of hours waiting for more water.

     Stuck in Amble from late on Friday to Monday afternoon waiting for parts.

     Rearranging new transport plans for getting home, most people had extra costs involved.

Total distance travelled was 501 miles.

All in all quite an interesting adventure sailing trip.

Many thanks to the rest of the crew for your company over the trip namely: Charlie (skipper), Dave and Gwen, Marcus who had to leave in Amble due to time constraints, Jenny, Steve 1, Steve 2 and Jon.

We also need to thank Coquet Yacht Club for their hospitality and for staying open into the early hours to provide food and refreshments for us after we finally got into Amble Marina.

I also have a fish pie recipe courtesy of Gwen to try out on family members next week, if it's half as good as the one Gwen produced during one of our longer passages they will be well impressed.

Some photos from the trip and maybe some paintings based on my sketches will be posted at a later date.

Lossiemouth to Chatham - Day 11 Friday 1st August.

We are tied to a pontoon at Queensborough with a misbehaving engine. The pontoon is usable but not officially reopened after repairs but had little choice in tying up here, hope nobody minds.

Three of the guys had to depart from here to catch early flights and trains. Charlie had another go at clearing the airlocks in the cooling system.....success we have water coming through the cooling system, although there are still three impeller fins still lurking about inside somewhere.

Elite Sailing sent Spitfire, another boat to offer assistance but it was fixed by the time they arrived.

We are motoring the last 10 miles to the Chatham Maritime Marina and the finish of the adventure.

We were tied up in our berth by 1200. Sort and pack our gear, clean the boat, shower and away. Dave and Gwen were away first as they were getting picked up by friends, Charlie the skipper and Jenny, another of the crew, and I went for a bar lunch. We were the last ones off the boat, just got to get a train to Victoria and the Megabus Gold Sleeper and I will be home about 1030 tomorrow morning.

Lossiemouth to Chatham - Day 10 Thursday 31st

Up early and out to do a couple of quick sketches.
Lowestoft South Breakwater

Lowestoft looking south along the esplanade

At the fuelling berth of Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club just after 0800. Refuelled and away by 0845. One final long passage to Chatham on the River Medway, we should be there in the early hours of tomorrow morning all being well. We are on a four hour watch system for this trip. Im on watch 1700 to 2100. Light winds but against us, motor sailing again.
Im on the helm at dinner time, loud noise from the engine.. switched off quickly, switched back on to check all is OK….no water coming out of the exhaust…the impeller had failed. Something must have blocked the intake pipe and allows the impeller to run dry. Charlie the skipper changed the impeller and primed the system but there are some of the fins missing somewhere inside the cooling system, still no water coming through! Our only option now is to sail to a mooring somewhere and try to fix it again. Sailing up the Thames estuary, tacking back and forth across the channel, spotting and avoiding the shipping coming in and out of the Thames takes more than two people on watch. New watch system started with three hours on and 3 hours off. I was on watch until 2200 while we tried to sort out the problem. Now Im back on watch 0000 to 0300 after only 2 hrs rest so feeling a bit cream crackered.
The sailing was great though after all the motoring we've been doing, finally got tied up on the pontoon at Queensborough at 0300. all very tired but a good night sail, tried again to sort the problem but no joy, we will see what daybreak brings, off to bed.

Lossiemouth to Chatham - Day 9 Wednesday 30th.

We are still on passage towards Southwold, very little wind, sails up but motor sailing. On watch 0700 to 1000 and 1600 to 1900. All this motoring rather than sailing means we are starting to get low on fuel. Trying to decide whether to go into Lowestoft for fuel or continue on to Southwold. We have decided on Lowestoft, I bit too low on fuel to risk the Southwold harbour entrance. We got into Lowestoft  at 1830 just a half hour too late to get fuel and continue on to Southwold. Must wait until 0800 in the morning to get fuel.

Walked along to the most easterly point in UK, then cultural bit done its off to the pub.

Lossiemouth to Chatham - Day 8 Tuesday 29th

Still on overnight passage from Amble to Whitby, I'm on watch again 0230 to 0530 so I should be on deck for the approach into Whitby harbour. Lots of stars plus some shooting stars, used my iPhone night sky app to identify a few of them, quite interesting but really sucked the phone battery power.

Through the swing bridge on target at 0500, tied up in the marina with shore power on and all tidied away by 0530. Back to bed for a couple of hours nap before getting out sketching.

Out sketching 0900 to 1500, got a few sketches done but Whitby was very crowded. shower and tidy up. We are trying to get away by 1700 to get a favourable tide south. We got away on time heading for Southwold. This will probably be the longest passage of the trip I think. Still no wind, motoring again. I'm on watch 2330 to 0230, another stray night. Dodging the gas installations all night long, there were lights from dozens of them visible for most of the night.

Here are today's sketches.

Whitby West Pier

The Boathouse

Fortunes Kippers

Whitby East Side

Lossiemouth to Chatham - Day 7 Monday - Amble to Whitby

Our engine parts arrived 0845 as promised, engine fixed by 0930. We now have to wait for the tide to get over the marina chill and out into the River Coquet and out to sea. We have a few shrugs spare so it's a few housekeeping jobs then off for a walk.

A Dutch yacht has tried to get out before the tide has dropped and has hit the chill. We don't know what damage he has done but in any case he will be there for about 4 hours while the tide finishes going out and then comes back in sufficiently for him to re float. He is leaning at quite an alarming angle. He is about 4 feet from the depth gauge for the chill so he has misjudged his exit big time. He is taking the opportunity to clean the bottom of his boat !!

Stuck on the Cill

We have time to do a few manoeuvres on the way to the fuel pontoon. Yours truly is on the helm from our hammerhead pontoon mooring to another hammerhead a couple of rows along that has the fuel berth.

Slip the bow line, engine on and in neutral, engine in slow reverse, bow drifting out OK, slip the stern line, we are now being held with the engine and stern spring. Forward gear, slip stern spring and we are away into the channel at the end of the pontoons. Once clear we are into reverse to allow another yacht to pass clear of us. Into forward gear.............NO THE OTHER FORWARD.........panic...... A lot of power forward...nearly demolished the pontoon behind us. Approaching the fueling berth at 45 degrees aiming for the middle, steer to port when we are 1 metre from the pontoon, quick blast of reverse to stop us, lines ashore, tied up and we are there. A bit of a panic for a moment but we (I) missed everything that needed missing !!! I do question the wisdom of having a loon on the helm approaching a fuel berth but we managed. I think I need a drink.

Refuelled and away at 1545, the Dutch yacht is off the chill and away with presumably only minor paint damage to has hull. Very little wind again but nice and sunny, we are heading for Whitby and we should be there about 0430 tomorrow morning to get through the bridge at the 0500 opening.

We have a school of dolphins playing around the boat, I managed to get a Dagwood picture of a dolphin along with 6 of a dolphin splash. I can't upload that pic until I'm home.

On watch 1730 to 2030' sunny but very little wind, motor sailing again. Glorious sunset tonight.

Lossiemouth to Chatham - Day 6 Saturday - Still in Amble

Another leisurely day today waiting in Amble marina for engine parts to arrive. I spent the morning housekeeping and sorting things out and the afternoon sketching in Walkworth.

We have decided on our plan for the rest of the trip assuming we get the engine fixed tomorrow morning.

1. Depart Amble about 1700 Monday

2. Arrive Whitby after dawn on Tuesday, there is a tidal constraint with the Whitby harbour bridge.

3. Depart Whitby on the following high tide at about 1800 Tuesday.

4. Arrive Southwold on Wednesday evening after waiting for the incoming tide to help us up the river.

5. Depart Southwold about 0500 on Thursday

6. Arrive Chathan sometime on Thursday evening

7. Sort the boat out and depart for home at some point on Friday

8. On the Megabus Gold from Victoria Coach station to Aviemore at 2300 Friday to arrive in Aviemore

    at 1000 on Saturday morning.

Below are today's sketches.

Walkworth Castle 1

Walkworth Castle 2

Walkworth Bridge and Gatehouse 

Walkworth Market Cross

That's all for today, I may be able to post from Whitby at some point on Tuesday.