It's been a while!

It's been quite a while since my last post, must try harder. I haven't been slacking though, things have been quite hectic at times. At the beginning of October we had a fire in the raku shelter which resulted in a total loss of all our Raku gear. the insurance is now sorted out and we are waiting for some decent weather to rebuild and replace the gear.

The Aftermath.

In November we had a couple of weeks in Mexico, I managed some sketching but not a lot, it was mainly a chill out holiday plus swimming with turtles and visits to a few cultural sites, Chichen Itza and Tullum Ruins. A brilliant relaxing trip.

Part of the Tullum Ruins.

I'm in the studio/gallery full time now so I'm managing to get to work on a few projects that I haven't had the time to do before and paintings from sketches done further afield.

Watendlath - Lake District

I'm still playing catch up and have paintings waiting to be done from : My Shetland and Fair Isle Trip in May, East Coast Sailing Trip from Lossiemouth to Chatham with Elite Sailing, a Lake District Trip from June and my Scottish West Coast Sailing Trip aboard the restored Brixham Trawler "Leader" with Trinity Sailing. A busy few months ahead.

I'm developing a range of pencil sketches based on my field sketchbooks, below are a few recent ones.

Cottage at Carrbridge

Into the Lairig Ghru.

End of Thirlmere - Lake District

I've also being producing a few bird paintings and drawings from my photographs and field sketches ready for a spring exhibition at the gallery.

Merganser - River Spey

Goldeneye - Loch Alvie

At Christmas I did a painting of Abby, the little companion we lost earlier in the year. It got tears on Christmas morning but is well liked.

Abby.

The weather here in Carrbridge is snowy and about -10 degrees c so I've been doing a few winter watercolours.

Riverside Cottage, Ellan Carrbridge

Moody's Cottage - Carrbridge.

Anyway that's all for now but I will try to be more regular with my posts. I think I've said that before.

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 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.

Lossiemouth to Chatham - Day 4. Holy Island to ............

I'm on anchor watch 0330 to 0430, got my sketching gear out ready for the dawn, hopefully the mist will clear. Sketched the castle in silhouette as the mist began to clear. A curious young seal came to investigate and play around the boat for a while. I did 4 sketches by 0530 when I went back to bed for an hour or so. When I awoke at 0730 the mist had closed in again.

Lindisfarne silhouette.

The Breakwater.

Offshore island.

We got the dinghy out and inflated and were off the boat by 0900. Mist clearing fast getting hot and sunny. I sketched around the bay area with the sheds out of upturned old boat hulls and the famous castle.

I got 4 sketches done before needing to return to the boat. Lindisfarne (Holy Island) is one of my favourite sketching spots.

Upturned boat shed and the Castle.

The Castle from the approach road.

The Castle from the Staithe.

Tonic and Catzero at anchor.

Left Holy Island in full sun at 1400, we were back in thick mist within 10 minutes. Still no wing so motoring again, in the general direction of Hartlepool.

We couldn't see Bamburgh Castle or the Farnese Islands due to the fog, we were in our our own little cocoon with 100m visibility again. As we pressed on the visibility improved and the sun came out so it became a very nice afternoon but that was about to change.

At 1700 we heard strange squeaks coming from somewhere near the engine, soon traced to a leak at the rear of the water pump so it needed fixing quickly, we decided to head for Amble for repairs. We are getting there close to low water so getting in may be an issue...........it was we've ran aground in the harbour mouth....

Either Reeds Almanac differs a fair bit from the local conditions or we miscalculated, anyway we are stuck fast. We had to wait for two hours before getting off and trying again. We finally got tied up in the Marina at 0200. Many thanks to Coquet Yacht Club who stayed on to welcome us with food and a beer..much appreciated.