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Excuse the long explanation: - Club WiFi not always on / too far from my berth - I like to work from boat once a week, and my kids like to watch YouTube etc at the weekend - I have a legacy mobile contract with 3 which allows unlimited data with tethering / hotspot (iPhone) - However the 4G...

Most of the lights in my Fulmar have now been replaced with modern units with LED bulbs. There’s still an older fitting in the heads, and I’m looking for a suitable replacement. Q1) The current item is one where you twist the lens to turn it on / off. The switch has become unreliable and so I...

I religiously use 3 or 4 of the ubiquitous IKEA bag to transport items on and off the boat. Am I alone or is this widespread marine practice?

Planning to head to Brightlingsea next week and would like to venture up the Colne to Wivenhoe. We’re a 32’ fin keel yacht drawing 1.6m. We’re based in Conyer Creek off the Swale where we dry out upright in soft mud. I’ve contacted Wivenhoe SC and have had a friendly reply suggesting they...

About to pull the 18 year old Beta engine out of our Fulmar and send it for a refurb, mainly to get it blasted and repainted, but also a chance to replace auxiliaries, shaft seals etc. I haven’t had a proper look at the fuel tank yet as it’s in behind the water tank. Once the engine is out, I...

Looking to fit a new cooker and get the gas system tested while we’re there. Can anyone recommend a suitable plumber / fitter? Boat based in the Swale - don’t mind paying someone reliable to travel.

Now I’ve done a lot of the main places of interest I’m hoping to tick off a few of the slightly more difficult ports of refuge. What places are a bit of a pain, but worth it? A couple that are on my list (and at fairly extreme ends of the East coast) are Sandwich, and Wells-next-the-Sea. Fin...

It will soon be decommissioned, but for now, what are the conditions where you might choose to go either outside or inside the light? I went about 0.5nm inside it, going North, at night, earlier this year in a SW F5-6 and ended up doing some quite exciting surfing. The tide was with me. Would...

We’re on the penultimate day of our 18 day East Coast cruise. I thought I would post a quick review of the various marinas / places we visited in case it’s useful to anyone else. We’re a family of four with 2 boys (3 & 7) in a 32 footer drawing 1.6m. Obviously this is all old hat to the...

I love a wooden boat, and you might rightly say nothing comes close in terms of character, however I think it’s fair to say that grp boats like the Contessa 26 and 32 are now considered to be classics. I walked past a nice Holman & Pye Hustler 30 earlier and thought “definitely a classic...

Just bought 50m of 12mm Liros 3 strand nylon spliced to 10m of 8mm chain from Jimmy Green. The windlass is a Quick Genius with a combination rode / chain gypsy. Unfortunately when the rode falls through the gypsy it bunches up and gets stuck. The rode is pretty soft and this has immediately...

Weather permitting, we're hoping to visit Brightlingsea on Friday 23rd July, crossing the estuary from the Swale. We're a Westerly Fulmar (32') with a fin keel drawing 1.6m. Our home berth is Conyer Creek so we're used to drying out / sitting relatively upright in soft mud. What are the...

My recently purchased used boat came with a Quick Genius Ultra windlass installed. The chain needs replacing, and I'm looking to ensure I get the correct spec. The gypsy size is 8mm. I understand I need calibrated chain, but am a little confused about what spec to purchase. Can anyone help...

Hi all, Just sold a boat which we blasted back to bare gelcoat, faired, epoxied and Copper Coated. It took ages and cost a fair bit. The Copper Coat didn’t work well as an antifoul in our brackish water. Neither did any antifoul before though. What was good however, was having a relatively...

Our new to us Fulmar has one of these vents in the forehatch: Simpson Lawrence Deck Vent Does anyone by any chance know how they operate? E.g. are there any moving parts? Can they be opened or closed for example? Any info much appreciated ?

Planning to take the school holidays off work and take the kids cruising in summer 2023. Departing from the Swale. The plan is to aim for Copenhagen and see how far we get. Due to reading various other threads and a bunch of books I’m pretty clued up as far as the other end of the Kiel canal...

For a bit of boaty fun (as it’s in short supply at the minute). Life on dry land has become temporarily untenable, so you decide to take to the seas. You don’t currently own a vessel, and for reasons which are too complex to go into here, you are alone for the duration. You have £30k to last...

I enjoyed this podcast interview with Bob Perry on the subject of seaworthiness. BONUS: The QUARTERDECK // Bob Perry on ‘Seaworthiness’ — On the Wind Sailing — Overcast For those who don’t know, Perry is a well respected designer of cruising boats on the other side of the pond. Very...

We’re looking for a larger boat for next season as our kids have got too big for our little trailer sailor which we’ve happily raced and cruised for the last 7 years. Budget £20k max so not expecting anything too fancy. Seems our timing is poor however, and that COVID-19 has had the effect of...

Hi all, We’re going to skip a summer with our small trailer sailer to give her cabin a bit of a tart up. At the moment we’re stuck in a bit of a loop where it’s time to launch and we’ve only done the essential jobs. Our YC is a 45 minute drive away so I’d love to move the boat closer to home...