Its just started to snow

[Strathglass]

Up here in the north of Scotland it has just started to SNOW.
Yeterday I pressure washed the yacht and the weather was fine. BUT TONITE. Came home for a breather betweed sessions but will be out later. We will surface in the small hours.

Happy new year

Iain

 

[Guest]

Take a look at the Baltic ...... I'm in Ventspils and I have 30 cms of snow, -10 degrees centigrade ...... boats stuck in the ice !!!!

Nigel ...
Bilge Keelers get up further ! I only came - cos they said there was FREE Guinness !

 

[Shanty]

Must just be in the backwoods. Here on the Black Isle, no sign of snow - just a little frost. Wnet outside just after the bells - usually can hear the hooters of the ships / oil rigs in the Cromarty Firth - not a sound tonight, despite v. little wind. Watched the fireworks display over Inverness instead.

Must go - glass is empty again - must have a hole in it

Happy New Year

Tim

 

[sgball]

Whats SNOW?

Trudie

 

[Guest]

Back off to my other home in Lohja, Finland, on Thursday for a few days and the forcast is -19 warming to -15 then back to -20. Funnily enough plenty of snow to.

 

[oldsaltoz]

Please send some snow................

Sitting here in me Jocks with the fan flat out, still 30 C + and it's 15:30 hrs, should drop to 23 C tonight.

Avagoodweekend Old Salt Oz /forums/images/icons/cool.gif

 

[Anchorite]

So that's where it's gone...French alps practically snowless under 1500 meters.
Down here (between Lyons and Grenoble) we have primroses and daisies in the lawn, flowers on the forsythia, mosquitoes waking up, it hasn't frozen this winter (so far...).
Meilleurs voeux pour 2003 à toutes et à tous.

 

[Johnjo]

SNOW
would make a pleasant change down here in Cornwall cannot remember
the last time we had a day without rain, Its absolutely saturated down
here,Floods are forecasted for the next few days, looks like I will have to dig
the wellies out,
mike

 

[Paulka]

20°C, nice sun, some boats sailing in the nice breeze (F2-3)!

 

[Strathglass]

Tim

Hardly the backwoods. Just by chance where one lives in this country.
I was in Inverness yesterday and probably live further south than you. Just at the start of Glen Affric. My neighbour Seamus has a junk rigged yacht over at Avoch and I have been at meetings in Cromarty with him.

Fortunately there is just a thin layer of snow but the temperature has been just below zero all day.

Iain

 

[Strathglass]

You can have as much as you want. How can I send it to you?
Have a good year.

Iain

 

[lauradee]

was in qeensland a few years ago this time of year, no A/C in hotel (noosa) was told by an old redneck that its not necessary !!
really said i, so i took my custom elswhere.
beer is freezing but the rooms werent!!
s

 

[Shanty]

Hi Iain,

Beautiful place Glen Affric, particularly in the Autumn. I would guess you are about 30 km. South of us, but its more to do with distance from the sea / altitude / microclimates than anything else. We are on theWesternmost edge of the parish of Cromarty, but have a totally different climate from Cromarty itself.

I've seen a junk rig in the distance off Avoch several times, but I don't think I've met the owner. I sail out of Fortrose - yacht is currently sitting on the harbour at Fortrose, looking rather in need of a coat of paint. Whereabouts do you sail - E or W coast?

Tim

 

[Forbsie]

I can see a Wareham-like meet coming here.

I'll ask Kim to order extra disk space. /forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.seafin.co.uk>Tender to...</A>

 

[Strathglass]

Hi Tim
The snow has now disapeared and it is quite mild.

To answer your questions. Perhaps I should start another topic but here's for a bit of thread drift, instead of snow drift!
The boat has never been in the water and has been a fairly long term project. I was a fairly high earner when I initially purchased the hull, but since then my life has gone through various troughs and peaks. It is now almost complete and only a few tasks and decisions are required. The mast kit was ordered at SIBS (48ft , masthead, swept back spreaders) and I have just built a trailer to collect it from down south. The rigging will be 8mm and as I can only swege up to 6mm I have to decide whether to use all norseman type fittings or do I get the top ends swedged.
I have all the materials to to protect the hull from osmosis prior to antifouling and as the red topside has faded and cannot be polished up it will be sprayed in dark blue ( International 800 series two part polyurethene). Those tasks cannot be tackled till the summer when the weather is warmer.
I hope to launch it in the canal at the end of the coming season and perhaps take part in the winter racing series there as a way of introducing SHMBO to a mild form of racing as against cruising. But, there will be a steep learning curve and initially it will be difficult to make the handicap (PY 920)

Where to keep it in the summer? that is a BIG problem.

Avoch dries out, it's a bit big for Fortrose, Inverness has a long waiting list, Nairn has about a one hour tide window to get in and out (in springs) That leaves Invergordon or Cromarty on this side. So I think that Fort William or Plokton are favoured at the moment. They are about the same driving time from here.
I still have a few things to get, but not too much. These include the spinny pole (4.2 metres), GPS repeater, VHF, liferaft, tender, a smaller 2.5/3.3 outboard instead of my 6 Mariner and some of the smaller rope clutches.
Apart from the rig I have to- Install the gas plumbing, finish off the aft cabin, finish the wiring, finish installing the Eberspacier, check, check and double check everything. Then have it inspected fot the boat safety certificate.

Perhaps it would have made sense to build something smaller but the unused, decked hull came at the right price. The amount spent so far has no real value till the yacht is launched.
Then, as it is a home built craft I cannot sell it for 5 years because of EEC regulations. I am looking foreward to enjoying it.

A bit long winded way of answering your short questions but why not?

Iain

 

[Shanty]

Hi Iain,

Found your snow - its currently falling on us. Less than an inch so far, but still falling.

Interesting to hear about your project - sounds like a lot of work. Don't envy you facing the Boat Safety Cert at the end of it all. Have you spoken to any of the examiners yet? There seem to be any number of little points in the scheme to trap the unwary. If you haven't it might be worth speaking to Jamie Hogan at Caley Marine about your plans - particularly the gas installation - in order to avoid upleasant surprises.

As regards rigging, I use Coates Marine / Northern Spar Services in Whitby - very helpful, and cheaper than most.

BTW, how big is she? 8mm rigging says about 6 tonnes displacement. We used to have a Westerley Riviera on the moorings here at Fortrose, so you might not be too big for us.

Anyway, hope to see you sailing soon.

Tim

 

[Strathglass]

Thanks for the reply Tim,

The boat, about the same size as your Riviera, (33 ft, 6ft draft, 12.5 ft beam) but when I asked I was told that it was too big to put on a mooring and to put on the hard at Fortrose.
That was a few years years ago.

BSS I know it quite well and have put about six boats through it. It is now a lot less silly now than it was at first. I have an examiner ready (not Jamie). But I did ask Jamie for an interpretation on the rules regarding the gas installation.

We know the Hogan family quite well. We were on the same easyjet flight as Jim on our way to the LBS three years ago and had to wait together for two hours at Luton airport for a bus into London

Ok about Northern Spar Services. I will look into them but will probably end up doing it myself.

It has been a major project but I have been building it to the highest of standards and everything is very fully documented.
I am certain that I could have purchased quite a good yacht for the money I have spent over the years and that does not count my time.
But I have enjoyed building it and certainly intend to finish and use it.

ps I have just been told that it is snowing again quite heavyly and tonight is the village new year ceilidh. We will not be home till the small hours.

Regards
Iain

 

[sgball]

Thank you for the snow - can you send a bit more next time!
Trudie