Sails back on

 First of all, a massive thank you to Kemp Sails  for restitching my sails, and making an awesome new sailcover to protect them! 


My first week of halfterm unfortunately wasn't spent out to sea on Falanda, as I'd hoped because the sails were in the post, and when they arrived on Tuesday, it was too windy to fit them on. After the blow passed, saturday morning was lovely and still, so soon the sails were back on Falanda again. 


Although I haven't managed to get out on Falanda much, and the cruiser racing in Topsham has finished for the season, I've still been getting out on the water. Yawl racing by Topsham Sailing Club has been on every weekend, and I've been crewing for Ed W in his little yawl, which is great fun!


The difference in helming, and sail trimming on lighter boats, compared to Falanda is huge, so I've almost been having to re-learn how to sail. Whereas Falanda is 5 tonnes, and has a very wide turning circle, the Yawls and fiberglass cruisers turn on a penny, so with any slight movement on the helm, the whole boat has turned 180°!


Back to last tuesday - at 7.30am me and dad were at Trout's Boatyard, launching the dingy for some filming with two Boatlife camera men. After a day of rowing out, and re-rowing out to Falanda, followed by interviews in the cabin - which seemed unusually cramped with the cameras -  they had the footage they needed. 


Me and Falanda have been invited to the brand new Boatlife boatshow in Birmingham in Febuary, where Falanda will be on display, and I will be giving a talk.


Sails up


Feeding in the slides on the main


Falanda sitting on her mooring, sails on

New sailcover, by Kemp Sails


Falanda at Trouts Boatyard, sailcover on.
(Fitting on my new sails while, across the pontoon, sails are being taken off!)

New sail cover



The cameras on Tuesday, when Fslanda's interior seemed about 10x smaller than it used to be...


Racing with the yawls




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