Easter update

 To start the off the Easter holidays, me and mum rushed off to London, for a quick look around, before attending an award ceremony at the Royal Thames Yacht Club. It was the 2022 Classic Boat awards and I was presented with the ‘Young Classic Boater of the year’ award - a category I believe they invented for me! This was an amazing honour and I went home that evening with a beautiful trophy shaped as a boat, and I must say that the varnish is even better than Falanda’s! 


On our return, I had my birthday and then we went straight out to sea for the weekend, accompanied by my family on a plastic boat of all things! With a gentle trip to Brixham the first night, we were accompanied by a stunning sunset where the whole sky turned pink, before slowing melting away to darkness as we reached Torbay. The rest of the evening was spent staring into the patch of water ahead of us, terrified we may hit a crab pot in the pitch black - luckily, we didn’t! 


Next morning I woke up to light flooding into Falanda’s cabin, and I was again reminded of how much I love living aboard the little Falanda. We decided to take off the back of the toe rail where it had been snapped on the way to Birmingham in February, so that once a new rail has been made up, we can just whack it back on again. 


I then headed out of the harbour for a day sail while my parents went for a walk. I had perfect wind most of the way and me and falanda had a cracking sail. We were heading towards France at around 7kts and nothing could stop us… except for a phone call from my parents! Turns out I forgot they could track me on AIS and it was time to turn around! 


But, all was not ruined as, the moment we tacked around, the wind picked up and falanda took off, all the way back to Berry Head when the wind decided to give up and we were left almost drifting for 2 hrs! We motored the last half an hour to the breakwater, with the tillerpilot on while I took down the sails and got all the lines and fenders out. I then had 20 minutes or so standing at the bows as the sun set and I felt completely calm, watching the waves, the sun, and the birds as we approached the harbour. Entering Brixham in the dark, I was still grinning as we moored up. 


We arrived home at about 10pm the following day after another great sail where me and falanda were again, both completely happy! 


The last weekend of the holidays was spend both catching up on 2 weeks of homework, and swimming in the sea! 


Last weekend, I took my mum out to falanda for a sanding party - I got a free worker, and she got to enjoy the beautiful sights of an old 1950 classic wooden morgan Giles west Channel one design. All was going well until the tide began to fall, and forgetting it was still springs, we continued sanding. As the tide dropped, we began varnishing, and as the boat rolled over, we just moved further up the boat.


This was great until I ran out of dry toe rail to stand on - leaving me hanging from the roller - and the boat rolled over even more, to the point where water was literally flowing over the wood I had just varnished about 5 minutes before. For me, the balancing was great fun, but not so much for my mum, who was sat on the sides of the coach roof. And for my mum, the toe rail under water was entertaining, however I was just trying not to have a complete meltdown about the state of my varnish! 


We rowed back ashore as the tide rose again, and I got a full view of my ruined varnish. I’ve not looked since! That night I had a midnight swim at Exmouth and I was again, happy. 

Photo by Josh Iskander


Falanda in the sunset


Cas in the sunset


Arriving in Brixham in the dark





Toerail off!


Sailing beautifully!



 

Happy at sea!





Hanging!








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