The Boat Page, December ‘08

Alleda

. As last year, our elderly Iroquois Mk1 catamaran is out on the hard for the winter at Cleopatra Marina in Preveza, on the Greek NW mainland coast. The words ,our boat, imply rather more (or less?) these days as an Australian pal, Martin Lloyd, has bought a half share in Alleda. It’s good to have his fresh ideas and even better to halve costs which continue to rise.

Alleda has a bi-plane junk rig which seems to have become an almost accepted alternative sail plan on catamarans these days. We can’t possibly be this ordinary and so are well into work to put on a third mast/sail at the after end of the cockpit, see sketch. The OED notes that a three masted vessel is known as a Barque or Bark. This seems a spot pretentious for a 30 foot catamaran so, having rejected Whimper, we’ll call ours a Meow rig.

Sue and I’ve had some good sailing in the Ionian this year exploring new-to-us places in Meganisi and Kastos. The weather for Sue’s autumn visit could have been better but, on her next to last full day, a pod of dolphin stopped fishing for a few minutes to provide two of their greatest admirers with the sort of close encounter they crave. Turtle and pelican did their best too.

Taimen

Not content with sharing a boat in Greece, Martin and I decided we’d also share closer to home on the River Orwell, a wonderful East Coast cruising area about halfway between Norwich and London. After a fruitless search in the UK, the price reduced on a French boat we had both been aboard some 4 years earlier at a rally. So we became the owners of Taimen, the only junk rigged Etap 26 in existence. I had to spend 9 days (and Sue 4) in Dieppe getting her ready to sail after she’d gathered dust for 3 years in the boatshed of the Club Voile de Dieppe, whose members could not have been more helpful. Martin and I delivered her to the Orwell at the end of August. It was a rugged 140 mile passage in force 6 to gale 8 (including crossing the world’s busiest shipping lane!) but Taimen is a classy lady and looked after us well. Knowing that she is unsinkable is reassuring!

We are keeping her in the water this winter and will, hopefully, get some sailing from the Suffolk Yacht Harbour which is between Ipswich and Felixstowe – only 7 miles from Arthur Ransome’s Secret Waters.

Lamina

Sue and I still wholly own Lamina, our old green machine (aka the self sufficient sailboat) which remains on her rural dyke mooring just off the River Yare, on the southern Norfolk Broads. This exposed mooring is ideal for an electric engined yacht whose wind generator and solar panels charge the batteries enough to go sailing 2 or 3 times a week without the need for external input. On our more organised days we use just 2 ampere hours motoring from the mooring to where we can raise sail. Double this for a disorganised day. It’s very satisfying although Lamina herself is still looking a little on the scruffy side.

Two half boats and one whole one, all junk rigged. Is this madness? Probably, but you’re only 70 once.

Alleda in the Gulf of Amvrikakia Alleda’s new rig Taimen on the Orwell Lamina in Norfolk