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Working gaffers - peak preventer News of the Frisian and Baltic Fleet The Admiral visits the Eastern Fleet IntroductionEnd of 'the season'. All boats preparing to be packed away, a sailing club ritual, and everyone going back to whist drives, sailing alone around the world books - and empty waters save for the real mercantile marine. Where did it go? I've only just finished the scrubbing and varnishing and only had three or four days on the water with my boat! So I'm gonna keep it where it is for a few more months and see if we don't get some glorious late autumn or even winter days. Ex working boats like ours are supposed to be out and about in all weathers anyway, whilst the white plastics (as distinct from black, green and blue plastics) with the aluminium sticks are all hidden away. Could we have a few stories in four months time please, of Memory voyages in the horizontal sleet, winter gales and with frost laden sheets. I will if you will.... Quite a bit in this issue. Thanks to all for keeping the contributions coming. Including a real bit of trad. waterways history from Mike Townsend, who does venture forth in the inclements - and I suspect to boot, with a few more years under his belt than a number of Memory skippers. The inboard/outboard and somewhere in between debate continues with the appearance of the Salterns outboard motor well. I was the first 'consumer' to try it out, installed in "Flugel" with a brand new Mariner. Did you get that ? Greg bought a new engine ! There's blind faith for you. Goes good though, quiet, pushy and neat. Notes and picture included in this issue. People are beginning to find the ushere on the web also. Italy is alive to the existence of the Memory as a result - well, at least one would-be enthusiast in Milano is. We've already had a few suggestions, about a chat box for example, but it's still exploratory so all bright ideas still welcomed. The latest Memory, black hull and cabin, looked resplendent down at the Southampton Boat show, in September. Thereafter, it goes on to Peter Thomas whom we hope will be joining us. Finally, thanks also for subs received recently. I'll always send the receipt back unless you say otherwise, but without work based "facilities" available any longer, they are much appreciated. Ed. (Terry Collins, Adrienne V) Worst moments...?Bangers and smash! Due to some unseasonable sunshine in mid July a few years ago we had a
considerable surplus of sausages that were well on the turn. Reluctant to ditch
the only nutrition on board it was decided that said sausages should be grilled
as this might extend their already stretched shelf-life. Hot dogs for two! On
such small decisions does our fate depend! I was usually held responsible for
navigation on this particular vessel, although there was the extenuating
circumstance, on this occasion, that we had 'sailed off the edge of our chart'.
It was also a piece of water that we both knew well. A short list of other 'classics' Gybing in the wee small hours towards the end of a North Sea crossing, neatly flipping over the grid compass with the mainsheet as the boom swung across and sailing a beautiful reciprocal course back towards Holland. Only the sun rising on the wrong side of the boat raised our suspicions! Not connecting the top end of the cockpit drain pipes and consequently nearly syphoning the boat under on a stiff beat to windward. Carefully clipping a harness onto a nice taut halyard before dropping a sail. Uncleating the halyard only to find, as I described a gentle parabola into the staysail, that I was clipped on to the slack end! Long story of "Long Nanny"'Just a quickie to give you an update on "Long Nanny". Not so good news as far as a keeper for 'Long Nanny" is concerned; I'm having to put her on the market, after a long winter and most of the season completely re-fitting her. She is now looking better than ever, with new electrics and log/speed. I've re-done all the varnish work and fitted both brand new running and standing rigging, including all new wooden blocks. She will look a treat when she's finally back in the water (she is now, on a mooring in the Hamble River, Ed.). As for me, it's been a short but extremely enjoyable encounter with these superb boats - and owners association. Anyway, as for me, I've bought a Sigma 38 - "Oh no ! " I hear people cry, "Going all yachtie !" Well, not really. I've had an opportunity to get out of the furniture trade and set up a sailing/charter school with a good friend of mine. We were hoping to start next season, so that I could sail "Long Nanny" during this one - but a boat came along at the right price and we've had to buy it, although it needs a lot of refit to get it up to my standards. Long winter ahead with more boatwork. So - if any MOA members, next year, need sailing courses etc. - we will be able to offer very good rates for bona fide Memory owners ! ' (As at Sept 12th - "Long Nanny" has not yet been sold. If anyone or contacts are interested, talk to Greg or Phil. ) Phil Pafford, Long Nanny Suffolk Memory ModsI am the proud owner of a 1976/77 moulded Eric Bergqvist Memory. I assembled this boat from a kit and one or two of its modifications might be of interest to other Memory owners. When I assembled the boat, I didn't fancy the idea of a centreboard tackle with the inherent risk of tripping over the ropes and wires, so I installed a simple winch which has a ratchet on top of the plate case. This has worked well with the only proviso that you must make sure the ratchet is on. Otherwise, is you accidentally let go there is much rotating of handles and 'outches' from the operator ! Over the years, my original Seagull Century has been replaced by a Yanmar YSE8 diesel. Somewhat too large and powerful for the boat but cheap and reliable second hand diesels are hard to find. Frank Knights shipwrights of Woodbridge installed the engine bearers and engine and I did all the plumbing and exhaust. This engine has been a major pleasure, enabling us to progress over adverse tides and winds on my local River Deben. The third modification has been recent. I am sure that the nature of the river bottom has changed, as over the last couple of years my c/b plate has jammed every time I set off for a sail. This then necessitates the removal of the plate top and winch and welting the board down with a lump hammer and steel rod. Very time consuming. The modification consists of a tapped steel plate let in and bolted to the plate top. Into this is introduced a rod and handle made from 16 mm studding and flat steel bar. This is reduced in diameter at the bottom and has a turned groove to locate a set screw. This enables the bottom sleeve to not rotate when it engages on the c/b. On installation, I was amazed at the power of the screw threads, as you simply and easily wind until the plate unjams, and then remove, replacing the hole with a convenient sherry cork.
( Muddy water sailors, please talk further to Mike. Ed.) Well, Well, Well !At long last we have got round to building the first, we hope of many,
out-board motor wells for the Memory. I wouldn't say that it has had a
long gestation period - but the original drawings I did were dated January
'96. Who says we don't work quickly at Salterns !
The end result has proved most successful, with excellent manoeuvrability and minimal drag when sailing with the engine down. The biggest surprise was the amount of push the 4 HP Mariner provides with the 'sail-drive' propeller, enough to drive the Memory into a sharp Solent sea with wind and tide against us and plenty of power in reserve.
Can you fit one to your existing Memory ? Yes is the answer but it's not a five minute job. Apart from the obvious hole-cutting and GRP work, the rudder needs extending and a curved tiller needs to be made. The deck also requires strengthening. The mainsheet system will usually require altering as the mainsheet horse will not fit over the top of the outboard engine. So, is it worth it ? I think so. It works well.....and aesthetically it looks very pleasing and unobtrusive. Speak to us if you are interested. We would be happy to sell the moulding, templates and instructions - or complete the job for you. Greg Dalrymple, Salterns Boatbuilders, Flugel A Nice Quiet Weekend.The plan was simple enough - we would sail from Dram's mooring on the Orwell at Ipswich early on Friday morning - catch the flood down the Wallet from off Walton, and arrive at West Mersea early afternoon ready for the East Coast old Gaffers race at 7.30 Saturday morning. A trip of about 35 miles. The forecast for the weekend was light North Easterly going light South Easterly - perfect! We should do reasonably well in the race - proper Memory weather! Friday dawned bright and clear with the promised NE to boost us on our way. Mike and I congratulated ourselves, had a beer and set off down the coast. By midday we were in the Blackwater and off the Nass beacon. It was too good a day to waste. We ran the length of the river - all the way up to Maldon in glorious sunshine. The wind had been rising all the way down the coast and by now it was blowing a good top end of four gusting to five. The beat back up to Mersea gave us our first inkling of what the rest of the weekend was to be like. By 17.30 we were tied up in West Mersea damp and tired, but having enjoyed a great days sailing. With the race due to start at 07.30 we registered and then turned in early. The
forecast had now changed to what we already had - 4 to 5 NE gusting locally to
6. We decided to give it a look in the morning. If it proved to be too hairy we
would leave Dram on her mooring and race on the bawley Bona - our 'mother ship'. If the last twenty years have taught me nothing else they have taught me
that one of Mike's 'Why nots' generally precede some of the more interesting
moments in my life! Our next problem was that home lay 35 miles North of West Mersea, to get there we needed to take a North-going ebb into a probable NE 5, which would mean a very unpleasant wind over tide chop. We held a conference and decided that we would 'have a look' in the morning, and if we didn't like the look of it we could hightail it back into Brightlingsea - which has the virtue of being easier to get to from home. We rose at 0600 and sailed out into a grey and lumpy dawn. The promised 5 was
blowing, but we would have a bit of a lee as far as Clacton Pier. We pressed on
with one reef tucked in. 0830 saw us at Clacton. Were we going to turn and run
now? Should we press on? To cut a long story short we were back on the pontoon in Ipswich at 1340. The
rigging was rather slacker than it had begun the day. The mast chocks were all
loose. We had a gallon and a half of water in the bilges, but we were delighted
with the way the boat had handled the weather. In three days we had sailed 115
nm at an average speed of 5.4 knots,according to the gps, and at least a third
of that had been to windward in wind speeds of around force 5! Thanks Greg, you built a stout little ship. Working gaffers - peak preventerWith reference to the sketches of working gaffer rigs - courtesy of Keith Davidson again, there was an item lifted from somewhere about the use of a 'peak preventer' ;- 'This short line attached to the peak of a gaff enables it to be lashed to the boom. It has two uses, one of which was much employed by fishing smacks dredging for oysters in the East Coast rivers. It constituted an extra reef, producing what was known as a 'trysail'. With the deepest reef tucked in, the peak was dropped until the preventer could be lashed to the boom, whereupon the area of the already deep-reefed mainsail was roughly halved, without reducing the precious length of the luff, which is so necessary for working to windward.' The writer, John Mellor, had adopted this reefing method on a small boat about the size of a Memory. It kept the boat head to wind and swell, and damped down her rolling. He used it, in effect, as a riding sail. 'The preventer is also useful for immediately lashing the gaff to
the boom on handling the sail, in order to stop it swinging about. You
must ensure that it cannot wrap around the topsail sheet, hitching the end to
the head lashing. News of the Frisian and Baltic Fleet !I was going to send congratulations and thanks for the last edition of the Newsletter (we always include bits like that! Ed.) by email, but how should we forward a subscription electronically ? No Euros yet ! So some good old fashioned paper £ pounds instead - not that I do not appreciate British conservatism, e.g. gaff rigged boats ! The sailing has been so - so this season. Weather has been mixed and spare
time rather little. However, today has been great, with force 5 to 6 winds,
although a little wet from above and below. Two reefs would have been
cleverer. Whilst going down-wind like this, it just occurred to me whether
anybody has got a Memory to 'glide' yet ? I suppose one has to throw out
some ballast and then keep you fingers crossed. We topped the day
grounding at full speed whilst gybing in our narrow 'priel' (swatchway, I think
you call it) on the way home. As this is happening rather often, there are
no more panic reactions from Ulrike; since it has been decided that I am the one
who goes in the water ! Some comment on the last Newsletter - first, your doubled topping lift
looks a good idea, but from which side do you set your topsail ? Or set the
topsail yard simply 'outside' the topping lift ? Tell me how you manage
that please? By the way, I arranged the jib halyard double ended (I had to climb the mast for this, minding my beard though....) with an extra purchase on one side, as shown in Tom Cunliffe's book. That really gets the luff tight and straight without killing myself; we are not getting any younger are we. (Well, dunno about you Olaf, but I've got another 5 months before becoming an old age pensioner.. Ed.) It was interesting to hear David Sutton thinking about installing an electric
inboard. I actually do have some definite plans for doing this, but wondered
whether I should 'out' myself to the gaffer purists. Presently, we only have
time for Sunday or weekend sailing and we never need more than a maximum of two
hours engine power. We usually need at least 15 minutes power each time or
we wouldn't get home. Sculling against wind and tide is not really
possible. There is a system on the market which I have seen in the 'Hanseboot'
Boat-Show in Hamburg last Autumn. It is based on the well known 'Lynch'
engine (the firm's web-site home page is www.oecosachs.de ) It takes
very little space and I would think that the batteries replace some of the
internal ballast. What do the experts say? Is there any practical
experience of this out there? Olaf and Ulrike Opitz, Namib-Tern Tarted up "Kate"This letter actually started in May, but got put on the back burner! When finances permit, I think I will renew my mainsail, via Greg's supplier, which was the best quote yet. In the short term, he has made me up a new topsail to the Memory specification, in tan and cream 18 inch panels. Trevor Fulcher helped me to rig it and a 'happy hour' was spent on the mooring adjusting the attachment points in a strengthening breeze. Up and down, up and down - a definite case of Riggers Crick for all ! It is beautifully made and looks very striking. The spar I made is of three quarter inch by one and a half inch softwood, from a fourteen foot plank - and it bends alarmingly ! I will have to strengthen it this winter, or go to one inch by two inches to ensure the extra weight. I'm also looking around garden centres for a fourteen foot bamboo, as per "Sif", as it has the ideal spec. The jack is just 6 foot of three quarter inch dowl, a la "Flugel". Keith Davidson, Kate The Admiral visits the Eastern FleetDawn on the 10th June saw the mist over the Blackwater but by 6 am one could discern a great gathering or gaffering of bawleys, barges and smacks off Osea Island, preparing for the annual Blackwater Barge Match. The river was teaming with old gaffers of all sorts and gave some feel of what it must have once been like. Both "Kate" and "Letty May", the latter flying the flag of on-board Admiral Flugel, GD and bar, were both there for the start at 8 am ish, under the lightest of breezes and the promise of a scorching day. We had just finished holy stoning the decks as "Letty May" raced up and the Admiral Flugel of Dalrymple leapt from her onto the quarter deck of HMS "Kate" without a hint of losing his high status hat (See pictures page). The screech of the boatswain's whistle had hardly faded before his gimlet eye raked over the "Kate" from stem to stern. 'Never fear, the Greg. Is here' - the word spread like wildfire below decks and in a trice he was seen to be tightening this and slackening that and soon had her shooting along behind "Letty May". He was very polite about the worn-out sails and all the clobber we keep down below, and even more so about my lousy helmsmanship. But - seriously folks - it was great to see Greg and the vice presidenta Annette again, albeit briefly. A picnic off Bradwell, waved farewells - and a long beat back with the tide but against a fresh breeze and the setting sun saw us back in Lawling Creek by 2100 hrs. Keith Davidson, Kate Gaffers DroopHave just finished reading 'Half a Gale' by Mike Frost, about his Essex smack - but I'm intrigued by his drawing of sail reduction. Would such a rig be feasible on a Memory ? I thought it was verboten to drop the gaff so low ? Any comments anyone ? Perhaps it would only apply when fishing ? Aunty Sif's Column Thanks for the advice re bottoms. Have chatted up a dishy Drascombe a trot away. Having let the Blackwater barnacles breed and take up lodging in May, she insists on a quick scrub off on Mundon Spit in late July. She says they break off fast and don't come back. "Kate's" made a date with a right little scrubber........... Wildfowling Memory(I'd heard that Mike Townsend out of Maldon was 'into' this very traditional waterways activity with a Memory, so twisted his arm a bit to say something about it. Ed.) My Memory, now named 'Memory' but originally called 'Salar II' by the doctor who built her from a kit in about 1984, was inherited by me from my son-in-law Nick. Nick and my daughter Anna had been the crew of my Scottish MFV for five years but had inconsiderately migrated to Wales in 1988, leaving me crew-less. I sold the MFV and took over Nick's Memory instead. This was a day boat with sloop rig and a 2 HP outboard, fit only for emergency use getting into moorings and marinas. I had helped Nick to collect her in 1986 from a mooring at the head of the winding Salcott Channel, between West Mersea and Tollesbury. She was an attractive looking boat and eminently suited to estuary work; I made a mental note that she would do nicely for me if I ever went back to small boat sailing. She would be ideal for picnic and swimming parties in the summer and just possible as a wildfowling base in the winter. The Blackwater Estuary is the home of punt-gunning, the art of stalking parties of duck on the open water or mudflats in an unconspicuous flat boat carrying a very large shotgun on the foredeck. Colonel Peter Hawker, the most famous punt-gunner of all time, learned the art from Elijah Buckel of Maldon in the early years of the 19th century. Living, as I do, at the head of a ten mile estuary, which virtually dries out at low water in its upper reaches, I can either pole, row or sail the punt, leaving at half ebb and returning not earlier than HW minus an hour and a half - or I can tow the punt behind a base boat. The ideal is one with a solid fuel stove and full cooking and sleeping arrangements. You can then stay out as long as solid fuel, food and drinking water and weather permit. Alas, 'Memory' had no heating and indeed no proper cabin. Nevertheless, we have tried her as a wildfowling follow-up boat with modest success. On the first trip we had only the previous owner's outboard. There was a force 4 west wind which blew us nicely down to Mill Creek, on the North shore, opposite Bradwell. However, when the tide changed the water became much too choppy for punting and we decided to head for home. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of gunner and skipper, the outboard refused to start and we were faced with a ten mile beat to windward, towing a heavy 22 foot punt. With the gun secured inboard, a ridge pole and a cockpit cover on the punt to keep out the spray, it towed astonishingly well. Being early September there were plenty of dinghies racing off Stone and we had a most interesting time beating our way through them. Those tempted to cut closely past our stern on the other tack had a rude shock to find 30 feet hanging on behind. To our delight however we actually overtook one or two of the slower boats on the same tack as us. That was the last time we attempted a fowling sortie with the outboard and the next year I fitted a 1GM Yanmar inboard. With the new iron tops'l I braved an overnight solo sortie in a cold, quiet spell in November. This has not been repeated because (a) cooking has to be done outside the cabin, (b) inserting oneself into a sleeping bag on the bunk is difficult and (c) although the bunk was comfortable and the weather was beautifully quiet - the freezing temperature made the whole performance far too spartan to be willingly repeated in the wild-fowling season of the year. I still occasionally use 'Memory' for wildfowling sorties down river and occasionally we are successful. We are a crew of three - myself, my gunner and my gunner's wife who is a professional artist. She skippers the boat whilst we take short punting expeditions when fowl are sighted in accessible locations. If she sees a puff of smoke or hears a "woomf", she starts the Yanmar, weighs anchor and follows us up. This usually enables us to make a couple of shots in a day, although there have been problems, such as when John and I, exhausted after an hour's unsuccessful stalk, looked for 'Memory' - and she wasn't there. We eventually spotted her a mile and a half downwind and just about to fetch up on the shore off Pewet Island outside Bradwell Creek. It was then a race to reach her before she actually went aground. We just managed it, but there was some discussion as to how an artist, however engrossed at her easel, could fail to notice the changing perspective during a distance of a mile and a half ! Over the last twelve years, we have learned a few useful tricks and made one or two modifications to both 'Memory' and the gun-punt. One of the first was to change the Memory to cutter rig, with the staysail hanked onto the forestay, which now runs to the stemhead, and a roller furling jib at the end of the bowsprit. The rig is now better balanced and can be sailed 'hands-off' when close hauled. Also, with just main and jib set, forward vision is better when looking out for duck. The port and starboard forward cockpit seats were in the way and have been removed. In a following wind, the punt was prone to swoop down and ram 'Memory's' transom. It is towed stern first and now has a hard rubber block built into the stern. It is advisable to trail a small sea-anchor from the stem also. The final incident, which led to these precautions, occurred the winter before last. We left Maldon with a westerly force 4 or 5 wind, occasionally 6, forecast to drop after midday. This would give a rapid transit to our fowling area, a pause for lunch and, hopefully, some punting when the wind dropped. Passing the North Doubles buoy I happened to look back and saw that our speed through the water was so great that the stern of the punt was virtually obliterated by spray and taking enough onto the cockpit cover to eventually dislodge it. We promptly took in a couple of reefs and that slowed us down just sufficiently. Four miles on, passing the Thirstlet Spit buoy, we were back doing the same excessive speed, threatening to swamp the punt. The next step was to start the engine and lower all sail. With a trickle of power to maintain steering, the punt was now safer but made periodic swooping charges at 'Memory' and the crew were detailed to fend-off and eventually to hold it firmly against a wad of fenders on out transom. We were rapidly losing our enthusiasm for punting and the sortie was becoming too much like a survival exercise. Bradwell Marina was the obvious diversion but we had to turn across wind and negotiate a narrow, winding channel at dead low water. Thanks to the Yanmar and my strong mate we made it, but only just. The waves were about three feet high and the punt was swooping and diving in the most alarming fashion, threatening to visit Davy Jones's locker complete with our valuable gun. After we had secured both vessels to a pontoon, the marina manager came up and greeted us with "What on earth were you doing out there ? We have had 36 knots on the anemometer !' The wind did not drop until late afternoon and then not enough to tow the punt - which we left in the expensive care of the marina until the following weekend. The return, however, was a copybook sortie in glorious quiet weather,
my novice gunner for the day taking a nice shot at mixed widgeon and teal and no
doubt thinking that this sport was just a piece of cake...... |
Last updated 29/11/01Copyright © Memory Owners Association |
