The Last Post

There is a saying in Yorkshire, the region where I come from, which translates as: ‘If you have nothing to say – say nothing’. Readers of this blog will be aware that it has been a while since my last posting – the reason? Well, I had nothing to say. The boat, the main subject of the blog, is finally renovated and I’m sailing. I could, I suppose, continue to write about the trips and travels but there would be no point. There are lots of writers who do that, and there are lots of blogs that drift and meander around and beyond the original purpose. Occasionally, it seems as if the ‘blog’, has become more important than the subject. It is as if some writers need to say something, even if it isn’t worth saying. 

Well, that isn’t going to happen here; far better, in my view, to keep the writing tight, steer a blog like a boat, and get off when you reach your destination. So here we are – the last post.

My final task was to fit slab reefing. I have tried the system on two occasions and it works well. The system cost me very little and it allows me to raise sail, reef and shake out a reef without needing to leave the cockpit. If you are minded to do the same, find a Cornish Shrimper and study her. That’s what I did.

A reader commented recently that he thought my outboard in a well would be quite noisy. He is right, it is. As noisy as any outboard I guess, maybe noisier because it’s closer to the helm. Having sailed a little last summer and more this summer however, I’m happy with it. It is cheap to run and maintain and anyway it only serves to get me in and out of port. After that, well I’m reliant on wind and tide.

So here we are. As I said, the boat is ready, seaworthy, and in use. I have nothing more to do (except for the usual maintenance and improvements that any owner would do) and I have little left to say, except a massive ‘thank you’ to everyone who read the blog, especially those who commented and sent words of encouragement. It was a long project and the encouragement meant a lot.

Perhaps one winter evening (or two) I’ll distill what I learned about boat renovation and write a

practical guide that I can sell cheaply as an Ebook. If I do, I’ll post it up here.

In the meantime, I keep a few bottles of beer on board, so if you ever find yourself in Plouer Sur Rance, drop by the port and say hello!

Seaward