Hello...!!! Anyone aboard?

[Bill Wickett]

It has been a quiet forum lately. Are our minds focused on the turbulent times we live in? Or is the sailing season just about gone for most of us and we are quietly regrouping and planning for next season?

Ray has been posting some really terrific images of his Storm 17 under build. Very nice Ray.

Claus, have you been sailing much lately? Have you taken delivery of a BR already? If so, have you made any modifications or additions to it?

Julian, what is the word on your proposed layout for the Bay Cruiser? Your website is very nice. I like the slide show you have running there.

Charles, are both your boats put away now, or do you still have some sailing season left?

Matt, we all hope that you are running full tilt with new builds. Looking forward to seeing the new BC (Julian's) getting laid down

Our Norseboat is still on the trailer in the driveway. Not stored away yet, but the leaves are dropping from the trees pretty fast and we may not get that one last golden day on the water. Last weekend was great weather wise, but we were an 8 hour drive away at our son's wedding, which was a fabulous celebration. The young(er) couple are now on a cruise in the Med.

Speaking of the Med, Tony, did you get to Greece again this year?

Regards,

Bill

[Tony]

Hi, Bill.
Sailing season over?
No way!
We are only allowed January off around here. There is always someone out during the other 11 months.
Just home from driving one of the safety boats for the Topper Nationals at Carsington. 120 boats in two fleets racing around the cans in winds gusting to 20 knots - and they had enough energy and enthusiasm to lark about on the sail back to the club house afterwards! A great bunch of kids.
"No wonder we win so many *#%&ing Gold Medals", said my crewman, as he tried to keep the circulation going.

As for the Four Sisters - yes we trailed her out to the Ionian again this year. Had some pretty strong winds there, too. Even the ferries stopped running for a day or two! I stayed in harbour when it was blowing F 7. (...and also on the days it was gusting F 5-6 to be honest as I havent yet got this mizzen and jib thing together yet. When I drop the main it has to sit tied down on the cabin top and it tends to foul the jib. Not a problem they will have on Julians BayCruiser, though. Different rig.) I'll post some pics of the blue sea and sunshine later.....when I have some feeling back in my fingers!

Cheers!
Tony

[Julian Swindell]

Hi Bill and Tony and anyone else aboard.

I had thought that things were very quiet too. I am on a couple of other boat forums (fora, to be pedantic) and they have been silent for weeks as well. Maybe everyone is just depressed by all of the relentless gloomy financial news. I decided the only way I can help the economy is to buy stuff, hence my BayCruiser order. I have been showering Matt with ideas and he is probably despairing at all these amateur doodles. I shall be interested to see how many of them reach the light of day. All being well, the build is due to start in January for launch in April.

Having sold my Winkle Brig (to the first person who looked at her, with no advertising and for the maximum I hoped to get, so the economy cannot be that bad!) I was going to be boatless all winter. Nothing to fiddle with or "improve". But in fact I have got my old 8 ft Blue Peter dinghy back, the first boat I ever had. Some friends had her for four years and she is in a parlous state, so now I am in the shed every weekend patching, filling, sanding and "improving". I hope to use her as a tender for the BayCruiser, so colour schemes will have to be chosen soon (are you there Matt?). I have even got ideas for names.

[Tony]

Hi, Julian.
Financial crisis?
What Financial crisis?
I dont have to worry about money ever again as I won the Lottery 3 times over the summer! Whup di do!

Just cant find a bank I trust enough to look after the thirty quid.....

Any ideas about fitting out the BayCruiser cabin yet?

Cheers!
Tony

[Craic]

Claus, have you been sailing much lately? Have you taken delivery of a BR already? If so, have you made any modifications or additions to it?

Hello Bill, and all,
nice to hear from you.

We had quite a busy summer on the water. Our last big outing was the Dorestad Raid in Holland in September. We were three aboard and had to row and sail very hard, this raid is really competitive and the Dutch are tough at that. Some blistered hands and sweat, but huge fun overall.

We finally got our plastic BR in August to Ireland, but I could not do very much, our time there was already running out. A very pretty boat, slate grey with cream deck and tan sails. There were some teething problems with it but Matt took care of them no prob.
The BR looks actually bigger -and has a far bigger cockpit- than the SeaRaider, through the wider beam and higher freeboard than the SR. I am sure the cabin top in the BayCruiser version will suit her well.

We started planning for 2009, just received back our confirmation for Morbihan. Very much looking forward to it and hoping to see some of you again. We will bring the BayRaider, so we can have some cruising and internal racing with the other BRs that'll care to show up. We will be in flotilla No. 3, homebase very likely to be again at Port Blanc.

Quiet time? Not yet. We expect Matt on the coming weekend for the boat show here, he'll have a BR on display. First time ever a real raidboat will be shown in Germany, curious what'll happen with the financial crisis being here too. Could be that the credit crunch will actually rather support the sale of smaller boats.

Stay tuned,

Claus

[Charles de Bouillane]

Hi Bill, Tony, Julian, Claus, and all,

Thanks for news each one of you gave...
I m also waiting to know more about the Bay Cruiser...

[Tony]

Bonjour, Charles.
Votre navigation d'automne éprouve merveilleux sain. Avez-vous des photographies des lacs de montagne que vous avez parlés de ? (….et excusez svp mon français de garçon d'école !)
Salut,
Tony

[Charles de Bouillane]

Hello Tony,

...the lake is Lac du Verdon, south east of France, (north of Côte d'Azur), not a very high mountain (500meters high)!
I have some summer pictures, but don t know how to post them (but I know how through private message)

[Julian Swindell]

Hi Charles
If you attach your pictures, they appear after your post. Click the link below the message window (where you type your message) called Additional options..., and then browse to the picture to attach it. Best to keep the picture small (about 600 pixels wide I think) because most of it will be lost off the side of the screen otherwise.

[Charles de Bouillane]

Hi Julian, Tony,
here is a picture of the Lac du Verdon (water is this colour turquoise, and is drinkable...with alcohol Pastis!). (Thanks Julian, with my daughter, you helped me for how to compress the photo!!!)

[Julian Swindell]

Charles, these are wonderful pictures, but I am baffled. Each time I look the picture is different! How does that happen?

[Charles de Bouillane]

Julian,
on the right of your message, there are two possibilities for you-the author: "Reply with quote Modify", and with "Modify" I changed the pictures... since I was not happy with precedent ones to show the lake!