Monday 15 August 2016

autohelm 1000

this gadget is amazing and so old but it still works. It took some TLC to fix it up but it has some life in it yet, handled the boat well in calm seas not sure it will be up to the job in the rough we will find out.

Most satisfactory

After some very tricky, fraught and messy experiences attending to big business afloat on our last boat with only one cabin and a bucket, i can report with confidence that chortles facilities are most satisfactory under passage.

Admaralty approval

Thankfully jenny did smile eventually after suffering the most horrendously un-relaxing holiday of her life. They do say holidays are forms of alternative stress therapy. So jen will much more appreciate her boring landlubber existence now.

Happy in her new birth

It was hard for the skipper to leave her unattended yesterday having only just put her in the water. I think he will be back before next weekend!

Perfect

Thankfully sailing conditions were perfect on sunday.

Finally a sail

So after all the effort from the whole family in refurbishing chortle, it has been a great relief and joyous occasion to sail her out of eyemouth for the first time. Unfortunately we have had only two days sailing for our summer hols. Which has not gone down well with the admiralty (jenny my wife) who has gone back to work today, boring.

Dog happy in the cockpit

The Dogs birth

Beatrice our salty sea dog loves her new bed in the pilot birth. She is a bit put out that she is not between mum and dads legs at night, which was the case onboard chuckle our old folkboat. Come the winter this arrangement might return. However with the portability and non slip bottom of her new bed she loves it in the cockpit too.

Wednesday 10 August 2016

Freyja in the Rigging

Well fergus and freyja went up the mast today to fix the jobs daddy did not get right while the crane was hear. The mast head navigation light was on back to front the wind vane out of line and the lazy jacks (more rigging) had not been attached 3/4 up the mast. Freyja went up and down three times with different jobs and tools on strings. Go freyja, picture below is of her giving a big thumbs up from aloft, wow! What a girl.

Tuesday 9 August 2016

Back in eyemouth

Its so good to be afloat again and in what had become our home from home with chuckle our first boat. Freyja said this evening 'i feel so at home hear in eyemouth its just like home'.

As far as staying aboard our new boat chortle its like nothing we could imagine. There are two closed doors between is and the children, this helps. The heater is on and the cabin in which you can actually stand up in is toast and there is a choice of births to lounge on. Wow we love it.

Dr Thomas Hawson
Hundalee Mill Farm
Jedburgh
TD8 6PA
01835 869931
07801 653830
tom@thomashawson.com
www.thomashawson.com

Rigging and vitelling to go

Thursday 4 August 2016

Steps and bulk head

New step treads in teak and a navigation birth bulkhead in today. Not much left to do now.

Moving in

Well moved out tools and in cushions today big change and brewed our first cup of tea aboard. Fergus and freyja loved putting all the cushions in the right places.

Wednesday 3 August 2016

Shiny top sides!

Can not quite believe we have time to indulge chortles top sides with a shinning. But wow its a great improvement.

Prop

The new prop was lots of fun putting together with the kids. They loved it and sanded and fitted the zinc anodes.

Sola panels on and doing a fine job

Rebuilt rudder and tiller

So satisfying to put it all back together. Todays progress has been very fast with whole family on it and our helper.

Tuesday 2 August 2016

Jenny's birthday

Well was'nt jenny lucky. For her birthday she was dedicated the unveiling of chortles new copper-bottom. Oh my!