Issue 6December

2011

The magazine of the Seamaster ClubVolume 20

Steam Launch Falcon

2

Please note that all the items shown on these two pages are intended for SeamasterClub members and their families only, they are not for sale to non-members. TheSeamaster Club makes no profit on any of these items.Copies of The Seamaster Story may be made available to non-members upon request,but at a commercial price.

Embroidered Sports Clothing Embroidered Sweat Shirts, Polos, etc. We can offer a wideselection of colours and styles, embroidered with the SeamasterClub logo. Prices:Fleece - specify full or half zip £21.00 + £3.00 p&pSweat Shirt Round neck . . . . £15.00 + £2.50 p&pSweatshirt collar attached . . £16.00 + £2.50 p&pPolo Shirt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £11.50 + £2.00 p&pBaseball Cap . . . . . . . . . . . . £8.50 + £1.30 p&pAll prices include embroidery of the Seamaster Club logo andyou may add names if you wish.

Seamaster Boat Logos:We can supply full-colour vinyl transfers with your model number, which are now available for allSeamaster models , including Sailers, at £20 per boat incl p&p. Other logos, etc., may be arranged toorder.

Logo PlatesLogo Plates for “30” or “8M” logos areavailable @ £33 per set Other plates can bemade to order for the same price.

Seamaster Club BurgeesSeamaster Club burgees are now available in two qualities.Standard single-sided priced at £10.00 and de-luxe double-sided priced at £20.00, both prices include p&p.

ORDERING & PAYMENT:For all items on this page & page 43 please order from Brian Rowland, 113Park Avenue, Orpington, Kent BR6 9EG enclosing the correct payment.The Seamaster Club cannot accept credit cards. Please pay for all goods bycheque payable to “The Seamaster Club”.

3

CONTENTS2 Seamaster Club Merchandise

3 Contents

4 Diary Dates

5 Chairman’s Report

6 From the Editor

7 Dispatches from your President

9 Seamaster 20th Birthday

SOLAS V for Pleasure Craft

10 Around the Regions

12 Letters

A Request to Join the Club

The AGM

Winterising in Norway

Burgee Suppliers

Seamaster 20 Engine & Ballast

Re: Gearbox Oil

Servicing an OK Outdrive

17 Jenny’s Jottings

18 EA and a Problem Cruise

20 Lincoln & Surrounding Waterways

22 The Later Voyages of Second Melody

Disclaimer: The views, opinions and any other content of entries in thismagazine are those of the contributors; The Seamaster Club, and theEditor , do not accept responsibility for such content.

Cover Picture Some of the members that attended the AGM went on to visit theMuseum of the Broads on the Sunday morning and enjoyed a trip on themuseum’s steam launch “Falcon”

A practical way to stow aboarding plank

(if you have room)

4

DIARY DATES

2011December 10th Norfolk Broads - The Christmas Bash, Sutton Staithe

Hotel

2012

January 7th Norfolk Broads - Lunch Meet Sutton Staithe Hotel 12:30

January 12th Closing date for articles for Issue 21/1

February 1st Publish Issue 21/1 of Seamaster Lives On

March Thames Spring lunch - details tba.

March 25th Great Ouse & Fens Pre-Season Luncheon. Venue tba

March 31st Norfolk Broads - Lunch Meet, The Fisherman’s, Burgh Castle 12:30t.b.c.

April 1st Publish Issue 21/2 of Seamaster Lives On

April 27th-29th Norfolk Broads - Spring Break, Lion Inn Thurne t.b.c.

May 25th-27th Norfolk Broads - The Oulton Weekend, Oulton Broad t.b.c.

June 1st Publish Issue 21/3 of Seamaster Lives On

June Great Ouse & Fens Afloat Rally, Lazy Otter GOBA moorings. Datetba

June 16th Norfolk Broads - Evening BBQ with Dilham Boat Club, DilhamVillage Hall, 7pm t.b.c.

June 29th/July 1st Norfolk Broads - Ranworth - The Big One, Ranworth IslandMoorings t.b.c.

July Great Ouse & Fens Summer Rally, Sans Souci, Little Paxton Datetba

July 27th - 29th Norfolk Broads - Summer Weekend, Waveney River Centre t.b.c.

August 21st - 23rd Norfolk Broads - The Navy Lark, Beccles Yacht Station t.b.c.

Aug/Sept Great Ouse & Fens Afloat Rally, Brampton GOBA moorings. Datetba

September 8th-9th Thames - Cookham Rally

Sept 14th-16th Norfolk Broads - Autumn Weekend, Lion Inn Thurne t.b.c.

October 6th Norfolk Broads - Lunch Meet with Dilham Boat Club, Red Lion,Coltishall, 12:30 t.b.c.

November Seamaster Club AGM & Members Weekend - tba

November Committee meeting and Social, Orpington

Late November Great Ouse & Fens Xmas meal. Date tba

December 8th Norfolk Broads - The Christmas Bash, Sutton Staithe Hotel t.b.c.

Coordinators are requested to notify the editor as soon as new events are scheduled fortheir area.

All copy should be sent to the Newsletter Editor: email: editor@seamasterclub.org or post to:

Brian Rowland, at 1 13 Park Avenue, Orpington, Kent BR6 9EG

5

Chairman’s ReportI write this report fresh from the Members’ Weekend and AGM lastSaturday. This well-organised event seemed to be enjoyed by all whoattended. There was the usual combination of business and pleasure,in a convivial setting by the water, in the beauty of the Norfolk Broads(yes, even in November!). Numbers as in recent years were around the60 mark for the AGM but with a further increased take-up for the eveningmeal (48). Also the Friday saw over 24 Seamaster members enjoying agood chat over dinner and a few drinks.The Saturday morning of the AGM saw brisk selling at the Boat Jumble with good turnoverin boat fenders, TV antennas, shore power leads etc. Longstanding Seamaster stalwartDerek Crombie who unfortunately has been obliged to sell his boat (Ocean MusicSpringfield Seamaster 27) on health grounds (and has bought a caravan - enough said!)had everything including the kitchen sink on offer. After the formal meeting there was ashort and surprisingly interesting presentation by ASAP Supplies of Beccles on RawWater Cooling. Even I could more or less follow it and now know both what an impellerlooks like and more importantly when to change it. Remember your Club discount fromASAP – see Members’ Area in the website.The evening dinner was followed by a highly amusing talk by Norfolk member DavidBeake on nautical expressions and how they’ve entered common usage (“Three sheetsin the wind” etc). Was it me, or did David bear a resemblance to the late great Dave Allen(and not just the Irish accent). The weekend was rounded off by a visit on the Sunday toThe Museum of the Broads which was opened specially for us. The highlight was a shortcruise down the Ant on the museum’s restored Victorian steam launch, “Falcon”. YourChairman even managed two trips. Some 24 of us went in all. Many thanks again to WillHawkes (and his stoker, Patty) plus Alan Davies for making this possible. Also, thanks tothe Committee as a whole for another successful year and welcome to new CommitteeMember, Roger Matthews, who responded to the call.The trick now will be to better this for 2012, a big year as it happens to be the Club’s 20th

anniversary (also there may be something sporty going on in London?). Your Committeeare meeting as this magazine is being printed to start working up ideas. Some kind ofreturn to our roots in Great Dunmow, Essex, where most of the boats were built, is apossibility. Watch this space.Our 813, Coldstream II, is now at Wayford Bridge Marine and out of the water (I hope!) foranother season. One of our last cruises was over the very hot weekend at the beginningof October when we got through the notorious Potter Heigham Bridge (6 foot 8 inches)and up to the idyllically quiet Hickling Broad and Horsey Mere. I can recommend TheNelson’s Head at Waxham (near Horsey), on the way to the beach – around 30 minuteseasy walk from the staithe. Good pub food and well kept Woodfordes ales.Our marina, Broadsedge, in Stalham, is in the process of installing electricityto all the moorings. Hence we shall be fitting shore power to our boat overthe winter – the main big project this year – although there will always besomething else to do. Once this is operational, with the benefit of bilgeheaters, Coldstream may stay in the water next winter. Don’t forget thosetips on how to winterise your boats in the Members’ Area of the website.

Here’s to a long and enjoyable boating season in 2012.

Best regards and a Happy Christmas

Happy Boating, Peter

6

From the EditorThe AGM: Jane Wall, Peter Campbell and Will Hawkes, have all heapedtheir praise on the success of our Members’ Weekend and AGM elsewherein this magazine so, as the main organiser, I shall just sit back and enjoythe moment (a bit different from my many “senior moments”). However Imust add that all the help offered by the committee in organising the eventand the enthusiastic support of those members who attended was veryrewarding. My thanks to you all.

Seamaster Club Birthday: The Club will be 20 years old next year and your committee willhave started planning suitable events by the time you read this magazine. For example, ourVice-President, Peter Gwynn-Grifiths, is proposing we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of theSeamaster Club and the 60th Jubilee of Seamaster boats, by a birthday party at Heybridge(on the East coast) next summer. He is keen this should not be overly challenging butshould be a pleasant summer holiday activity. I leave it to each of you to consider.

I expect the Norfolk section will also be planning a suitable event and would be delighted ifany other areas would like to do the same.

North West Coordinator: I am pleased to report that Rodger Hague, our North WestCoordinator, has returned to the fold. My thanks to John Topping for filling the breach in themeantime.

What have I been up to? During the year we managed to undertake several trips includingthe Ranworth and Beccles rallies both of which were superbly organised and most enjoyable.We also managed to entertain our son and his family on the boat for a week. We have doneseveral jobs on Planters Punch - well most done by other people. They include:

- Installing an Eberspacher cabin heater (well Will Hawkes did most of the work).- Will also Replaced the old battery charger with a modern one from Sterling Power whichseems to have made a tremendous difference to our batteries - time will tell how much.- Goodchilds Marine Services (where we moor) removed the searchlight from thewheelhouse roof and glassed in the hole it left - looks very good too. I am replacing theteak-faced ply roof lining because that too had a hole in it for the spotlight.- Goodchilds have replaced some rotting timber in the wheelhouse floor, and made agood job of that, and I am making the replacement floor panel.- I have replaced the failing original cabin lights with new square flourescent lights - muchbrighter and consume less power. Pity they don’t match the original features but so be it.

Like many members we continue to suffer several problems with leaking windows - nothingnew but very annoying and, if left, very destructive. One of the next jobs will be fitting aSterling Alternator to battery charging controller to finish off updating the battery support.

And so it goes on - pouring our money into the river.

Finally may I wish all of you a very happy Christmas and New Year and hope we all have thevery best boating season next year, including celebrating the Club’s anniversary.

Brian Rowland

NOTE TO PROSPECTIVE MEMBERSYou may have been handed this magazine by a friend, and now be wondering how to find out moreabout joining the Club. For more details, please contact:

Brian Rowland, 113 Park Avenue, Orpington, Kent BR6 9EG Tel: 01689 824531

7

Dispatches from your PresidentAhoy Seamaster Owners, I hope you all have a blessed Christmas and a wonderful boatingNew Year.Your Club is probably more unique than you think because I haven’t yet heard of a clubhaving two TWENTIETH events in two years.

This year’s AGM was the twentieth and in 2012 we celebratethe club’s Twentieth Birthday (inauguration 25th January 1992;with an AGM in the November).I would like to thank the AGM accommodation and venue subcommittee for their Trojan efforts and for their perfectdecision. Wayford Bridge Hotel ticked all the boxes on theirvery particular list.If you didn’t attend the AGM you really missed a treat. Thevenue was good, the staff bent over backwards to serve and

ensure we had everything we needed. The food wasgood, although the portions were very generous andthe rooms were comfortable – even my two Labradorswere happy with the accommodation. BUT best of allwere the members who came to have a good timemeeting up with friends, renewing acquaintances andmeeting the very hard working committee whose effortswere duly rewarded by the show of appreciativeapplause. The presentation by ASAP was really goodand it was lovely to see Peter Edwards again and meethis son Tom whose debut at presenting was that day –Well Done ASAP, Bravo Tom. So where were YOU? Why didn’t you come and show yoursupport

Although the attendance was in excess of the availableaccommodation at the Wayford Bridge Hotel, those whocouldn’t stay at the venue found suitableaccommodation within close proximity. It would reallymean something if more of you could attend next year.After all TWENTY years is quite an achievement for aclub which, according to one ex-Seamaster employee,wouldn’t last more than nine days.The fact that it has is down to You and the devotedCommittees over the years. AND you are given sufficientnotice of date and venue.

Yes the Chairman and committee do realise that next year has a lot of events andanniversaries to celebrate. The obvious being The Queen’s SIXTIETH Year of accessionto the throne. Next the Olympic Games AND it is theSixtieth birthday of Seamaster. Since our clubrepresents the boats built by Seamaster it stands toreason we should have a celebration to recognise thequality of build of these craft which give us so muchpleasure. After all Seamaster claimed they wereBritain’s Best Boats So please start thinking about the20th birthday now. Our amazing magazine will keepyou well informed on this.Jane Wall 17/11/11

8

Seamaster Club 20 th BirthdayViking/Seamaster 60 th JubileeBirthday Party at Heybridge

I am proposing a birthday party as a“Summer Holiday” for those members whomight wish to take part. Members mayattend by boat or by car. It is not intended tobe a “challenge” but a “Summer Holiday”. Iam looking for those members who wishto attend by boat to be able to take theirtime, travel in good weather, and enjoy thetrip. I suggest making it a summer holidaytrip and allowing, say, two weeks rather thanracing in very few days. Flexibility in timingwill be crucial to allow for the exigencies ofweather - we don’t want any heroics.

I will be happy to organise the event forthose wishing to make the trip fromsouthern waters and am looking for avolunteer to handle the planning for thosecoming from midland and northern waters.A local coordinator will also be needed tohelp look after arrangements at Heybridge.

I plan to seek support from VikingMouldings for this event as it will offer thema great commercial opportunity and to seekcoverage in the boating press.

I have drafted sail plans for those comingfrom the Thames area and can make theseavailable to members taking part but I muststress that in line with best practice it willbe the responsibility of each and everyskipper to plan their vogage, comply withall sea safety regulations, ensure thecompetence of themselves and their crewsand comply with the legal responsibilitiesset out in Solas V regulations.

If you would like to take part or learn moreplease write or phone me in the firstinstance. My details are in page 41 underVice President. Unfortunately, I do not doemail.

Let’s see if we can do this!

Peter Gwyn-Grifiths

SOLAS V for Pleasure CraftThe Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS)Regulations were introduced following the“Titanic” incident. These regulationsfollowed the public outcry because the shipdid not have sufficient lifeboats orlifejackets.SOLAS Regulations only applied tocommercial craft until 1st July 2002 whensome new regulations came into force,which directly affect you as a pleasure boatuser. These new regulations are part ofChapter V of the International Conventionfor the Safety of Life at Sea, otherwise knownas SOLAS V.Voyage PlanningRegulation V/34 ‘Safe Navigation andavoidance of dangerous situations’, is anew regulation. It concerns prior-planningfor your boating trip, more commonlyknown as voyage or passage planning.Passage planning is basically commonsense. As a pleasure boat user, you shouldtake into account the following points whenplanning a boating trip:

· Weather: before you go boating, checkthe weather forecast and get regularupdates if you are planning to be outfor a length of time. Great forecasts onthe BBC web site which gives the 24hour situation for the area of yourchoice.

· Tides: check the tidal predictions foryour trip and ensure that they fit whatyou are planning to do. Particularlyimportant if you are planning to cruiseTidal Rivers as passage at the wrongtime can mean running aground!

· Limitations of the vessel: considerwhether your boat is up to the proposedtrip and that you have sufficient safetyequipment and stores with you. Willyour craft be able to make way in springtides of up to 8 knots? Do you havelifejackets for all crew, a VHF radio forcommunications, engine sparesincluding an impeller and ananchor should thingsgo wrong?

9

· Crew: take into account the experienceand physical ability of the crew. Crewssuffering from cold, tiredness andseasickness won’t be able to do theirjob properly and could even result in anoverburdened skipper. One badexperience can but your crew off forever!

· Navigation dangers: make sure you arefamiliar with any navigation dangersthat you encounter during your boatingtrip. This generally means checking anup to date chart and a current pilot bookand/or almanac.

· Contingency plan: always have acontingency plan should anything gowrong. Before you go, consider whatactions you are going to take if yousuffer an incident or injury. Considerbolt holes and whether you should goon or return home. Bear in mind thatyour GPS and/or Chart Plotter set isvulnerable and could fail at a mostinconvenient time. It is sensible andgood practice to make sure you are notover-reliant on your electronicnavigation equipment and can navigatesafely without it.

· Information ashore: make sure someoneashore knows your plans and knowswhat to do should they be concernedfor your well being. The CoastguardVoluntary Safety Identification Scheme(commonly know as CG66) is also freeand easy to join. The scheme aims tohelp the Coastguard to help you quicklyshould you get into trouble whileboating. It could save your life.

Radar ReflectorsMany large ships rely heavily on radar fornavigation and for spotting other vessels intheir vicinity. So, whatever size your boat is,it’s important to make sure that you can beseen by radar. Regulation V/19 requires allsmall craft to fit a radar reflector ‘if practical’.However, after discussing this with theCoastguard, all vessels in our marina arecapable of having a reflector fitted. Theyeven produce inflatable ones for RIBs!Whatever size your boat is, the radar reflector

should be fitted according to themanufacturer’s instructions and as high aspossible to maximize its effectiveness. Icertainly would not travel down the lowerreaches of the River Trent or the HumberEstuary without a radar reflector fitted.Life Saving SignalsRegulation V/29 requires you to haveaccess to an illustrated table of therecognized life saving signals, so that youcan communicate with the search andrescue services or other boats if you getinto trouble. You can get a free copy of thistable in a leaflet (MCA/099) produced bythe Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA).You can also find it in various nauticalpublications.Assistance to other CraftRegulations V/31, V/32 and V/33 requireyou:

· To let the Coastguard and any othervessel in the vicinity know if youencounter anything that could cause aserious hazard to navigation, if it hasnot already been reported. You can dothis by calling the Coastguard on VHF,if you have it onboard, or bytelephoning them at the earliestopportunity. The Coastguard will thenwarn other vessels in the area.

· To respond to any distress signal thatyou see or hear and help anyone orany boat in distress as best you can.

Misuse of Distress SignalsRegulation V/35 prohibits misuse of anydistress signals. These are critical to safetyat sea and by misusing them you could putyour or someone else’s life at risk. Any outof date flares should be handed to the MCAfor disposal.Remember these regulations are

LEGAL requirements,enforceable by law, if you take

your vessel to sea. YOU ARE NOT EXEMPT!

P Q Barnard MBERNLI Skegness LifeboatSea Safety Officer

10

Hartford marina

Berthing and Boat Sales, Boat Repairs

From routine maintenance to major refits andrepairs.

Nanni Engine Specialists

Re-engine your Seamaster witha new lightweight and efficient Nanni EngineUtilise your existing outdrive or shaft assembly

Newly Expanded Chandlery

Everything you need for your boat and more.Fuel, pump out, toilets, showers & laundry facilities

Hartford Marina, Banks End, Huntingdon.Tel: 01480 454677

AROUND THE REGIONSTHE FENS AND GREAT OUSE

The Great Ouse & Fens End of SeasonLuncheon was held at the Riverview Inn,Earith on the 2nd October and 22 membersattended, totally filling the restaurant(unfortunately 4 members had to cancel atthe last minute due to health issues andwe wish them well over the next fewmonths). A lovely meal was enjoyed by alland a number of members stayed on afterthe meal and enjoyed a drink and a chat inthe restaurant gardens next to the river. A

raffle was held and raised £50.00 – manythanks to all those who donated the prizes.

Those who attended by car were:-Sylvie & Mike – Sans SouciMo & Paul – SaratinaAlison & Mike – Jameson IIVal & Phil – Jupiter 2Marion & Barry – White KnightRose & Brian – Wild ThymeEileen & Mike – HideoutChris & Mike – Wild RoseJenny & David – Dream Chaser IISandra & Alan – ArianaTammy & Steve – Erik of Olaves arrived

by boat

At this event the suggestion of a Xmas mealwas again put forward and following asuggestion for members to choose eithera lunch or dinner occasion, the majority of

11

members who wished to attend chose anevening meal (with overnightaccommodation if required). After muchtime taken researching possible venues,accommodation costs and meal prices, thebest all round option was offered by theRiverview Inn again and we will enjoy aXmas meal together on Saturday 26 th

November. I will report on this in the nextedition.

I have given Brian a list of events for nextyear’s diary (definite dates will be givennearer the time) and I hope to see manymembers, both old and new, at some or allof these get-togethers; in the meantime mayI be one of the first to wish you all a veryMerry Xmas and a Happy New Year andhere’s to the 2012 boating season!Sandra WoodhamArea Co-ordinator

THE NORFOLK BROADSThe Norfolk Report

What a great Members Weekend and AGM.Lots of interesting things to do, loads of

bargains to be had and great company. Nodoubt a full report is elsewhere in themagazine but for my part it was good tomeet our newest members who arerefurbishing a Seamaster 20 and also livelocally. My only (selfish) moan was havingto get up early on Sunday, head to theMuseum, open up, then get Falcon’s steamplant up to working pressure ready for youlot. I hope you enjoyed it.Well, the Norfolk year is nearly over. Onemore event, our Christmas Bash onSaturday 10 th December at the SuttonStaithe Hotel. I still have some vacanciesfor this great evening so if you want to joinus call me on 01362 667859 and I will sortyou out. It is our usual chaotic format, mein a suit and tie, Patty in a frock, Danny flyingin from Spain to entertain you all and, as abonus, A.S.A.P are also giving a short talk.Should be fun.You may have seen our provisional list ofdates for next year, 2012, on page 4 of thismagazine. (If not, you are not a member).We will finalise these at our January 7th

lunch meet which incorporates our dates

12

meet so either come to the meeting or writeto me or phone me about this meeting – itis up to you the members which events /meets that you want, I am only the guy whois meant to coordinate. As usual I will beasking for volunteers from the masses ofoffers of help to assist in the running ofthings next year.That’s it except for offering many thanks foryour support and help with making theNorfolk section the best.

Patty & myself, Will Hawkes (BroadsCoordinator) wish you all a HappyChristmas and a Great New Year.

THE NORTH WESTRodger Hague has now taken over againas the North West Coordinator after severalyears absence. He plans to be in touchwith all members in the area shortly.Our thanks to John Topping for filling thebreach in the meantime - your efforts weremuch appreciated.

A Request to Join the CLUBGood morning, We have recently purchased aSeamaster 20 Captain and are very keen tojoin the Seamaster club. We are wonderingwhere the hull number would be located toprovide you with all the information uponjoining. The boat is currently out of the waterat my workshop ready for a re-fit, the previousowners had stripped the boat with theintention of restoring but like so many ofthese projects, it has never happened. We have no experience in fitting out boatsand figured that club membership wouldprove invaluable in the refurbishment of ourcraft, hopefully gaining knowledge fromyourselves and other members. Looking forward to your reply,Justin & Toni TinkerDereham, NorfolkHi JustinThe HIN number should be on a screw-onoval metal plate either above the instrumentpanel or sometimes on a captain in front ofan inboard engine on the main bulkhead.Sadly many are removed as “Keep-Sakes”from past owners and are lost forever.The best I can do would be a very roughestimate from your description of thehandrail arrangement on the cabin top, earlyhulls had metallic fittings screwed on andthe later ones from 1975 had a GRPmoulding incorporated into the cabin top

mould where a varnished timber flat toprail was fitted.Captains were built from 1964 to about1979 when the mould was sold to VikingMouldings, a company that still uses it tothis day, albeit somewhat modified.Seamaster produced inboard engine hullsand outboard versions.All boats being constructed and re-fittedsince year 2000 should legally be built tothe Recreational Craft Directive (RCD) andcurrent Boat Safety Scheme (BSS)standards for the electrics, engine, fuelstorage and supply. LPG must be to thegas-safe regs for LPG aboard boatsincluding the appliances.Engines must all meet the currentemission regs unless original.All materials and fittings used should besuitable for use (on boats) and not just anyold material.I would recommend commissioning a localmarine surveyor straight away to ensurethe hull is suitable for purpose andstructurally sound. That would includehammer tapping checks and GRPmoisture readings before you go any further.Your surveyor will produce a report of overallcondition and recommendations andideally be employed to advise youthroughout the restoration and periodicallyinspect work done before you move ontothe next stage. I know this may sound over

LETTERS

the top but believe me it isn’t! Being in themarine trade personally I see hundreds ofhorror restorations out there that could havebeen so easily avoided. People with noexperience have entered a minefield thatcould cost them dearly so good advice isparamount and could save you manypennies. Using a surveyor will ensure thatthe final result is fit for purpose, safe to use,insurable and most importantly legal. Theadded bonus is that the boat will have avalue reflecting the condition and standardof completed work.Horrors come in many shapes and formsand always cost fortunes to put right. Boatsthat have been re-fitted can appearwonderful, that is until the owner discoversthat the hull was not viable for restorationfrom the start. Faults are usually discoveredwhen a surveyor or professional personviews the boat because the insurancecompany wont insure it without a survey ora prospective purchaser asks for a survey,by which time money and effort has beenpoured into the project that now becomesuninsurable, unsalable or unsafe.You will require insurance and a BSScertificate of compliance before you can useher so its best to make sure that everythinghas been fitted to the correct standard andis suitable for marine use from the very start.Things to avoid using would be timberdesigned for houses like non waterresistant plywood, chipboard and metallicitems such as screws, nuts and bolts thatare not either bronze or 316 grade stainlesssteel.Electrical cable that is not tinned like usedon road vehicles, engine fuel system feedand return lines, filters and storage mustbe fire resistant to the minimum standardof ISO7840 and marked as suitable. Avoidcar accessory shops, go to marinesuppliers and always check the standardbefore purchasing and installing items.Any LPG (Gas) system must be installedby a registered marine gas installer not ahousehold gas fitter, totally different gasfeed lines and joints are used on boats.

Cabin ventilation requires calculating andinstalling early on in the fit-out as it issometimes difficult afterwards.It is going to be a learning curve but can bewell worthwhile in the long run, “If a jobsworth doing its worth doing well”.The club will help with advice where we can.We have some preferred suppliers anddiscount arrangements in place. Ourinsurance provider will discount yourpremium enough to pay much of themembership fee. We have some diagramsof the original fit-out and in some casesplans and dimensions.Next weekend, 5 th November, is theSeamaster Club’s annual membersweekend at the Wayford Bridge Hotel inNorfolk. There will be a lot of members tospeak to and archive material on the rangeof Seamasters on show. All the committeeand officers will be there. A boat jumble inthe hotel car park 1200 Saturday morningcould be fortuitous for someone likeyourself to pick up some bargain boat bitsand in the afternoon the annual generalmeeting takes place with guest speakersand a technical forum.We would be very pleased if you could comealong but I would ask you to let us know ifyou are for catering.This email is copied to Brian ourMembership Secretary just in case I haveleft for Norfolk by the time you respond.RegardsPaul Killick

- - - - - -

The AGMBrian

Our thanks to all concerned for a wellorganised AGM weekend. The hotel wasvery good regarding location, price,facilities and the staff were friendly andhard working. The visit to the museumand trip on the steam boat topped theweekend off nicely.

Regards, Frank and Jean.

13

14

Winterising in NorwayHei Keith,

As the owner of (perhaps) the onlySeamaster sailing in Norwegian waters, Iam sending this mail because I wasintrigued by your address in the latestedition of the Seamaster Magazine. I havebeen living in Norway for many years, but Ispent my earlier days zxin Woodford Green,and attended Churchfields School andWanstead County High!

I bought my 1977 Seamaster 813 in 2001and have spent many enjoyable summerscruising the Oslo Fjord from a marina justsouth of Oslo. During this time I haveupgraded “Babs” quite considerably,learned a good deal about heridiosyncracies and have made manymodifications over the years.

The main item to watch is the salt-waterpump. Ours broke away from its base dueto drive-belt side loading early on and eventhe replacement has been a headache dueto leakage causing salt-water corrosion tothe engine mountings. One useful tip: keepthe grease cups full and turning or - as wehave done - fit extension hoses with greasenipples so that you can use a remote-control grease gun!

Another challenge is electric charging.The on-board equipment (fridge, anchorwinch, etc.) consumes quite a bit of powerand the standard generator / charging circuitis not up to the job. On-shore charging whenmoored is a useful supplement.

You may also find that the gunwalerubbing strip shrinks and petrifies in time. Ibought a new tailor-made strip from a UKSeammaster 813 owner this spring which Iwas fortunate to locate (and I still have afew metres left).

You may find the interior step rather high:I made the two 50 cm steps into three 33cm steps by a simple plywood adaptation(Details were reproduced in an earlieredition of the magazine, along with othermods).

Good luck with your 813 at Horning -where I had my first taste of boating on a

wooden Blakes hire boat!Kind regards, David H Lovett MSTF

---Hi David,

thanks for the email, I have read throughyour attachment and you appear to haveenjoyed your time with your boat.

I went to school on the Waltham Forestside of the Epping New Road, SelwynAvenue and onto McEntee in Billet Road,Walthamstow.

We are first time owners and purchasedthe boat (I have re-named her “Linda Joan”to earn brownie points with Mrs Plant) afterlooking at much rubbish, some quiteexpensively priced.

The previous owner has spent a greatdeal of money bringing the vessel back tolife. He undertook the work himself, mostlyto a high standard. Unfortunately thesurveyor missed a few crucial points;

The rudder being held in position by anallen key (there is no skeg to prevent itfalling to bottom in the event of a failure)and the electrics (mains/invertor) weremissing an RCD. The surveyor has paidfor the rudder to be rectified but I have hadto complain to the IIMS re the electrics.

When I receive a judgement back I canthen proceed to North Norfolk TradingStandards and then to an insurance claim.

The weather here is the best it has beensince the end of spring, summer was awashout in general. You must be about tolay your boat up, being nearer the arcticcircle.

Hopefully we can start attending some ofthe club events as a good number are heldaround the “broadland” area.

Happy cruisingRegards, Keith

---Hei KeithMy boat Babs was taken out of the waterlast Friday - following one of the hottest daysthis summer - and will be resting in hercrib until next Easter.As you saw from my “Notes from Norway “I lost the (ridiculously exposed) rudder

15

through carelessly ignoring a marker in theearly days and have since had a skegextension made up. This stretches from aftof the keel, acting as a support from theunderside of the rudder. In the (unlikely?)event of a grounding the hull should nowslide off/over the obstacle without knockingoff the rudder.Regards, David

Hi David,I am about to “winterise” mine and I proposeto do the work myself. I am draining downthe hot and cold water (just draining thetanks), do you know what else there is todo?Regards, Keith

---

Hei KeithHere in Norway we have some pretty lowtemperatures (sometimes as low as -20oC)and draining of all water is absolutelyessential.

With the vessel out of the water, this is howI proceed,

1) Drain fresh water tank using the boat’spump and with all taps (H & C) open. Runpump until dry. Disconnect the inlet hoseand run pump until dry.

2) Drain calorifier using the two draincocks.

3) Pump out water from bilges - finishwith sponge and bucket!

4) Fit a hose and funnel to the filter accessport of the sea-water cock. Close the seacock and pour in approx 10 litres ofcoolant (50% antifreeze) with the enginerunning so that mixture reaches all partsof the intercooler and exhaust system.

5) Check antifreeze in engine (closed)cooling system.

6) Pour antifreeze mixture into showerbasin and operate pump for half a minute.Dismantle shower head and addantifreeze.

7) Pour a little antifreeze mixture intowash basins.

8) Ensure that WC storage tank is empty.Then pour 5 litres antifreeze mixture intoWC bowl and operate handpump for halfminute. Leave some mixture in bowl.

8) Ensure that batteries are fully chargedand put on float charge at regularintervals.

Hope this will help you with your UKwinterising.

Regards, David

Burgee SuppliersHello Brian,Reading the Minutes of the last AGM, yourequested, in item 7, details of suppliers ofburgees. I appreciate that the appeal is 12months old and you have probably found asource. However, for what it is worth, theWalton Bridge Cruiser Club, of which weare members, obtain our burgees from theEnsign Flag Co. of Liverpool. Tel: 0151 2981007, e-mail enquiries@ensignflags.com.My burgee is wearing well after a numberof years but as you advise, I only fly it whenI am using the boat.If I may use my postal vote here, pleasegive my vote to all those on the list withthanks for their work for the club.RegardsRoger Harden (member no 1416)

Seamaster 20 Engine & BallastI have a Seamaster 20 which currentlyhas a 9.9 hp 4 stroke outboard motor. I’mthinking of getting a larger one, maybe a20hp. Is there a recommended size for theboat? Also, when I purchased the boatabout 10 years ago, there were lots of heavybags full of gravel in the bilges and inaddition concrete blocks. I removed theconcrete blocks however left the bags intact.These bags have now perished and thegravel is now lying loose. I’m presumingthese were placed there specifically toweigh down the boat but not sure. Wouldthere be a reason for this? I would very muchappreciate any help/advice you could give.

Alan Perrett

16

HiWhen the transom was new it would take50hp that would push the boat to 20 knots.20 Hp would be no problem but given herage I would recommend having the transomchecked for integrity first. The gravel wouldhave been for ballast, very commonly used.If forward it was to trim the head downpossibly with a much larger engine fitted, ifto one side it will be for athwartships trim.Is she a Seamaster 20, Captain Mk I or MkII? Two models were built up to 1975 thento 1981 the MkII. After that the mould wasused for the Viking 20 up to this day, albeitsomewhat modified. Are you a clubmember by the way?Paul Killick, Seamaster technical

Re: gearbox oilDear Paul

Question 1. On checking the gearboxdipstick on Duchess it shows empty. Iassume that this may be why reverse geardoes not work. What oil should be used torefill? I do not know the gearbox make, theengine is a Perkins 4108.

Question 2. I am about to start resealingthe windows with closed cell foam strip asadvised in the last magazine. What widthand thickness tape do you recommend?.

Regards, Brian.

Hi Brian

You never got back to me regarding whetheryour boat is a “Duchess” or a “Seamaster27” like I suspect she is after viewing yourinterior photos.

Gearbox oils depend on the make and typeof transmission and whether she is direct1:1 drive or indirect 2:1. Photo oftransmission required, don’t fit the wrongstuff as incorrect oils can destroytransmissions.

Windows : Foam tape minimum of 3mmmax 5mm, width depends on which modelSeamaster but can easily be worked outwith a tape measure. Some frames were

Half Inch and some three quarters inch.The crucial part of re-fitting the frames isthe torque on the screws. On a “Duchess”they will be Number 8 /316 grade pan headstainless steel self tapping thread. On a27 they would have originally been Chromeon Bronze round head 3/4 “ number 8 woodscrews and pass through the GRP and gripinto the timber behind. The shoulder partof the screw doesn’t allow it to grip the GRP.This is where you may have a problem ifthe windows have been allowed to leakover a long period? The timber gets wet,goes soggy and starts to rot. It is varnishedor should be on both sides. Once it is rottenyou have a problem, the screws wont gripand properly compress the tape betweenthe alloy frame and GRP cabin sides.

The proper answer is:- Replace any rottentimber first and make sure it is coated withvarnish on all surfaces.

A cheating method I have used on manyoccasions on other peoples boats is toscrap the old screws and source somenew 316 Stainless steel pan headed selftapping threaded number 10 or even 12screws. Don’t be tempted to use low gradestainless, make sure they are 316 or A1 orA2.

These screws will grip into the GRP andnot the timber and pull the frame in tight.being pan headed they spread the load andlook ten times better.

Don’t buy Screwfix stainless it is crap. Inthe boating business we have a saying“SUITABLE FOR MARINE USE”. If it aintdon’t use it! That goes for all materials,coatings and fixings.

Keep in touch and good luck

Paul

Paul,

Duchess is a Seamaster 27, Number 2411.Thank-you for your advice.RegardsBrian.

17

Brian,Re gearbox, if she has an original fit fromfactory Perkins which is probably a 4107rather than 4108 and has 2:1 reduction offsetgearbox it will be a TMP gearbox with twosumps & dipsticks. The front one is for thegearbox and takes 15/40 engine oil and therear one is the reduction gearbox thatrequires 20/50.The gearbox should have a filter on the topthat requires replacement when the oil ischanged every two years.The reduction box has no oil filter but the oilshould still be changed every two years.Best change the oils if you don’t know whatthe history is as I find a lot with incorrect oilsand not all are compatible with eachother.Regards, Paul

Servicing an OK OutdriveQuestion :Hello seamaster owners. Can anyone help?I have a 1972 O.K. outdrive / sterndriveelectric shift fitted to a petrol ford engine onmy Seamaster 23. I would like to know ifanyone knows where or if I can get it servicedor a serviced replacement.I don’t want to change the set up because Iwant to keep the boat as original as possibleand it is an excellent outdrive. She still hasthe original Ford crossflow engine which isrunning well for an old lady.If anyone can help me, even if it is to tell meit is hopeless, I would be very grateful.Please contact me on 01234 402799 orbljones99@tiscali.co.ukMany thanks. Brian Jones.Answer :Hi Rose & BrianI will be happy to include your request in thenext magazine and will do so unless youcontact me and let me know you have solvedyour problem.However, have you asked Paul Killick if hecan help? His contact details are page 40of the magazine and in the list of committeeand coordinators in the mag.I hope this helps,

Another thank youHi Brian,Please accept our apologiesfor the clubs AGM on 5thNovember. We wish the event,and the weekend, every success.I would like to take this opportunity toexpress our thanks to yourself and the othercommittee members for the unstinting workeach and every one of you puts into the club,ensuring the club provides benefit to itsmembership. This is evident that in timesof austerity the membership numbersremain around the same level. I am surewe, like most other members, read themagazine cover to cover within a day or soof it hitting our doormat, and frequently checkthe website.Once again, many thanks.Kind regardsMartin and Wendy Hiscock

See Jay V, .Mem No: 1727

Jenny’ s JottingsOne last run on Jenny Wren was down toColtishall for our lunch meet at The RisingSun. Patty and I decided on a pleasantgentle boat trip. As usual we were runninglate, on checking the Broads Authoritymileage and times it seems the trip shouldtake about 7 hours but at my cruising speed(2,800 – 3,000 rpm) it took rather less. Alovely smooth fast river cruise and I mustadmit to it being my first ever trip by boat toColtishall. I was glad of the folding screensas clearance on Wroxham Bridge was only6’ 2" so a quick duck of the head and away.A great trip marred only by the lunchtimevenue but made up by sitting in David andGisella’s summerhouse drinking his beer.Then followed a marvellous dinner and acomfortable night on the boat.

Jenny performed well and I seem to enjoyher the more I go out on her.

Just after the AGM a slight accident with myleft hand has slowed things down a bit butJohn Williams Boats offered to lift Jenny

18

out as he owes me a favour sowho am I to refuse. Result – the

hull shows no signs of osmosis ordamage, the hardwood keel is solid

and in very good condition. There is no playin the propeller shaft or P bracket bearing.Only two small problems; the little 12 x 10propeller and the lower rudder bearing isworn. Not major problems; a 12 x 14 prophas been found already to fit with a ropecutter and I will tell you more about theseissues in the next edition of this report.

Incidentally, as a short response to ourChairman’s quest for riverside restaurants,the Rising Sun does not get myrecommendation – it may have freemoorings but I was not impressed by theservice, the food or the beer. The King’sHead on the other hand also has good freemoorings, gives marvellous service,excellent food and superb beer. I’ll go to theKings Head any time.

Dear readers, please bear with me as I amwriting this in bed at the Norfolk and Norwichhospital whilst waiting for a third operationon my more than slightly damaged hand. Ithas just dawned on me that perhaps theRising Sun supplies the catering here aswell – it’s great for losing weight.Will Hawkes.

EA and a Problem Cruise

The end of the year is looming large and Isuspect many of you are thinking as I am –“Where has this year gone?” Winterising ofboats will be taking place around the countryas we all prepare for the cold weather ahead.The summer seems to be a distant memory.Some of our recent reminiscences may beof interest to members:-

In September we took “Ariana” for a 10 daytrip northwards on the river, enjoying a latesummer break. Each day seemed to bringa different incident and I have detailed a fewfor you! On our 1st evening we moored atthe Lazy Otter – all was fine and whilst in thegalley preparing dinner I noticed a narrowboat passing us in the direction of the Lazy

Otter pub, crewed by a number of“gentlemen”. Not five minutes later, I saw(with some trepidation) the same boattravelling in the opposite direction perilouslyclose to “Ariana”. Yes you guessed it, theinevitable happened - with a large jolt andbang the narrow boat hit our rear cornerfenders. No apology was forthcoming asthey headed off downstream.

The following day, we went down theWissey and on a bend were confronted bytwo EA weed cutting vessels taking theentire width of the river – I don’t know whowas more shocked with the meeting,ourselves or the EA. Fortunately wemanaged to sail between them andcontinued down to the GOBA mooringsnear to the end of the navigable waterway.

The following day we made it to the ReliefChannel, by Denver Sluice. As we headednorth in the channel approaching thebridge at Downham Market we noticed whatlooked like surface weed across the entirechannel which spread a large distancebetween us and the bridge. Thinking it wasonly fine vegetation, we advanced into it,thinking we would be through quickly.However this was not the case. Some 30feet into it, our boat ground to a halt, asthough held fast by underwater ropes. Twohours later, after much weed clearing witha rake and boat hook by my (nowexhausted) husband, we were still noclearer so I decided enough was enoughand telephoned the EA for someassistance as there had been no advancewarning of thick weed before we enteredthe channel. After reaching answerphonemessages on three of the relevantnumbers, I telephoned the incident line.This was answered and I explained oursituation to them. Their response was that,yes they knew there was a huge bank ofweed there, but they were not a breakdownservice. Struggling to keep my composure,I explained to the gentleman that we hadnot broken down, but were trapped in weedthat the EA were aware of but had neithercleared it, nor warned boaters of it. His

19

response was that if a boat came past weshould ask them to tow us out! Fortunatelya narrow boat appeared in the distancecoming towards us; he came through theweed like a knife through butter and turnedto come towards us bow on; he threw us arope and kindly towed us out of the weedand onto the EA mooring. We then spentmore time clearing our prop and weed filterand checking all the engine.

By now we had had enough of the reliefchannel and decided to head off downBrandon Creek. After a late lunch mooringon the GOBAs half way down the river, weset off hoping to reach Brandon well beforedusk. Within 50 yards, the engine wassmoking and the temperature gauge wasrising – back to the mooring we crawled.More double checking was carried out onthe engine and off we set again – oh dear,same problem. Being stuck in the middleof nowhere (as those of you who know thispart of the river are well aware) we ponderedour next move. As we were on the practiceflight path for Lakenheath Air Force base, Ihad visions of spelling out SOS in rocks sothe jet pilots who were flying over us couldhave spotted our plight! Several phone callslater to boatyards etc, none of whichresulted in any offers of assistance, wedecided to try Bob Rawlinson who hadpreviously offered his assistance to anySeamaster members who were in troublenear him (I have printed his contact detailsin previous articles). Although he was onhis narrow boat in the middle of Cambridge,he immediately arranged for his son to driveto Cambridge to take over his boat. He thendrove back to his home in Burwell to pickup his tools and his “off road bike” and wedirected him to the nearest road, which wasapprox. 3-4 miles away. From there, hewould ride his bike on the elevated trackthat runs all the way alongside the river.

Darkness began to descend and we fearedhe would not be able to see us; howeverthere then came the sound of heavybreathing and gasping for air and a figure

on an unlit push bike (not the scramblerthat we had imagined he would be arrivingon!!) appeared through the gloom – yes itwas Bob. After recovering with a cup of teaand a cigarette, he and Alan set to work tosource the problem. Some time later thefault was diagnosed and rectified. By thistime it was very dark and we offered him anovernight stay on “Ariana” as bicycling backon an unlit raised uneven pathway did notseem the sensible thing to do!! Not onlywas this refused, but also Bob did not wantany payment for his assistance – moneywas swiftly & forcefully pushed into hishand, which he eventually, reluctantlyaccepted. He said he would be OK to pedalback to his van once his eyes had becomeaccustomed to the dark. Off he went intothe darkness and we were left, absolutelyamazed that such helpful, selfless peoplestill exist in this world who are willing to goout of their way to assist anyone.

On the Saturday morning we met fellowmembers Alison & Mike (Jameson II) anddecided to go down the Cam to Wicken Fen.Imagine our surprise when, whilst we werein Upware lock, more Seamaster members(Allan & Polly - “Holly Rose “ & Kevin &Angela - “Old Bones”) approached on footto help turn the lock. They too were going togo down Wicken Fen. Imagine our furthersurprise when we got to the end of WickenFen and there, lo and behold, were otherSeamaster members ( Roger & Edna -“Pippanella”) already moored up; so fiveSeamaster boats ended up having a totallyimpromptu rally on the GOBA moorings;what were the odds of this happening. Toadd to the Seamaster presence, we werehelped with our moorings by anothermember Mike - “Bounty”, who lives inWicken. What an enjoyable, unexpectedSeamaster gathering. The remainder ofour break passed without further majorincidents as we took the slowjourney back to Bramptonover the next few days.

Sandra WoodhamArea Co-ordinator

20

LINCOLN & SURROUNDING WATERWAYS

Your editor has managed to twist my armto write the following article on Lincoln andits surrounding waterways, so here goes:

‘Spindrift’ our Nimbus 27 Familia isberthed in the new Burton Waters Marinalocated just on the outskirts of Lincoln withsome 200 berths. This Marina is built to avery high standard with all the facilities onecould ask for and includes, 24 hour security,a chandlery, toilet and shower blocks, tworestaurants, repair facilities, diesel refuelpontoon, pump out and shops.

Adjacent to the Marina is a housingcomplex with all houses having their ownmooring pontoons. It is somewhat of asurprise to see such a large number ofsea going vessels berthed within theMarina some 60 miles from the sea! Entryand exit to the Marina is via a lock onto theFosdyke Canal. The lock is only used toact as a safety device in the event offlooding and is normally open all the time.

The Fosdyke Canal, some 11 miles inlength, was built by the Romans in 120AD

to enable passage from the Brayford Poolin Lincoln to the River Trent. The RiverWitham which exits the Brayford Pool takesthe boater downstream to Boston and entryinto the Wash. By building the FosdykeCanal the Romans could now enter Britainat Boston; proceed to the Brayford Pool andalong the Fosdyke Canal to the River Trentopening up passages to Nottingham andYork.

Turning to the East out of the Marina Locktakes us onto Fosdyke Canal and aftertravelling a distance of three miles to theBrayford Pool in Lincoln. Lincoln cathedralon its hill can be seen for miles as youhead towards the city. This passage takesus pass the ‘Piewipe Inn’ with its ownmoorings, back of the old grandstand onthe now unused Lincoln Racecourse(original home of the Lincoln now run atDoncaster) and the outskirts of Lincolnincluding the University.

The Brayford Pool, a major port in Romandays, is now home to Lincoln Marina,Lincoln Boat Club, The Sea Cadets andthe Brayford Trust with its Narrow Boatmoorings. Leaving the Pool via the RiverWitham takes us through the centre ofLincoln on route to Boston and entry intothe Wash.

The centre of Lincoln. Showing its newart work over the river and the ‘Glory

Hole’ in the background.

To proceed along the river and to enter thecentre of town you have to pass throughthe ‘Glory Hole’. This bridge, where the

Burton Waters Marina

Lock to leave the Marina and enterFosdyke Canal

21

river passes under the High Street, has ahead room of just short of 9 foot. Noproblems with ‘Spindrift’ as long as the lightmast and VHF radio aerial are lowered!

Watch out if its raining; the black drainpipeyou can see in the picture below will dumpits contents onto you and your boat.

On leaving the town we pen through StampEnd Guillotine Lock and travel the 30 miles,one more lock at Bardney, through theLincolnshire countryside to Boston. Toenter the Wash we pen through the GrandSluice Lock down the tidal Haven into theopen sea.

Turning West after leaving the Marina wehead towards Torksey Lock and the RiverTrent. This is the only way some of thelarger craft in the Marina can reach the seaas they cannot pass through the ‘GloryHole’. After 3 miles we arrive at Saxilbyvillage with pleasant moorings with itspicnic tables and BBQ pits. Three pubs onthe waterfront and the shops close by makethis an ideal place to stop for a while.

The navigation then passes through fairlyflat countryside with long straight stretcheswith a good chance of viewing a kingfisheror heron until Torksey Lock is reached. This

very well maintained lock has won manyawards including one recently for the bestkept lock in the country. Mark the LockKeeper lives on site and is more than happyto give advice to boaters before they penthrough onto the tidal River Trent. Oncethrough the lock boaters may go upstreamtowards Newark with its seven-arch stonebridge and on to Nottingham passing underTrent Bridge where you can moor up atCounty Hall steps. The Trent is a popularriver for pleasure craft and there are plentyof things to see along the way. Just outsideNottingham is Holme Pierpoint, the NationalWatersports Centre where you can view thewhite water rafting course by climbing upthe bank from your river mooring by the lock.Nottingham itself has a canal museum aswell as the famous cricket and footballgrounds.

You may prefer to go downstream to Hull.In this direction the Trent is a busycommercial river where you will meet upwith large gravel barges plying their tradeto Hull and beyond. You can put yourhelming skills to the test by experiencingthe Aegir on the River Trent, a tidal wavewhich reaches up to 5ft (although waves ofthis size have not been seen for some timebecause work carried out on the TrainingWalls) on spring tides between Keadby andTorksey. At Keadby you will meet up withlarge Coasters, either loading or unloadingat the jetties or waiting for the incoming tideto allow them to proceed onto the Humber.At Trent Falls, where the Trent, Ouse andHumber meet you can turn upstream onthe Ouse on route to York. On towards Hullyour navigation skills will be tested on theever changing grounds of the Humberwhere new charts are issued every twomonths. But that’s another story!

So that’s the picture of Lincoln and itssurrounding waterways. Plenty to do andsee with a whole range of challenging andinteresting boating experiences. Give it atry sometime you don’t know what you’remissing.

Pete Barnard, ‘Spindrift’, RNLI‘Spindrift’ moored at Saxilby

The ‘Glory Hole’

22

The Later V oyages ofSecond Melody 2007

Worse was to come. As weentered the narrow section, where

naturally the traffic was even morecongested, the sky fell in and visibility fell toabout 50 metres. Most other boats had nav-lights which helped, but many small onesdid not. Mary said that she was glad I wasat the helm. I was wishing I wassomewhere else; anywhere else. Thestorm did not last more than 10 or 15minutes and stopped as abruptly as it hadstarted. What was more, the traffic comingthe other way almost ceased.

At last we could begin to think about wherewe might spend the night. We weresupposed to be heading towardsScandinavia, so north seemed logical. Themost promising harbour in our ‘marinaguide’ was Damp (an appropriate name fora seaside spa, I always think). Damp layabout 20 km from where we were, soanother two hours at our cruising speed.We had already been motoring for six hoursand were beginning to feel tired. The lasthour or so we would be crossing the mouthof the Eckernforde and exposed to theincreasing south-westerly breeze. Wedecided to go for it.

I guessed a course of 320 degrees(surprisingly accurate) and increased ourspeed. We went on well until we came outof the lee of the headland between the twofjords. The breeze was stronger than I hadrealized, but also we were over a sand barwhich caused the waves to be very short,steep and irregular. SM seemed to bepracticing gymnastic floor exercises. It wasa real white-knuckle ride. I reduced speed,but it made little difference. I turneddownwind, hoping to find deeper water andsmoother waves, but after ten minutes,maybe a mile, there was no relief. Iresumed our previous heading, decidingthat we should brave it out with gritted teeth.Mary could see that it was too late to turn

back, so we soldiered on. Damp cameinto view, dead head. “Only half an hour orso,” I said. There was a very loud crash atthe stern. I stood but could see nothing.Mary hauled herself upright and very slowlysaid, “I cannot see the dinghy….. nor theport davit.” “The thunderstorm,” I thought,“it filled the dinghy, trebled its weight and Idid not think to empty it! Let’s hope thedamage is above the waterline.” I didn’tpass on my thoughts to Mary. I decidedthat she had enough on her mind. Twentyminutes later, we were close to the molethat protects the Damp marina andsheltered from the wind. Mary took the helmand I went out to inspect the damage.

The stbd davit was fine. The dinghy wasunderwater but still attached by thestainless steel trace. Below the dinghy,but just visible, was the port davit, danglingfrom its trace. Using one of our boathooks,I managed to empty the dinghy and right it.Then it was a simple task to recover thedavit and heave it into the dinghy. Wecontinued into the harbour. You mayimagine that I was not very happy with thesituation. In fact, I was thoroughly ashamedof allowing our boat to be damaged when Icould have prevented it so easily. It’s truethat I had other things on my mind at thetime of the storm, but I should have thoughtto tip out the water as soon as it waspossible. Fortunately for my blushes, thevisitors’ moorings were on the first jetty tostarboard. I went in bow first so that thehole in the stern could only be seen fromthe mole. And it was a hole; I could haveput my fist into it.

Damp is a modern seaside resort. Thereis no sign of an old town, just newish hotels,blocks of flats, shops and restaurants;nothing more than twenty years old. Thenearest building to us seemed to be somekind of health/rehabilitation centre with gymand swimming pool. Many people inwheelchairs with their carers were goingin and out. The harbourmaster’s office wasjust across the entrance from us, but it was

23

larger boat, but, feeling we had no choice,we went in. I may have described thesystem before, but even if I have, it will beartelling again.

Throughout the Netherlands and NorthGermany you approach the pontoon or jettybetween a pair of posts. The crewman onthe stern loops a rope over one of the posts.This rope can then be used as a brake, sothat the prow does not smash into the jetty;simple enough and easy to do after a littlepractice. Then, the skipper, if there are onlytwo of you, steps ashore at the bow andmakes fast. I had not realised how far fromthe pontoon were the posts. SM has plentyof rope, but nothing longer than 10 metres.Mary looped her rope over a post andslowed SM’s progress, then stopped her. Icould not step ashore as we were still tenmetres from the pontoon. “Give me morerope,” I shouted. “I can’t,” she called back.“I must have more.” “There isn’t any,” shecountered. I turned round and saw that shewas right. We were stuck. Fortunately, thispost had the added luxury of a rope to thepontoon. This variation allows you tomanoeuvre more safely. To cut a very longstory short, I held on this extra rope whileMary joined two of ours. She then added abowline and looped that over the post. Iwas then able to pull SM closer to thepontoon and, with another pair of ropes,finish the job. It was a berth for a muchlonger boat!

Two stressful days and we needed a changeof activity. As soon as we had eaten, we setoff for a walk. The sun came out and the winddied completely. We didn’t go far, maybe amile, but the country lane under trees, birds,peace and quiet, all conspired to calm usdown. We returned to SM perfectly contentto continue our odyssey. The followingmorning we cycled into the nearby town,Kappeln, and, joy of joys, found a shop wherewe could buy a chart of the local area.Waterproof trousers also seemed a good idea,so we left the shop much better equipped. Noneed for waterproofs to-day though, the sun

a good ten minutes’ walk. We paid ourdues, explained our problem, and hepromised to send us a shipwright.

Wolfgang Albrecht arrived with his tools anda piece of marine ply about a foot square.We turned SM so that he could reach thehole from the jetty. He commiserated andagreed that the rainwater had probablybeen the last straw. Whilst doing anexcellent temporary repair, he asked aboutour journey. We told him we hoped to reachFlensburg, in the next fjord but one. “Doyou know of a boatyard in Flensburg wherethey would be able to do a proper job?” Iasked. “Oh yes,” he replied, “my son, Marchas a boatyard in Flensburg.” He gave usdirections. I thanked him and paid him. Hesaid farewell and then turned back to warnus that the weather forecast was poor forthe next few days.

SM seaworthy again, we lost no time castingoff and setting out for the estuary of the riverSchlei, just a couple of hours up the coast.The wind was offshore, so the sea wascalm; such a treat after the previous day.The entrance to the Schlei is quite narrow;just a gap in the sand dunes, probably notmore than 100 metres wide. Once inside,the estuary is maybe a mile wide, but it wasbusy. Our first concern was to avoid twopaddle steamer cruise boats which chosethe moment of our approach to turn 180degrees, using a lot of the space. Then,even more worrying, was the large numberof rowing crews, eights, fours and singlesculls, which moved so quickly andchanged direction so unpredictably. Whyis everyone but us in such a hurry? Wedidn’t want to stay at the mouth of the river.It looked as though it would be exposedwhen the wind picked up. So, keeping outof everyone’s way, we crept upstreamlooking for a mooring.

After a couple of miles, the river narrowed.There were numerous boatyards and clubswith pontoons and jetties, but we found onlyone space unoccupied. It was for a much

24

previous two weeks. After a while a youngcouple with a toddler turned up to go for asail in their dinghy. They paused for a chat.We asked about payment and they pointedout a tiny notice by the door of the clubhouse;there was a phone number. When they hadsailed off I rang the number. The clubsecretary thanked me for the call and saidthat he would come to see us at nine in themorning. There he was on the dot at nine. Itwas no trouble, he said. He’d only driven fivekm. He then mentioned a derisory sum forthe overnight stay. I’ve forgotten the amount,but I remember thinking that it wouldn’t coverthe cost of his petrol. I’m sure he had onlycome to check us out and practice hisEnglish. We chatted casually about boatingin the area. The clubhouse with its veryimpressive facilities had actually been builtby the members. I asked about the weatherforecast. He did not know, but switched on apowerful-looking transmitter and called up thecoastguard. The forecast was not good. Themorning’s calm would be followed by a strongeasterly later. Just what we did not want!

was bright and the temperature was soaring.As a special treat we had a super lunch ‘alfresco’ at a waterfront restaurant. I don’t recallwhat we ate but it was a local dishrecommended by the waitress. Eatingoutdoors, if the weather allows, is alwaysto be preferred. There is so much more tosee. Kappeln was bustling, not just theharbour front, but on the water too. Thebridge in the centre of the town must haveopened half a dozen times as we ate – somany boats heading upstream. “We’ll trythat then this afternoon, shall we?” saidMary. “O.K.” I replied.

As soon as we could manage to stand,we returned to SM and headed inland. Wehad a lovely cruise up the river – so manyvaried craft. At the second bridge, Sieleby,we decided that we needed to go back andlook for somewhere to spend the nightbefore it was too late. We turned back andhad the same lovely cruise experienceagain, downstream.

With thoughts of making an early start,we went right to Maasholm, at the mouth ofthe river. Approaching the marina, we weredismayed to see it looked very busy. Wehad had enough of crowds for one day. Tothe left, where the river widened, we couldsee more masts, so we headed that way.As we passed a large sloop we wereamused to see a young man dangling froma loose-footed spinnaker. There was onlya breath of air, but the sail was so big itlifted him in and out of the river – great fun.The masts were at a small, private sailingclub, just a single jetty. There was one freeberth, but it was a narrow one, we had totake in the fenders and still it was asqueeze.

It was a lovely, peaceful spot. Theclubhouse was a very pretty log cabin,obviously very new, with large windowsgiving a wonderful view of the boats and thebay. There was no-one about but we satsoaking in the sunset and relaxing, notsomething we had had much time for in the