Smells like teen spirit

Smells like teen spirit
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Funny thing, your nose. I only have to smell fibreglass and I'm back in Crystal Palace at the Dinghy Exhibition. I'm 12 or 13, Dave's a couple of years younger, and we're filling plastic bags with every dinghy folder we can get our hands on.
I've been varnishing the 16m2 and the smell has me back in the garage in West Horsley with any one of a number of wooden boats, Optimist, Gull, National 12. Everything changes but varnish is still varnish.

Em's first place

Em's first place
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

We were not planning to go to the sailing club this weekend but at the last minute Em decided she wanted to sail in the Oranje Regatta and who were we to say no.
Not a lot of wind but enough to run three races. It was her first time out in her new racing Optimist 'Kwark' and with a second and two firsts she ended first overall in the Optimist B's, winning herself an Oranje Koek. Big smiles all round.

Claudia signwriting

Claudia signwriting
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Here is Claudia deftly applying sticky lettering to the sides of Em's new Winner Optimist 'Kwark'.

Last cupboard aboard Cinclus

Last cupboard aboard Cinclus
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

There was just time last week for one last project on the Cinclus. A small but important drinks cupboard in the wheelhouse. Now Ekko and Sasja have left Groningen heading South towards Belgium, France and the sun.

First walls on WJ

First walls on WJ
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Here is the first bulkhead panelling going in on the Willem Johannes. As you can see the insulation is a mixed media project. Mr. Jansen's sprayed foam on the hull sides and rockwool with aluminium on the bulkheads.

Laser stuff in bike trailer

Laser stuff in bike trailer
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Took my sailing kit and Radial sail to the club by bike last Sunday morning. As you can see it was lovely weather - not much wind though. I'm getting laughed at for stubbornly putting the Radial up in less than six knots. If we hadn't just bought a 16m2 I might be looking at new Standard sails. It would probably blow 20 knots all summer if I did.

Kwark

Kwark
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Here is Em's new [to us] Optimist. It's a Winner 9 and will go by the name of 'Kwark'. We've got five small boats in the fleet now! This one will go down to the club on Thursday evening as Em moves up into the Optimist B team.

Goofy feet

Goofy feet
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

I may not have made it into his Blog Top 10 but Tillerman wrote about my feet this week. Ever since he wrote that he'd learnt where to put his feet when sailing the Laser downwind, I've been pestering him to let me in on his secret. Now he has. I tried it last night in a 15 gusting 20 knot wind and it feels great. At first it seems strange lifting my foot over the toestrap instead of under, but once my feet were safely jambed into the corners of the cockpit it worked like a dream. It almost felt as if I was steering with my feet and not the tiller.

Mr. Jansen

Mr. Jansen
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Here is Mr. Jansen and his PU foam spray, shooting insulating foam. Most of it ends up where it is intended, as a layer of insulation aboard the Willem Johannes.

Dankbaarheid doors

Dankbaarheid doors
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Here Claudia has made the frames for the new doors and is working out how she is going to saw and plane the raised panelling.

Back to basics

Back to basics
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

The end of one job means the start of another. Here we are getting the floor lined up over the water tanks on the Willem Johannes. When the floor is down the insulation can be sprayed in and we can start to build the interior.

Cinclus has flown

Cinclus has flown
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Cinclus has left our quay and we see her here in the Oosterhaven in Groningen. We still have a few things to do on board and Ekko and Sasja many more, including final painting. She is to have red bulwarks, that'll take some getting used to after more than a year of white.

Noughts and crosses

Noughts and crosses
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Mats came to play with Em on Sunday afternoon and we took him home to the 'Lis' in our dinghy 'Cees'. On the way they played noughts and crosses with wet fingers on the foredeck.

Radial weather?

Radial weather?
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Having chosen to sail with the radial sail in the Sunday series, the first race of the year was a drifter. Neither of us radials finished within the time limit!

Cinclus sails

Cinclus sails
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

We waved Ekko and Sasja off this morning in the mist. The were headed for the Oosterhaven, where they will do some exterior painting before the first guests arrive on the last weekend of April.

Triple feature

Triple feature
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Three lucky passengers will get to sit on old theatre chairs next to Ekko when he's at the wheel. Here Gert, Ekko and Sasja give the chairs a trial run.

Tjebbe Johannes

Tjebbe Johannes
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

We marooned carpenter Tjebbe when, trying to move the WJ alongside the quay, we got the keel stuck in the mud. We renamed the boat Tjebbe Johannes and left him there sitting in the sunshine.