Take a break

Time for a short break from the canoe build. Friday gave me the first opportunity of some winter sailing this year. Cold, cold or very cold? Ice on the pontoons that morning was probably the clue. Apart from a couple of squally showers, this was an almost perfect day for it. The wind increased as soon as I left the shelter of the marina and was soon blowing a steady 6 from the NE and gusting up to 30 knots.

Whoever said Wind Vane use is restricted to long passage making was definitely wrong. My trusted Sea Feather self steering was quickly set. At least a large chunk of my body then went below to get warm, with head routinely stuck out of the hatch watching out for tankers and buoys.

Did I mention the cold?

To add to the theme of sail salt and sawdust, Saturday saw engine oil and grease, as the Beta 10 received its annual TLC. The drain plug on the gearbox requires an �out of socket experience� for my left hand shoulder. Once that was completed, heat exchanger, anode, 2 fuel filters, coolant, oil and filter was just a breeze. Back to epoxy and the canoe next weekend.

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