Mirror.Dinghy"Tilman"

   I know this blog is about Mirror dinghy cruising, but bare with me, or skip this post.    When I grow up, whoa, that ain't gonna happen... when I can fit s larger boat into my budget and lifestyle, I want a Wharram catamaran. And just for my own reference, I want to check the market. Here goes:- Tiki 26', $4 800 "Sound, but needs paint ... New main hatches and one rudder. New sails and rigging, aluminium mast." Is laying in a paddock South Australia (without a trailer). Tane Nui Classic 28' $5 000 neg. Alloy soars, good sails, stripped of paint and stored 5 years. Some rot.Repairs are minor. Complete with trailer . North Queensland. Tangaroa Classic 35' (?) In good condition ready to cruise. $18 000. I have images, but Blogger won't upload them!.

   Free weekend from being Dad coming up and Tilman is humming already. I liked last weekend's launch site, so I'd like to begin there again.    The tide is full flood at around 10am. and the wind is forecast light N, swinging to NE in the afternoon. If I was to sail to Tomaree head, about 10k. to the east of the launching place, I could rely on a good push from the ebb flow. Then if the seabreeze (NE) kicks in, it should propel well over any remaining ebb flow for the sail home. Any later than 4pm and the tide would be in our favour.    I'd like to research any options for keeping a camera and radio dry for such a trip.

I guess it's natural to desire something bigger or better. For some time I've been wanting a Wharram Hinemoa catamaran; 24', ply and epoxy, shows  draft and kind of Gunter rigged ... a bit like a Mirror on its utility.    Don't worry, it won't happen any time soon because well I don't have the money. Well that was until yesterday when I met the proud owner of a Hinemoa that cost him $300. Yep, and that was for transporting her 200k. to his waterfront yard for a refit. This entailed getting rot out of the decks, so I guess he bought new ply and epoxy, so $500 tops. I could afford that ...

   My ex-"wife" and others would happily have us believe that sailing is a waste of time. They assert that it's a drain on time best spent with housework or lawn mowing. I even spoke to that hardware guy on the way to the water who said her couldn't sail anymore because of "the children" and lack of money. He was way off the mark with regards the costs of dinghy sailing, but he kinda made me feel guilty too.    But, here I am after yesterday's brief sail feeling as happy as a lark. In fact I've been buzzing with good vibrations ever since. So what's the rub?    Google provides some explanation; that sailing engages us in gentle activity, calm natural surroundings and draws our concentration towards a single task. These characteristics regulate Serotonin in our nervous system. This in turn elevates our mood, improves appetite, aids digestion, sleep and memory and improves our sexual functioning. The last one didn't work with my ex-wife, but ...

   I was taking a risk going sailing today: galeforce winds were forecast; I'd just completed major repairs t to the hull, and; I hadn't had a very good record with accidents lately. But I really feel snowed under by life lately and I really needed to push back, and go sailing.    To avoid the worst of the wind I decided on a sheltered launch site just to the SE of Lemon Tree Passage, Port Stephens (east coast of Australia about latitude S33°). To launch I needed to negotiate a sandy beach made wider by the low tide, but my Land Rover had no problems. Launching from a tilted  trailer was smooth and stress free and most importantly, made no holes in the hull.  I had not launched in this location nor using the tilt technique, but they proved t  be a winning combination. I entered the water totally chilled for a change.    Bulls Island, sat just 100m. off the shore and made a shallow channel running in a NNW direction. It a natural  harbo...

Fortunately the weather has been remarkably hot and dry. A full inspection of the hull revealed three separate sites where the hull integrity of the hull had broken down. The pattern of the damage also pinpointed the cause; operator error. As the stern took to the water during launching it caused the dinghy to slew off centre, trip off to the side of the rear roller on the trailer, catching a steel bracket as it slid off. A great technique for repairing the Mirror dinghy was posted on "People  Love Sailing Mirror Dinghies" on FB. Basically, the hole is made square, the edges are bevelled to prevent the plug from being pushed through the hull, a plug with matching bevelled edges is fitted and a backing plate added inside. The Poster recommended screwing it together, but I have total confidence in epoxy to hold it all together. So now I have her back in floaty condition. But first I need to redress the launching issue; how could I stop it happening again? I recalled some ...

While launching solo at a crowded triple boat ramp I was feeling  flustered by the entire situation. I just wanted to get away from the hustle and tension and set sail. I rushed back from parking my land rover and trailer to find my Mirror dinghy TILMAN wallowing with 6" of water on the inside of the boat. I immediately assumed some fool in a power boat had upset her and jammed her under the wharf while flooding her with wash. But therwise she looked fine, so I bailed her out and set off. I hardened the sheets and we chuffed off heading north avoiding the holiday traffic and racing yachts and dinghies (Heron Nationals), but rather than serenity I found that this watermaking thing was persisting. My mind screaming for peace, I discarded the issue as just the water draining from the (unplugged) buoyancy tanks and made a note to bung them up before sailing next time. But despite my desperation for a,few hours sailing, I now realised the bilgewater level was indeed rising significa...