There was a small "whoo-hoo" moment with Weaverbird yesterday. At 1400, I brought her round to the hard part of the beach at Ravenglass so that a HIAB could drop the mast in. Only a ten minute job, but one that's hard to do safely and quickly without a crane. I poured polyurethane at the heel, but only put in some temporary wedges at the partners while I make a final decision on wedges vs polyurethane. Could go either way.

Off again on the next HW - at 0200, with fresh onshore breeze and pouring rain to make it more interesting. To make it more interesting still, I've bought a Bison 62lb thrust electric outboard, hoping that I can live with it rather more comfortably than with a petrol outboard. I'd intended to get the mast put in last Friday, but the brand-new Suzuki 2.5 that came with the boat wouldn't start. Maybe only needs a new plug, but if it needs a new plug after only 3 hours of running, I don't find that too impressive. However, the electric outboard may not be much better. It only just managed to get me off the beach after some bumping and grinding, in the fresh breeze and with the flood tide making things awkward. At least it demonstrated that the Hunter Duette is strongly built.

So, off the beach at 0200, at new moon and with a cloudy night, and I couldn't spot my mooring buoy, of course. Had to anchor and wait for dawn twilight and a bit of ebb against the fresh breeze to make it safe enough to go close to the railway embankment, where my mooring lies, with a woefully underpowered boat. All very nerve-wracking. Declared today a day of rest.

Currently, there's the usual form of large sprayhood, as shown in this recent photo and the hatch runners are quite well designed so as to keep out spray.

This will have to remain, for this summer, but later on, I'd like to replace it with a small rectangular pramhood that covers just the companionway. As a refinement, I'm wondering whether I can make it so that the forward edge is not attached permanently, but can be unfastened, and the after edge brought down to attach to the washboard. Thus, there would be clear vision when running downwind in the rain, and a good "blower" ventilator in hot weather. I'm looking for a way of adding some of the virtues of the rotating pramhood, which I can't figure out a way of incorporating. 

Ah, yes, Bryan, but there's a vital difference between Fantail and Weaverbird. Fantail is great for Lilliputians and Hobbits, but I have [I'll whisper it so that Annie won't hear] a - sliding hatch!!! This permits a much larger percentage of the human race to enter the cabin without contortions.

I've been thinking about the companionway. There's the usual trapezium-shaped washboard, that's fiddly to engage into its slot; the sill is too low to keep out water that's lying on the small bridgedeck; the retaining teak strips are flimsy; the washboard needs to be stowed in a non-existent "somewhere"; it would be quite possible for it to be blown out of my hands and overside, in a gale. All the usual catalogue of defects.

There isn't room for a captive slide-down washboard, as I had on Tystie. I've been looking again at the hinged washboard that Annie made for Fantail, and I may have to grudgingly admit that she got it right, that this is what Weaverbird needs, and that I should shamelessly steal the design. I might alter the proportions, with the lower portion about 2/3 of the whole, and maybe I would make the lower portion of plywood and the upper portion of acrylic. I could make good use of the stowage box that Annie added to support the folded washboard, but that could come along later, because on Weaverbird, the folded washboard can rest on the cockpit seats.

And I thought I was brave changing some through hulls on a single tidal cycle.....   Well done!