The countdown is on for another attempt at getting to Southport on the 3rd of April. I have Redwing booked into Boatworks up that way for a 7 day haul out. I have a number of rot patches along the hull and deck join to fix and an antifoul of course. praying that the rain gods will take a holiday...elsewhere.:)

Thanks Rob, I purposely tacked myself onto the end because I wanted to see how she would perform. I've uploaded a short video to Youtube of part of it. I should have filmed just a bit longer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1XetAsb07Y

Went for a sail with a few of the other yachts on the river today. They had a head start on me motoring up the river and I caught up as they turned to sail back down with the wind and tide. As the last yacht passed me I turned and shut down the outboard. Eased the sheet out a fair bit and passed all three. Okay we weren't racing but with the full rig up and on a run she gets moving. When I finally caught up to Colin he asked me if had the motor running.

Took part in the Tumbulgum-Fingal yacht race yesterday. Redwing was leading to start with in very light airs. A few boats managed to get ahead of me down along Stotts Island but given the conditions it was more luck than anything. Later the breeze picked up and I was managing some very fine tacking where I think David Webbs alterations to my sheeting system probably helped. I do know the sheetlet twisting problem is gone. At the downstream end of Stotts the channel runs between Stotts and a smaller island and coming out the downstream end I found a mud bank. With a strong ebb tide my race was over. I honestly believe I would have done quite well. I know I surprised at least a couple of yachties with my light air speed.

I rang David today but he's pretty tied up, so no chance to use his skill as a secret weapon.

It seems the hull and deck join on my Hartley is a problem area. So I'm exploring options to haul out sometime not yet for at least a week. I want to strip the gunwale beltings, toe rails and paint down to the first chine. Do whatever needs to be replaced/repaired and then fibreglass from gunwale to chine. With glass covering the hull and deck join. Just have to find a boatyard that won't require a mortgage and doesn't require days of sailing to get to. I'm talking to Boatworks but they want me to do all my sanding in a shed and that would mean pulling the mast out and I don't want to do that.