Saturday 20 August 2011

BF 4 5 6

Arrived at boat and decided a reef in the main and small jib was called for as the light breeze over the jetty was a strong breeze over the open water.Thewater level was as low as I have ever seen it.As explained in an earlier post the prevailing wind drives the water either out or into the fiord with some alarming rates in the deep water channels.
So set off with a following wind, not ever having reefed Toy Box I did some trials on the different points of sail..She sailed well and was a dream to handle in the F6 that was now blowing. I am ever more impressed by the Jidzo design I get the impression that without the keel she would make a very fast dinghy if one could raise the centerboard ! Ok to windward she is a bit "wet" from the oncomming waves but otherwise she sails very well. I had my laptop on today plus my handheld GPS, both units were showing speeds of just over 6knts at some stages and hard on the wind in a F5 I logged over 5knts..
Like all other things there is always a drawback..Today it was the race fraternity. Between the two larger areas of the inner Schlei there is a small breakthrough what basicly was a viking foritification, this tight spot is about 150 meters wide but is very shallow at the edges and the deepwater channel is max 50 meters wide, So imagine the problem I was sailing closehauled on a stbd tack reefed in a F4 when from port a racer was aproaching on a port tack.. he and his crew started shouting at me to get out of the way!!! I thought this over and decided that tacking into the shallows was not an option and held my course. The air was "blue" I was asked unkindly if I could not see they were "racing" I off course answered politely that I was not racing, but that I was on a stbd tack and was not in the position to change course..and that I was also not going to worry about them damaging my boat as it was fully insured! The reply is not going to be posted here..laugh !
I awaited a "protest" when I returned to the jetty but nothing was said..

All in all a brilliant days sailing, sun wind and a decent beer at the end of the day !





Friday 19 August 2011

Storm

Forcast was as usual wrong for today.. I arrived at Toy Box to see her leaping about safely on the jetty as the wind howled through her and of course the other boats rigging. I did a quick check onboard to make sure she was ok.. She is dry again inside after the downpoor last Sunday. I managed to install the new cent ralpower off switch to the controlpanel and noticed that the battery was full according to the solarpanel charging unit.. wel pleased with that job as well ! So all I now need is the right weather ( it is forcast for F3 - F4 with SUN ) for tmrw.. I am looking forward to a good romp over the Schlei and a decent feet up anchorage for lunch. How easily I am pleased with life !

Wednesday 17 August 2011

Wednesday weekend planning

The faithfull weather service, who remembers Michale Fish and his missed Hurricane in the 80´s ? I spent the time windsurfing under absolutly cracking conditions on the north Dutch coast untill the local police stopped me. Seems they were more worried about me loosing my life as apposed to the hundreds of junkies that Holland used to have. What am I saying?  Holland still has a problem !
Back to this weekend we are being promised the best weather of the month, so guess what I shall be doing .. Great a weekend of decent weather after weeks of mixed stuff.. Hope the winds are as forcast..F3 and over 20 deg .

Great news ..

Tuesday 16 August 2011

Monday blues

Finished early today as I had an appointment, decided to pop over to boat and have sort out. Wind was F4 and sun was comming through the clouds.. Have a guess what came next... yup I hoisted sails and set off for a cracking sail over the Schlei under full main and genau, slightly overpowered but fantastic. I simply sailed back and forth enjoying the sailing, what a difference to Sundays downpour.
I finally tied up at around 1800 and dried the boat out, as well as emptied her of around 20 kg of stuff that was not really required on board, ie extra life jkts, electric drill,and the 2 carrier bags of pot noodles. Plus the spare mainsail I had on board. Along with the defunkt roller reefer that I removed. The blasted thing was always jamming up and tangling and forcing me to go forward onto the fordeck, now at least without the roller setup, I know that when I have to go forward at some point,it is not to untangle the blasted thing !
So blew my blues away and arrived home with the feeling I had achieved something good:

Sunday 14 August 2011

Home again.

Well I saw the fullmoon and after a late meal we finally went to bed.. The wind had picked up and we discussed the next days sailing. Hoping to go out onto the Baltic proper for a couple of hours sailing. Awoke this morning and weather had set in with loads of wind and the promise of rain. So breakfast and get everything ready for a quick return passage and leave the Baltic out this trip. We set off and romped downwind to Kappeln to make the 1145 bridge opening.
It started raining shortly after our departure and it then rained all the way to Schleswig.. 6 hours of it.. We were both wet but warm in our gear.
Enroute through Arnis we greeted a couple on a 22´boat from Lembruch on the Dummersee, a place I have spent many a weekend sailing and windsurfing. We sailed side by side for an hour or so in conversation.I sent greetings to any old friends that are still at the Dummersee yacht club.

The end of the trip with everything wet was a bit of an anticlimax being under motor for so long I was pleased to finally stop the motor and get underway home.. A long hot shower and some warm food I now feel great..I just need to wait untill the sofa stops swaying in the breeze..!




Saturday 13 August 2011

Full moon at Maasholm

I arrived at Toy Box with mixed feelings aboutr the weather, and the intention to sail out and anchor in a small bay to simply chill out this weekend. Ulli a friend of mine who lives near the moorings asked if he could come along for a sail.. I explained my plans and he readily agreed if we could at least get to see the Baltic. So 6 hours later we are moored up in Maasholm after a mix of sail and motor for the 23 odd miles here. Great afternoon chatting and exchanges memories from sailing and life as soldiers.more to follow tmrw with pics etc .

Friday 12 August 2011

Flensburger fiord and the mouth of the Schlei.

The decision is now for saturday morning what ever the weather...Looks to be halfway decent anyway. I might just get to see the full moon and the meteorites from my cockpit yet !


 I was sent this pic a few minutes ago from a friend who lives near the mooring. I was there myself on tuesday and the water level was low, now it is 50cm higher than normal. this is due to the prevailing wind pushing the water back and forth in the fiord..Toy Box is after just 3 months in the water looking grubby. I think a swim (weather permitting) with a sponge/brush is called for this weekend.

Rain rain go away

Sitting here at home with a packed bag and everything ready to go. Just one thing stopping me, the forcast all week has been for a dry weekend, last night on the radio an "umwetter warnung " was given out. They are now saying up to 60 liters per square meter of rain over the next 48hrs. How they couldn´t see this comming I do not know. A quick phone call from the chap downwind would give a better forcast than the crap that you hear on the radio or read on the web !
Looks like my idea of being anchored under a full moon and being able to see the meteors that are due over the next two nights is out the window.Need to have a serious rethink, its not that I am made of sugar but on a 20´boat in pouring rain is no fun,as you simply can´t get anything dry. It would however be a great way to wash the salt out of the sails !
Decision is put off till later ..



Thursday 11 August 2011

Hols 2011

I have had an unexpected 3 weeks off, and have, as you can guess been sailing Toy Box when the weather allows. It has been this past week or so absolutly lousy weather, with one Low following the next. The result is one day of halfway good weather followed by several days of rain. I have been rain and storm bound since last thursday.
Looking at the weather forcasts on Windfinder.com has given me hope for tomorrow. I am busy packing a spare Tshirt as well as all the tablets, insulin etc that I need for a couple of days away. How easy it was as a young man to simply sleep next to the centreboard of my dinghy with a foam mat. As one gets older a few home comforts are always required.
Toy Box has not got a great deal of legroom in the side bunks and I end up sleeping curled up. Still she is dry inside after all the work I completed on her last year. I must design and make a decent boom tent for her. At the moment a 2 x 1 1/2 meter piece of gortex is stretched over the hatchway. The intention is to replace this with a larger tent to cover the whole cockpit this winter. Should keep me occupied when I am not reading and watchng Dylans trip around the UK..see  Keep turning left  he also has films on Youtube.
What ever you are doing this weekend I wish you a great time and hope that the weather holds out for you.!






Wednesday 10 August 2011

Some info about the boat.

Designed by  Franciose Sergent and built by CNSO in France in 1979


Length                                     6,00  meters
Length water line                     5,25   meters
Width                                      Jidzo.com2,25   meters
Draft                                       0,85  meters
Weight                                    1050   kilos
Ballast                                     375 kilos...belived, not proven
Sail area                                  16,65  square meters
Main                                        9,15   square meters
Fock                                        7,50 square meters
Berths                                      4
Most of the boat series had Japanese names ie Jidzo. Shogun etc. 
If you have any information I would love to have it !
Please visit my site at Jidzo.com for a few more pictures.

I would love to hear from other Jidzo sailors

First Trip..Flensburg To Schleswig

I started early and with a bit ...ffs what am I saying I was really worried, My last sail was aboard a 10mtr boat a year before as crew for a day, and before that my last sail was aboard Toy Box. in 2009..So here I was in a boat that really needed to be proved first on a long trip..Ah well the weather forcasr was good and the fiord is fairly sheltered with plenty of harbours should I get into trouble.
After running the motor up and motoring clear of the habour I set the sails and with a following wind set off on the 20 odd miles first leg of the trip to take Toy Box back to the Schlei where I had found suitable(pricewise) moorings. Flensburg area marinas were asking for around 700 euros for the rest of the season.!! I managed to get a private Jetty in Schleswig for 70 euros a month! So as its only 10 kms further to Schleswig as apposed to Flensburg, that is where she is to be moored. The trip went well ..very well indeed, apart from the wind dying off after I had turned the corner into the Baltic itself, leaving me some 5 miles to motor. I arrived in Maasholm full of confidence, pleased with the boat and myself. I left next morning and sailed and motored to Schleswig the next day.
Toy Box looked ralley at home in her new berth there. I have now sailed here regulary when time and weather allows me. I will add more as I get time.

How it all started

It´s a long story, so I shall start somewhere around the time of my aquiring Toy Box. I had moved to the north of Germany for work and personal reasons. After finding a small flat to rent I moved in, quickly making frineds as I did so with the owners who lived on the ground floor.
I had recently had a "burnout" and was a bag of nerves and not the person I used to be. ( I am still to date suffering the result of this).
Horst (his name) was an ex German airforce pilot of 72 years of age. Also a keen watersports man in his day. He had owned several boots and at that time owned a small outboard fishing boot. He shortly afterwards sold this boat and bought the Jidzo I now own.
I sailed her with him from her old moorings on the Schlei, to Flensburg where she was to spend the rest of the season of 2009. I was given free hand to sail her when ever I wished and this I did as often as possible.
My illness was very dehabilitating and organsing anything at all was very difficult. Anyone who has or is suffering from depression will know how I felt at this time. I still have problems even now 2 1/2 years later, and am still learning to live with it.
Towards the end of 2009 Horst was very ill and he asked me if  I wished to take the boat over. I jumped at the chance..
I took her out of the water in October 2009 and she went into drydock at a local Polyester (fibreglass) firm. Here she was to stay for 20 months untill I was able to refloat her for the 2011 season in June. During her time in drydock I did a lot of work on her repairing poorly fitted or broken pieces as well as replacing running rigging and cables. Peter I would like to thankyou for all your help during this period. I would never have carried on without your help ! I aslo purcahsed an old (1988)  Yamaha 4hp outboard motor..
During this period Horst had decided that at 74 his time was come and he ended his life in Oct 2010 leaving me feeling somwhat empty , it is strange how friendship can grow so quickly between people. Everyone said he was a hard man to get on with. I found him friendly and informative as well as being a good confidant, who enjoyed a wry sense of humour. I will miss him and hope that he is looking down at me as I sail Toy Box.
So that is basicly the story without all the trimmings..