New stainless grommets

Old...

... and new

A video from the Biscay trip

Getting to grips with epoxy

A big advantage of having a fiberglass boat is the ease of making structural repairs - epoxy will readily bond to a well-prepared surface. While more expensive than polyester resins, it's good for peace of mind.
While stripping out the forepeak, we found the bulkhead behind the water tank cracked - primarily because of the unnecessary large cut-out. Also, the batten running the width of the bulkhead was not attached to the bulkhead itself. Moreover, the chopped strand mat used to bond the bulkhead to the sides of the hull was not wetted with enough resin and came away easily in some areas - and the gap between the plywood edge and the hull was never filled. All reason enough to fix it properly while we have a chance. Here's what seemed to produce satisfactory results:

The rig 1 - Replacing the lower shrouds

Discovery - 19th October 2013

Very clear Failure

While up the mast removing the steaming light Igor noticed some corrosion on one of the 4 lower shrouds. This demanded more investigation. If a shroud fails, its time to wave goodbye to the mast, and with it the whole project.

Auriga - the story so far

Auriga is now in Ipswich. It has been exactly 3 month since we first saw her in Aguadulce. Two month since she set off on her 1800 miles voyage back to the UK.

Auriga in Aguadulce

Each of the return legs deserves a story of its own - the seven days of maintenance over 3 weekends to put her back in the water; Giulia, Matt and Dan taking Auriga through the Straits of Gibraltar and most of the way around Spain and Portugal; sailing single-handed from Vigo to Plymouth; Matt and Giulia beating for two days into easterly gales; nearly sinking the boat south of St. Katherine's Point; and finally discovering that the sands in the Thames Estuary shifted a lot in the last 20 years.

On our journey, we have been helped by many people - fellow boat owners, marina staff, crews of the passing ships and radio operators. While it has taken a lot of hard work, we where lucky to find a helping hand when we most needed it.

Auriga in Ipswich

Auriga is now in Ipswich, taking the mud twice a day. It is a big change from the scorching Spanish sun and the deep waters of the Atlantic. She has taken good care of us, and now we have to take good care of her again. The list of jobs is long, as is the list of places Auriga is yet to visit.

The final leg - Plymouth to Ipswich

27-29th September

To set the scene properly, Friday was moving out day from the home I had lived in for two years, and it did not go well. Everything had to be cleaned, and the landlord stood over us as we scrubbed parts of the house that were simply not cleanable. I tried to reassure him I would have my gigantic pile of stuff out by Sunday night. Finally I was able to catch my taxi to meet Giulia at the station for the long journey to Plymouth. Typically, had I walked, and not waited for the taxi that never arrived, I would have made it on time. Instead, I missed the train. We managed to get a later train to London and practically sprint across London to make it onto the Plymouth train. Not a relaxed start. Let’s call this the beginning of the stress.

Vigo to Plymouth single-handed

“I am neither happy nor sad, neither really tense nor really relaxed. Perhaps that is the way it is when a man gazes at the stars, asking himself questions he is not mature enough to answer. So one day he is happy, the next a bit sad without knowing why. It is a little like the horizon: for all your distinctly seeing sky and sea come together on the same line, for all your constantly making for it, the horizon stays at the same distance, right at hand and out of reach. Yet deep down you know that the way covered is all that counts.” -Bernard Moitessier 

A month earlier - Plymouth

The Western end of the Plymouth breakwater marks the end of the 610-mile-long Fastnet Race. Perched on the pulpit of a 40 ton, 72 foot steel yacht after what has been mostly a fair-weather race, I couldn't help wondering how the 30ft Auriga will cope with the autumn Biscay weather. Giulia reported that Auriga was seaworthy if wet, while my experience with the new yacht was thus far limited to a few windless hours in the Med.
The last night of the race was uneventful. Someone asked me what I had in mind for my next sailing adventure. I replied that I might cross the Biscay single-handed. I tried to sound convinced.