New Stretcher - Old Stretcher

In rowing there are different definitions of the word 'stretcher,' but this one seems to work for PicoMicroYacht.

Stretcher: Also known as the foot stretcher, this term refers to the area of the boat where the rowers place their feet.

https://www.ez-dock.com/blog/common-rowing-terms-you-should-know/

When Bill Colley built the PicoMicroYacht 'chassis,' he put in a very old fashioned type of foot stretcher. It comprised laminated plywood flat soles, with tacked on leather uppers, and laces. This was attached to the PicoMicroYacht chassis by adjustable t-bolts.

I spent the first five years wanting to replace this arrangement with modern rowing shoes. I never got round to this, and I then changed my mind, wanting to retain the old fashioned look, which I now really like. 

Over time, the plywood soles started to disintegrate, including breaking and deliminating. I tried to mend them, but they became beyond reasonable repair.

I tried to source replacements and found that they were no longer made. I looked at second hand ones, but these seemed to be very old and sold as antique artifacts. I realised I had to make my own. 

However, making the sole seemed too fiddly, given my wood working skills. So I found some reasonably priced wooden clogs instead. The Italian Clog company proved an excellent choice.

https://www.artigianodelcuo.io/en/mens-italian-clogs/2280-handmade-wooden-clogs-for-men-with-black-leather-band.html

It was necessary to remove the uppers from these clogs and then replace them with those from my disintegrating stretcher. I also bought and fitted new eyes, made of an alloy to cope with sea water corrosion. I retained the old fashion 'gym' laces. 

It all now needed putting together. Before this, I  marined varnished the clogs, also ensuring the screw holes were protected.

The clogs have the advantage they  are designed for walking and comfort. I hope they last at least another 14 years.

The stretcher with the heal cups removed

More on 'Look out': Frantic!

I am still pondering PicoMicroYacht's tactic when sensing the possibility of an imminent collision (see the post, 'Look Out'). I decided to find YouTube videos of  small boat crashes. I select three to show here, both caused by the person on the helm 'not seeing' the boat they crashed into

In the first, people are fishing and we see their dawning realisation that a boat was to crash, which happened just 40 seconds later. Initially they shouted and almost immediately they moved to the opposite side of the boat from the perceived crash, probably the only effective thing they could have done.  They were nine miles out to sea. 

The second one happens very fast. Again it is people fishing, who immediately start shouting, and one person stands up on the stern and waves. The camera shows they cannot see the helm of the approaching boat, so the helm could not see them.  They are stern on. The only escape from possible death and certain serious injury was to jump into the water, which they did, taking three seconds. They landed in the frigid water of the Columbia River with no life jackets on and all were injured.

The back story is provided in the post.

Clatsop County sheriff’s deputies accused boat driver Marlin Lee Larsen of several crimes after the 75-year-old told investigators he couldn’t see where he was driving because he was sitting down and the dash of his boat was blocking his view. Larsen said he probably should have been standing, according to the sheriff’s report, which notes Larsen uses a motorized scooter to get around on land. Larsen’s son-in-law, who also was on the boat, told investigators that he had warned his father-in-law to pay attention, that he sometimes sees his father-in-law using his cell phone while driving the boat and that his father-in-law had been off-and-on his cell phone the morning of the crash, according to the sheriff’s report. Although Oregon law heavily restricts cell phone use while driving, there are no such specific laws governing boating. But it is against the law to operate a boat without due care.

In this final one a fishing kayak only just managed to avoid being rammed by an smallish open motorboat (see from 7.00 minutes). The kayak fisher seemed relatively cool about what happened, and was then distracted by landing an enormous fish. I wonder if he fully realised he had avoided possible serious injury by two seconds, the time he took to take evasive action before the collision.

He was in  a group of  fishing kayaks - I speculate the motorboat driver was distracted by looking at another kayak.

I found it sobering to view these videos and they reminded me to improve the PicoMicroYacht lookout and also plan for various scenarios.

PicoMicroYacht joins the Dinghy Cruising Association

I  joined  the Dinghy Cruising Association (DCA) two years ago and have  since had some great voyages with the UK South group, who have rallies around the Solent and Chichester Harbour. 

The DCA is an international organisation whose president is Roger Barnes, the author of the 'go to' Dinghy Cruising Companion book and creator of some amazing video diaries of his voyages,  now  mainly set in Brittany where he lives most of the time.

                                  Roger Barnes's book                                   

As readers of this blog may observe, when rowing I use some sails.  When with the DCA, who mainly have sailing dinghies, I sail using some oars.  

In the winter the UK South group do a rally once a month and I decided to join one on a brilliant cold December day in Langstone Harbour.

I launched on the east side of the entrance, at the Ferry Boat Inn. 

The Ferry Boat Inn to the right side of the slipway

Just inside the entrance is a Phoenix Caisson. This monster landmark is a left over from World War II, when the British build prefabricated harbours which they floated across to the French coast just after D Day in 1944. This  caisson cracked and sank in a prominent position and has been left there ever since. It is now used as a fishing platform.

We were due to meet up in a tidal beach called 'the Kench.' The rally attenders were somewhat camouflaged against the background in the low light, I nevertheless spotted them.

I arrived to a friendly welcome. With much common, there is always a lot to chat about. 

It was cold. We were well prepared and so enjoyed a good lunch together. It was soon time to go, half our attendees having come from the far north of the harbour and not wanting to miss the tide for landing.

On the way back, I looked south and saw some  house boats and holiday lodges just in side the harbour, well presented but not ostentatious. 

Looking north across the harbour it seemed flat and featureless apart from the Phoenix Caisson. Some people like the wild austerity of Langstone compared to other South Coast Harbours and it is a haven for wildlife.

Look out!

My last voyage in th Medway resulted in me contemplating the hazard of being run down by a ship. I think this is the biggest risk for PioMicroYacht. For hazards such as adverse weather conditions and sea state are probably low risk because of my level of caution. But if a ship comes in your direction and does not see you ... or I do not see it .....

I have to admit I can think of two other potential collision situations  that were somewhat of the ordinary. 

On a trip to Swanage from Christchurch harbour, I was south of the Old Harry Rocks in the dark. A yacht was passing me easily, but when fairly close turned directly towards me. I had to row hard to get out the way. Itr obviously had not seen me, despite my navigation lights and radar reflector. 

A second one is that on arrival at the  Plymouth Sound from the Avon Estuary I was distracted by looking at a classic old ship, I failed to notice a freighter coming rapidly down the harbour. The first thing I knew was an advance party, a large black rib, whih came straight up to me and told me to get out of the way, which I quickly did.

I am not counting when crossing the English Channel and I told the support boat I was stopping for a break. They replied sternly 'No you shouldn't ...  row hard ...  There is a container ship over there coming straight in our direction."

It takes two to tango, as they say. So both ships/ boats have to keep a lookout and be prepared to follow the collision avoidance regulations. Of course, large ships cannot really get out of your way.

The problem with rowing is that I am facing the wrong way, but I learned on rivers  how when rowing to turn round and quickly scan the horizon for what is coming. If in doubt, I stop and turn PicoMicroYacht to get a better look. 

This is what I was doing in my recent Thames Estuary voyage. I turned to look closely at the approaching tug, fully alert and realised I was growing in apprehension. 

Was the helm distracted by some other activity, or did they see me all the way from afar?  I zoomed in on my photograph of the tug and  saw the helm was hunched over some device, their forarms lifted infront of them, clutching it. Was it a mobile phone? Or was it a steering device? I don't know.

Curious, I googled the following three words: distraction, ship, accident.

Up came a link to a Maritime and Coastguard Agency Marine Guidance Note. The title was 'Human Element Guidance: Part 3. Distraction. The fatal danger of mobile phones and other personal devices when working. '

The first sentence read as follow: 'Use of mobile phones and other personal devices has been found to be a significant contributory factor in maritime accidents and incidents.'

It then outlined the risks and reasons. It turns out that the mechanism of risk of using a mobile phone in a ship can be similar to that when driving. 

I made a note to review all distracting activities when voyaging in PicoMicroYacht.

A hazardous voyage in PicoMicroYacht

The plan was to voyage from Sheerness to Gravesend, some 20 miles up the Thames Estuary. There was a slack low tide at about 11.30 and then the tide flowed up the estuary until 17.30. If I left at the slack, I should be able be able to cover the distance in time. There was little or no wind and only ripples.

I started at Sheerness Sailing Club, which has an all tidal beach.  Due to some travel complications and being distracted by chatting to people on the beach, I left late at 12.00. I was banking on the tidal stream to catch up this time. 

About two miles out I was closing in on the SS Montgomery wreck exclusion zone and could see the masts of the wreck sticking out of the water, Southend in the distance behind.

In 1944 the S S Montgomery was packed full of explosives and sailed from the USA to just outside the Medway Estuary. It anchored, waiting to form up with a convoy that would travel to Cherbourg, which had just been taken by the Allies. Their anchors dragged and it went aground on a sandbank, breaking it's back. 

The S S Montgomery wreck 

The blast wave radius covers Sheerness and Southend

What would happen if it went off

The salvage operation was deemed too tricky and expensive and it has been left ever since. There is a small risk it could explode, and it would then produce a five metre tidal wave, the blast wave estimated to do damage 10 to 20 miles away. Sheerness would have all the windows blown out.

Tempted to breach the exclusion zone, I nevertheless decided not to hang around. After a further two miles, I realised the fair tide had not materialised in strength and started to do some head calculations as I rowed on. I had left it too late to reach Gravesend before the tide turned on me. Also,  the sunset was about 16.30 and I had forgotten my navigation lights and would have to improvise using a torch.  Arriving in the dark with an adverse tide that strongly funnels past Gravesend against me did not seem a good idea.

The Medway Estuary entrance about two miles away. A 'fort' is shown on the right

I turned back whilst it was still possible and tucked into the Medway Estuary, using the incoming tide to finish at Queenborough.  Initially I rowed hard against the tide to skirt round a large sandbank off the entrance.

My final route

I was well into the Medway when I heard from behind a ship chugging in my direction. I turned to see a tug rapidly approaching and for some reason I was having a bad feeling about it. I was well to the starboard side of the channel and stopped rowing.  

To judge whether it was on collision course, I checked whether the image of the tug was moving against landmarks on the horizon behind, a sign that it would pass me.  Initially it was, but as the tug started turning in my direction this relative movement slowed.

I was now having to consider collision avoidance. My usual tactic in this situation is to turn at right angles to the approaching boat and row hard so that it could pass to port, the angle of PicoMicroYacht signalling very clearly my intention. But if the tug kept turning, this might not work.I grabbed my radio and stammered into channel 16: 

"This is PicoMicroYacht, PicoMicroYacht. To the tug exiting the Medway Estuary. To the tug exiting the Medway Estuary. I am just infront of you. I am just infront of you. Please let me know your intentions.? Please let me know your intentions?"

The tug immediately straightened out and swept past me about ten metres away. I looked up  at the tug cabin and saw the driver sitting high and centrally. I never saw him looking at me and there was no reply  to my radio message. I have no idea whether he saw me initially.

Later on I passed  large yacht called 'Absolute Diamond.' The crew all turned, staring at me.  One took a photograph and shouted out to check if I was alright. I am not sure if the two aspects were connected.

Round the corner was Queenborough, my destination the slipway just by the 'Old House at Home' pub. A very helpful and jolly man who was having a drink at the pub stepped outside to help pull PicoMicroYacht out of the water. As we chatted it was apparent that he had entered the water with his old leather boots and they had leaked a bit - I had thought they were Wellingtons. The kindness of strangers...

In a pumpkin?

 

A news story caught my attention. A man aged 60 years recently had paddled 38 miles down the Missouri River in a hollowed out pumkin.  Good for the environment.

This got me thinking about my PicoMicroYacht experience. Part of the fun of converting a Pico into a rowing boat is that it gets people talking. On my first try out, I launched it at my then sailing club, at a reservoir, and was told it was alright to have a go provided I kept a sail up. I did this, using the Pico jib, but was eventually told to stop, because I inadvertantly took the jib down. 

Thereafter, I have found that PicoMicoYacht so often gets a reaction of puzzlement from sailing folk and I have had many conversations with curious people. 

On a few occasions I get a little hostility as people, mainly in yachts, who think I should not be out there, and certainly should get out of their way (I follow collision regulations assiduously). But mainly the puzzlement is very positive and cheerful.

Not quite at thought provoking as paddling a pumpkin down the Missouri River.

Why so slow?

PicoMicroYacht can cruise at about 3 miles per hour or 2.6 knots, approximately at human walking speed.

I have to admit, I enjoy this comparatively slow speed, and the rhythm of the oars and the tide takes me into a different place, maybe the slower world of our ancestors.  

Example of ancient and slow:  A reed boat, still used for fishing in Peru. Such boats go back as far back as 12,000 BC

I realise my slow speed is not for everyone. I took my daughter and her partner out in a 21 foot sailing boat. We left the marina and settled down to about five knots in the adjoining estuary. This was too slow for my daughter who immediately said 'what now?' - meaning 'Is that it?.'  I was only able to convince them to continue by explaining that sailing can be a mindful experience and that the thing to do was to spend time meditating on the sea and sky. I suspect they spent the rest of the voyage humouring me, but they were very polite.

So why is PicoMicroYacht so slow? 

Recently, I discovered there is a well worked physics of maximum boat speed relative to design.

The starting point is what happens when a displacement boat goes through the water. Two wave forms are created, divergent waves which spread sideways (I call them the bow wave) and transverse waves that go in the direction that the boat travels (is that the stern wave?). The wave combination creates a feathery triangular pattern, as modelled below. The transverse waves are critical to boat speed.

From 'The Physics of Boats' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaRfXthP8fw&t=165s

From 'Why do boats make this shape? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95sQcSulRFM&t=148s

I discovered also that water waves travel at different speeds, unlike light or sound waves. The faster the wave the longer the distance between the peaks of the wave.  If you are on a beach and want to judge the force of the waves, count the seconds between each peak as well as looking at the height.

All this is relevant to boat speed as follows: 

When a boat speeds up it creates faster transverse waves which are more separated. The boat 'sits' in the transverse waves and as these get longer it gets to a situation where only two peaks are aligned to the length of the boat hull, one at the bow and the other at the stern. 

From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaRfXthP8fw&t=165s

If the boat then tries to go faster the wave length exceeds the boat length;  the boat tries to 'climb' the wave at the bow, the stern settling into the trough between waves. 

The force needed to 'climb' stops it getting faster. The only way out of this situation is for the boat to have substantially more power which boosts it onto to a plane; only then will the force needed to travel at a higher speed decrease.

Rowing boats do not plane because oar power is not sufficient to get them to this level. It follows speed is limited by length, which is why racing rowing boats are very long. The length of a racing sculling boat is about 27 feet, over double the length of PicoMicroYacht.

Of course, even though boat length defines the theoretical maximum speed, there are other factors that determine actual speed, such as hull shape, weight and hull smoothness. 

The weight is important because it determines how much boat is in the water and therefore the amount of water the boat has to displace to move forward. 

The shape determines the efficiency of the boat being able to displace the water. 

PicoMicroYacht in the Salcombe Estuary

PicoMicroYacht is relatively heavy, being made of rotomoulded plastic. It has a narrow bow, but it somewhat flat in the water, with enough width for it to be fairly stable (1.43 metres). PicoMicroYacht  sacrifices speed to create strength and what is called 'form stability.' 

Rowing in a racing sculling boat in Rio de Janeiro

In contrast, racing sculling boats are made of light materials such as carbon fibre and are very thin, between 26 cm and 30 cm, their stabilty determined by initially skimming the sculling blades along the water surface, body inertia in movement, and water flow over the hull. 

The width and weight of PicoMicroYacht ensures that there is much more surface area in the water, with greater displacement and friction, hence the relatively slow speed.

One way of determining speed efficiency is to compare the actual speed to the theoretical maximum speed. Equations have been developed to calculate the latter, the one most quoted, being 1.34 X SQRT (Boat Waterline Length). PicoMicroYacht in theory could be rowed up to 4.5 miles per hour. 

This got me thinking about how fast a single person can possibly row. In terms of international rowing competitions, the standard distance is 2000 metres.The fastest official time at this distance is by Robbie Manson, a New Zealander, who did it in six minutes 31 seconds in 2017. This translates to about 11.45 miles per hour. 

Of course, put a racing sail on PicoMicoYacht, go out in some wind, and it may even go faster than this.

Exmouth to Teignmouth using tricks

PicoMicroYacht has almost completed voyaging from the Thames Estuary to  Cornwall. There are just a few gaps to fill. This summer I completed one of them in Devon, between Exmouth and Teignmouth. 

This voyage takes you out of Exmouth Harbour and down the Devon Coast past Dawlish.

The coast from Exmouth to Teignmouth. The black line marks the path of the main South Western  Railway designed and built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

For a small dinghy without motorised power, the voyage presents several challenges, which I enjoyed overcoming, PicoMicroYacht being well suited for this type of voyage.

The Exe Estuary entrance - from eOceanic

One is launching a boat, which I did on the west side of the Estuary. I found on Google Maps a launching site just south of Starcross, by a village called Cockwood. There is a small tidal lagoon separated from the estuary by a railway embankment and it is possible to exit the lagoon through a tunnel. I got there early and the lagoon was empty, but I realised I could tow PicoMicroyacht across a muddy track and out through the tunnel onto a beach to launch.

PicoMicroYacht was eased down a slipway to be turned and pulled along the muddy track.

Going through the tunnel. The mizzern mast, already put up, was just low enough to get through.

The next challenge was to leave the Exmouth Estuary against the tide, since this would give me more time to take advantage of a south flowing tide in the sea, To start with I rowed around the Bight, shown below, keeping close to the shore (left to right).

The Bight, to the south of the Exmouth Estuary  - from eOceanic.

In the actual entrance the tide was ripping at great pace. I kept really close to the shore, with my starboard blade about two feet away. This seemed to do the trick and get me out of the estuary, rounding Warren Point.

Warren Point (middle of photograph) - from eOceanic.

Outside the estuary and to the south are treacherous sandbanks. Normally these are avoided and the channel takes you north of these sandbanks far to the east. However, it was very calm and the tide was high enough for me to head south, cutting many miles off my journey. I went over the Pole Sands and the aptly named Monster Sands.

Google Earth shows how wave break around the entrance the Exe Estuary, the sandbanks very harzardous to shipping.

Eventually I was free from worry about being over sandbanks and heading south. It is along this coast that the railway, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, hugs the shore. I could see the trains in the distance going up and down, looking like a model railway.

It was a sunny July day, the sea sparkling blue, and good progress was made.

Arriving at Teignmouth I had the opposite problem to Exmouth. Now the tide was exiting the harbour fiercely and this time too fast to row against.  I had enough tide to get over the Spratt sands and the trick  now was to get out of the boat, towing it round the Point and into the harbour on foot. 

All this was possible because of the very calm conditions. If not suitable, entering the harbour can be dangerous, particuarly with wind from the east. The Harbour Master's advice is that generally entry is manageble if the right precautions are made, and sailors are encouraged to seek advice if in doubt.

Admiraliy Chart - to be found on the Teignmouth Harbour Commission website, which provides good advice about harbour entry.

The Point, on the north side of the Teignmouth entrance.

As I went round the Bight I had to avoid some fishermen, who helpfully lifted their lines over PicoMicroYacht, without complaint.

Once in the harbour I was able to find a slipway close to the lifeboat station.

This voyage, some eight miles, had gone without incident, mainly due to the calm sea and slight winds. 

Some illustrations in this post are from eOceanic, designed and produced by sailors for sailors

 https://eoceanic.com/sailing/harbours/522/the_bight 

King's Lynn to Hunstanton and then to Wells-next-the-Sea

I stayed over night in King's Lynn, with PicoMicroYacht moored on a pontoon. The next day is was sufficiently calm to set off early for the Wash.

Although the river is fronted by many building, the twin towers of King's Lynn Minister still dominate architecturally.

King's Lynn has been transformed into a tourist town, but the industrial parts are still very active, including ships docking.

These ships face a tricky passage through the Wash and out into the North Sea, so the pilots are needed to navigate them. 

A pilot boat was coming in from the sea, the pilot finished. The pilot boat slowed so as not swamp PicoMicroYacht and then accelerated away.

The strength of the tide meant it was not that long before I had reached the Wash and was following the channel between the marker buoys. The thin land on the horizon accentuated the sea and the sky. 

Out to sea I was followed by seals, some of  whom got really close to me.

I rowed steadily across the calm sea, for several hours until I reached Hunstanton, with it's prominent seaside hotel type buildings.

Out to sea an unusual amphibious ferry was providing some fun to holiday makers.

Because the tide had gone out I had transport PicoMicroYacht across an expanse of sand. To do so I assembled my portable trailer, hauling PicoMicoYacht over the particular sand impossible for me. Nevertheless, it was a very hard pull to get PicoMicroYacht off the beach, the wheels of the trailer tending to sink in.

On another day, without being able to take any photographs because of camera failure, PicoMicoYacht voyaged round to Wells-next-the-Sea. This trip was about 17 miles, made easier by catching tide out into the North Sea and along the North Norfolk coast. I stayed about a mile out to sea to ensure a straight course and avoid and sandbanks. From here you can glimpse parts of ports against the very flat coastland.

The timing meant that when I arrived at Wells-next-the-Sea, the tide was going out, quite fiercely. Normally there is about a mile navigating between sand banks before getting into the harbour entrance. 

To avoid a rowing this against a strong ebb tide, I was able to skirt diagnonally over the West Sands, with a few inches to spare, this only possible because of the very calm weather and no  waves. 

PicoMicroYacht was beached near the lifeboat station.