The Old Matelot



matelot;
noun,
sailor; from the French mat-el-oh (plural matelots)
A slang expression, chiefly in Britain, may also mean mate or companion.

Welcome to the Old Matelots' blog, my first (and probably last!) journalistic endeavour. Watch its development and evolution as I make the transition into retirement and the live-aboard, off the grid lifestyle on the sailing yacht, Circe. Follow my fortunes (and misfortunes) in the posts as I work to rehabilitate my home on the water.

UPDATE - Due major back-to-back relationship and health issues during 2017 & 2018 I was involuntarily beached and forced to let Circe go. The blog will remain up for the foreseeable future for informational benefit to other owners of these magnificent boats.


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2016-04-01

Test Sail



3 JUNE 2010 - FIRST SAIL

Our first sail on Circe came after a generally successful survey at the Marina Village slip in Alameda. We took her for a short run up and down the Oakland Estuary with the Owner and our surveyor on board. Unfortunately there wasn't much of a breeze but we were able to see how she moved in light air and how easily the sails raised and doused, as well as seeing what kind of condition they were in.



Both sails were only a few years old and lightly used. The Main was in excellent shape and the Genoa was also in good condition but the UV cover was frayed about halfway up the leech. It looked like the sail had been sheeted in too hard and had been chafing on the shrouds near the spreaders. The 135 Genoa gives a large overlap and it can be difficult to adjust it for good performance while still keeping it off the shrouds. Sheet lead position can be critical in avoiding the problem, particularly when heading to weather, and the 135 might prove to be a bit too much sail for mid-summer afternoons on S F Bay, we'll see.

The running rigging was all fair to good, except for the Main halyard. It is an original wire-to-rope type and had a couple of good sized 'meat-hooks' on the wire section so it will have to be replaced and maybe converted to all rope.

The boom is a Kenyon section and the mast is from Le Fiell and both are in serious need of an Awlgrip paint job. The Owner reported recent replacement of all the standing rigging, all of which inspected in good shape, but evidently neither spar was painted during that rigging replacement. The damaged UV cover and lack of painting went on the 'negotiation' list!





Checking out the frayed UV cover on Genoa.


















Another view of the frayed UV cover. However, despite the damaged leech, the genny still had a nice shape, although the lazy sheet got hung up in this shot.   


                     




The end of the boom showing reefing lines which are good shape having been recently replaced.











The Main is in very good shape but that stack-pack and lazy jacks are another thing. A lot of clutter for a little convenience! We'll see how things go when we are actually living with them on the water.
Taking everything into consideration Circe checked out in good shape. Next stop, the boat yard!

SF Bay Meeting

Due to the crazy El Nino storms and other distractions we hadn't taken Circe out yet in 2016, so when we finally got a few days of stable weather this week we headed out. Being a weekday there were very few boats on the Bay, the usual commercial and ferry traffic, but only a handful of recreational boaters......what a contrast to the typical weekend. The sun was shining and the wind was West with a hint of North at 12-15 kts, perfect for a southerly beam reach to the Bay Bridge. As we approached Treasure Island we saw another yacht heading our way on a reciprocal course. As we closed on the other boat we could see the unmistakable form of another Freeport moving under Genoa alone. 







When we got near we realised it was Love Song out of Brickyard Cove Marina, skippered by Karsten, another FOGger member who we know. We grabbed the camera and started shooting. Here is Love Song sliding by.











Here is Circe as we approached Love Song.




Photo: K Windt




After some frantic cell phone and VHF exchanges we agreed an impromptu photo shoot. We both turned and made a couple of passes on each other, both of us snapping away furiously. Below are some of the results. 




















Photo: K Windt
Photo: K Windt





























Photo: K Windt
Photo: K Windt














Photo: K Windt













What an amazing day. Great weather and a chance to get some good photos of both boats. We have zillions of interior and exterior pics of Circe taken at the dock and boatyard during our many rehab projects, but we hadn't any good ones showing us under way. Karsten also shot some video clips of us....thanks a million Karsten...... while we also took a few seconds of video, limited by having to use the iPad plus the cameraman falling off the cockpit coaming in mid shot.....Oops!  We played around with some video editing software to add some music and credits. It's a bit rough but we'll do better next time.