Ply Dinghy Completion

Six months of work has, at last, come together in one beautiful craft fit for purpose. Some pottering, a little fishing venturing along some of Devon's Estuaries, and even some waterborne photography when the light is right.
The inside is varnished with Epiphanes clear and the outside hull finished in Epoxy clear resin (Sicomin 5550 using a medium-fast hardener). She has three flotation bags, a pair of oars and helmsman with plenty of local experience of messing about in boats; what could possibly go wrong after so many hours of labour.
Helen is, even now, against my plans for some waterborne enjoyment and shows little inclination to join me on the water. However, I do have one or two good friends happy to come fishing even though I am no real fisherman.
Now about to add a winch to my road trailer that will ease recovery from the water, even though the weight is not much over 90K with the Seagull 40+ outboard in place.

Off Teignmouth, South Devon

One very nice Bass

Something nice for supper

A professional boatbuilder would probably not have indulged in such methods as I have over the choice of woods and construction. He would struggle to justify the time. The transom alone consists of twenty separate pieces of wood whereas the normal way would be to cut that out from just two pieces of plank. 

Launch Time

Staithes & Runswick Bay

Surf spots found by son William lead him to far away places we should see;  thats what we have been doing today. Delightful little fishing villages nestling between cliffs and stradling streams that have made natural harbours.  When the storm swell rises and the surf is high William parks his camper van at the top of the hill to clamber down the steep cliff path.
Wandering through these places today was a delight. Sitting in the sun nibbling crab sandwiches tea and ice cream. Gardens in full blossom. Gull chicks on every other rooftop.

The Cobble high and dry at low tide

Looking towards the lifeboat station

Captain Cook hailed from these parts

Spot the gull chicks

Gardens in full blossom and full sun

Whitby Fish & Chip Sunday

The Magpie restaurant comes highly recommended and its certainly popular. With a queue waiting by 11am for opening time. We wait and make for an upstairs table overlooking the harbour to get served within five minutes. So many day trippers thronging the narrow streets and piling into vessels to circuit the harbour and coastline this fine weather. Bikers in leathers walking bow legged, hot and flushed in the heat,  focusing on the railway station cafe.
Stopping there in the carpark we get hustled in by a bevy of revvy bikes impatiently following behind.
A walk along the breakwater to the lighthouse rewards us with some lovely views of the coastline and beach where three donkeys give children rides and a lady patrols the sand with a pooper-skooper bucket. In the distance we see a quieter cove and make our way north a mile or so for more wanderings,  tea and cake. Parking charges are higher here than in Devon but not to worry!
Two more days to spend around the coast,  delighted with our new Airbnb. A converted barn amidst farmland down a narrow lane, well secluded and quite spacious. 

Try as I might, the task of persuading Helen to let me call in to a metal suppliers is met with hostile negatives, and it looks as if I shall have to get the metal keel strips for my dinghy build back home in Devon. Up here it is available at a very reasonable price  off the shelf and I try to mollify Helen with the promise of a stainless steel cooker splash back but still no agreement is forthcoming. 

Heading North in a Heatwave

The Morgan 4/4 performed perfectly today after a chilly 6am start from Kenton near Exeter. A fine clear morning with our journey predicted to take four hours with the hood down and wind in our hair. It actually took six hours due to several stops for refreshments on the way to Creswell, Derbyshire. The Morgan was treated to a full change  of engine and gear box oil together with a greasing of the suspension the day before we left home,
M42 traffic and confusing road signs made for some nervous moments. At the point where this road reaches the M1 four traffic lanes need careful attention, not to get onto the wrong road. The M6 toll road north east of Birmingham could easily have been taken by mistake.
Before clocking in to the Airbnb we made a leisurely visit to Creswell Crags where new geological digs are finding clues about the long human habitation of the caves extending back into times of the lion, rhinoceros and cave bear. Animals on the menu of those hunters down the ages.
Tomorrow a family anniversary will be celebrated and the day after, some sight seeing onto the Yorkshire moors.
Our brief tour north extends to the sea later on, including Whitby while warm weather is guaranteed.
Meanwhile records are broken with 46 deg in France and similar highs in Spain. With wildfires in Catalonia global warming can no longer be denied.

Cresswel Crags

Newbuild Dinghy after a few coats of Varnish

On target for launching by mid July for some fishing and pottering.
This twelve foot labour of love is by no means perfect but has been a most satisfying project to undertake in my advancing years.  One of those ideas that seems to seed from reading a small book big on content, that taps into skills fast disapearing in this age of plastic and glass.

And if  I can build it  - I can mend it !

The spoon blade paddles are of ordinary selected deal, but should, more correctly have been of Spruce.

There are a couple more coats required to the interior and thereafter just the hull to varnish and paint. Oh! and the rubbing strips to be fitted to keel and bilge runners.

Seagull 40+ outboard

Spoon bladed paddles