Web Captains Blog

Dutch teenager sets sail on round the world trip

gus@carawaydesign.com — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 22:23:18 GMT

A 14 year old Dutch school girl has set sail on a circumnavigation attempt in a 26 foot boat after winning a court battle with social services trying to prevent her departure .

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11048130

New starter motor for Caraway

gus@carawaydesign.com — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 12:41:18 GMT

From time to time when I pressed the Yanmar 1gm 10 start button I could hear the starter motor click and nothing happened. If I tried again the starter kicked in and the Yanmar started as normal. I knew the starter motor needed overhaul or replacement but I had been procrastinating it. But with the boat back in the water in the solent I decided that I didn’t want to risk the starter failing as it eventually would at the time when I needed it most. So, I had did some research and found that there are some third party starter motors that will fit the Yanmar 1gm 10. For example: http://www.amazon.com/STARTER-HITACHI-YANMAR-S114-303-128170-77010/dp/B003PL7X1A

I then noticed that the above starter fits 1gm, 2gm and 3gm. So I realised that the starter is the same for all these engines. I didn’t want to have to pay over £300 for a new Yanmar one but I had decided I wanted a new one if I could find one at a reasonable price. Enter Ebay. Amazingly I was lucky and found a brand new unused starter motor from a 2gm series. The owner had bought it as a spare and never used it. I’m not surprised. Mine lasted 17 years and 1700 engine hours. The guy only wanted £125 for it. So I bought it straight out and got it a few days later.

The old starter in situ and after removal

The new starter and in situ

The only real difference I could see between the new and the old starter was one of the bolts on the solenoid was thicker than the old one so I had to put a bigger ring terminal on the wire. I was glad in the end to get a Yanmar one and hope this one lasts as long as the old one.

Installation and removal is straightforward just a bit fiddly if like me you opt not to remove the alternator first. It’s a good idea to turn the battery switch off before you begin. I used some tape to hold the wires together so they would all go back onto the right terminal. I also took some pics of the wires for reference just in case.

One job I will have to come back to is the engine anode cover. I replaced the anode a few weeks back and noticed the paint had flaked off around the seal. With the starter off it would have been a good time to touch up the paint. Unfortunately I didn’t do it this time so it will have to wait for now.

Putting the headsails back on

gus@carawaydesign.com — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 22:50:38 GMT

Well I decided to buy a small kayak trolley and go overland to the boat across the marsh. This is practical in the summer but impossible in the winter. In the summer the fields are dry and accessible but during the winter the marsh becomes impassable. I’m also probably not going to keep the boat on her mooring over the winter because it’s just not secure enough from flooding and river debris such as trees and other boats..

The trolley worked quite well and did the job fine. The only problem was the locked gate to the final field to keep the cows and horses in. I had to remove the folding boat and lift it over the fence. Still, it’s good exercise and better for the environment than getting in the car and driving to the dinghy park. Cheaper too..

Arrival at Caraway with “Carawee” on her trolley with oars.

It’s a pain that it’s so tantalisingly close. I could wade out but it shelves down quickly and at low tide there’s at least a meter. At high tide there can be nearly five feet under the keel. I notice she’s sitting up at the bows since I took out all the junk I’d been storing aboard. Will have to re-arrange and try and get her trimmed properly again.

With the folding dinghy ready to go.

Chaos down below while I was working getting the head sails on and tuning up the rig as well as countless other jobs.

Some more of the local wildlife came to inspect me as I was packing up..

Headsails are on, time to fold up the dinghy and head for home it’s getting chilly..

I’ve come to the conclusion that with the prevailing westerlies on the beam, getting off the mooring is not going to be easy. There is nothing to push off from and there’s no chance of getting steerage until the boat is moving forward. Any attempt to get off will end up in disaster. It might be that in some circumstances I can run the engine astern and let the bow swing to leeward and back out if there is enough water but it is risky. Instead I am planning to get an old anchor and some heavy chain and go and chuck it down in the channel. I will tie a line to this and attach it also to one of the mooring poles. Then I can use it to kedge off.

Splicing three strand

gus@carawaydesign.com — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 15:48:17 GMT

Splicing is not something I do very often although I can splice both yacht braid and three strand if I put my mind to it. I needed to make up some new mooring warps for Caraway with proper spliced-in thimbles. I bought the rope and stuff and made a start. But could I remember how to get started with the splice? Well, it has been a while so I messed about until I got it right and then the rest of the splice was easy. It’s always the first bit that confuses me. I can never remember how to do it but I can always get there by trial and error. Once the three strands are in the correct positions then the splice is a doddle.

But I was getting frustrated with trial and error so I did a search on YouTube and came across this excellent little example.

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I thought I’d add it here so I can find it next time I need it and others might find it useful. Sometimes it’s just impossible to follow instructions on this kind of thing. You really need to learn by watching someone else. For this kind of thing YouTube really is a great resource. It saddens me the there is so little practical and useful instructional stuff on the TV. Considering how many channels there are, wouldn’t it be nice to have one dedicated to making things or doing things or learning something new? No because people seem to want cras reality shows or celebrity peephole rubbish. Thankfully we have the web and although increasingly cluttered by ads there is a lot of value out there.

Caraway back in the water at last!

gus@carawaydesign.com — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 07:29:55 GMT

After giving Caraway a copper bottom and new rigging it was finally time to get her back in the water. The guys at Rossiters did a great job and we were back in with the mast up and sitting on our new mooring by midday. It was a big relief to work with such careful and competent guys and much much easier with three pairs of hands. Thankfully also John Lack who replaced all the rigging and bottle screws for me did a great job too and all the new rigging was the correct length.

Up she goes.

Up up and away!

She floats and now she has a rig! With all that live-aboard junk removed she’s riding high too!

This highland cow came down to greet me as I arrived at the mooring.

Looking forward up the River Stour in the new spot. A moody day of thundery clouds.

Looking aft downstream. Mooring is a little tight with the bow sprit but should do as long as I keep an eye on her.

Getting off could be a little interesting if there’s wind on the port beam. Getting in is easy as long as the fore and aft ropes are tied together with a float in the middle.

Current can only go up or down so at least that will be consistent and should be helpful.

The slipway is a short row up stream. But to avoid charges for the dinghy park I might get a trolley and come across the fields from home. Depends what I’m carrying.

Copper Coat for Caraway

gus@carawaydesign.com — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 18:09:33 GMT

Well I intended to paint the top sides this summer but since the yard only paint by hand and Caraway has grooves in her hull to make her look like a wooden boat we decided she needed to go to another yard and be sprayed. That and the cost of the job decided it for me. She would have to wait for a paint job and I’d do bottom instead.

Removing the anti-foul was a hell of a job with a hot air gun and scraper but it wasn’t as bad as sanding her smooth. I am delighted to report that her hull is bone dry with no signs of osmosis/blistering. She had originally been treated with three coats of a grey epoxy barrier before the anti-foul went on and much of this came off during the stripping process. CopperCoat can be applied over most epoxy barriers but I tested an area first to make sure they were compatible before I started in earnest. The CopperCoat was applied by myself in one continuous go (four coats all over) and then she was lifted and I did the bits hidden by the supports and under the keel.

She doesn’t quite look as smart as when she had red anti-foul but if I no longer have to scrub and paint her every season it will have been well worth it.

The above was taken after she was moved ready for touching up.

Getting a good finish wasn’t too hard but as the CopperCoat started to go off in the tray it was difficult to keep it thin and I ended up with a few sags and runs here and there. However, since it can be sanded and should be lightly sanded once in a while to expose more copper I carefully sanded the runs out. It was warm and dry while I was applying the copper coat which was ideal but it did rain heavily a few days later hence the streaks.

I needed five litres to do four coats on Caraway with half of one pack remaining. It if gets damaged I can re-touch it quite easily.

Now I need to give her a really good clean and she’s covered in leaves and dirt and bird shit all over again. Then she’s going back in the water and having her mast stepped. Can’t wait. A sailor without a boat is like a musician without a guitar…

Digital Photography for boat owners with computer phobia..

gus@carawaydesign.com — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 19:59:55 GMT

Being in charge of an expanding web site and database of Flickas I have come to realise that good images of boats under sail are hard to find. Now this is fair enough because photographing your own boat requires another boat with a photographer on board. I can accept this as a difficult problem to overcome but what I find more difficult to comprehend is that many Flicka owners are sending me images of their boats that are out of focus, badly lit and clearly some way out of date.

In this age of cheap digital cameras and phones that take pictures it is a shame not have have plenty of bright clear and colourful pictures to work with. I am a firm believer that a picture is worth a thousand words.

So, if you are selling a boat you will get the prospective buyer a lot more excited and impressed if you are able to provide well composed and executed images. I don't wish to offend or patronise anybody but I hope that a few simple tips might encourage a few sailors to start taking much improved images of their boats. So here goes.

Firstly, the camera

I recommend a digital camera. Film still has its place but for everyday use and the web digital has huge advantages.

A compact digital camera is ideal for use on board. It won't be too expensive and if you drop it over board it won't be the end of the world. It will also be likely to have a video mode which means you can film that moment when a whale pops up beside the boat or that time when you're running before a gale and feeling slightly nervous.

The number one rule is don't get caught up in the equipment bug. Of course, you should buy the best equipment you can afford but what is far more important is to learn how to use a cheap camera than to buy an expensive one and not bother to read the instructions or learn what the controls do. It goes without saying that if you want to be good at something you must put some effort in. Remember, it’s easier to do a crap job with good tools than it is to do a good job with crap tools.

If you become more than just a casual user then you can think about better and more versatile equipment.

For web use a cheap compact camera will do much more than most people will ever require. And a good compact should take pictures that will print at A4 pretty well. In fact I have a picture hanging on my living room wall at home. I took this picture with an average quality compact digital camera and had it enlarged to A3. It looks great. These days even many phones take good enough images for the web.

For boat use a camera with a wide angle lens is sensible otherwise you won't be able to fit in much of the boat when you're on board. So look for something that goes as wide as 28mm at least. nb: that this is 35mm equivalent. Many digitals have wider lenses that equate to 35mm angles because their sensors are much smaller than 35mm film. So you might find a compact with a 10-22mm zoom lens fits the bill. You can discuss this with the salesperson and look at the images in the shop and see how much of the shop fits in the images. Many compacts have wide zoom ranges. This is handy because you can use the wide angle to capture the interior and a narrower angle for portraits and close ups.

Canon EOS 30D with 10-22mm. 60th at f8. (Digital)

Taken at 28mm which is wide enough to capture most of the interior. This image could be improved of course as there is part of the companionway obscuring the lower right corner. But the interior is tidy and the teak in good condition. It gives the viewer a good impression of the inside of the boat and how she has been looked after.

In contrast if you want to fill the frame and make good portraits and detail shots you will need a narrower angle of field. So a lens which allows you to zoom to 50mm equivalent or greater will enable you to take images like this. This one was taken with a 35mm lens which is not really a portrait lens but I like to stretch the rules so I got up close to fill the frame and get intimate with the subjects eyes. For people shots the only real rule is that the eyes must be in focus.

Nikon FM2 with 35 f2.8 AIS on Fuji Sensia. 125th sec at f5.6. (Film) Notice how the background in blurred. Photographers call this “bokeh”. I chose an aperture that I knew would throw the background out of focus.

So, if I were starting out I'd go into a camera shop and ask the dealer what compact digitals he has with a wide angle zoom that offer some water resistance and a good battery life. Most compacts have automatic program modes. Make sure you get one that also offers "manual" controls so as you develop and become more advanced you can make decisions about exposure yourself instead of trusting the camera’s very limited brain. Handle as many cameras as the dealer can be bothered to let you and choose the one you like best. Take a few pictures and see what they look like on the screen.

The real beauty of digital is that you can experiment until you are blue in the face and it won't cost you a penny! You can check the images for exposure and focus and discard all those that don't make the grade. You can take images in the shop and check them on the screen there and then. If the salesperson is unhelpful then go somewhere else. Don’t be afraid to ask for a discount; it costs nothing.

You will need a storage card which does not usually come with the camera. For compacts this is normally a small card called an SD card that you can buy in various sizes; 2 gigabytes (gb),8gb and 16gb. 8gb is more than enough for most casual use.

When you get this camera home I recommend reading the instructions from cover to cover before you begin. Or just turn it on and go out and take pictures instead! Most of these cameras have very similar controls and once you have mastered one you should be able to work out others without too much trouble. All of them have some kind of P (AUTOMATIC PROGRAM) mode which means all you have to do is point the camera at the subject and press the button.

If you stick with one brand you may find that all their cameras share similar controls and menus which makes upgrading easier.

Downloading images..

This is the bit where many amongst us start to get nervous and call in the grandchildren. But really, it's not difficult at all. Usually there's a cable which is plugged into the camera and then into the computer. The camera is turned on and the computer pops up a list of files which can be copied onto the machine.

If you are overwhelmed by this stage ask someone to come and show you how a few times until you get the hang of it. But don't be afraid. You will get the hang of it.

The digital dark room...

Not so long ago I used to do all my own black and white processing and printing. I still have all the equipment, including an amazing old Leica enlarger. I also have a couple of Jobo daylight dev tanks which enable you to both load and process film in daylight with no darkroom. Hence I used to develop my films while living on my Flicka! After I had developed a film I used a film scanner to transfer them direct from the negatives to the computer.

With the advent of digital all this has changed. We now have digital negatives instead. Most of the higher end digital cameras create what is called RAW image files in one of many formats. The good news is that you can avoid this area entirely if you aren't interested in spending hours tweaking your images.

All modern cameras create JPEG (pronounced jaypeg) files by default which are a standard image file format used the world over. For a compact you just choose the maxmimum file size and don't have to worry about RAW but for a more advanced camera you will need to set the file format to JPEG.

Once you have saved your JPEGs to disk you can use any image editor to brighten them up or adjust contrast and colour balance. Many digital cameras these days come with Photoshop Lite or other proprietary digital imaging software. Alternatively new Microsoft computers come with Picture Manager software that allows you to tweak your images and resize them etc.

How to photograph your boat

If you are going to sell your boat you need to put some effort in. Or if you want a nice picture the same applies. A friend of mine is a professional photographer and he once said to me that the more effort you put in the better your pictures will be; there is a direction correlation. He was right.

But I can appreciate that life changes rapidly and a boat must be sold quickly leaving little time to make a good job of it.

But, if you do have the time it is good to remind yourself what you would look for when viewing a boat. Your images should reflect all these things. Most important though is that a tidy and well photographed boat looks like it has been looked after. If the cabin is a mess and the sail covers are in shreds and there is dirt everywhere what will a potential buyer think? I know what I would think. I would ask for a discount and if refused walk away.

So, how to begin. Start by cleaning the boat from top to bottom. Remove or stow everything on board that can be stowed. Anything left on the shelves should be as tidy as possible. This goes the for the cockpit and everything on deck. Sails should be flaked neatly and covers cleaned and put on. Ropes should be tidy and clean. Anything that can be made to shine should be shiny. Varnish should be freshly applied or cleaned and dried with a chamois leather. Top sides should be polished and the hull should be clean and freshly painted.

Ideally you want a good bright day. However, avoid midday when it's very hot as your images will lack colour and contrast and the white topsides will fool the camera meter into under exposing the images.

Ever read National Geographic magazine? Well if you look back through old copies next time you are in the dentists waiting room you will notice that about 90% of the best pictures are taken at dusk or dawn. The reason for this is that the light is low and gives the world a lovely coppery glow. Colours are richer and the light softer and pictures will sing. This is the time to take pictures. The time I call photographers time of day. If you obey this simple rule your pictures will improve from day one. They will come alive with atmosphere.

Leica R4s, 50mm f2 Summicron. Fuji Sensia. 60th at f5.6. (Film)

Taken late afternoon in the vineyards above Port Grimaud in the south of France. I don’t really have to point out the late afternoon light, the rich colours and the moody sky. All the ingredients required to bring an otherwise dull scene alive.

In contrast the image below was taken in the middle of the day in harsh light. Consequently the whites lack detail and the colours are washed out. I took this image to document the instrument panel project while we made it but I wouldn’t consider framing it and putting it on the wall!

Ricoh GRD. (digital compact) I use this camera for day to day use where quality is not so important such as documenting projects.

Try if possible to de-clutter the outside of the boat. Simple images that fill the frame give more impact. Avoid any distracting background elements. If there is a red flag in the background somewhere then try to get it out of the shot.

Leica M2, 35mm f2 Summicron. Fuji Sensia.

The above shot was taken as the sun went down providing long shadows and rich colours. I could have perhaps done better by tidying up the black mooring rope on the foredeck but apart from that there is little that I realistically could have removed to de-clutter the image. The important element of quality of light which provides mood is evident in this shot.

It is important to experiment. Digital images are disposable and the experiments won't cost you anything while making you a better photographer. If you have manual control then try several exposures above and below the meter recommendation. Choose the one you prefer. Often you will get a more atmospheric image by this process alone.

Do not shoot into the sun. You can break this rule when you are experimenting but if you want a nice shot of your boat then get the sun behind you. Light should be falling on the subject for the best exposure and lens performance.

When shooting the interior it will become clear that it is impossible to get everything in the shot properly exposed. This is because the sensor (digital film) cannot handle the dynamic range of the scene. So if you want to expose windows properly the rest of the inside will be very underexposed. You have to expose for the interior and let the highlights in the windows blow out. There is a way around this using HDR (high dynamic range) which involves taking a series of images at different exposure settings and merging them all into one image in software afterwards. This makes for some interesting images. However they almost always look a bit unreal. Some cameras have come onto the market that can do this process automatically. But this is probably something for the uber image geek and not your usual salt worn Flicka owner...

Canon EOS 30D. 5 exposures combined in one image (digital).

Above is a test image I took in my mothers kitchen using the HDR (High Dynamic Range) technique. I took five images with the camera on a tripod. These were all exposed to different levels. I then used a trial version of Photomax software to merge the images into one picture that contains all the information from the five pictures. Hence you can see the detail in the exterior views which would otherwise be blown out as are those in the cabin interior shot above. It’s an interesting technique as the human eye can adjust rapidly when looking from a window to the interior of a room so in one sense it looks real. However in another sense there’s something not quite right about it. It’s just unnatural. So unless you want to spend a lot of time making exposures and combining and tweaking them carefully in software I would suggest trying several exposures of your boat interior and then choosing the one you like best later. Digital again is great for this because the experiments cost nothing. You will need to get to grips with manual mode if you want to do this though.

I hope these few tips might inspire people to have a go and take better pictures of their boats, projects and cruising experiences. Don’t be afraid. Have a go, you will probably surprise yourself!

all images copyright A.Beare.

Getting Caraway back in the water

gus@carawaydesign.com — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 15:12:02 GMT

Well, my poor little boat has been a bit neglected since we bought the house in Dorset. Having a severe winter didn’t really help either.

Caraway has been sat forlornly under a tree gathering leaves, twigs, spiders and mould while I’ve been busy decorating bedrooms, painting kitchen cupboards and fretting over web sites and invoices.

But now that the weather has cheered up and I have a few spare weeks before the next project it’s time to crack on and get Caraway ready for the water again.

The sun has been shining, cricket is on the radio, the world cup is just about to begin and Christchurch is looking beautiful. Perfect circumstances for getting down the yard and doing some boat work.

For the winter Caraway has been propped up and trapped in by dozens of other boats and some trees. So the first thing to do was take off all her covers and wash her down completely. So I spent an entire day cleaning off the filth, washing the covers and ropes (which I’d stored in the garage and shamefully not washed before the winter).

When most of the filth was off I started to clear out books and gear I wouldn’t be needing in the UK or I would now be able to store at home in the garage. Cruising guides to the Med, French and Spanish dictionaries sanding and polishing machines, varnish and brushes, sandpaper and masking tape. Tools that only ever get used once a season like grease guns and filter wrenches. I was looking forward to having a simple and uncluttered boat that was as light as possible and not a liveaboard cruiser festooned with the usual clutter of life.

To start with I invested in one of these Little Giant ladders that I can stick in the car and is highly versatile for use around the house and garden. It’s brilliant and will last forever but it wasn’t cheap. You get what you pay for: http://www.little-giant.co.uk/little_giant_classic.php.

One first job I decided to do was sand down the wash boards and treat them with something. They had been left for years and were very grubby and grey. I was worried that the soft wood was starting to wear away rapidly and that before long they’d need replacing. So I thought I’d protect them with something to make them last.

Teak really is incredible stuff. Caraway is 1993 and the wash boards have been unprotected in the elements for most of her life. It took me about 2 hours with a palm sander and block to sand them down and apart from various dings and chips the wood came up like new.

I also bought a pair of plastic saw horses from B&Q that will be useful for these kinds of jobs. I didn’t want harsh metal or wood that would rot as I want to store them in the shed. These plastic ones are ideal. Quite forgiving when working with wood, won’t corrode, they’re light and yet they can hold a great deal of weight.

I used the Sikkens Cetol natural marine teak which is a bit darker than I expected but it dries a bit like teak oil with a satin finish which is ideal since I wanted the interior sides to be harmonious with the interior which is all oiled teak. I didn’t want a bright glossy finish. In my experience teak oil doesn’t last long at all outside and needs to be maintainted much more than varnish or stain. I’ll put about 4 or 5 coats of Cetol on and see how they look.

By the way, I recommend Purdy brushes. They make an excellent range for all types of paint. If you look after them they will last and last but they’re not cheap. Not what you should use for staining the shed..

It’s a problem doing the boards because I can’t just leave and go home. I have to put the boards back in to lock up! So I think I’m going to make a replacement in plywood so these can be left drying when I need to do other things. It would also be sensible to have a sacrificial solution so these could be stored in the boat during the winter to save wear and tear. A single drop in plywood board would be easy enough to make and I could install some kind of vent to keep the air flowing during the winter.

As usual the boat is chaos when I’m working and for that reason alone I am so glad I’m not living on board at the same time! It’s a joy to have places to store all the stuff I need while working and don’t need while sailing!

For a while I had been fretting about finding a mooring nearby. The solent and west country is a very popular sailing area. There are many reasons why the UK won so many sailing medals at the Olympics http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/sailing/default.stm. No mean feat for a tiny island with a comparatively miniscule population. One of these reasons is that sailing is very popular round here. It has a very long and fascinating history. Sailing is practically non existent in the Med by comparison. People sail the solent in all weathers and in all kind of boats. People pride themselves on crossing dangerous waters in the smallest of boats. And if they are not sailing boats then they are kite surfing or wind surfing in a gale.

Due to the popularity of boating many marinas are full with waiting lists and all are expensive. Prices range from about £2600-£4500 for a 20 foot boat and this usually doesn’t even include electricity and water. So I signed up on the three year waiting list for a mooring in the river in Christchurch harbour. For me at this time it was either sell the boat or find something cheaper. I simply can’t afford the £4500 that Lymington are asking and I don’t want to drive for an hour when I want to see my boat.

You can imagine my surprise when I got a call while shopping the other day from Bournemouth and West Hamshire Water saying a berth had become available on the river in Christchurch harbour! I rushed down to take a look and on first impressions it looks ideal. Apparently suitable for a 23 foot boat there is supposed to be at least 3 feet of water at low tide. Well, another couple of feet would have been nice but in my experience when a Flicka dries out she either sits upright in the mud or gently leans over. Hopefully most of the time she will just sit upright with her fat keel in the mud. If she really does draw 3 foot 3 then she should be fine. We shall see.

The good news is that the spot is absolutely beautiful, with a field on one side and views out over Stanpit Marsh. It is not a swinging mooring. She will be tethered fore and aft to poles that extend from the river bank and are secured by chains. Since it’s a river there will be no serious waves, there is shelter from the prevailing south west wind by some bungalows and there is little or no through traffic. I can walk to the bank side from home and wade out to my boat. I could even carry the folding dinghy down, although if I attached wheels to the transom it would be easier!

Alternatively I can pay the yard to store my dinghy in their dinghy park. Not cheap but would mean I can leave my car there.

The slipway at Rossiters where I can launch a dinghy. The berth is the fifth one from the left, not much of a row at all.

On a nice day the whole area is a lovely place to be. It seems to be trapped in the past although I’m not sure why or how. The shop is shut on a Saturday and there’s hardly anyone about. A pain when you need a tin of varnish and reminds me of France but it makes for a lazy and peaceful place to be.

Here’s a pic of a nice little sailboat I spotted up river.

Caraway gets a new stove..

gus@carawaydesign.com — Tue, 11 May 2010 16:03:48 GMT

Caraway’s old Origo was getting a bit tatty after 18 years abuse. If she’d only be used lightly it might have been in better shape but I lived on board for a few years and our cruising trips were usually 2-3 months or more. The stove did it’s just well but was starting to show it’s age. The mesh on the burners was corroded away. The top hinge was broken and the slider buttons had melted and the slider mechanisms become very stiff. The inner base was looking very corroded and dirty.

Origo discontinued the 4000 some time ago and replaced it with an electric combi. I didn’t much fancy paying £400 for one of these so I looked around for an alternative. There was nothing that could be fitted easily without a lot of work so I managed with what I had.

Finally Contoure starting making what is clearly a direct replacement for the Origo 4000, so I bought one. And a very nice stove it is too. I was able to remove the old stove and drop the new one into the aperture with no modifications at all which was a relief.

Contoure Cookmate Stove

Finally I have a new stove. The differences I can see are: 1) Stove comes with a bamboo chopping board. 2) Pot holder must be slightly different since the attachment holes are in a slightly different place. I was hoping the old pot holders would just go on but I will have to drill a new hole or buy a new pot holder. 3) The plastic sliders have been replaced by a wheel which seems to work really well.

I haven’t tested the stove yet but I’m confident it will work just as well as the old one. The only thing I really wish they’d changed in this version is the fuel canisters. To fill these up one has to tilt them on edge and pour the fuel into the edge of the guaze when there is a slight dip. If you want to fill the canister right up it takes ages. Also try doing this at sea when it’s rough! The fuel (denatured alcohol) you can buy in Europe easily at the supermarket always stinks; this is to discourage people from drinking it. Apparently it’s possible to buy odour free fuel but I’ve never come across it and you can’t ship it. I wish that the cannisters could have been designed with a filling lid that could be unscrewed and the fuel poured in quickly with a small funnel. If you have someone (most of my crew) who instantly feels queezy at the smell of methylated spirits or one of the Spanish or French versions which are truely hideous you can see where I’m coming from. Even if you don’t spill it it stinks. But when you spill it.. I often used to take the cannister down the end of the pontoon to fill it up when Nina was on board!

The old Origo. Note the far plastic sider melted some time ago and one had to insert a finger into the recess to control the flame.

The new Contoure Cookmate.

The new stove with bamboo chopping board. I’m not sure about the board but I think it should wear well and bamboo is supposed to be a fairly eco friendly material.

Some pics…

gus@carawaydesign.com — Sat, 08 May 2010 22:05:12 GMT

I don’t know about you but I like looking at pictures on a blog, so here’s a few more from last years Italian cruise…

We headed out from Cannes as soon as Nina’s lost luggage turned up (we had to wait three days and Nina had no clean clothes!)

Since the weather was calm we anchored between the islands off Cannes. It wasn’t too busy for a change. And not too hot either.

Night falls with a heavy dew..

Caraway interior looking reasonable tidy..

I have no idea where this is but it’s probably Isola d’Elba.

This was a small bay off the same island. We anchored here after exploring the coast all day and at first it seemed like a quiet night was in store. However, there was something wrong and I couldn’t put my finger on it. The wind kept fluctuating. It would be silent for a while and then the rigging would sing for a while. This went on for about ten minutes and I made a decision. There was a small port about ten minutes away. I said to Nina; “ I don’t like this, we’re going into that little port to see if we can find a berth.” “OK “,she said. I hauled the anchor, started the engine and off we went. We entered the port and just went and found an empty berth and tied up. No sooner had we cleated off than the wind was howling a nasty gale! In the morning we went to the marina office and asked if we could stay in the berth we had found. Thankfully they were fine with this and we stayed for another couple of nights since it continued to howl for two more days!

The Med is like this. Especially the islands. It takes experience to know when something is wrong with the weather. On that occasion my instincts were right thankfully although there was no significant change in air pressure.

Moored up in port next to a Riva Aquarama on the Italian Rivierra. I know which boat I’d rather be at sea in.. This berth cost us €65 the night and there was no WiFi! It was hit or miss in Italy. Cheap or ridiculously expensive and you never knew what to expect.

All pics taken with a Canon EOS 30D with 10-22mm wide angle zoom.