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Is this the long keel hull, rather than the centreboard version? When chocking the C/B hull, I have noticed slight flexing inboard the turn of the bilge, less than 2cm, and have regarded this as normal or, at least, acceptable. The internal ballast is around the C/B casing, glassed into the hull and...

A most enjoyable story so far, Rafael! Are you going to overwinter in Torrevieja? We shall be visiting a little North of there (by car) in the spring, so would look you up if our visits coincide. I'd like to see the G10 rig for real! We know the area to the North of Alicanté quite well, if you need ...

Castaway has a Volvo shaft seal; the current one is about ten years old and doesn't leak at all. It's fastened to the shaft log with a stainless steel hose clip, and the other fits closely to the shaft, which must, of course, be smooth. It needs greasing every time the boat is launched, and also the...

Peter; interested to hear your experience. We have a Windpilot on Castaway, which works very well. The PO had pin attached so that he could remove the wind vane and connect a 'push-pull' Tillerpilot, getting the power of the servo rudder and the compass course of the Tillerpilot. I found it fiddly a...

Castaway, hope you don't make a habit of loosing your prop, could be expensive.

It's only happened twice! Both times in the same bit of Eastern Norway, though 7 years apart. We got to know the local boatyard quite well. I have dined out on whole sorry story.

Have the 4HP Honda on mine; more power than I have ever needed, but I wouldn't take this boat out in severe weather, nor so far off that I might get caught out. For close inshore, fair weather sailing, I reckon a 2HP auxiliary would do, and the difference in weight would make it much easier to unshi...

Mike Cunningham writes:-

" (OK OK, well, it's pricey to me, I have Scottish ancestry) "

I pay twice as much for my insurance, and I live in Scotland!

Regards,

Gerald Freshwater

Very brave! I reckon the response to the full sized rudder is only average, and shortening it will make that worse unless you deepen it, too. Of course, if you did that, you could extend the lower part forward to give some balance, which would be nice. However, a deeper rudder would prevent you from...

Wow! That really looks good. Would you care to nip up North and re-furbish mine, too?

We have no sprayhood, but only used it for brief day sails in Spain, so that was no problem. The cockpit cover, which disintegrated, is a miss, though.

Enjoy your sailing.

Gerald

Mike The figures I quoted are maxima; though I never get as low as 1.5 l/hr. Keeping speed above 5.5 kt in a seaway, without sail assistance, used over 2 l/hr with a two bladed prop, but I haven't done any precise measurements with the 3 bladed one. Most of my motoring is done in flat seas but again...