If you’re interested in sailing, things maritime and the salty road to freedom, then pour yourself a glass of the finest and settle down to listen to my occasional chat.
I talk about whatever falls off the top of my head. I don’t follow a script, and although it's usually about yachting and the sea, I’ve also been known to include my other passions, such as classic cars or motorbikes. There’s even the odd rant.
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Hi Tom, if we’re using the horizon to establish horizontal on the surface of earth in order to obtain an elevation angle, then the sea in this case must be horizontal and not curved, would you agree ?
Tom. I spoke about this last night at Orford SC. We are so so similar to Weir Wood. Loads of youngsters. I'd already found out about it through Katy Stickland. Heads up to you for doing this video. James
MS Marianne, Middelfart. Google maps is a wonderful tool. I think it’s the second boat from the end of the little harbor. Lovely place you’re at. I drove diesel trucks part of my life and slept in the sleeper, diesel motor lulling me to sleep. A sailor on the asphalt sea, you might say. Cheers from Chicago!
Cannot resist coming in with my 2 cents. I cruise the East Coast and anchor a lot. I have used a chum for many many years. Mine is a 8lb old scale weight which easily connects to my anchor plait with a carbine. Lives easily in my anchor locker. I have no anchor winch on my 28ft yacht, so use 12 metres of 8mm chain and 25 metres of anchor plait. The Hook is a 9kg genuine Bruce which has never let me down in East Coast mud and sand. Before using the chum I was continually plagued with keel wrap when the tide turned at low water, which was a real pain. Chum cured this. Totally indispensable.
Always love to hear what you are thinking. Blue water sailing for 60 years now... never tire of listening to you and all your little micro stories? Your'a treasure.
Thanks so much Tom and every one of your subscribers who have given their support to Weir Wood SC. 😂. It’s making a huge difference to all the members to know of the strength of support all around the world. Please come and visit us if you are nearby.
It’s an unpopular fact that most yacht clubs have been struggling to break-even for many years now. Lots of reasons for this. Most still accommodate a sailing facility for younger people but sadly this is being threatened as being one activity area that can be cut back on without serious financial loss. The way forward is for more adult sailing people to join a yacht club to increase membership income and for yacht clubs to accept that the majority of people who join are not interested in racing yachts these days and in doing so meet the needs better of leisure sailors, paddle boarders, motor cruisers, etc.
Well spoken Tom, we are trying to get youngsters sailing in locally, trouble is the lake we were on, at Havering, chucked two clubs off. The council run lake at Grangewaters, Thurrock is too expensive, even with a bulk booking. It's about time the authorities gave our youngsters the chance for excitement, team work , self confidence and enjoyment. Get them out in the fresh air and away from mobiles, laptops etc for awhile. If it doesn't make a profit, it's not viable. Maybe some things can be subsidised , the profit comes in the form of youngsters learning life skills and interaction with others. Do others agree, profit can be the future these youngsters give back to others as they go through life.
Looking it up on Google, one can see the issues here and who they are up against! I was (still am) a member of a model railway Society in Cornwall, started by the farmer land-owner in the 70's. However, Grandson didn't want us there anymore, and now we no longer have a club. All very sad.
Sailing’s been good to me - happy to give something back 👍 That said, they seem confused about what their target is. It’s set at £10k but the blurb says £100k 🤔 Or is it just me??
I've chipped in. Best of luck to them! It would be a great shame to lose a sailing club that's doing so many great things for young people! Is there anything that they can do to list the site as a community asset or something, to give them some more protection from this kind of thing? Because clearly they provide an enormous benefit to local people!
What a beautiful sail, well done Capt Cunliffe, all good advice as always, and you can't go wrong with a good curry or a delicious steak and kidney pie. And let's not start on about those Cornish pasties from the Cornish Cove Tearoom in beautiful Port Isaac in Cornwall, they are THE best! This was a re-watch for me, needed to be reminded of some good classic sailing, here in already-hot Florida, and you never fail to provide it, cheers!
I'm not a sailor... one of those things I wanted to have a go at but didn't make it happen. I'm happy to contribute to the cause and I wish them success with their case.
i Am surprised that weather is not the Number 1 on the list , as Charts only show your safe passage and hazards based on everything as seen on the chart, the weather could put you anywhere on that chart depending on the Weather that day . kind of like ,would you set off with a storm blowing thinking " i have my Charts , all is good " :) it's just a thought . Love this Vid .
Please tell me this it the prelude to a full feature film!!! .... Wow... I didn't understand the half of it, that sailing foreign language, but I knew what it was about, passion. Great story. I have to imagine the Tally Ho adventure must be like kids in a candy store following along to old salty dogs as Tom where the real passion and spirit of a world where the seas are ones life.
What about if a modern boat adds a sea anchor off the windward bow ? That would be my strategy. Do you think it would compensate for the shallow fore foot of the hull?
Super nice, I hope it's possible later on as well to have the satellite image as a semitransparent overlay on the charts. Also serves nicely as a demo / teaching tool about chart work..
Many years ago we owned a Baltic trader, it was powered by a B&W Alpha 2 cylinder. Same sort of starting procedure but our engine had small tubes going into the cylinder heads, these were sealed off by a screw cap for normal running and only used as an aid to starting. There were small cigarette type things that you put a match to and they smoulder away slowly. Once lit you insert into the tube and put the scew cap back on. Maybe this was from a time somewhere between the blowlamp method and the electrical glow plugs as shown in this instance. Simple engineering which never goes wrong. Also the propulsion side of things deserve looking into. Most had a variable pitch propellor directly driven from the engine, no gearbox. The prop was controlled by a wheel in the wheelhouse for varying conditions. For reverse you wind the prop blades into the reverse thrust position whilst the engine is still running in the same direction. Marvelous stuff.
I am rather fond of laying hove too. My wee 30 foot long keel boat sits naturally . Without the assistance of a backed staysail. He bowsprit and furled jenoa are enough resistance. Tom your a national treasure.
Curse you, Tom Cunliffe! After more than half a century of sailing, I’ve just discovered that I’m not a sailor, because I don’t tie my bowlines like Lord Nelson! But my excuse is that us Canadians have cast aside the last vestiges of empire (by the way, how’s Brexit going for you, these days?) and at least I can tie my bowlines behind my back, in the dark, and underwater. Keep,up the great videos. Writing to you from the sunny and warm (finally) Bahamas, aboard Aida.
