Author: Eric

Weather in Brittany is suboptimal for outdoor life.

The sails are sent out for cleaning, the wooden jib furler is in the shed, fixed, with new coats of paint and varnish.

The team at Delta sails are creating a new mainsail cover and a new cockpit cover.

The ship has a small solar panel to operate a bilge pump when she is on her mooring. It is just removing the rain water that gets into the cockpit and the cabin is dryer that way.

Lady Sheila is not an illegal alien anymore, and she can fly a French ensign. I think it is the first time in 120 years that she is registered as I did not find a Lloyds registry entry for her (1) I am not sure it is a sign civil administration has been improving in over a century. Also, this was a prerequisite to get a MMSI number for the portable ASN VHF. I will be able to send an automated distress signal with an identification and a GPS location – Groves never had that in his pocket.

And we are designing a new topsail rig. Many thanks to Mike for keeping the old invoice with the measurements of the yard and the club.

Greetings from France !

(1) 1st May 2024 note : I finally found a 1907 Lloyd’s registry entry. More to come on this !

With no main sail on the rig, I decided to test my talent at using her oar.

She is a canoe after all !

But she is a sailing canoe and I failed miserably at beating the tide and the wind.
The solution was to restore her sailing capabilities with jib and mizzen. That was done rapidly (enough.) Still a bit of forward planning would have improved our looks. Of course Sheila was safely returned to her mooring.

I still have some maintenance work to do before she can sail again and I will be waiting for the new mail sail cover. Sheila will resume her sailing program in April or so.

Greetings from France !

We are sailing Sheila on the 14th of Feb with my friend Stéphane.

We are slowly improving our understanding of this perfect little yacht.

Next steps : the mizzen will get a cover to protect the new sail JP had for her and the main sail is going away for cleaning. Sheila will not be able to sail before mid March.

Greetings from France !

Sheila is sailing with dolphins early in Feb 2024 !

This is very special : it is the first time I see dolphins inside the Golfe du Morbihan.

Kind regards from France.

Sailing is suspended for lack of wind for the next couple of days.
We revarnish the blocks of the running backstays while there is still some life in them.

Greetings from France !

I was able to enjoy a first little sail with Sheila this morning 28th of Jan.

Water temperature is 9°C so I was a bit cautious sailing her alone today.
Everything went fine. Nothing broken, nothing damaged, nothing missing.

Lots of learnings for a very short session as I had only sailed Sheila once, with Jean-Paul, some years ago.

A big thanks to Mike – now I know I need to leave the mast coat on !

Greetings from France !

This week (22nd to 27th of Jan 24) was about getting Sheila out of the water and then back.
The objectives were to :

• Clean the hull and cover it with two new coats of antifouling paint as this had been skipped last summer. In winter in Britanny it is too cold for lacquer paint and varnish, so this will have to be done later.
• Review the boat in details. François Blatrix is a very knowledgeble shipwright and he had only seen the boat afloat. On the hard he was able to inspect the hull and perform a minor fix on caulking. Sheila passed her health check and is deemed fit at the start of her 120th year.
• Clean the cabin with fresh water
• Take the measures for a mizzen cover with Karine and Philippe at Delta Sails. JP had a new mizzen sail made for Sheila so we want to protect the kit. Then put the mizzen mast back in its place.

A big thanks to the pros. We did it !

No one was hurt in the process. All the stunts were performed by real people.

Some news from Sheila in early 2024.

I am doing a bit of cleaning before I can (hopefully) take her out of the water next week.

It is still early in the season and there is quite a program before she looks like a princess again. In January the Golfe du Morbihan belongs to the sea birds and they love their picnic on the deck. Unfortunately they have terrible table manners.

Greetings from France to the Court of Princess Sheila.
Many thanks to Mike, John, and Jean-Paul for their confidence.
I am so grateful to them, but now I need to deliver !

Kind regards.

Eric

Sheila enters 2024 with a new Guardian although Jean-Paul is commited to remain onboard.
But we keep the same ambitions :

• to protect her vulnerability
• to sail her as much as possible
• to provide her with much love and attention

Next year, she will be 120.
This year we would like to make her more visible.

Happy New Year !

Eric