Author Archives: spikekalashnikov

Throughout my childhood, we always had a loofah in the bathroom. It was for rough scrubbing of skin to remove all the dead cells, you know. Loofahs came from the sea. They were some kind of corally sort of thing. … Continue reading →

Actually, he wrote a story about an overcoat; I am still on the undercoat. Before you start this, check out this video of a Norfolk Gypsy of the same vintage as mine. This is what the end result should be … Continue reading →

It is very hot down at the boatyard. As you will certainly remember, I am half way through my first coat of very diluted primer.  I now enter the cockpit. This is a bad place, full of latches, pumps, cleats, … Continue reading →

I get to the boatyard early in the hope of painting. I have to admit that that my little piece of boatyard has become  a mess. I am not good at overall things, I get too excited. I do the … Continue reading →

I am at the boat yard at 8:00. I am bristling to go. Here is the plan. Remove the locker covers, easy, 2 screws, take the covers down to paint space beside the car  and paint them with first coat … Continue reading →

One thing that has bugged me is the thin yellow line. There is a groove around the boat that once was filled with a yellow stripe of tape stuff. More later. Yesterday, I spent the day trying to spot an … Continue reading →

So, this is an old man’s story. I make bad decisions. I knew that the cockpit and all the upper surfaces of the boat had to be repainted. Boat paint is very specialized stuff and is not easy to come … Continue reading →

So, off I go to take my practical-in-the-boat-test for the completion of my license qualification. Like the theory test, this turns out to be very different from what I had imagined. The sun is shining as I set off and … Continue reading →

I phone Shoken san, who is the boss of the ‘sailing school’  that is, in a very loose way, preparing me for my license. He tells me that I have passed the theoretical written test. Thank God! I studied as … Continue reading →

Quite rightly I have to take both a theoretical and a practical exam on my knowledge of things nautical before I can sail away. The qualification is known as your license. The didactical approach for the theory exam is interesting. … Continue reading →