Author Archives: spikekalashnikov

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 →

As a pastoral introduction, let us talk about the vegetable garden up the street. You may remember that I was worried that the old lady who maintains it, had run into difficulties. Not so. I pass by today to see … Continue reading →