Building completed

Well, we finaly launched on the Easter weekend 2003. It was a windy day (F6) so we didn't go out of the marina.
Here is a report of our first two day sail in Poole Harbour later that week. (Have a look at the Poole Harbour Commisioners site for information and maps of Poole).




I got afloat again late on tuesday morning. The wind was light, this time, so I sculled out of the marina (without hitting anything) and down the river a mile or so to the open water of Poole harbour. I was getting the hang of the yuloh by the time I got there. The trick appears to be not to try to go too fast and have the rudder up.

I ran gently onto the mud, nose to wind, to get the sail up. Out here in the open the wind was stronger (F3?). I backed the sail to push us off the mud and we were away. I had no control with the rudder all the way up and kept rounding up into the wind, but with it half up (horizontal) I had full control. In a few seconds we were out of the shallows and the rudder was lowered fully.

Now, I am no sailors, having a history of motor boats, but even I could see that the sail wasn't setting well. It had a crease across the top corner. I correctly diagnosed this to be due to the sail being too far aft on the yard and fixed it at the next stop. However for the moment I put up with it and off we went. I once heard some advice on sailing technique, 'point the boat where you want to go and pull in the sheet till you are moving', so that is what I did, I don't know how fast we were going, but the 30-odd footer that came out behind me didn't catch me up in the 3 miles of the Wareham channel.

I sailed as far as the ferry terminal, then cut across to Pottery Pier on Brownsea island. From there I turned up the Upper Wych Channel with the intention of anchoring behind Shipstall Point. I did anchor there long enough to adjust the sail, but as the wind was now just a gentle breeze I used it to take me past Round Island to the marshes of Middlebere Lake. I ghosted up here, on a falling tide, past a herd of deer, who took an interest in me but did not appear to be alarmed. I anchored here and found that I had forgotten the binoculars and the sun cream, both of which would have been welcome at that time.

The night was cold, and so was I. I had only brought a thin sleeping bag, after all I had the insulation of a Paradox around me. However, when I looked out at 6:30 next morning there was a thick frost on the deck and sails, so I didn't feel too let down. The morning was misty with just enough wind from the south to make the mist drift across the surface of the smooth water, so I was pleasantly surprised when, setting off after breakfast, we achieved 2kn on the GPS.

I drifted with the mist between Round Island and Fitzworth Point and into South Deep. There were a number of boats anchored in South Deep, but the only signs of life came from the oil workers on Furzey Island. As the wind had now died altogether, and not wanting to cross the harbour entrance on a falling tide with no wind, I lowered the sails and started sculling across to Brownsea Island and Blood Alley Lake. Unfortunately the tide had fallen too low, and even a Paradox couldn't get across the shallows. Just when I had decided to return to South Deep A wind to help me on my way sprang up from the NE and quickly got up to a F3 or 4. This stayed for the rest of the day.

We completed the circumnavigation of the harbour, heating lunch and coffee on the way using the single burner gimbaled stove. After getting tangled up with a sailing school off Rockley Point I decided to see what we could do on a clear stretch of water. According to the GPS we got over 5kn, but I will make a log line and measure with that before I will claim it as fact. On reaching the River Frome I reefed the sail to about 4ft and continued up the winding river to the boatyard without mishap.

My impressions: I am delighted! The Paradox is responsive to the tiller, but will sail on a course for a considerable distance (2 miles coming back up the Wareham Channel) with the tiller locked. There was no leeway obvious from the wake, and the maximum heel reached was about 20 degrees, though 10 was more usual. It is forgiving of a badly adjusted sail as my 'pull on the sheet till you are moving' technique produced what seemed to me to be excellent performance. On two occasions I got hung up trying to tack. before I go out again I shall move some of the ballast further aft. Internally there is ample room for my stiff overweight 5' 6". Access to the space forward of bulkhead 1 and under the locker in the 'forward stateroom' was very difficult once my bed-roll was installed.





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