Category: Other Boaty Stuff

Solar Courtesy Lights

David2 Comments

Having pondered fitting some solar courtesy lights for some time and receiving advice from Shaun, another Piper owner,  I decided that with winter approaching it was time to act.

Unfortunately the lights that Shaun recommended were not in stock so I finally plumped for a couple of Juslit 74 LED lights, 600 lumens, from Amazon.  They are motion activated, can be switched to either off, 50% illumination or 100% illumination.  After a few days use, we now know that the 50% illumination level is perfectly adequate.  The unit is waterproof, heat-resistant and frost-resistant.  It is compact ( 6″ x 4″)  and is activated from about 20 ft away within a 120° arc.  The light has a 270° arc.

As I wanted to attach them on the steel part of our wheelhouse, I purchased some 10mm dia x 2mm Neodymium magnets with 1kg pull each.   I fixed them to the lights with 3M self adhesive pads, cut to suit the magnets.  The advantage of them being fixed with magnets is that I can easily move them from one place to another if and when the need arises.

There are lots of options when it comes to light so I just thought it worthwhile to post this for information.

The photographs below are:

1). The light itself.

2). The rear of the light showing the magnets attached

3). The light at 50% illumination

4).  The light at 100% illumination.

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Puerto de Orzola, Lanzarote

David2 Comments

Angie & I recently spent a week in Lanzarote.   The weather was not as good as it could have been and we had periods of strong winds on most days.   Puerto de Orzola is a beautiful little harbour but on the day we visited, the entrance could only be described as treacherous.  I have tried to portray it on this short, 90 second video.

Here is  a comment from a friend of mine who has sailed from Lanzarote numerous times :

“The prevailing wind for Lanzarote comes down from the north east. Generally the harbours and marinas on the island, with the exception of Playa Blanca, are built to provide protection from that. When the wind changes to come from the south, and especially when it is a strong wind, then all those harbours are exposed to that wind and become dangerous to enter or leave. Playa Blanca is different. It is on the south coast so it has a harbour wall that wraps round from the east to the south. It is also protected from the north and west by cliffs and old volcanoes. A couple of years ago I was sailing around the island when a Force 8 came up from the south. There is not enough sea room between Lanzarote and Fuertaventura to ride it out so Marina Rubicon was where we ran to and watched the waves breaking right over the harbour wall for 2 days.”

Free subscription to digital motorboat magazine

DavidLeave a comment

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I subscribe to a free digital magazine which is primarily about motorboats but also includes lots of good general boating articles. You can register to receive a copy every month if you would like to.

Here is a link to the September issue if you would like a preview:

MotorBoat Sept 17

If you want to subscribe, here is the link to do so:

http://www.motorboatowner.co.uk/

A day at Henley Regatta

DavidLeave a comment

We always enjoy spending our time in Henley, its a beautiful location on the river.   Today, we especially enjoyed our day in the Stewards enclosure at the Henley Royal Regatta.

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First time I have worn boat shoes with a suit and Angie with high heels on the boat? 🙂

The first time we have been dressed in smarts for some time and those high heels (Angie’s :)) were not worn on board!

At the Regatta, there was some good close rowing races, some wonderful and some weird sights and overall, it was an enjoyable experience and another box ticked on our list.

Elvis was performing on a platform with an outboard motor on it and he was pretty good too!

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“Elvis” performing on the river

Our friends Tracey and Shaun had secured a premium mooring right opposite the regatta for their beautiful Piper 60 barge, “Ascension”, so we popped up (excuse the pun) and shared a glass or two of prosecco with them which made the day even more enjoyable.

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Ascension moored at the regatta site

Finally, we returned to the Stewards enclosure and enjoyed afternoon tea along with hundreds of others, before retiring to the stern deck of Steel Away for a well deserved glass of vino.

Here’s a few scenes from the regatta

Whitchurch Bridge amazing community art project

DavidLeave a comment

On our recent trip downstream from Dorchester, we had learned that there was a community art project on show on the Whitchurch Bridge, which crosses the river Thames at Pangbourne and connects Pangbourne in Berkshire and Whitchurch-on-Thames in Oxfordshire.   The bridge is a toll bridge, created by of Act of Parliament in 1792.

We moored on Pangbourne Meadow and had a light lunch before walking back to the bridge.  Pangbourne meadow was busy with lots of canoeists cleaning, working on, carrying and using their canoes.

There was an amazing display of craft on the bridge, all with a river Thames theme and I have simply posted some photographs below which you might like to browse.

Congratulations to all those involved for their hard work and the great result they achieved!

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