National Small Boat Register

The Ntional Maritime Museum Cornwall has launched it's new database which it has been developing over the last few years. This is a register of all those boats (under 40ft LOA) which deserve to be preserved by individuals, organisations, trusts or museums.

Our very own Shoestring has been added to list as an example of a traditional family cruiser with local history. Her NSBR Registration Number is 1508.

The National Small Boat Register is a fascinating read, you can search for many small interesting vessels and learn a bit about them, it also offers a great way to ensure these smaller boats are saved for future generations.

You access the NMMC database here

Great new website

I can't remember where I found this site, but I've got hooked in a slightly geeky way to watching shipping traffic around the UK coast.

It is an online AIS repeater, showing the movements of ships carrying AIS transmitters.

In absence of the funds to buy an AIS radar for Shoestring just yet, I'll see how this works on the Milford Haven on my laptop as a yard-stick test.

Have a look at www.shipais.com

Welsh Cakes!

On our second trip to Wales I found this delicacy in Morrisons of all places. Now I realise they are available all over wales by many large bakery brands.

I have to say the best ones we've found have always been fresh ones from smaller bakeries, in particular the bakery on the corner of 'Y Welsh' and 'Ropewalk' in Fishgaurd have the most amazing ones we've tasted.

Welshcakes are small round cakes a bit like scones and eaten with or without jam or butter, we prefer without.

We now find ourselves bringing back a few boxes of them each time we return from wales for friends and family.

I've included a quick recipe from the BBC website below incase anyone feels like having a go.

Ingredients
225g/8oz self-raising flour, sieved
110g/4oz (preferably Welsh) salted butter
1 egg
handful of sultanas
milk, if needed
85g/3oz caster sugar
extra butter, for greasing


Method
1. Rub the fat into the sieved flour to make breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, dried fruit and then the egg. Mix to combine, then form a ball of dough, using a splash of milk if needed.
2. Roll out the pastry until it is a 5mm/¼in thick and cut into rounds with a 7.5-10cm/3-4in fluted cutter.
3. You now need a bakestone or a heavy iron griddle. Rub it with butter and wipe the excess away. Put it on to a direct heat and wait until it heats up, place the Welsh cakes on the griddle, turning once. They need about 2-3 minutes each side. Each side needs to be caramel brown before turning although some people I know like them almost burnt.
4. Remove from the pan and dust with caster sugar while still warm. Some people leave out the dried fruit, and split them when cool and sandwich them together with jam.

The last trip out: Over night at Lawrenny Yacht Station

Shoestring moored up to her buoy for the night

We had our last night in Pembrokeshire, (due both to The Rum Situation and work demands). We left our moorings in Neyland at 11am just before the high-tide, and went out for a sail. Initially we were going to sail up to Angle Bay and then turn back up river to Lawrenny, but the wind and tide was against us, so we sailed as far as the entrance to the Pembroke River and castle pond, then turned to sail up river towards the Cleddau bridge.

After pottering around under sail, Michael had a go at the helm under sail, this time without hitting any buoys, King slept as usually. We realised how much the time flies while we're sailing as four o'clock came round we turned back with hardly any wind -we even tried motor-sailing to speed up things, and headed back from Picton Point towards Lawrenny.

Michael (and new hat) at the helm.
(Shoestring is in need of a new mainsheet traveler!)

The Lawrenny yacht station is a wonderful location, but popular, we managed to get a last minute visitors buoy by calling in advance. -£10 for buoy B28 on the edge of the Cleddau and the Cresswell river mouth, a beautiful spot as you can see but requiring a bit of a paddle to get to the Yacht Station's pontoon -King's first trip in the Sevylor Canoe! (link to the review), needless to say he was nervous but very trusting and eventually enjoyed it.

Thankfully our charts are a bit more up-to-date, but you get the idea.

Once ashore we realised that the wallet was still on the dashboard of the car at Neyland! A quick, but expensive (£60) return trip in a mini-cab solved this. We didn't go in but the Lawrenny Arms pub on the old quayside has been recommended to us many times.

Me(Tony) off out in the canoe.

We rowed back to Shoestring in the canoe, after having a bit of fun trying to get King into the canoe over the edge of the pontoon. -Thankfully he had his lifejacket on so he was easier to carry. -Or at least aim and throw as it must have looked like to the people watching with great humor in surrounding yachts.

After dinner on board we had an amazing sunset at Lawrenny, we sat on the fore-deck in our woolly jumpers with a scotch and coke (YES NO RUM) and watched the still water reflecting the light from around. Then complaining as a motorboat user, just after sunset decided to show off water-skiing skills with no navigation lights and making lots of noise and lots of wash. Thankfully this ended after twenty minutes or so.

Sunset at Lawrenny, looking up the Cleddau river.

We settled in for the night, noting that Shoestring didn't move that much more than she did in the Marina. I was in the double bunk up front and had to have the forward hatch open for a while longer to look at the amazing star-fields you get in the very low light pollution skies.

Shoestring's bow, with No.1 job awaiting a tie-down for the night.

Come morning all had changed. Rain, and I mean RAIN, was falling, Shoestring's cabin roof leaked again, this time in 1 new spot too! We had a quick breakfast of toasted muffins and jam then decided to return to Neyland under engine. -Wearing every waterproof garment we had.

King relaxing on his bunk (again)

Safely docked at Neyland about 2 hours later, we both wished we had spent the night out there before in our trip. We decided to leave Shoestring at Neyland during the wet stormy weather, and drive back to Lawrenny for lunch at the (award winning) Quayside Tea Rooms, where we had a very reasonably priced lunch that was one of the best we'd had on our trip.

One of our best shots from the evening. (Before the storm hit!)

We can't wait to take Shoestring back to Lawrenny. Perhaps next time exploring by Canoe further up to Cresswell Quay (the water is too shallow for Shoestring) where there is another great pub which has the best hog roast and BBQ in Pembrokeshire on a friday night apparently. We'll investigate and report back!

Link to Lawrenny Yacht Station

Made in Solva

I have to confess, for the last six months with Shoestring we've used Sainsburys Basics blue mugs... Shocking I know. 

We've been on the lookout for some nice handmade mugs for ages, we both love craftsmanship in all forms, as reflected in our day jobs, and of course, having a wooden yacht.

On a visit to Solva last week we found the perfect mugs to compliment Shoestring's craft. At £9 each they were not cheap, but these beautiful blue mugs were made by Bobbie Jacobs, whom we had a long conversation with on her work as she found us four of a similar size. -The mugs are thrown and spun instead of being cast. Her work is a wonderful reflection of the area with her bright blue hues and tones setting a theme in their work. You can visit the Solva Pottery page here.

Solva is a wonderful little town, accessible for 2 hours either side of high-tide, and it's quay drying completely. It has a great, dog friendly pub: The Harbour Inn, which serves great food, next door to another great café 'Number 35' where Michael enjoyed a locally caught crab salad. (Which was caught by the café's own boat).

We had a browse through the "Window on Wales" store there, both purchasing a fine pair of Wellington Boots. Then went off to visit the local Woollen Mill.

About one mile away from the harbour is the Solva Woollen Mill, another traditional crafts-place. Their workshop forms part of their retail store where visitors can literally walk up to the looms and discuss their workings with the crafts-people there.

More than a tourist attraction the mill is a working company and offers a fine variety of rugs, blankets and throws. -Their 'Skomer' pattern is particularly nice!

Sadly, the Sock-Knitting-Machine pictured above was out of order. But made me want a Sock-Knitting-Machine of my own nonetheless. 
The Woollen Mill is currently raising funds to restore its water-mill workings, some of which can be seen turning both outside and inside in the tea room area.

We've still to explore the quayside and harbour area fully, but can definitely recommend the town to visitors by car or sea. -We've not tried yet but previous owners have managed to dry Shoestring out alongside the quay wall there.

Drinks Cabinet: Havana Club Rum

My favorite! It's the best rum I've tested so far. I'd say Goslings and Appleton estate come in a close second, but each of those are "in the mood for..." drinks, where as Havana is simply an anytime rum. -Except while working or driving. Well maybe while working.

Havana Club is a brand of rum, made in Santa Cruz del Norte, Cuba. The brand was established by José Arechabala in 1878. After the Cuban Revolution of 1959, the distillery and company was nationalized by the Cuban government.

Today it is still 50% owned by the Cuban government and exported by Pernod.

It's flavour is nothing like the chemical tones of a Captain Morgans. It's got a nice spice and caramel taste, which when mixed with coke does not over-power and retains it's nice light flavour.

This one I actually have two bottles of onboard, one in the drinks cabinet, and the other hiding in the bilge -for after any visitors have cleared us out. -Thats becoming a bit frequent actually, but it's always in good company so doesn't matter.

I'm going to have to try some other drinks over the next few weeks, maybe a Gin or Scotch. We're also real-ale fan's but fitting an ale-tank and tap on board maybe a bit too far... or is it?

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Bit more expensive this one, usually around £16.99 a bottle, available almost anywhere.

Tideway sailing

Last Sunday we met with Ju and Julie for an afternoon of dinghy sailing at Surrey Quays' Tideway Sail-ability center. Its a small and very welcoming sailing club with an emphasis on sailing with disabled people.

Out for fun on the dinghys was Shaun (helm), Michael (1st mate), Anne (new crew) and Myself (Skipper), together with Ju and Julie who are members of the club. King and Mum came along to watch. -King as always busied himself being a celebrity and demanding attention from everyone.


My experience in dinghy sailing was limited to my first sailing lessons in toppers, so 'down-sizing' looked like a fun option. Their boats are designed to be sailed with everything in reach and a joy-stick helm. -Being used to a Tiller it confused me completely.



After we had an initial talk through the sail controls and a quick sail-bending session, we were let loose. Within meters from leaving the pontoon we came from quite blustery to no wind at all. Sailing was reduced to snail pace. I did manage to heal once though, briefly.

Anne and I was challenged by Julie to a race around the buoys. After accepting, in very minimal wind, I waited a few minutes and then said "Let me know when you want to start". About ten minutes later we had drifted our first lap. Pleased to report we won, it was close and took a good half hour to get back to the pontoon, 50meters away.


After sailing we all headed off to a post-sail-pint at the Wibbly-Wobbly-Bar further down on Greenland Dock. -Great food, and even King was welcomed; he fell asleep in the middle of the floor.


Friday night, (tomorrow), we're off for two weeks at Shoestring to get some SAILING done on her, Ju and Julie are coming down for a week, so we'll show them some REAL sailing... hopefully, weather reports say 1mph winds! I'll try to post some articles on here later once we've got ourselves sorted at the Marina's wifi.

Drinks Cabinet: Appleton estate rum V/X

Back to the Rum again... The bottle makes this one appealing from the start. I tried this with diet coke an hour ago, and I'm on the third glass already! It's great, very different from my other favorite, Havana Club, this has a more sugary taste.

It also seems a little stronger than other rums, but not as a distraction from the flavour. Much more deeply spiced than others we have tested but without the chemical taste that effects some of the other supermarket rums such as Captain Morgans. It actually makes me want to buy another bottle of Goslings rum as a comparison. -Thats a good excuse. Plus, I am testing this one at home, and as everyone knows all rums taste better sitting under the stars in the cockpit of a yacht at anchor, so i'll have to test them all over again...

I'll stop now or be accused of running a 'Folkboats and Rum' website again, which is probably true. So I'll leave the last words to Sainsburys who have a nice little editorial about Appleton Estate on their website:

Appleton Estate has been producing Jamaican rum since 1749. Located in the Nassau Valley, the estate sits in the valley’s fertile fields in the parish of St. Elizabeth, where the valley gets afternoon rain together with warm sunshine, providing the optimum conditions for growing sugar cane.

Sugar cane’s thought to have originated in Papau New Guinea, and Christopher Columbus introduced it to the West Indies in 1493. Sugar cane’s a member of the ‘grass’ family and each variety results in a different rum flavour. The cane grown at the Appleton Estate tends to produce rums that have fruity and buttery notes.

Rum making on the Appleton Estate
Appleton Estate takes a handcrafted approach and uses many controls at every step of rum making, from the selection of the sugar cane, the yeast used in fermentation, its unique distillation methods, through to the ageing, hand-blending and bottling of their rum. Each step is carefully monitored to ensure consistency and quality throughout.

Fermenting
The molasses extracted from the cane are fermented for 36 hours by adding water and yeast. Appleton’s uses spring water from the estate that has been naturally filtered by limestone formations.

The fermented liquid is then distilled to strip the alcohol from the water. This stage uses either a pot still or a continuous still to heat the liquid and draw off the vapour that is then condensed back to a liquid. This resultant liquid is referred to as ‘water white’ because of its crystal clear colour.

Ageing
The rum is then aged in large wooden barrels, almost always oak, and often once-used bourbon barrels. As the rum ages in wood, the sharp flavour begins to mellow as the air permeates the oak, the space it leaves behind through evaporation is known as ‘the angels’ share’. The rum takes on colour from the barrel and this is where the flavour develops.

The art of blending
The final step in the rum-making process is the blending. This is a real art where the blender selects rums that will be used in a particular blend based on the type and style of rum that it contains, and these are blended together. A sugar cane crop, like grapes, can vary from year to year depending on the weather, so to ensure the quality and consistency of a blend, the Master Blender and her team blend all Appleton Estate rum according to a secret formula.

Full version here
www.appletonrum.com
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Around £14.99 per bottle.

Jester

Perhaps the most celebrated Folkboat so far, Jester, a folkboat heavily adapted by World War II hero Blondie Hasler. Jester had a carvel-planked Folkboat hull with an unusual deck arrangement with no cockpit or companionway and a single-masted junk rig.

Jester was the test-bed for many of Hasler's ideas such as the development of windvane self-steering gear. Jester could also be steered from below decks via a whipstaff. All sail handling could be performed from a central hatch without going on deck.



Blondie Hasler sailed Jester in the 1960 and 1964 single-handed transatlantic races and in every following single-handed transatlantic race with her second owner, Michael Richey.

During the 1988 race, Jester was abandoned at sea after damage during a storm. A duplicate of the original Jester was built with cold-molded construction to continue the tradition of her participation.

There is now also the Jester Challenge, a self-supported single handed race in yachts around Jester's size and displacement. Information on the 2008 Challenge can be found on their website.

Review: Standard Horizon c180 chartplotter

We purchased and installed this excellent little chart plotter on one of our first projects on Shoestring, we chose this one for three important reasons, 1) Cost, at just £314.99 it met our budget but also had more advance features such as AIS expandability and compatible with Cmap Max cartography cartridges. 2) It was easy to install and had a very clear and easy operating system, and lastly, 3) It is a good size with a not so small screen. -Perfect for a Folkboat's navigation area.

We opted for the external GPS unit, in the understanding that gaining a signal through a wooden cabin roof would be optimistic, however this was not the case, and I now get a full signal with the GPS receiver unit simply sitting on a shelf.

Using it at first is quite daunting, -to the point that at present I still accidentally put way-points in, and also struggle to delete them, but I am sure with time I can get the hang of this.

It has a very useful tracking feature and combined with the CMap Max information such as aerial photography and port information it makes a great makeshift pilot guide if needed.

On the whole a very well made quality product, one that is making me look at more Standard Horizon products in the future. Well worth the money.

Sevylor Hudson KCC360: Our new yacht tender.

After spending literally weeks looking at yacht tenders, dingies, even small optimist sailing boats we could use a yacht tender, we eventually settled on the Sevylor Hudson KCC360, an inflatable canoe.

The reasons for this are simple:

1. Easier to handle under paddle/oar than a tender
2. We both have experience of kayaking and canoing
3. Stability, as opposed to a normal tender, this design offer a lot more stability in rougher weather.
4. We can use it for a different water sport while away from the yacht.
   

Coming from a background of canoing with plastic hard hull kayaks I was resistant to the idea of an inflatable hull, but considering this as a yacht tender inflatables are really the standard, we went to Decathlon in Surrey Quays, London as our past experience there was generally good. After looking at options this model impressed me, not just for overall size and solidity but also for its folded size.

We bought it was a package paying £319.99 for the canoe and a buy one get one free on a set of collapsible paddles and two buoyancy aids. Bringing the total to £475, an extra £40 on the alternative on a 'conventional' yacht tender. Plus an additional £4.96 for a foot pump.

I got home and opened the box, included with the canoe is a good quality storage bag, repair kit, and pressure gauge. Fully inflated it is just over 5 meters long and around one meter wide. It is capable of seating three adults comfortably in the fitted chairs with back-rests. With one or two passengers it has ample storage space for any provisions or cargo. They even sell an out-board bracket as an optional extra if we wanted.

Getting in and out, from pontoon or yacht is quite simple and stable in the marina, we're yet to try it in rougher seas and waves, but I don't anticipate any problems.

Underway I was surprised by the speed and maneuvering, for a large canoe it handles very light and with two paddlers we easily managed a good 5-6 knots down stream. We're still experimenting with paddling techniques, the maker's recommendation is for two kayak paddles, but we also found using half paddles as oars very reasonable and efficient.

Overall we're both quite pleased with the purchase, and will see how we get on with it this year, i'll be adding "T/O Shoestring" (Tender Of..) in vinyl soon.

What I like most is we're also using it away from the yacht, with short canoe trips on the River Medway at Upnor or picnics along the Regent's Canal in London. I'll post some more images here as we get them, together with any more notes on using these as yacht tenders.

Book review: To the Baltic with Bob by Griff Rhys Jones

One of 'those' books that you pick up and can't put down. I like Griff Rhys Jones as a Television presenter, his series Restoration was fabulous and despite missing it myself his 2 part 'Three Men in Another Boat' television documentary featuring his classic yacht, Undina, i'm told is quite good.

As an author I feel he sometimes lacks a bit of atmosphere, but makes up for it in comedy. To the Baltic with Bob is a story of a real voyage in 2003 just after the near completion of Undina's overhaul (minus the chrome). It follow his crew's mood, attitude and sense through out the trip exploring both how to handle a (small?) 45ft yacht, shipping channels, landfalls and foreigners while trying to keep everybody, if not happy then at least amicable.

The book is available in hard or paperback. A recommended read for either crews with awkward Skippers, or Skippers with awkward crews.

Book review: The Folkboat Story by Dieter Loibner

I saw this mentioned and referred to several times wherever Folkboats were mentioned on the internet, so decided to order a copy.

Despite the uninspiring cover, the book is fascinating, more than a good detailed history of the design and the class, but also a concise and interesting resource for Folkboat culture. With everything from the voyage of Anne Gash the grandmother who sailed around the work in her Folkboat Ilma, to the heroic Blonde Hastler and his experiments in the modified Folkboat Jester.

It slightly biased perhaps towards the Wooden Clinker built boats, nothing wrong with that, as it constructively discuss the conversion of the folkboat from wooden hulls to a glass fiber one, with an interesting commentary on the building techniques and styles.

My favorite section is on the 'lure of the Folkboat', which looks at the versatility of the yachts, and how they are used by their owners. In fact a good sentiment set by the title is that it talks as much about the people involved with Folkboats, from designers and builders to sailors, racers and owners. This is part of the key to the success of this design, it inspires safety, reliability, honesty and simplicity in sailing, which draws such a diverse cross-section of people towards it.

Full of black and white photos and illustrations and very well written, this one of those books that has a direct comparison out side of sailing, with titles such as those around 'cult motorcars such as the Mini and the Beatle. -Both designed in similar times and to similar briefs.

One amusing line is that, to be a true Folkboat you have no inboard engine and no life-rails around the edge, so thats Shoestring's pedigree gone if that is ever enforced.

In the UK Amazon.co.uk seems to be the best place to get hold of a copy of The , prices do vary but I purchased my copy for £17.95 in hardback.

Drinks cabinet: Gosling's Black Seal Rum

As the Monty Python line goes: "And now for something completely different".

Gosling's black Seal Rum is a 'Bermuda Black Rum', which got its name from the seals that adorned its bottles after world war one.

This has perhaps the least spiced flavour of all the rums reviewed so far, but this adds to its uniqueness. I have to say it seems to be the only rum that I can drink neat, -just as a sip!

Again, we tried this with diet coke so as to allow the rum's flavour to be tasted. It has a slightly camaralised taste which comes through with both the taste and aftertaste. It does seem to have a heavier feel, as opposed to say another favorite, Havana Club, and indeed its colour is also darker.

This was the first Goslings drink we tried, and looking at their website, they also offer a Gold Rum and an Old Rum. The Gold Rum is moving on to the 'must test' list, and if it is anything as good as Black Seal, then I'll be recommending that too!

I'm going to have to watch these 'Drinks Cabinet Reviews' as a number of people who are looking at this sailing blog keep commenting to me: "All your sailing involves booze at the moment." -Is this a bad thing? (After a days sail, once we eventually get the weather!) I'll be looking forward to a rum, gin or port (or two) at anchor.

Rating: 9/10 Price: £14.99 70cl
Available from Sainsburys at £14.99
www.goslingsrum.com

Re-painting the canvas dodgers

Lettering before and after

Outside of sailing, my background trainning is actually in Design and Typography. -The study of letterforms. So from day one i've wanted to give Shoestring's name a good sorting. Feeling that the irish script was not one I would choose, but appropriate for the 'look' of a folkboat I decided to stick with it, and in true shoestring fashion, re-cycle them.

They were originally acrylic screen paint painted onto canvas, as shown, I believe the name was added afterwards to the dodgers. The problem with screen acrylic is that in direct sunlight, rain and ample soakings of seawater the acrylic will crack and water will get between these cracks peeling it from the canvas backing.

Old, faded and cracked paint.

So to replace the paint work I'm using a fabric paint, the type you might use for homemade t-shirts: Textil Plus, more details on this below.

The dodgers were originally held in place with plastic cable ties, and this is how I'll put them up afterwards, its quick and long lasting. After we took them off Shoestring, (and drove the 270 miles home) I placed them in the washing machine on a 30C rinse and spin. As the idea is not to wash off the existing acrylic but rather to rinse off salt, no detergents were added. I then let these dry off overnight giving them a gentle brushing in the morning to remove any loose acrylic specks.

Then it is simply a very time consuming, but rewarding careful freehand (or with masking tape if your feeling less brave) tracing around of the outlines of the letters. This is where a flat brush comes in handy, as you can use its shape to fit around corners and letters with less accuracy. The flexible nature and high 'glue' content of the fabric paint means that you can paint-over both canvas and the old acrylic, sealing it inside.

Once the fabric paint is dry, I found a few areas needed an extra coat of paint and touch-ups so this was done. Then leave over night again for it all to fully dry.

When dried and looking how you want it, use an old bedsheet and an ironing board, set the iron to about 2/3rd of its highest setting and then give the back of the dodgers a good iron. Don't iron the side with any paint on, but give the back of that area an extra going over. The heat from the iron evaporates any water left in the paints mixture, it also melts the paint slightly into the canvas.

Port and starboard dodgers, one nearly finished.

All done and ready to re-attach. I've got to wait a few weeks drive back down to Shoestring, so i'll be folding them carefully between the old bedsheet so no brass eyelets in the canvas or creases rub across the new paint.

There is of course one or two areas where I've slipped and put a small smudge or a wobbly line, but thats part of the charm, lovely handmade wooden yacht: hand-painted signage. For around £30 I could have the lot done in computer-cut vynil and it would look perfect, but I always think its the little imperfections in things that show a crafted item. (know one else will notice anyway.)

Materials used:
Size 6 flat rexel brush - £2.99 for a set of 6 sizes
Small 15ml jar of Textil Plus in white (link) - £3.99
Water
Clean cloth
Old bed sheet
Cable ties - 99p
(masking tape optional)
Iron

Textil colours
The Textil range of fabric paints was chosen for three reasons, 1) ease of application, 2) flexibility when dry, and 3) Its water-resistant qualities.

It is also available in the shades below, 070 White was used on our navy canvas dodgers, and in one good application and 'touch-up' overcoat the white become solid. -As there is more space I might add "www.yachtshoestring.co.uk" in a smaller type-size underneath in a different colour, but that can wait a while.


I'll post updates and photos to show the durability of textile paints when being exposed to 'sailing conditions' and salt water, hopefully all good news. Please do let us know if this has helped you at all by commenting below.

Review: Decathlon 'Sports' deck shoes

Getting comfortable shoes is a challenge these days, (middle-aged pipe smoking moment) and getting ones that you can wear while soaking wet, trying to walk at odd angles and climb over teak fittings, bits of seaweed, running water, all the while ropes and sheets are trying to trip you up at every moment.

So while looking around for some new deck shoes recently I found these in Deacthlon, priced at £24.99 they seemed like good value, and they are. While durability is still being tested they are comfortable dry out quick and provide lots of grip on Shoestring's wooden decks.

While colour options (and even sizes) maybe limited this range of deckshoes using modern materials and 'odour-free' designs seem to be good value. One word of note with all Decathlon / Triboard clothing is check sizes before you buy, sometimes they do come up a little odd.

Available from Decathlon Priced at £24.99 -Decathlon stores vary in their stock (and sometimes their prices) so be sure to call in advance.

Drinks cabinet: Captain Morgans Rum

Another Rum I hear you cry, don't worry I'm still getting around to Gin, Port and Whiskey reviews...

Captain Morgan's rum is a another spiced rum, with a slightly lighter flavour than its competitors. -I don't count previously reviewed Sailor Jerry's among this group as Sailor's is really a different breed.

Cap'n M's is a nice drink enjoyed with Coke, had neat you may find it 'goes to your head' a little to quick. This rum has a slightly more 'spiced/fruit' flavour than say Havana Club Rum, which we'll review soon too. It can taste a little plasticy when mixed with 'full' coke, but with Diet coke the rum's own flavour come through stronger, enhancing the drink.

It has to be said that with Cap'n M's you know what you are getting, a good solid 'rum' flavour that is consistent between bottles, and widely available from almost anywhere. A good staple drinks cabinet rum, which hits the spot when needed.

Rating: 7/10 Price: £11.99 to £12.99
Available from: Almost everywhere
www.captainmorgan.com

Book review: Sailing around the world alone by Joshua Slocum

In my view this is the definitive "sailing adventure book". I love this book and have read it over many times, enjoying the sense of humor and honesty of the author.

From leaving pin-tacks on deck pointed up right to 'warn' of barefooted intruders at night off South America through to hallucinations and ghosts of sailors that helped him through a storm.

It is refreshing to anyone, experienced or not, that even the greats make mistakes. He is very honest and open in his writing style, capturing that sense of adventure that any 'around the world voyage' will inspire up.


His talk of his Yacht; The Spray is very interesting as he looks at her both as Skipper and builder, taking pride in her handling and usefulness.

For anyone sailing on a "Shoestring" this story is very relevant, as the book continues you realise that the really was sailing on a shoestring budget, trading and cargo carrying around the world as his voyage continued.

A throughly recommended adventure story. My copy, again a second hand edition, includes his previous adventure: The last voyage of the Liberdade, 1890, is also a great story. New editons, without the supporting story are available on Amazon, but try to get a good secon-hand copy with the additional story for anywhere between £1 to £5 from bookshops.

Drinks cabinet: Sailor Jerry Rum

On board Shoestring we make it our effort to keep a well stocked drinks cabinet for unexpected vistors, end of a days sail or simply to have a "I NEED A DRINK" moment. -We all have them.

So starting the series we have Sailor Jerry Rum. A blend of Caribbean spiced rum with vanilla and lime. Unlike other strong rum, this goes down very smooth.

Apparently Sailor Jerry Collins 1911-79 was apparently the most famous tattoo artist of all time. He was the first to go to Japan to learn the sacred art of tattooing back in the 20s. He set up shop in Honolulu in the 30s decorating sailors with his distinctive designs.

Sailor Jerry rum is based upon Sailor Jerry's own personal recipe he used to serve his customers.

TM's mum introduced us to this one and it was well received, earning itself a place in Shoestring's cabinet. A nice drink either neat or with Coke, however we recommend mixing it with Diet Coke, fresh Lime Juice, and ice. -no lime slice or it may get too 'fruity'. Now i've wrote this review, I need to buy a bottle.


Rating: 9/10 Price: £14.99 to £19.99
Available from: Ocado, Waitrose or local off-licenses.
www.sailorjerryrum.com

The cooker and the toilet

Our Taylors 029 cooker did start off as a total nightmare but only because we were doing it all wrong!

Find the saftey cut off valve for the paraffin and open it.

Under the burner (where the gas comes out) there is a little dish where you put some meths, ours has a little soak pad type thing but yours might be different.

Don't be stingy with the meths! It needs to burn for a while for it to heat up the paraffin and turn it to gas. We found this out the hard way.

Once your ample amount of meths has burnt out, turn the cooker knob and gas should come out, if it does you can light it with a lighter. If there is no gas its not hot enough. Alternatively you can also turn the knob just before the meths is just about to die and this should light the gas. Do not turn it on too soon as the meths goes mad and you get a huge flame.

This should now be burning with a nice blue flame that can be controlled with the knob.

When you have finished with the cooker, first turn of the safety valve and let the gas burn until its all gone, then turn off the cooker knob.

I managed to make chilli, steak and veg and a cooked breakfast. It also heated the boat up lovely with just the one burner on.

The toilet was a lot less complicated. Firstly, remember to open both of the toilet sea cocks. Once you have done your business close the lid and push it so it forms a seal. Then pump fully 10 strokes, wait 5 seconds and then do another 5. Lift the lid and if there is any water left pump until it is all gone.