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Thanks for your comment, glad the video was helpful. With a Wayfarer you really do have options to make it a gentle cruiser or a pretty speedy racer! Great boats!

@ I think dry sailing will go down well with wife and daughter though my son will want to be on the edge so good to think we can switch between the two depending on crew,.

Thanks as always for your comments Christophe, they are much appreciated! On racing dinghies, with powerful rigs and light, unstable hulls, speed through a gybe really is the best way to stay dry! However, I’m learning that for heavy, stable boats with smaller, softer rigs, the technique is almost completely different, and you get a much gentler gybe by pulling the sheet in, as you say.

I’d be interested to know when the first kicking strap was fitted to a boat. I’ll try to find out one day! But I can’t imagine one on a boat from much earlier than the 1950s. They are great on racing boats with modern rigs, and to someone like me who has predominantly sailed modern boats, it can look odd to see a boat without one. However I’m sure that if they were really useful on the traditional rigs, wooden masts, gaffs etc., they’d have been around for much longer! 🙂

Thanks Paul. I had assumed that the bottom end of the kicker would have to be attached to the compression post - interesting to know that you were able to fit a useable kicker entirely above the foredeck. I guess the use of the kicker in squally weather is to stop the boom moving around too much?I haven’t sailed Tarka in very squally weather - that day last spring when I had that little broach shown in the video was probably the squalliest - (wind might have been stronger in Chichester in August but much steadier!). At the moment my opinion is that I’d be happy for the boom to be able to rise in a squall, to spill some wind out of the top of the sail and absorb some of the energy, but I guess if it rises too far there’s potential trouble around the gooseneck fitting. I will continue to ponder…! 🙂

That’s great to know about your rudder, thanks Paul. What was the shape of your new rudder blade? If you have any photos I’d be interested to see! Also interesting to hear your boat originally had a spoon-shaped rudder. So many compromises with rudders! I’m aware that pulling mine down beyond vertical will make it more susceptible to catching weed, hopefully I’ll succeed in making it easy to raise and lower to get rid of the weed, and then I think I’ll be happy with it! Great to hear your enthusiasm for the Westray too. Tarka is ticking 99% of our boxes, and solving her little problems is fun (mostly!). I did read an article yesterday about cruising the Swedish coast north of Stockholm… 🤔

@Adventures_of_Tarka The new rudder was exactly the same shape as yours, with nicely feathered edges. It was set to deploy vertically, so no excessive issues with weed. If weed did get caught I used to just stick my hand over the transom and hoick it off, rather than raise and lower the blade (although I had that function properly sorted too, for lively beach landings!)

Hmm, not ideal! I’ve heard you have to pick your times and places carefully to avoid the crowds on the Broads!

We took our Westray on busy parts of the Broads (Potter Heigham, Wroxham) in high season, blowing quite hard - you'd love it, brings out racing instincts, right up your street I'd think!

@@paulincumbria You are not wrong, once use to the general confusion racing on the Broads is a brilliant training ground for racing crews

@@paulincumbria The racing instincts come out all too easily! Encouraging to hear it could be fun on the Broads in peak season - might be difficult to avoid it!

@@davidprocter3578 could be TH-cam gold! 🤣😬

More practice! That’s all it needs! And maybe a tarp over the top for the rain… 🙂

Thanks, great quote, that might just be another book on my reading list! 😂

You’re so right! 😂

That’s it! Thank you 🙂

You can explore far and wide but only scratch the surface, or you can slow down and explore in depth. I can't say if either is definitively better, but if you're still curious about a place you love, why move on? Only when the curiosity about somewhere else becomes stronger I guess!

Haha yes I didn't rush to get this one out - thought one last blast of summer might be nice at this time of year!

Thank you very much!

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. Have you joined the Dinghy Cruising Association yet? (I'm not on commission!) Enjoy finding your dinghy, hopefully see you on the Broads!

Thanks Christophe, that's a beautiful comment. She really wanted to be allowed out on her own this year! Maybe next year (in something smaller than Tarka!)...

Thanks Robert, it's lovely to think that a video of mine might be encouraging people to go out and do something similar - it's what I like to imagine might happen!

Thanks Iain! Roll on next spring!

Thank you! I would like to be able to fill in the whole map of the Broads with Tarka voyages, but I think we might need to go more off-season to get anything like the same tranquility! Could be a good place to start and finish the season in slightly cooler weather...

😂 thanks! 😉

thanks very much Chris! 🙂

Yes, I can’t claim to have found it but I have been directed to a good (if a bit soggy) Peter Duck’s Cave in a little valley with a beck, a bit like the second Swallowdale in this video, near Tiberthwaite Gill. Too far north to fit into this video, I may feature it in a future one…

@joelwalker81 lot of research and devotion went into making the video, thanks. Read many of the Ransome books as a child and recently re-read them. Good to promote them and encourage outside sports for young people. Cheers👍

@@j1mmusj4mmus thank you 🙂

Lovely video great to hear about the author..loved the books they hold some cherished memories...well done

@@davidweaver516 thank you, really glad to hear you enjoyed it 🙂

Hi Shane, thanks, you’re probably right. I like to have the stock gripping the blade a little bit - I don’t like it loose and rattly, but a fraction of a turn looser would probably do no harm and make lowering the rudder easier 🙂

@joelwalker81 It will also make it easier to raise as well.

Thanks very much Jeff! I think you're probably right about the aft main, but it'll be interesting to see if you change your mind after trying Domino's centre main out. If Tarka was centre-sheeted I might be more willing to use a mainsheet cleat to take the load. I'd be really interested to see how other people have set their Westrays up! I didn't realise there were so many in South Norfolk. I'm keen to get out on the southern rivers of the Broads, maybe we can have a Westray rally in the spring!

@@Adventures_of_Tarka A couple of the other guys had suggested a mini rally too so it sounds like a plan! Yes, nothing like looking at similar boats and sharing ideas and having a sail of course. Good stuff. Roll on the 2025 season.

Bring it on! ☀️🙂

Hi Christophe, thank you for your comment and suggestion! I don't think adding weight to the rudder would work in this case, because for Tarka when I say 'getting the rudder far enough down', it's not completely true, because Tarka's rudder needs to go 'down' beyond vertical and actually start lifting up on the other side of the vertical (would be easier with a diagram!). This is because Tarka's transom is not vertical, but has a bit of an overhanging angle. So I won't be trying the Francois Vivier system I am somewhat relieved to say! Although such a spectacular solution might be good for my TH-cam views!...

Thanks Iain, I’m very glad you think so! 😊

Thanks very much Mike! Really glad you enjoyed it. There should be more coming from that Lake District trip very soon - watch this space! In the meantime, I hope you enjoy re-reading Swallows and Amazons - I’m sure you will! Waving back 👋💂🏻🇬🇧🍂🤗

Thanks very much! Encouraging to know your sleeps on board got better quickly. I must persevere and hopefully have more nights aboard next year. Good luck for your summer’s sailing and camping! 🙂

How do you join them up to make a ring?

@@Adventures_of_Tarka super glue, I measured it by wrapping around the lid an cut it about 10mm shorter to give a better fit then glued the cut ends together to form a ring

No 🙂

Thanks Iain! 🙂

Thanks v much, will consider both!

Thanks Christophe! A boat hook might have been useful in this video, but I think as long as we can steer close to the buoys we should be able to manage without, one less thing to carry! Regarding the jib sheet - yes you’re right the current arrangement is not very good. A different fairlead (pontet?) and cleat will be installed this winter, probably with the cleat on the same side as the fairlead for simplicity, but your arrangement sounds very handy.

@@Adventures_of_Tarka Pontet = fairlead ! Thank you for the english lesson !🙂

On my Westray, the jib sheets were arranged to lead back to the helm for singlehanding, but that made it harder for the crew to uncleat them - the angles were wrong. But I think the main issue might be technique. In light airs the jib sheet is easy to release with an upward flick. But that doesn't work when it's under a significant load in stronger winds, and leads to a lot of stressful tugging and flicking. I got my crew to stand up, lean back to use her bodyweight to unload the cleat tension and then lift the sheet up and out - much easier!

🤣 You’re right - looking back at it, that does appear to be the most obvious difference. They are more conspicuously absent and better hidden than the outboard, and the sun for that matter! 🤦‍♂

Thank you, we very much did 🙂

Thanks, I appreciate your concern! This is of course something I am very keen to avoid. However, if we restricted our sailing to times and places where there is a rescue boat in close proximity, the potential for exploration and adventure would be massively reduced. Like any sailor of a dinghy or a yacht, we have to be careful in where and when we sail, and confident that we could self-rescue from any conceivable mishap. For us, this does include a capsize, even though it is very unlikely in Tarka as she is extremely stable and we sail her conservatively. But there is a separate video th-cam.com/video/8KJzXVrrxn4/w-d-xo.html dedicated to testing what would happen in this situation, and it shows that, provided the buoyancy tanks are adequately sealed, which they now are, th-cam.com/video/olQ2AwPCiLc/w-d-xo.html recovering Tarka from a capsize and bailing her out can be done without outside assistance. No sailing is completely without risk, but life is for living!

​@@Adventures_of_TarkaI agree with you. Smooth sailing.😊

@@et1161 thank you, you too 🙂

Thank you, I expect you’re right! Keira is loving the Ransome books so far, we’re just starting Winter Holiday, hopefully Coot Club after that to be finished in time for next spring!

Great to hear from a sailor in Brazil! Having done a trial capsize with Tarka, and made sure the buoyancy tanks are better sealed since then, I am confident we would be able to self-recover, but we have been sticking to sheltered waters so far, and mostly with plenty of other boats around which is always reassuring to have!

Thanks! Always on the lookout for ruthless pirates, and hoping that if we do meet any they’ll turn out to be friendly!

You’re right - it has kept them dry and happy for many hours, definitely a big factor in why they are enjoying our adventure so far 🙂

I agree! Looking forward to taking on the Round Hayling Challenge at some point in the future 🤞🙂

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it! I think the main reason why Tarka doesn’t have a kicker is that it would prevent you from being able to raise the canvas cuddy while sailing! It might sometimes be nice to have a bit more control over the boom angle, but she seems happy enough without. No kicker also makes her a bit more forgiving in a broach, as I inadvertently demonstrate at about 3mins 40s in the ‘Tarka’s Sea Trials’ video!

Thanks Iain! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂

Thanks, yes she might be ready to go solo next summer! In something smaller than Tarka though!

Maybe! 🙂

Thanks for sharing! We’re just back from another Broads trip, with Tarka this time. Even if you don’t hire from Hunters Yard, you still benefit from their populating the rivers with beautiful old yachts! So was that trip as an 18 year old your first sailing experience?

Thank you very much for your comment. It is such a special place.

I've never heard of Herreshoff before, just looked them up, look like a nice range of boats

Thanks, glad you liked it!

That’s a really interesting suggestion, thank you, I’ve never heard anything like that before, but it makes sense! Just accessing the trailing edge of the centreboard is very difficult, but something might be possible over the winter. Glad you liked the video! 🙂