Waiting to Tow Aurora back to Ferry Nab
Well, I guess that’s what progress looks like – I haven’t written a thing since we re-launched in May, so it’s actually been going rather well! But a tentative phone call from friends in Australia to discover if Befur’s lack of posting indicated we were no longer shuffling along this mortal coil suggested it was time to write something!…. But, all is well, Lou, I and Befur are in good fettle….
I’m falling behind! No progress update since January – sorry.
We have been working hard to get her ready for re-entering the water… This winter’s workslist has turned into quite a major refit.
The list below shows the work we are undertaking, and all is completed except installing the engine and the work on mast and rigging.
Befur home for winter work
Well, Befur is back in the fells for some winter work.
The pull-out and trip home was uneventful, thanks to Simon and Dean’s help, and the garage finally finding and fixing the leak in the Land Rover’s turbo pipes! Much less smoke and much more go!
We have a tentative list of work we want to do, and the game plan is to try to get back into the water before Heggerscale freezes (the lake is a milder climate to over winter in)! However, as I write this post, and document the work, it seems questionable if we will finish the work in 2022!!!
The work falls into several groups, some just inspection/maintenance and some fixing/improving: Continue reading
Well, looking back the first post here was on 8th June 2011, and we aimed to finish and launch by 26th June 2015 – planning was never my hot spot! We did change the goal posts in mid-flight (adding a sail, loo, etc, and stretching her from a planned 16ft to almost 27ft to get everything in, but hey we did get there!), and on the 20th July 2020 we took her for a steam and sail on Windermere with a cameraman (Roger Heise from the SBA) on hand to record her 2nd trip under sail (thank you Roger).
Before I inflict an album of sailing photos on you, a couple of notes on the steam side, especially for Leak Compound builders…. Continue reading
Well, here we are in May 2020, and we are actually looking like Befur will soon warrant her “S.Y.” prefix, being a real Steam Yacht and all!
Almost all 6 panels, but missing a few bits of string – hence the creases….
Nine years work, and we feel like we are getting close to the end – the lockdown has been a blessing, as it has removed the stress of trying to be ready for the 1st of April, when our Windermere berth became available, and allowed us to work through the near-endless list of jobs that needed doing…
Today we managed to hoist the sail for the first time, and while there are several more bits of “string” to be added, it actually looked something like the CAD drawings we have been working from for a couple of years. Rather satisfying!
Missing String List: Continue reading
Just a note to record the things we have been doing over the last month or so.
Most importantly we have secured a berth at Ferry Nab on Winderemere, so Befur will be exploring new waters this year. So, as always, the cosh is upon us, with the berth being available from the 1st April (yes, we know, not an auspicious date!).
The work has divided into annual maintenance, finishing/installing the sailing rig and finishing the fit-out of the galley – and sundry diversions. Continue reading
While January is pretty cold here in Cumbria, we have managed to make some progress on the Rig, here are some pictures and notes…
Following on from appearing to have (temporarily at least) sorted the steam plant, it’s time to get on with fitting Befur with her Junk-Rig sails, so that she can truly be the Steam Yacht that she was always intended to be. The embarrassment of having to be towed home on three occasions also sharpened our desire to get this job done. Continue reading
As noted in the last post, the plans for the cabin/mast arrived from Selway Fisher. Having poured/poored/pawed?? over these for a few weeks we have concluded we are going to slightly modify the proposed arrangement by installing a set of steel bracing inside the boat to support the Mast Partners (the thing the mast hinges in when being trailered), so that we can reclaim a little more internal space. We understand this is another bitter pill for the wooden boat druids to swallow, but hey, this is the 21st Century! Continue reading
Well just a quick note to cover two important milestones! Continue reading
SY Befur 