Marine Chandlery

No folks I am NOT going to mention what’s happening in the USA but I can image that the regimes such as North Korea, China etc are rubbing their hands with glee as to what is happening across the Atlantic in the democratic West! Speaking of power, however, I must confess that this past week the over-ride button on the central heating has been busy! Must be my advancing age or a slower recovery from my morning dip. This past Saturday morning we had an air temp of -4, add wind chill and there was talk amongst the other swimmers of -10 degrees on the Tynemouth beach. It did, however, feel quite ‘warm’ once in the briny with a sea temperature of around 5 degrees!

If you are a live aboard or perhaps a sailor keeping a heater or dehumidifier running in these cold winter months, it can be a good idea to keep a weather eye on your power consumption. The Metermaid is an excellent piece of kit that will do such a thing.

METERMAID™ is an in-line portable electricity meter that has been specifically designed to accurately measure individual electricity consumption - wherever it is needed.  It is a true kiloWatt hour meter and is the result of years of extensive research and development. METERMAID™ incorporates the latest in state-of-the-art technology and only the highest quality components are used in its manufacture.  As a simple and cost-effective metering system METERMAID™ offers many benefits:

• It is designed to be ACCURATE.  As a Class 1 meter METERMAID™ is precision equipment so when it comes to charging (or paying) for the electricity recorded by METERMAID™ you may rest assured it only displays exactly what has been used.  With a non-resettable 6 digit counter and fully-encapsulated electronics METERMAID™ cannot be tampered with, slowed down or reversed.
• It is built to be WATERPROOF so that it will cope with the vagaries of the British weather and will be a match for any situation where it is likely to come into contact with water.  The enclosure is rated IP673 within Europe and 4X in North America.
• TOUGH so that it can withstand the harshest of environments around the world, everything about METERMAID™ is robust and the build-quality is plain to see the minute you hold it in your hand.
• It is built to be USER-FRIENDLY.  It needs no maintenance, servicing or re-calibration - ever!   When you receive METERMAID™ you just plug in and go!  It could not be any simpler!
• Total flexibility to meter boats or caravans wherever they are because it is PORTABLE
• A solution to the problem of financing capital expenditure as it can easily be sold or rented to the end-user making it very COST-EFFECTIVE
• Acceptance by end-users because it is FAIR and they only need to pay for the electricity they know they have used
• Control over your expenditure on electricity and peace of mind with a 2 YEAR CONDITIONAL WARRANTY

If you haven't already got one of our Shore Power Splitters it is a useful device to keep in your lazarette. I put one on board our Mystery after seeing the 'Greek spaghetti junction' on the quayside of a small harbour on the island of Meganisi. Since then our own personal splitter has been brought into use on a number of occasions by Jenny and I (especially when one of the charter flotillas turn up). I have, of course, felt tipped the yachts name on both sides of it so there is no Mystery as to whom it belongs to!

• Plugs directly into marina  or boatyard power supply to bring safe 230V power to your appliances
• Ideal for use in your yacht, camper van or motorhome
• Built in RCD & circuit breaker for total protection
• 3 UK 3pin power sockets suitable for large plugs & adaptors
• Integral 20m orange connection cable & site plug
• Indicator light shows power supply is connected
• 10 Amp maximum total capacity
• Splash-proof assembly (NOT waterproof)

As I start to write this blog whilst recovering from two and half hours of hard labour (down on my knees applying the first coat of Epifanes gloss varnish to our lounge floorboards) on Monday the 4th, Millie, our elderly cross Lurcher/Collie, seems to have recovered from what we think was something revolting that she had eaten whilst out on her daily exercise walk, completely off her food for two days and very very lethargic. Today has also seen the rollout of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca jab and by midday the FTSE was up 2.7% overall and the other bit of good and exiting news is that the new TeamO coastal backtow life jacket is now available in a choice of three colourways. Was feeling quite buoyant if you excuse the pun. However, by 8pm the bad news, of course, is that we are back into National Lockdown; mind you if the behaviour of a small number of selfish folks in our area is replicated elsewhere it was inevitable! Crowds drinking on our little beach during the day and round bonfires at night! A complete lack of social distancing on Tynemouth Village Front Street during the Christmas and New Year break and an absence of face coverings, must be a ‘shortage’ of face masks up North!

When the TeamO Offshore backtow lifejacket was introduced to the market it attracted a lot of attention with its unique selling point, the towing of a casualty on their back to keep their mouth and nose above water. As a result we have sold not only into the UK but as far afield as the USA, Holland, Spain etc, however, from the feedback that was being received from customers turning up at our bricks and mortar chandlery www.storrarmarine.co.uk and other outlets, that higher price was at times an inhibiting factor for those guys who wanted a lifejacket for coastal sailing with the occasional overnite passage thrown in.

TeamO's patented Backtow life jacket technology functions in a man-over-board situation by turning the user in to a face up seated position as they are towed alongside the vessel. This keeps airways clear of the water and allows communication and immediate rescue by the crew. Backtow also reduces the risk of injury during recovery.

• 170N lifejacket with integrated deckharness and TeamO's award-winning patented BackTow system.
• ISO approved: suitable for Inshore and Offshore sailing (ISO12402 and ISO12403)
• Automatic inflation system: features the UML Mark5i inflator and 38g CO2 cylinder.
• Soft loop attachment point to clip on in rough weather or at night
• SOLAS approved safety whistle
• Adjustable double crotch straps with soft loop attachment point on back
• Adjustable double buckles on back for perfect fit
• Lightweight: lifejacket weighs 1.15kg

Please note whilst the bricks and mortar chandlery is ‘closed’ under the latest government guidelines we are still allowed to offer click and collect however our opening hours are changing with immediate effect. Monday to Friday it's 9am till 4pm. Saturday regret we will be closed. For 'click and collect' you can either ring through on the usual number 0191 2661037 and place an order and pay by credit card or order on www.marinechandlery.com and select ‘collect in store’ as the delivery option.

Anthony, his dad used to call him Ant, I assume as a reference to his stature all those years ago, when he first came knocking on the Storrar Marine Store door (parent company of www.marinechandlery.com) on a verbal CV submitted by his father told us that he couldn't blow the skin of a rice pudding but was a very very determined youngster, and that if he set his mind to do a task would do it well. Well, who could have foreseen that one day he would be single handedly competing in the Talisker Atlantic Challenge a rowing race across the Atlantic, start line just offshore of the harbour in San Sebastián, Gomera, one of the smaller Canary Islands with a finish line at Nelsons Dockyard English Harbour, Antiqua more than 3000 miles as the crow or in his case a seagull flies. This year there is an entry of 21 boats in total, comprising of solos, of which Anthony is one of the entrants, twins and three or four person. The record for solos is 30 days (done in exceptional weather condition) our old 'Sat' boy is aiming for 40-45 days!  We think that the 'terrible' working conditions that he put up with and the boredom of monotonous shelf cleaning that he endured all those years ago coupled with his time spent racing in the winter series on the river Tyne, as foredeck hand on the Storrar Marine works boat when he did get into some hairy situations will stand him in good stead!

My bosses involvement with Anthony's Talisker Atlantic Challenge started in December 2019 when his dad asked if the sail loft, a division of the Storrar Marine Store Emporium could manufacture a waterproof and breathable cover for Wave Warrior and also make up a pair of light weight ventilated lee cloth(s) and a chest strap to stop Ant falling out of his bed when trying to get some shut eye if the going gets rough, see images below. As well as the above, Andy also supplied safety equipment (let's hope he never needs to use it) including 2 X EPIRBs, PLB, EDF, a Spinlock Deckvest and safety line. Other items included 4 of the chisel tipped safety knives c/w despatcher, I assume for fighting off sharks? For days when the weather is foul, part of his protection against the elements consists of a Musto HPX smock and HPX salopettes. Whilst boss man Andy didn't give the above away, all his equipment that was supplied was sold at a very very attractive price!

On Boxing day we received the following email from his dad...

WAVE WARRIOR UPDATE 26/12/20: Row, eat, row, sleep, pee and poo sometimes and repeat. He has had a couple of issues, blisters in the first few days which he has had to really protect to stop them bursting and getting infected. At one of the final meetings before the race they emphasised that one of the biggest issues in the race was looking after your body and stopping cuts and grazes becoming infected.

As you can see from the Boxing Day position update below he is sitting 2nd in class and just under 2000 miles to go. The last two days have been very fickle. The wind has remained between a Northerly and a North Westerly. He has spent quite a few hours on his para anchor but hates the motion. A few minutes of wallowing in the swell then a couple of corkscrewing rolls then it jerks on the para anchor. He says he's more exhausted from that than the rowing.

He's getting very demanding on his updates, sitting here at home plotting everything every 4 hours to give him an update as to what the competition (1st & 3rd of the solos) are doing. Should they make a break for it he wants to know.

Cheers, Haydon

Christmas at sea was, I would assume, just another day but glad to see he did enter somewhat into the festive spirit and no doubt his mum Yvonne packed a couple of 'treats' among the ship's stores. Incidentally if you look closely the festive hat that he was wearing was a 'Gilbert', apparently it's based on the Wilson that featured in the Tom Hanks film Castaway! Yvonne did also mention that the Dogs Trust is Anthony's nominated charity and she wrote 'any help to enable him to hit or exceed his target would be much appreciated the link to the Just Giving site is as follows:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/wave-warrior

This morning just before this went out Andy went onto the Taliskers site and pulled off the current position of Wave Warrior, keep up the good work, we are all ‘rooting’ for our old Saturday Boy.

Well I regret there will be, for once, no 'pearls of wisdom' from your blogger but just a short message from boss man Andy and all the guys at www.marinechandlery.com and the staff at his Newcastle based bricks and mortar store www.storrarmarine.co.uk to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and let's all hope that the vaccines do their trick and we can get back to normality before too long enjoying quality time on the water this coming year!

Your continued support throughout 2020, a very difficult trading year to put it mildly, has been very much appreciated, thank you indeed! Niche products that Andy now stocks and retails in quantity, and I think makes his company that little bit special (but I am biased, of course, having started the business around 50 years ago, retired for the past five) and helped put a smile on his face, have been, without a doubt, the brilliant Ewincher, Freebags in both styles, Bynolyt binoculars, (back in stock on the 29th of December we are told) Debond, that brilliant solvent for de bonding Sikaflex and other adhesives like 3M 5200, the chisel nosed deck safety knife and of course the amazing Hook & Moor.

Order tomorrow any of the above or other items and you may still get delivery for Christmas Eve if the carriers don’t let him down. Binoculars will be delivered early January. Assuming the chandlery remains in tier 3 it will be open until 5pm Wednesday the 23rd then reopening Tuesday the 29th at 9.30 For the New Year, it will be closing at 1pm on New Year's Eve and reopening 8.30 Saturday 2nd January.

As for the online store, I have no doubt Andy will be monitoring that side of the business in between cooking the turkey on Xmas day and enjoying the occasional tot of Jack Daniels however if you do get bored and surf the web on either Christmas or Boxing Day, knowing the way his mind works, if you are tempted to order he will be in bright eyed and bushy tailed, dispatching on the 29th!

When I decided to seek fame and fortune in the marine trade, I went 'South' to work for a sailmaker. After living in a bed sit for a couple of months, I upped sticks and ended up sharing a house in Benfleet, Essex with a couple of fellow employees of the company. At the time I was the proud owner of my first International 14 racing dinghy so every weekend in order to race against the best sailors in that class UK wise I used to drive down to Itchenor some 30 odd miles from Southampton. Late one Sunday evening on my return from the South coast I opened the front door to our rented accommodation, walked into the hall, smelled 'old smoke' and switched on the hall light to discover that the walls were black with smoke damage, the glass pane missing from the adjoining door and the kitchen was looking decidedly shabby! It transpired that one of my younger flat mates had come back from the pub on the Friday night, decided he was hungry and a chip butty was to be eaten, so it was on with the chip pan. However, he then nodded off, woke to find the fat had caught fire and, in his panic, threw a pan of water onto the flames and, from what I can gather, he either got blown or stumbled through the glass door! My girlfriend at the time, Jenny, was with me when we discovered the damage and for the life of us we both cannot remember who redecorated the hall and kitchen never mind the other smoke damaged rooms however the upshot of that incident is that in the four houses we have lived in since we got married, we have always played safe. No chip butties after a trip to the pub, extinguishers and smoke alarms at strategic locations and, of course, the guide to the correct deployment.

Last month we got a call from the company that services our extinguishers. Could they come round and do their annual check, however Jen and I agreed if the existing extinguishers were 'past their sell by date' and needed replacing we would downsize to the multi-use compact Fire Suppression Systems ones that we have on our boat. For home use the fact that they can be used on any type of fire appeals, including cooking oils and fats. They are much neater, of course, and there is no need to get them regularly serviced with a minimum 10-year shelf life. As for the mess created in the likely event of a deployment, there is none. No powder nor foam to remove once the fire is extinguished.

• Works on ALL major types of fire: A B C F and electrical
• Lasts far LONGER to fight the fire
• SAFE & EASY to use
• Totally non-toxic & environmentally friendly.
• Fast to activate
• 10 years proven shelf life (3yr warranty)
• No Maintenance Required
• Small & Light
• Free mounting Bracket

If you're like me and are a nightmare to buy a present for, there is 'nothing I want' or you are incapable of suggestions, (like me!) and your wife, partner, girl friend, mistress, first mate or the flown the nest offspring have almost given up, why not think out of the box and suggest to them a Chart Art? My unexpected Christmas present some three years ago was a Chart Art of the Mediterranean and, unknown to me, Jen colluded with one of the crew of Hindsight to get the log of the delivery trip when we sailed and motored her from Port St Louis near Marseille to Corfu back in June 2017 and the passage was then added to the chart! Every time I glance at the chart, which incidentally is hanging in our lounge, I remember little moments about the voyage, the lack of wind, being buzzed by a blacked out naval ship, the long long wait for diesel in Sardinia, entering at night and navigating the straits of Medina being 'challenged' by the authorities and finally running the engine on 'fresh air' as we turned the western corner of Corfu island and motored down to the tiny marina of Mandraki!

Chart Art prints are a genuine Admiralty chart printed on canvas and mounted on artist grade stretcher bars. These are great for hanging on the wall of the family home, office (as can be seen from the first image we have one hanging in our operational headquarters of the ‘other’ Andy’s favourite cruising ground the West Coast of Scotland) or given to that faithful crew member who, come torrential rain, howling blizzard or occasionally sunshine can always be relied on to turn out and prep the underwater surfaces of your boat ready for the first coat of antifoul. As already mentioned above, the beauty of Chart Art is that it can be ‘customised’ such as showing only a favourite anchorage such as Tinkers Hole on Mull or locally the Kettle in the Farne Isles, or the route of last year’s summer cruise. Photos can be added of your boat, your crew or maybe the pub where you rowed ashore and had that rather raucous evening! Sadly, like all things special, there is an extra charge for customising but as can be seen from the example below well worth the extra cost incurred!

The Chart Art printing process uses technologically advanced 12 colour UV ink printed onto the finest 100% Cotton artist's canvas, which is sourced from some of the biggest international art suppliers. Museum Quality Artist's Stretcher Bars are made of the finest quality European kiln dried knotless pine, which has the advantage of being extremely hard wearing and not susceptible to warping that cheaper woods are prone to. Each bar features a rounded back edge which is designed to ensure that the canvas is always kept a full 1⁄2" (13mm) above the stretcher bar to ensure that there can be no ghost impressions on the canvas. These stretcher bars also incorporate ‘wedges’ which are placed in each corner and allow the canvas to be stretched extremely tightly over the frame. It also allows the canvas to be restretched over time, which can be of particular importance for the larger sizes. Hanging kits are supplied with each Chart Art canvas so putting them up on the wall is easy. The Canvas hanger incorporates a cut-out which allows the canvas to be hung on a standard two pin picture hook, which is also included. Using the included kit ensures that the canvas is “pulled” flush to the wall on a secure fixing.

If your budget cannot stretch to Chart Art (prices start as low as £154.96 and that includes free UK delivery worth £10-00!) why not purchase an UNFOLDED Admiralty chart of a favourite cruising ground at only £37.95. Customers to whom we have supplied a chart in this format have had them framed (suggest non reflective glass), pinned to a wall and on a couple of instances wallpaper paste has been used to stick them to the wall of a sailing club bar!

A review from a satisfied customer reads:

Andy! The Chart Art arrived and it's beautiful! Genuinely impressed by the quality and resolution of the print and the solid wooden frame. My expectations were exceeded. Bravo!

Stephen

What's the point of removing your sails and canvas work during the winter when they have to go back on again in a few months time? Well don't remove them and you run the risk of ending up with a green leech to your furled headsail,  possibly not as bad as the one on the image above. Likewise your canvas work, sprayhood, stack pack etc may well 'turn green' due to a lack of sunlight striking the surface. Consider, also, that clear canopy or hood windows can be vulnerable on very cold and windy days especially if they are not in the first flush of youth, bit like me? If one side of the boat doesn't see any sun during the close season you may well also find the halyards running across the deck on that particular side change colour. By removing sails and canvas work, windage, of course, will be greatly reduced resulting in less strain on fenders, deck cleats and mooring lines, if you haven't already fitted rubber snubbers to your warps now might be the time to do so? As for the halyards, remove and use mouse lines as drawstrings, don't forget to slide a foil saver up the bare extrusion once the genoa is off!

On the subject of removing sails, one of our 'avid' readers got in touch the other week and asked 'how do you fold sails on a pontoon'? Well since his e-mail I haven't had the opportunity to take sails off a yacht and possibly video staff members folding same due to restrictions but hope the above and below line drawings plus 'action' footage of a sail being folded in a relatively confined area in our sail loft will help.

In my opinion it is better to fold sails off the boat than on, however finding a clean area to carry this out can be problematic as a conveniently grassed over area can often be muddy this time of year and a concreted car park not that clean! The pontoon walk way and finger pontoon, whilst not as large an area, we would like to think is often the best place to fold a sail however make sure it's reasonably dry and free from sea bird droppings! If it's a bit windy always try to have the foot or base of the sail facing upwind and when folding keep the body of the sail as low as possible so any breeze doesn't take control of the canvas! Use your knees, and your companions knees as anchors (unlike the footage where Andy and Norma 'should' be anchoring the right hand side of the sail ie the base or foot of the main, that of course is my mistake as the director and cameraman!)

If your sails, canvas work etc were damp or wet through washing with fresh water (don't use high pressure lance under any circumstances) once you get them home make sure they are thoroughly dried before storing, however, if not taking to your local sailmaker, for the once over, this is the best time to run a beady eye over the sails. The leech of both the main and the genoa get more abuse than the leading edge. With the mainsail it's the inboard and outboard ends of batten pockets that take the most hammer less of an issue if you have a fully battened sail, followed by the leech tabling, check each horizontal seam at least 30cm in from the leech for stitching that is failing. Do not, of course, ignore the rest of the main, give it the once over as well. Check out luff eyelets if fitted and the bolt rope around the plastic shackles that connect to the sail slides. As for the genoa, check for chafe especially the leech area, spreaders ends may be in contact helping break down stitching. The aft edge of an overlapping genoa comes into contact with the rigging/mast each time you tack so that also needs close examination. If a sacrificial strip is fitted, check that for UV damage, if the strip has changed colour say from a dark or med blue to a very pale imitation of its former self, consider getting it changed, better to have replaced now than pleading with a sailmaker for a quick turn around during the season.

As for your canvas work, consider after washing, reproofing the material. Not only will it help keep it waterproof but it will also repel atmospheric pollution! If clear panels are starting to turn brown and brittle they need to be replaced, if still in good condition perhaps consider purchasing some Plast-Rx. It not only protects the window agains UV damage but will remove fine scratches from the surface. If for whatever reason you have to leave halyards in place or the sprayhood in situ to protect your bright work, spray them, the deck and topsides also with Wet & Forget. A solution of this will keep the green at bay! See above and below images, before and the after result, no hard work guaranteed!

As for cruising chutes, spinnakers etc, wash in cold water to get rid of any salt, dry thoroughly and if checking over and you come across a nick or two, Tear Aid - Type A is far superior than spinnaker repair tape. No need to worry about matching the colour as its translucent. Tis also the only 'patch' material that will permanently adhere to acrylic canvas work!

Driving to work early Monday morning I listened with interest and with growing optimism to the interview about the results of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine trials. Effective, easier to store and cheaper! By that time I had just about thawed out following my early morning swim off the beach at Tynemouth, the reward being a fabulous sunrise. Later that morning I was once again 'rather cold' having spent a couple of hours at our local marina up a ladder with my Spinlock Mast Harness buckled up whilst doing the final fit to a roof canopy on a rather large powerboat. Back in the sail loft with a hot coffee in my hands it was a case of pick a sail repair, start work on it and start worrying about tomorrows blog! In the light of the success of the vaccine trials I did then start  to wonder if there really was a light at the end of the tunnel. The retail shop will once again be open for retail customers as of the 2nd of December (mail order and click & collect at present remain the same) as for access to sailing clubs and marinas who knows but let's hope that 'we lot' will be lumped in with shops, gyms, and leisure centres which will be open in all tiers? Assuming therefore we are allowed out to play are you ready to do battle and protect your boat from the damp with a Dehumidifier, maybe a tube heater under the engine and Freezeban run through your fresh water system before the temperature drops any more?

Three other products which may well come in useful; a Tercoo rotary blaster, perfect for removing rust from plate steel and cast iron keels, the Freebag Pro to take the pressure off your knees and finally Rydlyme. When flushed through the engine cooling system it safely removes any build up.

A Foil Saver is a good investment. Run one up your headsail track once you have lowered the Genoa, once tensioned it stops the foil vibrating on a windy day. Need to unstick a fitting bedded in Sikaflex? Debond is the answer. To the best of my knowledge its the only 'bond breaker' that works! Finally, keep that green look at bay. Wet & Forget is the one to use outside, dilute, spray on and forget! Safe to use on all materials, such as woven fabrics, ropes, painted and gelcoat surfaces.

Reasons To Be Cheerful, part 3, is a song and single by Ian Dury and the Blockheads on the 20 July 1979 (more of that later) however Andy Burgess boss man of www.marinechandlery.com is also feeling cheerful this weekend not because Black Friday is looming but because he has just discovered tucked away and wrongly labeled in the corner of the electronic store room, 4, yes 4, Ewinchers which include the free spare battery pack. How that happened he has no idea but maybe now is the time to invest in an EPOS stock control system? So folks if you were tempted, he has 2 of each colour at £1989-95 each c/w that free spare battery pack worth almost £300-00! So it’s a case of first come first served and judging by the take up last time they won't still be available on Black Friday!

If, like me, you’re struggling with arthritis in your wrists, getting old (like me) or just want an easier life on board (like me) and were considering electric winches but the cost put you off, or maybe you need to climb the mast and the person on the winch doesn't have sufficient upper body strength why not consider investing in a Ewincher. This electric winch handle makes hoisting the dinghy back on board easy peasy and if your anchor windlassisn’t as reliable as it should be (thankfully not reached that stage yet) the Ewincher is the answer. With the Ewincher you don’t change anything about the way you sail and you can perform one task after another regardless of your physical condition, your age or your strength. Ewincher can be used straight away, without mounting anything, on all winches of a sailboat

Well if that doesn't make you cheerful (its first come first served) you can always sing along with Ian Dury and the Blockheads if you click on the link below. As for me as I finish composing another 'master piece', get that fire lit, telly on and watch England & Ireland do battle at Twickenham!

When I was a little boy my big brother joined the Tynemouth Sea Scouts. Their premises, or hut, was about 100 metres from Tynemouth Sailing Club, the establishment that I have been a member of for over sixty years: cadet, junior, full, outport (when working for Musto & Hyde in Essex in the early seventies) to family member. When I stopped dinghy sailing and went 'big boat' I transferred to VIP, I think, then it was back to full membership in the hope that I could rediscover, with the  purchase of another RS400, some of my lost youth!  A hip replacement some two years ago and then ‘the virus’ put paid to that but who knows what 2021 will bring?

As a cub back in the fifties, to achieve the ‘step’ up to the sea scouts, apart from being of the correct age, one had in those days to be able to pass a a certain number of tests; if my memory serves me correctly,  one of the criteria to join was the ability to tie certain knots; well I failed big style! The only knots that I could master were the reef knot and the figure of eight or stopper knot at the end of my Heron jib sheets!  For many a year it was my various crews that tied the sheets to the spinnaker, these days I can manage a bowline, with a lot of thought, and hang fenders without them disappearing over the side but sadly nowt else! Onboard Hindsight, our Mystery, we do have a couple of knot books which are written for right handed folks (my wife and crew Jenny is, like me, left handed) On the rare occasions where we are bored or unable to take shore leave we do dig the books out but our efforts usually end up with us downing a stiff drink as consolation for another failure.

A knot which we have tried on many occasion to master is the 'rolling hitch' which is tied round a 'Master' line and then it's used when pulled to either tighten or ease tension, useful if you have say a riding turn on a winch or making it possible to tension up a large diameter mooring line which, because of its size, we cannot get it round a cleat. Think 20mm Greek lazy lines in Mandraki, Corfu or Port Spillio further South! For 2021, assuming we ever get there, I am going to purchase from boss man Andy a Davis Line Grabber. Hopefully no more getting the knot book out, reading and twenty minutes later getting the correct result or not! Boss man Andy was dragged up to the sail loft to demo the below, perhaps I should have been demonstrating however I do think (he would no doubt disagree) that my skill when taking an image or short video are better than his!!!

• It adds, in a couple of seconds, a strong convenient attachment (and is left hand dyslexic proof says me).
• Cinches securely to any line 1/2 inch to 1 inch (1.27 cm to 2.54 cm) in diameter. Just loop it twice around a line, snug it tight, and it will hold.
• Loosens easily for adjustment or removal.
• Ideal for taking tension off a jammed line, rescues, climbing a main halyard, looping around a handrail or steering wheel, and leading lines around difficult areas.
• Ultra high modulus fiber stands up to UV rays and resists abrasion.
• Holds up to 2000 lbs (900 kg). Safe working load is 500 lbs (225 kg).
• Will not damage braided or twisted line.
• 1/4″ (6 mm) ultra high modulas fiber.
• Includes: One pair of LineGrabbers. Each LineGrabber measures 9″ (23 cm) long.

If anyone reading the blog is ambidextrous and fancies helping me out I would love to produce a small booklet on knot tying for left handed people, any offers? Finally, and you will no doubt hate me for mentioning it again, a pair of LineGrabber's would make a perfect stocking filler.