Deep in the hold I recently found footage of Toucando's early days. Painstaking restoration has allowed this significant material to be made available to the public. Thanks must go to all the photographers for recording the life of this unique turn of the century yacht.
Sunday, 25 September 2011
Saturday, 24 September 2011
Toucando's film career - Inspector George Gently
One of Toucando's starring roles was as the yacht of Gunter Schmeichel, the ex-Nazi bomber, whose murder was solved by Inspector George Gently (Martin Shaw) and his hapless assistant ,Sergeant John Bacchus (Lee Ingleby). Here they are coming on board to collect clues.
The relevant clip can now be seen on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWcixaJi5GA&feature=related
The relevant clip can now be seen on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWcixaJi5GA&feature=related
Tuesday, 20 September 2011
A trip to Yarmouth (almost)
Michele and Ava joined Toucando for a trip to Yarmouth. It was to coincide with the Solent Gaffers' "Centenary Chase". We left at 1330 with two reefs in the main. We got the sail up as soon as we were off the mooring and had a very nice sail down Southampton Water. The barometer had been falling steadily, and Southampton appeared to be under a black cloud as we looked back, but it was fine where we were.
We turned towards Yarmouth after Calshot Spit, putting on the engine to get through the "precautionary area". The wind picked up to a Force 7 (32 knots) from the SSW (the direction of Yarmouth). We made slow progress. We had a go at tacking, but our progress was not good.... another trip with a Force 7 from the wrong direction! We considered the merits of working our way to Yarmouth, but decided to head for Cowes instead.
We got the sails furled in the Medina and found a berth at East Cowes. We caught the bus to Yarmouth and arrived in time for dinner at the Royal Solent. Only five boats had taken part in the Chase, and many of the participants had themselves come by land, or ferry. The winner of the open boat class had taken a bang on the head from the boom, and had had a trip to A&E as a result. He managed to get back in order to claim his prize. Our decision to stop at Cowes was probably the prudent one.
On Sunday we headed back to Southampton. It was an almost perfect day for sailing... a Force 4 from the west. We sailed in a nice straight line across from Cowes towards Hillhead. Then we had to make a few tacks to get into Southampton Water and past the oil terminal. We then managed to have a long close-hauled tack most of the way up Southampton Water, during which we had lunch. We dropped the main just off Weston Shelf and headed for the Itchen. At that point the rain came, heavy and intense... the worst I can recall on Toucando. Fortunately there was not much wind at that point. We huddled in our waterproofs with the hoods pulled well over, and motored up to the pontoon, where we made a perfect landing.
And so ended Toucando's last scheduled event of the season.... However there will be more weekend sailing, providing the weather is ok. I have just heard a forecast suggesting we are going to get heavy snows in October. I hope that is wrong.
We turned towards Yarmouth after Calshot Spit, putting on the engine to get through the "precautionary area". The wind picked up to a Force 7 (32 knots) from the SSW (the direction of Yarmouth). We made slow progress. We had a go at tacking, but our progress was not good.... another trip with a Force 7 from the wrong direction! We considered the merits of working our way to Yarmouth, but decided to head for Cowes instead.
We got the sails furled in the Medina and found a berth at East Cowes. We caught the bus to Yarmouth and arrived in time for dinner at the Royal Solent. Only five boats had taken part in the Chase, and many of the participants had themselves come by land, or ferry. The winner of the open boat class had taken a bang on the head from the boom, and had had a trip to A&E as a result. He managed to get back in order to claim his prize. Our decision to stop at Cowes was probably the prudent one.
On Sunday we headed back to Southampton. It was an almost perfect day for sailing... a Force 4 from the west. We sailed in a nice straight line across from Cowes towards Hillhead. Then we had to make a few tacks to get into Southampton Water and past the oil terminal. We then managed to have a long close-hauled tack most of the way up Southampton Water, during which we had lunch. We dropped the main just off Weston Shelf and headed for the Itchen. At that point the rain came, heavy and intense... the worst I can recall on Toucando. Fortunately there was not much wind at that point. We huddled in our waterproofs with the hoods pulled well over, and motored up to the pontoon, where we made a perfect landing.
And so ended Toucando's last scheduled event of the season.... However there will be more weekend sailing, providing the weather is ok. I have just heard a forecast suggesting we are going to get heavy snows in October. I hope that is wrong.
Thursday, 15 September 2011
Midweek trip to Cowes
Just come back from a rare midweek cruise with Reading friends Jean and Roger. They came on Tuesday afternoon and we had baked cod on board that night. On Wednesday we set off in reasonable weather towards the Solent. It remained pleasant as we went down Southampton Water, although the wind built from a gentle force three to a brisk five or six. The rain came when we were in the Solent: the trawler specification wet weather gear came into its own. We got into Cowes and had plenty of berths to choose from at the Yacht Haven. After lunch Roger and I took a walk to Egypt Point: the weather was fine by now.
In the evening we enjoyed a very good meal at The Red Duster.
Today (Thursday) there was little wind and plenty of sunshine. We motor sailed back taking a scenic route off Osborne Bay, Ryde, Gilkicker, Lee and Hill Head.
The wind picked up in the afternoon and we had a slow run back up Southampton Water and were back on our pontoon by about 1600.
A nice gentle trip with a bit of excitement in the rain on the way out. The forecast is looking windy again for the weekend. Thanks Jean and Roger for giving me the opportunity to get out in the week and enjoy a quieter Solent.
In the evening we enjoyed a very good meal at The Red Duster.
Today (Thursday) there was little wind and plenty of sunshine. We motor sailed back taking a scenic route off Osborne Bay, Ryde, Gilkicker, Lee and Hill Head.
The wind picked up in the afternoon and we had a slow run back up Southampton Water and were back on our pontoon by about 1600.
A nice gentle trip with a bit of excitement in the rain on the way out. The forecast is looking windy again for the weekend. Thanks Jean and Roger for giving me the opportunity to get out in the week and enjoy a quieter Solent.
Tuesday, 13 September 2011
A windy weekend
Toucando had the first weekend of September off. The following week the winds began in earnest, said to be the tail end of Hurricane Katia. I got a call from the marina saying, "Please ring as SOON as possible!" That sounded alarming. The news was that the jib had partially unfurled and was flapping uncontrollably. To cut the story short, Alan from the marina went out in the launch, got the damaged sail down and lashed it to the deck. We're not sure quite how much wind there was... Sotonmet said gusts of 195 (which is not believable). Other sources said 50 to 60 knots. It was certainly very strong.
I went down to Southampton on Friday not knowing what the jib would look like. It turned out to have an L-shaped rip maybe about two feet in each direction. The sail was taken ashore and I got the boat ready for the weekend crew: Michele and Sarah P. It remained windy and the forecast was mentioning everything between Force 4 and 8 for the weekend. We had venison goulash aboard on Friday evening and agreed to set off on Saturday. We decided to take the cautious approach and stay fairly local. Plan A had been to go to Chichester Harbour with Southampton Sailing Club, but they had decided against it on the basis of the forecast. We decided to go and do a bit of sailing in Southampton Water and see what it was like. To begin we had some practice handling Toucando under power and a bit of a tour of the docks. We then decided to head for Hamble where we stayed at Port Hamble Marina. We took a walk into the village and enjoyed a drink or two at the Bugle, before returning to Toucando for pirate stew.
On Sunday it seemed fairly calm at first. We made a reasonably early start, motoring up river to begin, then turning and raising the mainsail with two reefs. We sailed out into Southampton Water. The wind was very variable... never much less than a four and often gusting well into force six and seven. We had a good and fast sail up towards Weston where we practised tacking and heaving to, gradually polishing our technique. Eventually we turned for the Itchen and went back to Toucando's mooring. There was a strong westerly wind blowing us on to the pontoon which made sorting out all the fenders a little tricky, but we got it all done before having a late lunch. Thanks to Michele and Sarah for their help.
Once the crew had gone I drove (the car) to Lee on Solent for a walk along the beach. It was a bright, sunny afternoon, but the winds were strong, and all the waves had white tops. There were plenty of walkers, fishermen, kite fliers, wind surfers etc., but I only counted two sailing boats, both well reefed, on the Solent. On Monday I took the jib to the sail maker... and was pleased to discover that it is repairable. The sail will now get a wash and full service. I am hoping that we will get a few good weekends before long... it's time the hurricane season was over.
Here are three pictures from the weekend (courtesy of Michele):
I went down to Southampton on Friday not knowing what the jib would look like. It turned out to have an L-shaped rip maybe about two feet in each direction. The sail was taken ashore and I got the boat ready for the weekend crew: Michele and Sarah P. It remained windy and the forecast was mentioning everything between Force 4 and 8 for the weekend. We had venison goulash aboard on Friday evening and agreed to set off on Saturday. We decided to take the cautious approach and stay fairly local. Plan A had been to go to Chichester Harbour with Southampton Sailing Club, but they had decided against it on the basis of the forecast. We decided to go and do a bit of sailing in Southampton Water and see what it was like. To begin we had some practice handling Toucando under power and a bit of a tour of the docks. We then decided to head for Hamble where we stayed at Port Hamble Marina. We took a walk into the village and enjoyed a drink or two at the Bugle, before returning to Toucando for pirate stew.
On Sunday it seemed fairly calm at first. We made a reasonably early start, motoring up river to begin, then turning and raising the mainsail with two reefs. We sailed out into Southampton Water. The wind was very variable... never much less than a four and often gusting well into force six and seven. We had a good and fast sail up towards Weston where we practised tacking and heaving to, gradually polishing our technique. Eventually we turned for the Itchen and went back to Toucando's mooring. There was a strong westerly wind blowing us on to the pontoon which made sorting out all the fenders a little tricky, but we got it all done before having a late lunch. Thanks to Michele and Sarah for their help.
Once the crew had gone I drove (the car) to Lee on Solent for a walk along the beach. It was a bright, sunny afternoon, but the winds were strong, and all the waves had white tops. There were plenty of walkers, fishermen, kite fliers, wind surfers etc., but I only counted two sailing boats, both well reefed, on the Solent. On Monday I took the jib to the sail maker... and was pleased to discover that it is repairable. The sail will now get a wash and full service. I am hoping that we will get a few good weekends before long... it's time the hurricane season was over.
Here are three pictures from the weekend (courtesy of Michele):
Wednesday, 31 August 2011
The Great Squall
Ava and Alexander joined Toucando on Friday evening ready for a prompt start on Saturday to take part in the Old Gaffers' Annual (Race and) Rally (Toucando was not racing). We left shortly after eight on what seemed to be a fine morning. The forecast was for winds of Force 4 or 5, with the possibility of a 6 "near headlands". We raised the mainsail with two reefs near Dockhead in very calm conditions and unfurled the staysail and jib. We proceeded to have a nice sail on a beam reach down Southampton Water.
We had hoped to see the other Gaffers somewhere off Cowes, but we couldn't. The wind, however, was much fresher when we got out into the Solent proper. We headed in the general direction of Ryde, and started picking out the occasional gaff rigged vessel.
By now the wind was more or less behind us, so we went on a training run, executing a number of excellent controlled gybes. By now we were close to a good part of the fleet. We looked over our shoulder and saw some dark grey clouds. Each of us went below and put on our waterproofs as a precaution. Then in the space of about half a minute, just off Gilkicker Point, the wind rose from Force 5 to the top end of Force 7 and the rain was lashing down. We turned north to be well clear of gybe point, and were grateful for the two reefs as Toucando heeled in the squall. As we were not racing we had no inhibitions about turning on the engine and getting the main down. We then turned back on course and completed our passage to Gosport quite comfortably, under the staysail alone.
We had a good berth at the end of a pontoon in the Royal Clarence Marina, near Morwenna (Heard 28) and Brilleau. We enjoyed a stroll around Gosport, which was rather dominated by the festival music throbbing in the park. Then we called into the bar where the results of the race were announced. All the talk was of the squall. Fortunately no damage was done, but many boats had had an exciting few minutes. Mark Woodhouse's Foxhound was the overall winner.
Sunday was a day of doing very little, except sitting on the boat and reading. Toucando had a few admiring visitors, many of whom recognised her lines as a Heard. In the evening we joined in the barbecue on the dockside, and listened to shanties provided by Terry (amongst others). Amazingly they muffled the sound of the Gosport Festival quite effectively.
On Sunday Three Brothers rafted up beside us... she is an amazing traditional fishing boat, with very little in the way of modernisation.
We set off about 1100 to catch the west flowing tide. We raised the main in the harbour and unfurled thejib and staysail in the Swashway. We tacked up the eastern Solent to Warsash, by which time the wind was definitely from the northwest, and the tide falling: not a good combination for getting up Southampton Water efficiently, so we completed the passage under engine and made a perfect landing on Toucando's pontoon.
Thanks to Alexander and Ava for being a very efficient crew... and the Solent Gaffers for a great event.
We had hoped to see the other Gaffers somewhere off Cowes, but we couldn't. The wind, however, was much fresher when we got out into the Solent proper. We headed in the general direction of Ryde, and started picking out the occasional gaff rigged vessel.
By now the wind was more or less behind us, so we went on a training run, executing a number of excellent controlled gybes. By now we were close to a good part of the fleet. We looked over our shoulder and saw some dark grey clouds. Each of us went below and put on our waterproofs as a precaution. Then in the space of about half a minute, just off Gilkicker Point, the wind rose from Force 5 to the top end of Force 7 and the rain was lashing down. We turned north to be well clear of gybe point, and were grateful for the two reefs as Toucando heeled in the squall. As we were not racing we had no inhibitions about turning on the engine and getting the main down. We then turned back on course and completed our passage to Gosport quite comfortably, under the staysail alone.
We had a good berth at the end of a pontoon in the Royal Clarence Marina, near Morwenna (Heard 28) and Brilleau. We enjoyed a stroll around Gosport, which was rather dominated by the festival music throbbing in the park. Then we called into the bar where the results of the race were announced. All the talk was of the squall. Fortunately no damage was done, but many boats had had an exciting few minutes. Mark Woodhouse's Foxhound was the overall winner.
Sunday was a day of doing very little, except sitting on the boat and reading. Toucando had a few admiring visitors, many of whom recognised her lines as a Heard. In the evening we joined in the barbecue on the dockside, and listened to shanties provided by Terry (amongst others). Amazingly they muffled the sound of the Gosport Festival quite effectively.
On Sunday Three Brothers rafted up beside us... she is an amazing traditional fishing boat, with very little in the way of modernisation.
We set off about 1100 to catch the west flowing tide. We raised the main in the harbour and unfurled thejib and staysail in the Swashway. We tacked up the eastern Solent to Warsash, by which time the wind was definitely from the northwest, and the tide falling: not a good combination for getting up Southampton Water efficiently, so we completed the passage under engine and made a perfect landing on Toucando's pontoon.
Thanks to Alexander and Ava for being a very efficient crew... and the Solent Gaffers for a great event.
Tuesday, 23 August 2011
A proper summer weekend
Most weekends this summer have been marred by: 1. too much wind; 2. too little wind; 3. rain; 4. plague... etc.. In other words a typical British summer. This one was rather better. Charlotte and Michele joined Toucando on Friday, and after a crab salad we set off for Yarmouth. We had a pretty good sail down Southampton Water, then tacked down the western Solent. Yarmouth unfortunately had its "Harbour Full" sign up, so we went to Lymington instead. We had a few exciting minutes stuck on the mud by the Lymington River channel, but were helped off by a passing rib (rigid inflatable boat). We stayed on the excellent Dan Bran pontoon.
On Saturday we had thought about going to Poole, but it would have meant a ridiculously early start, so we went with the tide to Gosport instead. Haslar Marina gave us a good berth - easy to get on and off. We had a walk around the town centre and up to Royal Clarence yard: then curry on board Toucando and a viewing of "Deep Water" the documentary about Donald Crowhurst's ill fated participation in the 1968 Sunday Times Round the World Race.
On Sunday we thought we would take advantage of the tide and sail east first towards the Nab Tower and then come back into the Solent and up to Southampton with the tide. It all worked very well. We went on every point of sail and only had to tack twice to get all the way back from the Nab to Weston Shore and the entrance to the River Itchen. Thanks to Charlotte, Michele and some decent summer weather.
I am going to try and upload a video: let's hope it works.
On Saturday we had thought about going to Poole, but it would have meant a ridiculously early start, so we went with the tide to Gosport instead. Haslar Marina gave us a good berth - easy to get on and off. We had a walk around the town centre and up to Royal Clarence yard: then curry on board Toucando and a viewing of "Deep Water" the documentary about Donald Crowhurst's ill fated participation in the 1968 Sunday Times Round the World Race.
On Sunday we thought we would take advantage of the tide and sail east first towards the Nab Tower and then come back into the Solent and up to Southampton with the tide. It all worked very well. We went on every point of sail and only had to tack twice to get all the way back from the Nab to Weston Shore and the entrance to the River Itchen. Thanks to Charlotte, Michele and some decent summer weather.
I am going to try and upload a video: let's hope it works.
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