TillerHand v TillerClutch

You may have seen a TillerHand on the tiller of little Grace.

TillerHand in my humble opinion is good for giving some resistance to tiller movement so you can let go for a few moments but it is not easy (fiddly) to lock it off completely and by the time you have it needs adjusting. Perhaps more useful and the fiddling not a problem when you don’t have to make a lot of adjustments in open water but where I sailed last year I found I was yearning for something I could release and know the tiller was locked but that would free up when I took hold of the tiller again.

I was half way to designing one on the back of an envelope when I came across TillerClutch. I have not been able to try it yet because of the problems with the hull of Little Grace but it seems to be everything I was hoping for.

Update: The line used by the Tiller Clutch gets in the way when starting the engine and manovering at slow speeds. Otherwise it is a great improvement that makes it possible to leave the cockpit for a few moments, to deal with  sails, lines, fenders, check the GPS etc. or even go into the cabin to check the chart.

Just as important, on returning to the helm, the tiller clutch is released with one movement of the leaver and course corrections can be achieved quickly.

Click here for some video for the Tiller Clutch in action on Little Grace.

Under wraps

Click to enlarge

Work continues

The sailing club's boat shed has some holes in the roof and the local bird population makes contributions to the rain that dips down from time to time. Additionally the end of the shed is open to the elements. But even with all this there is nothing like the beating Little Grace would get from the weather in our garden every winter and spring. Even though she was covered last winter the covers themselves did a lot of damage as they shuddered and shook in the unforgiving winds.

Although it would not last long where we live, in the relative calm of the boat shed the van/car cover pictured above seems like a good investment at €200. It protects the work being done now and will protect the finished boat during future winters. It is tall enough and wide enough to allow work on all areas in comfort and at the moment the other side is opened up for ventilation.

A new home

When we started to convert our barn so our horses could live at home in 2010 we intended that Little Grace would be kept at one end during the winter and refurbishment, suitably protected from being nibbled.

There was more than enough room but we did not anticipate how much dust would be created by the horses' bedding, because of which Little Grace stayed in the garden last winter.

Little Grace in her new home

A few weeks ago I joined the local sailing club, whose members have about 100 motor boats and 100 yachts between them. We moved Little Grace to her new home two weeks ago, where I can work on her under cover.