After much thinking, drinking, and tenuous linking (see), I’ve decided to sell Kudu.

Well, more like been forced to, because I can’t afford to keep two boats. Yes, two boats. On boxing day I had a pleasant drive from Christchurch to Honiton in Devon to take a look at a potential purchase. I then drove from Honiton to Preston with a smile on my face, and a bank balance a few quid down on contents.

The new vessel, Vreli, is a 22 foot Tyler Boats Cinder. She is more suited to my intentions with an inboard engine, long keel, and at the joy of my back bones, standing headroom (for short arses like myself at least). A new project is about to begin, and who knows where it will take me. I guess this blog will be, for a time, a repeat of the first posts I made back in 2008. Fixing, modifying, and waiting to see what happens (I promise it will be something even more silly that sailing around Britain. I’ve got a long keel now, and I’ve always fancied visiting Palmer Ice station :p). I jest, don’t worry.

Anyway, down to business.

The Corribee for sale advert

I’m putting Kudu up for sale via Preston Marina brokerage.

Update: The paper work is signed and pending listing on their website she is for sale via the delightful people Preston Marina.

Kudu is a 1976 Mk1 bilge keel Newbridge Corribee with an extensive array of kit. She comes complete, although I would describe her as in “end of season condition”. I made a few running repairs during the trip, and although I made sure they were professional done, I haven’t finished them off. She’ll need a few hours of sanding and painting, standard pre season work really, and it IS only a few hours. There are no surprises here, I can assure you. Just look through the blog and you’ll see everything I’ve done to her. She is a substantial bit of sailing kit for the money.

Details:

• Harken winches (x2)
• Plastimo roller furling
• ALL lines led aft to the cockpit with Spinlock mini jammers (including single line reefing)
• Main and Genoa, both in very good condition.
• Mounts for the auto pilot (although the AP itself is not included)
• Origo 1500 gimballed meths stove.
• Suzuki DF5 4 stroke outboard (2008, but not used until 2009) + external tank
• 40w (20w x2) solar panels with charge controller
• 2x 85ah domestic batteries
• Sterling sh0re power battery charger
• Marinco shore power inlet, with standard 230v onboard socket (plug the shore power in, and you’ve got instant battery charging and mains supply in the boat). The mains socket and charger are on separate breakers.
• 150w inverter so you have mains power when at sea
• Audio system; plug your laptop/mp3 player in to the on board amplifier and you have  a very impressive cinema system.
• 2009 Nasa Clipper instrument (depth,log, wind)
• Nasa BM-1 battery monitor so you can see the state of the batteries and what current is going in or out.
• CQR anchor + chain and warp.
• Spare shrouds & forestay + anchor ball land motoring cone.

Points to note:

• The goose neck bolt had sheared, so it will need drilling out and replacing. If you have a decent drill and a vice, this is a dead simple job.
• The chart plotter is NOT included.

Kudu has had a lot of work done to her, and this summer was well testing in some relatively extreme conditions. I’ve ironed out all the teething troubles that you just would not find normally unless you really pushed it. She is now a very solid boat and ready to take somebody else on a life changing adventure.

There are a few pictures of the boat as I was refitting her back in Summer 2008 here but obviously a lot has been added since then.

Please contact Preston Marina if you’re interested > 01772 733595

I’ve come to a decision regarding my little fork in the road.

I’m currently in Dorset, having just got back from one of the local chandlers in Christchurch. I returned with a fishing rod, and a 22m of 8mm rope, which will be whipped into a new halyard when I get back to the boat.

I’m going for it. I’ve already told the marina that I’ll be cutting the length of my stay short by a month, so I’ll be setting off from London on the 2nd of May. I need to get some charts sorted, which is an annoyance with them costing £45 for each portfolio (and I seem to need three!!).

The plan is to pass the Dover straight and head into the Solent, eventually landing back here in Christchurch. I’ll have a bit of a break and then continue my journey around the coast until I reach the Ribble estuary, before heading inland to Preston docks, and marina. After that, I have no idea what I will do, but that’s the nature of the beast that is Nathan

I expect this little Spring cruise to take me about 6 weeks since I’ll be doing little hops and taking my time to explore a bit of England.

I’m happy that I know have something to aim for on my horizon, but yet quite nervous about the whole thing. The dover straight looks like it’s going to be a right bastard of a sail single handed in a boat that does 5 knots, on a good day. 

I must remember to keep turning right too, my little boat isn’t quite built for Biscay… yet