09Aug/23
Helene is for sale – £4500 or best offer – SOLD
A124 Helene — a British Classic with a Big Personality — is offered for sale. She is sound, well looked after and a pleasure to sail. Very comfortable cockpit. Helene has benefitedRead More…
All posts by JimSumberg
29Jul/23
Fairey Marine – ‘Disruptors’?
With the introduction of the Atalanta, was Fairey Marine a ‘disruptor’? Jim Sumberg and Nick PhillipsMARCH 2023 In today’s business world being recognised as a ‘disruptor’ is a badge of honour (andRead More…
16Jul/23
AOA 2023 Ore and Alde Cruise: The Unbelievable Truth
The cruising log is a unique literary genre, and can take many forms. Part fact and part fiction, a log can be as tedious as a week in the Horse Latitudes and/orRead More…
06May/23
Helene’s cabin update
This spring the painters and decorators had a go at updating Helene’s cabin. Interesting comparison with Nick’s 2015 photo below. Title: 2015 08 Helene East Coast 021-f6d16bbeCaption: August 2015
03May/23
New mylar keel gaskets
Following work this spring to address water ingress along the bottom of Helene’s keel boxes, new slot gaskets were installed using Hawk 150mm mylar gasket material obtained from RS Sailing. The badlyRead More…
23Mar/23
Centre line repairs
Over the last several years water has leaked into Helene’s forward cabin. The amount was relatively small – more annoying than anything else – but something was not right. Everything pointedRead More…
12Nov/22
Winter Quarters, 2021/22
This is a late, but nevertheless. Helene was lifted on 18 October 2021 at Mistley Marine on the River Stour in Essex. It proved to be a somewhat quirky but very pleasantRead More…
The Wrabness tender mystery. Part 2
On taking over a boat it is common to inherit a certain number of “special” items. Dredged from the depths of locker or lazarette, damp and probably rusty, their identity andRead More…
23Sep/21
The Wrabness tender mystery. Part 1
The plan was for an overnight to Pin Mill or the Walton Backwaters. We left Manningtree under sail around 1130 anticipating the ebb, without even a cat’s paw of breeze. TheRead More…
30Jul/21
Cockpit comfort – orientation and curves
Since the mid-1990 I have owned a number of small boats including a Devon Yawl, Cornish Shrimper, Cornish Crabber (Mk 1), Kingfisher 22+ (jink rig), Anderson 26 (lifting keeI), Golden Hind andRead More…
24Jul/21
The times they are a changing, dear Maurice
To escape the worst of the expected heatwave I thought I would visit what has quickly become my favourite anchorage, and do some relaxed mud listening. After a beat down the StourRead More…