What's going on with the boat?

After ten years living on Tarquilla we have moved to land. I'm often asked if we love the house or miss the boat and the real answer is - both. We still have Tarquilla and we are open to all options at the moment as far as her future is concerned. We will carry on working on her, it would be great to be able to sail her again. The Scilly Isles, Portishead marina, Bristol harbour and Falmouth are all places we have talked about as well as many others further afield. But, on the other hand, if a family was looking for a boat, ready to do the preparation she needs and wanted to take her on then we would sell her. She is not ready to sail off into the sunset but has a lot of life left in her. If you or someone you know would be interested then please contact us. She is 3 ply cold moulded, 42 foot long, one off design built in the 1960's. She has 2 double cabins and 2 single berths, a good size saloon, a decent size galley, head and a covered cockpit. She has two engines and a full suit of sails. We have lots more photos and can provide more details or answer questions. In the meantime, this blog has come to a natural pause for now as we take on new adventures.
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A stitch in time.

The other day I was handed a new pair of work trousers and told they would need hemming. I flippantly replied that it was OK as we had a sewing machine. My colleague probably didn’t realise exactly what our sewing machine is like and how important sewing is on a boat.

We have an old sewing machine which has been well used and carefully looked after while we have been travelling. The machine itself is a Singer and is 70 years old. It’s very pretty and a real workhorse. The skipper has run up sail covers, dinghy sails, cushion covers, curtains, hatch covers, and altered and mended lots of clothing. He even made dressing up outfits and a floor mat with sides for playing with the Lego.

 
Making hatch covers

On a boat there are many jobs which require a needle and thread. Sewing is an essential skill for any sailor. There are many groups on facebook and boards on pintrest dedicated to sewing projects on boats. It is a luxury to be able to carry your own sewing machine and in many anchorages apparently people will barter for needlework jobs.

 

Instruction manuals
Accessory box










 
The only problem with our machine is that we needed to be attached to shore power to be able to run it so when we were on quay sides or moorings jobs had to wait until the next marina, also it did shock the Skipper on one occasion. To solve this, he decided to look for a handle to convert it so it could be used with or without power.
 
Finding an apparently broken, cheap Singer machine in a charity shop the Skipper brought it home to start dismantling it. Looking again at the machine he realised that this one was a hundred years old and he didn’t feel he could take it to pieces. Removing the jammed bundle of threads, replacing a couple of parts and oiling it gave it new life. These things were built to last. 


 
 
So now we are a two-sewing-machine family. Good job we have a big boat.
 

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  1. Anonymous18 July 2015 at 16:24

    My mum's visiting at the moment. Yesterday she commented that her sewing box has been missing since I last visited Ireland in March. 'Oh you wouldn't know where it is', she said. 'I'm sure you never sewed a thing in your life'. Ah me...how my mother misunderstands me!

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