Teal’s History

Shortly after joining the Royal Southern YC, we were on committee boat duty when I saw a Hardy Commodore 36 in the RSrnYC Yacht Haven.

GA profile

I thought it would work for us. Dairne took a little persuading! Also we would have to make several adaptations to allow Dairne to move around, and even to get on board.

We did look at other motor boats, but most required you to board via the swimming platform, and the owner’s cabin was usually in the bow where you have to swing round to get on and off the bunk; both impossible for most stroke survivors.

GA plan

Teal, the boat we eventually bought, had been built in 2002 and   marina based, connecting to shore power each evening. As we often spend several days at anchor that had to be addressed. Other access issues had to be addressed to enable Dairne to board and move about. 

We took delivery in September 2015, and endured a rough trip from Poole to Marchwood. During the winter of 2015/5 we spent most of the time in the Royal Southern YC Yacht Haven (because Ariadne was still technically in our ownership and Marchwood YC resist anyone having 2 boats in the yard).

After a Spring refot at Marchwood,  were really familiarising ourselves with the boat, and occasionally assisting at Royal Southern YC regattas

This is a list of key events (where possible links to Flickr Albums are included).

2015

Aug 23: Survey – “Teal ‘as bought”

Sep 26: MYC Newtown Rally

Nov New boarding ladder

Dec 15: RSrnYC RYS Rally

2016

Apr 15: Spring refit (snap davits,Propspeed, new steps

Apr 30: RSrnYC Yarmmouth Motor Boat rally

May 7: RSrnYC Harken Regatta (committee boat)

May 17: RSrnYC Beaulieu Cruiser Rally

Jun 4: MYC Gins Farm

Jun 7: RSrnYC Cruiser Bembridge

Jun10: RSrnYC Motorboats Cowes

Jun17: Teal ashore for repairs

Jun 26: Family on board

Jul 5: RSrnYC Motorboats Bembridge

Jul7: Chilling out in Thorney Channel

Jul 17: RSrnYC Regatta (C0mmittee boat)

Aug 5: Peaceful weekend in Keyhaven

Aig 13: Wedding duty for Stuart Southwick

Aug 17: RSrnYC Newtown rally

Sep 17: Family weekend in Newtoqn

Oct 17: Teal ashore (Throttle problem)

Composite Teal

We were back in the water by April, and managed to do quite a few rallies with the Royal Southern Yacht Club cruiser and motor boat sections; and a couple of Marchwood YC Rallies as well.

We did not do much committee boat work in this year, but did make Teal available to the RSrnYC Sailability Day

The highlight of the year was a cruise in company with the Royal Southern YC, when we were accompanied by Dairne’s college friend, Rowena. The weather was very patchy all year, and we had serious doubts about making the trip. In the event it was successful, and our first real holiday since Dairne’s stroke.

Derrible Bay, Sark

I had not planned to do a Log, and we were well into the trip before I started  collecting the material, so the early parts of the Log are a bit thin. In the end, however, I managed to produce both a You Tube video (and CD) and a pdf printed Log

Other events, organised by Royal Southern YC and Marchwood YC are recorded in the flickr albums

Everybody was late getting going this year after a long, cold, wet Spring. Alan Ganter serviced the heat exchangers, sorted out a pump defect and fitted a much better tap in the aft heads. Stuart Southwick did a brilliant job cleaning the teak, polishing and antifouling. I did a bit of work on the props, rudders trim tabs, and P-brackets. Propspeed has been abandoned in favour of Trilux on all of these except the props. There I tried PropShield, a kind of propeller grease. It turned out to be tricky to apply, and the end result seems rather rough. It did not work,  and was pressure washed off at the mid season scrub.

Highlights of the year are listed below/ The video and pdf cruise Logs. together with selected flickr albums, can be accessed from the links above. I had a period of illness early in the year, and the Marchwood pontoons were removed for dredging toward the end of the season, so Dairne could not get on the boat. We only did  one committee boat session for Royal Southern. I was on call for the protest committee for the Warsash Spring Series and the Fast 40 regatta run by Royal Southern, but there were no protests. We  favoured the mid week events run by Royal Southern and sadly we did not make it to any Marchwood YC event. We shall have to try harder next year!

PPYH= “Prince Philip Yacht Haven” which is the marina at the Royal Southern Yacht Club in Hamble

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We decided to have a quiet year, limiting our cruising to our “home range” between Portland and Selsey Bills.Over the winter we had added 200 watt solar panels; replaced the bedside lights with LED; added a radar reflector; and installed a feed from the batteries to our G-Tech carpet sweeper. The early part of the season was quite busy

31st March – Launched

10th-12th April – Newtown [rope round shaft during return. Lifted out]

13th April – lifted out to replace bow thruster shear pin.

18th -22nd April – Royal Southern YC midweek rally to Baulieu and Cowes.[Easter Rally]

2nd-5th May – Yarmouth, Hardy Rally

5th-7th May –  Newtown

7th-12th  – May – Lymington [houseboat for son Neil during 505 National Championships – R Lym YC]

15/16 May – longside MYC for generator repairs.

24th-27th May – Marchwood YC Rally to Bembridge and Royal Clarence Marina

13th June – White Line committee boat for R SrnYC June regatta

14th – 17th Jun – racing cancelled so went to Newtown

In 2021, we were delayed launching by Covid. Eventually we went for a short cruise  to Chichester. On our return we discussed the situation and agreed that Dairne’s post stroke mobility had declined further, and Graham was finding the preparation and packing up for a short cruise was getting too onerous, so we decided to sell Teal.

Teal was eventually bought and remained at Marchwood till the Spring of 2021. Then, renamed, she made a passage to Falmouth en route to Scotland. A period of severe weather coupled with a lucky situation with a boat moving company meant she completed the passage by road.

So, Teal no longer exists, and our boating days are over. Teal had given us 5 extra years on the water, and we enjoyed owning her.