Maiden Voyage, 13/4/21: Titchmarsh Marina to Wrabness

by

Posted:

Leave a Comment

And so the day dawned, after a cold night aboard; time to make our maiden voyage on Goshawk of Møn.

The day began with a warm shower in Titchmarsh Marina’s newly refurbished shower block, followed by breakfast aboard. It was at this point that I realised that I had failed to buy bowls in my hurried trip to Sainsbury’s, so cereal was eaten out of mugs, tumblers and even sauce pans.

Whilst faffing (something that I excel at) we were visited by Roy, a fellow member of the Westerly Owners’ Association who I had ‘met’ through the association’s Facebook page. Roy has a Discus at Titchmarsh, and, as well as admiring Goshawk, he was able to give some tips and advice over tea and coffee aboard. I’ve been really impressed with the Westerly Owners’ Association since I bought Goshawk back in September; they really are a kind, friendly, helpful and supportive bunch. Membership is well worth £15 a year!

A little later my cousin, James arrived. James is an experienced yachtsman and yacht racer, and I had managed to persuade him to help me with my maiden voyage. This turned out to be an excellent idea! 

James was able to open the water tank cap so we filled it up and added a hefty dose of Milton, which we allowed to work its magic for thirty minutes or so before flushing the tank through a couple of times.

Meanwhile, an engineer from French Marine Motors arrived to check over the engine and to run it in for a a while. Thankfully no issues!

Then it was time to pack away, bid farewell to Claire, my wife, and daughter Lily, who were not accompanying us on this epic voyage (someone had to drive the car around to Wrabness after all), before cranking up the engine and departing.

We managed to leave at 13.15, just fifteen minutes after my planned departure time. This gave us plenty of water to navigate through the narrow channels of the River Twizzle and the Walton Backwaters whilst eating lunch. My mind instinctively went to the adventures of the Swallows and Amazons in Arthur Ransome’s classic, Secret Water, set as it is in the Backwaters. It’s also one of those books that I instinctively turn to when I need something warm, gentle and reassuring in those periods when life gets too stressful. I was also able to point out Stone Point to my son Daniel, where many years before I had camped as a child with some of my friends from Wrabness.

We continued underway by engine until we passed Pye End buoy, where we put the boat head to wind, and raised the sails. Sails up, we cut the engine and began sailing Goshawk. And what a tremendous experience that was! Goshawk’s sails are in excellent condition, and she sailed really well, better than I had expected and could have hoped for. With James to take the lead, to advise and to coach, Daniel and I felt in safe hands and were able to enjoy sailing our new boat without any of the worry that I would have had if I had attempted the trip without him.

As we rounded Harwich, I got a text from Claire to tell me that she and Lily would be waiting for us on the Ha’Penny Pier, so we sailed in as close as we were able (the wind shadow from the Navyard Wharf prevented us from getting too close), and we were able to wave to each other. Claire was also able to take some great action photos of us.

Daniel had been feeling a little unwell since we had put the sails up, but as we entered the Stour he began to feel much better, and was even able to share some of his classic jokes with us (most of which have the punchline ‘poo poo!’ There’s nothing quite like the sense of humour of a five year old boy!

As we approached Shotley Gate, I sent a quick text to my Grandmother, whose back garden rolls down to the estuary, to let her know that we would be passing her house soon. We were able to see her really clearly waving a tea towel at us as we passed, and we waved back. Her next door neighbour was also able to get some excellent photos of us as we passed.

By this point we were well into the Stour Estuary and I was reminded quite how long Parkestone Quay is. It just seems to go on and on and on forever! Eventually, however, we were able to leave it behind us as we pushed on past Erwarton and Harkstead on the north bank.

A good, steady breeze from the south west meant that we were able to sail up the Stour estuary in one tack, and before we knew it we had reached Wrabness. We sailed past a good cluster of boats moored off the east shore before heading to wind, starting the engine and dropping the sails to head for our mooring. James was keen for us to approach under sail, but not having the first idea which was actually my mooring, I thought that this might be unnecessarily difficult. It transpired that we would be the first boat to arrive on the west shore for the summer, which made it even harder to recognise my mooring, In the end we gave up and picked up a random mooring, which turned out to be my brother’s, at about 17.00.

We managed to pack away fairly speedily and Claire dutifully rowed out to pick us all up.

All in all, a really great day’s sailing. I could not have been more happy with how Goshawk performed. I have read mixed reviews of how well Centaurs sail, but based on my experience on this day, I have absolutely no complaints.

As we rowed to the shore, I was able to appreciate Goshawk’s beauty. It is always far better to judge a boat’s appearance when she is on the water rather than on the hard standing, or even alongside a pontoon. And she really is a beauty.

Thanks to James for helping me with the sail, and to all the photographers who took such great pictures as we sailed.

First night aboard Goshawk

by

Posted:

Leave a Comment

Frantic phone calls were made last week: I had arranged for Goshawk to be anti-fouled, the engine to be reconditioned, sacrificial anode replaced, and for a gas safety check to be undertaken. All phone calls confirmed that, oh yes, of course all the work had been completed. Perhaps I need to be more trusting and less frantic!

Yesterday lunch time, once my wife, Claire, had returned from her night shift and packed not just her stuff, but also the children’s stuff (she really is awesome), we drove from our home in Sussex to Titchmarsh Marina, where we found Goshawk newly launched and waiting for us on the pontoon. 

Then we started trying to ascend the steep learning curve!

First things first – locate Goshawk’s electrical input from shore power, and plug her in. Of course, the socket was in, quite literally, the last place I looked; in the stern locker.

Electricity sorted, time to sort the gas. Easy enough to do, but I was a little perplexed that the regulator wasn’t connected to the pipe work. Perhaps my mistake – perhaps it shouldn’t be?

Next, locate the cap for the water tank. Easy enough, but completely seized…

Then the loo, and my first introduction to seacocks. I had to re-read the loo manual to work out how to operate the flush, but couldn’t see any seacocks. A quick question on the Westerly Owners’ Association Facebook page led to a quick answer – under the seats next to the cool box. Oh yes! Process of elimination enabled me to work these out fairly quickly. A working loo – hurrah!

By this time my parents had arrived (the first time we have seen them since October), so time to put the kettle on. This led me to find the cabin gas tap in the cupboard under the stove. Job done.

Next up, try to find somewhere to stash all the food and kit (and books, and toys) that we had brought with us. I didn’t think this would be straightforward on a 26 footer, but it turns out there is masses of storage space on a Centaur – albeit mostly under the cushions on the seating!

And so we were just about sorted. Dinner was cooked and eaten, children were put to bed in the forward cabin, our dinner was eaten, and it was time to relax and enjoy our very first evening aboard our very own boat! And what a lovely place to be; the Walton Backwaters really do have a unique beauty all of their own, enhanced by the chugging of a passing motor vessel.

The boat was actually pretty warm when we boarded, and remained warm throughout the day. In the evening we were very thankful to have the electric hookup as it enabled us to run a small fan heater that I had purchased for the purpose. By the time we went to bed, the boat was warm and toasty.

Sleeping in warm clothes, thick sleeping bags and underneath duvets I wondered if actually we might have overdone it, but by 3am the cabin was rather on the chilly side (-4 outside!), so I was very glad to be able to pull my sleeping bag up to my chin and feel warm and cosy, and sleep for another four and a half hours

And so, our first night aboard Goshawk!

Goshawk is now on Instagram!

by

Posted:

Leave a Comment

As we count down the days to Goshawk’s launch on April 12th, and our maiden voyage on April 13th, I’m pleased to announce that Goshawk of Møn now has her own Instagram account. Find us @goshawkofmon!

Why a Westerly Centaur?

by

Posted:

Leave a Comment

Why did I decide to buy a Westerly Centaur? Clearly months of research went into such a significant decision, didn’t it? I’d like to say yes, of course, but actually that couldn’t be much further from the truth!

I’ve wanted a yacht for many years; probably most of my life! I grew up on the banks of the River Stour on the Essex/Suffolk borders, and still spend as much time by the river as I can. My family have always been into boats; my grandfather was a very keen sailor and an astonishingly good amateur boat builder. When I was a babe in arms I went out in his Drascombe Lugger, and subsequently his Cornish Coble. 

When I was probably about eight, my grandfather built four Optimists, one of which came to my brother and I. I spent many happy hours in my Oppy, and subsequently progressed to a Topper. By the time I got a Topper of my own, I was spending most of the summer on the water with my my brother and our two best friends, having all kinds of adventures. Our favourite activity was for the four of us to take three Toppers out and switch around, capsizing, jumping off, swimming from boat to boat, and racing. So much fun!

A rare photo of me sailing my Optimist

When I was a little older, my parents also bought a Cornish Coble, which we still have. The Coble is the perfect estuary sailor, and I’ve had hours of fun taking my friends, and subsequently my own family, sailing around the Stour. We’ve ventured to Manningtree for an ice cream, to Stutton Ness for picnics, to Harkstead to walk to the Baker’s Arms, to Shotley to visit my grandparents, to Pin Mill to visit the Butt and Oyster, and the Walton Backwaters to camp on Stone Point.

Teaching my son to sail the family Coble

Throughout all this I’ve always hankered for a yacht; a boat in which we can venture further afield, make a cup of tea, use the loo, and sleep overnight. Since I’ve got married and had two children, this hankering has only grown. 

I’ve had a (rather half-hearted) boat fund for some years, and, despite looking at yachts from time to time, it didn’t ever feel like the right time. 

Sadly, in 2020 my grandfather passed away. It was he who gave me my initial sailing experiences, who built me my first boat, and who taught me so much about boats and the skill of sailing. He left me some money, and it seemed only fitting that I should invest this in a yacht. So the search began.

My Grandparents at my wedding

One of my friends at Wrabness managed to buy a Micro for next to nothing. It looked like a great little boat with a good turn of speed, and also potentially the space for my son and I to go off on the occasional overnight trip. 

I found a Micro for sale in Manningtree (where else?) and went with my mum, my wife and my son to take a look. It quickly became clear that this wouldn’t be the right boat for us; just not enough space, and too rough and ready. I was a little disappointed.

A Micro 18

I found myself reflecting how much I really wanted a boat. It was clear that if I was to achieve my dream, I would have to commit quite a bit more money to the acquisition of a boat. I decided that yes, I did want a yacht, and that there would never be the right time to make a purchase. Aware that I was not getting any younger, and neither was my family, I decided to take the plunge, find a boat, and make a purchase.

My next thought was to buy a Cape Cutter 19. I have long admired the Cape Cutter, and it seemed like the perfect boat for us; four decent berths, not too large, easy enough to pull out and store on a trailer in a field, and offering decent sailing on an estuary. It quickly became clear that Cape Cutters are not too easy to get hold of! I found a possible boat, but it was in the Lake District – a very long way away from the east coast! I researched how much it would cost to get the boat delivered to Wrabness, and it wasn’t a stupid amount of money. I tried to arrange a viewing – but got precisely nowhere.

A Cape Cutter 19

It seemed to me that Cape Cutters, although not reaching the ridiculous prices of something like a Norfolk Gypsy, are not cheap for what they are. I started shopping around a little more to see what I could get for my money. I quickly found a number of Westerly Centaurs advertised at a reasonable price (less that I had been looking at spending on a Cape Cutter), but offering a lot more boat – 26 foot, as opposed to 19 foot.

In August 2020, we managed to escape the pandemic for a few days in France, and on our return opted to spend a quasi-quarantine period in Sussex rather than heading straight back to Wrabness. Whilst at home in Sussex I found what looked like a Centaur in excellent condition, and advertised at a sensible price. I contacted the broker and arranged to visit the boat at Titchmarsh Marina that same day. We all jumped in the car and drove up to Essex.

Sales particulars for Goshawk

The boat in question was, of course, Goshawk, and I was immediately smitten. From the outside she looked exceptional, especially considering her age (she was launched in 1973). She also looked pretty good in the cabin. Sitting in the cabin looking around me at the space available – four decent berths, one in a separate cabin, a loo in a proper heads compartment, a decent saloon and galley – it occurred to me that a Centaur would be absolutely perfect for my family. It also occurred to me that Goshawk was in superb condition, and that I was unlikely to find a better example of such an elderly boat.

Aboard Goshawk

Keen to avoid a rash decision, I drove home to think about whether I should buy Goshawk. I spoke to my uncle, a keen yacht sailor, who advised that Centaurs are excellent boats, but the asking price was on the high side. He suggested that I make an offer subject to survey, and got a qualified yacht surveyor to take a good look over her. 

So that’s what I did! I phoned up the broker and made an offer, which was rejected. He came back with a counter offer, which I accepted, subject to survey. 

Goshawk came through the survey with glowing colours, and a short while later I took possession of her. 

Subsequently, I’ve done some online research about Westerly Centaurs, and it appears that I made a very good choice. It transpires that the Centaur is one of the most popular British boats ever launched, with 2,444 built between 1969 and 1984. A significant number are still around today, and they have diehard fans. Designed by the very highly regarded Jack Giles of Laurent Giles, they were the first mass-production yacht to be tank-tested in the design stage. Centaurs were designed with state of the art twin keels – which, for an east coast sailor, is absolutely ideal. They have been a popular choice with families as they are well-built, strong, safe and sail well. For my family and I, the Centaur looks like the perfect boat!

Hopefully that will prove to be the case when we get Goshawk in the water in a few weeks time, and spend the coming year getting to know her better.

Not long now!

by

Posted:

Leave a Comment

After what, it has to be said, hasn’t been the best few months, the day is looming when we can get Goshawk back in the water! To celebrate, I’ve dusted down Goshawk’s website with a shiny new look. 

This will, of course, be the first time that we have had Goshawk in the water as her new owners. We’re excited-but also a little bit nervous!

The plan at present is to have her engine de-winterised, her bottom anti-fouled, and then dropped in on April 12th. We will spend the afternoon aboard and acquaint ourselves with Goshawk’s kit and controls. 

April 13th is all set to be The Big Day. We plan to arrive at Titchmarsh Marina first thing in the morning, prepare Goshawk for departure, and then leave Titchmarsh around 1pm to sail to her summer mooring at Wrabness on the River Stour. 

Speaking of Wrabness, I feel very fortunate to have secured a mooring in a prime location in the Stour. It was a slightly convoluted affair! A friend happened to be selling his boat, and whilst the buyer is Wrabness based, he ideally wanted a mooring further to the east. Meanwhile, my uncle was selling a mooring slightly further to the east which he offered to me. Some negotiations later and I had managed to acquire my friend’s mooring from the person who bought his boat. Confused? I am. I told you it was a convoluted affair!

The boat which previously occupied my mooring was slightly smaller than Goshawk so I have contacted the Wrabness ‘harbour master’ to ask him to move the mooring a little, and to check that the tackle is fit for purpose. 

Meanwhile, I’m frantically working my way through the RYA Short Range Radio course material in the hope that I’ll be able to book myself in for a radio exam before the 12th April. I’m not sure, under current circumstances, if that’s a realistic possibility, but that’s my hope. 

It’s fair to say that I’m rather excited-but at the same time, a little nervous…

Roll on April 12th!

Be strong and courageous

by

Posted:

Leave a Comment

Be strong and courageous

[1] After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: [2] “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. [3] I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. [4] Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. [5] No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. [6] Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. [7] “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. [8] Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. [9] Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go .” …

Joshua 1:1-9

When I was eight years old I started at a new school. I don’t remember that auspicious day very well, but I do remember visiting the school for the first time. When we pulled up we met someone who I thought was the school gardener, but who actually turned out to be the headmaster! He was always known as Mr Peter, and he really was quite a character. On my tour of the school grounds with him we found an egg shell which he asked me to hold on to, very carefully. I remember clutching that shell for ages and ages. I think he must have forgotten about it! It wasn’t until the end of the tour that the shy, timid seven year old me had the courage to speak up and remind him of what I had been holding. He then explained to me all about the shell-the type of bird that had laid it, how long it would have sat on it, and why we had found a bit of it where we had.

There have been many times in my life that I’ve felt like a broken piece of eggshell, which without care would just crumble apart, or be broken into pieces.

Yet I’ve also felt that I’ve been able to draw comfort from being in the hand of God, a God who will protect me and look after me all the days of my life. A God who cherishes me and cares for me.
I only spent two years at this particular school, but I have incredibly strong and, for the most part, happy memories of my time there. One of the many things that I have been unable to forget is the school motto – Be Strong and of Good Courage – partly because it is so different from the motto of my senior school, which was “we ne’er wonne nor ne’er shall!” Be Strong and of Good Courage has almost become a life verse for me.

It is taken of course from the beginning of the book of Joshua, when Joshua is commissioned by God to succeed Moses as the leader of his people as they head for the promised land. We have just heard this text read to us.

I think one of the reasons that these verses have resonated with me down through the years is precisely because I am neither particularly strong nor courageous! There have certainly been many occasions when I have been frightened and dismayed, and perhaps not drawn on the courage that I should have had because the LORD my God is with me wherever I go.

One of the times when I felt most frightened and dismayed came in late September of 1997. Having gained good A Level results I found myself moving into a room in a Hall of Residence at Newcastle University, where I was to begin studying for a degree in Ancient History with Greek and Latin. As my parents drove me up to Newcastle, I got a strong sense of forboding. As we unloaded my possessions, something did not feel right. As I queued up to register in the main university building, I felt that I was making a wrong decision. When we returned to my room, I knew that I didn’t belong at Newcastle University. I explained this to my parents who suggested that I should sleep on it. I didn’t want to stay in my room, so stayed with them in a hotel near the university. That night I knew something was wrong. I knew that part of it was simply nerves at starting the next chapter in my life, but at the same time it felt much more than that. I prayed and prayed, I wept and wept. It felt like I was walking into a wall, a wall without a door, a wall that was impossible to pass through. I’m sure that God was telling me not to stay. I couldn’t explain why, and I can’t really explain how I got that sense that I was taking a wrong turning, but it ultimately felt that I was not supposed to be staying in Newcastle. Thankfully my parents were very understanding and we drove back home together the next day! They did explain that since I was not going to go to university, I needed to find a job, which I promptly did, and a few weeks later I found myself working at Marks and Spencer in Crawley.

It’s funny how when you look back on your life it is much easier to see the path that God has marked out for you than when you’re actually in the moment, trying to live your life. Not going to university seemed like such a strange thing to be doing. My friends and family had all expected me to go. My school expected me to go. I expected to go. But with hindsight I can look back on that decision as one of the most inspired I have ever taken. I spent two years in the real world, gaining valuable life experience. I was then made redundant and found myself wondering what to do with my life. At that point I opted to study History and Politics at the University of Essex, which was one of the most profoundly formative experiences both of my life and faith. It was there that I felt I came closer to God than at any previous time. It was there that I learnt what it really means to be a Christian. It was there that I learnt to more fully place my confidence in God’s Word. It was there that I decided I wanted to be a teacher. And it was there that I met the person who would introduce me to my wife. Had I stayed at Newcastle, my life would be very, very different to the life I now lead – very happily.

Of course, it would be easy to say – but Si, all this may well have happened if you had stayed at Newcastle, but I really do not think that that is true. I was a profoundly different man when I started at Essex in 1999 compared to the nervous and naïve boy I had been in 1997.
I wonder how different our lives would be if we all lived by Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” How different would life be if we defeated any sense of discouragement in our lives by trusting that God is with us?
Be strong and courageous, for whichever direction our lives take, whether it is the one that we anticipated, the one that others expected we would take, or a completely different path, the LORD will be with us always.

Perhaps if we trusted in that verse more, sought to eradicate discouragement from our lives, and trusted that God will be with us wherever we go, we might all live a little more adventurously, and not merely follow the obvious pathway.

Of course, God makes it clear to Joshua here that he must have God’s Word always on his lips. God’s Word here is referred to as the Book of the Law, but we might take this to mean the whole Bible. God stresses to Joshua the importance of knowing God’s word “so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.” Knowing God’s word, trusting God’s word, and striving to live by God’s word is part of being strong and courageous. Living by God’s word means turning our backs on earthly wisdom, and striving to live by Godly wisdom. This can often be difficult because it means standing out from the crowd, not following the crowd, but being willing to be different, and being seen to be different.

I’d love to tell you that I have always succeeded in this respect. I have tried, and continue to live my life according to God’s wisdom, but he knows that too often I have failed in this respect.

I remember vividly a conversation I had with a very close friend and colleague in the pub whilst I was in my first teaching role. We were talking about relationships of all things, and my colleague was urging me to pursue a lady we had previously discussed. I explained that I could not do this because she wasn’t a Christian and therefore it wouldn’t be appropriate for me. My colleague asked what on earth I was talking about, since surely I couldn’t be a Christian, because I was an intelligent person. I remember that conversation so vividly because I was concerned that my Christian witness was failing, and that I wasn’t being salt and light in the world. The way I was living my life seemed, to those close to me, to be no different to the way that anyone else following worldly wisdom lived their lives. I also remember it vividly because my colleague evidently did not think that any intelligent person could be a Christian!

What I have found time and time again is that I am happiest, I feel more focused, and I feel less directionless at those times in my life when I have immersed myself in God’s word on a daily basis, striving to listen to him speaking to me through the pages of the Bible. Conversely, at those times in my life when I’ve felt myself lacking direction, when I’ve felt unhappy and most stressed, it is surely no coincidence that I haven’t been reading the Bible as much as I should have been.

I wonder how different my life would be if I truly lived by the standards of Joshua 1:8, meditating on God’s word “day and night”! If I feel happiest, most focused, and least directionless when I have studied God’s word every day, how much happier, how much more focused, how much more direction would I know if actually God’s word was always on my lips, in my head and in my heart?

This passage from Joshua speaks a great deal to me. I wonder if it does to you too?

We can all be greatly comforted by God’s statement to Joshua, “be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

At the same time, we must remember the other instructions in this passage. “Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you, do not turn from it to the right or the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.” And also, “keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. They you will be prosperous and successful.”

Be strong and courageous because God is with us.

Be careful to obey God’s law.

Meditate on God’s word day and night.

A challenge to us all, but one which will enable us to live Godly lives, to know God, and ultimately to enjoy eternal life with him through Jesus Christ.

Simon's Sermons
Simon’s Sermons
Be strong and courageous
Loading
/

Superhuman-ly Good? Probably!

by

Posted:

1 Comment

Try Superhuman with one month free!

Superhuman is, apparently, the email service that every VC in Silicon Valley is talking about. Fair play to them, but I live in leafy Sussex and I’m not a VC. I’m not even sure I know what a VC is. At first glance, Superhuman is not for the likes of me.

But I love it.

What do I love most about it? That it costs me $10 a month. That’s £7.41.

But wait! Isn’t GMail free? Isn’t Outlook.com free? Why am I happy that Superhuman is charging me money for a service I can get for free? Well, partly because the headline price is $30 a month. Yes, $30 A MONTH! FOR EMAIL?! ARE THEY INSANE?!

Maybe. But probably not.

Joining Superhuman – not as easy as just clicking!

I first heard about Superhuman in the summer of 2019. Remember those heady days? Those days when we could go out for a meal, or to the cinema, or to the swimming pool? When we could meet up freely with friends and family, and hug, and shake hands?

Anyway, I digress.

I read about Superhuman and I was intrigued. Could an email service really be that good? I figured I’d sign up, try it for a month or two, and find out.

It transpires that it’s not that easy to sign up for Superhuman!

I first had to join a waiting list, which supposedly had 200,000 or something. Fine. I signed up and settled in for a wait.

Surprisingly quickly, I received an email inviting me to complete a survey. I filled in the survey and waited. Again, the wait was short. I soon received a message from Sahar at Superhuman inviting me to a 30 minute consultation “as the final step” to joining Superhuman.

Wait, what?! This is absurd! I ignored the email. I didn’t want to join a cult, I just wanted to try out an email service!

Sahar was nothing but persistent. Five days later I received another email from her saying “I noticed your consultation isn’t yet reserved” and urging me to reserve my time.

Nah, not joining. $30 a month is an absurd amount of money to spend on email.

Four days later I got another email from Sahar, telling me “we just have a few slots left for the week and I know you’ve been waiting :)”

Fine, you win. I filled out the form, booked my slot and handed over my credit card details.

Zoom (what on earth is Zoom?)

Next I received an invitation to a consultation with Siyarin on something called Zoom. (How strange to think of a time when not only was I not spending hours of every day on Zoom, but actually had never heard of it before!)

So on 8th August I loaded up Zoom and had a 30 minute consultation with Siyarin. I attempted to be cold, unimpressed and indifferent, but WOW! Siyarin was so warm and friendly. She was so helpful. She was so full of wisdom about better email management. And Superhuman was just so darn impressive!

I was an instant convert.

My plan to stay for just a month or two was thwarted by the sheer brilliance of Superhuman. As it was I stayed until January 2020 when I decided that yes, $30 a month really was too much to justify spending on email.

I actually email Rahul Vohra, the founder and CEO of Superhuman, and told him that I loved his service, and if he ever introduced an education plan with a reduced price, I was sure he would get loads of teachers signing up. Much to my surprise I had a response saying that he would give it some thought.

Jump forward to January of this year (2021) and I happened to notice on Twitter that Superhuman had indeed introduced an education plan at $10 a month! Count me in! I emailed the team who quickly reactivated my old account, at the reduced price.

As soon as I opened the app, it felt like coming home. I just love Superhuman. But why? Here are my thoughts:

Philosophy

I get the philosophy of Superhuman. This really came across in my onboarding with Siyarin, as well as the weekly emails I received from Rahul Vohra during my first month or so with Superhuman. They have a specific view on how to manage email, which, whilst it may not appeal to everyone, really appealed to me.

Check your email, triage, star, action, or mark done. Get through everything as quickly as possible. Get to ‘Inbox Zero’ i.e. an empty inbox. As someone who previously had a decent number of emails in my Gmail inbox, all waiting for me to do something with them. It’s really true; keeping my inbox empty really does reduce my cognitive load.

Actually, when I left Superhuman, it became just how much I had been inculcated by their philosophy; this really helped me manage my inbox, even without access to the app.

Splits

I LOVE the splits. The idea here is that rather than having a single inbox, it is possible to create several ‘split inboxes’ which funnel defined messages into a specific place. Whilst my personal account only has the default Important, Starred, and Other, plus another for News, my work email account also has splits for emails from our school information management system notifying me that my pupils have gained a merit, another for demerits, one for pupil communications, and another for (highly filtered on Gmail) notifications from Google Classroom. This makes my life so much easier, and it’s so much easier to keep on top of my messages.

Indeed, when I left Superhuman it was the splits that I missed the most. I tried to replicate this set up in Gmail, but it just didn’t work as well. Indeed, it produced a complete mess which proved almost impossible to pick my way through.

Keyboard shortcuts

I believe that programmers use keyboard shortcuts a lot. It’s not something I’ve ever really used before (other than the standard control-c control-v type shortcuts that we all know and love). Superhuman changed my attitude here. It is built on keyboard shortcuts; there’s one for pretty much everything, beginning with command-k to bring up the command centre.

I’m now a real convert to keyboard shortcuts and really appreciate how they have sped up my work flow (especially working through all those wretched Google Classroom notifications!).

Speed

This seems to be the major selling point for Superhuman. The headline on their website is “The fastest email experience ever made.”

Initially my reaction to this was – meh. I don’t need my email to be fast. Email generally seems fast; does it need to be any faster?

I think I had probably misunderstood what they were getting at here. What with the splits and the keyboard shortcuts, it turns out that it’s ME that’s faster, not my email. And this really does make a difference! I really can get through my email so much faster – noticeably so. I hadn’t really appreciated just how much of my day is spent processing email. With Superhuman, it is considerably less.

Graphics

Seems a bit daft, but for me, this is a significant part of the experience.

But what do I mean, graphics?

Whenever inbox zero is reached, Superhuman throws up a stunningly beautiful image, a new one each day. These really are lovely to look at, and a real motivation to clear my email. It pains me to see a large white expanse broken up with text when my inbox is full. It calms my soul when I clear my email and get to see the gorgeous daily photo.

The app

Superhuman’s app is just the best I’ve used, whether on desktop or on my phone. I’ve tried a significant number, but definitely place Superhuman at the top of the pile. It looks good, it works well, and is just a pleasure to use.

As someone who uses both iPhone (my primary device) and Android (my secondary device), it pains me that Superhuman is not currently available on the latter. I believe that they’re working on this; I hope they launch soon!

Price!

Again I come back to this. Seems daft when I could use any number of free apps, but I am really thrilled to pay $10 a month for my email – a significant discount on the regular $30.

Conclusion

It’s probably clear that I am a massive fan of Superhuman. I couldn’t recommend it more highly – especially if you are able to take advantage of the education pricing. Indeed, if you are a busy teacher like me, I would urge you to check out Superhuman.

If you’re keen to give Superhuman a go, you grab grab yourself a one month free with my affiliate link below:

Try Superhuman with one month free!

Parental seal of approval

by

Posted:

Leave a Comment

My parents visited the marina on my behalf today to pick up Goshawk’s keys and paperwork. Whilst they were there they hunted Goshawk down in the yard. They initially thought that they were mistaken because she is much bigger than they had anticipated. 

I’m pleased to say that Goshawk received the all-important parental seal of approval:

I can’t wait to get up to Essex again to see her myself!

Today I bought a boat

by

Posted:

Leave a Comment

Yes indeed I did. And not just any boat, but a boat described by both the broker and the surveyor as “truly a lovely boat.”

That’s right, right on schedule, today my purchase of Goshawk of Møn, a beautiful Westerly Centaur, completed. I’m very proud to be her owner!

Unfortunately because of a very hectic schedule in the coming weeks we are unlikely to be able to visit her anytime soon. As a consequence, I reluctantly asked the marina to haul her out today. It seemed silly forking out a small fortune to keep her on a visitors’ pontoon just on the off chance that we might be able to visit. At least she will be all ready for next season!

We will, of course, have to head up at some point soon to ready her for the cold weather. Our annual October getaway to Nerja (Spain) is looking increasingly unlikely to perhaps we will get to visit then. 

As for now, I will have to content myself that I own a beautiful yacht eagerly awaiting her launch and subsequent adventures at Easter!

Goshawk’s engine: my biggest concern

by

Posted:

Leave a Comment

Goshawk’s Volvo Penta MD11C engine.

When reading up about Westerly Centaurs, it quickly became apparent that for many, the weak point in an otherwise outstanding boat is often the engine. That’s not to say that Centaurs’ engines are inferior; from from it. They’re just very old, and so liable to have issues. Replacement parts are also, apparently, difficult and expensive to source.

Many Centaurs have had their original engines replaced with modern engines. Quite a number on the market when I was looking at Goshawk had recently received new Beta or Yanmar engines. 

I was therefore a little concerned that Goshawk, although having been re-engined in 2017, had been given a replacement Volvo Penta MD11C. When I queried this, the broker told me that the vendor was a big fan of classic 1970s engines, and had been excited to source a really good example of an original engine. 

When Goshawk was surveyed, therefore, I was particularly keen to read what the surveyor thought of the engine. I was pleased to see that he had positive things to say:

The engine has been well and neatly installed. Visually the engine appears in excellent and well looked after condition. There is no evidence of any water or oil leaks. The engine started well and was run for approximately an hour, run in and out of gear and stayed at normal running temperature, clean engine exhaust. Engine controls were smooth and operated well.

So, apparently, all good! Now I just need to keep it like that…

I asked on the Westerly Owners’ Association Facebook group for guidance about having the engine winterised and received lots of useful responses. The consensus seemed to be that it’s easy enough to do, and there was no need to pay someone to do it. I was directed to a book by Dennison Berwick (which I have subsequently ordered) which was suggested would be an invaluable resource. Whilst trying to track down the book I discovered that Berwick has a tremendous website packed full of useful information.

According to Martin on the WOA’s Facebook page:

Basically, winterising consists of an oil and filter change, topping the fuel tank right up, (to prevent condensation forming on the insides of the tank) and giving the fuel a shot of anti diesel bug treatment (to prevent the old cladisporium resinae); and finally, flushing the cooling system and filling it with a suitable antifreeze/coolant. I remove the thermostat to assist the flushing process as my old MD7 is raw water cooled and has no heat exchanger. You just need a pipe and a bucket!

Which all sounds relatively straightforward!

I’ve also discovered that oil filters for the MD11C can be purchased here for a very reasonable £14.26 (at the time of writing).

It may well be that I try to winterise the engine myself – but I will need to check the book first. At present I know next to nothing about engines, but I do think I’m quick to learn, especially if I have a good book to hand with illustrations. So we will see!