The birth of SunseT
By John Panting | 1 January 2009
Chapter 1: Before You Can Finish First – First You Must Finish
by John Panting It was my birthday the 5th December. 60 years young!? Surely you have guessed already? Yes of course you have. My present? A sailing dinghy. Well, not quite – actually a sailing dinghy - self assembly kit.
Now don’t get me wrong. I have dreamed of building my own dinghy since I was 21 years old. It’s just that I am so unprepared. What does it mean? I have to have somewhere to build it. The garage!!!? The garage is full dear Liza dear Liza, the garage is full dear Liza dear Liza, it’s full! Then empty it dear Henry dear Henry dear Henry, then empty it dear Henry, dear Henry empty it! Where shall I empty it dear Brenda dear Brenda, where shall I empty it dear Brenda, where? A shed dear John dear John, dear John a shed dear John dear John, a shed. I think you have the ‘drift’ or do I mean ‘set’.
Next I have to buy a shed (to put all the garage stuff in).
Then there is the epoxy. It takes forever to set if below about 16°C (62°F). So insulate the garage and find an electric heater. While the garage is empty I might as well paint the concrete floor. (I have been meaning to get round to that since 1976). I will need more lights also.
Ok now I am ready to open the box Before that you must be wondering as I: What about the mast, the boom, a trailer, boat cover, paint, the rigging not to mention the sails? Where shall I sail her? Should I enter races? Where do I get a sail number from? When should I insure? Who will crew for me?
Then there are: Trestles, a carpenter’s square (that is square), and a dozen or so clamps.
Best learn the language first though. Scarf, chine, carlins, knees. What are they?
The box of bits arrives Tuesday 16th December 2008. The Shed arrives Wednesday 17th December 2008.
It’s a SigneT 12’ 5” overall & 5’ 0” at the beam.
Oh crikey what name shall I give her?
Luckily we are going away over Christmas, else a would have no time to open my presents.
Chapter 2: Birth of a SigneT
Christmas and New Year have come and gone. Nights are long and days are short. There has been snow and rainbows but it’s stayed warm and bright within my garage (now known to all as "The Boat Yard").
A couple of tricky dimensional problems caused much stress for a while but all in all, it’s a challenge I have embraced, albeit with more hope than experience.
She’s not much to look at at the moment even though two months have slipped by since a started to build. The slow curing epoxy is second only to watching grass grow but messier to work with. However, she has developed a presence.
Currently she is not seaworthy and the Jumblies may well be better advised to stick with their sieve, for the time being at least.
Reluctantly, I confess that I have been speaking to her on occasions and yes I have kissed her curving form three times now. Some would put this down to the fumes from the epoxy but those with a more sensitive and understanding soul will realise we have already started a shared trust.
You just can’t have too many clamps!!!!
Chapter 3: Sailing in SunseT
It’s August 2009 – 8 months since my 60th birthday present - a SigneT dinghy. Time is a non-reusable resource but it still slips through my fingers. The dinghy is still in the garage (renamed the ‘boatyard’).
Things have moved forward or do I mean topsides down. Before epoxying the decks (which would then have been vulnerable to damage) I decided to flip her over and pay attention to her bottom. This involved a block and tackle secured through her centre board slot and a reluctant and nervous (wife) Brenda. With lots of ‘safety foam’ on the floor over she went without a hitch (the boat not Brenda).
Once the work on her undersides was completed we flipped her back. (I do hope this is the last time I see her topsy turvy). Now I could put the side and aft decks on the night before I went on holiday. Bit of a stressful rush but it was done and I left her with all sorts of weights spread over her side decks to hold them down.
We were in Spain for 10 days. Every day I had a vision of the boat bending in the middle under the weights. We returned home and up went the ‘boatyard’ door before the front door was opened. There she was laden with undisturbed curves. Relief.
Now I needed to order the spars (mast and boom). These I am due to pick up from Plymouth (Queen Anne’s) on the 14th. The mast is 20ft (6.5m) but I have a roof rack and a 12ft (3m) ladder to act as support and I will try and avoid the pot holes.
Next I need some sails
1 main, 1 headsails and a Spinnaker (in case Mark or Gerry ever sail in her).
The sails can be cut from 3 different types of cloth and you guessed it with three different price ranges. The sails are due mid-September.
Oh yes I have her Sail number, ST924 and yes I have named my SigneT she is " SunseT ".
So I hope to be "Sailing in Sunset" before my 61st Birthday.
Chapter 4: First the Sun Must Rise Before it Sets
For those of you and there must be many will know the trap of sailing back from Cherbourg to the sight of St Catherine’s lighthouse and you take a deep breath and think to yourself, “Nearly there.” Oh no you're not!!
Well that’s what building your own dinghy is like. I allowed myself to think the unthinkable yet I am still epoxying bits onto her curvaceous form.
True I have successfully collected the mast and boom. The sails have arrived by courier. (I have not even opened their boxes yet). Bits and pieces are arriving between tides from various sources in the way of shroud plates and vernier adjusters etc etc.
Chapter 5: It is not all over
The summer is over and the project is now in its tenth month. The sun has gone down over the hills and the nights are again drawing in.
The wood 'epoxying' stage is over and has come to a satisfactory end and it’s fair to say I have sweated over but enjoyed the challenge of building a dinghy.
I’ve resisted right from the start to record the overtime spent on this build but it’s massive. However, I have noted, over the months, that I prepared and stuck in place over 120 separate pieces of wood to arrive at what is now, a rewarding form, which is unmistakably that of a SigneT.
Despite this, the build is far from over, as the whole carcase has yet to be covered over and over in epoxy to form a waterproofed result. Then two coats of paint (topcoat over the undercoat) to the bottoms and hull sides. Then the topsides and cockpit varnished over to finish the coatings.
There is something very nauseating in covering the same ground four or more times over and over but the hope of a rewarding outcome has so for overcome this feeling and the accompanying knee and back pain.
Oh yes, I have forgotten to mention that I keep turning over in my mind the irrational fear that it's all going to come unstuck after its launch. The dinghy fills with water and rolls over. I go over the side. Leaving me drifting over to the bank with only my face bobbing in the water like a starboard hand buoy. Then I wake up and realise - it is not all over!!!!
Chapter 6: Is it the End or the Beginning?
The build is at an end, it's time to begin to race. The SigneT ST 924 ‘SunseT’ floats.
SunseT was launched at Aquarius (AQSC) on 25th April 2010. Her maiden voyage was uneventful. The club members in attendance (there were many) were generous to a fault with their kind remarks plus their hints and tips on improvements, which I could make. I have spent the last three weeks making all seventeen of them.
Straight away I am entering as many races as I can manage. Some are restricted by my availability and others my (lack of) fitness.
The results so far have been:
(DNS) Did Not Start. Never made the first mark. The river flow exceeded my sailing ability. (Place 24th with 5 others). Capsized at second mark. (DAO) (Down And Out). Blown into the trees on a lee shore (RTD) Retired. So I guess that’s the first four items on page one of book one dealt with.
Some of you guys and girls have been sailing for over 50 years and some sailing SigneTs since the 1960s. You are at one with the dinghy. You sail like a bare back horse riding circus act. Whereas I feel as though I am clinging on to one hair of the horse’s tail by one hand while being dragged along at a gallop. I estimate I have got at least a year of learning how to come last.
This weekend Brenda (social) and I (helm/crew) are off to Paxton Lake for a SCOA National meeting - six off one hour races in all. So, sorry I must end now as I need to begin learning the RYA ‘Racing Rules of Sailing 2009-2012’ (Waterproof’ version of course).
Chapter 7: Racing to be last
I enjoyed building SunseT the SigneT dinghy but maybe one in a lifetime is enough. It’s been a romance which has blossomed into love.
Now, we are in the period of dinghy racing. I find it hard enough to sail a dinghy let alone race one. However, having thrown myself in at the deep end, that is straight into racing on day one, I intend to pursue this as it is a way of making the learning curve very steep. We have already been out in winds from so light that I could only go backwards on the river, to up to force six. My results so far have been dismal but then, I have only been sailing since 25th April 2010. We have managed three races where we were not in last place, so I am getting there. I looked at this dinghy season as the year of learning how to lose races and so far I have met my objective. Next season, hopefully, we will be a contender and not tail end Charlie.
I have many people who I owe a tribute to, in getting me this far. Some have helped a lot and some have given just one piece of invaluable advice but all have given freely and I thank them all again.
I am looking forward to participating in offshore cruising during the winter and early spring, as I have put this on the back burner while focused on building and then racing SunseT. Hopefully, now I will be able to accommodate both.
