This is an authorized translation in English of a post in French by Vincent Le Roy (@vincentleroy): La Saga PLOUF [Episode 12] : Même pas peur, on continue!

^{As my primary language is not English, there are probably some mistakes in my translation.}

Remember that the person who speaks here is NOT me, Vincent Celier (@vcelier), but Vincent Le Roy (@vincentleroy), a French guy.

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Note: "Plouf", in French, is an onomatopoeia that phonetically imitates the sound of an object that falls in the water. The equivalent in English would be "Plop" or "Splash". That is a strange name for a boat!

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Note: In this episode, all the photos showcase the sail maker Delta Voiles in Pordic

Brief summary of previous episodes

In January 2016, I am given a boat, a tiny sailboat. A kid's dream. Her name is Plouf. And in fact the canoe is in a state not possible and I do not know much except sailing. I tell you the journey that I traveled with this small boat, that have become my fourth baby! The refurbishing job is finished, and we sail numerous times ... sometimes there is breakage, so we must repair ... and improve!

Episode 12: Not even afraid, we continue!

The episode of the big storm definitely convinced me to continue the restoration of my boat and improve its operation. First thing, I went to see François at the sail shop. On the large floor, it spreads what remains of my sail. I feel that he will tell me that it must be changed and that we will have to pay some 800 Euros for a new mainsail.

He examines everything. He smiles and says: it's all about "bobologie"! (bobologie: a humorous term for the treatment of minor trauma). Come back tomorrow afternoon, it will be ready. Huh? But the sail is torn everywhere. To be sure that I understand correctly, I ask if he has an idea of ​​the budget. Yes ... I have to charge 35 Euros. Huh? And he asks me where are the battens. There are none.

François is an adorable guy, an enthusiast who makes the sails of racing boats. I discover his universe. As for the battens, it's OK, he must have some somewhere, he will make them at the right length and it's a gift! Definitely, it's my day!

Sails, it's one thing, but for security, I am done putting the sails up and down from the mast, I want to be able to do everything and safely from the cockpit. We will change the compass too and put cleats for the jib (the sail in front). Direction the hardware store at Ronan.

The world of a sailmaker: craftsmen with incredible know-how

At Ronan precisely, I come out with a whole armada of hooks, pulley and self-locking cleats, stainless steel screws, plates and the famous sealant. I chose the high end, but adapted to the size of Plouf. Let's go to work! Philippe came to give me a hand on this beautiful afternoon. And in addition, he came with a gift: a Lewmar winch! Hours later, everything is done, it's just beautiful! Plouf is magnificent! It seems far from the time when the boat was more like a wreck, today I have all the equipment of a pleasure boat ready to race in regattas!

And that's good, because regattas, Plouf and his captain will do. But I still have some ideas to improve the boat, its aspect as well as its operation ...

La suite Part 13

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8
Part 9 - Part 10 - Part 11

All photos are property of @vincentleroy and under copyright