IT'S ALL ABOUT THE WEATHER

SHIP'S LOG:

Having checked several weather sites, I went down to ABISHAG with the absolute certainty that the weather would be crappy and that was a good thing. When the weather is crappy, then it is easier to tackle the "PROJECTS LIST" without feeling torn about not sailing. I laid out all of the projects and started below grey skies with a 60% chance of rain. I was not even through the first project, restitching the sun cover on the Genoa, when the suns came out and the clouds all went away. And I mean all of them. Not one remained and there I was with all these projects to do. Such is life!

Restitched the sail cover where it had torn loose from the edge of the Genoa. It is not really a major flaw but it did effect sail shape and it wouldn't get any better (only worse) by itself. I had thought about the possibility of picking up a used sewing machine to take care of things like this but there is no way that your average "home machine" could get through some of the multi-layered sail cloth. It was not perhaps the neatest job ever, but it will be a long time before that comes undone again.

I had to come up with a new way to hand the dinghy off the davitts, the bow especially. The blocks that attached to the front of the dinghy, allowing it to be raised and lowered, were contacting the bow and since the dinghy is "rubber", I worried that if it move a lot, it might wear a hole in the dinghy and that would not make me happy, not at all. I fashioned 2 foot length of three ply 1/4 inch line as a painter with a braided loop in each end. I slipped one through the towing point ring and attached the block to the other end. At little minor adjusting and voila!, another success.


I moved the two gas"cans" to the stern, affixing them to the port and starboard stern rails. I am not sure that this will be the final locations but they interfered with the Jackline where they were position before and had to be moved. Traditionally, it appears that most cruisers tie a board between two stanchions and then tied their gas/diesel/water jugs to it. ABISHAG's side decks are a bit too narrow for that and would necessitate crawling over the jugs to move along the side deck. Not a satisfactory option. I'll just have to wait and see how this particular arrangement works out . . . or doesn't.

The time had come to repair the teak grating in the cockpit. A number of slats and pieces of slats were missing missing or broken and needed to be replaced. The teak grating provided great footing in the cockpit but in its deteriorated state, was more of a pain than helpful. Unfortunately, the marine unit drought meant that purchasing the teak tread slats was not really practical. It necessitated an innovated and imaginative solution. Would you believe paint stirrers? They were actually thin enough and, with some sanding and the occasional cutting, fit quite nicely. The resulting job, when finished, looks just a little "odd." The teak has the weathered "grey-brown" color and the new pieces are "light blonde" in color. You can definitely tell where the repairs were made. Hopefully, they new pieces will, with dirt and weather, eventually look a little more like the teak. It is more important that the fix works. Right now, I am not sure that I would spend the money to replace the teak slats and rebuild the grate. If it doesn't work, I'll probably rip it out and replace it with rubberize grating that is far less expensive and works just as well, so long as one doesn't mind having a blue or grey or white cockpit grating as these are the only colors they come in.

No matter how many of these little projects I do, I can't seem to make much of a dent in the list. Invariably, as I am doing them, I discover more that needs doing. How much fun is this?

MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:

Right now, the "MARINE UNIT" deficit is keeping me from doing more than day-sailing. In one way, it is not a bad thing as I am getting to know ABISHAG better and better. She tells me a lot if I am will to listen. On the other hand, I want and "need" to get some miles under her keel. It almost the end of July after all and I am only about two months before I have to be heading toward the Chesapeake.

I have had several more people inquiry what make of boat ABISHAG happens to be. They seem impressed when they hear "CAMPER NICHOLSON" and they all seem to like her look. Hey, what's not to like?!? I think it is God's way of saying that we (God and me) made a good selection.