SHIP'S LOG:
Saturday was a great sailing day and I took ABISHAG out to get to know her just a little bit better. I am still amazed at how well she handles in light air. In the very light air, I was surprised
that she wouldn't stall in a tack. Once she starts over she completes the tack and indeed it is necessary to center the rudder once she gets half way or her displacement will give her the momentum to turn farther than I want. Learning how to handle her in the light air is really important, actually more so than heavy air, for I am going to sail a lot more in light air along the coast that in heavy air. In heavy air, coastal sailing, I can always drop a hook and wait for it to pass if I want, but ghosting around a harbor, to a dock, to a mooring, is a skill that I will use a lot more, especially when I am by myself. Aside from the first attempts to get on the mooring, she has handled wonderfully and predictably, and there have been no problems. Still it is a learning process.
And speaking about learning, I have discovered a new aspect to ABISHAG. She has visions of being a "lobsta boat." Ghosting down the Pine Island Channel toward New London, I got into a field of lobster pots and hooked one. If it had been a simple float it probably would have slipped off. However, these floats had a stick at the top which probably makes them easier to pick up, but they also make it tougher for them to slide off a prop or rudder of a passing boat.
Moving at about one knot, it took a few moments for me to realize that I wasn't moving. Turning the wheel made it clear that I wasn't hooked by the rudder. Leaving the wheel and going to the stern, I could see that the float wasn't hooked around the rudder on the wind steering vane. That mean that it was hooked around the prop. It also meant that I was going swimming. Great!
I lowered the dinghy and then the ladder. Tied a line to the stern cleat and heaved it astern so that once I got the boat free it didn't sail away from me. Put on the mask and went over the side.
One breathe and down to the prop and there was the float, its line wrapped around the prop and the stick on top wedged against the hull holding it in place. A hard tug and it was off the prop . . . . . . .and then wrapped itself around the rudder. Another tug and it slipped off the rudder . . . . . only to wrap itself around the rudder of the wind steering vane. One more tug and it was disconnected completely from ABISHAG which literally leaped forward now that she was free. trailing the line behind the boat was a very, very good idea. My grab for the boarding ladder was a miss! and who knows if I would have caught up without the safety line.
I am going to have to clean and paint the rudder on the wind steering system. The "sea growth" has been particularly vigorous in its growth rate and while it comes off rather easily from the bottom painted surfaces, the "bare naked" rudder on the wind steering system gets a quick coating and unfortunately barnacles to go with it. I say unfortunately as when I went over the stern, I scraped my leg and it didn't feel very good at all. The nasty thing about "barnacle rash' is that it heals very, very slowly. A little Witch Hazel, a little Hydrogen peroxide, some Bactine and Neosporen and it will still look "new" for the next month. I am going to have to pull that rudder, scrape it down and paint it. I am not sure why I didn't do that before. For some reason I "thought" that it wasn't necessary but it surely is.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
It was strangely quiet Saturday . . . . on the Marine radio. I monitor Channel 16 (you are supposed to) when I am sailing and usually on weekends, there is constant chatter on 16. This Saturday, it was strangely quiet. A few calls for radio checks, a few calls for towing help, a few Coast Guard updates and advisories, and one "SECURITE" call, and that was it. There just aren't the boats out there this year. I should say that there are not the "powerboats" out there. There numbers are really down and even those out there are motoring at very un-powerboat-like speeds. There are fewer sailboats than in years past, but still a lot more of them than there are powerboats. I suspect that the cost of fuel is really having an impact.
Still about 20 or so big powerboat racers came zipping into New London from Manhattan, went around the Goldstar Bridge and headed back to Manhattan at full bore. The noise they produced was incredible. The close passing to other boats was unnerving. The amount of fuel any one of the boats used in this race probably exceeded to total amount of fuel I have used since I have owned boats! It's nice to see people waste money like that!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
A MIND LIKE A STEEL TRAP
SHIP'S LOG:
I suppose that I should have taken the hint, but typically I didn't. I went to the boat to install the two(2) mooring bits/ Sampson Posts at the bow of the ship to take the strain off the windlass when anchoring. (Stainless steel can take a lot more punishment than bronze!) As I was driving to TYC, I kept reminding myself that I had to stop at WEST MArine to pick up a couple items I need, so naturally i forgot and drove straight to the club. I got out to the boat, set up all the items needed and set to work.
I lined up the bits and measured and drilled 8 more holes (count'em 8!) in the foredeck. It always makes me a little ill drilling holes on my boat, indeed on any boat. The process seems to oxymoronic some how. But the holes were drill and I reached for the sealant that I bought at West Mar . . . .$##@@^! O well, maybe I have some on the boat. I actually found a half-used cartridge! . . . . . . which had curred in the tube. Off to West Marine.
It only took about 20 minutes and I was back on ABISHAG putting sealant around the new holes, on the shafts of the bolts, sliding everything home and crawling into the forepeak to tighten down the nuts to hold the bits in place. I reached for my wrench with ratchet at both ends which would allow me to tighten the nuts with out the laborious process of removing the wrench and refitting it for each turn. Unfortunately, the wrench, so carefully laid out on the foredeck with the other tools was no where to be found. Despite a very diligent search, the wrench had been "raptured" into that place where all loose items on boats tend to go every once in a while. (I thought of the bungee cords that had disappeared from a cabinet only to reappear months later in that very same cabinet!) No ratchet wrench! No easier tightening of nuts! No, it was get myself into a contorted position and crank away, dropping the "spanner" every few turns, creating a loud ringing that could jar one's fillings. And doing this 8 times! Of course, what makes it even more fun is the sealant. "Just try", it challenges, "just try not get me on your hands and then on every surface you touch. Just try!" I suppose that I should be happy it comes only in black or white and not Day-Glo Orange and Green! Truth be told, I did pretty well keeping the stuff where it belongs. SO the bits are in and look spiffy! Will they work? Well, that be a whole 'nuther question.
The repair of the cockpit grating is holding up though I had to re-glue three pieces. Still looks weird though. No more weird than the epoxy repair on the engine cooling system, but then who sees the engine?
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
The work is done for the week. Time to go sailing.
I suppose that I should have taken the hint, but typically I didn't. I went to the boat to install the two(2) mooring bits/ Sampson Posts at the bow of the ship to take the strain off the windlass when anchoring. (Stainless steel can take a lot more punishment than bronze!) As I was driving to TYC, I kept reminding myself that I had to stop at WEST MArine to pick up a couple items I need, so naturally i forgot and drove straight to the club. I got out to the boat, set up all the items needed and set to work.
I lined up the bits and measured and drilled 8 more holes (count'em 8!) in the foredeck. It always makes me a little ill drilling holes on my boat, indeed on any boat. The process seems to oxymoronic some how. But the holes were drill and I reached for the sealant that I bought at West Mar . . . .$##@@^! O well, maybe I have some on the boat. I actually found a half-used cartridge! . . . . . . which had curred in the tube. Off to West Marine.
It only took about 20 minutes and I was back on ABISHAG putting sealant around the new holes, on the shafts of the bolts, sliding everything home and crawling into the forepeak to tighten down the nuts to hold the bits in place. I reached for my wrench with ratchet at both ends which would allow me to tighten the nuts with out the laborious process of removing the wrench and refitting it for each turn. Unfortunately, the wrench, so carefully laid out on the foredeck with the other tools was no where to be found. Despite a very diligent search, the wrench had been "raptured" into that place where all loose items on boats tend to go every once in a while. (I thought of the bungee cords that had disappeared from a cabinet only to reappear months later in that very same cabinet!) No ratchet wrench! No easier tightening of nuts! No, it was get myself into a contorted position and crank away, dropping the "spanner" every few turns, creating a loud ringing that could jar one's fillings. And doing this 8 times! Of course, what makes it even more fun is the sealant. "Just try", it challenges, "just try not get me on your hands and then on every surface you touch. Just try!" I suppose that I should be happy it comes only in black or white and not Day-Glo Orange and Green! Truth be told, I did pretty well keeping the stuff where it belongs. SO the bits are in and look spiffy! Will they work? Well, that be a whole 'nuther question.
The repair of the cockpit grating is holding up though I had to re-glue three pieces. Still looks weird though. No more weird than the epoxy repair on the engine cooling system, but then who sees the engine?
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
The work is done for the week. Time to go sailing.
Friday, July 25, 2008
SAILING IN THE STORM
SHIP'S LOG:
20-25knots of wind! Black clouds pouring down sheets of rain! A nice 2foot chop! Hey, what a day to get a little bad weather sailing done. . . . . . but not for me this time. It wasn't so much that I could not handle the conditions with ABISHAG; it was not getting off the mooring and the sails up; it was not maneuvering back to the mooring through the field of boats. It was getting from the cockpit to the bow to pick up the mooring with the bow going up and down through a 4 foot swing. I have to maneuver the boat down wind of the mooring and come at it with just enough speed to have just enough headway so that when the bow gets to the reachable distance from the pick up buoy the boat stops. Then I have to shift the boat into neutral, climb out of the cockpit and make my way up to the bow, lean over and grab the pickup buoy. Haul the mooring pennant aboard and put it on a cleat. Sounds easy doesn't it? Miss time the move from the cockpit to the bow and you miss the pickup buoy. Then, one must go around and try again. this usually happens when there is anyone around watching. When you are all by yourself, you get it the first time every time. I decided that I would await another day.
I took the time to fix the chafe guards on the mooring pennants. To keep them from slipping down the pennant, I ran a cord from the to the loop on the cleat. The chafe guards are really needed as a pennant can get sawed through surprisingly quickly if it gets a chance.
I also set up the rode (line) to the secondary anchor. Naturally the "U" shackle on the end of the chain attached to the anchor was too small to attach the chain to the rode. Hey, it went with the weather.
And that was about it as it was pouring so hard it washed away most of the only Free Beach in New London.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I found working on the boat in the "storm" a bit of a challenge. ABISHAG has a good, steady motion, but it is still a bit of a chore doing the work in the conditions that existed. I can see that keeping up the maintenance will really be necessary because trying to do any work/repairs in "weather" is exponentially more difficult than when the weather is good. Preventative maintenance is the key.
20-25knots of wind! Black clouds pouring down sheets of rain! A nice 2foot chop! Hey, what a day to get a little bad weather sailing done. . . . . . but not for me this time. It wasn't so much that I could not handle the conditions with ABISHAG; it was not getting off the mooring and the sails up; it was not maneuvering back to the mooring through the field of boats. It was getting from the cockpit to the bow to pick up the mooring with the bow going up and down through a 4 foot swing. I have to maneuver the boat down wind of the mooring and come at it with just enough speed to have just enough headway so that when the bow gets to the reachable distance from the pick up buoy the boat stops. Then I have to shift the boat into neutral, climb out of the cockpit and make my way up to the bow, lean over and grab the pickup buoy. Haul the mooring pennant aboard and put it on a cleat. Sounds easy doesn't it? Miss time the move from the cockpit to the bow and you miss the pickup buoy. Then, one must go around and try again. this usually happens when there is anyone around watching. When you are all by yourself, you get it the first time every time. I decided that I would await another day.
I took the time to fix the chafe guards on the mooring pennants. To keep them from slipping down the pennant, I ran a cord from the to the loop on the cleat. The chafe guards are really needed as a pennant can get sawed through surprisingly quickly if it gets a chance.
I also set up the rode (line) to the secondary anchor. Naturally the "U" shackle on the end of the chain attached to the anchor was too small to attach the chain to the rode. Hey, it went with the weather.
And that was about it as it was pouring so hard it washed away most of the only Free Beach in New London.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I found working on the boat in the "storm" a bit of a challenge. ABISHAG has a good, steady motion, but it is still a bit of a chore doing the work in the conditions that existed. I can see that keeping up the maintenance will really be necessary because trying to do any work/repairs in "weather" is exponentially more difficult than when the weather is good. Preventative maintenance is the key.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
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.
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.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT . . . . .
SHIP'S LOG:
It was a dark and stormy night . . . . . .not quite. It was a hot and sunny day. A great day for a sail and so I sailed. . . . . . solo! Having spent most of my time sailing singled handed, it wasn't as big a deal as I thought it was going to be. ABISHAG made it easy, tracking straight and balancing easily. The wind was light, 5 - 10 knots, and she tacked slowly but once she started she completed the tack and didn't stall half way. She had a surprising turn of speed in the light wind, surprising because she isn't "light." If I had my druthers, I would have placed the winches in a slightly different spot, but then they were placed on the assumption that there would be more than one person handling the boat. They'll stay where they are as there are little"winch islands" on the cockpit coaming to hold them and the coaming isn't wide enough to place them any where else. I'll learn to live with it. I'll have to.
The repair of the tear in the suncover of the Genoa didn't last. The sail repair tape didn't adhere well to the SUNBRELLA cloth. I will have to actually stitch it and make the repair permanent. It's not a big deal though I would have been happier if the tape repair had worked.
I had to put another set of shroud roller on the forward shrouds. The Genoa sheets were rubbing on them and to keep the shrouds from cutting through the sheets, the rollers were required.
I have discovered that working the boat with the safety harness on takes some thought and planning. Clip on. Unclip. Coming to the end of the jackline and shifting to another. Getting pulled up 2feet short of your goal and having to unclip and clip onto a new spot. I am sure that It will become easier and automatic in time but it is just a bit irritating, but I will continue to wear it. A little irritating is far more acceptable than falling overboard and watching the boat sail away!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
It was an incredibly relaxing sail today. I could have napped it was so comfortable. I am getting more comfortable moving on the boat as the "sealegs" start to come back. I am beginning to get itchy for a little voyaging . . .even if it is only to Napatree or Block Island. I don't think I'll be ready for Tenants Harbor in August but there is another Rendezvous in the Chesapeake in September. But I am not tied to any schedule . . . .except for the one that gets me out of New England before the onset of Fall.
It was a dark and stormy night . . . . . .not quite. It was a hot and sunny day. A great day for a sail and so I sailed. . . . . . solo! Having spent most of my time sailing singled handed, it wasn't as big a deal as I thought it was going to be. ABISHAG made it easy, tracking straight and balancing easily. The wind was light, 5 - 10 knots, and she tacked slowly but once she started she completed the tack and didn't stall half way. She had a surprising turn of speed in the light wind, surprising because she isn't "light." If I had my druthers, I would have placed the winches in a slightly different spot, but then they were placed on the assumption that there would be more than one person handling the boat. They'll stay where they are as there are little"winch islands" on the cockpit coaming to hold them and the coaming isn't wide enough to place them any where else. I'll learn to live with it. I'll have to.
The repair of the tear in the suncover of the Genoa didn't last. The sail repair tape didn't adhere well to the SUNBRELLA cloth. I will have to actually stitch it and make the repair permanent. It's not a big deal though I would have been happier if the tape repair had worked.
I had to put another set of shroud roller on the forward shrouds. The Genoa sheets were rubbing on them and to keep the shrouds from cutting through the sheets, the rollers were required.
I have discovered that working the boat with the safety harness on takes some thought and planning. Clip on. Unclip. Coming to the end of the jackline and shifting to another. Getting pulled up 2feet short of your goal and having to unclip and clip onto a new spot. I am sure that It will become easier and automatic in time but it is just a bit irritating, but I will continue to wear it. A little irritating is far more acceptable than falling overboard and watching the boat sail away!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
It was an incredibly relaxing sail today. I could have napped it was so comfortable. I am getting more comfortable moving on the boat as the "sealegs" start to come back. I am beginning to get itchy for a little voyaging . . .even if it is only to Napatree or Block Island. I don't think I'll be ready for Tenants Harbor in August but there is another Rendezvous in the Chesapeake in September. But I am not tied to any schedule . . . .except for the one that gets me out of New England before the onset of Fall.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
AH! WHAT A WORK DAY! ! ! !
SHIP'S LOG:
Part of the reason you do a shake-down cruise, aside from just enjoying the trip, is to find out what works and what doesn't and what needs to be fixed. What we discovered on Sunday's trip was two small tears in the Genoa and the Main that needed to be repaired. SO today was the day to do it.
The tear in the Genoa was a separation of the sun cover on the edge of the sail along a seam. I had to unfurl the sail, lower it to the deck, cover the split of the seam of the sun cover, re-hoist the sail and then re-furl it. No big deal and a success to boot!
The small tear in the mainsail required going up the mast on the top climber. I have do this a couple of times before but that was in the shelter of a slip in the Mystic Shipyard and the Mystic River. This time it would be in the rolly Thames River with constant boat traffic. The pendulum effect could be rather spectacular, especially with the ferries going by twice an hour. Thankfully the tear wasn't that far up the leech so I only had to go about 12feet off the deck. Still, it was rolly and I had to grasp the mast with my legs to keep from swinging more than I did. To repair the tear, I had to cut a piece of sail repair tape, put the roll of tape and the scissors in the work pouch, peel the backing off the tape, affixing the tape to close the tear, smooth it and do so while swinging back and forth. I had to do this three times on one side and once on the reverse, swinging back and forth. It took a while but it all went perfectly. Indeed, it was interesting to be up that high and look around and considering I have a fear of heights, any height, it was very comfortable and even enjoyable. I was getting some curious looks from people who sailed by as there was no one who had hoisted me up, that I had gone up the mast all by myself. I expected that some wanted to asked how I did it. So far, the TOP-CLIMBER has paid for itself.
We didn't get the mainsail completely furled after the trip on Sunday and I took the opportunity to unfurl it and re-furl it properly. At least that's what I wanted to do and tried to do. However, the Mainsail was jammed. When the sail is furled, it can't all be rolled in the same spot or it is too wide for the furler. It was a mistake made Sunday and there seemed no way to unroll it. I put the outhaul on a mast winch, not enough power. I lead to outhaul line to a cockpit winch, more power but no joy. And to make matters worse, I got a line wrapped around the winch. There was tension on the line and now I could get it off the winch. The suggested way to resolve such a problem is to attach a second line to the one under tension, take the pressure off of it, then unwrap messed up line from the winch. Unfortunately, no matter what I did, I couldn't get the tension off the line. Eventually, with a LARGE screwdriver and a winch handle I was slowly able to back the line off the winch. It was a long and tedious process but eventually it was successful. Still the mainsail was wrapped tight and jammed. The effort must have don something as I was able to unjam the sail and unfurl it and re-furl it correctly. It was if ABISHAG was just running a little problem by me as a test to see what I would do. I hope I passed.
I also got a rode for the secondary anchor. It will be 10 feet of chain and 200' of 5/8 line. I took the opportunity to insert depth marks in the rode and set it in the anchor well. I am going to have to cut an access for the shaft of the anchor if it is going to sit in the bow roller like the plow, but it is one of those projects that goes "on the list."
I didn't go sailing today, but it was a good day.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
There is something different doing projects on the boat when it is on the mooring. I suppose that it is knowing that so can stop anything you are doing and be sailing in a few minutes. Knowing that I can do this is almost as good as doing it. Almost, but not quite. So tomorrow is a sailing day!
Part of the reason you do a shake-down cruise, aside from just enjoying the trip, is to find out what works and what doesn't and what needs to be fixed. What we discovered on Sunday's trip was two small tears in the Genoa and the Main that needed to be repaired. SO today was the day to do it.
The tear in the Genoa was a separation of the sun cover on the edge of the sail along a seam. I had to unfurl the sail, lower it to the deck, cover the split of the seam of the sun cover, re-hoist the sail and then re-furl it. No big deal and a success to boot!
The small tear in the mainsail required going up the mast on the top climber. I have do this a couple of times before but that was in the shelter of a slip in the Mystic Shipyard and the Mystic River. This time it would be in the rolly Thames River with constant boat traffic. The pendulum effect could be rather spectacular, especially with the ferries going by twice an hour. Thankfully the tear wasn't that far up the leech so I only had to go about 12feet off the deck. Still, it was rolly and I had to grasp the mast with my legs to keep from swinging more than I did. To repair the tear, I had to cut a piece of sail repair tape, put the roll of tape and the scissors in the work pouch, peel the backing off the tape, affixing the tape to close the tear, smooth it and do so while swinging back and forth. I had to do this three times on one side and once on the reverse, swinging back and forth. It took a while but it all went perfectly. Indeed, it was interesting to be up that high and look around and considering I have a fear of heights, any height, it was very comfortable and even enjoyable. I was getting some curious looks from people who sailed by as there was no one who had hoisted me up, that I had gone up the mast all by myself. I expected that some wanted to asked how I did it. So far, the TOP-CLIMBER has paid for itself.
We didn't get the mainsail completely furled after the trip on Sunday and I took the opportunity to unfurl it and re-furl it properly. At least that's what I wanted to do and tried to do. However, the Mainsail was jammed. When the sail is furled, it can't all be rolled in the same spot or it is too wide for the furler. It was a mistake made Sunday and there seemed no way to unroll it. I put the outhaul on a mast winch, not enough power. I lead to outhaul line to a cockpit winch, more power but no joy. And to make matters worse, I got a line wrapped around the winch. There was tension on the line and now I could get it off the winch. The suggested way to resolve such a problem is to attach a second line to the one under tension, take the pressure off of it, then unwrap messed up line from the winch. Unfortunately, no matter what I did, I couldn't get the tension off the line. Eventually, with a LARGE screwdriver and a winch handle I was slowly able to back the line off the winch. It was a long and tedious process but eventually it was successful. Still the mainsail was wrapped tight and jammed. The effort must have don something as I was able to unjam the sail and unfurl it and re-furl it correctly. It was if ABISHAG was just running a little problem by me as a test to see what I would do. I hope I passed.
I also got a rode for the secondary anchor. It will be 10 feet of chain and 200' of 5/8 line. I took the opportunity to insert depth marks in the rode and set it in the anchor well. I am going to have to cut an access for the shaft of the anchor if it is going to sit in the bow roller like the plow, but it is one of those projects that goes "on the list."
I didn't go sailing today, but it was a good day.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
There is something different doing projects on the boat when it is on the mooring. I suppose that it is knowing that so can stop anything you are doing and be sailing in a few minutes. Knowing that I can do this is almost as good as doing it. Almost, but not quite. So tomorrow is a sailing day!
Monday, July 14, 2008
THERE ARE NOW WORDS
SHIP'S LOG:
Everything is working, as far as I know!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
Today was the first sail and the weather was perfect! Puffy clouds, 12-15 knots of wind, nice warm temperature, waves less that a foot and few powerboats. ABISHAG tacks slowly but holds a course like she is on a rail. She has a wonderful, easy, comfortable motion and can really move. She is no racer but shed is not a barge either. She reached 5.5knots on a close reach and it was wonderful. AH! I just can't quite put it in to words except to say it was "WONDERFUL!"
Everything is working, as far as I know!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
Today was the first sail and the weather was perfect! Puffy clouds, 12-15 knots of wind, nice warm temperature, waves less that a foot and few powerboats. ABISHAG tacks slowly but holds a course like she is on a rail. She has a wonderful, easy, comfortable motion and can really move. She is no racer but shed is not a barge either. She reached 5.5knots on a close reach and it was wonderful. AH! I just can't quite put it in to words except to say it was "WONDERFUL!"
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