SHIP'S LOG:
The wind decided to come out of the East for the last few days, a rather rare occurrence in these parts and one that never really promise good. It was not only out of the East, it was out of the East at 10 - 15 knots, gusting to 20+, with sunshine and no humidity. In other words, for three days, we had perfect sailing weather and it was perfectly taken advantage of!!!!!!!!
Went out toward Valiant Rock, Great Gull & Little Gull Islands and it was beautiful. The winds were almost overpowering and ABISHAG was really heeling, but by reducing sail, she got back up on her feet with no real loss of speed. Let's hear it for ketches and their evenly distributed sail area! We were doing 4.5 - 5.0 -5.5 headed almost due south. The waves were 3-4 feet so we bashed a little, but it was enjoyable getting water over the deck as she "raced along with a bone in her teeth!" It was comforting to know that the deck was now "basically leak proof, too!"
In all the years I have been sailing in and out of New London and all the times I have encountered the bark "EAGLE", the Coast Guard Academy's training vessel, I have never seen her anchored, with the sole exception of the 2000, when she anchored with the other tall ships in Niantic Bay the day before the parade into New London. But there she was anchored on the western side of Bartlett Reef. Technically she was anchored "in Niantic Bay," but truth be told, she was way out by the reef marker, perhaps almost a mile from shore. I had never seen her in this spot and so I checked it out. It seems that they "always" anchor there when the ship comes back from one of her cruises to allow the cadets to square the ship away before she sails(motors) into New London to dock. I never knew that and it caught b]me completely by surprise.
I took my cousin Tommy, his wife and kids sailing. Tommy has recently gotten into sailing, being part of a crew for one of the boats here at TYC and I think he is thinking of buying a boat for the family. The sail was sort of an opportunity for everyone to get " the sailing experience" to make "popping the question" easier. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves very much and even Andrew, the youngest, who was originally a bit frightened at first, was walking all over the deck like an old salt by the time they reached "burn out."
I have a new addition to the "fix it" list. The hand pump for the aft head is broken. It could be the mechanism for the pump broke. It could be that the rubber diaphragm had ripped after 33 years and needs replacing. It could be that it is just being a pain in the ass. Whatever the reason, it don't work! So it is that it must be repaired. There is one, little, itsy-bitsy problem, it is located behind a bulkhead(wall) which means it has to be removed to be worked on. And that means I have to figure a way to detach it from the back of the wall, without seeing it, and in such a way that following the repair, it can be reattached to it former position of glory. It is amazing how many repairs and maintenance projects that have to be done on a boat, must be accomplished,at least in part, without being able to see what you are doing!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
Today looks like a crappy day. It is gray and overcast and humid and just plain yukky! It will be a good day to take care of several more projects, specifically the aft head head pump. I am not in the mood to sail today. The athwart seat on the dinghy disappeared and must be replaced.. Electricity is still a mystery to me. Ray and I are having troubles connecting to work on the fridge. I've got a sinus headache. And all my books seem to read the same. It is a crappy day in paradise, and I do mean crappy.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Summer Be Fading Fast! ! ! ! !
SHIP'S LOG:
Seemingly every time I complete a project, and more often during a project, I encounter another project demanding to be done. Under the port settee in the salon, there is a locker that holds all sorts of spare parts, from assorted fasteners to light bulbs to odd pieces of teak to metal coat hangers, all items that have been used or will undoubtedly be used to create or repair or undertake some needed item or repair on the ABISHAG. The metal hanger, once straightened out, was the perfect tool for snaking down a scupper drain to clean out the assorted detritus that hand clogged it. Now this particular cockpit has a two part folding lid that when opened completely forms a double berth for sleeping. The hinge between the two parts that make up the folding lid is what is know as a piano hinge and is about two feet long with 12 to 15 screws in it. Over the 33 years of ABISHAG's existence, that lid and hinge have been manipulated countless times and the the thrust and pull on the screws holding it in place has pulled then out of the wood a number of times such that now they no longer have any bite. Also now, every time I dip into that locker for a part, the lip screams "FIX ME!" It was a simple fix. Put wood putty in the holes. Let dry. Screw in the screws. FINI! The only tough part was that I had to basically stand on my head to do the screwing.
I ran a bead of caulk around the caprail where it outlines the aft deck. I am not sure that it was really needed but there is/was a gap been the caprail and the edge of the back deck and at the very least, it made it look better. The last part of the deck caulking job, the removal of the tape, was done. It really came out great. It was worth the effort though I can still feel it in my hands. I have what is known as "THORACIC OUTLET SYNDROME," wherein a nerve gets compressed against a bone and eventually gives you the feeling that some limb is falling asleep. Of me it is lower three fingers of my right hand. It shows up when I play guitar for too long. I guess that all that scowering out of the old caulking and the squeezing of the caulking gun putting in the new caulk irritated the nerve enough that it decided to let me know. If I sleep on the arm the wrong way, it exacerbates the situation, though I have an exercise that will relieve it. Just a little something to keep me humble and let me know that I am not in charge.
Friend Ray was unable to get by to work on the reefer, so that will be another day.
Time to go sailing.
MASTER"S PERSONAL LOG:
With all of the little projects that have gotten done by my living on the boat all summer, it has certainly become a more livable boat. Things have slowly found their places, routines have been established, and a way of living has developed. Of course, for the most part it is still a stationary existence but an at-sea,/cruising life style will not be all that different. I am beginning to think about going south. I am not sure if it will happen. God knows, literally, that i have tried a couple times already and have not met with much success. Perhaps this is the year. We'll have to wait and see. Time to go sailing now.
Seemingly every time I complete a project, and more often during a project, I encounter another project demanding to be done. Under the port settee in the salon, there is a locker that holds all sorts of spare parts, from assorted fasteners to light bulbs to odd pieces of teak to metal coat hangers, all items that have been used or will undoubtedly be used to create or repair or undertake some needed item or repair on the ABISHAG. The metal hanger, once straightened out, was the perfect tool for snaking down a scupper drain to clean out the assorted detritus that hand clogged it. Now this particular cockpit has a two part folding lid that when opened completely forms a double berth for sleeping. The hinge between the two parts that make up the folding lid is what is know as a piano hinge and is about two feet long with 12 to 15 screws in it. Over the 33 years of ABISHAG's existence, that lid and hinge have been manipulated countless times and the the thrust and pull on the screws holding it in place has pulled then out of the wood a number of times such that now they no longer have any bite. Also now, every time I dip into that locker for a part, the lip screams "FIX ME!" It was a simple fix. Put wood putty in the holes. Let dry. Screw in the screws. FINI! The only tough part was that I had to basically stand on my head to do the screwing.
I ran a bead of caulk around the caprail where it outlines the aft deck. I am not sure that it was really needed but there is/was a gap been the caprail and the edge of the back deck and at the very least, it made it look better. The last part of the deck caulking job, the removal of the tape, was done. It really came out great. It was worth the effort though I can still feel it in my hands. I have what is known as "THORACIC OUTLET SYNDROME," wherein a nerve gets compressed against a bone and eventually gives you the feeling that some limb is falling asleep. Of me it is lower three fingers of my right hand. It shows up when I play guitar for too long. I guess that all that scowering out of the old caulking and the squeezing of the caulking gun putting in the new caulk irritated the nerve enough that it decided to let me know. If I sleep on the arm the wrong way, it exacerbates the situation, though I have an exercise that will relieve it. Just a little something to keep me humble and let me know that I am not in charge.
Friend Ray was unable to get by to work on the reefer, so that will be another day.
Time to go sailing.
MASTER"S PERSONAL LOG:
With all of the little projects that have gotten done by my living on the boat all summer, it has certainly become a more livable boat. Things have slowly found their places, routines have been established, and a way of living has developed. Of course, for the most part it is still a stationary existence but an at-sea,/cruising life style will not be all that different. I am beginning to think about going south. I am not sure if it will happen. God knows, literally, that i have tried a couple times already and have not met with much success. Perhaps this is the year. We'll have to wait and see. Time to go sailing now.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Done! Fini! Complete!
SHIP'S LOG:
It is done! The entire deck has now been stripped of old caulking. It has been given new caulking and is now as water-proof as is possible. . . . which means it will leak less if it leaks at at all. And that is a good thing. I feel as though someone has beat me about the head and body. The contorted positions and all the hand work have left their "mark." I slept like a log and woke up stiff, which is a good thing I suppose. I am hopeful that today friend Ray will be by to make the refrigeration unit all better. If he does make it by, I am fairly certain that he will NOT be able to complete all the work necessary for the beer to get cold today. But it will be a significant start.
The next three days promise thunderstorms and rain and no sailing. It is what I get for using the last three beautiful sailing days for work, then again, maintenance is necessary for sailing. Come the next sunny day and I am ready! ! !! ! !
It is done! The entire deck has now been stripped of old caulking. It has been given new caulking and is now as water-proof as is possible. . . . which means it will leak less if it leaks at at all. And that is a good thing. I feel as though someone has beat me about the head and body. The contorted positions and all the hand work have left their "mark." I slept like a log and woke up stiff, which is a good thing I suppose. I am hopeful that today friend Ray will be by to make the refrigeration unit all better. If he does make it by, I am fairly certain that he will NOT be able to complete all the work necessary for the beer to get cold today. But it will be a significant start.
The next three days promise thunderstorms and rain and no sailing. It is what I get for using the last three beautiful sailing days for work, then again, maintenance is necessary for sailing. Come the next sunny day and I am ready! ! !! ! !
Sunday, August 8, 2010
More Fun Than A Barrel Of Monkeys
SHIP"S LOG:
Yesterday was basically consumed by the task of caulking the forward half of the port deck. It is not a particularly difficult task. You pull out all of the old caulking from between the teak deck slats. You out line the grooves to be filled with new caulking with masking tape. You fill the grooves between the slats with new caulking. You wait and hour our so and then remove the tape and the deck is now caulked! And that's basically what happened.
The thing is that getting the old caulk out requires a utility knife with a new razor blade some sort of hook with which you rip the old caulking from it location. The old caulking is the age of the boat - 33 years old - and for the most part is hard, brittle and comes out rather easily. For the most part! Some of it has a tenacious grip that seemingly defies any and all attempts at removal. It is also a process that requires that you be on your hands and knees in the hot summer sun! This fun process also uncovers parts of slats that are mushy and/or not readily affixed to the deck any more. This requires an ample application of "Capt.Tolly's Creeping Crack Cure," a wondrous items that is right up there with "Murphy's Marvel Mystery Oil." Both sound like hype but two of the move effective products of their type. Capt. Tolly's is a penetrating sealant which, as the name implies, seals the mushy wood and makes it like new again, while adhering it to the under deck.
After cleaning the groves of the old caulk, it is necessary to outline the the grooves just like to do a room when you are going to paint it, and for the same reason. You don't want the caulk going anywhere but in the grooves. The stuff is in a tube for a caulking gun and has the consistency of frosting.You squeeze it into the groove, using a putty knife to make sure it fills the groove completely and work your way down the seams to the point that they are completely filled. Of course, the taping with masking tape, especially if you have to go around items on the deck - cleats and the like - if tedious and frustrating as there are actually very few straight lines to the edges of all those slats. And the caulk, no matter how careful you might be or try to be, gets everywhere, including on you. All it takes it one careless step and you track black caulk everywhere. And of course, if you forget to wear a shirt in the hot summer sun as you been over the deck for approximately 5 hours, well let's just say it is a burning experience.
And the best part, the very best part, is now you have the deck on ONE SIDE OF THE BOAT FINISHED!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
There is something nice and fulfilling about having completed a task. It was something I started back in Black Rock Harbor two years ago! Now all I have to do is the other side and I will really be fulfilled!!!!!!!!
Yesterday was basically consumed by the task of caulking the forward half of the port deck. It is not a particularly difficult task. You pull out all of the old caulking from between the teak deck slats. You out line the grooves to be filled with new caulking with masking tape. You fill the grooves between the slats with new caulking. You wait and hour our so and then remove the tape and the deck is now caulked! And that's basically what happened.
The thing is that getting the old caulk out requires a utility knife with a new razor blade some sort of hook with which you rip the old caulking from it location. The old caulking is the age of the boat - 33 years old - and for the most part is hard, brittle and comes out rather easily. For the most part! Some of it has a tenacious grip that seemingly defies any and all attempts at removal. It is also a process that requires that you be on your hands and knees in the hot summer sun! This fun process also uncovers parts of slats that are mushy and/or not readily affixed to the deck any more. This requires an ample application of "Capt.Tolly's Creeping Crack Cure," a wondrous items that is right up there with "Murphy's Marvel Mystery Oil." Both sound like hype but two of the move effective products of their type. Capt. Tolly's is a penetrating sealant which, as the name implies, seals the mushy wood and makes it like new again, while adhering it to the under deck.
After cleaning the groves of the old caulk, it is necessary to outline the the grooves just like to do a room when you are going to paint it, and for the same reason. You don't want the caulk going anywhere but in the grooves. The stuff is in a tube for a caulking gun and has the consistency of frosting.You squeeze it into the groove, using a putty knife to make sure it fills the groove completely and work your way down the seams to the point that they are completely filled. Of course, the taping with masking tape, especially if you have to go around items on the deck - cleats and the like - if tedious and frustrating as there are actually very few straight lines to the edges of all those slats. And the caulk, no matter how careful you might be or try to be, gets everywhere, including on you. All it takes it one careless step and you track black caulk everywhere. And of course, if you forget to wear a shirt in the hot summer sun as you been over the deck for approximately 5 hours, well let's just say it is a burning experience.
And the best part, the very best part, is now you have the deck on ONE SIDE OF THE BOAT FINISHED!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
There is something nice and fulfilling about having completed a task. It was something I started back in Black Rock Harbor two years ago! Now all I have to do is the other side and I will really be fulfilled!!!!!!!!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Work & Play
SHIP'S LOG:
The weather has been great and so has the sailing, so I took the morning and the early afternoon to go out and play tag with a couple of Luders 44 Yawls from the Coast Guard Academy. The USCGA has 5 of these yawls which are used to held the students learn how to sail as part of a crew. They learn to sail on much smaller one person boats up the river by the academy, but learn to sail as a crew on the bigger boats out on the Sound. Eventually, they will sail on the EAGLE and most will probably end up commanding a 15foot Zodiac.
The Sounds was actually fairly hazy though the wind was decent. I sail around the yawls which were practicing over by the Dumplings. The kids must have all been from Kansas or Nebraska for they all seemed rather transfigured by the Sound, as if it was the largest body of water they had ever seen. Lots of correcting going on aboard, especially "Pay Attention to what you're doing!"
Was back on the mooring by 1:30 as there were a couple of jobs to do. The first was to haul the auxiliary rudder from the Hydro-vane to scrape it and paint it. It was a job I should have done when the boat was on the hard but I just kept putting it off to do other more important tasks, so now it had to be done on the water.Disconnecting the rudder is as simple as pulling one safety pin - not that kind of safety pin - and pull it up on the back deck. Then scrape off the various nautical life-forms who have made it home. It is important to wash down the deck after this as these little formerly living creatures do tend to give off a rather pungent odor if they sit in the sun out of the water for too long. Then it is simply a matter of painting one side, bottom paint and then re-attaching it. No big deal and it went off without a hitch.
The other job was painting the caprail with the polyurethane to seal it and give it a "nice, shiny, glossy finish." As with the scraping and staining, it was more of an acrobatic exercise than anything else. As with all, or at least most projects, while it went well, actually easily, it uncovered another project. Some of the teak deck pieces are "mushy" and need to be be replaced and re-attached to the deck itself. This is what undoubtedly accounts for some of those pesky interior leaks. I can't afford to replace the teak slats, so I will re-caulk the deck and seal the offending slats with the polyurethane and "Capt. Tolly's Creeping Crack Cure." But not today!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
We got hit with another storm on Thursday morning, short and strong, with lots of rain, thunder and lightning, and even a tornado waring. Being on the boat during a storm is exciting to say the least. Such a storm on land , in your house or car, wouldn't raise an eyebrow. One the boat however, I notice, am aware of the wind - how strong it is, the rain - how hard it is falling, and just how long the whole thing lasts. These are thing I never think of on land but are of real concern on the boat. A lightning strike, especially if you are it, holds real concern. But as I said, most of these things pass unnoticed on land. I suppose it is all a matter of perspective.
The weather has been great and so has the sailing, so I took the morning and the early afternoon to go out and play tag with a couple of Luders 44 Yawls from the Coast Guard Academy. The USCGA has 5 of these yawls which are used to held the students learn how to sail as part of a crew. They learn to sail on much smaller one person boats up the river by the academy, but learn to sail as a crew on the bigger boats out on the Sound. Eventually, they will sail on the EAGLE and most will probably end up commanding a 15foot Zodiac.
The Sounds was actually fairly hazy though the wind was decent. I sail around the yawls which were practicing over by the Dumplings. The kids must have all been from Kansas or Nebraska for they all seemed rather transfigured by the Sound, as if it was the largest body of water they had ever seen. Lots of correcting going on aboard, especially "Pay Attention to what you're doing!"
Was back on the mooring by 1:30 as there were a couple of jobs to do. The first was to haul the auxiliary rudder from the Hydro-vane to scrape it and paint it. It was a job I should have done when the boat was on the hard but I just kept putting it off to do other more important tasks, so now it had to be done on the water.Disconnecting the rudder is as simple as pulling one safety pin - not that kind of safety pin - and pull it up on the back deck. Then scrape off the various nautical life-forms who have made it home. It is important to wash down the deck after this as these little formerly living creatures do tend to give off a rather pungent odor if they sit in the sun out of the water for too long. Then it is simply a matter of painting one side, bottom paint and then re-attaching it. No big deal and it went off without a hitch.
The other job was painting the caprail with the polyurethane to seal it and give it a "nice, shiny, glossy finish." As with the scraping and staining, it was more of an acrobatic exercise than anything else. As with all, or at least most projects, while it went well, actually easily, it uncovered another project. Some of the teak deck pieces are "mushy" and need to be be replaced and re-attached to the deck itself. This is what undoubtedly accounts for some of those pesky interior leaks. I can't afford to replace the teak slats, so I will re-caulk the deck and seal the offending slats with the polyurethane and "Capt. Tolly's Creeping Crack Cure." But not today!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
We got hit with another storm on Thursday morning, short and strong, with lots of rain, thunder and lightning, and even a tornado waring. Being on the boat during a storm is exciting to say the least. Such a storm on land , in your house or car, wouldn't raise an eyebrow. One the boat however, I notice, am aware of the wind - how strong it is, the rain - how hard it is falling, and just how long the whole thing lasts. These are thing I never think of on land but are of real concern on the boat. A lightning strike, especially if you are it, holds real concern. But as I said, most of these things pass unnoticed on land. I suppose it is all a matter of perspective.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Caping the Rail! ! ! !
SHIP'S LOG:
Yesterday was spent doing maintenance on the caprail. The caprail is a flat railing of wood that goes around the edge of the boat. Traditionally it "capped" the bulwark along the edge of the boat and you could brace yourself against it when the boat was heeling to stay on board. On most boats today it is more decorative that truly functional, but it needs maintenance nonetheless.
I had hoped that it was made of teak in which case maintenance would have been to do "nothing." It had been varnished once sometime ago and the varnish was peeling off in places and look fairly gross. It became clear that the wood was not teak and that to let it just go would mean more maintenance in the future along with probably replacement. So yesterday was spent scraping down the rail over its entire length. It also meant filling and faring all the holes, cracks and small missing sections and sanding it all down. I am getting pretty good at this as it all requires a certain ability to contort your body into some crazy positions in order to get at the places you want to get at.
I decided after the prep work was done, to stain the would and cover it with a polyurethane coating to seal it. I didn't know what type of wood it was, but since it was an English made boat, odds were pretty good that it was oak. So I stained it "Walnut." Hey, it was the only stain I had and why let it go to waste? Actually, with the dark blue hull, the "almost black" walnut stain looked pretty good, far better than the honey colored varnish that proceeded it. Today, I will coat it with the polyurethane and that should be that for at least awhile.
Yesterday was spent doing maintenance on the caprail. The caprail is a flat railing of wood that goes around the edge of the boat. Traditionally it "capped" the bulwark along the edge of the boat and you could brace yourself against it when the boat was heeling to stay on board. On most boats today it is more decorative that truly functional, but it needs maintenance nonetheless.
I had hoped that it was made of teak in which case maintenance would have been to do "nothing." It had been varnished once sometime ago and the varnish was peeling off in places and look fairly gross. It became clear that the wood was not teak and that to let it just go would mean more maintenance in the future along with probably replacement. So yesterday was spent scraping down the rail over its entire length. It also meant filling and faring all the holes, cracks and small missing sections and sanding it all down. I am getting pretty good at this as it all requires a certain ability to contort your body into some crazy positions in order to get at the places you want to get at.
I decided after the prep work was done, to stain the would and cover it with a polyurethane coating to seal it. I didn't know what type of wood it was, but since it was an English made boat, odds were pretty good that it was oak. So I stained it "Walnut." Hey, it was the only stain I had and why let it go to waste? Actually, with the dark blue hull, the "almost black" walnut stain looked pretty good, far better than the honey colored varnish that proceeded it. Today, I will coat it with the polyurethane and that should be that for at least awhile.
Monday, August 2, 2010
The End OF July! ! ! ! !
SHIP'S LOG:
The rain finally quite and took with it the humidity! Hallelujah! The weather for the Friday OPTI Regatta, of which I was the Chairman - how I got that job I really don't know - was perfect. Winds less that 10mph, bright, partly cloudy skies, and just about everything else you could want , weather-wise. The Regatta went off without a hitch and all was right with the world.
I had to motor into the dock in the early morning to both perform my morning "ablutions" as well as the help with getting all squared away for the start of the regatta. Now ABISHAG is not what you would call a "spritely" maneuvering boat by any means and even less so at slow speeds. It took three passes to approach the dock correctly and even then I didn't quite do it. I had a slight altercation with a piling, whacking it with my bow rail. After a few choice words, and after having tied up to the dock, I found that the stanchion for the bow rail on the port side, where I took the hit, had sheared. The bow rail is a stainless steel tube, welded to a disc, to which is weld a stud. The stud goes through the deck, the disc sits on the deck, and a washer and nut are screwed on the stud anchoring the rail to the deck and the boat. The stud sheared off at deck level just below the disc. Actually, it broke. looking at the stud, it didn't snap off, it broke for it was coroded all the way through. I am not sure why. There didn't seem to be any dissimilar metals, all was stainleess steel. The is not galvanic activity there. The miniscule amoung to bedding compound precluded water being trapped. Whatever the cause, all it took was a glancing blow for it to break.
The fix was easy enough. Brush the area with a five-minute epoxy to seal the deck and eliminate any cracks. Drill three holes in the ss disc and three corresponding holes through the deck. Insert three ss bolts and affix them with washers and nuts, after first caulking them to a fare-thee-well. Then crank it all down nice and secure. As I said, a easy fix and for once I had everything I needed on board.
One other thing I noticed was that that cap-rail that runs around the boat is not made of teak. Teak you can leave untreated, unpainted, unvarnished, unseal and it developes a silver color and is the best non-skid surface anywhere. The cap rail, well it ain't teak and I have let it slide and now I am going to pay the price. There were two cracks in it and one of these happened to be right where one of the lines from the fenders cross the cap rail. By the end of a day of bumping and sawing, a three inch piece had been cut out. I had to spend part of Sunday gluing it back in place, filling the cracks with wood putty and fairing compound and then sanding it. Today, I will fix any mistakes, do more sanding and stain the fix. Then I will go over the whole rail, sanding and making any repairs. I will purchase a can of stain and some sealer and get the cap rail looking Bristol!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
Boy has the sailing been great! Winds 10 - 15 knots every day. ABISHAG sails great under reduced sails, loosing most of her heel but little of her speed. That is the great thing about a ketch. It evens out the sail area and keeps the center of effort low allowing for good speed and not a lot of heel, once you get to understand the right sail combinations. Went out and around and through the Race and Race Rock Light on Saturday and went off to Montauk on Sunday. And since I live aboard, there is no rush to get back by any specific time which makes it even more relaxing!
The rain finally quite and took with it the humidity! Hallelujah! The weather for the Friday OPTI Regatta, of which I was the Chairman - how I got that job I really don't know - was perfect. Winds less that 10mph, bright, partly cloudy skies, and just about everything else you could want , weather-wise. The Regatta went off without a hitch and all was right with the world.
I had to motor into the dock in the early morning to both perform my morning "ablutions" as well as the help with getting all squared away for the start of the regatta. Now ABISHAG is not what you would call a "spritely" maneuvering boat by any means and even less so at slow speeds. It took three passes to approach the dock correctly and even then I didn't quite do it. I had a slight altercation with a piling, whacking it with my bow rail. After a few choice words, and after having tied up to the dock, I found that the stanchion for the bow rail on the port side, where I took the hit, had sheared. The bow rail is a stainless steel tube, welded to a disc, to which is weld a stud. The stud goes through the deck, the disc sits on the deck, and a washer and nut are screwed on the stud anchoring the rail to the deck and the boat. The stud sheared off at deck level just below the disc. Actually, it broke. looking at the stud, it didn't snap off, it broke for it was coroded all the way through. I am not sure why. There didn't seem to be any dissimilar metals, all was stainleess steel. The is not galvanic activity there. The miniscule amoung to bedding compound precluded water being trapped. Whatever the cause, all it took was a glancing blow for it to break.
The fix was easy enough. Brush the area with a five-minute epoxy to seal the deck and eliminate any cracks. Drill three holes in the ss disc and three corresponding holes through the deck. Insert three ss bolts and affix them with washers and nuts, after first caulking them to a fare-thee-well. Then crank it all down nice and secure. As I said, a easy fix and for once I had everything I needed on board.
One other thing I noticed was that that cap-rail that runs around the boat is not made of teak. Teak you can leave untreated, unpainted, unvarnished, unseal and it developes a silver color and is the best non-skid surface anywhere. The cap rail, well it ain't teak and I have let it slide and now I am going to pay the price. There were two cracks in it and one of these happened to be right where one of the lines from the fenders cross the cap rail. By the end of a day of bumping and sawing, a three inch piece had been cut out. I had to spend part of Sunday gluing it back in place, filling the cracks with wood putty and fairing compound and then sanding it. Today, I will fix any mistakes, do more sanding and stain the fix. Then I will go over the whole rail, sanding and making any repairs. I will purchase a can of stain and some sealer and get the cap rail looking Bristol!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
Boy has the sailing been great! Winds 10 - 15 knots every day. ABISHAG sails great under reduced sails, loosing most of her heel but little of her speed. That is the great thing about a ketch. It evens out the sail area and keeps the center of effort low allowing for good speed and not a lot of heel, once you get to understand the right sail combinations. Went out and around and through the Race and Race Rock Light on Saturday and went off to Montauk on Sunday. And since I live aboard, there is no rush to get back by any specific time which makes it even more relaxing!
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