SHIP'S LOG:
I got the seat for the dinghy and a heavy duty air mattress to use as the "air floor" and was ready to get the dinghy up to A-1 Status. The has these two clips, one on either end, which slide over these webbed handles on the interior of the dinghy. I slipped one clip in one handle and the other clip in the other handle, and the second one broke. Evidently the cloth webbing had deteriorated sufficiently in the sunlight so as to become rotten and it just broke. Tugging on the unbroken one broke it too. ARGH! So now a simple fix has become a little bit more complicated. I will have to get new handles, special marine dinghy ones of course, and glue them to the insides of the dinghy with special marine dinghy glue of course, and so get the dingy back in proper statue. Such a simple thing gone stray!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
It Was A Fast Week!
SHIP'S LOG:
The weather was too good this week not to spend it sailing! In one sense, it was/is getting more like August weather in that the winds are getting/have been lite, though, thank goodness, there has been little in the way of humidity.
Friend Ray came and took a shot at getting the refeer running. He found most of the problems and felt that the repair should be easily accomplished. I have absolutely faith in his ability as a mechanic and a repair-er of all things mechanical, it is just that his finding the time to do it that may be the problem. But it will get done when it gets done.
The main hatch over the salon leaked during the last rain storm we had and I decided that it was going to stop. Last year!!!!! I thought I had gotten that problem solved by really gooping the seam between the lexan lens and the aluminum hatch frame that holds it. Needless to say since I am commenting on it, it didn't quite work. So, fresh from my re-caulking experience with the teak deck, I decided to re-caulk the hatch. So I dug out all the old caulk, cleaned the channel/seam been the lens and the hatch frame, tape the the area to be caulked, put int he new caulk , worked it into the seam, leveled it off and waited 24 hours. Looks good, very nice and neat, and now I have only to wait for a rain storm to see if it works. That will happen on Monday or Tuesday.
In the lite wind, sailing can be either very relaxing and/or frustrating. Thursday I sailed toward the Race. It was a slow, relaxing sail and I was just entering the Race when I decided to turn around and head back to TYC. The Race is not the place to get caught without wind. It was a slow, 1 - 1.5 knot trip back to TYC. The sun was hot and the sea was rolly and after about an hour, with no prospect of more wind, the iron genny came on and I motored back to the mooring. Usually I don't use the engine if I can sail but I realized that I wasn't getting any extra points for sailing at 1knot back to the mooring 3 miles away!
There was absolutely no wind for the Wednesday night races. 20+ boats went out and "bobbed" about around the Queen Merry before the race was called at 6:30pm. Nothing worse that racers that don't get to race. One captain motored all the way out the mouth of the river to check the wind there and radioed back that he was getting 6 knots of wind over the deck and he felt sure it would eventually "fill in." His call came after the race was called much to his disappointment. Then again, the wind never did fill in in the river and it would have been more a "drift" that a "race" had they run it.
One of the things you have to deal with when living on a boat is communication. Cell phones make that easier but computers and access to the web are a little more problematic. I have an air card for the computer and that pretty much guarantees access any time and any place, but air card time can be expensive. So, I make use of the free wifi at the Club. I have to go ashore to use it as it doesn't broadcast much beyond the porch at the club. It is also true that computers and computers no matter where they are. My laptop which is the computer I use on the boat has been fine but recently began to act strangely, downloading the same updates from Microsoft and then being unable to reconfigure them once they are download. Then it has to "revert" the changes and downloads become pending , to be loaded the next time the computer is turned on. I contacted a tech service and they spent most of Wednesday trying to "apply a fix." They said that they did it but it turned out that the computer was smarted then they are. They took another shot on Friday afternoon, but "Bob," "Jim" and "Harry" we unable to make the necessary corrections. Sanjy, Mashtou and Hari eventually had to admit defeat and turn it over to their"escalation" team. I have an appointment with them on Tuesday and they "guarantee" they will solve the problem . . . . .then again Sanjay, Mashtou and Hair did the same. We will see what we see. I can use the computer with no problem save for when it goes through that downloading-configuring-unloading problem.
I went looking for a seat for the dinghy. For some reason it had disappeared, when or where I don't know, but it is gone. The dinghy is from Silver Marine and is not widely carried so finding a seat from Silver Marine was a pain. I went online and got a couple of leads but nothing materialized. I went to two local marine supply stores and one had a comparable seat for a mere $242 dollars. The other had a seat for $43! Guess which one I bought? Getting an "air floor" for the dinghy (that disappeared last year in a storm) was even more expensive so I decided to get a heavy duty air mattress and use that instead. It is not like I use the dinghy all that much but it is necessary to have it usable because the time will come when I will absolutely need it!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
The summer is coming to the end and I am still hemming and hawing over whether I am going south or on the hard in up here. When the summer was still in front of me, the question really wasn't a big deal. Now, with only weeks left of good (read "warm") weather, a decision needs to be made soon. I have been looking at marinas and shipyards to get an idea where to haul, if I haul, but I find that depressing . . . and expensive. I think I will not think about it today and go sailing instead!
The weather was too good this week not to spend it sailing! In one sense, it was/is getting more like August weather in that the winds are getting/have been lite, though, thank goodness, there has been little in the way of humidity.
Friend Ray came and took a shot at getting the refeer running. He found most of the problems and felt that the repair should be easily accomplished. I have absolutely faith in his ability as a mechanic and a repair-er of all things mechanical, it is just that his finding the time to do it that may be the problem. But it will get done when it gets done.
The main hatch over the salon leaked during the last rain storm we had and I decided that it was going to stop. Last year!!!!! I thought I had gotten that problem solved by really gooping the seam between the lexan lens and the aluminum hatch frame that holds it. Needless to say since I am commenting on it, it didn't quite work. So, fresh from my re-caulking experience with the teak deck, I decided to re-caulk the hatch. So I dug out all the old caulk, cleaned the channel/seam been the lens and the hatch frame, tape the the area to be caulked, put int he new caulk , worked it into the seam, leveled it off and waited 24 hours. Looks good, very nice and neat, and now I have only to wait for a rain storm to see if it works. That will happen on Monday or Tuesday.
In the lite wind, sailing can be either very relaxing and/or frustrating. Thursday I sailed toward the Race. It was a slow, relaxing sail and I was just entering the Race when I decided to turn around and head back to TYC. The Race is not the place to get caught without wind. It was a slow, 1 - 1.5 knot trip back to TYC. The sun was hot and the sea was rolly and after about an hour, with no prospect of more wind, the iron genny came on and I motored back to the mooring. Usually I don't use the engine if I can sail but I realized that I wasn't getting any extra points for sailing at 1knot back to the mooring 3 miles away!
There was absolutely no wind for the Wednesday night races. 20+ boats went out and "bobbed" about around the Queen Merry before the race was called at 6:30pm. Nothing worse that racers that don't get to race. One captain motored all the way out the mouth of the river to check the wind there and radioed back that he was getting 6 knots of wind over the deck and he felt sure it would eventually "fill in." His call came after the race was called much to his disappointment. Then again, the wind never did fill in in the river and it would have been more a "drift" that a "race" had they run it.
One of the things you have to deal with when living on a boat is communication. Cell phones make that easier but computers and access to the web are a little more problematic. I have an air card for the computer and that pretty much guarantees access any time and any place, but air card time can be expensive. So, I make use of the free wifi at the Club. I have to go ashore to use it as it doesn't broadcast much beyond the porch at the club. It is also true that computers and computers no matter where they are. My laptop which is the computer I use on the boat has been fine but recently began to act strangely, downloading the same updates from Microsoft and then being unable to reconfigure them once they are download. Then it has to "revert" the changes and downloads become pending , to be loaded the next time the computer is turned on. I contacted a tech service and they spent most of Wednesday trying to "apply a fix." They said that they did it but it turned out that the computer was smarted then they are. They took another shot on Friday afternoon, but "Bob," "Jim" and "Harry" we unable to make the necessary corrections. Sanjy, Mashtou and Hari eventually had to admit defeat and turn it over to their"escalation" team. I have an appointment with them on Tuesday and they "guarantee" they will solve the problem . . . . .then again Sanjay, Mashtou and Hair did the same. We will see what we see. I can use the computer with no problem save for when it goes through that downloading-configuring-unloading problem.
I went looking for a seat for the dinghy. For some reason it had disappeared, when or where I don't know, but it is gone. The dinghy is from Silver Marine and is not widely carried so finding a seat from Silver Marine was a pain. I went online and got a couple of leads but nothing materialized. I went to two local marine supply stores and one had a comparable seat for a mere $242 dollars. The other had a seat for $43! Guess which one I bought? Getting an "air floor" for the dinghy (that disappeared last year in a storm) was even more expensive so I decided to get a heavy duty air mattress and use that instead. It is not like I use the dinghy all that much but it is necessary to have it usable because the time will come when I will absolutely need it!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
The summer is coming to the end and I am still hemming and hawing over whether I am going south or on the hard in up here. When the summer was still in front of me, the question really wasn't a big deal. Now, with only weeks left of good (read "warm") weather, a decision needs to be made soon. I have been looking at marinas and shipyards to get an idea where to haul, if I haul, but I find that depressing . . . and expensive. I think I will not think about it today and go sailing instead!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
A Crappy Day In Paradise, And I do Mean Crappy!
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.
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
