SHIP'S LOG:
The weather has broken finally. There was a small rain storm Wednesday Night. Thursday it rained in the morning but cleared in the afternoon. Thursday night, it started raining again and today it looks like awash out. it supposed to basically rain on and off all day. But as I said, that's a good thing, for with the coming of the rain storms came also the departure of the humidity, at least for awhile. I'll take it!
There has been much sailing since Wednesday as every time I thought about it, it took only one look at the sky to make me realize it might be a bad idea. I had enough of living on ABISHAG during thunder storms when I had to and since I don't necessarily need to do so now, both Wednesday and Thursday nights, I pack to possibly spend the night ashore if required. But aside from a rumble or two, and the odd flash of lightning, and the on and off rain, it was no sweat staying aboard.
The Portuguese sub came back in again yesterday morning. Evidently the training with the US Navy continues apace. Considering that the US Navy doesn't own any diesel-electric subs anymore and that is the type owned by most of other nations of the world, especially those in the Middle East and the Far East, the Navy seems to be practicing learning how to detect and follow (and sink) such boats in case the need should arise in the future. Pleasant thought.
The owners of the Gemini Catamarans are having a rendezvous over in Three Mile Harbor over the weekend and a couple from the club are getting ready to leave today. It is raining but it won't stop them from going. n fact, several other couples, who don't have Gemini's, are going along as well. True they won't be ab;e to anchor in the 22 inches of water that the Gemini's can, but their parties at the rendezvous are always great and who would pass up a chance to party. The Nonsuch catboats are having their summer rendezvous this week over in Greenport with about 30 in attendance. It is a big summer thing for boats of the same make to get together to break bread and gam. There are none anywhere nearby that I can find for Camper Nicholsons which is too bad. They had one a couple of years ago somewhere up in Maine and another down in the Chesapeake but that was before I would have undertaken such a trip by myself. Now that I would . . . . Nada! Such is life.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
It's Hot!!!!!!!
SHIP'S LOG:
In case you don't know it, you who live in air-conditioned comfort, it is hot out there! And what is more, it is humid too! Being with out an air conditioner or a wall socket into which to plug it, ABISHAG is at the mercy of the wind which, thank goodness, continues to blow, fairly consistently if not with great velocity. In any event, it is enough to move ABISHAG when the urge overtakes me. Getting ready to shove off can be quite the effort in the heat and humidity and it takes not only the physical effort, it takes copious amounts of fluid. I would guesstimate knocking back at least a gallon and a half to 2 gallons of water a day, and that doesn't include a can or two of ginger-ale (it's cold!) and the odd can of beer or three (which are also cold!) Eventually, the weather will brake and there will probably be a hell of a thunder storm, but for right now, it is "late- August-in-July"!
NOAA did it to me again. There were no predicted rains for the week ahead, at least according to the weather report yesterday. And so, quite naturally, I was asleep in the aft cabin under the wide open hatch when at a bout 4 am the skies opened up and sent me scurrying about closing all the hatches and ports against the rain.Stumbling around in the dark, having been so rudely awaken from sleep by a cold and drenching shower, I got ABISHAG shut-up just in time to see the rain stop. Then it was matter of re-opening all the ports and hatches, though not completely this time, less there be another shower. Alas, there was none and the rain we did get is serving as I write this to boost the humidity. It will be another "Triple H" day, Hazy, Hot & Humid. But the one good thing about such a day is that you don't have to shovel hazy, hot & humid!
In case you don't know it, you who live in air-conditioned comfort, it is hot out there! And what is more, it is humid too! Being with out an air conditioner or a wall socket into which to plug it, ABISHAG is at the mercy of the wind which, thank goodness, continues to blow, fairly consistently if not with great velocity. In any event, it is enough to move ABISHAG when the urge overtakes me. Getting ready to shove off can be quite the effort in the heat and humidity and it takes not only the physical effort, it takes copious amounts of fluid. I would guesstimate knocking back at least a gallon and a half to 2 gallons of water a day, and that doesn't include a can or two of ginger-ale (it's cold!) and the odd can of beer or three (which are also cold!) Eventually, the weather will brake and there will probably be a hell of a thunder storm, but for right now, it is "late- August-in-July"!
NOAA did it to me again. There were no predicted rains for the week ahead, at least according to the weather report yesterday. And so, quite naturally, I was asleep in the aft cabin under the wide open hatch when at a bout 4 am the skies opened up and sent me scurrying about closing all the hatches and ports against the rain.Stumbling around in the dark, having been so rudely awaken from sleep by a cold and drenching shower, I got ABISHAG shut-up just in time to see the rain stop. Then it was matter of re-opening all the ports and hatches, though not completely this time, less there be another shower. Alas, there was none and the rain we did get is serving as I write this to boost the humidity. It will be another "Triple H" day, Hazy, Hot & Humid. But the one good thing about such a day is that you don't have to shovel hazy, hot & humid!
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Ho-Hum,More Boring Summer Days
SHIP'S LOG:
I wish that I could say that there is a lot to report but there truly isn't. It is really tough to just go sailing every day and enjoy the summer like this. Truth be told, the sailing has been a necessity in that the heat and humidity down at the shore has been on the brutal side. The only way to truly escape it is to get out on the water. Even if I don't sail, there is always a breezed at the mooring and by skillfully playing with the hatches and ports aboard, I can get a very good breeze blowing through the boat. The only real problem is that anything wet stays wet, or at least damp, never completely drying out which can make the bedding a tad uncomfortable.
Perhaps the only two things of note this week were the invitation and the sub.The "invitation" was from my cousin Bob who called and asked me to help him deliver a boat from Milford to Brandford. It was not what you might call the journey of the century, but it would have been a nice day trip. I was on my way down 95 to Milford when a call came from Bob canceling the trip as the rest of the delivery crew came down with what Bob referred to as "hoof & mouth disease." He wasn't more specific but the simple truth was the delivery was off until another time.
The second was "the sub." About 3pm Friday, I was off New London Ledge Light when a call came over Channel 16 " the International distress and hailing Channel" which boaters are supposed to monitor all the times. The caller was requesting contact with "New London Harbor Control," identifying himself as being on a Portuguese submarine! It didn't surprise me that Portugal had a Navy but I was surprised that it had a submarine service arm! But sure enough, out came the Harbor Pilot and up came the sub and they met at Buoy 2 at the mouth of the Thames River. It was a small sub, perhaps not even 1/3 the size of a 688 class boat and it was diesel-electric, but it had what appeared to be a fairly modern design. It was interesting that not "protection" was offered and you could get close to the sub, much like you could to the US boats prior to 9/11. I have no idea what it was doing here or where it went, though I suspect it berthed at the sub-base. I probably catch it again when it leaves if it does so by daylight.
One last thing . . . . NOAA. If anyone listened at home to NOAA or any of the weather forecast based on NOAA reports, no one would have come down to the shore to go sailing or to the beach. we had great wind, clear skies, low humidity; it was an all-round great day to be out and about the water. People who took the chance or who lived close by lucked out. It was outstanding!
I wish that I could say that there is a lot to report but there truly isn't. It is really tough to just go sailing every day and enjoy the summer like this. Truth be told, the sailing has been a necessity in that the heat and humidity down at the shore has been on the brutal side. The only way to truly escape it is to get out on the water. Even if I don't sail, there is always a breezed at the mooring and by skillfully playing with the hatches and ports aboard, I can get a very good breeze blowing through the boat. The only real problem is that anything wet stays wet, or at least damp, never completely drying out which can make the bedding a tad uncomfortable.
Perhaps the only two things of note this week were the invitation and the sub.The "invitation" was from my cousin Bob who called and asked me to help him deliver a boat from Milford to Brandford. It was not what you might call the journey of the century, but it would have been a nice day trip. I was on my way down 95 to Milford when a call came from Bob canceling the trip as the rest of the delivery crew came down with what Bob referred to as "hoof & mouth disease." He wasn't more specific but the simple truth was the delivery was off until another time.
The second was "the sub." About 3pm Friday, I was off New London Ledge Light when a call came over Channel 16 " the International distress and hailing Channel" which boaters are supposed to monitor all the times. The caller was requesting contact with "New London Harbor Control," identifying himself as being on a Portuguese submarine! It didn't surprise me that Portugal had a Navy but I was surprised that it had a submarine service arm! But sure enough, out came the Harbor Pilot and up came the sub and they met at Buoy 2 at the mouth of the Thames River. It was a small sub, perhaps not even 1/3 the size of a 688 class boat and it was diesel-electric, but it had what appeared to be a fairly modern design. It was interesting that not "protection" was offered and you could get close to the sub, much like you could to the US boats prior to 9/11. I have no idea what it was doing here or where it went, though I suspect it berthed at the sub-base. I probably catch it again when it leaves if it does so by daylight.
One last thing . . . . NOAA. If anyone listened at home to NOAA or any of the weather forecast based on NOAA reports, no one would have come down to the shore to go sailing or to the beach. we had great wind, clear skies, low humidity; it was an all-round great day to be out and about the water. People who took the chance or who lived close by lucked out. It was outstanding!
Monday, July 9, 2012
Long Gone And Not To Be Found!!!!!
SHIP'S LOG:
I have just noticed that the last couple of entries are not to be found! Let's hear it for the Internet! It is not there was anything terribly earth shattering in any of them but it is nice when my typing, which is an effort, gets out to where it is supposed to be.
Friday was hot and humid and I went out sailing. Doesn't sound like all that much but if you were trapped ashore, without air conditioning, then you know better!
Saturday was when New London hosted its SAIL FEST celebration. This year, they were able to secure a few "tall ships" for a parade up the river to the center of the city. "Tall ships" needs a little explanation. Evidently there are tall ships and then there are TALL SHIPS, ships classified as "Type A Tall Ships." In the parade we had two(2), the bark EAGLE and a similar sized training ship from Brazil, whose name I have forgotten. In addition to these, there were somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 smaller tall ships, ranging from the AMISTAD, the schooner BRILLIANT from Mystic Seaport, and the private yacht, TICONDEROGA. Sprinkled among them were several small Navy ships from the Naval Academy at Annapolis and a modern Naval Assault ship, the CARTER HALL. Sadly, the whole parade sort of unraveled as the Eagle, which had been anchored in Niantic Bay Friday night with the other tall ships, had trouble raising her anchor and it delayed the whole parade for a of couple of hours. The ships got strung out and actually, aside from the two Class "A" tall ships and the CATER HALL, it was difficult for a none sailor to figure out which ships were in the parade and which were part of the spectator fleet that was everywhere. Still, everyone seemed to have a good time and there was a lot of eating and drinking and parties where everywhere.
Saturday night was also the night of the New London Fireworks for the Fourth of July. This meant that every square foot of beach front and/or lawns that had a view of the appropriate part of the river where the fireworks would be fired off was much sought after. This meant that TYC, its beach, clubhouse, pier and boats were Ground Zero. To keep control, entrance onto club property was restricted members and their guests and those who obtained a guest mooring for the night.I had "gate " duty, putting wrist bands on "the elect" and turning away those who tried to crash. Counting the members who came down and went out to their boats for the show, plus all those on the property, we had somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 people on our little "slice of heaven." The fireworks were marvelous. It was clear that it would be a fantastic, better-than-average show as the company which put it on, ha a "disaster" on the 4th in San Diego when, because of an "electrical malfunction," all of the fireworks went off at once with the throwing of the first switch. It must have been spectacular!but I was more than happy with the show we experienced here.
Sunday was Hazy, hot and humid and once the crowds thinned out, I sailed up to look at the tall ships docked about a mile from TYC. Several of the schooners were taking people out for a cruise down to the mouth of the Thames and then back and I went along in ABISHAG a couple of times. I can say for certain that now ABISHAG and I exist in numerous cellphones.
I have just noticed that the last couple of entries are not to be found! Let's hear it for the Internet! It is not there was anything terribly earth shattering in any of them but it is nice when my typing, which is an effort, gets out to where it is supposed to be.
Friday was hot and humid and I went out sailing. Doesn't sound like all that much but if you were trapped ashore, without air conditioning, then you know better!
Saturday was when New London hosted its SAIL FEST celebration. This year, they were able to secure a few "tall ships" for a parade up the river to the center of the city. "Tall ships" needs a little explanation. Evidently there are tall ships and then there are TALL SHIPS, ships classified as "Type A Tall Ships." In the parade we had two(2), the bark EAGLE and a similar sized training ship from Brazil, whose name I have forgotten. In addition to these, there were somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 smaller tall ships, ranging from the AMISTAD, the schooner BRILLIANT from Mystic Seaport, and the private yacht, TICONDEROGA. Sprinkled among them were several small Navy ships from the Naval Academy at Annapolis and a modern Naval Assault ship, the CARTER HALL. Sadly, the whole parade sort of unraveled as the Eagle, which had been anchored in Niantic Bay Friday night with the other tall ships, had trouble raising her anchor and it delayed the whole parade for a of couple of hours. The ships got strung out and actually, aside from the two Class "A" tall ships and the CATER HALL, it was difficult for a none sailor to figure out which ships were in the parade and which were part of the spectator fleet that was everywhere. Still, everyone seemed to have a good time and there was a lot of eating and drinking and parties where everywhere.
Saturday night was also the night of the New London Fireworks for the Fourth of July. This meant that every square foot of beach front and/or lawns that had a view of the appropriate part of the river where the fireworks would be fired off was much sought after. This meant that TYC, its beach, clubhouse, pier and boats were Ground Zero. To keep control, entrance onto club property was restricted members and their guests and those who obtained a guest mooring for the night.I had "gate " duty, putting wrist bands on "the elect" and turning away those who tried to crash. Counting the members who came down and went out to their boats for the show, plus all those on the property, we had somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 people on our little "slice of heaven." The fireworks were marvelous. It was clear that it would be a fantastic, better-than-average show as the company which put it on, ha a "disaster" on the 4th in San Diego when, because of an "electrical malfunction," all of the fireworks went off at once with the throwing of the first switch. It must have been spectacular!but I was more than happy with the show we experienced here.
Sunday was Hazy, hot and humid and once the crowds thinned out, I sailed up to look at the tall ships docked about a mile from TYC. Several of the schooners were taking people out for a cruise down to the mouth of the Thames and then back and I went along in ABISHAG a couple of times. I can say for certain that now ABISHAG and I exist in numerous cellphones.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Happy 5th OF July
SHIP'S LOG:
As is traditional at TYC, the Fourth of July meant a race, the Bradbury, and as there was racing there also needed Race Committee-ing. Since I neglected to get a rating for ABISHAG, and since I didn't have crew for the event(tough for anyone to get on a National Holiday), I worked race committee. It was not a difficult task. Indeed the hardest part was waiting for the boats to finish after the start. They had a 13 mile or so course and once they started, the Queen Merry was abandoned and we retreated to the Clubhouse where the appearance of the first boat signaled a return to the Queen to record the order of finish and record times. Not a particularly taxing task. Then it was ashore for the traditional post race cookout which was stupendous.
Strange things about this fourth was the real lack of fireworks. New London's will come Saturday night but usually the locals will fire off their stockpiles on the fourth after sundown. There were a few, and I emphasize "few" but no more. Usually, they keep up long into the night but not so this time. I found it peculiar. Even the guy down the beach with the honest-to-goodness canon let loose not a broadside. It was pretty much a "silent fourth of July."
As is traditional at TYC, the Fourth of July meant a race, the Bradbury, and as there was racing there also needed Race Committee-ing. Since I neglected to get a rating for ABISHAG, and since I didn't have crew for the event(tough for anyone to get on a National Holiday), I worked race committee. It was not a difficult task. Indeed the hardest part was waiting for the boats to finish after the start. They had a 13 mile or so course and once they started, the Queen Merry was abandoned and we retreated to the Clubhouse where the appearance of the first boat signaled a return to the Queen to record the order of finish and record times. Not a particularly taxing task. Then it was ashore for the traditional post race cookout which was stupendous.
Strange things about this fourth was the real lack of fireworks. New London's will come Saturday night but usually the locals will fire off their stockpiles on the fourth after sundown. There were a few, and I emphasize "few" but no more. Usually, they keep up long into the night but not so this time. I found it peculiar. Even the guy down the beach with the honest-to-goodness canon let loose not a broadside. It was pretty much a "silent fourth of July."
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
The Tale Of The Dinghy
SHIP'S LOG:
I finally secured my dinghy! It has been wintering in the backyard of Tommy Welsh and doing quite nicely from all indications. The incredibly slow leak is still there in the front air tube but aside from an invasion of spiders and other creepy-crawlies, all of whom were banished with a water hose, she seems in fine shape.
One oar is firmly attached and the other isn't. The oarlocks are glued to the dinghy and are composed of a little socket in which is inserted a threaded metal rod. This goes through a hole in the oar and there is supposed to be a screw cap on top to keep the oar from lifting off the rod when one is rowing. The port side unit is complete with the rod going through the oar but the cap is missing from the end of the rod. I had a large acorn nut which had "just about" the same threads and I screwed it on. Unfortunately, "just about" and "exactly the same"are not equal. I doubt seriously whether that nut will ever unscrew which means that oar is going no where any time soon.
The threaded rod is missing from the starboard side socket. It appears as if the rod was merely "glue in place in the socket and it has disappeared. I am not sure if such was the case when I hauled it last fall but I think that it might be. The dinghy currently resides on a painter off the stern of ABISHAG. I will have to haul it to the dock and get it out of the wet. I will probably drill, if I can manage it, through the bottom of the socket ad run the longest machine bolt I have through it, and through the oar, and secure it in place with an aircraft nut( the type with the plastic inside to keep it from unscrewing) or use two nuts, one for a locking nut, to keep the oar in place. Before I can do it, I have to go an get a foot pump for the dinghy. When I got the dinghy out to ABISHAG last week, I didn't put her up on the davits. I want to run a support strut or wire to the stanchions to which they are attached, to insure against the stanchions cracking again and needing to be welded. (It was so much fun the first time.) I left the foot pump secured in the front of the dinghy and it was there Sunday morning but not when I checked Sunday night as I return from show. In between , I worked the Governor's Regatta and we had a hell of a blow which followed. We had a couple of wind gusts that probably hit 50mph and while it didn't flip the dinghy, it evidently bounced it a lot. The "free oar" which I had secured with a line, was floating in the water and the pump was no where to be seen. Thus it is that a new pump needs to be procured. It is always something, ain't it!
I finally secured my dinghy! It has been wintering in the backyard of Tommy Welsh and doing quite nicely from all indications. The incredibly slow leak is still there in the front air tube but aside from an invasion of spiders and other creepy-crawlies, all of whom were banished with a water hose, she seems in fine shape.
One oar is firmly attached and the other isn't. The oarlocks are glued to the dinghy and are composed of a little socket in which is inserted a threaded metal rod. This goes through a hole in the oar and there is supposed to be a screw cap on top to keep the oar from lifting off the rod when one is rowing. The port side unit is complete with the rod going through the oar but the cap is missing from the end of the rod. I had a large acorn nut which had "just about" the same threads and I screwed it on. Unfortunately, "just about" and "exactly the same"are not equal. I doubt seriously whether that nut will ever unscrew which means that oar is going no where any time soon.
The threaded rod is missing from the starboard side socket. It appears as if the rod was merely "glue in place in the socket and it has disappeared. I am not sure if such was the case when I hauled it last fall but I think that it might be. The dinghy currently resides on a painter off the stern of ABISHAG. I will have to haul it to the dock and get it out of the wet. I will probably drill, if I can manage it, through the bottom of the socket ad run the longest machine bolt I have through it, and through the oar, and secure it in place with an aircraft nut( the type with the plastic inside to keep it from unscrewing) or use two nuts, one for a locking nut, to keep the oar in place. Before I can do it, I have to go an get a foot pump for the dinghy. When I got the dinghy out to ABISHAG last week, I didn't put her up on the davits. I want to run a support strut or wire to the stanchions to which they are attached, to insure against the stanchions cracking again and needing to be welded. (It was so much fun the first time.) I left the foot pump secured in the front of the dinghy and it was there Sunday morning but not when I checked Sunday night as I return from show. In between , I worked the Governor's Regatta and we had a hell of a blow which followed. We had a couple of wind gusts that probably hit 50mph and while it didn't flip the dinghy, it evidently bounced it a lot. The "free oar" which I had secured with a line, was floating in the water and the pump was no where to be seen. Thus it is that a new pump needs to be procured. It is always something, ain't it!
Monday, July 2, 2012
Ah! Summer!
SHIP'S LOG:
The last three days have been brutally hot and humid, far more like August that the end of June and the beginning of July. The good news is that going but for a sail was a wonderful way to cool off. The bad news is that every sail comes to an end. But so long as I stayed "aboard" the weather was bearable. It was so hot and humid, beach members didn't even show up to use the beach. Evidently a room with an air conditioner was a better option.
The Governor's Regatta was this weekend(Sunday) and there was a lot of hustle and bustle to get everything ready and in place. I worked on the Race committee again this year. Once again, I was "in charge of weather," though why they think I have any more "pull" than anyone else is beyond me, as well as working the "Windward Mark" boat. We almost got shut out of the job as the way the wind was coming, it was better to use an official Government mark(buoy) for the windward mark and for us to set one ourselves. But after the race started, the wind got flukey and died down quite a bit, so that it was necessary to shorten the race for the Ensign Class, a group of boats onlyy22 feet in length. In the light air they would have had real trouble not just finishing the total course but then they would have really been delayed going the 2 plus miles back to TYC.
It turned out to be good decision to shorten the race for them as about an hour after they got back to the club and all the crews from all the boats were ashore enjoying food and drink, a storm hit. Lots of thunder! Lots of lightning! Lots of wind! Lots of rain. It would have been nasty and dangerous for the Ensigns, indeed anyone, to have been caught out on the water in that storm. But it was a lot of fun to watch from the safety of the clubhouse ashore!
The last three days have been brutally hot and humid, far more like August that the end of June and the beginning of July. The good news is that going but for a sail was a wonderful way to cool off. The bad news is that every sail comes to an end. But so long as I stayed "aboard" the weather was bearable. It was so hot and humid, beach members didn't even show up to use the beach. Evidently a room with an air conditioner was a better option.
The Governor's Regatta was this weekend(Sunday) and there was a lot of hustle and bustle to get everything ready and in place. I worked on the Race committee again this year. Once again, I was "in charge of weather," though why they think I have any more "pull" than anyone else is beyond me, as well as working the "Windward Mark" boat. We almost got shut out of the job as the way the wind was coming, it was better to use an official Government mark(buoy) for the windward mark and for us to set one ourselves. But after the race started, the wind got flukey and died down quite a bit, so that it was necessary to shorten the race for the Ensign Class, a group of boats onlyy22 feet in length. In the light air they would have had real trouble not just finishing the total course but then they would have really been delayed going the 2 plus miles back to TYC.
It turned out to be good decision to shorten the race for them as about an hour after they got back to the club and all the crews from all the boats were ashore enjoying food and drink, a storm hit. Lots of thunder! Lots of lightning! Lots of wind! Lots of rain. It would have been nasty and dangerous for the Ensigns, indeed anyone, to have been caught out on the water in that storm. But it was a lot of fun to watch from the safety of the clubhouse ashore!
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