SHIP'S LOG:
It was an interesting day! It certainly was beautiful, not a cloud in the sky and most spring-like. Driving up to see ABISHAG about 11am, I was joined on the various roads by everyone who owned an antique car. I don't think there was a meet or anything like that as they were going in all directions. It seemed that people we just out, driving around, showing off their cars. Some were very impressive.
When I got to the boatyard, there as almost no place to park. Large parts of the roadways between the boats were filled with floating docks that have yet to be put into the water, as well as by the cars of those who had come to work on their boats and that appeared to be almost everyone!
I finally found a place to park and went to my boat. I had just unchained the ladder and had set it up when a woman walked up and asked it it was my boat. When I said that it was she said that she had something to show me. She took out her I-Phone and showed me a picture of a Morning Dove sitting on its nest. She point up at the anchor roller and said that the Dove had built the nest where my two anchors were resting. Great! I can't move the nest as it is obvious she is sitting on eggs. I will have to check with the ASPCA to see if they will move it or if can be moved, once the eggs hatch.
The major reason I was going up the boatyard was to do measurements on the squashed bow pulpit as well as the bow where it previously rested. That is, almost where the nest now rests! Doing the measurements was an exercise in being careful not to disturb Dove or the nest and still get the measurements right. I was able to do it though it took a lot of time trying to be careful as well as accurate.
Once that was done, I did a little maintenance work on the grating in the cockpit. It needs to be fixed, sanded and varnished. It hasn't been a big priority on the "To-Do" list, but I will have the time this spring as most of the other maintenance issues were done last spring and don't need to be re-done. This means that there will be time to do some of the projects that I have never really had the time to get to before. But no matter, I will never get them all done, but it will be nice to make a dent in the list.
I drove the 42 miles home to the Hermitage only to discover that my wallet didn't make the trip and was still aboard ABISHAG. O well, at least it was a nice day for a drive!
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Saturday, April 23, 2016
Good News/Bad News
SHIP'S LOG:
I got up to see ABISHAG and she looks good though "wounded." I squared away all the schedule for all the spring maintenance issues. I made arrangements to also re-attach the mast head wind instrument, have the radio antenna checked and re-install a new Windex. And that's the good news.
The bad news is that the "metal-working guy" at the boatyard says that he can't fix the bow pulpit. There is a "kink" in part of the rail, right next to where it is affixed to a stanchion and that there is no way that he can straighten it. I found a possible replacement on EBAY but at the cost of $275. I may have to bite the bullet on it but before I do, i want to see if "surgery" is a possibility. If I can cutout the kinked section, cut off the welded top of the stanchion, put a "T-Connection" on, insert good part of the old section of the rail in the forward part of the "T-Section" and a new rail in the stern part of the "T-Section", and then connect the new rail into another connector that affixes to the remaining part of the rail that was kinked, then I could get it for less than $100 and the bow pulpit would still be "original" to the boat. In that the kinked section is curved, I am going to have to find someone with a pipe bender butt hat should be relatively "easy."
The little stainless steel doohickey that someone almost cut through when they were removing the tree has been welded and it looks good. Friend Fred has dismantled the furler and its various parts so that should be up to speed once he puts it all back together.
I will be going back up on Sunday and actually get some work done. At the very least, the interior should bet a good cleaning. I also have a little sewing to do on the Bimini. Once that is done, I will try spraying it with FlexSeal and see if I can get another y.ear or two out of it. I am excited!
I got up to see ABISHAG and she looks good though "wounded." I squared away all the schedule for all the spring maintenance issues. I made arrangements to also re-attach the mast head wind instrument, have the radio antenna checked and re-install a new Windex. And that's the good news.
The bad news is that the "metal-working guy" at the boatyard says that he can't fix the bow pulpit. There is a "kink" in part of the rail, right next to where it is affixed to a stanchion and that there is no way that he can straighten it. I found a possible replacement on EBAY but at the cost of $275. I may have to bite the bullet on it but before I do, i want to see if "surgery" is a possibility. If I can cutout the kinked section, cut off the welded top of the stanchion, put a "T-Connection" on, insert good part of the old section of the rail in the forward part of the "T-Section" and a new rail in the stern part of the "T-Section", and then connect the new rail into another connector that affixes to the remaining part of the rail that was kinked, then I could get it for less than $100 and the bow pulpit would still be "original" to the boat. In that the kinked section is curved, I am going to have to find someone with a pipe bender butt hat should be relatively "easy."
The little stainless steel doohickey that someone almost cut through when they were removing the tree has been welded and it looks good. Friend Fred has dismantled the furler and its various parts so that should be up to speed once he puts it all back together.
I will be going back up on Sunday and actually get some work done. At the very least, the interior should bet a good cleaning. I also have a little sewing to do on the Bimini. Once that is done, I will try spraying it with FlexSeal and see if I can get another y.ear or two out of it. I am excited!
Friday, April 22, 2016
Small Steps
SHIP'S LOG:
Well, it has been over a week now since I have been able to get up to "visit" ABISHAG, however, I am going up today. I will be dropping a few coins on the remainder of my bill which is a little more than "1 Marine Unit." I will also take the opportunity to talk with their Metal Fabricator about what it will cost to straighten the bow pulpit. That is the most obvious part of the damage remaining. The furler and forestay are well on their way to wholeness, but the bow pulpit sort of got squashed. There is only one serious bend and the rest is just "out of true." Stainless steel can be a pain to work with when it comes to bending and re-bending, getting it back to way it belongs, can, I imagine, only be worse.
There is routine maintenance that the yard will be doing, mostly with the engine. I always want them to work on it so that if it blows up or something, I can blame them. Electricity is voodoo to me and internal combustion engine are a pretty close second. Navigation and sailing I can do but things mechanical and electrical are out of my league. I also have to have them re-affix the wind indicator unit at the top of the mast. It is non-functioning having it dangling by its wires looks bad. I also want them to check the antenna and install a new windex and extender. All these things got whacked during the "incident "last" June and need to be fixed one way or another.
I have been putting as many hours into the loft as I can but there are not necessarily a lot I can put in. Basically, the accounts are empty, all of the down-payments used up to buy cloth and pay for a few of our hours. But as people come in to pick up their sails that should change and hopefully, they will start coming in.
We have a new "diver" for the club.Mooring inspections, parts replacement and other fixes will be handled by an outside contractor. It just got too much for Mark for whom it was a part-time-sort-of-hobby. I hope there are no surprises lurking there.
If all goes well, ABISHAG should launch before Memorial Day weekend and I pray that all goes well.
Well, it has been over a week now since I have been able to get up to "visit" ABISHAG, however, I am going up today. I will be dropping a few coins on the remainder of my bill which is a little more than "1 Marine Unit." I will also take the opportunity to talk with their Metal Fabricator about what it will cost to straighten the bow pulpit. That is the most obvious part of the damage remaining. The furler and forestay are well on their way to wholeness, but the bow pulpit sort of got squashed. There is only one serious bend and the rest is just "out of true." Stainless steel can be a pain to work with when it comes to bending and re-bending, getting it back to way it belongs, can, I imagine, only be worse.
There is routine maintenance that the yard will be doing, mostly with the engine. I always want them to work on it so that if it blows up or something, I can blame them. Electricity is voodoo to me and internal combustion engine are a pretty close second. Navigation and sailing I can do but things mechanical and electrical are out of my league. I also have to have them re-affix the wind indicator unit at the top of the mast. It is non-functioning having it dangling by its wires looks bad. I also want them to check the antenna and install a new windex and extender. All these things got whacked during the "incident "last" June and need to be fixed one way or another.
I have been putting as many hours into the loft as I can but there are not necessarily a lot I can put in. Basically, the accounts are empty, all of the down-payments used up to buy cloth and pay for a few of our hours. But as people come in to pick up their sails that should change and hopefully, they will start coming in.
We have a new "diver" for the club.Mooring inspections, parts replacement and other fixes will be handled by an outside contractor. It just got too much for Mark for whom it was a part-time-sort-of-hobby. I hope there are no surprises lurking there.
If all goes well, ABISHAG should launch before Memorial Day weekend and I pray that all goes well.
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Would You Believe ICE?
SHIP'S LOG:
Well the day has finally arrived! The First Day of SPRING! For those of you who have forgotten, the "First Day of Spring" arrives when I unwrap ABISHAG from her winter covering. And that was today! And there was ICE covering a puddle of water on one of the tarps covering the forehatch. Granted, it was only a very thin pane, but still, it was there. However, it did not prevent the unwrapping and the arrival of SPRING!
Friend Fred showed up and we tackle the furling drum issue. It appears that it got well and fairly tagged either by the boom of the other boat or the tree and there was a slight arcing in the bearing holder, as well as the "arm of ring" - a stainless steel circle attached to the bearing holder to encase the line that operates the furler - being "slightly out of true. It was not enough to trash the whole thing an buy a new one, but enough o require some "adjustments to make it work right, or as close to "right" as we could get. And since it was not an electrical problem, it meant that it could be fixed with a hammer judiciously applied. I supplied the hammers and Friend Fred supplied the expertise and within an hour, it was working. Friend Fred took the furler home as a piece of the sail foil needed to be extracted and it wasn't something that could be done with the tools aboard. But what it comes down to is that, unless something goes serious wrong, I have just saved 4 Marine Units ($2,000)
We are going to have to replace three sail foils but aside from that right now it appears that that should be it. Kevin, from the sail loft will check the rigging and re-set it and ABISHAG should be good to go. That leaves only the straightening of a could of the lifeline stanchions and the un-warping of the bow pulpit, and the expense should be done. I will have to fine out if I can get a boost up the mast as the transponder for the non-working wind speed-&-direction instrument display
has been knocked loose and needs to be secured or removed and the windex is missing and needs to be replaced. It would also be a time to check the radio antenna. There is no way anyone is going up the mast before the rig is secure, so if the yard has lift of some kind that can reach that high, up I go.
Actually, I am excited. I can hardly wait. I may even do the bottom paint this weekend!
Well the day has finally arrived! The First Day of SPRING! For those of you who have forgotten, the "First Day of Spring" arrives when I unwrap ABISHAG from her winter covering. And that was today! And there was ICE covering a puddle of water on one of the tarps covering the forehatch. Granted, it was only a very thin pane, but still, it was there. However, it did not prevent the unwrapping and the arrival of SPRING!
Friend Fred showed up and we tackle the furling drum issue. It appears that it got well and fairly tagged either by the boom of the other boat or the tree and there was a slight arcing in the bearing holder, as well as the "arm of ring" - a stainless steel circle attached to the bearing holder to encase the line that operates the furler - being "slightly out of true. It was not enough to trash the whole thing an buy a new one, but enough o require some "adjustments to make it work right, or as close to "right" as we could get. And since it was not an electrical problem, it meant that it could be fixed with a hammer judiciously applied. I supplied the hammers and Friend Fred supplied the expertise and within an hour, it was working. Friend Fred took the furler home as a piece of the sail foil needed to be extracted and it wasn't something that could be done with the tools aboard. But what it comes down to is that, unless something goes serious wrong, I have just saved 4 Marine Units ($2,000)
We are going to have to replace three sail foils but aside from that right now it appears that that should be it. Kevin, from the sail loft will check the rigging and re-set it and ABISHAG should be good to go. That leaves only the straightening of a could of the lifeline stanchions and the un-warping of the bow pulpit, and the expense should be done. I will have to fine out if I can get a boost up the mast as the transponder for the non-working wind speed-&-direction instrument display
has been knocked loose and needs to be secured or removed and the windex is missing and needs to be replaced. It would also be a time to check the radio antenna. There is no way anyone is going up the mast before the rig is secure, so if the yard has lift of some kind that can reach that high, up I go.
Actually, I am excited. I can hardly wait. I may even do the bottom paint this weekend!
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Wednesday Is D-Day!
SHIP'S LOG:
Work & Weather have combined to make Wednesday D-Day, the day that work on ABISHAG finally gets underway. The unwrapping and uncovering will take place and I will get to see how kind this rather mild winter has been to her. Hopefully, very kind, which will mean that it is only repair work that needs doing.
Kevin, the owner of the sail loft, will be coming up next week to look at the rigging and determine what needs doing. He should be able to handle all of the "serious rigging work" and procure all of the needs parts, of which there shouldn't be too many. A couple of the foils need to be replaced, as do the "legs" which hold the furling drum in a straddling position over the fore stay turn buckle. Kevin will be bale to determine whether or not the stay itself needs to be changed as well. Everything else should be salvageable. Friend Fred will tackle the dismantling of the furling drum to get the last broken foil extracted. If that is because of the technical jargon it all sound a bit confusing. It just ain't nautical to call things "doohickies" and "whatsit" and "thingamabobs."
I will also get a pricing on the bow pulpit. Its legs got a little - OK a lot - bent out of shape when the tree hit, but they while structure should be salvageable, along with three or four "bothered" stanchions for the lifelines. Truth be told, aside from those repair items, the painting of the bottom is the only thing the absolutely needs to be done. That will leave lots of time for varnishing and polishing and hull painting and a whole host of little jobs that get put off for a lack of time each year. It would be great to get the potable water system function again. It would be great to get all the gauges working again. There are a ton of little pain-in-the-butt items that I would love to cross off the "Ever Growing To-Do-Projects" list and this might be the spring when I can really put a dent in them.
Work & Weather have combined to make Wednesday D-Day, the day that work on ABISHAG finally gets underway. The unwrapping and uncovering will take place and I will get to see how kind this rather mild winter has been to her. Hopefully, very kind, which will mean that it is only repair work that needs doing.
Kevin, the owner of the sail loft, will be coming up next week to look at the rigging and determine what needs doing. He should be able to handle all of the "serious rigging work" and procure all of the needs parts, of which there shouldn't be too many. A couple of the foils need to be replaced, as do the "legs" which hold the furling drum in a straddling position over the fore stay turn buckle. Kevin will be bale to determine whether or not the stay itself needs to be changed as well. Everything else should be salvageable. Friend Fred will tackle the dismantling of the furling drum to get the last broken foil extracted. If that is because of the technical jargon it all sound a bit confusing. It just ain't nautical to call things "doohickies" and "whatsit" and "thingamabobs."
I will also get a pricing on the bow pulpit. Its legs got a little - OK a lot - bent out of shape when the tree hit, but they while structure should be salvageable, along with three or four "bothered" stanchions for the lifelines. Truth be told, aside from those repair items, the painting of the bottom is the only thing the absolutely needs to be done. That will leave lots of time for varnishing and polishing and hull painting and a whole host of little jobs that get put off for a lack of time each year. It would be great to get the potable water system function again. It would be great to get all the gauges working again. There are a ton of little pain-in-the-butt items that I would love to cross off the "Ever Growing To-Do-Projects" list and this might be the spring when I can really put a dent in them.
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Black & Blue & Red Sail Work
SHIP'S LOG:
You would not believe how dangerous it can be working in a sail loft! Just in the past week, I got a "cloth cut." Most sail cloth is very stiff and if you are not careful handling it, it can cut you. It is something like a paper cut but you will bleed! I was unlucky enough to do a good job on the side of my left hand and boy did it bleed.
And that is not the only "danger!" Removing and replacing hardware on a sail, things like metal headboards, snaps, clips, rings with wire cutters, hammers, drills, hacksaws, hand presses can be just a bit dangerous. I whacked one finger tip and now have a blood blister under the nail. I shoved an awl under the cuticle on my thumb. I scored the back of my hand with a hot knife (think soldering iron). I have also stuck myself with sail maker's needles, tacks, seam rippers, and the list goes on and on! I even dropped three pound sail weight on my foot. And this was a good week.
You would not believe how dangerous it can be working in a sail loft! Just in the past week, I got a "cloth cut." Most sail cloth is very stiff and if you are not careful handling it, it can cut you. It is something like a paper cut but you will bleed! I was unlucky enough to do a good job on the side of my left hand and boy did it bleed.
And that is not the only "danger!" Removing and replacing hardware on a sail, things like metal headboards, snaps, clips, rings with wire cutters, hammers, drills, hacksaws, hand presses can be just a bit dangerous. I whacked one finger tip and now have a blood blister under the nail. I shoved an awl under the cuticle on my thumb. I scored the back of my hand with a hot knife (think soldering iron). I have also stuck myself with sail maker's needles, tacks, seam rippers, and the list goes on and on! I even dropped three pound sail weight on my foot. And this was a good week.
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
It's April For Crying Out Loud! ! ! ! ! !
SHIP'S LOG:
Now that it is Post-Easter and into April, work should be underway on ABISHAG. And it wold be except for one little problem - the weather. The past few days we have been "blessed" with torrential rains, temperatures in the high 20's-to-low 30's, snow, freezing rain coating everything. Where was this in January or February when it would not have been such a big deal? The next few days promise ore snow and cold temperatures. I am hoping that it will all clear by the weekend so I can get started. work was underway last year at this time when we had been hit with mega amounts of snow, though that was in February. Maybe I should move to Florida!
Now that it is Post-Easter and into April, work should be underway on ABISHAG. And it wold be except for one little problem - the weather. The past few days we have been "blessed" with torrential rains, temperatures in the high 20's-to-low 30's, snow, freezing rain coating everything. Where was this in January or February when it would not have been such a big deal? The next few days promise ore snow and cold temperatures. I am hoping that it will all clear by the weekend so I can get started. work was underway last year at this time when we had been hit with mega amounts of snow, though that was in February. Maybe I should move to Florida!
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