SHIP'S LOG:
Leaks that is! It would appear that all of the hatch leaks are fixed. It took two little dabs to catch a little weeping but aside from that, the one leak that remains is in the aft cabin. The problem is finding it. Just like in any structure, where the leak shows up inside doesn't necessarily mean that that is the location where the water is entering. With ABISHAG, there can only be just so many place of entrance, usually fixtures on deck, ie. chainplates, cleats, etc. It then comes down to figuring which one it might be. You just can caulk everything because then you never know where the leak is. Why is that important? Well, a leak is usually a symptom of a larger problem - ie. the need to re-bed a fixture and making sure the water coming in hasn't done any other damage. It also means I have to do it one at a time, test it, and then move on to the next one until the leak stops. Tedious but necessary, especially since it is no fun being asleep and getting dripped on. Say a prayer that the leak is not somehwere under the teak decking. Such a case would not be a good thing!
I have been putting off a rather "odorous" task. There is no holding tank in the aft head. It is direct discharge which is a major no-no inside of the 3 mile limit. Getting stopped by the Coast Guard for a check and not having that head fixed so it doesn't discharge inside the limit is a "nice" fine. I am going to have to find a way to install a holding tank and associated hoses and valves. The "odorous" part of the task is cutting into the existing sanitation hoses to install by-pass and diverter valves. Screw it up and the boat becomes "malodorous"! It will require cutting through bulkheads to do the work and then "repairing" all signs of the effort. More fiberglass work . . .which I love so well.
The foreward head is a little "different" project. The foreward head has an "ELECTROSAN" waste disposal system. It is designed to treat the waste so that it becomes sufficiently "clean" so that it can be discharged into the water. Still the number of locations along the coasts where even this is allowable, unless you are a government craft, are shrinking. Indeed the whole of the ICW is such a zone and since that is where I plan to be heading in the fall, a adjustment to this system needs to be done as well. The ELECTROSAN unit is located under the sink in the foreward head and needs to be re-located. It is not a particularly well done installation. I will probably move the unit under the bunk in the forepeak which is right on the other side of the forehead bulkhead. This will allow for the installation of a small holding tank in the head under the counter which will make the Coast Guard happy and make both heads usable in all circumstances. Again, it will be a "odorous " task, and that includes more cutting and fiberglass work. O FUN, FUN, FUN!!!!
While on this "plumbing" jag, I am going to have to do the plumbing for the head sinks and showers. It will be another one of those down-on-your-knees-in-an-uncomfortable-position reaching-through-the-bilge sort of project. I will have to dismantle the old "grey-water" sump and determine if it is still viable. I tend to think that such will not be the case and it seems that with most of the items on the boat, if it broke, at best it got jury rigged and not fixed or replaced if necessary. I expect that such will be the case with the grey water sump. O well, why should this project be any different.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
It is getting frustrating! The weather is very "New England-ly" in that it is 70 one day and cold and rainy the next. The wind is almost constantly blowing, and hard. Yesterday, the wind indicator had it hitting the low 40's. The yard is still waiting for filters and so the engine can't be run. The divers haven't set the mooring yet and it is only a matter of time before I get "nudged " out of the slip. I can tell I am getting frustrated because I am having what therapists call "frustration" dreams. Of course, it can all disappear by simply going sailing . . . . and it will happen, and soon.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
JERRY SURE WAS RIGHT!! ! ! !! ! !!
SHIP'S LOG:
I contacted Jerry Schmitt, my instructor from the Chapman School of Seamanship, about sealing the main hatch. I asked him what was the best marine sealant to use in sealing the plexiglass into the aluminum hatch. Jerry's suggestion and recommendation was "Windshield Weld" from 3-M! So much for "marine" marked stuff.
Jerry did say that it is messy stuff "that gets everywhere" when you use it and boy!, was he right!. It is black in color and all it takes is one little dab in the wrong spot and an attempt to clean it up and it starts to get everywhere! I got to the point where I stopped trying and just sealed the hatch. It will be a lot simpler to removed it after it sets than while it is still workable.
Before I could do the sealing I had to remove "all" of the old sealant. It was a tedious process as the sealant didn't want to go away. It took razor blades, an exacto knife, tweezers, hemostats, dental picks of various styles, and a lot of time! If old sealant remained, the new stuff really wouldn't seal completely and the leaks would remain . . . that is if I had spotted their location correctly. Once I got all the old stuff out, I had to force the new stuff in place. More that just laying in a new bead, it had to be forced into every little crevice and crack. I also made sure that there was enough sealant to insure that any shrinkage and settling would still leave the sealant covering the seam between the plexiglass and hatch frame. I will trim the excess off after it is completely set and easy to cut.
I get to do the interior side of the hatch today. Again there ill be the removal of the old sealant and the laying in a bead of the new. This should be a lot easier as it doesn't seem that the old sealant was forced into the seam between the plexiglass and the hatch frame. Saying that means just the opposite of course and more of the sealant getting where it doesn't belong.
I will also try sealing the mainmast backstay chainplate on the port side. It appears that this is where the leak in the aft cabin stems from and if it is, it will allow me to put the ceiling panels back in place. If it's not, then the hunt for the leak continues. It was be helped by the fact that it is supposed to rain for the next couple of days and it will reveal the leak of not the location. It will help in the search but I am of the mind that it is the chainplate. I hope. I hope. I hope.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
The wind is still cold and honking down at the boat. It makes it easier not to be moving as it would be not all that comfortable out in the Sound. the list of things to do still grows at one end while it shrinks at the other, but aside from the oil change, everything that "needs" to be done, is completed. Allof the rest to the things can be done at a later time, so things are a little itchy. And as the weather warms, it will be come more so. I can't wait!!!!!!
I contacted Jerry Schmitt, my instructor from the Chapman School of Seamanship, about sealing the main hatch. I asked him what was the best marine sealant to use in sealing the plexiglass into the aluminum hatch. Jerry's suggestion and recommendation was "Windshield Weld" from 3-M! So much for "marine" marked stuff.
Jerry did say that it is messy stuff "that gets everywhere" when you use it and boy!, was he right!. It is black in color and all it takes is one little dab in the wrong spot and an attempt to clean it up and it starts to get everywhere! I got to the point where I stopped trying and just sealed the hatch. It will be a lot simpler to removed it after it sets than while it is still workable.
Before I could do the sealing I had to remove "all" of the old sealant. It was a tedious process as the sealant didn't want to go away. It took razor blades, an exacto knife, tweezers, hemostats, dental picks of various styles, and a lot of time! If old sealant remained, the new stuff really wouldn't seal completely and the leaks would remain . . . that is if I had spotted their location correctly. Once I got all the old stuff out, I had to force the new stuff in place. More that just laying in a new bead, it had to be forced into every little crevice and crack. I also made sure that there was enough sealant to insure that any shrinkage and settling would still leave the sealant covering the seam between the plexiglass and hatch frame. I will trim the excess off after it is completely set and easy to cut.
I get to do the interior side of the hatch today. Again there ill be the removal of the old sealant and the laying in a bead of the new. This should be a lot easier as it doesn't seem that the old sealant was forced into the seam between the plexiglass and the hatch frame. Saying that means just the opposite of course and more of the sealant getting where it doesn't belong.
I will also try sealing the mainmast backstay chainplate on the port side. It appears that this is where the leak in the aft cabin stems from and if it is, it will allow me to put the ceiling panels back in place. If it's not, then the hunt for the leak continues. It was be helped by the fact that it is supposed to rain for the next couple of days and it will reveal the leak of not the location. It will help in the search but I am of the mind that it is the chainplate. I hope. I hope. I hope.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
The wind is still cold and honking down at the boat. It makes it easier not to be moving as it would be not all that comfortable out in the Sound. the list of things to do still grows at one end while it shrinks at the other, but aside from the oil change, everything that "needs" to be done, is completed. Allof the rest to the things can be done at a later time, so things are a little itchy. And as the weather warms, it will be come more so. I can't wait!!!!!!
Monday, May 12, 2008
THREE OUT OF FIVE AIN'T BAD! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
SHIP'S LOG:
Three outa five ain't bad! Leaks that is. All of the hatches that I weather sealed were dry except for the main hatch which, naturally, was the one that leaked the most. The good thing is that it became clear where the leak was. Evidently the gasket sealing the Plexiglas to the hatch frame has, after 30 plus years, has finally given up the ghost. The problems should be simple to fix though I am going to have to remove the previous leak fix attempts before I do the job right. I am going to have to remove all of the caulking and silicon that was used, inside and outside, in previous attempts to stem the leak. Again, not a complex fix but one that should be a bit time consuming as all the old caulk/silicon must be removed first before the new stuff is applied. Any of the old stuff will keep the next stuff from adhering and sealing. Then again, as someone said somewhere, "If it takes an hour to do it, then an hour it deserves."
The second leak actually is from a hatch. It appears in the aft cabin and seems to be coming from the Mizzen chainplate or perhaps that grabrail on the aft cabin top. To find out for sure will require removing the aft cabin ceiling panels and possibly cutting an access port in the cover of the bulkhead to find the actual source of the leak. It is not a particularly difficult thing to do, but taking down the ceiling panel means that I will have to disconnect three(3) lighting fixtures and then, having found the leak(and even if the leak isn't found underneath), it all has to be reinstalled. Cutting an access panel to expose the chainplates( if I do one I might as well do both sides) actually is a good idea. Not being able to check the chainplates out from time to time is to run an unnecessary risk. It will allow me to head off problems before they really get out of hand. The "down-side" is that I am going "to have to" do something similar for the chainplates for the main mast as well. Another project for "the To-Do List."
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
The Mooring Committee at TYC has assigned me a new mooring site. Now all that I need to do is contact the Geer Bros and have them set the mooring, then I will have a place to go when they "throw me out" of the Mystic Shipyard. . . . . which should be soon. I can't wait, though it is still cold down along the coast as the breeze is still off the water.
It looks as though God really does know what he is doing. The weather this winter down south was really crappy and now, as the snow birds and Caribbean Sailors are heading north to beat the hurricane season, the weather along the SE Atlantic Coast is rotten. Even those who are doing the Tortola-to-Bermuda Rally are getting pounded. I guess it was a good thing that I wasn't able to go South this year. God took care of me! and I have no doubt that the season up here in New England will be great this year and I am looking forward to enjoying every minute of it.
Three outa five ain't bad! Leaks that is. All of the hatches that I weather sealed were dry except for the main hatch which, naturally, was the one that leaked the most. The good thing is that it became clear where the leak was. Evidently the gasket sealing the Plexiglas to the hatch frame has, after 30 plus years, has finally given up the ghost. The problems should be simple to fix though I am going to have to remove the previous leak fix attempts before I do the job right. I am going to have to remove all of the caulking and silicon that was used, inside and outside, in previous attempts to stem the leak. Again, not a complex fix but one that should be a bit time consuming as all the old caulk/silicon must be removed first before the new stuff is applied. Any of the old stuff will keep the next stuff from adhering and sealing. Then again, as someone said somewhere, "If it takes an hour to do it, then an hour it deserves."
The second leak actually is from a hatch. It appears in the aft cabin and seems to be coming from the Mizzen chainplate or perhaps that grabrail on the aft cabin top. To find out for sure will require removing the aft cabin ceiling panels and possibly cutting an access port in the cover of the bulkhead to find the actual source of the leak. It is not a particularly difficult thing to do, but taking down the ceiling panel means that I will have to disconnect three(3) lighting fixtures and then, having found the leak(and even if the leak isn't found underneath), it all has to be reinstalled. Cutting an access panel to expose the chainplates( if I do one I might as well do both sides) actually is a good idea. Not being able to check the chainplates out from time to time is to run an unnecessary risk. It will allow me to head off problems before they really get out of hand. The "down-side" is that I am going "to have to" do something similar for the chainplates for the main mast as well. Another project for "the To-Do List."
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
The Mooring Committee at TYC has assigned me a new mooring site. Now all that I need to do is contact the Geer Bros and have them set the mooring, then I will have a place to go when they "throw me out" of the Mystic Shipyard. . . . . which should be soon. I can't wait, though it is still cold down along the coast as the breeze is still off the water.
It looks as though God really does know what he is doing. The weather this winter down south was really crappy and now, as the snow birds and Caribbean Sailors are heading north to beat the hurricane season, the weather along the SE Atlantic Coast is rotten. Even those who are doing the Tortola-to-Bermuda Rally are getting pounded. I guess it was a good thing that I wasn't able to go South this year. God took care of me! and I have no doubt that the season up here in New England will be great this year and I am looking forward to enjoying every minute of it.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
ON & ON & ON! ! ! ! !
SHIP'S LOG:
More little projects getting done. The Hailing/Home Port was affixed under the boat name on each side of the stern. NOW she is officially documented.
I had to rebuild the Workmate Bench that came apart during the Halyard installations. It was no big deal, it just took time. The drill bits really had to work to get through the metal legs. I thought that it was rather mild metal that went into the making of the Workmate bench, but it seems to have a greater toughness than I anticipated. Again, a project that got done but which took a bit more time than anticipated.
I also installed shroud rollers, wooden tubes on the most outboard Mainmast shrouds. These are intended to spin as the Genoa Sheets pass over them, preventing the sheets from rubbing on the shroud and fraying. The look very nautical and will look even more so once I stain and seal them.
The was an actual owner working on his boat in the next slip. He was scrubbing down his teak deck and I queried him about whether he was going to oil it or varnish it or just leave it be. He said that seawater was the best thing for it and he never used anything else. He simply let it weather naturally. I am glad that he reinforced my own ideas and plans for ABISHAG's deck. . . . . .It is also a lot less work.
I am thinking about installing a SAMSON POST/Mooring Bit. This is a metal fixture behind the windlass to which you attach a line which is then attached to the anchor rode to take the strain off the windlass. The windlass is made for hauling the rode( chain and/or line) but is not designed to be a mooring cleat. Not that it would rip out of the deck, but the strain of the boat swinging on it can strip the gears of the transmission which does the hauling. The Samson Post/Mooring Bit is designed to take the strain and it is a relatively inexpensive solution to the problem. Hauling up an all-chain anchor rode would be quite a work out, something I would really like to avoid, hence the thoughts about the installation.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
It doesn't quite yet feel like Spring down at the Shipyard. The wind is still off the water and is cold. There are still a host of little projects that need doing and the only sail that is in its proper place is the Mizzen, but feeling the deck move and ABISHAG floating and moving with the wind is simply marvelous! I would really like to get over to TYC for the Commission Day on the 23rd and probably will, but I would certainly like to do it with ABISHAG. O I so much want to have that first sail!!!!
More little projects getting done. The Hailing/Home Port was affixed under the boat name on each side of the stern. NOW she is officially documented.
I had to rebuild the Workmate Bench that came apart during the Halyard installations. It was no big deal, it just took time. The drill bits really had to work to get through the metal legs. I thought that it was rather mild metal that went into the making of the Workmate bench, but it seems to have a greater toughness than I anticipated. Again, a project that got done but which took a bit more time than anticipated.
I also installed shroud rollers, wooden tubes on the most outboard Mainmast shrouds. These are intended to spin as the Genoa Sheets pass over them, preventing the sheets from rubbing on the shroud and fraying. The look very nautical and will look even more so once I stain and seal them.
The was an actual owner working on his boat in the next slip. He was scrubbing down his teak deck and I queried him about whether he was going to oil it or varnish it or just leave it be. He said that seawater was the best thing for it and he never used anything else. He simply let it weather naturally. I am glad that he reinforced my own ideas and plans for ABISHAG's deck. . . . . .It is also a lot less work.
I am thinking about installing a SAMSON POST/Mooring Bit. This is a metal fixture behind the windlass to which you attach a line which is then attached to the anchor rode to take the strain off the windlass. The windlass is made for hauling the rode( chain and/or line) but is not designed to be a mooring cleat. Not that it would rip out of the deck, but the strain of the boat swinging on it can strip the gears of the transmission which does the hauling. The Samson Post/Mooring Bit is designed to take the strain and it is a relatively inexpensive solution to the problem. Hauling up an all-chain anchor rode would be quite a work out, something I would really like to avoid, hence the thoughts about the installation.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
It doesn't quite yet feel like Spring down at the Shipyard. The wind is still off the water and is cold. There are still a host of little projects that need doing and the only sail that is in its proper place is the Mizzen, but feeling the deck move and ABISHAG floating and moving with the wind is simply marvelous! I would really like to get over to TYC for the Commission Day on the 23rd and probably will, but I would certainly like to do it with ABISHAG. O I so much want to have that first sail!!!!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER JOB DONE!
SHIP'S LOG:
Well, we did get all the rain necessary to trace the hatch leaks but I wasn't down at the boat in the rain. Since such is the case, I have to deal with the leaks going from the simplest fix first and then on to the harder ones. I spent the day installing weather stripping on the four deck hatches. It went simply and without a hitch. . . . . .which is a first for just about every job on ABISHAG. Now, I will have to test the fix out to see if it actually solved the problem. If not, it means that I have to move up to the next, more extensive (and expensive) fix. I am hopeful that this is just another case of a lack of maintenance by the previous owner, examples of which are a legion.
The main cockpit hatch was rebuilt some time in the past and fitted with amber Plexiglas. It adds a view and light into the salon, but it was not fitted tightly. It would allow water (rain) to pool on the hatch and drip into the overhead. I took some of the gasket material I got from Skip and fashioned a seal on the hatch. It seems to function well and I hope it solves the problem. I will test it today along with the hatches. I am also helpful that these fixes will finally seal the boat and keep the water on the outside where it belongs.
In the coaming at the first of the cockpit, there are two holes cut into the it. They are obviously a part of the design of the boat but I have now idea what they are for!I can't seem to trace where they go or what purpose them serve. I don't want to seal them as they might have an important and necessary function, but what it might be I have no clue. I am going to have to go to the owners website and see if any other owners of the 39 has figured them out.
I also created a sign for the auto pilot. This marvelous piece of nautical equipment is really something. A previous owner installed a newer AUTOHELM auto pilot because it was easier to use and ate less power. Evidently, both ere turned on at the same time and worked against each other and the old auto pilot ate the new one's lunch. It literally destroyed it, overloading the controls and breaking the fixtures that were attached to the wheel. The old guy is one powerful piece of equipment. Strangely, it has paper labels on the control panel and, after 30 years, they have seen better days. I used one of the left over plastic strips from the thru-hull project and attached it with SUPER GLUE. Not very nautical but it works!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
The West Mystic Shipyard is evidently an upscale facility. It doesn't seem as though many of the owners do much of the real work of getting their craft ready for the season. There is something comforting doing as much of the work as I can as it helps me know that the work got done and how it got done. It means that I know ABISHAG better, where and how things are. This creates a much more comfortable feeling about the boat, increasing my confidence in the boat and feeling sure about what she can take. This is not to say that the owners don't work on their boats, but it really seems as though it is more of a matter making sure that the brass is polished and the teak shines and that the larder is well stocked. I have not seen more than a half-dozen or so owners. I am beginning to wonder how much any of these boats get used. They seem more like condo's on the water.
I am hoping that I will be out of here before the end of the month. The season is coming quickly but not quickly enough.
Well, we did get all the rain necessary to trace the hatch leaks but I wasn't down at the boat in the rain. Since such is the case, I have to deal with the leaks going from the simplest fix first and then on to the harder ones. I spent the day installing weather stripping on the four deck hatches. It went simply and without a hitch. . . . . .which is a first for just about every job on ABISHAG. Now, I will have to test the fix out to see if it actually solved the problem. If not, it means that I have to move up to the next, more extensive (and expensive) fix. I am hopeful that this is just another case of a lack of maintenance by the previous owner, examples of which are a legion.
The main cockpit hatch was rebuilt some time in the past and fitted with amber Plexiglas. It adds a view and light into the salon, but it was not fitted tightly. It would allow water (rain) to pool on the hatch and drip into the overhead. I took some of the gasket material I got from Skip and fashioned a seal on the hatch. It seems to function well and I hope it solves the problem. I will test it today along with the hatches. I am also helpful that these fixes will finally seal the boat and keep the water on the outside where it belongs.
In the coaming at the first of the cockpit, there are two holes cut into the it. They are obviously a part of the design of the boat but I have now idea what they are for!I can't seem to trace where they go or what purpose them serve. I don't want to seal them as they might have an important and necessary function, but what it might be I have no clue. I am going to have to go to the owners website and see if any other owners of the 39 has figured them out.
I also created a sign for the auto pilot. This marvelous piece of nautical equipment is really something. A previous owner installed a newer AUTOHELM auto pilot because it was easier to use and ate less power. Evidently, both ere turned on at the same time and worked against each other and the old auto pilot ate the new one's lunch. It literally destroyed it, overloading the controls and breaking the fixtures that were attached to the wheel. The old guy is one powerful piece of equipment. Strangely, it has paper labels on the control panel and, after 30 years, they have seen better days. I used one of the left over plastic strips from the thru-hull project and attached it with SUPER GLUE. Not very nautical but it works!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
The West Mystic Shipyard is evidently an upscale facility. It doesn't seem as though many of the owners do much of the real work of getting their craft ready for the season. There is something comforting doing as much of the work as I can as it helps me know that the work got done and how it got done. It means that I know ABISHAG better, where and how things are. This creates a much more comfortable feeling about the boat, increasing my confidence in the boat and feeling sure about what she can take. This is not to say that the owners don't work on their boats, but it really seems as though it is more of a matter making sure that the brass is polished and the teak shines and that the larder is well stocked. I have not seen more than a half-dozen or so owners. I am beginning to wonder how much any of these boats get used. They seem more like condo's on the water.
I am hoping that I will be out of here before the end of the month. The season is coming quickly but not quickly enough.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
LOTS OF LITTLE THINGS
SHIP'S LOG:
I got several "little" things done this week awaiting the weather to get further on toward Spring. Down at the Shipyard, the wind continues to blow in from the water and it is cold. And it really is blowing! Wednesday, it seemed to be blowing so hard that I actually turned on the masthead wind index and it was reading a steady 42MPH with gusts over 50! Now that's a fresh breeze!
I went through the boat and attached all of the water-proof tags on the thru-hulls. Now when one fails (it is never a question of "if" but of "when") I'll know exactly what is trying to sink my boat. The tags do make ABISHAG 's "innards" looks much better and it is less confusing when I pull up a deck hatch and look in. I am still going to have to finish off the plumbing as the sinks and shower drains all flow into the bilge. It is amazing just how much body dirt and hair can clog a bilge pump. When I replaced the manual bilge pump way back in the Fall, I took the old one apart and you wouldn't believe how clogged it was with human detritus. YUCK! There is a "grey water sump" in the bilge to which all the sinks and showers were originally led. Why the previous owner disconnected the hoses and let them drain into the bilge is beyond me. The "grey water sump" has a screen & filter set up which allows you to clean the "junk " out. There seems to be adequate access so I wonder if the "sump pump" broke or clogged and rather than repair or replace it, or fix whatever the problem was, he simply just disconnected the drain hoses and let them enter the bilge. It was the major reason for the "malodorous" state of the bilge before I cleaned it out. True, diesel and other oils from the "iron Genny"contributed but the "human grease" as the late Hunter Thompson described it, was the major factor. I hate to say it, because it never seems to be, an easy fix.
I took down most of the ceiling panels to find the leak around the hatches but the areas around the hatches seem dry. Leaks on a boat tend to migrate from entrance to exit and I will have to track them down though it looks as though it will be a case of negative diagnostics, eliminating possible sources until the "villain" is revealed. Fortunately, it appears that we will be getting more than enough rain over the next few days so that it will be easy to trace the water entering the boat!
I moved the GPS from its original location and affixed it to the bulkhead over the Nav station. Then, because I did a poor job of measuring and it was making contact with the SAT Phone dock, I moved it again. The because the bracket crimped the cables when it was mounted vertical, I removed and returned it to the original position. I am so glad I plan these things so well!
I went up the Mizzen mast to attach two flag halyard blocks to the spreaders. Now I now what a pinata feels like. It wasn't the ascent or the decent that was the problem, rather it was the hanging there doing the work. The "breeze" just blew me around, into the mast, into the shrouds, back to the mast, then the shrouds again. Got a great, large bruise on my left thigh. The really fun part was working with the circular cotter pins. Since the blocks are tiny, the clevis pins( they attach the block to the bracket on the spreader) tiny-er still and the the cotter pins are microscopic. I am 20 feet off the deck, swaying in the breeze, trying to open the round cotter pin with a finger nail to slip it through the hole in the end of the cotter pin and so secure the block to the spreader. Before going up the mast, a voice in my head said, "Take an extra cotter pin in case you drop one." Now how stupid was that advice! And of course, the very first attempt led to me dropping the pin. After a colorful expression of regret, I took the cotter pin off the second block and successful did the job. Of course, it still mean that I had to descend, get out of the harness, locate another cotter pin (not the one I dropped for that was gone forever), get back into the harness, ascend the mast and do the job again, carefully this time. Success! And it only cost an hour and half and a circular cotter pin.
I went around the exterior of the boat and safety wired every shackle and block on the boat. I run a wire-tie through the securing pin so that it can unscrew under pressure and cause a serious problem. I hate to say it but pretty much every single one was unprotected. I really do not understand why you would let such a simply yet important task go undone. Thank goodness all of the turn buckles for the shrouds are "locked' in place. Of course, I only discovered that after I had been up both masts a couple of times!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
The time is getting closer. I can feel it. Even the rain is not as depressing as it was before. I ma getting that tingly feel of excitement-fear-desire and I will, I WILL, be away from the dock before the end of this month! I've contacted TYC and Geer Brothers and I expect to hear that the mooring is in and as soon as it is, and the yard finishes up it stuff, I am gone. Loading the boat and finishing up any work that needs doing can be done on the mooring or sailing. I need to really bond with ABISHAG and I am looking forward to moment the sails go up and she leans her shoulder into the water and takes off with a bone in her teeth. It can not happen soon enough!!!!!!!
I got several "little" things done this week awaiting the weather to get further on toward Spring. Down at the Shipyard, the wind continues to blow in from the water and it is cold. And it really is blowing! Wednesday, it seemed to be blowing so hard that I actually turned on the masthead wind index and it was reading a steady 42MPH with gusts over 50! Now that's a fresh breeze!
I went through the boat and attached all of the water-proof tags on the thru-hulls. Now when one fails (it is never a question of "if" but of "when") I'll know exactly what is trying to sink my boat. The tags do make ABISHAG 's "innards" looks much better and it is less confusing when I pull up a deck hatch and look in. I am still going to have to finish off the plumbing as the sinks and shower drains all flow into the bilge. It is amazing just how much body dirt and hair can clog a bilge pump. When I replaced the manual bilge pump way back in the Fall, I took the old one apart and you wouldn't believe how clogged it was with human detritus. YUCK! There is a "grey water sump" in the bilge to which all the sinks and showers were originally led. Why the previous owner disconnected the hoses and let them drain into the bilge is beyond me. The "grey water sump" has a screen & filter set up which allows you to clean the "junk " out. There seems to be adequate access so I wonder if the "sump pump" broke or clogged and rather than repair or replace it, or fix whatever the problem was, he simply just disconnected the drain hoses and let them enter the bilge. It was the major reason for the "malodorous" state of the bilge before I cleaned it out. True, diesel and other oils from the "iron Genny"contributed but the "human grease" as the late Hunter Thompson described it, was the major factor. I hate to say it, because it never seems to be, an easy fix.
I took down most of the ceiling panels to find the leak around the hatches but the areas around the hatches seem dry. Leaks on a boat tend to migrate from entrance to exit and I will have to track them down though it looks as though it will be a case of negative diagnostics, eliminating possible sources until the "villain" is revealed. Fortunately, it appears that we will be getting more than enough rain over the next few days so that it will be easy to trace the water entering the boat!
I moved the GPS from its original location and affixed it to the bulkhead over the Nav station. Then, because I did a poor job of measuring and it was making contact with the SAT Phone dock, I moved it again. The because the bracket crimped the cables when it was mounted vertical, I removed and returned it to the original position. I am so glad I plan these things so well!
I went up the Mizzen mast to attach two flag halyard blocks to the spreaders. Now I now what a pinata feels like. It wasn't the ascent or the decent that was the problem, rather it was the hanging there doing the work. The "breeze" just blew me around, into the mast, into the shrouds, back to the mast, then the shrouds again. Got a great, large bruise on my left thigh. The really fun part was working with the circular cotter pins. Since the blocks are tiny, the clevis pins( they attach the block to the bracket on the spreader) tiny-er still and the the cotter pins are microscopic. I am 20 feet off the deck, swaying in the breeze, trying to open the round cotter pin with a finger nail to slip it through the hole in the end of the cotter pin and so secure the block to the spreader. Before going up the mast, a voice in my head said, "Take an extra cotter pin in case you drop one." Now how stupid was that advice! And of course, the very first attempt led to me dropping the pin. After a colorful expression of regret, I took the cotter pin off the second block and successful did the job. Of course, it still mean that I had to descend, get out of the harness, locate another cotter pin (not the one I dropped for that was gone forever), get back into the harness, ascend the mast and do the job again, carefully this time. Success! And it only cost an hour and half and a circular cotter pin.
I went around the exterior of the boat and safety wired every shackle and block on the boat. I run a wire-tie through the securing pin so that it can unscrew under pressure and cause a serious problem. I hate to say it but pretty much every single one was unprotected. I really do not understand why you would let such a simply yet important task go undone. Thank goodness all of the turn buckles for the shrouds are "locked' in place. Of course, I only discovered that after I had been up both masts a couple of times!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
The time is getting closer. I can feel it. Even the rain is not as depressing as it was before. I ma getting that tingly feel of excitement-fear-desire and I will, I WILL, be away from the dock before the end of this month! I've contacted TYC and Geer Brothers and I expect to hear that the mooring is in and as soon as it is, and the yard finishes up it stuff, I am gone. Loading the boat and finishing up any work that needs doing can be done on the mooring or sailing. I need to really bond with ABISHAG and I am looking forward to moment the sails go up and she leans her shoulder into the water and takes off with a bone in her teeth. It can not happen soon enough!!!!!!!
Saturday, April 26, 2008
WAITING ON THE MARIO BROTHERS
SHIP'S LOG:
It is very interesting that the Coast Guard continues to issue a notice to mariners about the current water temps. This past week, while the air temp has been in the mid to high 60's, the water temperature is somewhere in the mid to low 40's! That's almost instantaneous hypothermia and the danger will continue until the water warms . . . and I am not too sure when exactly that will happen.
ABISHAG is my first multi-masted boat. It means a bit of change in Flag etiquette. The be proper and "BRISTOL", the national ensign ( the flag of the country of registry) needs to be flow from the leech of the furthest aft most sail, which means in my case, the leech of the Mizzen sail. I could technically have the flag on a staff on the tariff rail, but with the wind steering vane, the boarding ladder, the dingy and davits it would get lost and probably wouldn't stream worth a damn. So I decided to attach a small block on the topping lift for the mizzen boom( a line that holds the mizzen boon off the deck and horizontal) 2/3's of the way up. It requires stitching and whipping the block to the topping life and running a flag halyard through it. It actually went off with out a hitch. True, I almost got to experience hypothermia first hand when a leg of the workbench upon which I was standing gave way, but I was able to say myself the dip by grabbing the running backstay. The project took an hour. Why?
Well, first of all I had to lay out all of the tools necessary to complete the project. Secondly, I had to find someway to hold up the boom when I disconnected the topping life which was holding it up. Thirdly I had to lower the boom on the support ( the work bench) extend the topping lift, measure off the proper length, and sew the block to the line. All this in a wind honking about 25knots. Fourthly, standing on the work bench doing the stitching and whipping, the leg gave way. I knew I should have tended to that 25 year old rusted leg and after about 5 minutes of scared, heavy breathing and cussing, reverse the whole process and the job was done. 1 hour! Time flies when you are having fun!
I also took the time to create some waterproof tags for the thru-hulls. There are some 10 plus holes through the hull of ABISHAG that are fixed with seacocks and even after I learn what each one is and does without thinking about it, to have them marked is a good safety matter. I was able to get my hands on a few of those plastic pieces you see on wall plaques and office doors. They have two layers of different color plastic and you carve whatever you want through the top layer and let the different color below show through. Let's hear it for the dremmel tool. It does a wonderful job and while it took a while, it went successfully. Of course the writing was a bit dull, "HEAD IN," "HEAD OUT," BILGE OUT," "SINK DRAIN," etc. Even though I am dyslexic, I didn't get one of them wrong. . . . .and there is no spell check!
Hopefully, one of the MARIO BROTHERS will be by to help me plumb the water maker. I just don't have the confidence to do it by myself and it will be good to have an actually plumber there, someone who knows which way to turn a wrench.
The list is getting shorter. The three items for the yard remain: fixing the mizzen halyard, which worked before they dropped the mast but doesn't work now; re-fitting the Genoa - I could do it myself but want them to do do it. If it gets screwed up they're responsible; changing the engine lubricating oil. After that, while there will be a never ending list of things to do, none will prevent departure. Of course, departure awaits a place to go which means a mooring back on TYC in New London. After that, it becomes a "bring me that horizon" moment.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
It is amazing how things are working out. If I had actually be able to rush ABISHAG to completion back in the Fall, I am not sure how good a thing it would have been. The weather in the South was really crappy this past winter and I wouldn't have had the opportunity to really learn and understand the boat. Now, I will have the summer to cruise and get comfortable with the boat. I will have the resources to fix anything that needs fix and correct what ever problems arise. I will also have a ready supply of crew and I know these waters pretty well. I will be able to practice all the things I need to practice and get comfortable "living" on ABISHAG. It is working out very well. Amazingly so. I should feel really well prepared when I do at last head South in the Fall and I can't wait for this learned and experience to start.
It is very interesting that the Coast Guard continues to issue a notice to mariners about the current water temps. This past week, while the air temp has been in the mid to high 60's, the water temperature is somewhere in the mid to low 40's! That's almost instantaneous hypothermia and the danger will continue until the water warms . . . and I am not too sure when exactly that will happen.
ABISHAG is my first multi-masted boat. It means a bit of change in Flag etiquette. The be proper and "BRISTOL", the national ensign ( the flag of the country of registry) needs to be flow from the leech of the furthest aft most sail, which means in my case, the leech of the Mizzen sail. I could technically have the flag on a staff on the tariff rail, but with the wind steering vane, the boarding ladder, the dingy and davits it would get lost and probably wouldn't stream worth a damn. So I decided to attach a small block on the topping lift for the mizzen boom( a line that holds the mizzen boon off the deck and horizontal) 2/3's of the way up. It requires stitching and whipping the block to the topping life and running a flag halyard through it. It actually went off with out a hitch. True, I almost got to experience hypothermia first hand when a leg of the workbench upon which I was standing gave way, but I was able to say myself the dip by grabbing the running backstay. The project took an hour. Why?
Well, first of all I had to lay out all of the tools necessary to complete the project. Secondly, I had to find someway to hold up the boom when I disconnected the topping life which was holding it up. Thirdly I had to lower the boom on the support ( the work bench) extend the topping lift, measure off the proper length, and sew the block to the line. All this in a wind honking about 25knots. Fourthly, standing on the work bench doing the stitching and whipping, the leg gave way. I knew I should have tended to that 25 year old rusted leg and after about 5 minutes of scared, heavy breathing and cussing, reverse the whole process and the job was done. 1 hour! Time flies when you are having fun!
I also took the time to create some waterproof tags for the thru-hulls. There are some 10 plus holes through the hull of ABISHAG that are fixed with seacocks and even after I learn what each one is and does without thinking about it, to have them marked is a good safety matter. I was able to get my hands on a few of those plastic pieces you see on wall plaques and office doors. They have two layers of different color plastic and you carve whatever you want through the top layer and let the different color below show through. Let's hear it for the dremmel tool. It does a wonderful job and while it took a while, it went successfully. Of course the writing was a bit dull, "HEAD IN," "HEAD OUT," BILGE OUT," "SINK DRAIN," etc. Even though I am dyslexic, I didn't get one of them wrong. . . . .and there is no spell check!
Hopefully, one of the MARIO BROTHERS will be by to help me plumb the water maker. I just don't have the confidence to do it by myself and it will be good to have an actually plumber there, someone who knows which way to turn a wrench.
The list is getting shorter. The three items for the yard remain: fixing the mizzen halyard, which worked before they dropped the mast but doesn't work now; re-fitting the Genoa - I could do it myself but want them to do do it. If it gets screwed up they're responsible; changing the engine lubricating oil. After that, while there will be a never ending list of things to do, none will prevent departure. Of course, departure awaits a place to go which means a mooring back on TYC in New London. After that, it becomes a "bring me that horizon" moment.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
It is amazing how things are working out. If I had actually be able to rush ABISHAG to completion back in the Fall, I am not sure how good a thing it would have been. The weather in the South was really crappy this past winter and I wouldn't have had the opportunity to really learn and understand the boat. Now, I will have the summer to cruise and get comfortable with the boat. I will have the resources to fix anything that needs fix and correct what ever problems arise. I will also have a ready supply of crew and I know these waters pretty well. I will be able to practice all the things I need to practice and get comfortable "living" on ABISHAG. It is working out very well. Amazingly so. I should feel really well prepared when I do at last head South in the Fall and I can't wait for this learned and experience to start.
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