Yes, I am Still Alive . . . . .Really!

       Yes, I know that it has almost been a year, but things have been a little busy. Let me enumerate some for you:

     1.) Once I got down to TYC, I actually did as much sailing as time allowed. Unfortunately, there wasn't all that much time in July or August. Of the six Launch Drivers, only I was available all the time. Some went on the Club Cruises and some took vacations (non-sailing) and in one case, one driver decided not to work at all during the month of August. One driver was holding down two other part-time jobs that paid a bit better and  ran schedules that were often in conflict with the Launch schedule. Basically, it guaranteed that I would be driving most of the weekend schedule. Well, I got a good tan. 
         I was sort of limited as well by bad knees. Doing the walk from the Club House to the Launch dock was a bit draining. The pain was constant in both knees, not overwhelming, just a nagging. I got the right knee shot with cortisone and lydocaine which helped for several weeks but you can't do this treatment all that often. It masks the pain but allows the damage happening to continue, making the situation worse and not better. Getting the right knee treated just made the pain in the left seem worse. I was able to make it through the season, but it was clear that the worst of the two knees had to be replaced. That was the right knee and that was done in November.
       The sailing season ended for me on Columbus Day weekend when Friend Fred and I joined the last Club Cruise. It went to Essex where we over-nighted and had a meal at the Griswold Inn. The next day, about half of the cruisers continued up river to have their boats hauled for the winter. I made a change this year and didn't go all the way up to Portland for the task but stopped at Midway Marina in Haddam. A number of club members use this marina if for no other reason than doing so cuts 2 1/2 to 3 hours off the total trip. It was also closer by car, making the trips up to winterize and getting her ready for launch significantly shorter. It was a little more expensive but not significantly so and it actually turned out to be a good deal. The only downside was that because of ABISHAG's displacement, 22,000lbs, the antiquated travel lift they had, and the hill to the storage yard, so I got stored near the river's edge along with a couple of other  "big" boats. Normally, it wouldm't be a big deal, but this past winter produced a lot of ice in the river and it piled up against the piers of the Haddam Swing Bridge a little over a mile down river. This ice dam backed the river up and it spilled into the marina right where ABISHAG was wintering. Luckily, though the water reached her keel, that was as far as it went. No damage was done and she remained up right in place until we launched her in the late spring.

     2.) THE KNEE - I was a little conserned about having the work done due to all the horror stories people told about the operation itself and the physical therapy that would follow. But it was at the point that it was not going to get bteree by itslef so it had to be done. Initially, the most difficult thing was getting up at 4am to ride to the hospital to check in by 5 so that they could do all the pre-op stuff for the 7am operation. I got a spinal which stung for the first time. Once that was done they put me out. I think they got it backward but what the heck, it worked. I woke up about 11am back in my room  and was ive a light lunch . . . . and the message that the occupational therapist would be in at 1pm. That caught me by surprise as I figured I have a couple days of vacation, lounging around in bed. Not quite. The occupational therapist showed up at 1pm and when I shared my surprise, she simply said, "You want to be able to get to get and used the toilet, don't you?" A very persuasive argument. I learned how to get out of bed, get in a chair, use a walker, go to the bathroom and use the toilet. I was absolutely forbidden to "wipe" and had to call a nurse for that task. They didn't want me to twist the knee and damage their good work.
     After about 45 minutes, she left with the cheery new that the "PHYSICAL THERAPISTS" would be by in an hour. Say what? And in an hour, there their were, a young man and woman who were unhealthily "perky."  Think of the most perky, upbeat person you know, double them, and these two would make them seem like Ebenezer Scrooge. and they wouldn't take "no" for an answer. They had me show how to get myself out of bed and, with a walker, start off down the hall. "Go as far as you can," they urge but left out one important detail, once you got "as far as you can down the hall," I had to turn around and walk all the way back. Sneaky.
        Once I got back to my room, I showed they how I was supposed to get into bed. Then they left with a cheery, "The occupational therapist will see you after dinner." Say what? And she was, only to be replaced immediately by the physical therapy team before I could go to sleep. They we back again following breakfast and my morning "ablutions." And after lunch. And after dinner.
     Sunday morning, it was breakfast, ablutions, Occupational therapy, physical therapy, lunch and "Go home now." Say what? I was home before 2pm and in my own bed. AH! The the phone rang and the visiting nurse call to say she and the "Home physical therapist" would be by the next morning at 10am. Say what?
     Well, I finish that up the next time. 

      3.)Things are not well in the recreational boating industry. Marinas are maybe half filled, and lots of boats are still on the hard in their winter clothes. The sail loft was initially not busy at all. ABISHAG needs a a new bimini, a "roof" over the cockpit to keep the sun off and the rain out. The old one is pretty much rotted by the sun and is splitting. The loft was down to one(1) stitcher and he came in only twice a week. There was also little in the way of repair work to be done and no new sail work. I was able to work out a barter deal with the owner, work for a bimini.  The work picked up a bit as we approached spring,  but not enough for full time work for anyone but the owner. Once I was able to make it up the stairs to the loft, I was able to work a couple of days a week, cutting and assembly patches for sails. So far, I don't have enough hours in for the trade to be complete and now we are running into conflicts with Launch Drivers' Schedule. ABISHAG is in the water and at TYC but without her "new hat." Hopefully, we'll get that corrected before too long.

I am tapped out for now. More coming later.

Home At Last!

SHIP' LOG:

Huzzah! On the mooring at TYC!Huzzah!

      Friend Fred and I brought ABISHAG down the Connecticut River from Portland. It was a great trip though the start was a bit "iffy."

     First of all, we had to get the Genoa and main rigged. I had tried for a couple of hours on Thursday to do it, but I couldn't even get the main completely up. Then again, it was blowing 15 mph and gusting to 30! The wind put enough force against the sail so that it lay against the mast, shroud and spreaders and so there was enough pressure and friction on the sail that I could not get it completely up. I tried and I got h3 blisters to prove it, but I just couldn't get it done. But on Friday morning, at 6:30 am when there was no wind, both sails went up easily.

      The next thing was the engine. Unlike a car engine which has a closed system, I large boat like ABISHAG has a raw water system as well. IT sucks in cold water from the river/ocean to cool the anti-freeze in the closed part of the cooling system. The "raw water" is sucked in and pumped out. without it, since there is now radiator, as in a care, the anti-freeze would be overwhelmed and boil off and the engine would over heat and seize up. That is a $10,000 screw up. With all the sea-cocks opened up, I turned the engine on and waited for the water to get spit out. And waited. And waited. No water! Panic! Obviously, there was a problem. Checked the raw water intake, open! Checked the hoses, no leaks! Checked to outflow sea-cock. Open and functioning.Check the impeller. The impeller is a little rubber doodad that has several fins on  it so that when it spins, it draws in the raw water, pushed it on through the heat-exchanger, where it draws the heat out of the anti-freeze cooling it so that it cools the engine. The impeller is in a small chamber so that it can spin and create the vacuum necessary to move the water. It is held in place by 4 screws. I undid the screws and the plate, sealing off the chamber, was held in place by the vacuum and some caulking. I gently taped it with a hammer and the plate came off and the water poured out. Basically, it was sucking in the river. Panic!

      It took a few minutes to stem the flow and get the plate back into place. Lots of water in the bilge, but the good point was that the  raw water went all the way through the system. Evidently we simply did not let the engine run long enough for the water to get completely through the system. So we let it run and eventually the raw water both went into the boat and came out. Huzzah! And we were off!

      It was a relatively fast passage down river, a little over three hours, plus two half-hour waits at the bridges in Haddem and Old Lyme. The wind was really honking, blowing a solid 15 to 18 knots with gust to 25! The river was also relatively high and, with the tie going out, was running fast. It all combined to make for that fast passage.

      With the forecast 15-20knots out of the southwest in the sound, with 3-4 foot waves, it was going to be a great broad reach all the way to New London. AH, not so much. Once out in the sound, beyond the Old Saybrook Bar Bell,  the wind went light, down to no more than 10 knots. Still, it was sailing!

      I pretty much let Friend Fred handle ABISHAG most of the way. He no longer has his own boat and love tweaking sails and getting the most he can out of a boat. With a ketch and three sails, he was having a ball. Still, it took a good three hours to get to New London and we were finally on the mooring at TYC by 4:30pm.

     But the day wasn't over then as I had to drive Friend Fred all the way back to Portland so he could pick up his car and drive home. It was a long day.

Summer is HERE!

SHIP"S LOG:

ABISHAG IS AFLOAT AND HEADS DOWN RIVER TO TYC TOMORROW. WHAT MORE NEEDS TO BE SAID!

Work, Work, WOrk And More WORK

SHIP'S LOG:

      I was able to get a day off from the loft and Friend Fred was free you were both at the boat. Fred got the fun task of painting the bottom, or at least getting a good start at it. He got the waterline taped and was able to get half of the painting done. He will be going up again on Wednesday and should be able to finish that articular job.

      I on the other had to re-attach the ceiling panel over the galley so that I could do a major job, replacing the window (opening port) in the galley. The biggest problem was too few arms. I had to hold the panel in place in order to screw it in place. After a lot of thought, I taped it in place with wide masking tape and then screwed it back in place. Surprisingly, the idea worked!

     After that was done, I had to unbolt the old port and trim. The un-bolting wasn't that bad, though getting the bolts out required a major persuader (2 pound hammer)  and a punch. The old port had to be pulled out of the hole. It revealed that a lot of water had gotten in. There was a lot of discoloration, some soft, damp plywood and corrosion of the aluminum of the port itself. It was time for it to go and so it went . . . . . . into the trash

       Next, the hole in the side of ABISHAG had to be enlarged as the new port was slightly larger than the old one. It took a bit of grinding the fiberglass/plywood/fiberglass sandwich of the bulkhead but it actually went rather quickly which was a surprise. Once the new port fit well, I covered it with silicone, a lot of silicone I slipped it into place. Then I anchored it in place with self-tapping screws and it was done.

     I finished up the caulking of the teak deck seams  and I was done for the day. The day ended about 6:30pm and for the first time I was too beat to clean up afterward. As a result, my favorite multi-bit screwdriver and the charger for the Multi-tool are missing. They are somewhere in the saloon but just where it is tough to say. A cursory search did not turn them up and hopefully I will be free Friday and while find them then. The bottom should be done by then and then, actually, we can plan to take ABISHAG to New London sometime next week. AH, the joys of boat ownership.
     

Work! Work! Work!

SHIP'S LOG:

     Aside from yesterday(Thursday - Launch Duty) I have been able to get up to work on ABISHAG every day. Over the course of this week, I was able to get a portion of the teak deck re-caulked.  Unfortunately, I ran out of caulk after getting the fore-deck and about 1/4 of the side decks completed. It was my plan to finish it up today and I was able to finish the port side deck and half of the starboard side deck done before the rains came.  NOAA got it wrong again. The were supposed to be scattered showers, instead  we got a downpour and the completion of the project will have to await the deck drying out. Caulk doesn't like wet decks.

     It addition, during the week, all the blocks and winches got lubed-up. Friend Fred and I took down ceiling panels over the galley and in the aft cabin in a search for leaks. we found them, or at least we found potential leaks and repaired the. The starboard main winch had to be removed and the  bolts holding it in place taken out, the bolt holes caulked and everything going back into place.Removing the winch from the combing, we discovered that there were more bolt holes than bolts. It appears that when the boat was built a different, small winch was going to be put in place. Someone decide that a bigger winch was needed (perhaps the owner?) and new bolt holes need to be cut. Unfortunately, the first set of bolt holes were no plugged and provided a perfect  route for water to create a leak.

    The second leak, the one in the aft compartment, turned out to be under the stanchion holding up the stern rail. Several years ago, on my return trip from Florida, a wave in the Delaware Bay "pooped" the boat and broke this stanchion. I had to have it welded but what I forgot to do was lift the stanchion to see if there was any damage to the deck below. The power to snap a stanchion could have caused it to do deck damage. And it did. It compressed the deck underneath and over the years since, had let water enter and soften the plywood allowing it to compress further, letting in more water and allowing further compression, yadada-yadada-yadada. The Stanchion had to be raised. That meant taking down the ceiling panel and unbolting it from underneath, forcing the stanchion up, cutting out the soft wood, caulking the hell out of it and forcing the stanchion back down and re-bolting it. All well that ends well.  While it eliminated those leaks, it means that we have less leaks. More will be, indeed have been, discovered. It is a never ending job. Ah, the joy of boat ownership!!

A Week Of Work

SHIP'S LOG:

      Last Saturday, I had the day off and had the chance to do some maintenance. I got to do maintenance on all 7 winches, which means dismantling them, cleaning all the parts, re-lubricating them and re-installing them. Then there was the  the re-lubricating of the recently installed the furling system. And this was followed by lubricating all 32 of the blocks that control the sails when sailing ABISHAG. While it doesn't sound like all that much to do, it took all of seven(that is 5) hours. Then there was all the sanding that needed to be done on the toe rail, and those places n the interior that need to be re-varnished. It was a total pain in the butt as I had to assume some rather contorted positions in order to apply the sand to the wood. It was no fun whatsoever. All the detritus from the sanding came home with me and eventually got washed down the shower drain. It itched all the way home.

     Today begins a week (almost) of real work. Today was easy in that most of the work was cleaning. This yard is a particularly "dirty" yard.  Lots of sand and dirt gets blown around and. of course, ends up on the boats. I took the last of the tarps off and hosed down the whole topsides. Lots of dirt, lots of sand, lots of green mold. Lots of "Fantastic"  and water. The topsides fairly sparkle now. Gone is the dirt. Gone is the sand. Gone is the mold. Gone are the bird droppings. The funny part about it is that even when ABISHAG is on here mooring, 200 yards from shore, the dust and dirt gets on the boat. where it comes from, I have no idea. In addition to the cleaning the boat, there was the cleaning of the cockpit floor under the grating in the cockpit which is where so much of the "dirt" ends up for some reason.

     Once all the cleaning was done, I had to correct a problem with the lifelines. When the boat mast/tree landed on ABISHAG, Friend Fred and I did "a quick and dirty" repair of the crushed bow pulpit and ripping up the life line on the port side. It allowed us to sail for a good part of the season. But the life lines in particular needed to be repairs.  I didn't have the cash to redo the life lines, as it it would have cost somewhere in the area of two and 1/2 Marine units. I had rigged a temporary fix with some line as some of the stanchions were bent and on the port side made the lifelines too long and the lifelines on the starboard side to short. The most economical fix was to use "U-shackles" to extend the lifeline reach to make them workable. The result was not perfect, but 110% better than it was.

     The nasty part of the day was to open up the ceiling tiles over the sink in the galley and in the stern bunk. It was clear that there were leaks coming form somewhere over the winter even with the tarps wrapping up ABISHAG.  Taking down the panel over the sink seemed to show that there was a leak coming form the boils that held the  main winch in the cockpit in place. It means that the bolts need to be removed, new caulking put in place and screwing the whole thing down. The only problem may be that when the winch was installed, whoever did it cut of the bolts below the nuts which will make it difficult to remove the, will require either using a tap and die set to re-cut the threads or installing new nuts and bolts.

     In the stern bunk area, along the transom/stern of the boat of the boat, it appears that the stern pulpit and the davit bases are leaking. It wouldn't be too big a job but again, it appears that the bolts were cut off and it will require a tap and die set to correct the problem . . . . if possible. Ah, thew joy of boat ownership!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mr. Clean

SHIP'S LOG:

      I was able to spend all of Saturday past cleaning ABISHAG. There was dirt and dust. I really wonder where it comes from since she has been closed down and covered all winter. There was black mold but not a lot thank god.  The was white mold on all the wood work and on ABISHAG that's a lot.  In both instances, a spritz of bleach/water killed the mold and once dead, it got wiped off. The most interesting mold, aside from the black which can kill you if you are not careful, was the mushroom I found growing in a corner of the forepeak. That was a first. I really don't know how it made it into the boat but there is was.  More bleach and a little scraping and it was gone.

    I did a lot of sanding of the wood work as well. Doing so produced lots of dust and so there was also lots of vacuuming. Sounds simple, but like most maintenance jobs on a boat, it ain't. Maneuvering a shop-vac around the inside s an exercise in being a contortionist. It is amazing where that dust gets. Behind and under every cushion, under the edges of all the floor panels, adhering to every surface, horizontal or not. And to make everything more better, there is a tree near by which sends out seeds on these feathery parachute-like conveyances and they just float into every open space, read "every open hatch." And of course, they waited to "invade" until I had done all the vacuuming. The only good thing was that there was no wet varnish for them to land on.

     I got to scrape off the few barnacles that remained on the hull and wire-brushed them off the prop. And lastly, I removed the zincs that have to be replaced. All in all it was a good first day. I'll get up this coming week to do maintenance on all the winches, blocks and other items that need de-greasing and re-greasing, Getting up to work on the boat has been difficult as when I was free to go , it rains and when it didn't rain, I wasn't free to go. Right now I am working i the sail loft and running the Launch. This is the time of year when the two jobs overlap and getting free for a third is a little difficult, but I am planning to take as much of next week off as I possibly can. Get ready for a deluge!