Morning row in a borrowed boat. Going for coffee.
October 2007
Lightning Repairs ~ Jib and Rudder
Bronze Jib Hank
With the Chesapeake Float and the Urbanna Small Boat Meet only two weeks away, time is getting short if this old Lightning is going to make a debut. Doesn’t help that it’s been raining for days.
I received a new set of used sails, suitable for cruising, from Gerry Paoli, who restored an old woody some time ago. It includes a newer mainsail with one set of reef points, and a full size jib cut to the modern racing size. They are in much better shape than the old original sails I have. The North racing sails have no reefs, so not sure how often I will use those. These received from Gerry may become my primary set.
Catboats. Just Catboats
Mast Repaired, Sails Raised, Boom Tented, Glasses Raised
Progress continues apace, steadily if not speedily. Time spent doing rather than telling, and time is scarce.
Got the rotten place in the mast patched. Fortunately the problem was isolated, where water has been getting in around the spreaders and screws, and only in one strip of wood. Was fairly easy to chip out the soft stuff and file it back clean to the good wood. Epoxied in a fairly tight and clean plug, filled the old screw holes, and seal the area around the spreaders with Dolphinite.
Continue reading “Mast Repaired, Sails Raised, Boom Tented, Glasses Raised”
Retro Repost #4 – Chesapeake Skipjack, Full Moon
Miles River, Maryland
October, 2009
Spring Prep ~ Mast and Rudder
Working by the fire.
We’ve had the wood stove going all week, followed by another windy and cold weekend. Another hard freeze this morning. Last weekend we could see smudge pots flickering in the orchards up the hillsides at night, trying to keep the buds from freezing. Last Monday morning, on the way to work, I passed the smoldering remains of bonfires that had burned through the night in the vineyards. Big fans blew smoke down the rows, where it puddled like grey water in hollows and creek beds. The damage was done, though; none were burning last night.
And wind. A near constant wind storm going on two weeks now. Yesterday gusting to over 40, today to over 25. It blows for two days, pauses to catch its breath and blows some more.
Mast Raised
Saturday morning was a cold rain. By mid-afternoon a serious cold front was moving through, and with it winds gusting to 30+. Not a great day for trying to raise the rig for the first time. So I ripped out the ’90s jacuzzi tub from the master bath, instead. Done and done.