The never-ending project to fill my hole in the ocean while bailing it out

Sailing Season 2011 is upon me!

— Bottom sanding, painting and keel inspection —

Description

This morning, after a phone call to Tommy assured me that Chip Ahoy was expected "as soon a possible," I went out to Chip Ahoy as soon as the launch service opened at 8 am, readied the boat then motored Chip Ahoy out of Salem Harbor and around Marblehead to the Beacon Street boatyard. The pre-arranged plan was to have it hauled out and its bottom sanded and painted.  The plan also was to have the keel and its cable checked – though I didn't expect any problems with either.

It was a perfectly calm day, flat ocean, so getting around the peninsula took about an hour. I no sooner pulled up to the boatyard dock then they were air-lifting my boat in the yard's huge crane. (It's at those moments when I realize what a truly little boat I have!)

To my surprise, the keel already is rusting and corroding. As Tommy the yard manager advised, there really is no way to keep ahead of a cast iron keel in salt water, grrr.

Not that I'm trying to any more (right), but I told him to do what he could to maintain its integrity. He had his crew grind down the rust and epoxy what they could get at. The hanger and pin still look good anyway. He thinks the keel's good for another five or so years, when I'll have to make another big decision:  Get another keel (fiberglass over lead next time), or another boat.

This really bummed me out, as my latest article as tech editor for MainBrace, the C22NSA bimonthly magazine, was all about maintaining the swing keel and what I've gone through with it so far — I'd expected to find it golden!  (Jul. 5, 2010)

The boatyard's work plods along a day later. They must wait for the epoxy to cure before applying bottom paint. We're still waiting for the marine electrical guy, Keith, to show up, get Chip Ahoy's steaming and deck lights up on the mast working again.

As I wrote in that latest MainBrace article, the C22 swing keel is a serious weak point for those of us to keep our boats on a mooring in ocean salt water — even for our short sailing season as this attests. Nonetheless, as I concluded, "But it is what I have and must deal with. That swing keel is a weak point in my circumstance, but that weakness can be minimized with awareness and care."  I'm dealing with it.  (Jul. 6, 2011)

When Tommy challenged me about Chip Ahoy's boot stripe being "rusty looking" compared to the otherwise "Bristol-looking" overall (photo above right), I admitted that I'd given up after the first two or so feet of the boot stripe on the port side bow.  He told me about "On & Off," though warned it's some very nasty stuff to work with. He offered to have 'the boys' clean it up. I told him to go for it.

I'm glad I did. I didn't think anything could bring back the white again as it did! I went back home and got the Maguire's wax, gave the boot stripe a coat to keep it looking this way for a while.

Launching Chip Ahoy was scheduled for 4 pm. My buddy Toby the rigger told me the mast deck and steaming lights are now working; he and the boatyard's electrical guy from Boat Works found the problem and replaced the two bulbs — both of them were bad. Toby said he sees this all the time; he tests mast lights in the loft before they're moved and stepped, only to find some don't work after the stepping.  (Jul. 7, 2011)

At four o'clock the crew wrapped the crane's straps around little Chip Ahoy, lifted it off the the boat stands, hit the spots where it sat on them with some bottom paint, and lowered the boat back into the harbor.

I motored around the peninsula to Salem Harbor and the mooring without event, another perfect summer afternoon in the high 80s. Back on its mooring, I waited aboard until dusk. I wanted to see for myself that all the lights were working.

Everything's perfect. Chip Ahoy is ready for this year's extended cruise, coming soon!