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

Sailing Season ‘08 is here!

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Description

The young guy at the boatyard made short work of replacing the deck light bulb and attaching the hardware.  I'm glad someone doesn't mind working up there!  (Jul. 7, 2008)

The new radar reflector hoisted smartly on its halyard.

Back on the mooring, I finished rigging the throwable lifering on its mounting bracket, attaching 60 feet of polypropylene floatable line to it, clipped on by a carabineer for quick release.  The line is dual-purpose:  It will double as a grab-line dragged behind the boat in rough weather while singlehanding.

[CLOSEUP]

As I said on Saturday, this is crazy!  It's in the high-80s today; I haven't even put Chip Mate in the water yet; my annual cruise is still two weeks off -- but two cords of firewood for the winter have just been dumped and now need to be racked and stacked.  I had to first cut down the bamboo jungle yesterday that had overgrown and buried the woodracks just to find them.  It was now or possibly never, with the skyrocketing cost of heating oil and growing competition for wood and pellet stoves and their fuel.  Heating my home almost exclusively with firewood, it's good to have my winter supply secure -- even if ridiculously early.  (Jul. 10, 2008)

While out sailing on Saturday -- or trying to in near-doldrums -- The flogging genoa's shackle kept hanging up on the shrouds; the light to non-existent and variable air was of little assistance when slowly tacking.  It was time to do something about this longtime annoyance, and there had been lots of advice in previous days among members of the C22 discussion group.
In the photo on the left, the replica of the 1812 privateer Fame would be luffing dead in the water if it wasn't providing its tourists with diesel power along with the usual cannon fire.  The Catalina 30 being left in its wake shows its luffing sails.  (Jul. 12, 2008)

Lan Yarbrough ("Monkey Shines"), a member of the discussion group, sent along a drawing of a "double becket hitch," which I thought would work nicely. I removed the heavy shackle from the jibsheet and tied the sheet to the genoa's clew with a short length of line temporarily until I could return to the boat and apply the correct knot.

A double becket hitch now attaches Chip Ahoy's jibsheet to the clew of its roller-furled genoa.  (Jul. 15, 2008)

Drawing #1    |    Drawing #2

When that quick improvement was completed, I added a loop to the radar reflector and around aft-lower shroud to keep it from spinning in strong wind, potentially fraying its halyard, as recommended by the manufacturer in its instructions.  I'm almost ready for my Monday departure for Chebeague Island in Casco Bay, Maine!

Yesterday Vaughn McGrath ("French Curves") came by with his pickup truck; we took Chip Mate down to the dock and put it in the water, tied it up to dinghy ring #60, which the harbormaster is letting me use temporarily.  This morning I went back down and mounted the old Johnson 3 hp, fired it up.  I took a few things out to Chip Ahoy that are coming along on the cruise and did a few little last minute things while aboard.  Departure is the crack of dawn on Monday, July 21 -- less than three days away now.  (Jul. 18, 2008)

Chip Ahoy on its mooring, the photo taken from Chip Mate.  But for the final big loading -- for which I'll bring the boat to the dock late Sunday -- it's ready to go.  I wish I could say the same for me, but I'm still wondering, "What am I forgetting to bring or do?"

Chip Mate in need of bailing.  My cruise departure was scheduled for this morning, but isn't happening.  The "hazardous weather" alert accompanied by its "severe thunderstorms" warning decided it yesterday -- along with Barbara's pearl of wisdom:  "You know, you don't need to leave tomorrow -- you're not on any hard and fast schedule, you're on vacation."  So it has been rescheduled for tomorrow . . .    (Jul. 21, 2008)

See:  A Week of Departure Delays

Chip Ahoy and I left Marblehead on July 25 and arrived at our mooring off Chebeague Island, Maine (photo on left) in Casco Bay on August 2.  We made it back to Marblehead on August 13.  The planned two-week "seafaring" cruise took 19 days round-trip and covered 250 nautical miles (287 statute miles) in overall miserable weather conditions.

For the trip's log/journal, photo album, and charts
CLICK HERE