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

Sailing Season ‘10 is here -- enjoying it while I can!

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Description

Since finding the bilge pump float switch stuck in the up/on position and both batteries dead, I thought I'd found the problem. After Jeff Jacoby and his son Caleb came out sailing a few days later, and the batteries were still "dead," I thought they needed to be recharged, and after running the outboard, with its alternator, for much of the day I expected this would at least partially recharge them. The electric start kicked the motor over when we got back to the mooring, though not strongly.

On the following Sunday, zero response to electric start. After much digging, I finally discovered the problem: The battery cable connector I added to the battery cables (photo right) was seriously corroded -- thick green corrosion over blackened contacts. I cleaned the two connectors, sprayed them with contact cleaner and used my pocket knife to scrape the contacts. I believe this was a result of the Buzzard's Bay adventure with its big seas and heavy salt spray crashing over the cockpit all afternoon.  (Aug. 29, 2010)

A relaxing overnight in Misery Island's cove turned into a bit of an adventure the next morning when severe thunderstorms rolled in just after dawn.

For more details see:
Misery Island Overnighter 2010
Sep. 7-8, 2010

For more details see:
Gloucester Harbor Overnighter 2010
Sep. 18-20, 2010

For more details see:
Our Malacass / Chip Ahoy Photo Shoot
Sep. 19, 2010

For more details see:
The Rockport extended "Overnighter" 2010
Sep. 24-29, 2010

Columbus Day, yahoo! This is usually the last weekend of comfortable sailing up here, and should be this year as well.  Yesterday was blustery, winds gusting to over 25 mph, but today was perfect for heading out, temperature into the low-60s.

I almost made it out to Misery Island, but it started blowing a bit much from the west, enough to convince me to head back while I could, though the cove for a late lunch on a mooring was my goal.  What a great day of sailing in the Sound.

The plan is to haul-out next week, oh well. The season is over.  (Oct. 11, 2010)

Ah well, Chip Ahoy is still sitting out on its mooring. Though I'd planned to get it pulled out and trailered home, hopefully covered by now it hasn't happened, hasn't been possible yet. Work on "Revolution 2010" election campaigns has kept me flat-out busy, as busy as the boatyards have been hauling boats. I could have taken Chip Ahoy around Marblehead to the Cliff Street yard last Thursday, but instead made other arrangements with Fred J. Dion's Yacht Yard in Salem, for the first or second week in November. The launch service ends for the season on Sunday night (the docks will come out on November 17), but Dion's promised to shuttle me out when they're ready to pull my boat. After weeks of cold and windy, today was perfect for unrigging everything in preparation -- mostly sunny, exceptionally warm in the low-70s, and calm.  (Oct. 26, 2010)

When the launch got me out to Chip Ahoy and I pulled the duct tape off the top cribboard (I'd taped the gap between eyebrow and cribboard to keep rainwater out during the last nor'easter), it took some of the paint with it -- becoming another spring fix-it project, oh well.

F.J. Dion Yacht Yard is within sight of Chip Ahoy on its mooring, close enough to easily motor over to in a few minutes. I decided to unrig the boat ahead of delivery, have it ready to quickly haul, have its bottom pressure-washed, the mast unstepped, and dropped onto the trailer when I tow it over in a week or two.

Everything went smoothly. Being on the mooring, the boat swinging in the slight breeze, made removing the sails easier than being static on land -- though folding the sails will have to wait until I get the boat home and have room to spread them out. I did the best I could, but in the end just stuffed them into their sailbags.

The outboard started right up after sitting idle for a couple of weeks, so it's good to go. I had the boat down to just a bare mast in a few hours, boom and everything else stowed below. Chip Ahoy is ready to be motored over and hauled out whenever the boatyard is ready.

This will work out much better than bringing the boat around Marblehead and into bottom of the inner harbor on the other side -- especially considering that the temperature's been down in the chilly high-40s to low-50s lately. I was lucky to get a now rare, relatively warm day to get this done.  (Oct. 26, 2010)

While out sailing aboard "Malacass," John Graichen took these photos of a lonely Chip Ahoy out on its mooring. Uh oh, what's with the IdaSailor rudder -- hanging horizontal?!? It's never done that before, but with the launch service having terminated for the season at the end of October, I have no way now to get out to the boat and check it. (Nov. 7, 2010)

John now has a clear line of sight to Chip Ahoy from Malacass's mooring, a first. The harbor has become almost devoid of boats, leaving just empty moorings. This is the latest I've ever left my boat on its mooring. I'm scheduled to have the nearby F.J. Dion's Yacht Yard lift Chip Ahoy out in a few days.

The good weather that was forecast last week for this week deteriorated abruptly when a nor'easter arrived last night and increased overnight. I'm glad I stripped the mast bare -- and left an additional mooring line attached. There's no way I can get out to the boat now, and it's riding pretty hard out there on its mooring.  The nor'easter is now supposed to remain parked over us for at least the next few days, putting the haul-out plan up in the air for now.  (Nov. 8, 2010)

Today Chip Ahoy is scheduled to be hauled-out, but the wind's still blowing hard -- NE 15-25 mph with gusts up to 32 -- and the harbor's still choppy. I'd put it off until tomorrow, when conditions are supposed to improve as the nor'easter moves offshore tonight, but I have to be home tomorrow so my landlord and his real estate agent can show my house, which he's trying to sell. They can't/won't put it off so I don't have any choice but to give this my best shot and hope for the best.  (Nov. 11, 2010)

-- See:  Haul-Out 2010 --