18 April 2011 | Alexandria, VA
11 May 2010
31 July 2009
26 April 2009
24 January 2009 | Cadle Creek
27 December 2008 | Chesapeake Bay
09 November 2008
13 October 2008
30 September 2008
13 July 2008 | Warehouse Creek
30 May 2008 | St. Mary's River
26 May 2008 | Rhode River & Chesapeake Bay
24 May 2008 | Chesapeake Bay
04 May 2008 | Chesapeake Bay
29 April 2008

Ernesto passed, time for some small projects.

04 September 2006 | Cadle Creek, MD
We had the remains from tropical storm Ernesto come through our area last Friday and Saturday. I was slightly concerned about my Sapphire Breeze, but Cadle Creek is very well protected. On the news they mentioned there may be a 4' above normal tide. I was hoping there was enough slack in my lines and that my fenders with the board would just rise against the pilings. With all the rainy weather over the weekend, I finally made it to my boat on Monday. Fortunately there was no damage at all. The only thing I noticed was that some of my CDs I had up the mast were blown off. I have a bag full of those AOL discs so no big deal.

Monday's weather was very nice, just too calm for sailing. It was around the mid 70s and partly cloudy which made a great day for some projects. I got several small things done that I've been meaning to complete.
First I installed the gear hammocks, one in the v-berth and one in the rear quarter berth.
P1000295

I bought them since they were inexpensive and I thought could be useful. I don't have any use for them yet, but I'm sure they will come in handy more on over night trips when I have more gear on board.

Dave came by after checking up on his C-250 and helped me cut down my bimini. I wanted to lower it a few inches to clear the boom when the sail is up either all the way or reefed. We drilled out the rivets on each main support end caps and pulled them off. I then cut off 5" of tubing off each leg. I was originally thinking I would cut off closer to the V joint where the other poles attach, which is about 10", but I didn't want to cut off too much. The aluminum cuts easily with a hack saw and we noticed the poles are double layered to provide more structural strength. I'm not sure if all biminis have that, but that was nice to find. We then took the plastic end caps and mounted them into my track slide mounts. We just test fitted the bimini placing it in the mounts and set it up. We then raised the main sail with a reef to test the clearance. I was surprised at the amount of clearance I now had.
P1000300

I didn't measure, but it was probably 10-12" of clearance when reefed. I then raised the sail all the way and the boom was maybe 2-3" lower, still plenty of clearance. The main sheet now does not touch the bimini at all with the boom in any position.

My goose neck is adjustable and slides in the track which makes a difference. Using some old geometry skills, I calculated I lowered the bimini about 3.5". It is slightly noticeable when standing beneath it, but there is plenty of room for sitting. I used to be able to stand and just tilt my head, now I have to slouch over a bit (I'm 6'). Here is a photo looking forward, so you have to crawl through that opening to get on deck which isn't much of a problem.
P1000319-1

After testing the fit, Dave drilled new holes in the tubing through the end caps and put in a small screw to secure it. The only other change I may make is shortening the rear nylon straps and maybe adding a small piece of line to the forward straps to reach the next forward stanchions instead of the ones directly below them.

After finishing up the bimini I installed my inclinometer so I can tell how many degrees of heel I have during sailing. I thought of several different places, seeing where other people mount theirs and what other places may be better. I've seen some mount it under the companion way in the cockpit, like Dave's setup. He has mentioned that when you have people in the cockpit, often their legs will block the view of seeing the meter. I thought about on the bulkhead next to my depth/knot meter, but again people can get in the way of that. I then thought about putting it on the transom to one side of the tiller. This seems to be perfect because it is never obstructed. The only minor downside is having to glance back, but it's not like we are on a power boat screaming across the bay.
P1000317

Please ignore the gray spots ;). I have neglected to scrub the small amount of mildew that has accumulated from the humidity. I need to scrub that off to get it clean and white again.

I then installed this handle for the inside of the sliding companion way hatch.
P1000316

The hatch was so difficult to open from inside the cabin without anything to grip. It's funny, I actually had a dream the first night my brother and I slept on the boat back in January that the boat was sinking and we couldn't make it out the main hatch because we couldn't slide it open, but we made it out through the forward hatch. Hopefully that will never happen, but now it is much easier and safer.

I didn't have much else to do, but I had recently purchased some orange oil that is made for finishing wood. Way back in January when I purchased my boat, you can see in the old posts that I refinished the wood with Howard's Restore-A-Finish. It is an excellent product and really made a huge improvement in my interior. Now through out the season the wood has slowly dried and now I thought I would try oiling it. I forgot the brand, but I bought it at the grocery store. I like before and after photos, so here you go:
Before not bad, but could use some oil:
P1000320

After the wood is deeper and richer in color:
P1000323

Now there is a greasy sheen to it, but hopefully after some time it will soak in. I only finished the galley and then left for the day so I didn't see it dry after much time. The oil sure does smell good and hopefully will give my interior a bit more pleasant smell.

Well, that's all I did this past three day weekend. I didn't get any sailing in, but hopefully I will this coming weekend. Nice that it is only a four day work week.
Comments
Vessel Name: Sapphire Breeze
Vessel Make/Model: 1982 Catalina 25 SK/SR
Hailing Port: Mayo, MD
Crew: Justin
Extra: This site is all about my experiences with my first boat; from restoring it, to my sailing adventures. I enjoy hearing from my readers, so feel free to send me an email. I'm also interested in meeting new people in the area, especially people in my age range since I hardly know any that sail.

Who: Justin
Port: Mayo, MD