Kaimusailing
s/v Kaimu Wharram Catamaran
| Vessel Name: | Kaimu |
| Vessel Make/Model: | Wharram Custom |
| Hailing Port: | Norwalk, CT |
| Crew: | Andy and the Kaimu Crew |
| About: | Sailors in the Baltimore, Annapolis, DC area. |
17 April 2024 | St Marys, GA
Dinghy Skeg
I was suffering with what seemed like a cold and also had allergy symptoms. I awoke and felt fine. The green pollen that was coating everything was gone. Maybe it will return.
07 April 2024 | St. Marys, GA
Clammy Hands
Items came in from TEMU, the Chinese cut rate retailer. One was a nice little drone that cost about twelve and a half dollars. It looked like an easy thing to play with while I coughed and sneezed. I was fighting a summer cold, even though it is not summer elsewhere, it seems like it here. A nice [...]
02 April 2024 | St. Marys, GA
Sun Doggie
After laminating the cedar strips onto the gunwales of the dinghy I found the screws I used wouldn’t come out. The epoxy had seized them. The screw heads were stripped so I cut a straight slot in the heads with the cut off wheel. The cedar smoked when the screw heads got red hot. I could remove [...]
21 March 2024 | St. Marys, GA
Just Add Water
The rainy weekend started off with overcast and fog but no rain. It looked like I might be able to get something done on the D4 dinghy. I wanted to change the bow seat which is really the bow deck. The sailing option uses the deck to hold the freestanding mast. I didn’t like how the deck looked, [...]
01 March 2024 | St. Marys, GA
D4 Dinghy Alternative Seats
The rain event was more wind than rain, strong winds with gusts up to 44 mph. We drove into town to see what the harbor was like. There was a small sailboat that had dragged anchor and was sitting close to shore. The tide was out. We left and played with Bleu at Notter’s Pond.
23 February 2024 | St. Marys, GA
D4 Inside Seams
Day two of the dinghy build started out with me finishing wiring the hull bottoms together on the centerline of the bottom panels. This was much easier than the wiring of the chine edges of the bottom panels and the side panels.
Shakedown Pt. XXI
There was a West breeze, well not really a breeze, just a West light air that pinned the boat to the dock. The engine started up right away and by the time the sail covers were off, it was warmed up and idling smoothly. Off we went down the inlet, and right at the most critical time, at the last gas dock before the big turn into the bay, the engine died.
I was shocked and then realized, the remaining gas in the day tank was not enough to take us all the way out and back. I hadn't poured the spare jug of gas into the day tank yet, so I began pouring, pouring and praying. I was squeezing the gas bulb with my foot as I poured. The boat was starting to drift down onto the gas dock.
It started right up again, and we were around the day marker that led to the bay. Through the shoals at the entrance to the inlet, and then the sails could be set. The wind wasn't as predicted though. It was more like 5-10, if that.
I rolled out the genoa and found we were close hauled and going about 4 or 5 knots. The wind was patchy. We were sailing north across both the shipping lanes from Baltimore, to the west.
After tacking, we were still close hauled on a reciprocal course. Not a great day of sailing. Then I noticed a tug and tow coming out from Baltimore. I lowered the engine sled and started the engine. I gunned it and we cleared out of the shipping channel doing about 10 knots. I debated whether to resume sailing and kill the engine, or motor on in and call it a day.
We motored on in, along with several other sailboats, and motored all the way back to the dock. Along the way the sails were furled. All except the main, which came into good use when the engine died again. It was only a couple hundred yards to the dock. The tank was empty again, two gallons had only lasted about 4 miles. Got to be careful with the throttle setting. Normal consumption is 5 quarts per hour at 6-7 knots. Two gallons should have been good for 10 miles or so.
I looked forward in the weather forecast and there is no wind forecast for the next few days. Guess I'll have to work on that head.
