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.
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Dynema Wraps

16 June 2015 | Bodkin Inlet/Chesapeake Bay
Capn Andy/Hot and Humid
Raising the mast took 3 days. The first day was getting all the gear set up. Day 2 it was hoisted almost completely, maybe 20 degrees left. Day 3 was the final hoist and de-rigging of the hoisting gear. The mast base had to be moved to its exact position using a come-along and bolted to the longitudinal beam that runs from the helm station all the way forward to the windlass.
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Meanwhile the halyard winch pads, which don't quite match the curvature of the mast, were slathered with epoxy/colloidal silica on the side that attaches to the mast, and bungeed to the offcut of the mast, made when it was cut to length. Wax paper was used to make sure they didn't bond to the aluminum.
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The work day was cut short from the usual half day down at the docks due to temperatures going up in the 90's.
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The LED bulb for the spreader light came in and it looks like it will fit perfectly. A test with a brick battery showed how much light it could put out. It rates at about ¼ the wattage of the incandescent bulb, but is actually much brighter
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The winch pads which were now cured were drilled for the winches and the gooseneck fitting which had also been cast in colloidal silica to match the rear curvature of the mast was drilled. All these fittings will use ¼ -20 machine screws threaded right into the mast.
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Getting the shrouds lashed permanently was a priority. Because we are using new dynema right off the roll of line, a long length could be looped around the thimbles and tied off with a half hitch on the shroud. The excess, which includes the entire reel of line, is led to a sheet winch and tightened carefully, making sure the line stays in the thimbles. When the loops were tightened enough, the remainder on the winch was cleated and the half hitch on the shroud was carefully untied without introducing any slack, then half hitched onto the loops, drawing them tight together, and hitches repeated, using up the line. The excess on the winch was cut to length and similarly half hitched up from the deck end of the loops. I was using half hitches with two round turns instead of the usual single round turn, because dynema is a slippery rope and double turns hold better.
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Once again the day seemed awfully hot and enthusiasm for any more work evaporated. The mast was now more or less permanently stayed. The picture is of the weather report which indicates a heat index of 102 and climbing.
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