On the Hard
18 May 2009
I just thought I would make an update. I didn't get the chance to sail either Thursday Night or Saturday. That is a bit discouraging but what can you do. Hopefully everything is worked out and this week will be different.
This past Thursday I was going to sail with the crew from the J35, Rocket. As we all arrived at the Yacht Club, the weather turned crappy with strong wind gusts and heavy rain. Add to that the problems on the boat. The engine died when the owner took it out for a daysail and now the boat has starter issues. On top of that, one of the chain plates for the shrouds is damaged and there was fear that strong gusts and sail load would rip plate and maybe mast right off the boat. All of those items were supposed to be addressed this past weekend and hopefully we can sail this coming Thursday.
On Saturday I met Jessie at her boat and when we went to leave, the engine would not start. There was water in the engine compartment. It appears that the vibrations of the engine causes the fiberglass to leak and water comes in. This has appeared to be a recurring problem and there comes a point when you are throwing more good money after bad. After dealing with that all day, Jessie has determined to get an existing outboard serviced and mounted, use it instead of the engine and eventually remove the inboard to do something else with the space. A very wise move I think because the outboard is probably easier to service and definitely cheaper to replace if you had too.
So, with Thursday and Saturday spent on the dock, I am definitely looking forward to racing on Thursday and hopefully some casual weekend sailing.