Tue Apr 24 0:15:15 EDT 2012, Sitka, AK
Note that sails are bent on, so I think Woniya sails or motorsails some of the time (or else just uses the sails to reduce the rolling).
|
Comments [0]
Tue Apr 24 0:14:12 EDT 2012, Sitka, AK
This fishing schooner was in Sitka a while back, I didn't get a chance to talk to the crew, but they definitely were commercial fishing.
|
Sun Apr 22 12:34:24 EDT 2012, Sitka Sound, AK
|
Thu Apr 19 13:03:10 EDT 2012, Sitka, AK
The weather is much nicer now that spring has arrived. While setting sails on a testsail a few days ago, a local motorboat came over to say hello. They kindly took some pictures of us.
|
The main staysail has a 3-year old Facnor furler. The design makes adjusting stay tension more difficult than the much older Sarma design, and the Facnor seems to have more friction than it should (considering the small size of the sail that is on it), but overall, it functions adequately.
Wed Apr 18 11:57:35 EDT 2012, Sitka, AK
|
Tue Apr 17 0:33:51 EDT 2012, Sitka, AK
The easy part was cutting off the old bowsprit with an angle grinder. Then, without the bowsprit in the way, I could see how the anchor could be made secure.
I had some stainless steel pipes bent to the angle of the plates where the bow rollers were, and welded them on (the anchor shank and chain run between them). At first I used my wire-feed ReadyWelder, which is a device that runs on batteries--12, 24 or 36 volts. I welded the first pipe on with 24 volts, and, after doing some hammering, it broke off, as the penetration wasn't good enough. I had better results from adding another battery to get to 36 volts, but even better results when a neighbor on the dock lent me his stick welder (which plugged into shore power). Another neighbor who was a former pipeline welder helped me get the machine setup correctly.
I tried to bend the old pulpit into shape to be able to use it, but was not successful, so put a piece of blue, reinforced plastic hose in place for now.
The anchor is now held in place by the windlass holding the chain, a safety chain hook, and by turnbuckles on either side that attach to shackles in holes drilled into the anchor. I think the anchor will stay securely in place well when the waves push across it.
Final painting is still to be done.
|
Tue Apr 17 0:25:55 EDT 2012, Sitka, AK
Last year, friends moved the jibstay off Issuma's bowsprit so the bobstay could be removed (the bobstay was taking a real beating breaking ice). I wanted to test-sail the boat for a while before removing the old bowsprit (which was then just excess weight in a bad place).
It has taken me a while to get around to doing this job. For the Northwest Passage trip, the bowsprit proved a useful place to store the grapnel anchor I carried for use as an ice anchor.
Here is Issuma with the bowsprit still on.
|
Sun Apr 15 12:08:46 EDT 2012, Sitka, AK
This is a similar "dinghy" to the one in the previous post. Note the large propeller and how well it is protected from getting caught in nets.
|
There are a few of these "dinghies" around here, too (Newport, OR), though I've never seen one at work. They probably transit to Alaska as do many of the fishing fleet.
I've been thinking about your comment that fuel is not expensive enough to force people to fish from sailboats. It's true that these big trawlers make big money and cost a lot to maintain, but I can envision a fleet of smaller boats, employing many more out of work people to do the work by hand. Can't get away from the feeling that by out-sizing and out-competing smaller boats, the fishery has not served the community well. Perhaps there is a driving force more important than money. I know it's heresy to say this today.
Other than Brazil (where fishing boats as small as dugout canoes are quite common), Yakutat is the only place I've seen where they have managed to keep the size of fishing boats down and the numbers up. Yakutat has a lot of little fishing boats fishing Yakutat Bay, and that really seems to keep the community alive.
Sat Apr 14 1:19:17 EDT 2012, Sitka, AK
The "dinghy" in the picture has a big diesel engine. It is used for bringing the end of the net back to the bigger boat, which is why it needs a lot of power.
|
Thu Apr 12 23:46:40 EDT 2012, Sitka, AK
|
