12/02/2009
Can't help myself, here is a picture of the new teak walls in my v-berth. With my meager skills, it came out pretty well (lord knows how!).
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Comments [2]
Cheers
12/02/2009
I just wanted to offer a picture of my new Portland pudgy mounted as it is when at sea. It fits perfectly under the boom and gives me free run of the side decks and foredeck. Pretty cool! I'm working out a way to easily get it aboard using the boom and rotating it into position once in the air. I'll keep you posted.
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12/02/2009, Georgetown, SC
Its pouring rain outside now. I think its God's way of forcing me to take a break. There doesn't seem to be enough hours in a day anymore. My full-sized folding mountain bike finally died yesterday. It really needed some TLC. Lots of rust, corrosion, bad bearings etc. My brilliant plan for repair was to go to the local Wally world, buy a new bike ($79.00), and use it as parts. I stayed awake until midnight trading parts. All that's left of the wally bike is the frame. I took the shifters, wheels, derailleurs, tires, brakes, front forks, seat, reflectors, gear cluster, etc. would have liked to use the chain, but they didn't use a quick link in construction. Bike looks good as new now and still has the cool zoomy folding feature.
I have been back on the boat now for over a month. After working at West Marine for the summer and buying enough new parts and supplies to create a full pallet almost chest high. I spent the month on the ground at Hague Marina in Myrtle Beach South Carolina (its an OK place to work on your boat if you stay with it, but they have a huge theft problem, you have to guard day and night). I ended up stripping the entire bottom down to gel-coat and barrier coating it. Then I applied 3-5 coats of Interlux Micron Extra. The bottom should be safe from blisters now. I used West Marine stripper (3 times) and a very sharp scraper (3 Times). It was a lot of work, I never want to repeat it, but its done and came out great.
Here is a short list of the things I added/replaced since I got here:
anchor chain stopper, finished trysail track to deck level, jackline system, new hand rails (in and out), staysail stay quick release, repaired/strengthened boom track on mast, moved preventer boom bail outwards on boom for better purchase, manual bilge pump in cockpit, Edson handrail for steering station, 2-130W solar panels mounted on Bimini with charge controller, Icom m710 pro SSB with auto antenna tuner (backstay), Waterproof Clarion stereo with 2 Pioneer 6.5 inch speakers and 2 West marine box speakers, Xantrex 1800 watt inverter for the fridge, Black and Decker 1000 watt inverter for the nav station, two-way (red/white) nav light, Pro Mariner amp 3 bank battery charger (newer better version), 1000 cca group 24 starting battery, 55 amp API alternator, nav seat, teak slats on all walls in v-berth, ACR EPIRB, Weems and Plath all-black clock and barometer w inclinometer, 2 Blue Sea 50 amp meters to track power out and in, RAM mount for computer to rotate out into the cockpit when sailing and into the nav station when planning, Force 10 3 burner stove and oven with propane sensor and solenoid, all brass cabin lights, solid stainless rod holder for fishing when under way, 40 lb Danforth to replace the one stolen, West Marine abandon Ship Bag full of necessities, 1,000,000 power led crank spot light, 7" portable Dvd player, added bulkheads in the cockpit lockers for strength, new electronic charts for the Cuba/Mexico/Central/ South America areas, waxed the entire hull above the waterline (Collinite), new bilge pump in the sump system, rebuilt my bike, even added a piece of original artwork from my artist friend in New Zealand.
It was a long month, 12-14 hours a day and a lot of sore muscles. The projects left to do include; cool new mast steps, re-paint the entire deck after some cosmetic repairs, varnish all Teak (in and out), paint the engine, rebuild the toilet...you get the idea.
I have cruised this boat extensively for the past ten years and it occurred to me that I may have to do this once every ten years. Oh well.
And people ask me what I do all day long.
On a lighter note, I am a new dealer for the Portland Pudgy Dinghy/Lifeboat. I've sold 2 so far and I love them. Finally a product that does just what it says and doesn't disappoint. It has tons of cool features, is tough as nails, unsinkable, sails, rows, motors, carries a ton of weight easily, is incredibly stable, and is my onboard lifeboat complete with inflatable canopy, sailing rig, and sea anchor (when the storm ends, I sail away instead of just bobbing around waiting to die). Compared to the cheesy Walker Bay I owned; its stronger, safer, carries a lot more weight, and is cheaper (Walker Bay, tube around it to keep it afloat with more than 2 children aboard, sailing kit, and life raft [approx $8000.00!]). A very versatile little boat. Everyone who sees it loves it. I hope its a big hit with the cruising community as there are so few items being sold to us that truly perform as advertised. Inflatables just don't last in a full time cruising environment, but this tough little boat should be around for years and years (I lock it everywhere I go).
I am finally on my way to the Bahamas. When I leave here next week, I expect to sail to Fla. then cross the Gulf Stream. Can't wait.
On the road again....
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07/29/2009, Any Boat anywhere
A few years ago a sailor with a prior heart condition was crossing the Atlantic when his condition flared up again and he was forced to call the Coast Guard. When they arrived on the scene, he was removed from the boat, and the discussion turned to "what do we do with his boat?". Some of the young Coast Guard Crew were sailors. They offered to finish the trip for him and deliver his boat to land. The idea was approved, they went aboard a boat they had never seen before, and sailed it without incident back to the nearest harbor, where the recovered owner happily came back aboard.
After their return they were asked how they could sail a boat without previous experience on that boat. The answer was illuminating..."The sailor/owner was a true sailor and all the conventions of the sea were followed on his boat. It was easy to step aboard and know where most things were and how they worked. The way he set up the boat, the knots he used, the equipment he installed and how he installed it, all went together to make sailing it easy."
What are sailing conventions?
Things like; what knot is used for a specific job and how it is tied, how to properly cleat a line so that it is obvious to uncleat at night in a howling wind witout fumbling around in the dark, all mainsail controls are on the Starboard side of the vessel and all Jib, Genoa, Spinnaker controls are on the Port side of the mast, heavy items are stowed below in locked lockers and cabinets so they won't fall out in the event of a knockdown, proper updated charting systems are aboard along with back-ups, berths are set up to safely hold crew with lee-cloths, gimballed stoves are installed with firm holds for the cook, an awareness that a starboard tack takes you out of the daanger zone in a hurricane so the set-up of storm trysail and storm sails are set up accordingly, electrical items are installed properly with fuses and circuit breakers and properly colored wiring, the proper lines are used for each task, a good, robust, easily deployed reefing system has been installed, hand water pumps are installed and used at sea to prevent the posssibility of pumping your precious water out, all thru hull fittings have real sea-cocks properly installed, etc etc etc.
All this takes years to learn, and few boats are set up to properly facilitate a strange crew coming aboard. Indeed, it is a sad fact that most people that think they are good sailors, don't actually know what sailing conventions even are. Walk down any pier and look at how various boats are cleated off and you will see what I mean.
By the way:
Your DOCK is the water space your boat is taking up while tied to either a PIER (rigid and surrounded by water on three sides), a WHARF (running along the shore with water on only one side) or a SLIP (floating peir that slips up and down some form of pole) and is accessed by a GANGPLANK hinged at the shore, or Wharf, or end of a Pier.
You can't walk on a DOCK (unless you're Jesus), it's water. If someone says Dock your boat here, they don't mean that you should pull your boat up on top of the wood structure, they mean park it IN THE WATER next to the wood structure (ie. Pier). If you rented a SLIP for the year you must be in tidal water and your SLIP rises and lowers with the tide, and we often tie up along a WHARF when visiting shoreside.
AND... a properly hitched cleat goes first under the the far horn (from the direction the line is pulling)[this is stronger than the near horn], around the base, over the top diagonally, around the far horn and finishes with a single half hitch parallel to the standing part of the line around the near horn. That's it! No extra figure eights, layers or any other of the multiple things people incorrectly add.
Then, when you want to untie it in an emergency at night in a driving rain squall, you simply put your hand on it, lift the top crossing line, and it comes easily undone. So many times on a strange boat, I find the cleat in the dark, put my hand on it and say to myself "What the heck is this mess of figure-eight knots and what have-yous, and how do I untie it?" That's a very bad plan, especially if its some kind of emergency that demands speed.
When I walk down a Slip, Pier, or wharf, I can quickly see who are the proper seamen and who aren't. Invariably their boats echo their cleat Hitches.
Know what I mean?
Smooth Seas,
Captain Don Q
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07/28/2009, Lake Ontario
I Had to head North to sell a property, get some things for my sailboat, deliver some yachts, and take care of the small marina I own in NY. I've been here three months and I'm going crazy surrounded by all this dirt (I left HERMES on the hard in Myrtle. I don't think she'll ever forgive me).
I have a friend/client at my marina with a Hunter 30. She is going cruising this Fall (Sept) and asked if I would help get her started by sailing with her back down South to my boat. What the heck, why not? We'll leave in Sept and should be in Myrtle by October.
I've had a lot of time to think while groundbound in Ny. I just got back from delivering a 45 foot Defever Trawler up to Alexandria Bay in the Thousand Islands, NY. That's in the St Lawrence River right against the Canadian Border. I had an interesting experience during the delivery. One of the men on the boat took over as watchkeeper/helmsman while we were crossing Lake Ontario and began asking me questions about just what his duties as a watchkeeper were. I had wrongly taken it for granted that watchkeeping duties were obvious. Too many years of singlehanding where I am the only watchkeeper I guess.
What is a Person on watch actually responsible for?
Here are some of my thoughts on the subject of watchkeeping responsibilities.
Duties of a Watchkeeper
When you accept the duty of being "on Watch" you actually have several responsibilities.
You need to steer the vessel. This may be complicated, you are not driving a car on a flat, smooth, relatively straight road. Current and Wind may carry you off course, and waves will roll, pitch, and yaw you. These all have to be accounted for by the person at the helm if he wants to give the vessel and its passengers the smoothest possible passage.
Be aware of the area you are navigating in. Look at the charts and memorize any important features that may affect you. Know about any underwater obstructions that may be of concern. Maintain a course that will avoid these hazards. Shallow areas may cause waves to rear up from a relatively calm sea. You should know where these are and account for them.
You may also need to follow a compass course and should be aware of the difference between True and Magnetic courses and also be aware of any deviation on various headings caused by magnetic fields in the vessel itself. There should be a deviation table at or near the helm for reference. If you don't see one, ask. You should also be aware of any local variations in the Magnetic field that may cause you to wander off course. These are usually listed on the chart.
When you are at the helm, the vessel should travel over an imaginary line drawn on the Earth's surface and not wander appreciably from that line. Avoid "snakewake" and be aware of your relative position in the channel or how far you've deviated from your course line. If the Captain has studied a specific path and you are not on it because you have wandered, you are in waters that haven't been checked and may come to grief.
By all means cut power, if depths get shallow or even of the engine or vessel suddenly starts sounding differently. So many boaters run hard aground at speed. Be aware of the tidal state. Running hard aground on a falling tide is inexcusable. Seamanship dictates that you stay off the bottom. If there is a danger of touching, move forward very carefully and be prepared to back off if you do TOUCH. In five years of transiting the ICW from NY to Georgia, I have never run hard aground in my 4' 6" draft sailboat. This is only a testament to my care in proper seamanlike handling of my craft, it has nothing to do with any exceptional ability on my part.
Steer so as to minimize the effect of the waves. I once had a boat partner (I bought him out) that could make the hardiest sailor seasick in minutes with his clumsy steering techniques. Be aware of the sea state, and steer so as to avoid the worst seas or breakers. As every surfer knows, waves travel in groups. Steer so as to miss the larger groups. Keep the vessels motion as gentle as possible. Warn the crew in advance of any large seas that cannot be avoided while trying to keep the boat in the calmer water between the large sets as you follow your course. This is a difficult job and takes years of practice to properly learn.
Watchkeepers are also responsible for the safety of the crew members. Watch the people working on deck or in the galley. Inform them of changing conditions they may have missed based on the nature of their work. Above all, don't allow them to be injured because you didn't give them advance warning of an especially large wave or breaking sea.
Be aware of objects in the water near the boat. "I didn't notice that floating log" isn't a very good reason for damage to a boat or its crew. It's your job to notice floating objects and go around them. Logs, nets, swimmers, other vessels, wakes, seaweed patches, rocks just under the surface, all should be seen and avoided.
The helmsman is responsible for any COB event on their vessel. If you are steering and someone falls overboard, you are in charge. Throw flotation, make other crew aware, perform proper maneuvers to get them back aboard quickly, etc. etc. (later article).
A good Watchkeeper should also notice a COB from another vessel, and pick them up. So many times we hear stories of a boat passing very near a COB or liferaft and never even noticing the frantically waving arms. That is not good Watchkeeping.
The proper way to search the water is this;
Pick a twenty degree wide section of the sea. Start close to the boat and search that quadrant carefully all the way out to the horizon. Then pick the next twenty degree quadrant next to it and repeat until you have searched the entire 360 degrees. Take your time and don't allow yourself to be interrupted. Now you have seen all of the water surrounding the boat properly out as far as your horizon.
A Watchkeeper should take their job very seriously and not be interrupted while performing it. "Lives" literally depend on their skill and diligence.
The next time you are asked to "steer the boat", that's something to think about.
Smooth Seas
Capt Don Q.
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Concerning "I didn't notice that floating log" isn't a very good reason for damage to a boat or its crew. It's your job to notice floating objects and go around them. Logs..."
Obviously you have not sailed out in B.C./Pacific Northwest, where logs are too often impossible to see (think: "submerged just below surface"; think "deadhead")
No matter how good a watchkeeper one is, with time one will hit such a log.
(I enjoy reading your thoughts -- usually in agreement, but not always)
03/31/2009, Ladies Island. SC
Installing Jacklines, Harness, and Tether
Jacklines
When the going gets rough, you should put your harness on and hook into something stout. This will hopefully keep you aboard in a mishap or when an unexpected wave tries to wash you overboard.
A few years ago, a Japanese singlehanded sailor was sailing along the Australian coast in rough conditions. He fell overboard wearing a harness attached to a jackline. So far so good, now for the bad part. The jackline was placed outboard along the toerail and his tether was so long he could get off the boat while hooked-in.
The boat continued roaring along under wind-vane self-steering and, despite repeated attempts, the pressure of the water made it impossible for him to get back aboard. He pounded repeatedly against the side of his boat receiving many cuts and abrasions in the process. Eventually, he was too weak and injured to attempt to get back aboard and just bounced along the side as his boat sailed blithely along under self-steering.
He was going to die.
Fortunately for him, Australia has this reef running along its Eastern Coast (Great Barrier Reef according to Captain Ron, never seen it myself). His boat slammed into the reef, somehow rode over it into calmer water, and stopped. After clambering aboard and taking care of his cuts and bruises, he hopefully redesigned his Jackline System. He also has a great story to tell in the beachside bars.
The specific purpose of the Jackline, Harness, and Tether system is to keep you aboard. Why spend good money installing yet another system that doesn't perform the very task for which it was supposedly designed? If you can fall overboard after donning your harness and hooking into your jackline, the system is flawed. BTW overboard means, "Past the toerail."
One special note-You should never hook onto shrouds, stays, lifelines, running rigging, etc. when working on deck in rough conditions. That's not what they are for, and they cannot be depended on to keep you aboard.
Simple premise: The Jackline, Harness, Tether system should keep you aboard in all modes, conditions, and attitudes. Period.
O.K., lets design a system that will actually do that.
First the Jackline.
It should not be placed on the side deck, underfoot, and able to allow you to go overboard. The proper placement is at or near the centerline of your boat. Then a tether can made just long enough to allow you to get to the toerail, but not beyond it.
The Jackline should be tight and starting at the forward end of cockpit, go forward terminating short of the bow. If you have a dodger and store your dinghy on deck, you will need to have two tethers. One tether on each side of the boat along the cabintop. You can then reach out of the cockpit, hook your short tether onto the after end, and then travel (with nothing dangling around your feet) all the way to the bow.Your tether should allow you to get to the boom, cabintop center, toerail, and bow, but no further.
The jackline should be incredibly strong and tight. Certainly able to hold several thousand pounds without breaking. It should have very little stretch, be UV (sun) resistant, and flat so it doesn't roll underfoot. On my boat I use Spectra webbing as it is strong and UV resistant (warning: be sure you sew or knot it properly, Spectra is notoriously slippery and will not hold with most traditional knots, bar-tack sewing is best).
You can use a dacron webbing, but nylon is too stretchy for jacklines, and polypropylene is not UV resistant and unsuitable. The ends of the jackline need to be secured with a solid, secure metal attachments through-bolted with a backing plate. Stronger is better. I use stainless steel 3/8 inch u-bolts with a solid steel backing plate at each end. I sew a loop in the ends of the webbing and lash it securely with dacron line to finish the attachment. That way I can remove it when I'm at anchor for an extended period. This technique also extends its life and when installing it allows me to haul it up tight.
You now have a jackline that allows you access to the mast, boom, bow, cabintop, and one complete side of the vessel down to the toerail while keeping you aboard in all conditions.
The Tether.
Whenever I see tethers for sale in a marine store, I wonder "just what boat they are made for?" Every boat's tether should be sized specifically for that boat , and just long enough to reach past the toerail with your hands. It should not allow you to go completely overboard (maybe your feet, but nothing else).
When wearing a properly sized tether, it can function as a third hand. You can lean against it when doing certain tasks. One hand for the task, and one hand for the ship is fine in theory, but experience has shown me that there are very few tasks done aboard using only one hand. I invariably end up trying to somehow stay aboard while both hands are occupied with the task at hand. Not very practical.
The best tethers should be capable of being unhooked at the sailors end while under load, and made of tubular webbing with a strong bungee sewn inside so that it retracts itself when not under load. Then, when walking down the deck, it isn't dragging around your feet and you won't have to use one hand to keep it out of the way. It will ride comfortably along the cabintop instead. The tether should be carefully sized so that it gives you access to ½-¾ of the boat, and its length should be determined by the jackline placement. In other words; If you have a twelve foot beam, you should probably have a tether that is about 4-6 feet long.
Many tethers sold at marine stores are of excellent design and construction, they simply need to be sized for the particular boat they will be used on. Fortunately they are all usually way too long so they can be cut down, re-sewn and made into a very serviceable tether.
The Harness
The harness should be made of 2" webbing so it won't bite into you under load. One strap should go around the body below the Lats (muscles) with shoulder straps crossing in the back to secure attachment points in the front. Both ends should have STRONG D-rings securely sewn onto them. the webbing should be UV resistant and sewn with a strong UV resistant thread. Many are sewn with thread that will deteriorate quickly in sun and salt conditions and are therefore useless. An optional crotch strap may be a good idea, especially for a youngster or someone with a narrow chest.
For most people, as soon as a load is placed on the tether, the harness will cinch tightly around the body. There will be no possibility of slipping out, even if lifted bodily by the tether. Obviously, the harness should also be sized to fit. There are versions built into life vests, and even ones built into jackets available. Just be sure that they will work, even if used to lift you.
The rule on my boat is that all night sailing, and anytime only one person is on deck-on watch, a harness must be worn and hooked in. Especially at night and/or in foul weather, no one leaves the cabin without a harness and tether permanently hooked into the attachment point just outside the cabin doors. From there they can transfer to other attachment points as needed. They are also not allowed to leave the cockpit without calling someone from below.
When in the cockpit, two strong attachment points for the helmsman should be placed on opposite sides to hook into while steering. This keeps the helmsman from breaking the steering station when the boat lurches in a sea or gets pooped by a large breaking sea. You may have to rig special-length tethers for this purpose.
Now your boat has a Harness, Tether, and Jackline system that will keep it's occupants aboard, even if rolled 360 degrees. What a concept.
Smooth Seas,
Capt Don Q.
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