Kaimusailing

I must apologize for the lack of proof reading of the last blog posting. I did spell check it, which does next to nothing.
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I have a compensatory laptop coming in from the boatyard some time next week. In the interim I ordered one on eBay and it arrived right away. I have installed Ubuntu and Navigatrix on it as two available operating systems. I uses an ordinary 320 gig hard drive, so seems slow compared to the SSD’s. The user name is Cornelia Marie and the password is Nori, so you can guess who is going to get it. One thing I did was try to install Navigatrix 64 bit, NX64, and had the same problem as with the previous CF-C1, boot loader wouldn’t install. My theory that preparing the hard drive for Ubuntu makes it acceptable for the NX64 install did not work out. However, although you have problems installing NX64, following up with an Ubuntu 20 install, and choose “install side by side”, makes the hard drive bootable and gives the option to use either operating system, both 64 bit.
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There was a complaint about me moving the main hatch handle inside from its outside location. This was to allow the closed hatch to be opened by the poor trapped sailor in the cabin. Without a handle inside there is no way to open the hatch except to mar it with tools or kitchen utensils. Now I’ve added a stainless external handle. The hatch can be opened from the inside and closed from the outside using the handles. A teak trim piece was misaligned on the hatch turtle, called a sea hood by Catalina, called a hatch cover by some, and it scraped on the top of the hatch as it slides in and out. I removed it and see that it was misaligned when installed, but maybe didn’t cause a problem until someone put something heavy on top of it, bringing the trim piece down to rub on the hatch. I will remount it correctly.
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My work pulling up the genoa into the roller furler twice resulted in a sore back, right between the shoulder blades. I’d like to try again, but maybe it’s better to ease off a bit..
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I tested the engine gauges and they seemed to work but maybe the sensors are bad. I thought I would replace one of the coolant hoses, but it looked OK, reconnected the cooling system, opened the seacock, and turned over the engine with the plugs out until raw water began spewing from the water spigot that feeds the water lift muffler. That line was reconnected and the seacock closed. Plugs back in.
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I had a new cleat for the starboard jib sheet winch and needed fasteners. The cycle ride up to the hardware store included a cross wind which didn’t help or hinder me but blew my hat off a couple times. On the way back I purchased water, pork roast, and liquid smoke at the Food Lion. Back on board I drank the water eagerly, I had run out after making morning coffee. I put the roast into the repaired pressure cooker with some water and liquid smoke. It came almost up to pressure and I could see the seal for the lid was not making a good seal, steam was escaping. I remember that it fit one way better than the other, so I let off steam and repositioned it 180 and brought it back up to pressure. It was better, but still leaking, I needed to buy a new sealing ring.
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After about 45 minutes I let the cooker rest, turned off the flame, and continued reading a blog of ten years ago, sailingpanache.com. It is a Catalina 30 on the West Coast, going down to Mexico, going further South, then crossing the South Pacific. The Cat 30 is a nice boat but not meant for open ocean. I am reading the blog to see what problems he might have had. I found his photos to be quite good. Gifted photographer.
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The pork was falling off the bone, but this was boneless, the meat went onto a plate. I was horrified when I saw what was in the bottom of the pressure cooker. A mass of congealed drippings from the roast, on one side of the pot it was burned right in. I flooded the pot with water from the dock and let it sit. I didn’t want to use up my bread, so I just ate gobs of pulled pork. Later I made a sandwich with some mayo. Simple and good.
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I made another attempt to furl in the roller furler. I hoisted the genoa and noticed the whole roller furling system seemed to jam up after only 2 or 3 turns. I dropped the sail and saw the roller furler assembly drop about 6 inches. I looked under the drum but could not see any thing wrong. Looked like something missing. There was a lot of corrosion down under there. Didn’t get flushed with fresh water, even if it rained. I tied off the drum so it couldn’t rise up when the sail was raised, and I raised it again. I untied the drum and began turning the furler. It jammed again. Down came the sail. I guess I needed something called a halyard restrainer. Also I need a new halyard. This one is probably original, it looks 43 years old. There is a spot in the middle of the halyard that had the double braid line lose its outer braid. When this happens the outer braid retreats up the line in both directions. This can be fixed with a long splice in the double braid. When I looked at this line I could see that it had been repaired at this same spot already. The problem is that lines like this that thread over sheaves at the top of the mast get worn and chafed, the remedy is to “end for end” the line, so the end that attaches to jib gets swapped for the end that is cleated down on the mast. This remedy doesn’t work for halyards that are wire spliced to rope. That is the halyard on Sunsplash now. It has to be replaced.
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When I searched for wire/rope halyards there was not a huge selection. The Catalina 30 calls for 46’1” of 1/8” wire and about the same of 3/8” rope. Then I saw the new Catalina’s were using all rope, so I ordered 95 feet of line with a small eye in the end. The thread it through the mast the old halyard has to be brought down on deck past the wire part. A line has to be bent onto the bitter end of the rope part of the halyard to allow the rope halyard to follow the wire down onto the deck. Here the old halyard is cut to remove the wire part. The bitter end of the new halyard is attached to the recently cut end of the old halyard, the end that was at the rope/wire junction. The line bent onto the old halyard is hauled in, hauling the old halyard back through the top of the mast, and that is hauling the bitter end of the new halyard. All this comes down on deck and the new halyard is in place, the other lines are untied. The old halyard can be long spliced to make a spare halyard.
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It was opening day for the Red Shell Shanty, also known as the Pink Pussycat, and I was on hand at 4pm, the only customer. I had expected a crowd as had happened at a couple of other restaurants opening for the season. The Shanty isn’t a real restaurant, more a bistro with a grill. I was joined by a growing crowd of the old group, the same that gathered here last Fall to close out the season. We tried the cheese pizza, undercooked and way too much cheese, like a slab. An appetizer called Crabby Bites came out and it was good, crab meat dusted with Old Bay and served with a little cup of drawn butter and a cup of malt vinegar. Later crab dip with nachos came out and it was edible. Using the Crabby Bites and the crab dip together was very good.
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Cornelia Marie arrived after an ordeal on the commute down from Baltimore involving exhaust system replacement. We ordered chicken wings that turned out to be inedible. The chef said someone had turned his oven temperature down resulting in the undercooked food. The overall score for the food was not good, but a few select items are good enough.
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The next day I was primed to work on CM’s skiff’s outboard motor, but she said why not take out my mom’s BF’s boat. We launched it, put the plug in the transom, oops, parked the trailer, and CM took the small boat around to her mom’s dock. This is a very short distance from the Small Boat Harbor, where the launching ramp is, to her mom’s house. All within walking distance.
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We took the small boat for a ride. It was a pleasant day but getting chilly, so they took me inside the marina to Sunsplash to get long sleeves. We continued around a bit, then returned to the townhouse on the water. Quesadillas were on the menu for tonight, but it was decided to try out the Fisherman’s Grille, formerly Cap’n Tyler’s. We had a 30 minute wait, were allowed to sit at the bar and get appetizers. One, called Seafood Skins, was a plate of french fried potato eighths covered or rather, smothered in a cheese sauce with shrimp and crab embedded in it. I had steamed clams which arrived with 4 unopened clams, a bad sign. They were returned and a half order of 6 new steamers were comped. We retreated to a table when one was ready. The place was very busy.
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I had a rib eye steak which was tough and stringy. There was chicken chesapeake and maybe a fish dish around the table. We agreed that Cap’n Tyler’s stuffed flounder was the signature dish for this restaurant going back to just last year. Alas, it is not on the new menu. Prices were a bit steep, but the restaurant was obviously doing a great business. Very noisy at the inside dining, no acoustic tiles or wall hangings. Dining outside would be much more relaxing.
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The image is from the Canon EOS that I haven’t been using. It is of storm clouds of a week and a half ago.