Finally. A weather window. Three days of little or no rain. Further analysis - nighttime temperature 24 degrees. Wow, will it ever get better?
Fair winds and following seas.
Cruising my 1995 Catalina 42 MK II sailboat with my cat XO, the good, the bad, and the ugly of the open ocean world cruising life.
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Saturday, March 22, 2014
A beautiful day
For the first time in quite a while it was actually a beautiful day. The local folks held a regatta. In the afternoon the wind picked up and it was fun to watch them go from light air to heavy air conditions.
Of course this evening after sunset it was alarm time again. Another marine warning. Will the weather never cooperate with my desire to leave?
Fair winds and following seas
Of course this evening after sunset it was alarm time again. Another marine warning. Will the weather never cooperate with my desire to leave?
Fair winds and following seas
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Nighttime Alarm
Last night I was awakened by the chart plotter alarm. Now I use this to get me up in the morning so I was not all that surprised. When I went out to reset it low and behold it was another marine weather warning and it was still the middle of the night!
Fair winds and following seas.
Fair winds and following seas.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Weather again
Another day, another marine weather warning this afternoon.
Fair winds and following seas.
Fair winds and following seas.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Have you ever seen the rain?
With apologies to Clarence Clearwater Revival I was sitting on Reboot this (rainy) afternoon hoping for a weather window when the alarm went off on the multi-function display. Marine warning. Gale warning off the coast. I got to get out of this place.
Fair winds and following seas.
Fair winds and following seas.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
I was happier complaining
We have had a lot of cold, snow and wet here. It has created a major disincentive to work on Reboot. The last few days have been beautiful. Since I am trying to get underway I have spent most of it on the deck making sure that all of the rigging etc. is in good shape.
Today I found a couple of lines that had chafed. Of course shortening the lines didn't work, they were then too short. So off to a big expense at West Marine to replace the lines. I just finished re-rigging them and decided I preferred it when I didn't have to do any work and could just complain.
Fair winds and following seas.
Today I found a couple of lines that had chafed. Of course shortening the lines didn't work, they were then too short. So off to a big expense at West Marine to replace the lines. I just finished re-rigging them and decided I preferred it when I didn't have to do any work and could just complain.
Fair winds and following seas.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Things to do while the mast is down
In the SailNet forum recently I responded to the question: Things to do while mast is off:
I said:
Then I saiid: Oh, you mean on the boat...
1. Take all of the standing rigging apart. If the spreaders come off take them off. Take off the spreader end caps. Look at everything. The last time I took my mast down I discovered a crack in one spreader. Look at the bushing holding the spreaders on, etc. etc. etc. This is the easiest and best time to check your standing rigging. put on a cotton or rubber glove. Slide along every inch of rigging wire looking for snags.
2. Remove the sheaves. Check the axles. Check the sheaves. Lubricate with lithium grease. Reassemble.
3. Make a list of everything you might put on the masthead: tricolor/anchor light, wind instrument (electronic), wind instrument (manual), radio antenna, lightening rod, TV antenna, etc. Pre-wire everything. In all probability you should replace both the radio antenna and the coax down lead.
3a. Remember to put in a messenger line. you will thank me!
4. Consider everything you might want to fasten to the spreaders and mast. Signal halyards, lazy jack attachment points, spreader lights, radar reflector, deck lights, mood lighting, etc. pre-wire anything you might want in the future. If it doesn't take wires but does attach drill and tap your future attachment points.
5. Look at the mast and the boom. Is a whisker pole in your future? Mount the track. Do you have halyards banging against the mast? Put in line guides. Do you have enough attachment points for reef lines? Vang? Do you want to run a wire out in the mast for a cockpit light that hangs from the boom? Do it now!
6. Do you want mast steps? (I am a huge fan, I solo sail, I sail far offshore, I want to be able to get up and fix things without any help.) They are expensive and time consuming to install but the first time you need them in an emergency you will thank me for installing them.
7. Look inside the boom. Do you have a wire/rope outhaul? Look at the wire - it is part of the standing rigging. If you have reefing sheaves in the front and back of the boom do the same work you did on the top of the mast. Yes, you can do it with the mast up but it is much easier with the mast down.
8. Further to 7 - this is a good time to replace any running rigging that runs inside the mast. It is just a heck of a lot easier now.
9. Consider the electrical connections at the bottom of the mast. I replaced all the wires I had to cut with plugs. Easier to take apart, easier to put together.
10. REPLACE THE COTTER PINS! (I am shouting!) Don't use the old ones...
Hope this helps.
Fair wind and following seas.
I said:
- Drink
- Party
- Make Friends
Then I saiid: Oh, you mean on the boat...
1. Take all of the standing rigging apart. If the spreaders come off take them off. Take off the spreader end caps. Look at everything. The last time I took my mast down I discovered a crack in one spreader. Look at the bushing holding the spreaders on, etc. etc. etc. This is the easiest and best time to check your standing rigging. put on a cotton or rubber glove. Slide along every inch of rigging wire looking for snags.
2. Remove the sheaves. Check the axles. Check the sheaves. Lubricate with lithium grease. Reassemble.
3. Make a list of everything you might put on the masthead: tricolor/anchor light, wind instrument (electronic), wind instrument (manual), radio antenna, lightening rod, TV antenna, etc. Pre-wire everything. In all probability you should replace both the radio antenna and the coax down lead.
3a. Remember to put in a messenger line. you will thank me!
4. Consider everything you might want to fasten to the spreaders and mast. Signal halyards, lazy jack attachment points, spreader lights, radar reflector, deck lights, mood lighting, etc. pre-wire anything you might want in the future. If it doesn't take wires but does attach drill and tap your future attachment points.
5. Look at the mast and the boom. Is a whisker pole in your future? Mount the track. Do you have halyards banging against the mast? Put in line guides. Do you have enough attachment points for reef lines? Vang? Do you want to run a wire out in the mast for a cockpit light that hangs from the boom? Do it now!
6. Do you want mast steps? (I am a huge fan, I solo sail, I sail far offshore, I want to be able to get up and fix things without any help.) They are expensive and time consuming to install but the first time you need them in an emergency you will thank me for installing them.
7. Look inside the boom. Do you have a wire/rope outhaul? Look at the wire - it is part of the standing rigging. If you have reefing sheaves in the front and back of the boom do the same work you did on the top of the mast. Yes, you can do it with the mast up but it is much easier with the mast down.
8. Further to 7 - this is a good time to replace any running rigging that runs inside the mast. It is just a heck of a lot easier now.
9. Consider the electrical connections at the bottom of the mast. I replaced all the wires I had to cut with plugs. Easier to take apart, easier to put together.
10. REPLACE THE COTTER PINS! (I am shouting!) Don't use the old ones...
Hope this helps.
Fair wind and following seas.
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