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Another view of the main sail and boom.
The roller-furled genoa is tied tightly, separately, with two lines.
It should not be able to unfurl on its own . . . |
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I can't think of more that I can do to make sure of that.
(Port side jib
sheet.) |
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I was going to remove the IdaSailor rudder, but while
working I had NOAA weather radio on, and it sounds like now we're going
to get wind gusts up to 45-55 mph tomorrow night, not hurricane strength. Nothing to
sneeze at, but I think as a foil, the rudder is fine staying in place,
its tiller tied off as always port and starboard.
I left the throwable ring and line attached, to see how it handles the
weather. I hope I don't lose it, don't expect to, but am curious. Before
leaving Chip Ahoy, I ran a line of duct tape over the small gap between the
top cribboard and the sliding hatch, to keep the rain out. My boat
should be fine. Amazing how many other boats out there aren't
being touched. (Sep.
5, 2008) |
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Tropical Storm Hanna passed over us in
the middle of last night, and
wasn't bad as such storms go. We had some sustained bursts of
torrential downpours that came and went, but the wind gusts
didn't get much over 40 mph. This morning at 6:30 when I took
these photos the wind was WNW at 10-15 with steady gusts to 30.
(Sep. 7, 2008) |
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From above the dock, Chip Ahoy seems to be the way I left
it; the others boats nearby also seem to have ridden out the blow without any
damage. Even the dinghies tied to the dock are secure but need
bailing out. This photo and the one below were taken with my Nikon
D50 DSLR with its AF28-300mm zoom lens. |
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A closer view of Chip Ahoy. The wind is moving
boats all around on their moorings but everything looks fine.
(Sep. 7, 2008) |
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Chip Ahoy's "new" boom for next season. After
learning late this past spring that the boom I've been using was about 4"
too short, with a pointer from Pete Skalski ("Liberty Pass"), a
discussion group member, I located another
for $25. It happened to be relatively nearby, down in Dartmouth on
the Massachusetts south coast. The owner arranged to bring it up to
his home in West Roxbury, just outside Boston, much closer to Marblehead. I picked it
up and brought it home last night. (Sep. 12, 2008) |
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While preparing for the recent tropical storm, before
leaving Chip Ahoy I duct-taped the gap between sliding hatch and top
cribboard. The trick, I learned, is to use better quality duct
tape. While it kept out the torrential downpours -- within the
immediate cabin interior and especially the step just inside -- removing it
created a mess. (Sep. 12, 2008) |
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It came off in strips and pieces, leaving much of its
adhesive stuck to the boat's surface. I'll bring some wax-and-tar
remover aboard the next time I go out to the boat, to clean off the
residue. |
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The wax-and-tar remover worked perfectly, removing the
residue completely without damaging the finish. (Sep. 20, 2008) |
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John Graichen came by Saturday morning and bought my old
rudder and refinished tiller. I reminded him that it had at least
a dozen coats of varnish on it, my labor alone was worth the price of
the rudder and tiller combined. His buddy said it was too good for Malacass,
it'll be the nicest thing aboard! (Sep. 20, 2008) |
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Yesterday, my buddy David and I took Chip Ahoy out for
our traditional annual sail and cookout later. It was a beautiful
last day of summer, sunny and in the low- to mid-70s, though not much of
a breeze. |
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Me at the helm after going out the Eagle Island route at
last to Bakers Island then around the back of Misery Island (in the
background) and past the cove filled to the max with moored boats, before
heading to the mooring and home for our traditional cookout just before
sunset. (Sep. 21, 2008) |
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The Columbus Day Weekend Rendezvous and
Photo Shoot with
John Graichen and Malacass. (Oct. 12-13, 2008) |
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NEXT |
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It's never-ending ... but Sailing Season '08 is reaching a close |
