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Yesterday I finally got Steve Epstein
(left) and Heinz Muehlman (right)
out for their promised sail. We had great weather for late September (as
it's been for a week now with more forecast ahead through the weekend). Though the sky was
mostly cloudy -- high, thin cover -- the breeze was 10-12 mph from the
WSW for most of the day, the temperature in the mid-70s. Heinz is
quite a sailor, and had Chip Ahoy heeled over with rail awash a few
times. (Sep. 22, 2009) |
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We made it out to the inside coast of Bakers Island then
back between Eagle Bar and Hardy Shoal in a westerly shifting breeze.
Heinz took this photo with his cell phone camera. |
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After a seasonably cold week, and our first
brief snow squall
last Sunday, it was time to haul Chip Ahoy out and trailer it home for
the winter. (Oct. 21, 2009)
For more, see:
The 2009 Haul-Out |
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We're falling like the leaves now, boats coming out fast
and furious. Today Vaughn McGrath and I took down his mast. Then he motored
"French Curves" to the boatyard for hauling and winter storage. Marblehead Harbor
looks as deserted as Salem Harbor on the other side of town did last
week. Only the
die-hards and procrastinators still have their boats on moorings. The
general consensus I hear is, the 2009 boating season was much to
short due to rain through July; almost not worth the effort . . .
almost. (Nov. 1, 2009) |
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Boy, I love the new 12v battery cable (starter
motor/alternator) connector! I used to have to disconnect it from the
buss in the cabin, then pull out the length of battery cable. No
more -- just unplug it along with the fuel line. Note the bronze-wool in
the vents to keep out the wildlife critters, especially wasps. Today I
moved on with unloading Chip Ahoy for the winter: it started out this
morning below freezing. I'm just about done now. (Nov. 7,
2009) --
Close-Up
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back to more
details -- |
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I trailered Chip Ahoy down to the boatyard this morning.
The plan was to get the bottom pressure-washed, the many coats of bottom
paint sanded down smooth, a
new coat of bottom paint applied, the water line and boot stripe raised aft. This
plan would have Chip Ahoy ready to launch from the trailer come Spring
2010. (Nov.
20, 2009)
For more, see:
Post-Season Bottom Project |
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I brought Chip Ahoy with its new bottom job
back home yesterday, parked it alongside the house where it'll rest for
the next 4-5 months. Before covering it for the winter, I want to remove
the cabin window frames and glass, work on them as my indoor winter
project. I'm planning to replace the glass with tinted tempered safety
glass, if the cost isn't too exorbitant. Come spring, I'll reinstall
them with the new gasket kit I bought last year but put off installing.
(Dec. 1, 2009) |
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Today I finished up removing the windows for resealing
in the spring and perhaps tinting over the winter. Yesterday I got the starboard side out and covered;
today the port side got done, the windows removal completed. (Dec.
3-4, 2009)
See: The Windows
Removal and Resealing Project |
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With the first snowfall forecast for later today, I
rushed out
early this morning and covered Chip Ahoy for winter 2009-10. This year I
took pains setting up the PVC pipe skeleton to avoid heavy snow pockets
from collecting at the
lifelines. (Dec. 5, 2009)
See:
Covering Chip Ahoy for
Winter 2009-10 |
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The
first major
snowstorm arrived last night just after midnight, dropping about a
foot of snow before done around noon. Ironically, it arrived exactly one
year to the day as last year's first winter storm. This year's covering
of Chip Ahoy seems to be an improvement, with no pockets of snow
collecting at the lifelines and straining the tarps. (Dec. 20, 2009) |
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In the past, when I've left Chip Ahoy's outboard for
winter servicing I haven't heard back from Ryan Marine Service that it's
ready until spring. It didn't matter; I wasn't in a hurry. This
year however, I got the call to pick it up a week ago, right after the
first big snowstorm. Getting it out to the shed was going to be a
problem; first with the
snow
piles, then with the soggy ground when an unexpected thaw arrived
over Christmas-New
Years week. Note my "wind vane," one of
Barbara's beat-up and cast-off
garden wind wheels.
It works great for me as a wind-speed indicator since it's been 'reefed'
with many of its vanes missing! (Dec. 30, 2009) |
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Timing was everything. I snowblowed a path on Saturday --
then the thaw melted everything but the biggest mounds of snow by the
next day anyway. With a clear path and the Montreal Express dropping
sub-freezing temperatures this week, now was the time. |
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I got Mark at Ryan Marine Service to open up his shop
this morning (they're closed for 'holiday week vacation' it turned out)
and help load the heavy Honda 8HP four-stroke. Back home, I used the
snowblower ramp (built but not used for its purpose since creation of
the lean-to out back, where I now store the snowthrower) to slide the
outboard from the truck's bed into the shop. Vaughn McGrath ("French
Curves") came by and lent a hand lifting it upright and standing it in a
corner. Note the IdaSailor rudder and the old Tohatsu 9.9HP outboard on
the back wall, center and right. |
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Uncovering Chip Ahoy for the 2010 sailing season.
(Apr. 3, 2010) |
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NEXT |
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It's never-ending ... bring on Sailing Season 2010! |
