April 9-26 -- A Lot of Work Days And Some More Work Days For The Club

We did spend one day visiting our friend, Fran, in Kent CT. Before lunch, we took a hike on a short piece of the Appalachian Trail, just below Bulls Bridge, on the Housatonic, which runs into Long Island Sound at Stratford CT. The river was running high.

After lunch I checked out Fran's canoe, at the side of her lake, Clifford Pond, which had been rebuilt and made water tight again.

The rest of the activity was work, of three types. The first was two days (ten hours) for a work party led by Dan, the Marine Chairman of the Harlem Yacht Club. I was the sixth member of the team and the least skilled. The tasks related to the marine railway by which the boats stored at the Club are launched in the spring and hauled out in the fall. It was preventative maintenance and

very heavy work. One project Involved lifting the platform on which the boats sit to let the railroad wheels and axles set in boxes beneath the platform fall out so we could detach the axles and wheels, clean them and re-grease them before reinserting them. Heavy truck jacks were used to lift the platform. This task was accomplished on the first day. The second task was to replace the "sleeves" that hold up the columns at the sides of the platform. Slings are strung between pairs of these columns which hold the boats it place, in the air, during hauling. The sleeves fit into pits at the base of the platform and are inserted and held in place by "pins" so the columns can be rocked back or forth to accommodate boats of different widths. The sleeves were rusty, very rusty, and to get each of them out we used the fork lift. First, one of its tines would push them to one side and then a heavy chain connecting the column and the fork lift pulled them back the other way.

After several repeats of this manoeuver, the rust's hold had broken free and the fork lift was used, with a long heavy crowbar through the top of the column and across the tynes of the lift to lift them out. Tony was the driver and it was a game of inches to line things up and keep the tires of the lift on boards on the platform so that its weight did not break through its grate. Very careful driving and all of the men contributed imaginative  ideas. I was quite impressed by the skills as well as the dedication of this well oiled team. But the replacement sleeves, were perhaps 1/16 of an inch too wide to fit into the columns! And the holes for the pins did not match up precisely. What to do?  Someone pointed out that 1/16th inch of steel will be 1/2 inch

thick or more when it rusts up. So the team ended up grinding off the rust, observing that there was plenty of good solid steel left and taking the sleeves to Newark to be re-galvanized. The second work party was to reinstall the system so the  Club will be able to launch boats this spring. I was the outsider but they accepted me and I tried to be useful, getting tools and blocks of wood and making a small contribution. Without members with skills and willingness to volunteer their time, we could never afford to pay contractors to do such jobs. Because we will be away on the date of the Club's annual spring work party, I was pleased to have this opportunity to serve the Club.
All new-shiny and  back together again, with two new pins:

I also did several non-manual tasks. I contacted Jamie, who we connected with in Maine last summer. Jamie and Laurie have been to Newfoundland many times and he spent almost a full hour filling my head with information, about how to get to Newfoundland with another hour needed after i absorb this, to find where to go in Newfoundland. There are three routes from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland, West, Mid or East of Cape Breton Island. Because visiting Newfoundland will require both going there and coming back, we will have the opportunity to use two of these routes. And several alternative first stops north of Nova Scotia were also outlined including Prince Edward Island and two small islands that are part of France. Lots of time ahead to think about how we want to spend our three months on cruise this summer. The Central route is through the Bras D'or Lakes that we visited in 2017.
I also spent some time getting the tiny microchip that contains the charts of the waters we sail out of the MFD and back to my home laptop where the free updating was installed. Next year it will be $100 for another updating or a replacement chip.
I had to return the barrell zinc to be placed on the propeller shaft -- wrong size and material.
Jeff Lazar, the rigger, came by and noted, that in addition to the general examination of the rigging that I asked him to do (so the mast won't fall down) the VHF antenna atop the mast is rusty and needs replacement. I also had the pleasure of reading the first of my two part article in Points East Magazine (pointseast.com) "Our Favorite Maine Anchorages". The editor did a good job of  dividing up and reorganizing my text and adding charts to illustrate the first part of the route, but the on-line version omits most of the photos.

But eleven days during this period, 54 hours (plus 3.5 by Ed Spallina and eight by our nephew, Mendy) were devoted to getting ILENE ready to splash. A total of 65 hours of labor and a few more are needed, by Mendy, to wax the port freeboard.

The bulk of this work was on the hull, scrubbing it, taping and painting below the waterline, removing yellow stains with FSR and applying six different paints: 1) a green primer on the propeller and its shaft, 2) four coats of white paint on this underwater metal, 3) blue bottom paint, several coats in some places with moving of the jack stands and chains to get the spots they cover, 4) some varnish in the interior of the cabin, 5) white rustoleum primer on the steering compass stand and at fifteen foot intervals to mark the anchor chain and 6) white enamel Brightsides paint over the Rustoleum.
Then came washing the freeboard with soap and water and a brush (and Scotchbrite on the dirty spots) compounding it and finally the paste wax. Mendy also helped me lift the three heavy sails from ground level to ILENE's deck so they are now staged to be bent onto their roller furlers and spars. I always like to have at least one sail available for the short first voyage from ILENE's winter home  back to the Harlem in case of engine trouble.

Lene and I, with Bennett and Harriet of s/v "Ohana," will be enjoying a bareboat charter of a 39 foot catamaran from April 27 to May 7 in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. My first sail of  2019. The next post to this blog will report on that cruise.

March 31 -- April 8 -- The Explorers Club, The Salmagundi Club and A Social Event With Sailing Friends Plus 4.5 Work Days

Pleasurable business before pure pleasure. Why 4.5 work days? Because one of them lasted only 2.5 hours due to 36 degree temperature in light rain, no fun out there. But all told I worked 26 hours and also derived the benefit of three and a half hours of help from Ed Spallina. Ed mixed up a batch of Epoxy to 1) repair the two small broken pieces of cabin sole that surround the mast, 2) the holes for the lowest hinge of the aft head door and 3) filled a notch in the fiddle at the galley sink. We also reinserted the ball bearings in the car of the mainsheet traveler.

We disassembled the gooseneck fittings and discovered the cause of the rattle. I had previously been pleased with the phone advice given promptly by Charleston Spars, the manufacturer of the unit, from its location in South Carolina. But that company was acquired by the very fine French marine devices company, Wichard, and it being in the rush season, the gentleman there did not return my calls. The casting riveted to the back of the mast has two vertical holes through which a pin is bolted. The pin also goes through two vertical holes in a casting at the forward end of the boom.

There was a bearing in the top of the two holes of the mast fitting. It was loose but I cut a strip of plastic from an old retired yellow cutting board. That piece, wrapped  around the outside of the top bearing, filled the gap rather neatly. The bottom was more problematic. A bearing was supposed to be in there but was not. Hence the offensive rattle. Ed measured for it and ordered one from Carr McMaster ($4.50 plus shipping). During our next time together, the problem should be solved. Meanwhile the boom is suspended from the main halyard at its forward end and its topping lift

aft, and tied off to both sides so it cannot swing.

I asked Ed to help me install a replacement diaphragm in the Whale brand manual bilge pump located under the cabin sole in the galley.  He said it is aluminum and corroded and should be replaced with one of reinforced plastic. We took it out and I searched for the replacement on line and from catalogs. It uses another name but is also made by Whale. Here are the similarities and differences: The plastic one pumps the same volume as the aluminum (good) but is lighter in weight and slightly smaller in its dimensions (good). And in addition the new plastic one is half the price! I ordered via the internet from a place in Florida, at a price considerably lower than Defender's, and it arrived next day and is ready to install when next I meet up with Ed.

I spent almost four hours sanding the sides of the repaired cabin sole boards, which had expanded a bit with the epoxy. They now fit again, and I polyurethaned them. I got the prop and shaft and its fittings down to bare metal for their coating with four coats of specialized bottom primer and paint and replaced all three zincs. Well. not so fast: The barrel zinc for the shaft that I had bought at Defenders (I got two to have a spare) were aluminum, not zinc, and 1 1/4" rather than 1 1/2" inch so I had to return them and get the right ones. And the tiny zinc for the Spurs line cutter cracked so two more are on order from Florida (the cracked one replaced at no cost, no questions asked). I also lubed the prop. It reminded me of the first time that I tried to do this in the spring of 2006 in Annapolis, and did not even know what a zerc fitting was, much less how to use it to get the grease into the prop. It was the evening of the last day before the launch and I knew the task had to be done before launch. Finally I asked a truck driver who was parked nearby, who showed me how to do it.

Then I rigged up the new hose and sprayed the dust and particulates off the top and did a "proof of concept" trial on using FSR (fiberglass stain remover - blue non-toxic goo in a jar) to erase the organic stains caused by leaves, before using that same product all the way around the water line, to get the gelcoat in that area from tan back to white. And I used a maroon Scotchbrite pad and water to lightly scrub the bottom. I was not nearly as thorough as usual but I got it ready to tape and paint. And I have decided that I will not compound the entire freeboard, about 450 square feet of white gelcoat above the waterline, this year, but will only do the bad spots, before waxing it. At least two days of work shedded, and with my shoulders being as they are, I will live with a boat that is imperfectly clean.
Lene and I enjoyed a brunch and matinee with our sailing friends, Harriett and Bennett.

The Salmagundi Club was created by artists for their own pleasure about ten years before the Harlem. On Fifth Avenue at 12th Street, it is about a seven minute walk from my house. They had a show of maritime art so I alerted the members of the Harlem who might enjoy it. The work was beautiful and expensive, e.g., up to $30K, but it was a small show -- only fifteen pieces, six of them seascapes without boats.

The Explorers Club was founded 20 years after the Harlem and has a lovely clubhouse on East 70th Street. It promotes and celebrates exploing by land. sea and air, on the earth's surface, in space and underwater and in caves. Their program was an all day series of excellent, well illustrated lectures by name brand circumnavigators. It included breakfast, lunch, snacks during breaks and a cocktail hour with enough food that it sufficed as dinner. The sister of the chairman of the event was very pleased that three of us Harlemites were present, and asked me to thank our Commodore for publicising the event, which is how I learned of it. Hoch, who has a Pearson 36, drove up from suburban Philly and Matt, who is a social member (does not own a boat -- yet!) were my clubmates in attendance.  Matt is scheduled to crew on a passage from Hawaii to Seattle next month and offered to crew on passages with ILENE in the future.

The best part was the speakers.

Halsey Herreshoff was there to introduce one of the speakers. I got to speak with John Rousmaniere about his recent article in Cruising World announcing that his age, the same as mine, had compelled him to decide that he was not alert enough to do blue water sailing anymore. He admitted to me that he would do overnights, such as Nantucket to Nova Scotia, but not longer than one night out at a time. He spoke about the Americas Cup (mentioning that like me, while recognizing the advances of technology that that race has inspired, he is not really a fan of the new planing craft). He also described the Fastnet tragedy, which is the subject of one of his many books.

Dave Rearick went around solo on a modern Open 40 racing hull, "Bodacious Dream" with corporate sponsors. He told us his technique of sleeping with a kitchen timer in his pocket, set to wake him up every fifteen minutes. I asked why, given the infrequency of meeting other boat once far off shore and his radar alarm, he needed this, but he likes doing it his way. He took 8.5 months to get around and asked himself "Was it worth it?" And he answered that it seemed like a self indulgent activity, until he thought that by writing about it he thereby was helping others so indeed it was worth it. And while I have never and will never circumnavigate, I like to think that this blog is intended to help others too.

Frank Blair circumnavigated on a 63', gaff rigged wooden schooner, Maggie B, with 30 of its 70 tons being its lead keel. he praised the schooner form as fastest and easiest at sea. He took 26 months to get around (38,400 NM) but noted that despite long passages between continents he spent two out of every three days in port. Hmmm! -- the same ratio as on ILENE's cruises. He had about three crew at all times, but 27 individuals comprised those three. He said: I can teach a neophyte to sail but I can't teach a jerk to not be a jerk. He told us many lessons he had learned:
Every new noise is a bad noise, a sign of trouble.

Save all manuals and label all chargers.
Night watches are the most pleasant past of the day.
Customs is crazy; in Australia they confiscate ALL of your food.
Always get propane as soon as you clear customs because it can take a long time.
Use meteorological forecasts to place your boat where the best winds are.

He agreed with Dave Rearick that autopilot is more accurate after an hour that a human helmsperson.
He put his boat in the yard in Lunenberg Nova Scotia, where it had been built, after his return for some refurbishing and lost it when the yard completely burned down. But he got a new boat with the insurance money and plans to cruise Newfoundland this summer. Perhaps we can connect there; I'll be looking for him.

The last two speakers were women. One lost her fiancee overboard from a 46 foot delivery from the south seas to San Diego in a dismasting/rolling/pitchpole and spent the next 41 days jury rigged to Hawaii using celestial navigation. She wrote a book that was made into the movie "Afrift" released in 2016. The other circumnavigated on a 28 foot boat "Inspired Insanity" with a severe budget and many system failures, but made it.

Lots happening already this young spring.

Tuesday Mar 26 -- Saturday Mar 30 -- Five Work Days And a Change of Plans

First the change of plans:
Sailors are used to changes of plans and today's may not, and probably will not, be the last version of it. The first two cruises of 2019 are not changed.

1. April 27 to May 7 -- A ten day bareboat charter on a catamaran with Bennett and Harriet in St. Vincents and the Grenadines. We were there in 2011 and 12 aboard ILENE and I have sketched out a cruise plan to make sure our friends get to as many of my favorite spots as can be packed into the limited available time. Sailing a cat is new to us (though sailing with cats is not), and the girls are thrilled about not heeling. Also, the cat in question has room for two more couples so we are making a luxurious use of on board space.

2. June 8 to June ? -- My flight to Bermuda is booked for the eighth, to give me a couple of days to explore Bermuda before the June 10 planned departure to Halifax with Yves and Greg on Yves' French built 39 foot aluminum sloop. It is a Kelt 39 (they made a lot of Kelts in Europe) named Rusee de Jersey. I met Greg in 2017 and Yves in 2018, both in Canada, both through introductions by Manu who we met in St. Martin in 2010. The question mark in the subject of this paragraph is not about  "if" we will arrive but "when". Yves, who has done this passage before, says it should take six days. Our departure is planned for June 10 but may be delayed by weather and the duration will depend on the winds we encounter during the passage. I'm figuring to get back by to New York by June 22 at the very latest.

It is for the remainder of 2019 our plan has been completely reconfigured because of a separate plan of dental surgery for Ilene, with healing periods between surgeries. The dental plan got set back four months because of her broken elbow etc. last October.  We had thought to sail (A) six weeks on a leisurely cruise in Rhode Island this summer followed by (B) a departure to the south for the winter starting in late October. Originally the projected warm destinations were to the new waters, for us, of Cuba, or Florida's West Coast, or to the familiar waters of Grenada. Then we set a less ambitious plan for the nearer waters of the eastern Bahamas-- the Abacos,  Eleuthera and Cat Island -- on which we have not sailed. But the surgeons say we cannot leave until December or January, and it's just too darn cold for us to be out in the Northern Atlantic then.  Of course, our founding father, John Adams, made several Atlantic crossings in December, as ambassador to France for his soon-to-be nation. So it can be done. But we sail for pleasure, not to endure ordeals.

3. So the new plan for the second half of 2019: TADA!! Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. We can leave as early as June 26 and have to be back by September 28.  That should be enough time and we learned some things during our 2017 Canadian cruise. So it's a good thing I delayed buying the missing Bahamian charts and instead I will need some more Canadian ones before we leave.

I did mention some work days. A total of 25.75 hours on five consecutive days; but not all were "hands on". Six hours on Thursday was by car with Dave and Gene to the big warehouse sale of Defender Industries in eastern Connecticut. Defender is a discounter to start with and I'm figuring we got another 20% off. I got the two gallons of bottom paint at only $220 each, a step to hang from the side to make it easier to board and disboard when we're alongside a dock, a new electronic distress flare, new secondary sheets for the small jib and all sorts of polishes, cleaners, waxes, zincs, etc.  It was a very efficient and pleasant trip with the two guys, our third time together, I think, and after a quick lunch in Westport on the way home we ran into Barbara, wife of PC Stu, of the Harlem.
I also spent time gathering and figuring out what I had and needed from my locker space at the Harlem, created an inventory of the used electronics for sale, created emails listing the items of work I would like Rigger Jeff and Mechanic Ed to help me with this spring, gathered various items from the boat to take with me to the sale, so that the new parts would be correctly sized and put all the newly purchased stuff away and filed for the rebates. Also, one of the days I  drove from the boat up to Valhalla NY and back to lawfully dispose of the five gallons of water-diesel mix. I created a bit of a problem for myself in trying to remove the hoop of the shackle integral to the car of the traveler for the main sheet. The hoop is wearing and I thought to replace it. I failed, and in the process I learned, the hard way, that there is a race of ball bearings in the car, seven of which came out. I captured them but replacing them is one of the projects for Ed.

I also accomplished four tasks at the boat.
1.  Finalized the reinstallation of the aft fuel tank. Attaching and clamping the two small hoses was easy but the four wooden upside down "L" shaped blocks that hold the tank firmly in place took a while because the thick vertical side of the "L" did not fit between the tank and the stringer. Hmmm? Finally I figured out why and then it was easy: the vertical part of the "L" blocks are not equal in thickness, by maybe a quarter of an inch. The ones to port are thicker than those to starboard.
2.  Cleaned out the bilge, by scrubbing its greasy and mud caked bottom and sides and the hoses and nuts in them with paper towels wetted with Fantastic. A yucky job that takes time.
3.  Reinstalled all of the cabin sole boards of the salon that had been removed to gain access to the fuel tank. This took a long time because they did not fit! The reason, I eventually concluded, is that the hull takes a slightly different shape when held up by the keel and jack stands compared to when caressed in salt water. But by squeezing and lifting the edges, eventually it all got put back together except for the two smallest pieces that surround the mast. I broke these taking them out and with help from Ed they will be fixed.
4. The last day was the most fun, though perhaps the hardest work: removal of the canvas cover, folding it up, tying it up, and carrying it, one half at a time by cart and car to the Harlem YC locker house where I got help carrying the heavier piece up to the second floor locker. I also collected the insulation padding and the underbelly strings. I plan to "finish" the ends of the strings to make it easier next year before washing them. Happy day! ILENE's solar panels are back in business.