Ian McColgin
05-25-2006, 05:19 PM
There's a reason I've been off the air for a bit.
Yesterday Marmalade made it, departing Holmes Hole (Vineyard Haven) at 1400 and making Hyannis at 1800 with a most respectable 5-knot average. Which wound up a seriously energetic few weeks.
Saturday noon we moved the boat over to the travelift and blocked her 6' up so I could attack the centerboard. Glad I had a metal guy. My kayak buddy Susan's husband, Charlie, has a body shop. I thought that all that rust should be attacked with some industrial strength grinder. But Charlie grabbed my two biggest ball peens, put on his respirator, and was like Blue Men Pounding for about two hours. An interesting sidelight was "contracoup" scaling as rust bounced off the side opposite where he was hitting.
So we launched at 0800 Monday. It took a while to sort out the rigging. The previous owners were on vacation and could not direct me. Like all boat owners, they do things their own idiosyncratic way and without their help, wires to no where remain mysteries to all but the Illumanati. Just starting the engine was a mystery. When I cracked that Tuesday morning I got no oil pressure. At that point I cried for help but the yard could not get a mechanic free till Wednesday afternoon. He poked and fiddled. Sending unit not Yanmar but instead VDO, no oil alarm, not clear if sender or gage or real lack of oil. . . More or less by accident he found that the gage had been wired backwards to the sender. I'd never have gotten that one.
The wiring looks evolutionary. Stuff that no longer is in use remains hanging (like the human appendix) and new things lead to places other than the panel. I have no idea how to hook up even the running lights, much less the refrigerator and macerator.
The former owners have some boat parts still - propane cylinder and mattress and such. They'll initiate me into any remaining mysteries when they get back.
So Tuesday about sunset I had the sails bent, hoops laced on, and all that. I had a short scotch in hand and there was but a zephyr right on our bow. Let's see how the sails set. I will defiantly be gaining upper body strength hoisting that heavy mass, even with 5:1 purchases. Up it went and set wonderfully. I was patting the boom when the wind swung a little, causing the boom to push against me. I pushed back. Even at a bare 2-knot wind, the boom won. That's the most powerful 522 square feet I've ever felt. Goblin had a 700' main but it was Marconi and never put that much oomph into the boom!
Wednesday while waiting for the mechanic I made reefing gear (former owners never reefed, which I think limited their sailing unduly) from cheap polyprope just to test whether it could all go on the boom.
Negatory.
When dropping the sail, the inability to trim those tacks and clews while easing the halyards makes for a maximum Charlie Foxtrot..
My goal is 100% from-the-cockpit-evolutions and that many strings hanging off the boom makes it just too hard. I'm going to put all 6 reefing lines on the port cabin trunk where I can trim and hop to the halyards (on the starboard side) with ease.
So off we set in glorious weather VFR, which was well as the compass was dysfunctional - I knew that - and I'd not installed my GPS yet.
Under power I found she wants to head to starboard firmly. Result of prop angle I guess. And she really kicks her stern to port in reverse. I can have some serious fun with motor evolutions.
Under sail she has a cat's weather helm but it was not evil and I found the right becket to hold her on a reach or beat. Never expected her to match Granuaile's ability to sail to Nantucket without touching the helm.
But she's faster than I thought, especially a bit off the wind in flat water. There was a modern 40 racer headed in to Hyannis as well, all along the Cape side. I came from further, traveled maybe less since I could cut Wrack Shoal and knew how to find the current near Collier's, and they never pulled away from us till the wind fell dead flat and we both finally motored.
I motored in to a gay welcome from some fellow Kedgers and, to show I'd not lost my touch, ran her aground near where they were on the beach.
There's huge work to do on her and lots to learn and I am so happy.
Yesterday Marmalade made it, departing Holmes Hole (Vineyard Haven) at 1400 and making Hyannis at 1800 with a most respectable 5-knot average. Which wound up a seriously energetic few weeks.
Saturday noon we moved the boat over to the travelift and blocked her 6' up so I could attack the centerboard. Glad I had a metal guy. My kayak buddy Susan's husband, Charlie, has a body shop. I thought that all that rust should be attacked with some industrial strength grinder. But Charlie grabbed my two biggest ball peens, put on his respirator, and was like Blue Men Pounding for about two hours. An interesting sidelight was "contracoup" scaling as rust bounced off the side opposite where he was hitting.
So we launched at 0800 Monday. It took a while to sort out the rigging. The previous owners were on vacation and could not direct me. Like all boat owners, they do things their own idiosyncratic way and without their help, wires to no where remain mysteries to all but the Illumanati. Just starting the engine was a mystery. When I cracked that Tuesday morning I got no oil pressure. At that point I cried for help but the yard could not get a mechanic free till Wednesday afternoon. He poked and fiddled. Sending unit not Yanmar but instead VDO, no oil alarm, not clear if sender or gage or real lack of oil. . . More or less by accident he found that the gage had been wired backwards to the sender. I'd never have gotten that one.
The wiring looks evolutionary. Stuff that no longer is in use remains hanging (like the human appendix) and new things lead to places other than the panel. I have no idea how to hook up even the running lights, much less the refrigerator and macerator.
The former owners have some boat parts still - propane cylinder and mattress and such. They'll initiate me into any remaining mysteries when they get back.
So Tuesday about sunset I had the sails bent, hoops laced on, and all that. I had a short scotch in hand and there was but a zephyr right on our bow. Let's see how the sails set. I will defiantly be gaining upper body strength hoisting that heavy mass, even with 5:1 purchases. Up it went and set wonderfully. I was patting the boom when the wind swung a little, causing the boom to push against me. I pushed back. Even at a bare 2-knot wind, the boom won. That's the most powerful 522 square feet I've ever felt. Goblin had a 700' main but it was Marconi and never put that much oomph into the boom!
Wednesday while waiting for the mechanic I made reefing gear (former owners never reefed, which I think limited their sailing unduly) from cheap polyprope just to test whether it could all go on the boom.
Negatory.
When dropping the sail, the inability to trim those tacks and clews while easing the halyards makes for a maximum Charlie Foxtrot..
My goal is 100% from-the-cockpit-evolutions and that many strings hanging off the boom makes it just too hard. I'm going to put all 6 reefing lines on the port cabin trunk where I can trim and hop to the halyards (on the starboard side) with ease.
So off we set in glorious weather VFR, which was well as the compass was dysfunctional - I knew that - and I'd not installed my GPS yet.
Under power I found she wants to head to starboard firmly. Result of prop angle I guess. And she really kicks her stern to port in reverse. I can have some serious fun with motor evolutions.
Under sail she has a cat's weather helm but it was not evil and I found the right becket to hold her on a reach or beat. Never expected her to match Granuaile's ability to sail to Nantucket without touching the helm.
But she's faster than I thought, especially a bit off the wind in flat water. There was a modern 40 racer headed in to Hyannis as well, all along the Cape side. I came from further, traveled maybe less since I could cut Wrack Shoal and knew how to find the current near Collier's, and they never pulled away from us till the wind fell dead flat and we both finally motored.
I motored in to a gay welcome from some fellow Kedgers and, to show I'd not lost my touch, ran her aground near where they were on the beach.
There's huge work to do on her and lots to learn and I am so happy.