Sunday July 17, 2022, Port Dalhousie
The gear shift linkage got stretched out a bit and so adjustments were made today and all seems good. Still no definite plans to go to Kingston but the boat is almost ready. I have to find a place to stow the second anchor and I should take the dinghy for a spin to test the processes and at least gain one day’s experience with it.
I have a photoshoot tomorrow night but tomorrow day I’ll get serious about how to get to Kingston.
Thursday, July 14, 2022, Port Dalhousie
I need to take the flagpole holder off so it does not skewer anyone getting into the dinghy. It was supposed to be easy, just three screws. But it is not. The screws are not screws, but bolts and the nuts are in a very difficult place to reach in the lazarette. Another day, need tiny crew to go in there and help out.
Still considering plan b, c, d as Jeff won’t be coming on Sunday. He needs to be cleared by his surgeon before getting on the boat. Atm, I like Plan C, straight to Kingston, for a stress test of me and the boat. It still leaves time for the Waupus adventure with Jeff and G.
Tuesday July 12, 2022 Port Dalhousie
Cleaned the teak deck with hose and water. Jeff suggested I try cleaning it with denatured vinegar as per a YouTube guy. Next time.
Sunday, July 10, 2022 Port Dalhousie
I did nothing on my list from yesterday. Instead I went for a sail with Guy, a new friend from a Jenneau 50 docked a couple of docks over. Weather was perfect, company great, and he brought out a drone and took pictures of the boat that I can’t wait to see. Now I know why my models like to get same day teaser pictures.
So in addition to some stuff I have to do tomorrow like groceries, I feel the need to hose down the deck. And sort out the pushpit wires, and work on the anchor, which is bloody heavy!
And chase the water pump!
Thursday, July 7, 2022 Port Dalhousie
I guess I should log the fillups
Tuesday, June 28, 2022 Port Dalhousie
I didn’t get down to the boat until late today. This morning I ordered an emergency ladder. It will trail a little line and can be deployed in case of man overboard. The boat currently has a solid ladder that fits at the side gates but that is normally stowed deep in the lazarette and since I’ve been sailing with new crew and short handed, getting the solid ladder out and installed fast enough to save a life will be problematic. The new ladder folds up very small and deploys with a tug on the line and instantly. I still must figure out where to mount it but I’m certain that it will make the boat safer.
I am also considering a whisker pole. I don’t have a spinnaker or asymmetrical downwind sail, but I’m going to have to lift the dinghy on deck. The mainsheet is pretty solid and I think that it would be a problem to use it to lift the dinghy (or a heavy, wet sailor) up on deck. This is going to take some thought because whisker poles are expensive and once I buy one I’ll want a downwind sail to use with it. All of a sudden, I’m spending $6000 between whisker pole and sail and I’m going to give that a lot of thought before I open my thinning wallet. And none of this is on the list of things to do that I logged yesterday.
Picture for effect and because the boat photoshoots are turning out wonderfully. Katie is a personal trainer and a marketing guru and we shot a few days ago. I’m over the moon with the way that thee sunset changes the skin tones into rich deep colours.
Friday June 17, 2022 Port Dalhousie
And another couple of days go by. No sailing since the epic sail with Lilianne and SteveO.
Fixed the lifering. Lost the tape I bought to do some wood gluing. Lost the needlenose plyers I think I need for the lifting harness for the motor. Putting off getting the box taken off ahead of the mast because I think some of the model pictures planned will look good with it. But when I take it off, it is a few Allen key set screws and untie the box. Unless I lose the Allen key.
Friday June 10, 2022, Port Dalhousie
I’m thinking that I want the vang and outhaul to come back into the cockpit. They currently terminate at the mast and that’s a long way to go to trim for a wind change (not that I am racing, but y’know). More later.
Thursday June 9, 2022 ATSR in Port Dalhousie
It’s amazing how 4 days go by so quickly since my last entry. I haven’t sailed since Saturday but have been cleaning and doing the odd fix here and there. The water ran out, and it shouldn’t have because we just filled it up. Rather than play “find the tap” I called Al the previous owner and he straightened me out. I have 3 tanks and while they are connected, they are connected by pipes that have off switches. We have only been drawing from the 25 gallon tank, which we did not refill. All is good now.
It raises the question, “What if I had been offshore and thought I had ran out of water?” These few months of familiarization are a critical education for me.
What is ATSR? In Nelson’s navy, if the captain didn’t want to write all the things his men were doing each day, he would enter ATSR in the log, which means “As The Service Requires”. Since I have to write the log and also do all the little stuff, which is important no matter how small, I think ATSR is appropriate.
I should finish the story about the podium and the lost life ring. My good friend Keith offered to help me pick up my dinghy and motor in Oakville. I asked him if we could go downtown first and pick up the life ring. Of course I had to tell the story to convince him. It was pouring rain when we got there. Keith double parked and I ran the 20 or so meters to the marina office.
I burst through the office door to get out of the rain and I must have looked like a madman, dripping wet with a fire in my eye. The first thing I saw besides two guys I didn’t know, was the Cambio life ring mounted on the wall like some glassy eyed bad taxidermy. “Hi, I’m with Cambio” (don’t show your intentions until you know theirs). They just looked up and said “There it is, Go Ahead and take it” and went on discussing lunch plans. I took it and ran out into the teaming rain.
Friday May 27, 2022 Port Dalhousie
This morning we sourced the lights to fix the compass lights. That’s completed thanks to Jeff.
Sushi with Pierre and Jeff was awesome. We all waddled out of the all you can eat restaurant with the beginnings of food coma.
Went for a wonderful evening sail with Jeff. It was sunny, glassy water and got the boat up to 7.4 knots for the first time. Jeff steered most of the way. He also did foredeck and most of the other sailing tasks really well. It was my job to direct the new order of putting the spring lines on. It was a catastrophe even docking in light air. My turn in the barrel it seems.