I can now say summer has finally arrived. At least for one day. We still have much to accomplish prior to our departure, however when you wake up to a warm summer day on the Oregon coast, you had better take advantage of it. Perfect sunny days here just don't come around often enough to ignore. Even if we tried to be diligent in the pursuit of the perfect seaworthy craft, our minds would not be on our current project, but on the joy of sailing on such a rare beautifull day. With this fact in mind, we invited our neighbor (Jason) along and went sailing.
Judy took the helm, motoring out of Yaquina Bay and across the bar to the open sea. Heading NW into the wind we deployed the jib, allowing Judy to get a feel for Wind Raven. She sailed her for around 30 minutes before raising the main. The track is a bit sticky on the main and I must clean and silicone it ASAP. We sailed for around four hours, putting Wind Raven through her paces. As before she performed very well. The wind was much lighter than the 23 knots on our prior sail. This pleasurable decrease in wind was amplified by the beautiful smile etched on Judy's lovely face. She sailed Wind Raven back across the bar and through the channel into Yaquina Bay where we dropped sail and then returned to our moorage. All in all, a fantastically beautiful day.
Our friend Jason was an excellent crew, and a pleasure to share such a perfect day of sailing with. Someday I hope to have such a mellow personality as he. Perhaps life on the sea will contribute to the smoothing of my somewhat rough edges? I certainly hope so, and am certain Judy would agree!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Shakedown Cruise
Yesterday we sailed Wind Raven across the bar at Newport for the first time in over a year. Upon leaving the harbor the wind was around 12 knots, the swell at 6' with small white caps. We motored out to the second buoy, headed into the wind and set the main. Proceeding NW we checked her newly tuned rigging. After confirming all was well so far, we then deployed the jib. To my chagrin we discovered that I had run the jib sheets on the wrong side of the forward shroud....OOPS! After correcting this oversite on my part, we deployed the jib for the second time successfully. By this time the wind had increased to around 18 knots and the wind waves proportionately. Wind Raven performed admirally, sailing close hauled at ten degrees. I let her fall off to starboard at around 40 degrees, turned the helm back to port and waited. To my surprise she responded coming around nicely into the wind.
The swell and wind waves were increasing along with the wind, which was now at 20 knots. We continued NW for about three hours before heading due south on a broad reach, continuing south a few miles past the the harbor. The wind was now at 23 knots with breaking whitecaps. Heading NW taking the waves at around 30 degrees to port it was a bit rolly at times, but again she performed wonderfully. At approximately three miles NE of the jetties I headed her in, as the wind was continuing to build and it was getting a bit bumpy. We sailed her accross the bar into the harbor. Upon coming under the Newport bridge, which is behind a bluff to the NW, the wind suddenly died. Wind Raven was slowing rapidly when we were hit by a strong gust broadside but to no avail, as again she pulled out of it as we sailed her into the bay. Turning into the wind under power we furled the jib and dropped the main. It did take two attempts before successfully docking Wind Raven in the heavy wind, but I must take the blame, as I missed the first shot at it. My only complaint concerning Wind Raven is her steadfast refusal to back to starboard. Even with a Max Prop! Our friend Tom, who has sailed his entire life and has owned several different sailboats, both larger and smaller than Wind Raven, commented on Wind Raven's performance (with a big smile on his face)saying "Life just doesn't get any better than this--if only the temperature were 20 degrees warmer and the water blue!" Now we just need to get our poor cat, Boogie, some seasick meds as he did NOT fare as well inside the v-berth as we did topside.
The swell and wind waves were increasing along with the wind, which was now at 20 knots. We continued NW for about three hours before heading due south on a broad reach, continuing south a few miles past the the harbor. The wind was now at 23 knots with breaking whitecaps. Heading NW taking the waves at around 30 degrees to port it was a bit rolly at times, but again she performed wonderfully. At approximately three miles NE of the jetties I headed her in, as the wind was continuing to build and it was getting a bit bumpy. We sailed her accross the bar into the harbor. Upon coming under the Newport bridge, which is behind a bluff to the NW, the wind suddenly died. Wind Raven was slowing rapidly when we were hit by a strong gust broadside but to no avail, as again she pulled out of it as we sailed her into the bay. Turning into the wind under power we furled the jib and dropped the main. It did take two attempts before successfully docking Wind Raven in the heavy wind, but I must take the blame, as I missed the first shot at it. My only complaint concerning Wind Raven is her steadfast refusal to back to starboard. Even with a Max Prop! Our friend Tom, who has sailed his entire life and has owned several different sailboats, both larger and smaller than Wind Raven, commented on Wind Raven's performance (with a big smile on his face)saying "Life just doesn't get any better than this--if only the temperature were 20 degrees warmer and the water blue!" Now we just need to get our poor cat, Boogie, some seasick meds as he did NOT fare as well inside the v-berth as we did topside.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Some chores completed
Some more chores completed since my last post. We had a diver install the new Shaft Shark on the shaft in front of the Max Prop. We had to remove the shaft zink to accomodate it, but were told it was not necessary, due to having another zink on the prop. I will be keeping a close eye on it to make sure.
I also installed a new Whale Gusher hand bilge pump, after disassembling the old one and discovering the housing was eaten almost completly through. Rebuilt the macerator pump. Re-plumbed the water heater only to find that it leaks now. Tightening up the new bronze plumbing must have been too much for the old tank. A new tank might be in order now. I also plumbed in the macerator pump. We got lucky and found a flow meter at a store in Eugene for under $100, quite a savings. I placed it in line just after the sea water strainer. We can now monitor the water flow to the heat exchanger and be able to tell if the impeller is going bad, before the engine overheats.
We gave all of the deck hardware a thorough soaking in penetrating oil, and then Judy and I spent a day cleaning all of the corrosion off the rigging hardware. We then coated all of the turnbuckle threads with lanolin grease. The next day Rick the Rigger came down from Toledo and tunned the rigging. He did a great job and is very reasonable. I would highly recommend him, he is not only competent, but an extremely amiable individual. He was more than willing to share his knowledge. I enjoyed the time spent with him very much.
I have one more hose to replace and the re-plumbing will be complete.Last, but certainly not least, was the building and installation of a dual fuel filter system. This will give me much peace of mind upon crossing bars and navigating tight areas.
Yesterday, I ran all of the lines (except the Pro-Furl) into the cockpit. Now that they are set up correctly, I will replace them with the new 1/2" double braid polyester, that has been waiting so patiently on their spools in my shop area for the past few months. I also started the temporary fix on some of the seacocks. Whoever installed them , did so incorrectly. They did not secure the flanges to the hull by shortening the through-hulls, or building up the area between the hull and the bottom of the flange.Nor did they glass them. We will replace the through hulls and sea-cocks in Ensenada. In the meantime I am blocking and shimming up around the through hulls and under the base of the seacocks to give them support. I can't believe Wind Raven survived such negligent care in the past.
I will TRY to be more diligent in my postings. But no promisses, much, MUCH more to do before the 15th.
I also installed a new Whale Gusher hand bilge pump, after disassembling the old one and discovering the housing was eaten almost completly through. Rebuilt the macerator pump. Re-plumbed the water heater only to find that it leaks now. Tightening up the new bronze plumbing must have been too much for the old tank. A new tank might be in order now. I also plumbed in the macerator pump. We got lucky and found a flow meter at a store in Eugene for under $100, quite a savings. I placed it in line just after the sea water strainer. We can now monitor the water flow to the heat exchanger and be able to tell if the impeller is going bad, before the engine overheats.
We gave all of the deck hardware a thorough soaking in penetrating oil, and then Judy and I spent a day cleaning all of the corrosion off the rigging hardware. We then coated all of the turnbuckle threads with lanolin grease. The next day Rick the Rigger came down from Toledo and tunned the rigging. He did a great job and is very reasonable. I would highly recommend him, he is not only competent, but an extremely amiable individual. He was more than willing to share his knowledge. I enjoyed the time spent with him very much.
I have one more hose to replace and the re-plumbing will be complete.Last, but certainly not least, was the building and installation of a dual fuel filter system. This will give me much peace of mind upon crossing bars and navigating tight areas.
Yesterday, I ran all of the lines (except the Pro-Furl) into the cockpit. Now that they are set up correctly, I will replace them with the new 1/2" double braid polyester, that has been waiting so patiently on their spools in my shop area for the past few months. I also started the temporary fix on some of the seacocks. Whoever installed them , did so incorrectly. They did not secure the flanges to the hull by shortening the through-hulls, or building up the area between the hull and the bottom of the flange.Nor did they glass them. We will replace the through hulls and sea-cocks in Ensenada. In the meantime I am blocking and shimming up around the through hulls and under the base of the seacocks to give them support. I can't believe Wind Raven survived such negligent care in the past.
I will TRY to be more diligent in my postings. But no promisses, much, MUCH more to do before the 15th.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Old Friends Visit
We had some old friends of Jay's visit this weekend from Reno. It was great seeing Jim and Colleen and to find out they are following not only OUR blog but the blog of our newest sailing friends Steve and Lulu!
Speaking of the Yoders: Steve came by on the 9th and had his curls cut----I guess getting ready for their daughter Cody's upcoming nuptials.....I was so busy organizing in the cabin that I didn't even peek out to say "HI" to Steve and feel terrible about it as he and Jay were discussing the possibility of our sailing South together (since they are still in Charleston--at least their boat is--waiting for them to get back after their daughter's wedding.....) when I heard about the possibility of sailing with Steve and Lulu I got so EXCITED......always good to have friends to travel with to foreign shores...safety and strength in numbers (and a lot of fun too!) So I hope we really DO our own "Baja HaHa" together, Steve and Lulu.......and hope Cody's wedding is wonderful.......
Jay and I got so much work done on the boat when James (our electrician buddy) was gone that we are nigh unto gnashing at the proverbial bit to take off......new hoses here, new clamps there, another coat of varnish on the hatch in the Saloon......(boy do I HATE to sand) but Jay bought this cool little sander (NOT FROM CHINA) that is making short shrift of our work.......and I am supposed to update all the work Jay has done on the boat here on the blog, but we are so busy we don't get around to doing much except eating and sleeping....so it was so nice to have friends come for the weekend. We had my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter come down last weekend and had a great time except for when the guys TRIED to go fishing with our dock neighbor and had to be pulled off the jetty only to be pulled right into the path of about a 300 ft ship and THEN the ship had to run aground in order to not plow right into the fishing boat my guys were on......in the fog, in the dark at 4 a.m......Glad I stayed behind on THAT one........
I know we will have "down time" when we sail and will be able to keep up with our blog when we take off and get into port where there is wifi....for now, our internet gets turned off on the 27th of this month cause we need to curb costs from here on out. Jay is also getting rid of his phone.
It's Sunday and Jim and Colleen just left....they were going to drive down to visit Steve and Lulu on Siempre Sabado, but the Yoder's blog said they are still getting things ready for the wedding so they are back in Silverton....... we called Jim and let him know the Yoders are son exista pas in Charleston for now, so they will just drive down the coast to Weed and cut over to get back home to Reno.
Jay tells me we will finally take the boat out most likely next week...to start to sail and our good buddy Tom P. says he may come down to San Diego with us on the first leg of our Holiday.....We will try to meet Steve and Lulu in San Diego or Ensenada for the sail further south .....what fun! I don't want my kids to worry about me.....Jay is very level headed and skilled at whatever he does so I feel confident in his navigational abilities.....especially with our EXPERT buddy Tom along.....hey Tom, no pressure or anything but we Really look forward to sailing with you..........I trust my guardian angel will keep me safe.........later....I will let Jay do the update on the work completed...he's better at the techno stuff than I am.........hey, I agree with Cindy Lauper when she sang "Girls just want to have fun....!" That's me, these days.....just want my kids and grandkids to learn to sail and come with us lots!........later, fellow bloggees......
Speaking of the Yoders: Steve came by on the 9th and had his curls cut----I guess getting ready for their daughter Cody's upcoming nuptials.....I was so busy organizing in the cabin that I didn't even peek out to say "HI" to Steve and feel terrible about it as he and Jay were discussing the possibility of our sailing South together (since they are still in Charleston--at least their boat is--waiting for them to get back after their daughter's wedding.....) when I heard about the possibility of sailing with Steve and Lulu I got so EXCITED......always good to have friends to travel with to foreign shores...safety and strength in numbers (and a lot of fun too!) So I hope we really DO our own "Baja HaHa" together, Steve and Lulu.......and hope Cody's wedding is wonderful.......
Jay and I got so much work done on the boat when James (our electrician buddy) was gone that we are nigh unto gnashing at the proverbial bit to take off......new hoses here, new clamps there, another coat of varnish on the hatch in the Saloon......(boy do I HATE to sand) but Jay bought this cool little sander (NOT FROM CHINA) that is making short shrift of our work.......and I am supposed to update all the work Jay has done on the boat here on the blog, but we are so busy we don't get around to doing much except eating and sleeping....so it was so nice to have friends come for the weekend. We had my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter come down last weekend and had a great time except for when the guys TRIED to go fishing with our dock neighbor and had to be pulled off the jetty only to be pulled right into the path of about a 300 ft ship and THEN the ship had to run aground in order to not plow right into the fishing boat my guys were on......in the fog, in the dark at 4 a.m......Glad I stayed behind on THAT one........
I know we will have "down time" when we sail and will be able to keep up with our blog when we take off and get into port where there is wifi....for now, our internet gets turned off on the 27th of this month cause we need to curb costs from here on out. Jay is also getting rid of his phone.
It's Sunday and Jim and Colleen just left....they were going to drive down to visit Steve and Lulu on Siempre Sabado, but the Yoder's blog said they are still getting things ready for the wedding so they are back in Silverton....... we called Jim and let him know the Yoders are son exista pas in Charleston for now, so they will just drive down the coast to Weed and cut over to get back home to Reno.
Jay tells me we will finally take the boat out most likely next week...to start to sail and our good buddy Tom P. says he may come down to San Diego with us on the first leg of our Holiday.....We will try to meet Steve and Lulu in San Diego or Ensenada for the sail further south .....what fun! I don't want my kids to worry about me.....Jay is very level headed and skilled at whatever he does so I feel confident in his navigational abilities.....especially with our EXPERT buddy Tom along.....hey Tom, no pressure or anything but we Really look forward to sailing with you..........I trust my guardian angel will keep me safe.........later....I will let Jay do the update on the work completed...he's better at the techno stuff than I am.........hey, I agree with Cindy Lauper when she sang "Girls just want to have fun....!" That's me, these days.....just want my kids and grandkids to learn to sail and come with us lots!........later, fellow bloggees......
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