Wednesday, December 11, 2013
2013 Sailing Season Finale
My last post,
back in mid-September, promised a 2013 season closing post and here we
are sneaking up on Christmas and I figured I had better get to it before
I run out of calendar time.
All went well the final few days at the boatyard. I did have one more family affair to attend.
Last year, on the
first day of
Fall, the Autumnal Equinox, a new Grand Niece was born. Being the first
day of Fall, her
parents, Brent and Stacy, named her Autymn. So this year, on the first
day of Fall, we all turned out to celebrate Autymn's first birthday.
Here is Autymn looking like she is trying to figure out what all the
fuss is about.
Then it was back to the yard to get Belmira ready for long Winter's nap.
This year I got a new spot in the yard. Belmira is stored close to the yard office, store and work areas. This will make the Springtime prep a lot easier.
With all the winterization completed, I wrapped Belmira for the season and started my trip back home on the 1st of October. Here she is, all closed up and ready for whatever Winter is planning for the East Coast.
Meanwhile, after a few unplanned home maintenance projects that greeted me on my return, I have started into the list of off season projects.
Continuing with the plan to lead the main mast control lines back to the cockpit, (see my August post), I brought the main mast step back home with me to complete the modification needed to attach turning blocks to the mast base.
Here is the mast step and the angled pieces that will attach to the base and provide the attachment points for the turning blocks. The second picture is what the finished product will look like. I completed the prep work and now the base is off at the welders for the final permanent attachment of all the pieces.
Well, that's a sneak preview of my winter project list.
I hope to continue with my list and start my 2014 sailing season blog page soon. So check back in awhile for more of what's happening with Belmira's ongoing improvements and plans for the new season.
Until then, Happy Holidays to all !!!
All went well the final few days at the boatyard. I did have one more family affair to attend.
Then it was back to the yard to get Belmira ready for long Winter's nap.
This year I got a new spot in the yard. Belmira is stored close to the yard office, store and work areas. This will make the Springtime prep a lot easier.
With all the winterization completed, I wrapped Belmira for the season and started my trip back home on the 1st of October. Here she is, all closed up and ready for whatever Winter is planning for the East Coast.
Meanwhile, after a few unplanned home maintenance projects that greeted me on my return, I have started into the list of off season projects.
Continuing with the plan to lead the main mast control lines back to the cockpit, (see my August post), I brought the main mast step back home with me to complete the modification needed to attach turning blocks to the mast base.
Here is the mast step and the angled pieces that will attach to the base and provide the attachment points for the turning blocks. The second picture is what the finished product will look like. I completed the prep work and now the base is off at the welders for the final permanent attachment of all the pieces.
Well, that's a sneak preview of my winter project list.
I hope to continue with my list and start my 2014 sailing season blog page soon. So check back in awhile for more of what's happening with Belmira's ongoing improvements and plans for the new season.
Until then, Happy Holidays to all !!!
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Getting Ready to End the Season
On Wednesday, September 11th. Tom showed up with the final pieces needed to complete the Bimini, Dodger install. Here, Belmira is sporting her new canvas work. The folks from Creative Canvas Works did a great job. The attention to detail is really something you don't often see these days.
I managed to get 3 of my brothers together to crew for me on Saturday, the 14th. We motored out into Mount Hope Bay and caught a nice steady northwest wind. After sailing along the bay's shoreline, telling stories about what we remembered growing up by the water, and how things have changed, we dropped anchor off of Spar Island for lunch. Lunch over, we were able to pick up the same northwest wind and head up river.
With the wind holding up and the incoming tide helping us along, we were able to sail through the open bridge and the entire length of the river to withing a quarter mile of the boatyard. Ending the sailing season under sail, doesn't get much better than that.
Now it has been one week since I arrived at the boat yard. I have been getting a lot done in preparation for Belmira's haul out and winterization but still keeping her in condition for one last trip down river.
The trip was planned so that we could participate in a procession that is part of an annual celebration known as the, "Spirit of Somerset", which took place yesterday. The procession of boats is called the blessing of the fleet. This year, 39 boats gathered just north of the Brightman Street bridge and proceeded up river past the Somerset Boat Ramp where the landed portion of the celebration was taking place. This is also where a local Roman Catholic priest bestowed the blessing on the passing boats. Belmira is now among the blessed. Here are some of the boats as we started forming a line for the procession.
And
here is brother Jordan showing off the koozie that we received from the
Harbormaster as part of the swag for partaking in the procession. A
nice theme for the procession that became part of the Somerset
celebration six years ago to honor the memory of Guy Ramsley, brother to
Tom Ramsley, who owns and runs Shaw's Boatyard. Guy lost a battle with
cancer about six years ago.The other part of the swag was one free clamboil per boat in the procession. We had bought two additional tickets and once we had settled in, on anchor, after the blessing, had the clamboils delivered to the boat. After the meal and a few more of the beverages, Jordan is displaying we headed up river in the dark, back to Shaw's where it is now time to get serious about closing down the season. Stay tuned for the last chapter of Belmira's 2013 Sailing Season.
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Labor Day Weekend Already
The month of August seems to have flown by. The weather has been either
very still or very active with not much in between for good sailing.
We did set out with plans to go out to Cuttyhunk. Had a good downwind sail out to Sakonnet Point. But, the wind and current were not in our favor to make it to the island and after a frustrating attempt to beat our way up into Buzzards Bay, we turned tail and headed back to the mooring. By this time the morning's north east wind had veered around to the south and we once again were sailing downwind as we made our way back up river.
August was a month for getting things done however. The plan to get most of the control lines back to the cockpit is taking shape. The hardware I had ordered from Garhauer finally arrived. With a new deck organizer and rope clutch mounted on the port side, I can now raise the main and control the main sheet without leaving the cockpit. I plan to get the starboard side mounted before I put Belmira up for the winter.
Here is what the port side looks like with the main halyard and mainsheet lines installed.
And, here is the mainsheet sporting her new Garhauer blocks and Sta-set line.
Late last season I had got a few quotes on a new Bimini and Dodger for Belmira. I chose an installer and got on their waiting list. With a very busy season, my time slot was the middle of August. True to their word, work has started on the new canvas and should be completed by the end of next week.
Here are a few pix of the process so far.
On the left, Jeff is patterning the dodger. With all the attachment
points, various holes and window sections identified, Jeff will return
to the shop and transform the pattern into canvas and clear plastic that
will provide us with protection from rain and spray while underway.
And here is Tom clamping in the forward edge of the Bimini. Unlike the
dodger, the Bimini is being patterned directly to the fabric so you are
getting a preview of what the finished product will look like.
We did set out with plans to go out to Cuttyhunk. Had a good downwind sail out to Sakonnet Point. But, the wind and current were not in our favor to make it to the island and after a frustrating attempt to beat our way up into Buzzards Bay, we turned tail and headed back to the mooring. By this time the morning's north east wind had veered around to the south and we once again were sailing downwind as we made our way back up river.
August was a month for getting things done however. The plan to get most of the control lines back to the cockpit is taking shape. The hardware I had ordered from Garhauer finally arrived. With a new deck organizer and rope clutch mounted on the port side, I can now raise the main and control the main sheet without leaving the cockpit. I plan to get the starboard side mounted before I put Belmira up for the winter.
Late last season I had got a few quotes on a new Bimini and Dodger for Belmira. I chose an installer and got on their waiting list. With a very busy season, my time slot was the middle of August. True to their word, work has started on the new canvas and should be completed by the end of next week.
Here are a few pix of the process so far.
One last repair to report on. The 1996 outboard motor that came on the
dinghy that was part of the original Belmira purchase has finally joined
the original dinghy in the land of still usable, but not worth the time
and expense, boating parts. The new, this season Achilles dinghy is
now powered by a new 4 horsepower, 4 stroke outboard. No more mixing
oil and gas for the dinghy motor. Trying to be more Eco-friendly, I
first purchased a 2.5 hp propane outboard. Unfortunately, it seems the
motor was not ready for prime time. After two days of struggling to get
it started and keep it running, I returned it and exchanged it for the 4
stroke gas model which runs like a top.
The month has not been entirely dedicated to repairs. The lack of good
sailing weather did allow for some land sailing to a few good summer
spots. Not being able to sail out to Wellfleet to sample some of their
famous oysters, we took a road trip, enjoyed a great lunch and brought
back a whole bunch of oysters to enjoy later. Here is a boardwalk that
leads down to one of Wellfleet's beaches.
Now it's time time to start our one major Labor Day Weekend festivity.
We'll soon be heading up to Boston for the afternoon and on to watch
the Sox versus Sox, Red,(Boston) versus White, (Chicago) at Fenway Park
tonight. Tomorrow I'll be off to the airport to drop the first mate off
for her flight back to Denver.
Stay tuned for some posts as the 2013 sailing season winds down and I prepare Belmira for her long winter's nap.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Been Out Around the Block
Well, it has been awhile since my last post. I didn't do a lot of
sailing until the last few days. I did get out into Mount Hope Bay a
few times when the winds were light so that I could experiment with some
movable blocks to try and determine what I would need in terms of
hardware to get most of the working lines run back to the cockpit. I
want to get this done, or at least laid out, before having a new dodger
made and installed, later this month. The hardware was all ordered and I
got a call yesterday that it has arrived. So, I will be posting some
pictures of the old and new rigging arrangements as they get done.
But in the meantime, the latest news. My First Mate arrived on the 2nd of August and after some shopping, to stock up the galley we were off for some sailing.
We set sail on Monday with some light westerly winds that soon freshened and gave us quite a ride down the West Passage of Narragansett Bay. Other than a little creative sailing to get around the north end of Jamestown, we mostly sailed on a beam reach for 33 miles and dropped anchor in Point Judith's Harbor of Refuge.
A great place to duck into in a storm, the Harbor of Refuge sits behind a sea wall that separates the harbor from the ocean. The only problem is that the harbor also protects the entrance to the Port of Galilee, the fifth largest fishing port on the Atlantic Coast. As some of my sailing friends on Carter Lake have experienced, when you operate a large amount of power boats in an enclosed area, such as Carter Lake, or in my case, the Harbor of Refuge, the surface water, no matter how calm the winds may be, resembles the top surface of a food blender in operation. The coming and going of a large fishing fleet as well as the ferries to Block Island, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, keep the harbor pretty well churned up.
After this beautiful sunset, our overnight stay was quite a rock and roll experience.
But, rocking and rolling is part of what sailing is, and after a mostly restful night, we were up and ready to set sail for Block Island.
Once again the the wind was in our favor. The mostly westerly wind allowed us, once again, to sail on a beam reach and a single tack that took us the 13 miles to the entrance of the Great Salt Pond on Block Island in 3 hours.
We dropped anchor just at the edge of the anchorage. Even though this was a Tuesday, The Block was loaded with boaters of all types.
Here is a picture of our anchorage neighbor just off our starboard beam.
This is old navy tug boat that has been anchored in this same spot on
my past visits to the Block. It is home to some live-a-boards and I
doubt that it moves from that spot.
Instead of a sunset shot, I thought I would get a night shot of the anchor lights surrounding Belmira. My camera decided it needed more time for the shot and the movement of the boat resulted in this picture. I decided it still was a good representation of the boats at anchor to the north of us.
Although we had intended to spend a few days on Block Island, the forecast was calling for some rain that could be with us for the next 3 days. So, instead of an unplanned, extended stay on the island, or having to sail back in unfriendly weather, we decided to once again take advantage of some favorable conditions, and sail back to the mooring at Pirate Cove. With a moderate breeze from the east, we were again on a beam reach that took us 28 miles to the mouth of the Sakonnet River. With the wind now at our back, but not very helpful. we motor sailed the last 8 miles to our mooring. Safe and sound, we await the weather.
It has been 3 days of some really good sailing. 82.4 nautical miles on 3 tacks. I could easily get used to sailing all day on a single tack and ending up where you intended to go. It's been great.
Stay tuned, more to come.
But in the meantime, the latest news. My First Mate arrived on the 2nd of August and after some shopping, to stock up the galley we were off for some sailing.
We set sail on Monday with some light westerly winds that soon freshened and gave us quite a ride down the West Passage of Narragansett Bay. Other than a little creative sailing to get around the north end of Jamestown, we mostly sailed on a beam reach for 33 miles and dropped anchor in Point Judith's Harbor of Refuge.
A great place to duck into in a storm, the Harbor of Refuge sits behind a sea wall that separates the harbor from the ocean. The only problem is that the harbor also protects the entrance to the Port of Galilee, the fifth largest fishing port on the Atlantic Coast. As some of my sailing friends on Carter Lake have experienced, when you operate a large amount of power boats in an enclosed area, such as Carter Lake, or in my case, the Harbor of Refuge, the surface water, no matter how calm the winds may be, resembles the top surface of a food blender in operation. The coming and going of a large fishing fleet as well as the ferries to Block Island, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, keep the harbor pretty well churned up.
But, rocking and rolling is part of what sailing is, and after a mostly restful night, we were up and ready to set sail for Block Island.
Once again the the wind was in our favor. The mostly westerly wind allowed us, once again, to sail on a beam reach and a single tack that took us the 13 miles to the entrance of the Great Salt Pond on Block Island in 3 hours.
We dropped anchor just at the edge of the anchorage. Even though this was a Tuesday, The Block was loaded with boaters of all types.
Instead of a sunset shot, I thought I would get a night shot of the anchor lights surrounding Belmira. My camera decided it needed more time for the shot and the movement of the boat resulted in this picture. I decided it still was a good representation of the boats at anchor to the north of us.
Although we had intended to spend a few days on Block Island, the forecast was calling for some rain that could be with us for the next 3 days. So, instead of an unplanned, extended stay on the island, or having to sail back in unfriendly weather, we decided to once again take advantage of some favorable conditions, and sail back to the mooring at Pirate Cove. With a moderate breeze from the east, we were again on a beam reach that took us 28 miles to the mouth of the Sakonnet River. With the wind now at our back, but not very helpful. we motor sailed the last 8 miles to our mooring. Safe and sound, we await the weather.
It has been 3 days of some really good sailing. 82.4 nautical miles on 3 tacks. I could easily get used to sailing all day on a single tack and ending up where you intended to go. It's been great.
Stay tuned, more to come.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
A Sailing I did Go !
Well, I got out of here as planned. Headed south down the Sakonnet
River. Had some good winds and started sailing down river about 2 miles
from the marina. Mostly tacking back and forth making 5 to 7 knots
under jib and mizzen, not in a hurry.
Got down to Sakonnet Point and encountered the usual choppy, higher than normal seas as the Atlantic Ocean is trying to squeeze it's way up the river. Here we are approaching the Sakonnet Light House right on our nose.
From here, the plan was to head south, go past the East Passage to
Narragansett Bay, round Beaver Tail and make my way up to Dutch Island
Harbor for the night.
NOAA was predicting south winds 10-15 mph with gust to 20 and seas of 4 feet. This turned out to be a conservative forecast.
I beat south for quite some time as the wind and seas grew. As much as I tried, I could not make it past Fort Adams that sits on the eastern side of the East Passage to Narragansett Bay.
I was tacking as close as I could to the wind. This was a course of about 160 degrees that brought us closer to the coast then I'd come about to about 300 degrees which would bring me back out ready for my next tack, but giving back about a third of the distance I had gained in the Southerly direction I needed to go.
Finally, while trying to lay a course around the rocky area east of Fort Adams, I needed to start the engine in order to free my head sail that had decided to wrap itself around the front of the head stay while I was trying to come about.
With the head sail freed up, I did attempt to motor sail a little further south, but soon gave it up as a lost cause. I had had enough of the roller coaster for one day and decided it was time to turn tail and head for shelter.
Finally, 11 hours and 20 minutes and 49 Nautical miles since I had started, I was back on my mooring at Pirate Cove.
Lots of lessons learned that day. I remembered how to sail after the winter's break. Belmira reminded me of what she was able and willing to do. And, as always seems to be the case, I was reminded that if you don't secure everything, it won't stay where it was intended to be. Here is a somewhat blurry shot of what greeted me down below when I finally stopped long enough to go below.
Except for a bottle of liquid dish soap that coated the galley deck, it
was mostly just pick it up and put it back, and tie it down before the
next sail.
Today, all is well, the heat wave we were experiencing has mellowed out, had a mostly rainy morning, a good excuse to clean and batten down.
The afternoon turned out to be really nice so I decided to do some foraging at the local stores and found some really good fresh swordfish at a little place down river that I remember from my youth.
With some fresh asparagus, all prepared on Belmira's gas grill, this made a fine late evening dinner as the almost full moon rose in the east.
Here is the dinner.
And here us the almost full moon. It was just a few minutes ahead of the sunset tonight .
You have to look close to see the moon, but it is there and it is almost full.
Stay tuned, I hope to do more sailing to be posting info on.
Got down to Sakonnet Point and encountered the usual choppy, higher than normal seas as the Atlantic Ocean is trying to squeeze it's way up the river. Here we are approaching the Sakonnet Light House right on our nose.
NOAA was predicting south winds 10-15 mph with gust to 20 and seas of 4 feet. This turned out to be a conservative forecast.
I beat south for quite some time as the wind and seas grew. As much as I tried, I could not make it past Fort Adams that sits on the eastern side of the East Passage to Narragansett Bay.
I was tacking as close as I could to the wind. This was a course of about 160 degrees that brought us closer to the coast then I'd come about to about 300 degrees which would bring me back out ready for my next tack, but giving back about a third of the distance I had gained in the Southerly direction I needed to go.
Finally, while trying to lay a course around the rocky area east of Fort Adams, I needed to start the engine in order to free my head sail that had decided to wrap itself around the front of the head stay while I was trying to come about.
With the head sail freed up, I did attempt to motor sail a little further south, but soon gave it up as a lost cause. I had had enough of the roller coaster for one day and decided it was time to turn tail and head for shelter.
Finally, 11 hours and 20 minutes and 49 Nautical miles since I had started, I was back on my mooring at Pirate Cove.
Lots of lessons learned that day. I remembered how to sail after the winter's break. Belmira reminded me of what she was able and willing to do. And, as always seems to be the case, I was reminded that if you don't secure everything, it won't stay where it was intended to be. Here is a somewhat blurry shot of what greeted me down below when I finally stopped long enough to go below.
Today, all is well, the heat wave we were experiencing has mellowed out, had a mostly rainy morning, a good excuse to clean and batten down.
The afternoon turned out to be really nice so I decided to do some foraging at the local stores and found some really good fresh swordfish at a little place down river that I remember from my youth.
With some fresh asparagus, all prepared on Belmira's gas grill, this made a fine late evening dinner as the almost full moon rose in the east.
And here us the almost full moon. It was just a few minutes ahead of the sunset tonight .
You have to look close to see the moon, but it is there and it is almost full.
Stay tuned, I hope to do more sailing to be posting info on.
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