RIGGERS November 24, 2008
Posted by sailingnightwatch in Durbeck, FL, Florida, ICW, Pensacola, Repairs, Restoration, Sailing, Sailing the ICW.add a comment
They came and completed the whisker stays and the mainsail stay the week after leaving the yard. Problem is they did not put the right fitting on the bottom. After discussion with the head rigger, we will stay with the new fitting. They came back a week later and took the cracked end off the mizzen spreader that needed to be replaced. Scares me when they make all these little trips. Somebody has to pay there riding time and gas and I am afraid it is me.
November 21, 2008
Posted by sailingnightwatch in Durbeck, FL, Florida, ICW, Pensacola, Sailing, Sailing the ICW.add a comment
November 21, 2008
Posted by sailingnightwatch in Durbeck, FL, Florida, ICW, Pensacola, Sailing, Sailing the ICW.add a comment
November 21, 2008
Posted by sailingnightwatch in Durbeck, FL, Florida, ICW, Pensacola, Repairs, Restoration, Sailing, Sailing the ICW.add a comment
November 21, 2008
Posted by sailingnightwatch in Durbeck, FL, Florida, ICW, Pensacola, Repairs, Restoration, Sailing, Sailing the ICW.add a comment
BLUES FALL SHOW November 21, 2008
Posted by sailingnightwatch in Durbeck, FL, Florida, ICW, Pensacola, Restoration, Sailing, Sailing the ICW.add a comment
Our company arrived Thursday afternoon and because of the tides being at the extreme, we left the dock about 10 PM. The weather was beautiful, not cold and with a moon 2 days past full. We sat up to late, talked to much and drank to much. It was a good evening.
Friday was started cloudy and then cleared and was windless. We headed over to the Naval Air Station for the air show. We anchored off the light house and watch the Blues perform. The show was excellent as usual.
After the show we went around to Ft Mcrae to anchor. It was more crowded than I have ever seen. We had a group of three boats come in and anchored fore and aft and to close for me to swing. Even talked to them when they first came in, but they did not care. Their forward anchors were on either side of a boat anchored close to the shore. He talked to them about blocking him in, but again they did not care. They were from Alabama, one of those state with a boat drivers license. I shall say nothing more, but I did leave the anchorage about 11 PM because of the tide change. It was a good move because the wind changed about 4 AM and started blowing about 30 kts. When I re-anchored I put out a lot of scope. We slept well.
Saturday was windy. We watched the air show from our anchorage and got underway about a ½ hour before the Blues flew. We were in the Pensacola land cut area for the show. Moving through, we were in the best spots for the entire show. We continued towards home and had to anchor outside the entrance to our cannels till about 11:30 PM waiting for the tide to come up. Made it in without any problems.
The sister-in-law, her husband, their daughter and her husband were a wonderful group to have on board for 3 days. We had a lot of fun and really enjoyed sharing the Blues with them.
Then there is my beloved. The Blues greatest fan. In the last 10 years, we have missed 1 show. She is always excited to see them and does not care what people think of her jumping up and down, waving and hollering at them. She enjoys.
RIGGING November 17, 2008
Posted by sailingnightwatch in Durbeck, FL, Florida, ICW, Pensacola, Repairs, Restoration, Sailing, Sailing the ICW.add a comment
In the yard not everything goes according to plan. Getting the wire out of the roller furling entailed using a pick up truck on the wire and tying the drum end to one of tie downs in the yard. That was time consuming. Secondly the easy replacement of the whisker stays found that the original installation of the 4 end had not been done correctly and all 4 ends were in need of replacing. Therefore, nothing of the rigging work was completed and 4 days after leaving the yard, I was yet to see our riggers.
TIS THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN. HAVE TO MAKE DECISSIONS ABOUT UPGRADES November 13, 2008
Posted by sailingnightwatch in Durbeck, FL, Florida, ICW, Pensacola, Repairs, Restoration, Sailing, Sailing the ICW.add a comment
Following the same philosophy as last year, I am looking to upgrade the boat to get it ready to cruise. I spent some time at the local marine electronics store looking at radars, chart plotters and auto pilots. I also got an estimate for sails from the local sail maker while I was having my annual patch work done to my 30 year old sails.
I am leaning towards a new auto pilot. The one on the boat is 30 years old, has old technology and the main brain does not work and if the information is correct, always was a problem waiting to happen. It also burned a lot of juice. The industry seems to be finishing upgrades to their systems and should be set for a couple years. I am leaning towards Rayethon. Would not mind hearing from anyone with experience with their large systems. The last one I played with was about 1 year old on a 38 foot sail boat. The corrections to cross track errors was terrible. It could tack you or jibe you without warning. We could not use that function. I understand they have made changes.
Decisions, decisions.
OH WHAT A WONDERFUL SAIL November 10, 2008
Posted by sailingnightwatch in Durbeck, FL, Florida, ICW, Pensacola, Repairs, Sailing, Sailing the ICW.add a comment
The fall Blues Show is this coming weekend and we are to have one of my many sister-in laws, her husband their daughter and her husband. I could not pick a better group to spend a weekend with.
The wife decided we would have to make the boat look like it just was christened. Therefore, after the yard and being auto racing last weekend, I was looking forward to sailing. We split the difference. She got Saturday and I got Sunday for an afternoon sail. This was all right because Saturday the wind did not start untill about 2:30 in the afternoon. With my having refinished the saloon in the yard, I had not had a chance to do the ladder. That was Saturday’s project.
Sunday there was not a cloud to be found. The wind was around 10 knots out of the N to WNW. I needed to get fuel and therefore sailed west to Pensacola Bay. We got underway around 11 A.M. with the wind as mentioned. The wife continued her domestic chores which allow me to tack towards the bay by myself. After about 4 tacks, I was at the bridge. I was also exhausted. Having to winch in both the staysail and genny on each tack can do in us old sailors. By the time I got into the bay the wind had picked up to a good 15 kts. That is when this boat starts to reach her stride. And with a clean bottom, what more is there to ask for. Life is good.
A TRIP HOME November 7, 2008
Posted by sailingnightwatch in Durbeck, FL, Florida, ICW, Pensacola, Repairs, Sailing, Sailing the ICW.add a comment
The wind during the early morning was gaining strength out of the NE. It was to move to the SE and gain to the mid to upper 20 mph. This was caused by a cold front approaching from the NW and an “area of disturbed weather” as the weather forecasters put it, approaching from the south. The trip out of the bayou was uneventful and allowed me to run through the boat and check valve, new grounding plate holes and grab my fowl weather jacket. As I approached Pensacola Bay I could see a lot of white caps.
The waves and wind were on the port bow with a little spray making it to me on occasion. It is about 3 miles to the windward shore and some protection. Other then the occasional bucket of water thrown at me by Mother Nature, it was a nice motor. After about 1+ mile in the quiet of the windward shore, we turn east directly into the wind and seas. We are at this point less than a mile from the bridge that goes to Pensacola Beach. The pilings of the bridge break up the large chop on the east side of the bridge. Here it is more windy then choppy.
Santa Rosa Sound is the body of water from the bridge to Navarre, FL. It is shallow with many sand bars scattered around. With the wind from the east, there is about a 10 mile fetch. This creates large short chop that because of the sand bars can come at you from any angle. This little body of water is one of the roughest patches of water I know of in the area. Driving straight into the waves would slow me below 2 knots and making it hard to steer. I was also taking a lot of water over the bow. I therefore had to tack across the waves to make any headway. This was still a very wet ride and more than once I wish I had put my fowl weather pants on. The water is probably still in the 70’s. but with the wind, my wet jeans were getting me cold, to the bone.
The trip took about twice as long as normal with half the time spent covering the last 2 miles. I was most happy to be back at my slip with most of the work having been done.
