BoatGirl’sIndianSummer

new cover

Originally uploaded by carrollelizabeth1

Almost done. Here we install it on the Indian Summer. The sewing is all complete but I have to figure out how I want to fasten it. Bungee cords and random bits of string are good, but not quick and easy to explain to other people.
The options seem to be: metal toggles, plastic buckles, velcro, or some as yet undiscovered fastener. Metal toggles are traditional but hard to put on (they need a special tool). Plastic buckles would be easiest for me to put on, but I worry that they wouldn’t last. Paul is pushing for velcro, but I find that velcro wears out pretty quickly.
I may wind up with a combination.

mainsail covers

Originally uploaded by carrollelizabeth1

Here goes nothing!

A picture of my old mainsail cover next to my new mainsail cover. I’ll post more photos as the new one takes shape!

The giant hole in the middle - yeah, that was originally a seam. It died in the great winds of Jan08. So, I’ve now cut it fully apart into two pieces and will shortly cut out the new one, ready to sew up using a 40 year old or so sewing machine I inherited from my grandmother. I tested heavy cloth and heavy duty thread, seems to work.

Oy, I’m really falling behind.  At least I’m spending plenty of boat time!

Last weekend (April 26), I took Amy and Tony out for a sail.  Gorgeous day, with plenty of wind, although from a strange point (SSW), very abnormal for SF Bay.  We headed out towards the bridge, since the tide was coming in and the wind would help us come back.  We were just in Hurricane Gulch when we all heard a sound, a loud Whoof!  It sounded like a seal, but really close, I turned to look, and just off our port stern, about 15 feet away, was a whale.  I could see barnacles.

We all started yelling appropriate things (Oh my God!  Its a whale!) and Amy said “Turn the boat around, follow it!”  The whale submerged and I said that it could be down for 20 minutes and we don’t know where its going, so can’t follow it.  Then, a second, much larger whale surfaced about 30 feet away.  It was huge.  Gorgeous.

I saw whales!  In the bay!  Apparently they were Grey whales and other people saw them for several days.

We think they were probably mother and calf and that the calf wanted to check out the boat.  You know, they were probably in the area checking out colleges.  Last seen, they were headed towards Berkeley.

This past weekend was a long weekend.  My initial plan was to sail to Angel Island on Saturday, spend the night there, and get back in time for Paul to get to hockey.  Then, I got food poisoning.  So, Saturday got pushed to Sunday.  Then Sunday morning, we watched a very frightening movie (Jesus Camp) so got a late start.  But eventually, I got to the Indian Summer and got a lot done.  I cleaned, finally put up curtains, went to West Marine and found a ring that I can jury rig with a little epoxy and a yogurt container cover into a new cap for the shore power plug while sailing, and added water to the holding tank.  Other good news is that the jury rigging to prevent water from coming in the hatch during the rain has been working.  Its been way too long since I spent quality time with my boat.

We spent Sunday night on the boat at the dock, with the plan to go for a sail Monday.  But what with the lack of wind in the morning, the extreme low tides and super strong ebb, I decided it made more sense to continue boat work.  Finally, I was able to take the mainsail over to talk to a sailmaker about getting another set of reef points added and various other issues I have with it. 

The main has always seemed just a little too big, and the leech is always a little baggy.  Since sailmakers aren’t open on weekends, I’ve sort of been at a loss about what to do with it.  Luckily, Hood Sails was open Monday and I brought it over.  The woman I spoke with there (Vicki maybe?) was really awesome.  She told me what I needed to measure on the boat, and sent me back with a measuring tape, multiple sail slugs to test for the right one, and good advice.  So, I’m having her add the reef points and change out the slugs.

And, she suggested I talk to a rigger about having a mast gate made.  Makes sense, so that’s the next step (as long as I don’t wind up enemployed in the next few weeks!). 

Good Christmas photoOriginally uploaded by carrollelizabeth1

OK, I have actually been sailing, quite frequently.  I just haven’t been writing about it.  I blame it all on the boyfriend.   There’s only so much time in a day.  Currently, I’m trying to balance a new job, new boyfriend, pilates, pottery class, open studio, ballet class, and my boat.  What winds up losing out is the blog.

Sailing through November and December was very low key, not a lot of wind.  That was helpful in trying to train Paul.  He’s coming along well, learning to hold on, how to set the boat up, work the sails and tiller, and not fall off the boat.  She’s taking to him quite well, and has give him some lovely bruises to match mine.

In December, I went to do a Christmas photo shoot, but it was raining a bit, so we did a photo shoot at the dock.  Then, it cleared up so we went for a great little sail.

My downstairs neighbor Drew helpfully volunteered to take the broken window around and get the bad screw removed.  As reported, he succeeded.  I was then able to clean up the frame and take a better look at it, at which point it became obvious that there were another 4 stuck screws that had been covered up by the outside piece.

I am capable of learning, so I did not immediately strip the screws, but instead liberally sprayed them with WD40.  Didn’t help.  I was in despair.  Rather than sit around and wait for them to miraculously remove themselves, I decided to try outsourcing again.  I thought maybe I could find a small machine shop near work.  One of the first that popped up when I searched was actually an auto glass replacement shop.  Hmm.  Cars and boats, both methods of transportation, and a window is a window, right?

I showed up ready to be sent away in disdain, holding my broken window.  The nice Persian guy grabbed it from me and handed it over to workers before I could even ask if they could fix it.  I helpfully pointed out the stuck screws and I believe his response was “Piffle!”

I picked it up that afternoon, nice new plexiglass, all back together, at $90 a bargain.  See, outsourcing works, just not to India.

That weekend, put it back in the boat (remembering to tether the frame to the boat as I lowered it into place, just in case it slipped - don’t want to lose it into the water) and with the help of the new man, sealed it all up and ready to go.

And since its plexiglass, I can hit my neighbor’s boat as often as I want.

This month, I’m learning how to replace a broken boat window.

Yeah.

Um.

Yeah. 

I’m a little embarrassed.  Every time I start feeling like I know what I’m doing, I stop paying attention for 30 seconds and get the smackdown.  The good news is that no one was injured and the other boat seems fine.  Turns out, my new slip is quite a bit harder to dock in then the old one was.  This one is upwind, the boat next to mine is larger and sticks out into the fairway.  No excuse, pride goeth and all that.

Anyway, last weekend practiced docking so I’m feeling more comfortable with it and then, with the help of a new neighbor, took out the window and brought it home.  There’s one damn screw that is stripped and won’t come out.  I tried drilling it out and failed.  Then, my downstairs neighbor heard all the racket and came up to see.   He volunteered to take it to Cole Valley Hardware the next day and see if they could get it out.  Apparently, the first guy who tried couldn’t, the second guy who tried couldn’t, so then they just cut it out!  I’m so damn happy its apart now!

As a friend said, “Outsourcing can actually be more efficient.”

So next time I have a boat problem, I’ll send it to India.

I did it.  First solo sail was a short jaunt Friday afternoon, prior to a wonderful evening sail with friends.

 With heart in mouth, I set up the sails and put everything I could possibly think of in the shallow lazarette so I could get it without moving (handheld radio, extra line, water, courage) then headed out.  Put up the main sail, sailed out to about Clipper harbor, then turned around.  I said it was a short sail.  Baby steps.  I started the motor, then took down the sail and successfully returned to dock.  For me, that was like crossing the Atlantic.  All of a sudden, a world of possibilities opens in front of me.

The evening sail later that night was gorgeous.  Just enough wind to sail, beautiful stars, a few other boats out so we didn’t get lonely, but few enough that we had the evening to ourselves.  Started out with Anna and Javier, then picked up Chris.  Strangest sight of the evening was when trying to dock at Chris’s marina, I almost collided with a shack.  Literally, a shack.  It was floating somehow and being towed by a rowboat.  In the dim light, I couldn’t see that it was actually moving until we were very close. 

Really people, if you are going to tow your ramshackle around the harbour at night, put a light on it.

Later on, went back to dock to have a little party.  Cara came for that, exceedingly pregnant (a week or so overdue).  I was hoping she would give birth on the boat and had specially brought towels and water to boil, but she refrained.

Then today, I moved the boat (again, by meself) down to a new slip at the end of the dock.  This is a space I should be able to sail in and out of!

My Dad’s Boat                               vs.                                My Beloved Boat

Has no name                                             Proudly goes by INDIAN SUMMER

Is covered with mold                                   Gets demolded at least 3x per year

Can’t use the cabin due to all the crap            Cabin is an integral, useful, clean part of boat

Takes 2.25 hours to get ready to sail              Takes 15 minutes to leave dock

Has 8,583,533 pieces of garbage line               Yeah, no.

OK, I did the biyearly summer trip to RI to make my Dad put his boat in the water.  I don’t get it.  I though I got my love of boats from him, but we clearly have a different view of what makes a boat.  The boat sits on a trailer unless my brother or I are there.  How a boat that is used that rarely can acquire that much junk in it, I do not understand.  Luckily, it only took about 20 minutes to throw out the worst of the rotted lines, put cushions in place and clear a pathway in the cabin.  There was nothing I could do about the Narragansett Bay chart that was left in the bottom of a lazarette over the winter except frame it and sell it as an ancient pirate map of buried treasure.
Narragansett Bridge

The good news is that after spending 2 days sailing with my parents, I’m pretty sure that I’m now a registered marriage counselor in the state of RI.  Smiley face.  More Prozac!

And this is my dream house - my mom’s friend lives there and its where we swim when I’m there.

Had a great sail this Sunday - Amy was crewing to learn to sail.  We headed over in light (well, for SF Bay) winds to Aquatic Park, where I realized at the last minute that I was going a little too fast for what I was planning.  Quickly tacked around, after slowing down, tried again, and sailed in to Aquatic Park, then quick jib left and Z’d around past the marine museum ships and out the East entrance.  Amy said it was the first time she’s heard me nervous.

Great sail, lovely day on the bay, then I dropped Amy off on a dock at Clipper to do a photo shoot. I sailed around a bit then docked nicely under sail to pick her up again.  

I think I’m about there.  Its a matter of picking a day with fairly gentle winds and getting things set up properly before starting out.  Oh yeah, and remembering to check and make sure that the overboard clip on the emergency stop button hasn’t slipped off before attempting to start the motor.  Man, that makes me feel dumb.