Spring is almost here

Well its only days away from the start of spring which means that sailing is only a few months away ;)

Waiting for Boom Slide

Well it's been a while since I've been out sailing.
The reason is my crew has been busy with other things, and I'm moving. So for the past month or two we've been out every Sat and Sunday house shopping and since it's getting dark so early now, Sat and Sundays are the only days we can go sailing now.
After the move we'll head out once or twice more and then it will be time to store the boat.
Oh and I did order a boom slide and it did arrive and when I went to pick it up it was AWOL, So until the boom slide or whatever it's supposed to be called shows up the boat is still a single purchase.

Sailing again

Well I went sailing again and it was amazing. The winds were about 15 knots and we were moving. There was a lot of hiking out and my legs are a little sore this morning but totally worth it.
There are a few things that need tweaking to make the experience even better. a shorter tiller perhaps as it is hitting the sides of the boat right now and a second block on the boom for a 2:1 purchase on the main sheet. Having that extra block will mean that will be able to pull in the main a lot easier while under sail.
In the 2 hours that we were out we sailed about 10 km in my estimation, from Kingston out to Wolfe Island, back to Kingston and half way out again.
For a second sail things went pretty good. We almost went swimming a few times, got some great pictures which I will link to soon and walked away with big smiles on our faces.

Been Sailing

Well I made the July 25th deadline and got the Albacore on the water. I took my long time friend who is a sailing Guru although mostly in big boats, and I do mean big boats , a tall ship to be exact. So we head out and except for a few hitches like really weak wind and not being able to get the centerboard positioned correctly we had a blast.
I've been trying since the 25th to get out sailing again and something conspires against me. Mostly it's the weather, if it's not raining there is no wind. Today is the first sunny day (still partly cloudy) I think we've had in about 2 weeks and there is no wind to speak of.

I've also replaced the main halyard. After the first sail while packing up I pulled the wrong end of the main and up inside the mast it went. It turns out this was a good thing as the main was frayed and was about to break which would not have been fun. Replacing the main was a little challenge as I had to use a electricians fish tape to get the main back up the mast. I got the tape stuck and had to remove the foot off the mast to free it which again turned out to be good as the foot rivets were getting pretty loose. Slowly the boat is being upgraded as I go. The next upgrade is adding a boom slide so that I can move the main sheet to a 2:1 purchase instead of the 1:1 purchase I currently have.

It's Time

Wow what a few months it's been since I've posted last.
Shortly after my last post I found a trailer for a great deal the only problem was that the trailer came with a boat. The last thing I needed was another boat but I needed a trailer so I bought the trailer and boat.
The next step was to get rid of the boat, it was in pretty good condition but needed minor work and a motor. I was able to sell the boat and cover the cost of my trailer which is the best deal ever, a free trailer!
With the trailer found I needed to move the bunks, and add keel rollers. I added the keel rollers which was pretty easy, the bunks were more work and will need to re-done this winter but for the remainder of the season they will work. The bunks started off being all wood and quickly changed to a 4x4 on bunk brackets.
The last thing to do is to rig my boat and get out sailing. The first sail is set for July 25th. That give me a week to figure out the rigging.

Sailing? What? When? How?

Well Another year has gone by and still my boat has not gone sailing.
It is amazing how much life gets in the way of things. Trying to fix up and sell a house while you have a newborn in said house is the worst idea EVER. Anyways I can't blame everything on my son he's just too cute. I've also spent the past what is it now 19 months looking for a trailer for my boat. I live in the best place for fresh water sailing in Canada and I can't find a flipping trailer for my Albacore.
So I've resorted to making my own trailer which means finding/buying plans and adding welding to my ever growing skill set of skills I thought I would never ever need.
If anyone needs any fiberglass repair work done I can certainly help you out :)

If this year is anything like last year and so far it isn't (fingers crossed) I won't be surprised if I don't find a trailer in time to go sailing.....

broken-mount

broken-mount,
originally uploaded by rjlongfield.

Well it's official, I think I know why this boat was left behind the Yacht club and forgotten. I think it's cursed. Either that or I was just not meant to sail this summer.

The latest in the string of set backs is the broken Gooseneck mount. While trying to put the new gooseneck pin in place this mount bent and then broke. Firstly why on earth is a mount made of soft metal and secondly what did I do to deserve this?

Well the hunt in on for a new mount, a rivet gun and the appropriate sized rivets to attach the new gooseneck mount when I find it.

Gah! the frustration of it all!
-Rob