Sam has taken to sleeping on the couch.  Horrible picture quality but she fell asleep reading Cat in the Hat.  Whenever I read that book to her, all I can think of is that damn Mike Meyer's movie version.  

 So the solent stay ratchet finally arrived.  Does that look like one boat unit to you?  Nice piece of hardware to be sure but damn.....lots of money.  The only consolation that I have is, if we need it, it'll work and be stronger than hell.  Now I just got to make sure that it fits.
I am always torn when writing this blog about whether I should supply a reason or a definition for some of the objects I am installing on the boat.  I figure if a person is reading this, and that is a big if, they can google it.  

 The remains of the old lifelines.  They were, like most boats Appa's age, stainless steel cover in white plastic.  The water would get in any break in the lifeline coating and then the lack of oxygen would allow the steel to rust and become weak.  This was happening on Appa.  Then I had to put netting up around the boat.  I remember that stuff from when I was a kid on our 1979 O'Day sailboat.  hated the way it made the boat look.  Not a fan of it now either but it will help keep the kids on the boat if they were ever foolish enough to try something like falling off the boat.

Looks like there should be chickens walking around on the deck.

 We had our good friends Andy and Wendy over on the boat last Friday with their two boys Clare and Will.  Good times. The kids ran all over the place and even caught some type of fish. 

Sammy in the bosun's chair swinging around.

Practicing looking for whales!

 So this week saw the arrival of the solar panels with the controller.  It also saw me run too small of wire to said panels.  That should be an easy fix though.  Tomorrow I'll try to get the panels to the boat and try to dry fit them.  I am waiting on parts from Defender Marine.  

Panels hopefully will be done by next week.   

I sealed the area where the mast comes through the boat and sits on the keel.  So hopefully that will not leak anymore.

Basically I'm going to clean up some wiring in the engine control panel and then the aft locker.  After that, it will just be some small things.  Getting the medical kit together.  Figuring out health insurance and then boat insurance.

Have to go and hit the book for school tonight.  More papers to write.  Philosophy is a tedious thing to read and hard for me to write about.  I am just not that reflective.

 

Sorry for the delay in bloggerating!

Well, I am back at work for the day and then I have another week off.  Haven't been to work really at all since May.


I wouldn't say that I'm missing it.

We went out for Father's Day weekend and had one of the best times in recent memory.  Took the boat over to Elliot Bay Marina and picked up Jen's parents and then shoved off for Bainbridge Island for dinner.  Had a great sail under genoa and pulled into the SYC outstation at Eagle Harbor and had dinner at Doc's.  Jen's parents left for their condo in Seattle via the foot ferry and we went to the park for some swing time.
Watched Tangled after that and hit the rack about 2300.  Got up in the morning and went to the beach that is right in the bay there.  What a great spot.  Played on the beach, made sandcastles etc.

Tried out our new (to us) 2007 Yamaha 15 hp motor.  Almost brand new.  Been in storage for years.  This baby started right up and it is powerful.  Smooth too.  Love it! 

This is the new sterring chain/cable.  3/4" chain.  Big stuff.  I love outbuilt steering. Sorry about the finger.

The anchor roller is almost done.  Just have to fine tune some stuff.



1/4' stainless steel bow roller.



Look at that beauty!

 So let's see.  I finished the compass and only have to wire up the light.  Ben and I went to Captain's Nautical and picked up a Plastimo compass with a base that matched the one of Appa perfectly.  Amazing. 

Just ordered solar panels and they will be here in about a week.  Have to install those.  Not looking forward to that. 
Found a leak in the forward head compartment.  Not sure if it is the through hull that I recently put in a the fitting and hose.  Will have to investigate that this weekend.
Solent stay adjuster has finally shipped.  That will be here next week also.
Fisheries is out of 3/8" anchor chain till next week.  Grrrr. 
I wired the anchor light and running lights wrong but that is an easy fix.
So getting there.  Almost done. 





Finally!

I noticed that I have a follower now!  Awesome.  Haven't seen who it is yet.  I am trying to write something worth reading but I fear that the papers I am writing for Gonzaga are taking all of my so-called ability.

After many false starts, the rig is in the boat.  Solent stay is hanging out on the foredeck waiting for fittings.  It bangs around like a homeless person looking for their next drink.  So noisy.  I'll be glad when that project is done.  Next week I should have this.



You would not believe how $$$ this is.

 I am constantly waiting on parts it seems.

OK here are some pictures.



Getting fitted for the extended bow roller.  1/4" 136 SS.



All this for that Rocna.  Still needs to be polished and then bolted on.  Still more $$$.  I know, I know, first world problems!



Crappy picture but this is the top of the mast.  Lunasea tri-color with strobe, new VHF antenna RG 213 wire and new Raymarine i60 wind transducer.  Course I forgot the Windex at Fisheries so someone has to go up the mast later.



After the spreader arms redone.

We found some gray rigging tape

The partners had to be cut.  No way were they fitting in the new collar.

New Forespar deck/steaming light

New SSB insulators

Loaded the boom myself on the truck.  For some reason I put it perfectly on the dock cart.  Unreal.  Thought some thing would go wrong at this point.

New rigging finally holding up something other than progress!

Getting the mast right

Had to cut the mast partner up into wedges and center the mast.

So Tuesday the mast was suppose to go up but we had no partners that would fit the collar.  The part was overnighted and arrived Wednesday.  Didn't fit.  I said screw it, let's raise the mast anyway.  Thursday we are a go!  Nope.  Got there on Thursday and it turns out the Port Townsend Rigging sent the wrong clevis pins for the stays.  Full stop.  Grrrr. 
OK.  Fisheries Supply is making a delivery to PTR on Thursday at the exact moment Tutmark called to bitch about the wrong pieces getting delivered.  So PTR puts the correct parts in the Fisheries truck and we are to pick them up on Friday at 0700.  Sounds good.
Friday morning, I get there late and the mast is standing.  Working fast we get the rigging tuned and the partners installed.  I take the boat out to Shileshole and Jen meets me at 1400.  We decide to push for Port Townsend that night and try to make the Wauquiez Rendezvous.
No wind but beautiful out but we had no sails on the rigging.  We motor for 5 hours and find ourselves in PT at 2115 or so.  We are met at the dock by a large group of Wauquiez owners who are all as happy to see us and we are them.  Great trip up.  I rigged the main and the jenny on our motor north.
Jen and I go for a beer at Sirens on Friday night and call it a day.  Slept like a rock till 0800.  For us that is sleeping in.
Hit the town in the morning and have breakfast then it is back to the boat for me and start cleaning up so we can "show" the boat to other owners. 
We had a race at 1400 with 6 Pretorions and 2 Centurion 42s.  We raced against Airfare owned by Guy.  We got our clock cleaned by him but he had a crack crew on his boat.  Jen did a great job driving.  I am still figuring out the trim on Appa.  Lots and lots of strings to pull!  Last time our 2 boats squared off against each other was 1998 Vic-Maui Race.  Guy won that one also.

To the winners of the Rendezvous

Back at the dock Sunday

Getting some varnish on the slats

Fitting for the solent stay.  14,000 lbs working load and 22,000 lbs breaking.  1/2" fitting.  This goes into 1/4' SS backing plate at the bow.

Missed it by that much!

Got the new mast collar in from Sparcraft.  Almost matches.  The new one is about 1-2mm too small.  It should work.  I am dropping it off with my rigger, Chris Tutmark, today to see what he thinks.  I will probably have to fill the existing mounting holes that are in the deck with epoxy and then drill new ones.  The rubber boot will also have to be trimmed or we can try something like spar-tite.   I'll ask today about that also.  

Got my spare alternator back from Ballard Electric yesterday.  Amp-tech 120 amp model.  Needed new everything basically.  $170 or so.  Next thing to take to them is the windlass motor and the alternator that is on the motor.  I'm trying to make sure that we won't have electrical issue once in Mexico.  Yeah right.  Boats break.  Especially mine.  

The new rigging is here and getting installed.  Nice and shiny.  I sure hope that we aren't using that crap that will rust right away.  This other Wauquiez that I was looking at had new rigging put on in SF couple years ago, already rusting.  Looked like shit.  I am told that we are using the best stuff.  I forget the brand.  Anyway, Tutmark stands by his stuff.

This is what I am talking about when I say the previous owner just didn't do things 100% right.  Maybe he wasn't aware.  These are the spreader caps or ends.  They are suppose to capture the shrouds.  Never minding the crack in the one (man am I glad that we pulled the rig), the one on the right is done correctly.  The one on the left used a bolt with WASHERS (not big ones either) to "capture" the shroud.  Click on the photos to see what I mean.  Took us 10 minutes to do the job right.  We are finding all sorts of half-assed things done to the rigging.  This is a boat that raced off-shore.
I'll fix the stuff.  And do it right.  The way it should be.

Back in the water sans no mast.  No sure if you can see it here but I raised the waterline also.  Appa had the double blue boot stripe.  Painted over that.  Amazing how high in the water she rides with no rigging.

Shaft-shark installed.  Tightened and locked in place with the goo they sent me.  Sharp as hell.  Of course i couldn't find the stickers that should be placed near the waterline to warn people of that sharp ass thing down there.  It will be a pain to have it there I figure.  I might even take it off if I deem it too dangerous.  I have a thing to put around it when we are diving on the boat.  Have to get it on the shark without cutting one's self first though.

Varnish

Started working on the teak grating in back of the helm and the teak that goes on the aft end of the cockpit seat. This is three coats of varnish. 

The blogger on the iPad sucks. Just sayin'. Anyhow....

Here are some pictures of the damn mast collar that I cannot get replaced. Collar?  More like a freaking noose!

You can see the crack in the middle of the thing. Maybe tomorrow I'll get word from sparcraft. 

 

On the hard!

Boy have I been remiss on posting on our blog. 
So the boat got hauled out May 1st.  The mast was then dropped and Chris Tutmark (rigger) started to go over the mast.  Lots of work to do. 
The big problem is the mast collar is broke in two pieces.  What a pain!  No one has one.  Not sure what we are going to do.  it will be the one thing that makes us miss Swiftsure.  Grrr!

Alan and I taking Appa through the locks and under the Burlington Northern bridge

See the crack? 

This computer at work sucks!!

Cannot get my photos on the blog.

This is the punchlist:

1. Two coats of Sr 60 bottom paint.
2. Keel/hull joint refilled and faired
3. Prop strut inspected and faired
4. New through hull for emergency bilge pump
5. Put in and run hose of the new emergency bilge pump.
6. Buff and wax hull
7. Drop the rudder and inspect bearings
8. Pull mast and replace standing rigging
9. New mast collar
10. Install new Raymarine X-30 course computer with P70 AP controller and integrate with existing ST50 instruments
11. Windlass motor rebuild
12. Spare alternator rebuild
13. Fresh water coolant pump and bearing replaced
14. New timing belt on Prima 50 Perkins
15. Tighten keel bolts
16. Run new wiring though mast
17. Install new Raymarine i60 wind gauge and transducer
18. Install new nav station panel and mount ST60 instrument, Watchmate AIS, weatherfax and barometer
19. rewire electrical panel
20. Fix light and engine alarm at engine control panel
21. New blower for engine room
22. Raise the waterline
23. Run new small bilger pump hose.
24. Replace all through hull and hoses

That is all I can think of right now.

Here are some more photos.

Spreaders getting pulled.  The shrouds were "captured" by a bent bolt and nut.  Again with the jury rigged stuff by the previous owner!!






Old owner coated the base of the mast with epoxy.  Why?  The things that other owners do. 











This actually is an improvement if you can believe that

The newest member of our family!

Appa after getting buffed out. 

Beebee standing next to our new Rocna!

Keel/hull joint getting fixed

My buddy Tom's J109 Pathfinder in front of Appa

Beginning of new nav station area

My man Jugurtha making the station

Pathfinder and Appa getting the bottom treatment

Dancing while you work.

New valve for galley sink

under the head sink through hulls

New crash bilge pump

Before the remodel

New blower motor

Crash pump switch.  Connected directly to the house bank

So we are still on the hard at CSR.  Waiting on engine parts from England.  Due in on Friday. 
We are probably not going to do Swiftsure.  Just don't see how it all can come together in time.
We'll see.