The Schooner Sara B Log

Home	The Schooner Sara B Log

Back to index

October 10, 2007 Post 18

Another season comes to a close

Her final hours of the season at the Pleasant Beach dock

Dropping lake levels brought an early end to Sara B's third season with us. We had her pulled out on Sept 20. Lake levels nine inches below last year's left the marina channel to the lift out slip with barely enough water for our yachts. Both Titania with five feet of draft and Sara B with an inch or two less got stuck, though both were easily worked off the soft ooze. A boom sitter to heel her was all Titania needed to get out of the muck.

Chris and self put in a fairly long day before haul out stripping, carrying, and stowing, culminating with about three thousand pounds of lead ballast to ready Sara B for haul out. Now, as is customary when one owns an elderly large wooden boat in need of much maintenance and repair, the time of fall haul out is an occasion for evaluating and planning as well as stowing and covering away.

Photos of the cabin sole will hopefully assist in re-assembly in the Spring - always a challenge!

We hope Sara B's deck canvas job will buy her a few more years of watertight decks. And that the 2006 "temporary" cabin top job might last another year. Next spring we may again address some below the waterline issues, among them being another 5 or 600 screws placed mid strake into old frames. Possibly we'll also place more partial sister frames as per the 2006 survey recommendations and a new plank section or two might go in. Chris may also tidy up the jumble of wiring left by the last owner's upgrades as per survey recommendations.( at some point a detailed list of projects will be posted on the LLC section of this website).

Looking back upon two cross lake cruises and numerous shorter excursions, our third season with Sara B was both memorable and pleasurable. We've decided there was enough interest in the LLC/co-op concept to give it another year. Time will tell if enough "FOSBA's" (Friends Of Sara B) will coalesce to support the old girl. ( And if you're interested check the link on the front page for more on becoming a "friend".)

Pretty well stripped except for the masts

Whatever the future holds for Sara B, we look back on some grand romps and splendid sails aboard her. More than once I thought of her former name "Dream" as the miles slipped effortlessly astern. Now as the days shorten we'll plot and scheme, and plan and dream. We'll see what we can come up with for another season of sailing with Sara B. There may be more new developments. We hope there will be at least one across the lake cruise to Canada. Perhaps we'll join forces with some other Lake Ontario schooners for a group activity. And hopefully next year the Fair Haven jetty walkers will once again have their pirate ship to look upon as she glides past, taking her company on yet another brief escape to the lake's wide spaces.

It's been a privilege and on many occasions a pure joy to take the helm and guide our little ship through the 2007 season. Stay tuned for updates in 2008.

The main mast is pulled

A short road trip

We start covering her up for the long winter

A welcome distraction: FOSBA Greg Grundtisch and the lovely and talented Naomi show up with Swifty for some small boat "messing about"

Back to index