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| June 07, 2012 Post 39 |
| Sara B 2.0 - She Swims! |
Finally out of the barn |
As the Travel lift lowered her into the water,we watched with great interest. Where would the waterline end up?Would she float level†Would some unknown hole let in a flood? Was this whole idea a mistake? When the straps slackened, the waterline ended up within a few inches of our best guess and the bilges were dry! This was, to put it mildly, a relief. This whole Vaitses style re-inforcement job has been highly speculative in our view. We certainly know what the traditionalist camp would think of it. And there is the crumbling rotted hull of another strip planked wooden boat build with a glass covering parked nearby at the boatyard as a cautionary reminder. The technique has its limits. Sara B is still an old wooden boat and trapped moisture will make short work of her hull. It is essential to keep her as dry as possible in our view and we'll keep the borates-glycol homebrew recipe handy. An annual dose of it in her bilge only seems prudent.
On the road |
We have rigged a catch basin with bilge pump under the cockpit drains for rain water. We hope the new stuffing box drip is tolerable. And we installed solar powered ventilation and plan to keep windows and hatches closed when not aboard. Time will tell.
The engine fired up and the re-lined clutch got us across the bay. Sara B is back. She's sitting at her Pleasant Beach dock looking remarkably like the old Sara B. Sea trials will soon show if with the new keel and external ballast she sails like the old Sara B. Watch this space for future news.
At the marina |
Sue aloft rigging the triatic |
Back to the Pleasant Beach dock |
Meanwhile, we should not miss the dance of the planets - surely a good omen for Sara B's new life! |