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January 06, 2013 Post 41

Winter Update

Last sail to Fairpoint for haulout

As the new year sees the sun ever so slowly begin to rise a little higher and stay a little longer each day our thoughts turn towards spring and one more season of sailing. Last year's season came to an end too soon as always. Our last sail of the year was up the bay to an appointment with a travel lift and mast crane on October 10. It was uneventful and with John Pupparo's help we got the sails off and the boat down rigged in record time. No ballast to lift! Yay. Sure is easier to leave the stuff on the bottom of the keel.

Sara B ended up a few yards from her previous parking spot and this year we decided to try a different cover up scheme. We no longer feel much need to try to keep the sun and wind off her wooden planks to slow drying and checking so we re-worked the cover using a bill board tarp instead of the two heavy canvas covers. In other years, the snow sat and sagged the canvas, melted dripped through re froze into a glacier on decks and generally made a mess. We thought the plastic would slide the snow off with a lower profile and less windage. Maybe. But after just a month or so we could see failures beginning to appear as tiny holes and tears so we may have to bite the bullet and go shrink wrap or some other technology. If we could keep the cockpit covered, we might opt for no cover. After all, Sara B is now basically a glass boat as far as her decks go. But it is important to keep the cockpit dry as it now drains into a sump and if things freeze up we might have quite the little mess there. Water and ice in the bilge of the boat with a Vaitses job are not going to help her longevity.

Cover frame up

Chris decided the best way to deal with the binding rudder stock problem was to install a rudder with a smaller diameter stock. He's building one of steel with a stainless heavy wall tube for the stock. It will slide within the liner and at the top he'll install a couple pieces of wood as spacers so we can still use the same casting for the tiller attachment. Plus the top of the rudder stock will appear similar to the old wooden painted stock. Welding up the blade and getting it watertight kept him occupied for several winter weekends.

Plans for 2013- It's a ways off but hopes and plans include a possible cruise around the lake in early summer when lake levels are highest. FOSBA's check your calendars for availability. Maybe starting somewhere June 10? Hoping to go for three weeks or so?

Billboard tarp on

Rudder project progressing

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