April 11, 2006

Dear Mak, This morning the Whelp was put back into the water and she is back in her berth at the Catamaran Marina. When I arrived Thursday America was busy sanding the boat. AS you read this description consider four people sanding and varnishing away like mad as sort of the rhythm of the experience. It was useful because there was always some one here to lend a hand.

I took the taxi directly to the yard to inspect the blocking plan and see what Level of competence I was dealing with. I was immediately pleased with Dion Hector and his crew. We scheduled a 7AM arrival for hauling and the intention of going off of the ways Tuesday morning. I went back to the boat and with out unpacking started to put the intermediate bearing in. The wood block was 1/8 too high so I had a long rubbing session on the dock to wear down the extra wood. After two sessions it was getting close AND THEN the wood split at the glue line. I was all done sanding luckily it was close enough to make fit by removing the two washers under the flexible mounting bock. I greased it up and ran the engine ahead at 1000RPM for about a half hour. The bearing got hot, 170 deg, so I loosened the hold down bolts and the upper half and the temperature dropped. It was running at 105 degrees when I called it quits at 11:45 PM.

I was up at 5:30 the Friday morning dropping the inflatable into the water and bringing the second anchor rode over to the dock so we could leave it for John to haul out and clean off. 6:30 departure brought us to English harbor at 7:05 and we hung out waiting for the ways to be lowered. It started down at about 7:30 and we were out of the water very smoothly by 8:00.

Looking the hull before pressure washing it was quite clean. We had discoloration around the SSB ground in a circle about 4 feet in diameter. There was also a nasty looking separation of the glass down at the bottom of the keel. it was about 4 feet long on the port side we determined that the really ugly part was the Kevlar coming unglued from the hull ad the crack was mostly in the outer layers and didn't really involve the wood underneath.....so we had this ground down and turned out attention to the crack in the glass covering layer in the boot top at the stem. It turns out that this was a bubble in the original glass work and it could be quickly dealt with. This was the major reason that I planned to haul in Antigua rather than Maine later on so it was a relief that the crack wasn't because of a continuing problem with water penetration into the stem. Shower and out to diner.

Saturday saw the yard crew back sanding and painting the first bottom coat on the hull. I started unpacking the gear I brought down with me. NO air conditioning because we were on the ways no refrigeration, not a breath of air I would unpack an item and then stow it or install it. And escape up to the deck. At noon I escaped and walked to the Antigua marina to get the cell phone up and running. Also went to the Yacht club and signed up for the Classic Regatta. I was all in by 6:30 and really didn't make much progress since nothing I installed wanted to behave. The InterPhase showed no sign of life and the Inmarsat -C needed me to go up to the top if the mast to install the antenna and America was busy varnishing. When I was installing the Inmarsat -C I noticed that the Noland Nmea 183 splitter wasn't working. The list of things that weren't working was growing not shrinking. Aft Head holding tank pump out. Aft Grey water stuck float switch. Main engine tack shuts of when the generator runs. Computer giving one device fails to function at start up warning. Computer printer not working. I called it quits took a shower and went out to dinner. Had a salad. When I returned to the boat the mosquitoes were out with a vengeance. Little tiny mosquitoes.

Sunday America was back at 8:00 and the yard subcontracted with Woodstock crew to do the glass work Nice guys, Phil doing the glass work and Danny lubricating the thru hulls he got all but the port cockpit thru hull simply because he couldn't fit to get access. The high point of the day was that America took me out to lunch with his crew at a local eatery, Good but strange food. I had curried goat. I spent some time at the dock yard at an internet cafe tracking down Noland engineering so I 'd have a phone number Monday morning. Dinner was a pizza . and back to the Mosquitoes. I actually got out the water colors book and did the first exercise.

Monday America was at it bright and early. I hadn't gotten a lot of sleep because of the formations of mosquitoes dive bombing me. I went to English Harbor and had scrambled eggs for breakfast. I made contact with Noland engineering and they are going to send a new unit under warranty. I called a computer guy and he took the printer away and promised to come back to the Cat club on Tuesday morning with a report on the printer and to get into the nitty gritty of the WIFI and other stuff. I made two trips to Antigua Sails to replace the lower batten we lost coming down from Bermuda. Bought yellow paint and marked the anchor chain. Cleaned the speedo thru hull and paddle and sanded the shells off of the depth sounders. Fueled up the dingy and had a steak and two beers before consigning my self to the mosquitoes. This time I put all of the hatch screens up and had a tolerable but sweaty night.

0700 Tuesday morning I was inspecting the boat and found the paint job on the boot top at the stem was awful. Out side of that every thing else was acceptable. The boat went back in t 8:30 and we steamed around to the Cat CLUB. America handled the anchor and chain. The mooring was acceptable for a green crew. At 1030 the computer guy came back and pronounced the printer dead. He also connected me up to the WIFI and will be back tomorrow to investigate the device that isn't working. America is varnishing like crazy so I am in the way. I took the zodiac around to English Harbor to square up with the Yard and send the bill to Joanna. On the way back I stopped at the Antigua Marina and picked up a steak for dinner the first time I will have cooked for my self on this trip. I squared away with John Nobbs for babysitting the boat,(Paid his Catamaran marina bill with the Visa Card $820 more or less ) found out who can make food for us to freeze for the trip north.

A steak, the Ice box is back on , the air conditioner is working Jazz is playing on the stereo...I found my paisley handled screw driver... all is momentarily right with the world.

Tomorrow I think that we will be getting more organized and settled in.

That is what is going on here.

Cheers Phin

April 26, 2006

David, Mak, Hope that all is well with you. Lions Whelp is about 388.7 miles from Bermuda motor sailing at 8.5 knots in a delicious high. I'd be sailing at 4 knots except for the frontal passage that is due in Bermuda at 1400 EST on the 28th. I seem to get in about two hours before frontal passage the last two times.... and have a fun, wild, wet ride from St Georges to Hamilton.....as opposed to slogging the last 30 miles to windward.

I am firming up the window for the sail from Bermuda to Portland. I have to be in Portland BY the 2nd of June. Because we are hosting Bruce Schwab and Ocean Planet at PYS that weekend. If I back that up five days the latest we can leave comfortably is Saturday the 28th.
Since I am looking for a high to cross the Gulf stream on I fudge 72 hrs for a weather window which means the boat is ready to go and on standby from the 25th. I'll be on the boat on the 22nd- 23rd to check out systems. You are welcome to arrive any time before clearing. ( Abbott arrived in a taxi while we were at the customs dock last year.) Hey it works for me!

The magic passage planning number is 168 miles per day so the trip should take 4.5 days. If it is flat ass calm we can power the whole way in 4 days.

Can you pass this on to Teddy. Looks like the crew is Phin, Abbott, David, Teddy, Some one from Tabor and we'll see. we're sailing up from Antigua with four and it has been acceptable but busy because of the watches.

Cheers! Phin

April 29, 2006

Been a busy Day. Powering now. C 348 M Trying to get westing for a date with a front tomorrow evening. The wind has been fluky and we have been rolling around pretty heavily. At 10:00 I heard a huge crash. the guys had rigged a preventer through a turning block to the Port cockpit winch and the boom crashing over had pulled the winch right up from the deck. The two aft bolts in the pedestal were 1.25 inches long and just screwed into a g-10 sleeve. The four forward bolts were thru bolted to washers of various descriptions the one with no washer just pulled up into the headliner. The g-10 sleeve broke where the bolt ended and two pieces of the deck split out with them.

Squalls coming down around us we managed to disassemble the winch and pedestal, find some more G-10 tube tap that for the 1/4 inch bolts, make longer bolts, glue down the teak, drill out the old G-10 re bed and install the pedestal just as the first unavoidable squall hit. Water was pouring down the bolt holes into my face and into my bunk as Jim Cram on deck tightened the last bolts and started to squeeze out the 5200 bedding compound. Had the repair finished and the winch back in service by 1300. #1 the shock loads are astounding. #2 the rope used had absolutely no stretch. #3 Screwing into g-10 tubes us insufficient faced with this violent loading. The reason for the G10 tubes was because of the unfortunate location of the winch over a bulkhead. In Maine we will have to move the winch forward and get some decent blocking in place.

I am trying to download the grib files to check on the front we should see Sunday night and another Monday night. There are squalls all around us with impressive lightening. It is a good thing to have the boat water tight again and the winch operating.

Cheers! Phin

May 1, 2006

Hi there. Sent an e-mail to Mak about winch repair hope he passed it around. Noon position 24 07'N 64 34W.Wind 270 deg 15 knots Speed 7.8 kn COG 359M Blue skies with thunderheads building. Almost half way. I was routed way west so that when the low moves away from Bermuda we can ride the westerlies in. Right now we are close hauled in about 6 foot seas. A little on our ear. The weather is good and if we can stay tucked in under the low as it moves off then we will not slip into the lighter air that is working in behind us. I would almost like for it to stall and dissipate so we have the benefit of the favorable winds and they do not go too much into the NW.

It is still too soon to predict the Bermuda ETA. Could be as early as Thurs noon if we can hold the wind.

The crew is great I am being well fed. Pierre had a visible panic attack when he realized that the coffee in the cabinet was decaf. The look of terror didn't end until he found the stash of Maxwell house in the Main cabin. However, I am constantly reminded that the actual Schooner experience is lacking even though they are good sailors and are picking up things quickly.

Had a hard time starting the generator this morning. I don't think it likes being on it's ear. Out side of that all things are nominal.

Cheers! Phin