Cody and I made to California late Monday night in the Jeep with Furthur in tow after leaving Florida on the previous Tuesday. Before leaving, we had to pack our dorm room filled with random stuff in 3 days, and I to pulled the rear axle in the Kappa (our dorm) parking lot to adjust the pinion angle.
Thank you to everyone who attended our send-off party at the Davis Island Yacht Club and we appreciate your generous donations to our campaign! We hope you enjoy the artwork and will come back with more stories and photos in the fall.
I will post a full write-up of the cross-country delivery with photos soon, as well as keep a log of all the prep work we are doing before the race.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
SunCoast Race Week Recap
One month ago, Team Furthur Ocean Racing was competing in SunCoast Race Week, a 3 day regatta of point to point distance races between three yacht clubs around Tampa Bay. Our preparations are best described as hectic, but we got a lot of things from the list for Pacific Cup checked off. This included replacing the spectra soft hanks with metal hanks, a new tiller, and mesh bunks. The crew was comprised of Cody and myself, along with three of our friends from Eckerd: Dan, Nigel and Pete. Their sailing experience was minimal, but they were all athletic and quick learners. By the end of the regatta, we were functioning as a tight-knit, competitive racing crew
On the first day, we were the last boat to leave the docks. The sky was gray and looked like rain, but at least there was wind. I hadn't made it to the skipper's meeting the night before because I was delivering Furthur, so we aimed for the Race Committee boat with the 2 horsepower outboard screaming at full throttle. Luckily, they had our packet and handed it to us as we cruised by to check in. With the sailing instructions in my hand, I threw the tiller to Cody and dove below decks to program the course into the GPS. Meanwhile, the crew got the main and #1 jib up and the motor stowed. Finished with the GPS, I came back on deck as the Spinnaker A fleet start gun was fired. Or so I thought.
Realizing that all the spinnaker classes were started together, we gybed for the starting line and crossed it about 2 minutes after the fleet. With the spinnaker up, we were quickly gaining on the stragglers, including our closest-rating competitor, a Frers 30 named Salty Pause. On a PHRF random leg course, they rated 135 and Furthur rated 138. This allows for a 3 second gap for every mile of the course between their finish and ours. If we finish within that time, we beat them on "corrected time".
At the first mark, I tested the skill of my crew with a windward douse. After walking everyone through the steps of the maneuver and what each person's responsibility was, we went for it. The douse went so smoothly that I over estimated the distance needed, and we had to sail with just the main and jib for 50 yards before heading upwind. Upwind, I was finally able to adjust the backstay and vang instantly, which allowed me to keep the the boat in the right groove. The Santa Cruz 27 has a large foretriangle and is most of the power upwind comes from the jib. I was finding new gears in the boat, mostly from backstay tension affecting headstay sag.
Tacking on two lifts kept us in-phase with the wind shifts, and we maintained our gap on Salty Pause, while keeping a large cruising boat from rolling us. Downwind again, we gave chase to Salty Pause and significantly closed the distance between us. Furthur was right on the edge of surfing; with a bit of chop, the right steering, and a good pump on the spinnaker sheet, she would break loose. Two gybes later, we were dousing the spinnaker at the next mark, right on the tail of Salty Pause.
The next leg was upwind in chop, and here the heavy Frers 30 made its comeback against the ultra-light Santa Cruz 27. Still within striking distance, we rounded the next mark. The next course was a "water-line drag race"; with both boats sailing in displacement mode, the longer Frers would be faster. To add insult to injury, Salty Pause was able to carry their spinnaker on this leg, but the apparent wind was too far forward on Furthur to even carry the chicken kite.
With the wind dying, we turned the last mark and began slowly beating upwind to the finish. In the light breeze, the Santa Cruz 27 was faster and we began creeping up on the Salty Pause. The wind completely evaporated as the sun began to burn through the clouds. I knew that the sea breeze was fighting whatever wind we had, and would eventually fill from the west. Also, the tide was ebbing, and the strongest adverse current would be in the shipping channel on the east side of the Hillsborough Bay. Cody called the last puff on the bay and we tacked into it to head west.
Waiting for the sea breeze, we watched Salty Pause keep going east, chasing the receding pressure. After almost an hour, we saw the water at the edge of MacDill Air Force Base turn dark with ripples from the sea breeze. As the first puff hit Furthur, she jumped forward. We were the furthest west boat by a long distance and the first to get the sea breeze. While we were sailing with the sheets eased and charging for the finish, all the boats on the east side of the bay were still fighting the current in no wind. We finished 9 minutes ahead of Salty Pause, which automatically had us correct ahead of them. This put us in second place for our division, with Semper Fi, a well sailed J/29 in first. They were far enough ahead to finish before the wind died. Regardless, beating a faster boat with nicer sails across the line was a great feeling. After docking at the Davis Island Yacht Club and cleaning up the boat, we started a trek to 7-11 to buy more beer.
With the finish at a different yacht club each day, most boat owners and crew find SCRW a logistical nightmare of driving and lodging. To overcome this, we took advantage of the Santa Cruz 27's cruising amenities, as well as pitching a tent behind some boats in the dry storage yard. Exchanging the three free dinner coupons for plates, I loaded them with food at the buffet for my crew. Over dinner and a few beers, we talked about the days racing, our strong points, and how we could improve. Some friends from Eckerd drove out to DIYC and we had a nice little party.
Team Furthur at DIYC.
Cody and Pete enjoying the buffet.
Pete and Dan guarding the booze.
Sunset at DIYC.
Day 2 brought gusty wind from the north, perfect for a sleigh ride down the bay to Bradenton. We were the last boat off the dock again, but at least we knew where we were going. I started conservatively, maybe too much, but I didn't want to get a bunch of dirty air from the bigger boats. Unfortunately, the 1.5 oz spinnaker was ripped on the set, but we weren't set up for peels and dousing would be too slow. I hoped the kite would hold as we locked into Salty Pause's wake and surfed it to the next mark. They wouldn't let us get around them, so we stuck on their tail. The course to the next mark was deeper and we got ready to quickly douse the ripped 1.5 oz for the .5 oz spinnaker. It was the top of the wind range for the .5 oz, but we needed to fix the 1.5 oz. The sail change went smoothly and we hardly lost any distance on Salty Pause. With Nigel's help, I fixed the 1.5 oz with sail tape, while Cody drove and coached Pete on trimming. The repair was completed, we changed back the 1.5 oz kite, and locked into the groove to catch Salty Pause.
Total concentration.
Pump Nigel!
Dan takes a turn trimming the spinnaker.
Lunch break.
In sub-planning conditions, the Frers 30 is faster than the Santa Cruz 27 downwind because it is longer and has more sail area. Knowing we couldn't beat Salty Pause if we just followed them, I called for a gybe and we headed to the middle of the bay in search of more wind. We found more pressure and swell, and Furthur began to surf. Everyone had been taking turns trimming, while Cody and I traded driving. Knowing these were our conditions if we sailed right, I took over driving and Cody trimmed. Cody pumped on each wave and I drove down every face I could surf. Our efforts were rewarded with boat speed; Furthur was pushing 10 knots on every surf. We were ahead of Salty Pause going under the Sky Way bridge; our next goal was to beat Semper Fi on corrected time. Watching them finish and douse, I figured it would be close, but wasn't sure we would make it.
A little surfing action.
Getting the inside overlap on two cruising boats as we rounded the last mark, I knew the last leg was make or break for us. With the pole just off the forestay and everyone hiking on the weather rail, Cody and I worked together to keep Furthur charging for the finish. We finished ahead of Salty Pause, but none of us knew if we got Semper Fi on corrected time.
The J/29 Semper Fi finishing 11 minutes and 10 seconds ahead of us.
Team Furthur charging for the finish.
Salty Pause, the Frers 30.
At Bradenton Yacht Club, we mingled with our competitors and enjoyed the free beer. The crew of Semper Fi joked with us, asking where we went during the race. Pete just responded with "We'll see." They left before the results were posted, and we beat them on corrected time by 5 seconds! This put us in first for our division and we kicked the party up a notch. Our quest that night was for whiskey, rum and fried chicken at Publix. With the supplies back at the boat, we celebrated our first win on Furthur before everyone passed out from exhaustion and sun burn. Any interesting observation is that crabs must love fried chicken; we threw the bones overboard and could hear the chatter of crab claws under the boat all night.
The next day, it was fun to watch the crew of Semper Fi check the results. They didn't seem too pleased. The wind was still out of the north, so after a short reach and downwind, we would be beating upwind all the way to the finish. Not great Santa Cruz 27 conditions, but we were ready to give it our all.
We got the the starting area with the rest of the fleet, sailed around with the #1 jib, then switched to the #3 as the wind built. I nailed the start and we stayed on Salty Pause's hip all the way to the first mark. The wind on next leg was too deep an angle for Furthur to be able to surf, and the Frers pulled away slightly as the wind got lighter. Realizing the #3 wouldn't have enough power to keep Furthur moving through the chop, I called for a change to the #1. Dan worked the bow and did a perfect job changing the jibs before we rounded the next mark. We had a good douse, now it was up to me to sail fast to the finish.
This was a perfect opportunity to sail Furthur at the top on the #1 genoa's wind range and tweak the trim for power and control. Jib cars back, vang on, playing the traveler and backstay, and driving the waves kept us charging. At the Sky Way, we were even with Salty Pause, but sailing a shorter distance to the finish. As we got closer, they fell behind and we finished ahead of them for the third day. I knew that Semper Fi got us, the J/29 loves sailing upwind in chop and deep angles downwind, but we locked in second place.
Finishing Day 3 after a long upwind beat.
SunCoast Race Week was without a doubt, one of the most fun regattas I've ever sailed. It was great to be skippering my own boat with my friends as crew. Everyone had a great time, we learned a lot, and finished very well.
On the first day, we were the last boat to leave the docks. The sky was gray and looked like rain, but at least there was wind. I hadn't made it to the skipper's meeting the night before because I was delivering Furthur, so we aimed for the Race Committee boat with the 2 horsepower outboard screaming at full throttle. Luckily, they had our packet and handed it to us as we cruised by to check in. With the sailing instructions in my hand, I threw the tiller to Cody and dove below decks to program the course into the GPS. Meanwhile, the crew got the main and #1 jib up and the motor stowed. Finished with the GPS, I came back on deck as the Spinnaker A fleet start gun was fired. Or so I thought.
Realizing that all the spinnaker classes were started together, we gybed for the starting line and crossed it about 2 minutes after the fleet. With the spinnaker up, we were quickly gaining on the stragglers, including our closest-rating competitor, a Frers 30 named Salty Pause. On a PHRF random leg course, they rated 135 and Furthur rated 138. This allows for a 3 second gap for every mile of the course between their finish and ours. If we finish within that time, we beat them on "corrected time".
At the first mark, I tested the skill of my crew with a windward douse. After walking everyone through the steps of the maneuver and what each person's responsibility was, we went for it. The douse went so smoothly that I over estimated the distance needed, and we had to sail with just the main and jib for 50 yards before heading upwind. Upwind, I was finally able to adjust the backstay and vang instantly, which allowed me to keep the the boat in the right groove. The Santa Cruz 27 has a large foretriangle and is most of the power upwind comes from the jib. I was finding new gears in the boat, mostly from backstay tension affecting headstay sag.
Tacking on two lifts kept us in-phase with the wind shifts, and we maintained our gap on Salty Pause, while keeping a large cruising boat from rolling us. Downwind again, we gave chase to Salty Pause and significantly closed the distance between us. Furthur was right on the edge of surfing; with a bit of chop, the right steering, and a good pump on the spinnaker sheet, she would break loose. Two gybes later, we were dousing the spinnaker at the next mark, right on the tail of Salty Pause.
The next leg was upwind in chop, and here the heavy Frers 30 made its comeback against the ultra-light Santa Cruz 27. Still within striking distance, we rounded the next mark. The next course was a "water-line drag race"; with both boats sailing in displacement mode, the longer Frers would be faster. To add insult to injury, Salty Pause was able to carry their spinnaker on this leg, but the apparent wind was too far forward on Furthur to even carry the chicken kite.
With the wind dying, we turned the last mark and began slowly beating upwind to the finish. In the light breeze, the Santa Cruz 27 was faster and we began creeping up on the Salty Pause. The wind completely evaporated as the sun began to burn through the clouds. I knew that the sea breeze was fighting whatever wind we had, and would eventually fill from the west. Also, the tide was ebbing, and the strongest adverse current would be in the shipping channel on the east side of the Hillsborough Bay. Cody called the last puff on the bay and we tacked into it to head west.
Waiting for the sea breeze, we watched Salty Pause keep going east, chasing the receding pressure. After almost an hour, we saw the water at the edge of MacDill Air Force Base turn dark with ripples from the sea breeze. As the first puff hit Furthur, she jumped forward. We were the furthest west boat by a long distance and the first to get the sea breeze. While we were sailing with the sheets eased and charging for the finish, all the boats on the east side of the bay were still fighting the current in no wind. We finished 9 minutes ahead of Salty Pause, which automatically had us correct ahead of them. This put us in second place for our division, with Semper Fi, a well sailed J/29 in first. They were far enough ahead to finish before the wind died. Regardless, beating a faster boat with nicer sails across the line was a great feeling. After docking at the Davis Island Yacht Club and cleaning up the boat, we started a trek to 7-11 to buy more beer.
With the finish at a different yacht club each day, most boat owners and crew find SCRW a logistical nightmare of driving and lodging. To overcome this, we took advantage of the Santa Cruz 27's cruising amenities, as well as pitching a tent behind some boats in the dry storage yard. Exchanging the three free dinner coupons for plates, I loaded them with food at the buffet for my crew. Over dinner and a few beers, we talked about the days racing, our strong points, and how we could improve. Some friends from Eckerd drove out to DIYC and we had a nice little party.
Team Furthur at DIYC.
Cody and Pete enjoying the buffet.
Pete and Dan guarding the booze.
Sunset at DIYC.
Total concentration.
Pump Nigel!
Dan takes a turn trimming the spinnaker.
Lunch break.In sub-planning conditions, the Frers 30 is faster than the Santa Cruz 27 downwind because it is longer and has more sail area. Knowing we couldn't beat Salty Pause if we just followed them, I called for a gybe and we headed to the middle of the bay in search of more wind. We found more pressure and swell, and Furthur began to surf. Everyone had been taking turns trimming, while Cody and I traded driving. Knowing these were our conditions if we sailed right, I took over driving and Cody trimmed. Cody pumped on each wave and I drove down every face I could surf. Our efforts were rewarded with boat speed; Furthur was pushing 10 knots on every surf. We were ahead of Salty Pause going under the Sky Way bridge; our next goal was to beat Semper Fi on corrected time. Watching them finish and douse, I figured it would be close, but wasn't sure we would make it.
A little surfing action.Getting the inside overlap on two cruising boats as we rounded the last mark, I knew the last leg was make or break for us. With the pole just off the forestay and everyone hiking on the weather rail, Cody and I worked together to keep Furthur charging for the finish. We finished ahead of Salty Pause, but none of us knew if we got Semper Fi on corrected time.
The J/29 Semper Fi finishing 11 minutes and 10 seconds ahead of us.
Team Furthur charging for the finish.
Salty Pause, the Frers 30.At Bradenton Yacht Club, we mingled with our competitors and enjoyed the free beer. The crew of Semper Fi joked with us, asking where we went during the race. Pete just responded with "We'll see." They left before the results were posted, and we beat them on corrected time by 5 seconds! This put us in first for our division and we kicked the party up a notch. Our quest that night was for whiskey, rum and fried chicken at Publix. With the supplies back at the boat, we celebrated our first win on Furthur before everyone passed out from exhaustion and sun burn. Any interesting observation is that crabs must love fried chicken; we threw the bones overboard and could hear the chatter of crab claws under the boat all night.
The next day, it was fun to watch the crew of Semper Fi check the results. They didn't seem too pleased. The wind was still out of the north, so after a short reach and downwind, we would be beating upwind all the way to the finish. Not great Santa Cruz 27 conditions, but we were ready to give it our all.
We got the the starting area with the rest of the fleet, sailed around with the #1 jib, then switched to the #3 as the wind built. I nailed the start and we stayed on Salty Pause's hip all the way to the first mark. The wind on next leg was too deep an angle for Furthur to be able to surf, and the Frers pulled away slightly as the wind got lighter. Realizing the #3 wouldn't have enough power to keep Furthur moving through the chop, I called for a change to the #1. Dan worked the bow and did a perfect job changing the jibs before we rounded the next mark. We had a good douse, now it was up to me to sail fast to the finish.
This was a perfect opportunity to sail Furthur at the top on the #1 genoa's wind range and tweak the trim for power and control. Jib cars back, vang on, playing the traveler and backstay, and driving the waves kept us charging. At the Sky Way, we were even with Salty Pause, but sailing a shorter distance to the finish. As we got closer, they fell behind and we finished ahead of them for the third day. I knew that Semper Fi got us, the J/29 loves sailing upwind in chop and deep angles downwind, but we locked in second place.
Finishing Day 3 after a long upwind beat.SunCoast Race Week was without a doubt, one of the most fun regattas I've ever sailed. It was great to be skippering my own boat with my friends as crew. Everyone had a great time, we learned a lot, and finished very well.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
DH Sailing
Up the rig flying the spinnaker
Don't worry mom I have a harness on!
Self portrait
Cody at the helm
The new deck hareware setup. Note that almost of the control lines aim at the driver so they can be adjusted without anyone else on deck.
The sun over St. Pete
The view from above
Peace man
Sailing toward Egmont Key
Leading the charge, bagel-in-hand
Space Commander reporting for duty
More downwind practicePhotos from the mooring field
Here are some photos I took while living on Furthur. The first 3 are long exposure night photos I took for my Studio Critic class, the rest just give you an idea of what life is like onboard.
On the foredeck
Eckerd in the background.
Looking out my back door
Chart table and the Captain's Quarters
Breakfast of Champions
View from my bed
Sail storage
Furthur with Arthur's boat Platypus off the bow and Eckerd in the background
Jujubean the dingy!Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Life in the mooring field, part 2
Sorry I haven't updated in more than a month, I spent over 2 weeks living on Furthur in the Maximo mooring field off Eckerd. Arthur came by DIYC one wednesday when I was working and suggested we sail Furthur back to Eckerd. The deck hard was installed, there was a nice sea breeze, and I hadn't had lived in the mooring field for about a month. After finishing work with Speed Merchant Services, I threw a coat of Teflon wax on the bottom of Furthur to slow the growth or algae and barnacles.
Expecting a reach and beat in 15 knots of sea breeze, I hanked on the #4 jib and organized the cabin for sailing. Arthur came back from the store with some food, drinks, and 2 gallons of gas. We finished rigging the boat and launched her without any issues. But as luck would have it, right as we hoisted the main the sea breeze died. We did the longest bare-headed jib change, as I had to switch all the hanks from the #4 to the #1. Even with the #1, we were making little to no headway in lumpy swell with no wind. I broke out the motor and we took off for Eckerd.
After running the outboard dry once, we found some pressure and started sailing again. Arthur loves tuning and tweaking boats, and we started experimenting with different settings. This was extremely educational and really helped me get the boat up to speed. Because the SC27 has masthead rig that bends like a telephone pole, backstay tension mostly controls headstay sag. Adjusting the backstay drastically changes the boat's sailing characteristics: more tension de-powers the jib, but helps our pointing upwind; less tension powers-up up the jib at the cost of pointing, but this is great in light wind and/or waves. The new hardware layout allowed for instant adjustments, which will help us change gears faster.
We anchored under sail and a friend picked us up in the dinghy. For the next two weeks, I mostly slept on Furthur instead of in Kappa. I would row to class in the mornings, hang out in my room or on the boat during the day, eat dinner ashore, then row out at night. While anchored off Eckerd, I faced some serious trials, including being unable to row out to in a storm. On a different morning, I woke up to waves hitting Furthur's bow from the side, instead of head on. The keel had just touched the mud off Eckerd and I was 10 feet from the mangroves. I called Cody and started prepping for the extraction. Pulling up the anchor revealed that the chain had wrapped between the fluke and shank, keeping the flukes from digging in. I reset the anchor in the channel with the dinghy as Cody just charged in the chest deep (for him) water to reach Furthur. Between heeling the boat over to reduce draft, the little 2-horse outboard screaming at full throttle, and the anchor line loaded on a winch with one of us grinding, we were able to get to deep water. The chain wrapping around the anchor and dragging was a random turn of fate. Luckily, the grounding was soft and Furthur appeared to have no structural damage. Cody and I also learned a lot about grounding recovery!
There were plenty of good times too. I took friends cruising, Cody and I practiced double-handed sailing, and we continued to learn how to sail Furthur fast. Then I got an email from West Florida PHRF, the SunCoast Race Week Notice of Race had been posted. SCRW is 3 days of point-to-point distance racing around and out of Tampa Bay between the St. Petersburg, Davis Island, and Bradenton Yacht Clubs. This would be a perfect opportunity to line up against some other boats in a distance race, hopefully with some downwind sailing.
Expecting a reach and beat in 15 knots of sea breeze, I hanked on the #4 jib and organized the cabin for sailing. Arthur came back from the store with some food, drinks, and 2 gallons of gas. We finished rigging the boat and launched her without any issues. But as luck would have it, right as we hoisted the main the sea breeze died. We did the longest bare-headed jib change, as I had to switch all the hanks from the #4 to the #1. Even with the #1, we were making little to no headway in lumpy swell with no wind. I broke out the motor and we took off for Eckerd.
After running the outboard dry once, we found some pressure and started sailing again. Arthur loves tuning and tweaking boats, and we started experimenting with different settings. This was extremely educational and really helped me get the boat up to speed. Because the SC27 has masthead rig that bends like a telephone pole, backstay tension mostly controls headstay sag. Adjusting the backstay drastically changes the boat's sailing characteristics: more tension de-powers the jib, but helps our pointing upwind; less tension powers-up up the jib at the cost of pointing, but this is great in light wind and/or waves. The new hardware layout allowed for instant adjustments, which will help us change gears faster.
We anchored under sail and a friend picked us up in the dinghy. For the next two weeks, I mostly slept on Furthur instead of in Kappa. I would row to class in the mornings, hang out in my room or on the boat during the day, eat dinner ashore, then row out at night. While anchored off Eckerd, I faced some serious trials, including being unable to row out to in a storm. On a different morning, I woke up to waves hitting Furthur's bow from the side, instead of head on. The keel had just touched the mud off Eckerd and I was 10 feet from the mangroves. I called Cody and started prepping for the extraction. Pulling up the anchor revealed that the chain had wrapped between the fluke and shank, keeping the flukes from digging in. I reset the anchor in the channel with the dinghy as Cody just charged in the chest deep (for him) water to reach Furthur. Between heeling the boat over to reduce draft, the little 2-horse outboard screaming at full throttle, and the anchor line loaded on a winch with one of us grinding, we were able to get to deep water. The chain wrapping around the anchor and dragging was a random turn of fate. Luckily, the grounding was soft and Furthur appeared to have no structural damage. Cody and I also learned a lot about grounding recovery!
There were plenty of good times too. I took friends cruising, Cody and I practiced double-handed sailing, and we continued to learn how to sail Furthur fast. Then I got an email from West Florida PHRF, the SunCoast Race Week Notice of Race had been posted. SCRW is 3 days of point-to-point distance racing around and out of Tampa Bay between the St. Petersburg, Davis Island, and Bradenton Yacht Clubs. This would be a perfect opportunity to line up against some other boats in a distance race, hopefully with some downwind sailing.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Almost done... ...then time to SAIL!
Almost all the new deck hardware has been installed, the only issue was the big washers for the clutches overlap. I was going to grind down an edge on each washer so they would fit, but the Speed Merchant trailer (and the bench grinder in it) wasn't at DIYC today. If I can find a bit of G-10 I'll just make a backing plate and use smaller washers. Thank you to my friends Leigh and Dan, who came out to help and didn't complain at all about finishing the job in the cold and dark!
Regardless, everything looks great and I'm really happy with the refit. Except for the clutches, all we have left to do is rebuild the traveler car with new bearings and figure out the lines for the backstay purchases. I'm thinking of using either Vectran of SK-78 Dyneema for the backstay and coarse purchases, with some New England Ropes Finish Line for the fine purchase. Lastly, after some shopping around I finally got a good price for some new pipe berths and they should be done in about 2 weeks. It's been nuking here with big swell in the Gulf and I can't wait to get Furthur back in the water for some offshore sailing practice.
Regardless, everything looks great and I'm really happy with the refit. Except for the clutches, all we have left to do is rebuild the traveler car with new bearings and figure out the lines for the backstay purchases. I'm thinking of using either Vectran of SK-78 Dyneema for the backstay and coarse purchases, with some New England Ropes Finish Line for the fine purchase. Lastly, after some shopping around I finally got a good price for some new pipe berths and they should be done in about 2 weeks. It's been nuking here with big swell in the Gulf and I can't wait to get Furthur back in the water for some offshore sailing practice.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Officially Entered in the Pacific Cup
Furthur is officially entered in the Pacific Cup, I just paid the entry fee! It looks like we'll have some really good competition in the double handed class; maybe they'll split the DHers into two classes so we aren't racing against a carbon fiber Mini Transat boat with a canting keel.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Photo Essay of the Deck Hardware Installation, Part 1
Arthur and the original pit set up.
Old School: A winch for each halyard and 8:1 vang with SS wire.
New School: 12:1 vang with Dyneema line lead to both sides of the cabin top.
Just mocking it up.
Halyard clutches and 2 winches instead of 3.
We taped over the holes to protect the balsa wood core from any moisture.
The tools of the trade.
Every battery drill I came across was dead, so I used this beast.
Using templates Cody made, I could accurately drill holes for the new hardware.
The view from Furthur's dry slip.
Dry, golden brown balsa core.
Each hole was taped from below and filled with thickened epoxy injected from a syringe. The holes for all the bolts were drilled over-sized, then the correct size holes will be drilled through the epoxy plugs. This creates a water proof barrier between the bolt and core to keep the core dry and strong.Tuesday, February 16, 2010
The Office
Here are a few photos of the Speed Merchant trailer...
The Zen view out the back of the trailer
The Zen view out the back of the trailer
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