Another Step Forward

   The top is practically finished, on one side. All the pockets that have been sewn on are great. The chances of the poles wearing through, are pretty darn nonexistent.
  It has been raining here almost non~stop for 3 days, and the cover is awesome, the top stayed pretty much dry. 
  Captain Carey has put alot of time in his research. He has been watching videos, looking up canvas work done by other boaters and tent makers. They both have great ideas on covers, and just sewing techniques. How to put the zippers in, going around corners, installing velcro, where to put the snaps, etc, etc, etc.
  When the whole top of the cover is done, we start doing panels. The panels will come down from under the flap. The panels will zip on, and together. They will clip to the life line stantions, and when all is said and done, we will be able to walk all the way around the boat, standing up. When it rains, the whole topside will be dry, and when the wind blows, we will just synch the top down with a strap that goes all the way around the whole top. And the amount of shade this will give us while in the hot tropics of Mexico, is priceless.
  Now the big project, to see if we can get the heater up and rolling. It is a pretty trick unit. It will be a good addition to these brisk, and damp mornings we have had lately. The rain is here, and I doubt it is going to be stopping anytime soon. I hope, because we need the water, everywhere.
bunkmate

Got It Covered

  Sometimes we forget to remember what was it that drew us back down river to the ocean. There is never just one thing, there where tons of pros and cons that were thrown into the cauldron all mixed up, and it ultimately came down to our sanity.

 We have restored our girl quite a bit, but we have also been ‘Shinalizing’ our way throughout.
  The next big weekend project is sewing the cover for the entire topside. The Cap'n took friday off, so we had a 3day weekend to try and bust out the cover.  We sewed all day, and into the evening. The first day we sewed the panels together, up to the mast, then the Cap'n spent most of the rest of the weekend getting the boot for the mast done, boy is that tricky. 

 

  1st weekend done

bunkmate

Need A Spare?

  When we bought SVCerridwen she came with alot of spare everything. There is something to be said about organization on a sailing vessel. The amount of things that you need to carry in case of an emergency, or something breaking while at sea, or something leaking while at sea, there are a number of reasons why you need to carry so much stuff.

The amount of screws, nuts, bolts, different caulking, washers, bungees, hoses, clamps, brass nails, stainless steel nails, hooks, rivets, latches, spark plugs, oil filters, fuel filters, air filters, hinges, snaps, bungs, cleats, tape, do you have any idea how many different kinds of tape there are?
 As we go along we have been stratigizing on some type of organization system. We have come to realize, the best way to go about it is to put stuff together with like items, put them in see thru containers, and label them. In order to that we had to go to the beginning, pull it all out, sort as you go, spend the whole day down below. This is also including everything from under the aft cabin mattress. The shop is so 'Shinalized' now. All the stuff under the V~berth is now sanding stuff, and painting stuff.
  All the new room in the cabinets, with the new shelves, and all the organizing, things are settling in place. Just in time to start working on sewing the top on the cockpit, getting the heater all hooked up, seal all the teak up top, and get a good coat on it before it starts raining. You know, boat stuff.
  Organization is a key roll for keeping things neat and tidy on the boat. There is no room for messes. No matter how hard I try, The messes have to be dealt with as soon as you get done making it. And everything has a home.
  bunkmate

Getting Sewing

The next big weekend project is sewing the cover for the entire sailboat. Which will be done in weekends, plural, I am not sure how long it will take, but the Cap'n is all over it. We made a template for the 'Bimini' part, and the connector panels. He went straight to work putting all of his know hows, and researched information together, and we now have the beginning of the cover. The Cap'n has a plan to make a cover that will be held up by the halyards, you will be able to walk all the way around the deck, standing up, and if its raining, you won't get wet. Most of the canopy will come down while we are under way, and some will stay up and protect us from the elements. So the template was made, then the Cap'n cut it all out, then made the flaps, and cut them out, then made the zipper sections, and cut them out. He then went below and sewed, and cut and sewed. With it all together, he matched it up, and it fit, it needs some adjustments, but it comes together like it's supposed to. 

 Mind you he has never sewn before, or worked with patterns. But that is the way the Cap'n learns, he just does it. He researches it, finds out how it works, and makes it work. Just like that. 

We will be working on this project for a while. Change it, and make it the way he wants it. It will be useful to be going up on deck when it's raining, or the sun is super hot, either way we can do it, anytime. We chose an almost white for the shade canvas. The covers will be the Heather Beige. both will work with the blue that is currently covering all the winches, and the dregs, the hatches have already been done in the Beige. The Cap'n put the order in for the Oyster Sunbrella today, through Sailrite, which means in two weeks it will be here, and we will be right on it. The weather is going to change to foggy and cold, and I want to be able to be sure that I will not get that drop of water right on my temple in the middle of the night. It all should be sealed now.

  The next weekend will be getting the heater up and running. I am not sure what my project will be, as long as I get to be working with my best friend/Cap'n/chef/husband.

  bunkmate

Getting Ripped

  That extra bar/tube that Cap’n Carey ordered with the frame for the BBQ, works excellent!!! She is super sturdy. We are definitely not going to lose the BBQ if we get hit by a huge wave. Hopefully we will never be hit by a wave on the aft. Especially if I am at the helm.

  I never knew what a 'Rip Tide' was, I remember people saying to watch out for them, but I never knew what exactly I was supposed to be looking for. Since we have started sailing, we have encountered several Rip Tides. They are quite intimidating. We first saw some up in the Pugent Sound. When two currents are opposing each other, they create a whirlpool effect, which swirls around, sucking everything to the center, around and around, and eventually swallowing it. The ones we encountered up there were strong enough to pull our 27 foot boat in, we had to fire up the engine to get straight out of there. The biggest Rip was at Lime Kiln Point, where the water has made a huge hole. It attracts the Orcas to the area, they have a huge viewing area for everyone, that is how much they visit this Rip. The shallow water is 35ft, and jumps to 144ft within 25~50ft. The water looks like it is just swirling, but there is alot going on under the surface. The salmon love the stuff it sucks in too, they try to stay in the 40~90ft range. 

bunkmate

Let There Be Shelves

We have been doing alot of ‘behind the scene’ work on SVCerridwen, or should I say in. We have been continuously working on one thing or another. It all will be done at some point, just in time to sand and varnish something else. 

  As you well know the Cap’n has completely redone the fridge. The teak shelves that were in it were awesome for the moisture, but they were so dark. So the Cap’n got the idea of plexiglass, and that is all it took. Now the fridge is so much lighter, you can see thru the shelves as well, so there is less hunting. Less time in the fridge is exactly what it needs. Now we are going to get a ‘beverage’ cooler of some type. We are trying to get away from having to open the fridge 40 times a day. Plugged in preferably, with 12 volt charger. but we will see. The Cap’n will find the perfect one for our needs. He always does.

  Our storage on SVCerridwen is pretty slim, so the Cap’n and I have been chatting about where there is wasted space for a long time, we have came up with a plan, shelves, everywhere. Now that we have a general idea of where things are going to be, and improve that with a shelf or two. We have always wanted to put the ‘can cupboard’ behind the Navigation Station cushions. We were thinking of one shelf, then we ended up with enough room for 2. With the tall shelf on top to hold the weight, and protect the latch from popping. Plus good weight on the Starboard side. Another improvement in the Navigation Station area, is a shelf in the bar cupboard, it fits all the way back, and can fit 3~30 packs of cans, and have room for a six pack plus, and that is just the shelf we put in. That is how much space is\was wasted.

There are so many little projects going on, I am trying not to forget to log the little stuff too. The head had wasted space under the sink area, and under the towel cubby, Under the sink we put a bottom shelf, and put a shelf behind the shelf that was there. In the pic you can see the unpainted shelves, which they are all painted now. I just don't get how SVCerridwen has made it 39 years with that much wasted space. She had live aboards for like 13 years, where did they put their stuff? I know that with all this room, I have to get more stuff, because I gave all my stuff away because we didn't have room. And now we do.

bunkmate

Sailing Bug Alert

We actually had our first guests out sailing on SVCerridwen. We had the Cap’n’s  Dad and Nora come to town to visit, and they got here early so we took them for an afternoon sail. We sailed out to San Pablo Bay, and sailed wing~on~wing most of the way back. Dad was at the helm for the most part, and he loved it. You better watch out Nora, I think he got bit by the sailing bug while he was here. Yea Dad had a blast. We had a great visit. Dad brought his little girl Calli, she seemed to enjoy the sail too. Roxi and her sat together for awhile, they were cute. 

  While Dad was at the helm, I actually got to handle some sheets and canvas, which I usually have the helm, while the Cap’n works the winches. The sheets are the ropes that hold the tip of the sail, ran to winches, and canvas is the sail itself. Thanks Nora and Dad, we had a blast.

  We had a whole nother day, so the Cap’n put me to work on the bungs, after he finished putting the rest of the rail on the countertop. The Bungs are little pieces of wood cut to fit in screw holes, so the wood looks finished. And that is what you call a ‘bunghole’. It is not what I have always thought a bunghole was. hahaha. You find one that fits snug in the hole, rub varnish on it, and put it in the hole and give it a couple of bonks with the hammer, sand it down, wipe with varnish, *one of the reasons we chose the ‘rubbed effect’ is that it doesn’t show touchups*, then let it dry. You don’t realize how much you touch something until you varnish it. 

  We are loving being on the water again. We are having the time of our lives. So this is living the dream, not living paycheck to paycheck, been there, done that, I hope I never have to do it again.

 bunkmate

Cap'n be Nap'n

With all the hard work the Cap'n has been doing around here, and at his other job, he has been needing to take a quick cat nap here and there, it is somewhat mandatory that the Cap'n be Nap’n.

  We have been working hard to get to ‘Right Here, Right Now’ that sometimes we forget to slow down and enjoy the life we are living. So it is important to take our time and soak in the cruisers life.

  The Cap’n showed the crew how to ‘reef’. Hopefully we don’t have to ever reef the main in windy conditions. We sailed this past weekend with it reefed, just to see how well she sails with it, and it does take alot of the wind out of the sail. We ran the jib on the forward, the staysail mid ship, and the main. It was a blast. Cerridwen has 8 sails that we have to learn to run. I am excited to try a couple different sails, that I have never sailed with, especially the ‘parachute’. You use the parachute when you have the wind at your back, our parachute is rainbow colored, imagine that. And I had nothing to do with the color, we are just lucky like that. You will see pictures when we fly it.

  jib hanked on

Throwing Up Canvas

  We finally got out for the shake down cruise. That means you go out and throw up the canvas, and see what all falls around down below. It wasn’t too bad. We did a pretty good stash it job. Nothing broke, and very little hit the floor, but when the Cap’n opened the fridge he got attacked by a bunch of beer and cheese.

  The new roll cage got alot of use, with us moving around tacking and working the rigging, it was pretty nice to have the extra handles. I need to make a couple of panels for the top side of the frame, I feel that a couple of the screen panels will cut some of the blinding glare when looking up at the pilot bird to tell the wind direction.

  It was pretty calm for the most part, there wasn’t too many white caps, and you can read the wind on the water for gusts and stuff. That is one of my favorite things to do when the water is calm, watch the wind dance on the water.

  The trial run was pretty fun, we  brought up the Main Sail, and we had it reefed on the 2nd line to start out with, till we got up the jib sail and staysail. Reefing is an amount of the sail still not put up, where only most of the sail is up for when it is super windy. We took it to the 1st reef after a while of dialing in the sails, running lines, and getting the feel of her in the water sailing. The kiddz had a blast too, for the most part they just really hung out in the cockpit, Sailor likes to put his head out and just smell.They did alot of wandering around looking overboard too. I wonder what they will do the first time they see a dolphin. We went by a big green buoy that had a biggo seal on it and they just barked back and forth with each other.

  Our marina, Benicia Marina, is in Carquinez Straight, between Suisun Bay, with San Pablo Bay, on the other side of the bridge. Our first anchor out. Listening to the water splash against the hull, the tug on the anchor when you come to the end of the rode. *your rode is the line that tethers you and your anchor chain together*, along with the night watch. Our Cap’n has an app to watch our gps, to see if we are slipping anchor, from bed. 

 We anchored off of Dillon Pt. just shy of the bridge at the entrance of San Pablo Bay. Where there is a huge shallow area that has a drop off from 3 feet to 90+. And it is a pretty steep drop too. Alot of people fishing from the bank. We stayed the night there and sailed home Sunday. Our Cap’n is our hero when it comes to rowing to shore for potty breaks. plus he got the first picture ever, of SVCerridwen at anchor. With the potty boat in the foreground.

bunkmate

  

Nutshell

 So this Whole thing started at the starboard mainsail TRACK. Yep, That is the whole story wrapped up in a nutshell.

     1. There were a couple of really long bolts, that started leaking for some unknown reason. It could have been the bolts that they put in to hold the life line poles, that were crossed up with the super long bolts.

     2. Someone at some time put stupid caulking on it to 'stop' the bleeding. Although I don't know their situation, or why the chose silicone caulking.

     3.  The lowest spot of the 1o Foot Track *TFT* is right at the head sink. The TFT runs from the stove to the farthest head wall/aft cabin door wall. Along with the stantion plates that run along both sides as well. 

   Regardless of the culprit TFT, there had beed alot of water that seeped through the wood, and in some cases just ran down the hull to the bilge. But most of it seeped, and rotted alot of wood on the whole starboard side, slowly rotting away. Until someone comes along and says 'not on my boat' and rips the whole thing apart and puts in all new wood, screws, glue, fiberglass, epoxy, 52hundred, varnish, with hundreds of hours on the elbow grease guns, and busted knuckles to everyone that helped. We ripped her down to fiberglass, and built her right back up to be stronger than before On the inside fiberglass wall I wrote our last name and year we installed the frames and such, 2oI3 is when we did the galley and head.   With the head being the entry point for all the water, most of it rain, but some is salt water, damaged everything. But that was not too big of a project for our Cap'n or his crew.

   We took the whole starboard side of the boat, right down to the fiberglass, where you can see light coming through the fiberglass. All the way from the Cap's navigation station, through the stove, and the whole refrigerator, the sink, that is now a double sink, re~enforced the bulkhead, cleaned and freed the through holes, all the head floor he restored and rebuilt, and part of the aft cabin floor he had to take it apart piece by piece, and glued and sanded piece by piece, then 4 coats of varnish, looks like new. Down into the engine compartment, all the wood was rotted, the engine mounts have a wooded piece that has been replaced recently, the walls were crumbling apart when you touched them, the cap'n sealed the wall with epoxy stuff, re~wired the whole panels, re~routed some of the electric wires, more through holes down there, put up some sound proofing stuff, the bilge was full of old rotten wood, I spent along time on my belly vacuuming it and scraping it all out. We re~painted the inside of all the cabinets through out the boat. The countertop in the head was shot too, so we kept the actual doors and frames, but replaced all structured panels the whole way down the starboard side. All the cosmetic wood has been sanded down to the wood, 4 clear varnish, and 1 top coat of the rubbed effect varnish, all 6 doors, and every cabinet door included. No Cetol below, ever.

     bunkmate

Track and Liner

 Cap'n Carey finally had time to set the track on the starboard side, we went to Vallejo and picked it up at West Marine last month. He ordered the screws a couple of weeks ago, and he finally had time to put the track on. You can't really tell but some of the bolts are 6" long. He had to screw them all in by hand, no power tools for this job. Last weekend he poured epoxy down the old holes to seal them, then drilled the new holes to match the new black track. The access holes in the headliner are pretty much spot on. If anything happens we have access to all the bolts, all the way from the aft cabin, head, and through the galley.  It was pretty hard to bend the straight track to the bow of the cap rail. It looks fabulous. I can't wait to go out and test it.

  Now that the track is on we could finally put the headliner in the galley, and finish putting the nuts and washers on the track bolts from the head, and galley. And now the head is completely done, signed sealed and delivered. We have the galley about 80% done. The stove is completely in, and the liner is in, the only thing we have to do really is put the lights up, and put the shelving back in and seal the sink. We have to put the covers on the chainplates, and get the plugs wired in. But other than that I believe we are just about done with the galley.
  There is still alot of work to do in order to leave for Mexico. But the Cap'n and I are chugging along on the 'never ending' list. Every time you get one thing done, you end up adding about 4 more things. The good part is that now that the head and galley is almost done, we can head up top to get all the rigging rigged, and get our girl out sailing.
bunkmate

Roll Cage & Blinds

   The dredging isn’t dredging. I guess the marina has to have a permit to dredge, and apparently there is a snag in the permit office, or something like that. But none the less, our slip sits empty, Our internet is so far away, we can barley get on line for any amount of time.

   We haven’t put everything on hold though. The Cap’n has been super busy getting his new BBQ installed, and practicing on it every chance he gets. He also ordered our cockpit frame, aka ‘Roll Cage’, from Iversons Designs. Including all the hardware, all the different ends, the tube lengths, and the bolts etc. to put it together. He also got an extra pipe to mount/brace the BBQ, in anticipation of heavy waves etc.

It took him a few hours to put the whole thing together, they make the poles long on purpose, so that you can cut them to your specific length, and angle. The Cap'n did an awesome job on the frame. He spent the whole time chatting about the different canvas work we are going to do. I think he is excited to get these steps done, the more that gets done, the faster we set sail. It all turned out, and fit together perfectly, just like he planned it, Mr.Overthinker. He has thought about this configuration over, and over, and talked about it every chance he had. I don't have that ability, the ability to think about one thing for long periods of time.

  The frame is very sturdy, and will be a terrific handle while on rough seas. The back bar is a double bar, so the canvas can be up while cruising, and still have a grab bar, Both sides also have handles, that will be on the outside of the canvas. The canvas will connect to the hard top that we have, and all of it will be a perfect fit together. We have put alot of thought into this part too, I can't wait to see it all done, it is going to be awesome too.
We also ordered our window shades, fromClo~Zures. We made & cut out templates of the bigger windows. The smaller portholes are standard size portholes, from Newfound Metals, of Port Townsend, Wa. When we got the blinds, and I put them up right away. They fit great and they look great too. The shade they give is wonderful on these warm days, it's perfect, and the privacy is outstanding. They are pretty trick, they slide back and forth, open and close, and if you want you can remove them. They are velcro, and the nobbies are clear, so when you remove them you don't have colored dots on your window. If we had it to do over again we would not let them talk is into trimming down an extra 1/16th of an inch smaller than the window. I would much rather trim them myself, so they go right to the edge. We are very happy with them none the less.

bunkmate