June 2019 Archives

I got my Christmas present for 2019 when Averisera launched this morning.  Scott of Nauset Marine picked up the boat in the Queen Anne Yard and trucked her to the launching ramp at Harwichport Boat Yard.  Corey showed up with his boom truck and we put the twig on and Averisera look like a sailboat.  Well, the boom and sails are not installed but you get the idea.

She swims!

Some kid keeps rowing around in my dinghy.

Fog?  We must be on Cape Cod.

I also met Mrs Hayes who owns the J22, Haze, and lives in a house next to the boat yard.  Her house predates the boat yard.  We talked sailing and other common interests.  It is always a lot of fun to talk sailing in the boat yard and she is very nice.  Hope to speak with her more often. Our mast was in her back yard all winter as her house is adjacent to the boat yard and that is where the boat yard boys put masts.  Next winter I will keep the mast and the boat together.

I caught a couple pictures of what we think are beach plums in bloom.  It looks like snow in summer.  This is in Chatham near the old weather balloon station.  Pretty scene.

Oddly, no leaves.  Maybe just an aspect of this crazy wet and windy spring...?

Seems like a decade ago when we were in Boston, I took this pic of Elizabeth doing a little fussing before the trailer came over to splash us.  The good old days!  It was probably early May.

Meanwhile, back in Harwich at the boat yard.  Pictures from a few sunny days in early June.

Under shrink wrap with hatch and rails off and in the garage being varnished.  I clean the winter dirt with denatured alcohol and rags.  After everything is inplace, it gets a good wash.

Ugh.  Get the shop vac and mildew remover ready.  The boat winters well under the wrap but mildew still creeps in and a lot more dust settles than one would think possible.

Varnish shop.  Mama's Ford is parked outside.  Hatch parts being varnished.

Someone was worried mice might have gotten into the loft and eaten into our sails.  Nope.  Tedi the Attack Cat guarded my stuff all winter.  Tedi has a cozy cottage in the garage loft with radiant floor heating.

The newly varnished rails are being dry-fitted before installation.  We secure one side, install the hatch in the slider, install the other rail and fasten everything in place.  Once the hatchway is watertight we can remove the shrinkwrap and get moving.

I am happy to have removed the shrink wrap and snapped this picture.  Somehow, I sense that the boat will make it to the water this year.

The old bottom paint flaked off in many places during the winter.  The bottom that is sanded is forward of the poppet. Unsanded is aft..  This year, bottom prep went real fast.  Thank goodness, everything else has dragged on and on.  We are going with two coats of Pettit ECO Hydrocoat.  White.  It must be dry in order to apply the paint.  Today, the 13th, is rainy.  Maybe tomorrow will be dry.