Middle Watch Musings
• Dec. 2, 2007 - Waiting for spring
Winter is just kicking in here in Victoria. We've been spending our time on the water in some of our friend's race boats keeping our sailing skills honed for next spring.
There are a few things we are doing to Plumper to make her better for our next wander north. We bought a new mattress for our forward berth (the one we always use). It is 6 inches of foam with a 2.25 inch memory topper. I call it "the paralyzer" because once you are in bed there is no getting out. It is lovely.
Our trusty blade jib is in at Halsey/UK getting SALEX'd (SAil Life Extension) I should probably take the main in as well.
I also had a new clutch lever built for our auto pilot. This one is stainless with two set screws instead of plastic with a small pin. Long after the boat is history this clutch lever will still be able to do its job.
We also have to replace the traveler hardware because we smashed the sheaves in one end during a careles gybe last summer. It certainly isn't a show stopper but it is nice when everything works properly.
I would also like to increase the capacity of our holding tank, currently about 10 litres. It needs a deck pumpout fitiing so that we can empty it at marinas instead of finding deep open water. I am not sure where it will go but there is lots of room around the boat.
We both have been enjoying racing the past little while. Nancy has been crewing on Sea Quin, a Catalina 27, with Leslie Quin and a bunch of other ladies. I think she is learning a lot and building confidence. I have been a bit of a boat slut crewing on various types of boats to get the feel for different styles. I did a few races on a Moore 24 and quite enjoyed it. It is a difficult boat to sail when the wind is really blowing. I did a couple races on a J80, nice easy boat to sail but a tough rating to sail to. I crewed for a regatta on a Flying Tiger. It was just like the J80 but bigger. We had very light winds but I enjoyed the weekend and we did win. I have also spent a lot of time in an old Shark 24. I love it. When the wind pipes up it is great fun.
All in all, we are both getting lots of sailing in as we wait for spring.
|
Post A Comment!
|
|
|
|
|
