Sailing Continued...

Here it is in July and I still have not launched the Mariner. That is just sad. However, and in my defense, so much has been going on, I've really not had a chance to. I must admit that last year, I did not sail or work on the boat much at all. I thought I would get on the water much more than I thought; ah, the life of a lazy sailor! Hopefully, I will get the Amy Lianne launched and rigged this weekend.

Once I did take the giant tarp off of the boat and pulled it into the driveway to get it rigged and prepped, I remembered that there were some projects that I wanted to get accomplished prior to launch. Some I got accomplished and some I did not. Here is a listing:

1. The primary project was to have the upper shrouds shortened by about 3/4 inch per side. Last year, I could never get the right tension on the cables because they were bottoming out in the turnbuckles. I sent them back to Rudy Nickerson (who has a O'day chandlery in the northeast), who graciously shortened them for me. They are now generally at the same length as the originals I was running last year. I am hoping that i can properly tension them this year. After their replacement, all the stays and shrouds are new.

2. The other project that was completed was the inspection, repacking, and replacement of the centerboard lubrication and neoprene washers relative to the centerboard pivot. Last year, I noticed a very small amount of leakage originating from the centerboard pivot bolt. The pivot bolt has not let in a drop of water in for two sailing seasons. I figured that since the bolt is actually below the water line, it would be prudent to square that away. I originally thought I would just re-pack, but in the long run, I decided to cut a new set of neoprene washers, clean everything and repack the pivot housing. I used the same packing grease (Evinrude Triple-Guard) as it did not erode the neoprene at all and is now tested and proved.

3. The refinishing of the teak companionway hatch rails, head board, and redesign of the copper Mon. The Teak was stripped of the original Minwax Spar Urethane, sanded and treated with Teak Guard. The companionway hatch head board was sanded and coated with Interlux Schooner Marine Varnish. The copper Ginkgo Mon was redesigned by putting a screw backing on it so it could be removed easier when the head board is refinished next time.

4. Finally sewed up the cover for the centerboard winch. Used the original pattern made out of a paper bag and used Sunbrella fabric that matches the sail cover. It came out pretty nicely; at least now, it will be shielded from most of the weather (and more importantly) the sun.

5. Once launched, I plan on making a bikini for it to drape over the boom and tie off to various points on the boat to shield the cabin from bird poo and the elements.

Late Spring 2021

After a very long hiatus, the Amy Lianne will be back in the water! Hiatuses are not a good thing for the enjoyment of things one likes to do. Then in 2019, when I was finally feeling the urge again to get back on the water, the management of Lake Beaverfork (the lake close to home and where I berth my boat) decided they were going to rebuild the boat slips and ordered that all boats be removed from the lake. I appealed to them to allow me to keep my boat in the water as I had recently (at my own expense) rebuilt my rented dock, but they were adamant that all boats needed to be gone so they could redesign and build new slips. Now, it is 2021 and they have not even started the project. The only thing that has actually happened with the slips is that someone had stolen the entire 30-foot decking I built for the walkway!

With all that said, as well as it is May 2021, I have decided to look for another berth for the Amy Lianne. By inquiry and sheer luck, I was able to procure a slip at Westrock Marina on Lake Maumelle outside of Little Rock. The slip was available to me due to the fact the Mariner is only 19 feet long. Westrock is also going to be rebuilding their slips, but is going to do them in stages. It is certainly more expensive but after talking to another sailboat owner at the lake, I was told that the majority of the time during the week, the lake is unoccupied. In addition, the lake is also significantly larger than Beaverfork and has fair winds nearly all year round.

So, in early May, I rolled the Mariner out and am currently checking all components to ensure she is seaworthy. The checks were all general in nature, focusing on the two through-hulls and the associated shut-off valves, replacing and repacking the gaskets for the swing-keel and checking the amsteel pennant. I did pull a fresh length of amsteel through the pennant hole on the keel to replace the original length for good measure (interestingly, the area of the amsteel that was in direct contact with the keel was compressed, but not abraded at all). Other projects while she is on the trailer include refinishing/oiling the teak, rebedding the storage hatch hinges in the cockpit and rebuilding the cabin sole. I also re-soldered the Ginkgo Mon.

The slip at Westrock is in fairly good shape and is significantly narrower than the slip at Beaverfork; I will have to get used to that...good practice, though. When the Amy Lianne is launched and safe in her slip, the drive out there will be enjoyable in the Bullet as the north route is very curvy and rural; the south route is mostly interstate and city highways. The Westrock Marina is nearly 40 miles away; Beaverfork was 5. It will be worth the drive, though. Pinnacle Mountain State Park is just down the road and there are several nice hiking trails close to the marina if the conditions are not quite right for sailing.

October, 2021.

It has been an interesting summer. Since my last post, I have retired from the Institution; my original date to retire would have been last month, but I decided to scoot mostly because I was tired of working at the Institution and my finances would allow it. I have done some additional work to the Amy Lianne as well.

The projects involved a variety of things. Most notably, the installation of the switchbox and connecting it up to the masthead light.

This was done using all marine grade wiring and a through the cabin disconnect to the mast wiring. The light is a combination LED AquaSignal that includes anchor and navigation modes. It draws virtually no power and should work well for evening sails and overnight anchoring. The switchbox also includes a negative power cutoff, voltage/ammeter, 12 volt accessory plug, (2) 5-volt USB ports, and 4 switches (1 for anchor, 1 for navigation, and 2 open).