"Hoist the Mainsail!"

In order to correctly rig my boom, I needed to put the Mainsail on Annie and mark the reefing points. In that process, I discovered I have a tear in the foot of the sail  near the clew. There were also a couple of other suspicious spots on the sail that I will let Mack Sails repair. I can now start the rigging of the boom and getting ready for my departure in June.

I went ahead and took a few pictures of the sail up and then neatly tucked in her cover just because it's been 5-6 years since Annie has had her rags on.

I found an old Westsail 32 drawing as to how the boom should be rigged and I like it. It's seems simple and efficient. That is how Annie will be rigged.

Fair seas and God bless.

Rain Dances, Dorade Vents, and Painting

In the days of the American Indian, certain members of the tribes would do certain dances around a sacred fire and they believed their great spirit would send rain... nowadays, it appears I take care of inviting the rain by simply preparing to paint. As soon as I plan to paint and start taping, the rain comes. I offer my services to the drought stricken areas of the country... I'll even bring my own paint supplies. :)

I was, however, able to tape the house off, prep and paint the dorade vents, and prepare for a dry day on Saturday to finish painting the house and varnishing the dorade boxes.

That is all.

Additional Pics added 3/26/2016.

I have been down with either a cold or severe allergies for the last two days... did a little today but had to quit after one coat. Back at it on Monday.

Fair seas and God bless.

A Little Make-up for Annie

I was going to put the mainsail up today but it was a little windy so I decided to continue with my painting of the deck and house.

I was a little concerned with how the house would turn out, so I was going to use a method called, "Roll & Tip." Basically, what that means is you roll the paint on using a high density foam roller and then, with a dry brush, you brush the paint with just the tips of the brush at a right angle to how it was rolled on. The result is a very impressive "sprayed on" look. I started with that method but it quickly devolved into rolling on the paint in some sections and using the brush (wet) in others. [You really need two people to do "Roll & Tip" - one to roll it on and the second person to immediately tip the paint].

Regardless, the paint was so great it still looks sprayed on! Here's the amazing thing... it's a cheap one part paint: Rust-Oleum Marine Topside Paint - Gloss White. Amazon has just raised their price on the paint from $15 to $25 per quart, but Lowes has it in store for $13 here in Stuart (check your store location to see if they carry it in store and check the price; different stores have different prices). In both Amazon and Lowes the paint has a 4.5-5 Star rating. This stuff is great when you're on a budget. Thanks to Peter Ryan on s/v Onapua for recommending it to me. I am very pleased.

Anyway, at this rate, barring rain, I'll have the deck and house finished by next Friday evening.

Fuji...? Yeah, he slept most of the day under the cool A/C and gave me the look when I interrupted his sleep as I came and went in the cabin. LOL

Sleeping Dog...

The Look... Disturbed Dog.

Fair seas and God bless.

Closer to the Wind...

The jib is now on.

It has been over five or six years since Annie's sails flew, so today was sort of a milestone in some way. Though she is not ready yet to actually fly her sails, that day is fast approaching.

The mainsail will go up tomorrow and then the boom will be appropriately rigged to match the reefing points. Soon after, the staysail.

She's getting closer to the day she'll actually ride on the wind again.

Fair seas and God bless.

Moving the Gates...

When I bought Annie she only had safety rails in the last section of the stern and they were used for my solar panels. I wanted the section forward to that to also to have safety rails because it would enable me to mount a grill there as well as other equipment.

Today, I added another section of safety rails and relocated the gates one section forward. Actually, it was a simple project. It was just a matter of measuring from one stanchion to the other, having the tubing cut, putting the ends on and tightening the screws. Easy Peasy.

I was also able to finish painting the forward deck. I'll move to painting the house in a couple of days.
I also added my roller furling line that will roll up the headsail.

And of course, my best buddy was there to help.

Fair Seas and God bless.

"Long Time, No See!"

I realize it's been a while since I have posted but I'm sort of in a transitional period in my life. Without boring you with all the gory details, it appears my time here in East Florida is coming to an end. Needless to say, I've been extremely busy planning and readying for my departure. (I'm not sure where I'll be heading yet but I'll post updates as time passes).

As to boat work, I have not been completely idle.

I got a great deal on a low profile roof top air conditioner that could be permanently mounted and I have installed it, (with the help of my friend, Denis... thanks Denis). It's 13,500 BTU's so it will freeze you out of the boat. As long as I am at dock, I will enjoy the cool and when I do one day get to go cruising, I can easily remove it and replace the skylight hatch, (which I will rework in the interim), or, because it's low profile, I can leave it in place.

I would have went with a "Marine" A/C that was water cooled but the cost was extremely prohibitive. The cheapest unit I could find was $1200 and was only 6,000 BTU. Once you add the thru-hulls, water pump, hoses, raw water filter, wiring, etc. etc., AND I would have to be hauled out to install the thru-hulls. In the end, you're looking at 2K minimum.

I've completely reorganized the V-Berth and eventually will remove the holding tank and lower the berth.

I also am setting all the running rigging and should have the sails installed within a couple of weeks.

I've also resumed painting the deck in sections now that the monsoon season is over here in South Florida.

Of course, My old faithful friend was there to help... unless it was nap time.

Thanks for your patience and thanks for reading.

Fair Seas and God bless.