Mounting Bracket

There is a bracket at the top of the mast for mounting things like mast lights, wind vanes and VHF radio antennas.

The one on the boat was made from mild steel and was pretty corroded.

So I took it off, made a CAD drawing and had a new (slightly longer) one made up at work from stainless steel.....It looks nice and I think it will make the boat go faster!

Stayed Home and Organized

Stayed home today and went through and organized all the stuff I brought home after emptying the boat.  We got our marine wire stuff, electrical stuff, stainless steel hardware stuff, boat pulleys and cleats stuff, diesel engine stuff, flares and other safety stuff, boat tools stuff, and other miscellaneous boat stuff.

I also, measured up and made an AutoCAD drawing of the “counter top” I remove from the galley.  I wonder how much it would cost to get this laser cut out of stainless steel?

Work in the Galley

Went to the boat hoping to be able to use the power sprayer to rinse the bilge, deck and hull, but they still have not turned on the water at the boat yard.  So I decided to replace the “counter top” in the galley.  It is made of plywood and was delaminating in a couple areas.  I removed it and brought it home to measure and draw up in AutoCAD.  I also, took measurements of the mast.  The mast light and wind vane (at the top of the mast) broke when it was in transit from Maryland.  While the mast is down I figure I will take the opportunity to pull new wires.

Refreshing our skills

First night of classes for the ABC3 boating course. The course covers the various types of boats, required safety equipment, navigation aids, lights and sounds, anchoring,communications afloat, adverse conditions, water sports safety, trailering, personal water craft safety, and knots and lines.   The program is taught by the Fox Valley United States Power Squadron. We will get certificates upon completion and it is usually required in order to get boating insurance. My brother and I learned these skills when we were kids, but I think it is good to get a refresher. My wife and father-in law, are taking the course as well as me and my brother.

Sanding the Hull & Bottom

With the unseasonably warm temperatures (80 degrees), my brother and I decided to take the day off and sand the bottom of the boat.  Dad had not sanded or painted the bottom for several years, but just had the bottom scraped.  So there were a bunch of “barnacle circles”.  We sanded the bottom, hull and rub rail.

Cleaning the fiberglass and wood work

With the boat completely empty, my brother and I started at opposite ends of the cabin and cleaned all the fiberglass and wood work.

Finished cleaning everything out

Weather is much better.  Finished packing up.  “V” berth and quarter berth.

First time inside

The weather for my first visit to the boat after its arrival wasn’t as nice as when it arrived.  It was about 35 degrees and there was an inch of snow on the ground.

 When I opened the hatch for the first time I was greeted with a bit of a mess.

My plan is to completely empty the boat from bow to stern, give it a good cleaning and only put back on what we need for day sailing.  Dad had always planned to take the boat to the Bahamas and had outfitted it for long term living on board and ocean travel so every nook and cranny on the boat had something in it.  Like a boy scout, he was prepared for anything that could happen.

After spending the day going through all the nooks and cranny between the “V” berth and the quarter berth, and packing them into bins to be brought home, things are starting to look ship shape.

She arrives!

After getting the call from Jan that the boat was about an hour from arriving, I left work and made it to the boat yard about 15 minutes before they arrived.  The weather cooperated with sunny skies and 50 degree temps.   Not bad for the end of February!

Unloading the boat from the trailer and setting it on the cradle went like clockwork.  I was very impressed with the guys at Larsen.  They were very efficient.  I guess they have done this a few times!

With the boat safely on the cradle and in its assigned location at the yard I went back to work  I did not have a chance to get on the boat and take a look around.

Planning to be boat owners

Sept - 2011 through Feb 2012
My brother and I did a lot of investigating.  There are several places from Hammond, IN to Racine, WI where we could keep the boat.  We visited them all and decided on Waukegan, IL.  The Waukegan Harbor Marina is nice, the travel time from home to the Marina is exactly an hour, the slip price is good and the Larsen Marine boat yard is right next door.

We still needed to find a way to haul the boat from Maryland to Waukegan and I placed an ad on UShip.com initially in October 2011.  Didn’t get any bids.  I relisted in early February 2012 and received 2 bids and accepted one of them from Sea Wise Inc.  The husband and wife team, Ed and Jan, at Sea Wise made the entire process of getting the boat from Maryland to Waukegan a painless experience.  Jan communicated constantly on the current status of the process and when Ed and the boat were in transit, she kept me up to date on their location over the 2 days it took to get to Waukegan.  I asked her to let me know when they were about an hour from arriving at the Larsen Marine boat yard.  She did and I was able to be there when Ed and the boat arrived.