Log of the S/V "Sojourner" Cape Dory 28

The Never Ending Wall of White

Lance and Becky Williams — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:48:00 GMT

Wehave not been able to get to our boat at all since last Saturday'sblizzard. While we were still buried under a mountain of snow, Mother Nature began dumpinganother 20 or so inches on us. Another storm is expected on Saturday.We don't even have anyplace to put any more snow if we could move it.Shoveling it is like trying to empty the ocean with a teacup.I cleared off our porch this morning, then cleared off the cars and shoveled a little around them, and in the length of time it took me to do that, another 2 inches accumulated on the porch. I just heard on the news that we have had 72 inches so fa this year, and that there has never been conditions like this in this area in recorded history. Sigh.... Lance goes out every couple of hours to plow to stay on top of it, but at some point there will be no place to push it to.

Lance's 60th birthday was yesterday. Going out for any kind of celebration would not have been wise. It had already started to snow hard by 4:30 and visibility coming home was almost zip. We had 2 dinners/parties to go to last weekend, both were cancelled. We are supposed to go to a Valentine's dinner/dance this Saturday, but it will likely be cancelled as well. To say that we are getting cabin fever would be an understatement.

Since Sojourner is on the hard in a yard that's sort of "out of theway" in the country on the Chesapeake, it will likely be a very longtime before a snow plow gets near it and we are able to check on it. Wehave a 4WD Jeep with a snow plow on the front. We tried to get to it last Sunday, but it was not possible. It will now be less possible. Thank God she is in a sturdy cradle and shrink wrapped. We worry a bit less than weotherwise might have. I can't even imagine if she were in the waterright now. A lot of folks at our marina opted to stay in this season.Who could've known this was coming.

In a moment of insanity 7 years ago we moved to Maryland from SanDiego, where we could sail all year and I don't think they even sellsnow shovels. As I look out my window and see nothing but white covering everything, I can't even entertain theprospect of the idea of sailing. It seems like an unattainable dream atthis point. Spring cannot come fast enough.

"Fair Winds and Following Snowdrifts..."
Becky

What you don't know CAN hurt you. Back at the BYC.

Lance and Becky Williams — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:50:00 GMT

Well, we're back at the Baltimore Yacht Club. The newest members, all seniority lost. We are back at half dues now, pending a slip assignment, but that elusive permanent slip is even further away now that we've lost almost 3 years of seniority. And they say what you don't know can't hurt you. Hah!!

What we didn't know, what the dockmaster just told us after we rejoined is that if we had waited until late May or early June, after everthing settled out and they saw who had failed to bring a boat into their slip, we most likely would have gotten a temporary slip again this year. He said July at the latest even the newest members were bringing in boats. That would have given us 2 more months of sailing than what we had this year. (For those of you who have no idea what I'm babbling about, see the previous entry, "Goodbye to the BYC")

I guess, if we are honest, we'll admit that we're a little hurt that no one tried to retain our membership by explaining this to us at the time we resigned. The information we got was that all slips we're full, SORRY!!. But we'll get over that and move on, with maybe just the tiniest twinge of resentment from time to time over what we lost.

We did manage to launch our boat in September for just a month. We had her in a temporary slip at Maryland Marina. They are super nice people there, very professional, and their yard services are without equal for quality and timeliness, but the slips and facilities, not so much. Don't want to be there. Looked at numerous marinas in our area, and could not find one that could match the amenities, convenience and facilities of the yacht club. And it's 2 miles from our house to boot.

We toyed with the idea of buying a small trailerable daysailer that we could keep in our yard and end our dependence on marinas and boatyards once and for all. But we're a little boat-spoiled at this point, and at this point they idea of shifting our weight to keep from ending up in the drink just doesn't sound like our idea of a good time. Then we thought it might be worth it to sell the 28 and buy a smaller boat with a shallower draft which might give us a better chance at a slip. But after hours of agonizing discussion and going back and forth about it we have finally come to the conclusion that we are just not ready to give up on our CD-28 yet. We had wanted her for so long and have worked so hard to make her into the comfortable beauty that she is, and we've only had 2 partial seasons to enjoy her.

So we'll wait it out this year, and next year, and maybe even the year after that. Hopefully we'll get to launch by June. But we'll take whatever portion of the season we can get and use the time we spend sitting in the yard waiting to finish work on the upgrades she still needs. We have a gudgeon shoe that needs to be reglassed, and deck cracks to be filled. Our forward hatch needs to come off and be cleaned. The plexiglass window(?) in the cabin top has black mildew under it so that needs to come off and be resealed. Deck hardware needs to be rebedded. The cockpit locker covers need to come off and be painted on the inside and the hardware replaced. The sliding companionway hatch needs to come off and be painted inside and out, a job best done while the shrink wrap is still on.

There's a million and one things that maybe wouldn't get done at all if we were able to just plop her in the water and take off sailing. Could be it's a blessing in disquise.

Oh heck, do I need to change the title...........

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with family and fun and prayers of thanks.

"Fair Winds and Following Seas...."

Becky

Underway - Labor Day Weekend - Rock Hall

Lance and Becky Williams — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 02:46:00 GMT

Saturday - September 5, 2009

It's almost 11:00 pm and we have finally knocked off for the night. It has been a full day of commissioning work, and we are ready to get underway tomorrow. The sails are on, the boat is rigged, the ice box is stocked and the boat is cleaner than either our house or our cars. (In the mind of a sailor, that means our priorities are just as they should be.) The remaining gear we need is all sorted and laying out in the dining room ready to load in the morning. Destination - Rock Hall.

The slip we have at the Maryland Marina for the rest of the season is really tight quarters, but we have a very nice boat neighbor who seems content with the fact that we have placed 3 fenders between his boat and ours. It's not an ideal situation and not one that would want to make permanent, but considering the fact that we thought we would get to do NO sailing this year, it's a gift, especially at such short notice.

Sunday morning we have everything loaded aboard and are ready to go.

The sail to Rock Hall was pleasant and uneventful. The weather was extremely nice and the wind cooperative. I guess that sounds bland. It's anything but. What is it about sailing that pulls us in and holds us fast? People who don't get it really don't get it, and people who do get it can never get away from it. Even when it's uncomfortable it's rewarding, and when conditions are right it can be almost spiritual. There is that magical moment after the sails go up and when hear that snap as the wind fills them and they start to draw. Then you cut the engine and everything goes silent except for the sounds of waves lapping against the hull and the occassional flapping of the canvas when it momentarily loses the wind. Throw in sun sparkling off the water, a cooler full of sandwich fixins and cold drinks and your perfect partner to share it with. Divine.

My perfect partner.........

There is a very long shoal that stretches for about a mile outside the entrance to Rock Hall Harbor. You have to swing well south of it to enter without danger of going aground. Thank God Lance is an excellent navigator. He has never failed to deliver us safe and sound to every destination. A couple of boats we passed outside the harbor were not so lucky. They were stuck hard aground, and later we watched as they were pulled off the hard with the rising tide.

We had called in advance and made arrangements to spend the night in a slip at North Point Marina. The folks there are as nice as any you'll find anywhere. The were ready on the radio to guide us into our slip and when we pulled into it there were 2 dockhands standing ready to catch our lines. The wind was, of course, working against us and was blowing us down fast on the boat to our port, but with those 2 extra pair of hands and Lance and I scrambling like crazy we got her secured without incident. If it weren't for entering and exiting slips, sailing would be, for the most part, "a breeze".

After we got everything tidied up we set out for our traditional walk around the docks. We never tire of looking at all the different boats, their hailing ports and the characters that sail them. As we were walking down the dock we looked over and to our shock and amazement saw a 50' catamaran blowing down hard and fast onto a new 42' catamaran that was at the dock with a young couple and their baby aboard. We learned later that the young couple had just purchased the boat and were planning to set out on the cruise of their life. So we could imagine the horror they must have been feeling as they faced the prospect of their dream coming to an abrupt end. The larger boat had broken free of its anchor. They owner was in town shopping and there was no one aboard the boat. Apparently the skipper of the wayward boat had been warned early in the day that his anchor was dragging, but he chose to ignore the warning and now the young couple on the 42 footer was facing the consequences. .

Lance quickly sprang into action and joined several other men from thedock as they jumped aboard the smaller boat to fend off the 50 footer. Unbelievably they were successful in holding off the big cat until helparrived to pull it back out to the anchorage

The owner plopped the anchor right back down again in the same spot andwent about his business. We gave a silent thanks that we were notanywhere in his path should he break loose again.

After all the excitement was over, we headed over to The Harbor Shack for a nice dinner and some live entertainment. We enjoyed conversation with our neighbors to port. We find that you can learn more about boat neighbors in one evening than you can about your neighbors ashore in a year. Another benefit of sailing, instant friends.

Monday morning the marina served donuts and coffee, free gratis to all the boaters. We had some and were soon on our way back home. The sail back was as pleasant as the sail out and we were back in our slip by late afternoon.

A great weekend.

"Fair Winds and Following Seas....."
Becky

Close Calls and Overcoming Bloggers Malaise

Lance and Becky Williams — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 02:02:00 GMT

We're pretty sure we've just experienced some divine intervention.

We didn't launch Sojourner this summer. We had one helluva year. Family drama, new jobs and house repairs have kept our heads spinning. In the spring, fully expecting to have a slip for the season, the Baltimore Yacht Club didn't have room for us. Out of frustration we decided to sell Sojourner. But when it came right down to it we couldn't bring ourselves to part with her, so we decided instead just to leave her on the hard for the year, devote ourselves fully for this summer to all the million other things we had going on, and deal with trying to find a slip next year.

The summer passed and with the exception of the occassional drive by the boat yard to make sure she was still safe and sound, we basically didn't pay her any mind. Then a couple of weeks ago we got the bug. We wanted to get her all cleaned up, varnish the wood, wax the hull and then shrink wrap her for the winter so that in the spring we could just cut the plastic off, splash her and sail away.

So last Saturday, brand new buffer in hand, we set off to wash and wax the hull. We plugged in the buffer, no power. We checked the boatyard bathrooms, no power. We checked the paint shed, no power. Finally we linked together 7 extra long extension cords the entire length of the boatyard and got power from the back of an office bldg that houses the boatyard offices long enough to get our waxing done. But we were starting to get a really bad feeling. We asked around the boatyard and no one has seen the owner around for awhile. We called about a dozen times in 4 days trying to get some information, even to his personal cell, but he doesn't answer and he never calls us back. Last night at around 6:00 Lance decided to swing by the boatyard to see if he could catch anybody there and there were several people he had never seen before in the office going through all the files and books. When he went to open the door they motioned that he needed to go away. Now it's officially panic time.

Finally this morning I called a marine contractor who used to have an office at the boatyard (seeing his office emptied out increased our suspicion that something was definitely wrong). He said that the boatyard was going under, bills weren't being paid, the owner owed back taxes, that likely the place was in foreclosure and we'd better get our boat out of there before someone slapped a lock on the gate and the boat got secured along with everything else. Yowza!!

I figured that was good advice, but if the owner won't return your calls and you can't find him anywhere, who's going to launch the boat? He filled us in on where to find the guys dad. He says that the dad used to run the boatyard and that if we could track him down, he might launch the boat for us. Next problem, where to take it. The season is almost over, and in an area where slips are generally hard to find, we figured everything would be full. But as luck, and God, would have it, we had immediate success finding a slip and a spot for winter haulout as well. Lance tracked down the guys dad after work today. Within an hour the boat was in the water. An hour after that it was sitting in it's temporary slip in Frog Mortar Creek. (To give credit where credit is due, the owner of the boatyard was super nice about the whole situation and got us a jump off his portable battery charger when we discovered that both our batteries were dead.)

Any number of things could have happened differently and we would have been none the wiser that things were going bad at the boatyard. But everything went the way it went and we not only got our boat out, but we will get to enjoy a month or so of sailing before we haul back out for the winter. This was an unexpected development and pretty much makes all the drama worth it. Just in time for a 3 day weekend too.

Tonight when I logged on I saw that it has been 148 days since my last entry.I have had blogger's malaise pretty much ever since we bought Sojourner. Last year I told my self it was because we were too busy refurbishing and sailing the boat to have time to write about it. During the winter it was too cold to think about boats. No boat thoughts, no blog entries. Then our grandkids came to stay with us for a few months, then Lance changed jobs, then we thought we were going to sell the boat, then we changed our minds, then.... then.... then....

The fact of the matter is that I have just been lazy about blogging this year and that is unfortunate because the boat has undergone a tremendous transformation. And we took some really fun cruises last summer. I outlined a hundred blogs in my mind while it was all happening. I took pictures of our projects with every intention of sharing them. I took lovely photos of sunsets from anchor and lighthouses we passed and lightening over Baltimore. I just never found the time or the energy to sit down and hammer them out. Maybe this winter I'll manage to fill in the blanks......if I'm not too cold.

"Fair Winds and Following Seas"
Becky

Cabin Fever, SailCare and Goodbye to the BYC

Lance and Becky Williams — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 02:59:00 GMT

We're on spring break. SPRING break!! Except that it doesn't feel much like spring here right now. Although there have been hints of it coming, a few days around 60 degrees, flowers along the roadside, trees budding and the grass needing to be mowed for the first time, today was wind howling, bone chilling cold. And it's been raining. We had promised our grandchildren activities over the spring break, mostly outdoor activities, the kind you want to do in warm weather. And we want to plan things. Things like cutting the shrink wrap off the boat, and being able to work for 2 days in a row without being either blown off the deck by freezing wind or washed off the deck by freezing rain. This has been a very long, very cold and very dark winter. I want to walk, I want to ride my bike, I want to spend time in my yard and I want to sail. A little sunshine, please, Lord. It's time.

We have old sails. They are the original sails, which makes them 28 years old, and they were certainly looking it, gray, limp and frayed. We really would have loved to replace our old rags, but it isn't in the budget this year, and probably not next. This winter we saw, in our Cape Dory Owners Assoc. newsletter "The Masthead", an advertisement for a company called SailCare. They clean, repair and refurbish sails. Lance looked around on their website and read some testimonials about how 30 year old sails came back looking and feeling like new, so we decided to try it. We had to remove all lines, battens, hardware, etc. and box the sails up to ship to PA. On the order form that you send with the sails it was stated that you should allow 8 weeks turnaround time. We sent them mid-February and asked if possible could we please have them back by early April. (Turns out this was unnecessary. See the above reference to bone chilling cold.) We sent them a mainsail, working jib and 2 sailcovers to be cleaned and repaired. A few days later they called with an estimate, $825, which was to include cleaning, sewing numbers and insignia, telltales, repair of the batten pocket ends on both sails, resewing the slides, overlay of leeches and luffs both sails, restiching on sails and sailcovers, replacing a grommet on the sailcover, and impregnating all with resin to restore the body and crisp feel that had been lost over the years. This was a bit more expense than we expected, but they were doing a lot of work and we felt we were committed, so we told them to proceed. About 2 weeks later the box with the sails arrived on our porch.
    I must say we were both pleasantly surprised at how white and crisp the sails both were. Repairs were made as promised with the exception of the tack on the jib which has some broken stitching that was missed. I couldn't find that we were charged for it though, so I'll drag out my Sailrite machine and fix it myself rather than go to the hassle and expense of returning the sail to them. The sailcovers, which were looking pretty dull and lifeless, look really good again. Overall, we are pleased and feel we will have a few more years of use out of the sails before we have to break down and buy new ones. Two thumbs up for SailCare.

Unfortunately, and quite unexpectedly, we are no longer members of the Baltimore Yacht Club. We are not really the yacht club types, but we were ecstatic when we found this beautiful facility, a little over 2 years ago, about 2.5 miles from our house. They have nice docks, a beautiful pool, friendly (for the most part) people, lots of year round family activities, a restaurant , a nice bar that serves "Hook and Ladder" , brand new bath houses, all tucked away unnoticed behind a very secure gate on a private island They have a fuel dock and next door there is a boat yard for winter haulout and a crab bar. And did I mention only 2.5 miles from our house...... We couldn't join fast enough.
    The year we joined we were still working on our 22' Cape Dory and really not yet in need of a slip. They told us that there is usually not a problem getting a slip for a small boat, it's the big guys that have to wait, and they only charge half dues up until the time you get your slip. We were in. That first year we just enjoyed the facilities more or less as social members. Our grandkids loved the pool in the summer.
    Last year we sold our CD22 and purchased our Cape Dory 28. We were unable to get a permanently assigned slip, but they had a temporary slip available for us immediately. It was kind of close in and they were unsure of the depths there, but we sounded the slip 2 days in a row at low tide and the water looked good, so we took it and spent the season happily in our new dock home. Of course our dues increased to the full ride, but we had a slip so all seemed right with the world. Then this year the totally unexpected happened. We didn't get a permanent slip, that wasn't such a surprise, but we didn't get a temporary one either. We were number 14 on the list for a temporary slip and I guess they ran out long before they got to us because we were told basically that we didn't have a prayer. Also, to our surprise, we found out that once your dues go up, they never go back down again even if they don't have a slip for you.
    In the "I'm so filthy rich I don't have to ask the price of gas or the price of dues" world I guess this is okay for some people. But it wasn't okay for us, so we were now faced with needing to find a place for our boat, and we needed to do it quick before everything decent and affordable was gone. Fortunately, God watches out for fools and children (we're both in our 50's, so you know which one that makes us.......) and we just happened to find our way to a place in Middle River called Parkside Marina. Wow, what a gorgeous little marina. It's only 9 years old, is surrounded by a private park and beach, in a bonafide hurricane hole (remember Isabel, not a single damaged boat) on Frog Mortar Creek. Usually there is a waiting list, but they just happened to have 1 slip left that would work for us. We took it and we are ecstatic. Not only do we think that the facility itself is nicer than the BYC (floating docks for one thing...) but we'll be saving ourselves about $1100 a year. Like I said, God looks out for............

"Fair Winds and Following Seas"
Becky

The Holding Tank

Lance and Becky Williams — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 02:08:00 GMT

THE TANK

The holding tank is out. What we found was a crack in the forward tapered end of the tank, about 2 inches long and more than 1/4" wide at points.

Lance removed all of the hoses and the head. We determined that because of the position of the crack, when the tank leaked, and especially underway when the boat pitches in the waves (which it did a fair amount of the day we sailed it home), the effluent was running behind the fiberglass hull liner through an opening for the hoses and making its way to the lowest part of the bilge leaving a trail of stench the entire distance in between.

With everything out, and before the scubdown began, the next order of business was to secure a replacement for the tank. Not only did the tank have a crack, but because it had never been secured in the space with cleats or tie-down straps, it was pretty much beat to hell. The edges were eaten away in places to the point that there wasn't much plastic left. Repairing the tank was not an option. Besides, anything that causes me that much aggravation must be banished forever from my sight (and smell).

Research done on the Cape Dory Message Board provided us with 2 options for tanks. (There are probably more, but either of these 2 sources could provide us with an exact replacement tank.)

The original tank was made by Kracor and they still make it They list it as a 24 gallon tank, Mold #5159. You can view their catalog at http://www.kracor.com/pages/marineindustry.html. We understand that the Kracor tanks have 1/4" thick walls. This is a bit flimsier than the other manufacturers 3/8" walled tank. From the factory they come with fittings in standard locations. Of course the standard locations will not suit our needs. They will not place the fittings per customer request unless it is ordered through a dealer. Lewis Marine in Florida is one of their dealers and they list the tank at $325.85, not including shipping or custom fittings. (And according to their website they only deal with "trade accounts".) I did see one negative report online from a sailor who ordered his tank this way. (See http://spirit28.com/Repairs.html).

The other option, and the one we will be going with, is made by Ronco Plastics. Cape Dory 28', 30' and 36' sailboats all use the same tank so a group of Cape Dory owners got together some years back and had Ronco tool up a mold for them. They still sell the tank, it is listed as an 18 gallon tank (I have no idea where Kracor hides the other 6 gallons as the dimensions for both tanks are within a knat hair of being identical). It is mold B486. I have read accounts from numerous Cape Dory owners who have used this tank and say that it is an exact fit. It's 3/8" walls will be less likely to crack than the Kracor tanks 1/4" thickness. If you order direct through Ronco, they will place the fittings per your specifications and only charge you for the fittings themselves. The tank is listed in their catalog at $231.13. You would need to add the cost of the fittings plus shipping to that price. We have requested an exact quote and lead time. I will update this entry as soon as we receive that information.

We found that we could also order the Ronco tank online from the Tank Depot http://www.tank-depot.com/productdetails.aspx?part=RH-B486 for $155.13. It comes with no holes or fittings. You then purchase a fitting relocation kit for $31.50 and place the ports and outlets wherever you want them. We are ansy to get this project done, so if the wait time for a tank from the Ronco factory turns out to be long, we may go with this option. It would be a little bit more work for Lance but we could have the tank within days and it would be cheaper to boot.

CLEANING THE SPACE

Now I turn my attention to getting the v-berth area ready for the new tank and the eradication of the smell.

The first order of business was to deal with what was under the liner and in the bilge. I filled a garden sprayer (the kind that attaches to a water hose) with commercial strength Clorox disinfecting cleaner. Then I turned the hose on full blast and sprayed it into the hole in the forepeak where the waste had been entering. I sprayed continuously into there and the other openings that had been cut into the liner up forward and I kept spraying until the bilge was full of Clorox water up to just under the floor boards. I let that sit all day. To clean the rest of the area I filled a 1 gallon pressure pump sprayer with a mixture of the Clorox diluted with water and put it on a light spray setting. I started with the overhead, first spraying it down good, then using a scrub brush, then rinsing it off with a sponge and working my way down to the cabin sole. I scrubbed the wood as well in preparation for sanding and varnishing. It took all day to do just the v-berth area. In addition to varnishing the outer surfaces of the teak interior, the surfaces which are inside the lockers will be sealed with penetrating epoxy to protect them from any further water (or other liquid) intrusion and make them easier to clean in the future.

There was a noticable improvement in the smell, but you can still detect it some and I think that is just because the leak had been there for awhile and the smell has just permeated everything. I will continue to clean until I have completed the entire boat using the process above. Then as a last step I am going to use an odor neutralizing product called EXPEL Odor Neutralizer. It is used by the military on ships and subs among other places and also by waste treatment plants. It literally changes the cations of the odor molecules and will destroy any odors that are organic in nature. Check it out at the Orison website http://www.orisonllc.com/odor/ExpelON/expelon.html. In addition to spraying it down the path of the leak again, you can use it in a mini-fogger to fog an area and it will get into every nook and cranny. If this seems like overkill, all I can say is "you didn't smell it" !!!!!!! I will let you all know how this worked after I am finished.

Fair winds!!
Becky

Interior Cushions

Lance and Becky Williams — Wed, 28 May 2008 01:26:00 GMT

May 27, 2008

Our cracked holding tank is out now, but reclaiming the interior of the boat from the horrible smell that permeates absolutely everything is going to be a formidable task. One of the projects that I always enjoy is making new interior cushions. I eventually get around to redoing the interior of every boat we own, but this time the job has to be done sooner rather than later if we are to be able to enjoy the interior of the boat at all this year.

There was nothing that was reusable from our old cushions. We had the original upholstery, 26 years old. What used to be a coating on the inside of the plaid Herculon fabric had turned to dust. The zippers were frozen shut, the foam was compressed and brittle. And the whole mess was making our garage stink after we took it home.  We had to move quick so that we could throw it all away immediately.

We stripped the covers off and threw them away. (I like to use the new foam as a pattern rather than using the old covers.   I have my own way of putting things together, and I never use zippers, preferring Velcro instead. )

We then took the old foam pieces to Conkling Foam Center (3531 Claremont Street, Baltimore MD 21224, 410-675-7426). New #1550 foam was cut, 4" thick for the v-berth and settee seats, 2" thick for the backs of the settees. You can't really fudge with the thicknesses as the 2 settee backs stacked one on top of the other form the cushion for the double berth pullout, so it has to be exactly 1/2 the thickness of the settee seat. It's a nice firm foam and should last a long time. The total cost of the foam was $402 with a 10% off coupon from the company's website. We dropped off the old cushions, went and had lunch in the neighborhood and picked up the new cushions afterward. Nice people, good service, decent price.



I had already purchased a nice thick tapestry fabric on eBay for the faces of the back cushions over the settees and for throw pillows, 6 yards for $119, including shipping. The rest of the cushions will be solid color, Sunbrella Toast. I would have preferred using one of Sunbrella's interior upholstery fabrics from the Canvas Collection but the Toast color only comes in the exterior acylic canvas and it is the only color that coordinates with the tapestry. (Unfortunately, I am really stuck on the tapestry. The photo does not do it justice. The colors are just beautiful.)   I purchased 12 yards of 60" wide Toast from Sailrite in Annapolis plus 4 oz. of matching V-92 polyester thread, for a total of $238. I will probably need another 2 yard of the 44" width to finish the project. That will add another $28 to the total. I also purchased 6 pillow forms for accent and lounging pillows and some batting for the berth cushions just to add a little softer surface for sleeping, total cost $46.

It will not be a problem to sew the heavy canvas on my Sailrite walking-foot machine. I had used the exterior Sunbrella on the interior of our Bristol 24 and we liked it just fine. It wears like iron, doesn't mildew and resists moisture and staining.   I already had left over from another project several rolls of Velcro and enough 2 sided basting tape for the entire project. I also have a good hot knife for cutting the Sunbrella, which makes a nice sealed edge and prevents raveling inside the covers. Without the hot knife and the heavy-duty machine, working with the heavy acrylic fabric can be difficult. But there are many nice upholstery fabrics available for a price comparable to what I paid for the Sunbrella and tapestry that would be easy to make up on a standard home sewing machine.

Total cost to date $833. I have seen threads on the CDSOA board quoting $5000 for new interior cushions, so I would like to encourage those who don't mind doing it themselves that it can be done for far less. And there is a great deal of satisfaction in doing it yourself and knowing you got EXACTLY what you wanted.

This entry will be updated with additional details and pictures as the project progresses. We are looking forward to a fresh, bright new interior in the very near future.

Fair Winds!!
Becky

Things That STINK

Lance and Becky Williams — Mon, 05 May 2008 02:13:00 GMT

This weekend was pretty much devoted to trying to identify and get rid of things that stink.

There is a noxious odor on our boat. When we first went aboard last month, the boat had been closed up and under cover all winter and so it was easy to assume that the odor was a combination of musty, mildewy, holding tank stuff and that a good cleaning would take care of it. So we cleaned, and we scrubbed and the odor persisted.

The cushions stank, that was for sure, as they had been absorbing odors (including this especially foul one) for years. Since I was planning new cushions this year anyway we removed them. The boat stank less, but it still stank. When we removed the cushions and the plywood from the v-berth area we saw that the holding tank was about 1/2 full and apparently had been for quite some time as we had been told that the previous owners had not used the boat, or used it very little, last year. We made a bee-line for the pump out dock and told the kid on the hose to suck until he saw boat gear coming through the hose.

After we returned to our slip we decided we would pour a gallon of bleach in the tank, fill it and let it sit for a week then go have it pumped out again next weekend. After my husband filled the tank he noticed water leaking out into the locker. Eureka!!! We have a holding tank leak.

This explained a few other things we were wondering about as well. Like why we had a persistent little puddle in the cubby hole under the v-berth. We thought at first that it was due to a leak around a deck fitting or the port maybe, but I kept wiping it up and it kept returning even in the absence of rain. The cabin sole right in front of the v-berth was also heavily stained. I thought perhaps from water splashed from showers. The bilge also was stained an odd color. Then came the harsh realization that this is all potty water!!!

So we poured another gallon of bleach into the bilge, filled it with water and cleaned it as best we could with a brush. After the bilge and the holding tank had been pumped dry, there was a noticable improvement in the smell of the boat. There is still an odor, but it's definitely less. The cleanup will be more involved than we originally thought, but we know what we are dealing with now. The old tank is coming out so I will be able to give that entire area a thorough scrubbing with every disinfectant known to man before we put the new tank in. We are going to pour a bottle of bilge cleaner into the bilge, fill it with water again and let it sit for a week. Then we will get in there with a long handled brush and scrub it better before pumping it out. After Lance replaces all the hoses to the holding tank and rebuilds the head that should take care of the odor for the most part. More cleaning and airing out should do the rest.

After we knew we were going to have to replace the tank we started worrying about how difficult it would be to find a replacement for a boat that has not been built since 1987. So I went to the best source I know of for information on anything Cape Dory - - the CDSOA message board. I did a search for holding tanks and there it was, everything I needed to know. The Cape Dory folks apparently had gotten together some years ago and had Ronco tool up a replacement tank for the CD 28, 30, and 36 (all used the same tank). The part number was there and a link to the Ronco site. One CD-28 owner even had pictures of the replacement on his website along with step by step instructions of his project. It was like being fed pablum from a spoon.

We got rid of two other things that stink (figuratively speaking)........ the bimini and the lazy jacks.

We both always thought we would like both a bimini and lazy jacks but one sail with both and we changed our minds. The sail got caught on the lazy jacks going up and lost a batten. They were annoying in all respects except for a brief moment of time when the sail comes down. We have been sailing for 27 years without them. We both agreed that simplicity works best for us and they weren't worth the trade off in aggravation. Lance hacked them to pieces and had them off the boat in no time flat.

The bimini was just an obstruction, and in our opinion a dangerous one. When up, because of the height of our boom, you could not stand up under it. Plus the straps that secured in in place made it difficult to leave the cockpit and gave you 4 trip wires on the boat. (Nothing blew up except my temper.) My husband likes to stand a lot when he's sailing so we knew we would never use it under sail. We have always used awnings at anchor which can be placed above the boom for standing headroom. Just to be on the safe side, I suggested we keep the bimini in our garage for a season, just in case we change our minds we can put it back on. But I am sure that in the end it will either end up on someone's elses CD-28 or at the county landfill.

Fair Winds!!
Becky

Sunday April 27 - Bringing Her Home

Lance and Becky Williams — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 03:45:00 GMT

After the thunderstorms that were forecast for Saturday failed to materialize, I had to begun to wonder if maybe that wet, cold front might finally makes its appearance on Sunday. But there was no use in wondering. We had already decided that holding off our departure for Sunday was the prudent thing to do. I was not surprised, however, when we arrived at the marina this morning and it was raining and COLD. We had promised each other that it would be fun and that we would enjoy ourselves regardless of the conditions. Just the idea of being under sail again was so exciting that our spirits absolutely would not be dampened. So we unpacked our lunch, gear and spare tools from the car and busied ourselves about getting the boat ready for departure.

Lance started the engine. It sounded good. A strong wind was already starting to blow so we tied a reef into the main. ("it's easier to shake out a reef when you're bored than it is to tuck one in when you're scared". Jack Jamison, Sea Belle) We had never used roller furling before, but despite the unfamiliarity I took some comfort in the fact that it would be easy to shorten sail if we needed to. After everything was organized and we had had all the necessary conversations about how we were going to exit the slip and basin, we both said a short prayer for the trip and our future with the boat. By this time the rain had stopped. We then gathered in the dock lines and backed out of the slip without incident. It was 11:39 AM and we were on our way.

Leaving Hammock Island

When Lance put the boat in forward gear things started to get a little bit exciting. Even after bringing the engine up to full throttle we had little more than enough speed to keep steerage on the boat. We made our way nervously out of the basin and into Bodkin Creek. When we reached the point where we needed to turn to port around the channel markers to head out toward the Bay, the boat would not turn. It seemed we had no maneuverability to port but the wind and current were working to push us to starboard so Lance just let the boat turn 180 degrees and headed back into the basin. We were considering pulling up to the docks at Ventnor Marine and leaving the boat for someone to take a look at on Monday. But then we picked up some speed, almost as if something "shook loose" (growth on the prop perhaps?) so we thought we would give it another try.

Our speed still wasn't great, but this time when we made it to the channel markers we were able to make our turn to port. This put us in a perfect position to raise the sails (read that, directly into the wind). At 12:49 we fell of the wind onto a starboard tack and cut the engine. We were sailing at last.

Lance Is Loving It!!

After we settled into the boat's motion under sail and had checked around to make sure that all was well with the boat, I went below and brought up the ham sandwiches that we had packed for lunch. This turned out to be a good thing, because as the day wore on we would become cold and tired from constant tacking and we pretty much lost interest in going below for food or drinks.

The depthsounder showed good water and the Garmin 72 GPS seemed to be working perfectly. Every waypoint showed up just where it should, although we were unable to point directly to any of them until we reached waypoints 12 and 13 at the end of the day. The boat was performing beautifully even though we were quite sure she had a fouled bottom. She felt so stable and the motion comfort was better than we had expected (and being familiar with Cape Dories we had high expectations from the start). This was a truly good sailing experience and our concerns about our first sail on her being in somewhat rough and windy (and did I mention COLD) weather were very quickly put to rest. We congratulated ourselves again on our wise choice of a cruising sailboat.

Becky At The Helm

After a couple of hours we came into sight of Hart-Miller Island and the Craighill Channel Lower Lights. This is our nautical backyard. We can see Hart-Miller Island from our front porch and these are the waters we play in when we're out and about in our runabout, so we were in the home stretch. Or so I thought. First a starboard tack toward the front light. Then a port tack toward the rear light. Then starboard, then port.  The objective was to get around the east side of Hart-Miller Island and head toward the entrance for Middle River. But it seemed to me that all we did for the better part of 2 hours was sail in place between these 2 lights. The GPS showed that our distance to home was decreasing. For the first time I was beginning to doubt its accuracy.  By this point I was also annoyed by the fact that I had now been shivering for a couple of hours and my muscles were beginning to ache from it. Lance insisted that he was not cold, but I doubted that he was telling me the truth.  He is not one to complain about such things. Finally I begged him to stay on the next starboard tack as long as it took so that I we could make it around the island without passing the lights again. It added some distance to the trip, but that's what we did.


        Craighill Channel Lower Front Light

Craighill Channel Lower Rear Light

The next port tack set us directly on course for the marker buoy at the entrance to Middle River.  It was getting late, and colder by the minute.  A trip that should have taken less than 3 hours had stretched to 7 hours and we still had a little way to go so Lance turned on the engine and we started motorsailing.   It didn't take long after that and we turned into the river and there, off to our port, was the welcome sight of Sue Island.

Approaching Sue Island and the Baltimore Yacht Club

Just outside the entrance to the basin we doused our sails and headed slowly in toward the docks. Even with full throttle we were only moving at perhaps one and half knots. (Getting the engine and prop looked at is first on the agenda.) Lance set the boat very nicely into her slip at 7:42 PM and it seemed like immediately folks started dropping by to introduce themselves and welcome us to the basin. (We have actually been members for about a year now, but it's really our boats that bring us together!) Motivated by cold, fatigue and hunger, we had the lines adjusted and the boat organized and wrapped up for the night in very short order.

At Home In Her New Slip

It was a gratifying day.  The sailing was good and we arrived safely at our destination. The boat is everything we have ever wanted. Our retirement cruising plans have been infused with new energy. The dream is still alive.

Fair Winds!
Becky

Preparing for Shakedown

Lance and Becky Williams — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 02:30:00 GMT

After a week of anticipatiing our shakedown cruise from Pasadena, MD to our boats' new home at the Baltimore Yacht Club in Essex, we awoke this morning to a disappointing weather report. The forecast called for thundershowers beginning at 1:00 pm. First we checked on the internet. Well, they are not always right so we next consulted our marine radio. They were saying the same thing. But what about the Weather Channel?. Yep, sure enough, thundershowers at 1:00, you could bet the farm on it. The first part of the day was to be partly cloudy also. In addition, winds were calm and were not expected to pick up much all day.

We needed some time to familiarize ourselves with the rig anyway and a good scrubbing really was in order. The boat had been sitting undercover, in the water, all winter and smelled like mildew, deisel, and a holding tank that needed to be pumped out. The decks were streaked with black and bird crap and chipping Cetol. We decided that whatever time we had today before the rain came down would be spent attending to these tasks.

After breakfast we loaded up the car with cleaning supplies, stopped at Subway on the way to pick up a sandwich for later and headed for the boat. We spent a couple of hours with me scrubbing decks and Lance figuring out how things worked. Around noon we decided to stop for lunch.

A bimini was laying on the deck, which the former owner said they never used. We wondered why. Shade would be nice for lunch so this seemed as good a time as any to try and put it up. (Oh, did I mention that at this point it was 80 degrees with full sun, not a cloud in the sky?) We got the bimini up. It didn't take long to figure out why it had been unused. You couldn't stand up in the cockpit anymore. It was difficult to crawl out from under it and with the straps leading fore and aft, you would have to be an acrobat to crawl over all of the obstructions to get to the foredeck. You couldn't access the mainsail from the cockpit either, and you couldn't even see that much under it because it was low and there was probably only a foot between the top of the cabin and the bimini. We enjoyed the shade while we ate lunch but agreed between us that we thought the comfort of the shade while sailing would be outweighed by the dangerous conditions that would be created for navigating the decks. But it might be nice to have while at anchor, we thought we would keep it aboard for that purpose.

After finishing lunch we returned to our tasks. After a couple of hours we realized that it was now 2:00 pm, the sun was still shining brightly, there was a nice breeze blowing and still not a cloud in the sky. Well, surely it was going to start pouring soon, we would just continue to work until it did. Over the course of the next hour or so I spent cleaning the decks, I tripped over that damned bimini probably 4 times. Now I'm wondering if any value it may have is going to be worth me being aggravated by having to navigate around it all the time. I suspect it will be gone soon.

The rest of the afternoon, UNTIL 6:00 PM was spent joyfully making the boat ours. We threw away lots of stuff, cleaned everything we could reach, rummaged through everything and just generally got to know the boat a little better. It was a glorious day, and even though we had missed an opportunity to sail and still hadn't seen a single raindrop, we considered it a good day and felt good about the progress we had made. We figured tomorrow's journey would be that much more enjoyable because of the improved condition of the boat. It was almost a perfect day, screwed up weather report notwithstanding. Until we got ready to go............

Earlier in the day Lance had adjusted the docking lines to make it easier for us to bring the boat a little closer to the dock so that we could board easier. We were getting on and off a lot, usually with our hands full of whatever was coming aboard or heading for the dumpster. At the time there was no wind at all and the boat just pretty much bobbed peacefully wherever we put her. By the time we were ready to leave the wind had picked up considerably. The weather channel said gusts to 19 knots. We didn' t realize it but the dock lines were loose enough that the boat was able to come into contact with the dock. And come into contact with the dock it did. I went forward to find our rub rail being ripped off against the dock. By the time we were able to readjust everything, we had lost about a foot or a little more of wood on the starboard side. I cried, Lance felt horrible. Not the best end to an otherwise great day. The to do list for the boat was long enough already without this additional project. But, we take all of these experiences as opportunities to learn something (after we're finished kicking ourselves, that is). Our seamanship when it comes to line handling at the dock will no doubt be improved in the future, and we will learn how to scarf in a piece of rub rail. Fortunately we have some that we removed from the CD-22 we are renovating. It's even weathered about the same and should be a much better match than a new piece of wood would be.

We could have stayed home on the couch watching television and had absolutely nothing go wrong all day long. But I would rather have the day that we had. You put yourself out there to do something fun and have a little adventure, and sometimes things go wrong. It's better than the boring alternative.

Tomorrow we will be heading down early to make the trip home. The weathercast is for temps in the mid 60's, partly cloudy and winds 7-10 knots. We shall see if they do a better job for tomorrow than they did for today. (By the way, it's 11:22 pm and it just now started raining, only 10 hours late....)

Fair Winds!!
Becky

Signed, Sealed and (soon to be) Delivered

Lance and Becky Williams — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 01:46:00 GMT

Tonight we had settlement. I can't begin to say how impressed I have been with Trident Funding, the company in Annapolis, MD that handled our loan. Everyone there has been responsive, helpful, knowledgable and just a joy to deal with. They did everything that they possibly could to make the process painless and fast for us. (Amy, Pete, Jennifer.......thank you so much.) It was great to see the new name "Sojourner" there on the documentation application. There were a few glitches at the settlement table, but with persistence, patience and the guidance of these fine folks, paperwork was finally signed, keys and checks were exchanged, hands were shaken and we were all on our way. One of the two happiest days in a boat owners life, both for us and for the sellers!

Our first stop was next door at Sailrite. I am already in full tilt boogy with plans for the interior and I wanted to peruse the Sunbrella upholstery fabrics. After 30 or so minutes of looking, we decided to take the 10 yards of Dupione Sand I had already purchased for the Cape Dory 22 we are renovating, purchase some additional yardage and use it in the 28. Next stop, CHEVY'S for dinner. Honestly, we will use absolutely any excuse to have dinner at Chevy's. "We're celebrating....we're in the neighborhood.....we're breathing...." Then it was off to OUR boat.

This time we were able to let our own selves in. Now it's becoming real. We unloaded everything out of the forward berth and checked it for fit and comfort. Nice, perfect size for us. On to the double pull out berth in the main salon. Also very nice for guests or just stretched out lounging. We set up the table, looked through the lockers, checked here and there, made some mental notes of things we need to do. Just "making it ours". We didn't have a lot of time, but this is all essential ritual for the owner/vessel bonding process.

Saturday, weather permitting, we will be sailing her home. It will be the first nice long daysail we have taken together since we sold our Bristol, and we are like two little kids looking forward to Christmas morning. Pray for sunshine and fair winds!!

Fair Winds!!
Becky

The "Splendid Splinter"

Lance and Becky Williams — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 03:37:00 GMT

We hope this is our final boat purchase. This time it's our dreamboat instead of another shipwreck.

We have long thought that the Cape Dory 28 would be the most perfect boat for the cruising we want to do in our retirement. (4 years, 2 months to go.) So, several months ago I placed a posting on the CDSOA message board asking if anyone in the Chesapeake Bay area had a Cape Dory 28 they might be willing to charter to us during the summer so that we could take a cruise. We didn't think we were ready to purchase yet since we have 4 boats in various stages of repair or demolition already, but we were anxious to get out there and take a cruise and to confirm to ourselves that we were on the right track with the CD-28.

We were shortly contacted by the owner of the "Splended Splinter". I had met Sharon, the owner, at CDSOA functions in the past and although I didn't know her personally, I knew her to be an active, knowledgeable sailor and past commodore of the association. She told us she would be open to chartering the boat to us for a summer cruise if she still had it at that point, but that she was also very interested in selling and asked if we would keep that possibility in mind. It was the middle of winter, the boat was tucked under her winter cover and we had a million other things going on, so even though the possibility of buying the boat was extremely tempting, we didn't think it was the right time and so we took no action on it at the time. And then spring arrived............

Sunshine and warm weather changes everything. The marinas come alive, the slick new boat gear catalogs start arriving in the mail, the water looks so inviting with the sun sparkling on it, and now we really really want to go sailing!! So one Sunday a couple of weeks ago we decide to take a ride to the Hammock Island Marina in Pasadena, MD where the boat is berthed and just have a look at her. She was still under her winter cover and we couldn't really see a lot, but what we could see looked pretty good. Since we had come that far south, we headed down to Chevy's in Annapolis for lunch (to justify our effort and our gas usage) then on down to Herrington Harbour to see how many other CD 28's we could see. The bug was biting us hard!

Then last Sunday, the 13th, we took another drive to Hammock Island and there she was, in all her glory, no more winter cover. And she looked extremely good to us. We have looked at probably a couple dozen 28's and 30's over the past several years and this was really the nicest one we had seen. Lance suggested I call Sharon to see if the Splinter was still for sale, and faster than you could say lickety split she and her husband Mike were driving up at the marina.

We spent a pleasant afternoon looking around the boat and talking with Mike and Sharon and by the end of the visit a very favorable deal had been struck for the purchase of the Splinter. (She will be renamed "Sojourner" when her transfer papers are filed.) A deposit was given and we drove home with ear to ear smiles and that "pinch me" feeling that you have when something has just happened that seems too wonderful to be true.

On Monday we contacted the rear commodore at the Baltimore Yacht Club, where we are members, and informed him that we wanted to bring in a boat and would need a slip assignment. He gave us 6 slips to choose from, so we went down and made our choice. Later that evening we called him to tell him we were ready to sign a contract on slip C-55 and almost as an afterthought Lance decided to talk draft with him. BYC is mostly power boats and I guess the draft for a sailboat hadn't really come to the commodore's mind. He said he wasn't sure whether or not any of the available slips had sufficient draft and the only way we would know is if we went down and sounded the slip. So at 10:41 PM on Monday evening (low tide) we were at the marina with our car lights shining down the dock (it's a wonder no one called the cops on us) and an 8 foot pole marked off at 6" increments sounding the length of our intended slip. We thought we had 5' at low tide, but darn, it was really dark out and we wished we could be more sure. The tide charts showed that Tuesday morning's tide was supposed to be even lower than the one the night before, so I went and sounded the slip again and it looked like we had a good 4'6". At that point we figured the worst that could happen in the event of an extreme low tide would be that our keel would sit in the mud a little and we would be stuck until the tide came back in again. It was a go.

This past week has been all about paperwork, insurance, and all those annoying financial details. Not my favorite part, but a necessary evil. Tonight we met Mike and Sharon at the boat and ran the engine for a bit (sounds great), bent on the sails and went through the systems. Wednesday night is settlement and with good luck and good weather we will sail her home this coming weekend.

We still have our other blog which will serve as a forum to talk about the restoration work we are doing on our other boats, and just to chat sailing in general. It is http://blog.oldragbaggersonline.com. This site will serve as an online deck log for the Sojourner, and will be devoted to Cape Dory.

Fair Winds!!
Becky