Between yesterday and today we managed to get two major catastrophes done and over with. Yesterday afternoon around 1:30 in the afternoon I was making the bed or some odd job like that and hear a crashy boom sound. I go out on deck to find Scott and ask, "What was that?" He points at small boat with it's bow sprit resting on our bow sprit, "It was them hitting us." No harm done, none to speak of, just a little scrape on the stainless. I was relieved that it was someone hitting us rather than the other way around.
Second catastrophe...about and hour ago, the Bucket fell in the water between the boat and dock. He was getting on the boat after a trip to the grocery. He had his hat in his hand which mad his hand slip and in he went. He managed to get his first bloody nose and lost his hat to the harbor. The water here is very cold. He will be much more cautious and has changed his mind about wanting to swim in the sound. He was also thrilled that his "boat coat worked," he calls his life jacket his boat coat and does not go out into the cockpit without putting it on. He practically lives in it because he puts in on right out of the cabin and wears it to the end of the gangway and puts it back on upon returning to the gangway.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Monday, November 4, 2013
November 4, 2013
The new Mainsail is on, the Genoa is on and the Stays'l is on.....LET'S GO SAILING! Saturday the 26th was the day. We headed out around 10:00 that morning. Scott and the Bucket started at the helm, taking us out of the slip and into the big water of The Sound.
Eventually I found my place at the helm while Scott handled the sails.
Scott got the sails up and we had windspeed around 9 or 10 which moved us along at around 3.7 or 4 knots. Not much to speak of, but we were sailing! That counts for something, heck, that counts for a lot considering we have been sitting in a slip for over a month.
Eventually I found my place at the helm while Scott handled the sails.
Scott got the sails up and we had windspeed around 9 or 10 which moved us along at around 3.7 or 4 knots. Not much to speak of, but we were sailing! That counts for something, heck, that counts for a lot considering we have been sitting in a slip for over a month.
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| Our Main.....she is up and alive! |
November 4, 2013
Reefing nettles are simple lines used to tie the extra sail down while the sail is reefed. We have to reefing lines and two places in our sail for nettles. One nettle is measured at 3 1/2 feet and the second is measured at 4 1/2 feet the third would be measured at 5 1/2 feet (if we had a 3 reef sail). Reefing is the process of lowering the sail in heavy winds, it brings the center of gravity closer to the boat, which in turn allows better control in harsher weather. Reefing is a good thing.
This is something I learned that day at the sail loft. I also learned that there is a great group of women working at the loft. You can read about them here. http://porttownsendsails.com/index.htm
Not only do they make the best sails in the Northwest, they are professional, and so so kind. They call themselves "the Ladies," and let me know that I was welcome anytime, even if I just needed to chat. I hadn't made any friends here yet, but that day, I felt like I had.
Honestly, living aboard, in this tiny space, in a town I know nothing about, can get a little uncomfortable. As much as I love and adore my Husband and our little boy, and being with them brings me joy like no other, I just need to be in the presence of another or other women. Scott and I can get on each others nerves, and when this happens, who do I vent to? The ladies at the loft had complete understanding. They too have the experience of living aboard. They too say it can be very challenging. Scott and I are new at breathing each others air 2/4/7. We are learning a lot about each other, ourselves, and our relationship. Most of the time it is hearts, rainbows, and lollipops. Let me tell you, though, when the air is so thick it can be cut with a knife, we HAVE to deal with it. There is no backyard for me to run to or no going out to wash a vehicle for him.....nope, no running, only dealing. We are becoming good communicators. Sometimes I find a good cry is all I need. I have read a few blogs of other family's that live aboard. None seem to mention "those" times. The times that get tough. The times that you get on each other's nerves. I wish they would speak of it, let us newbies know, that it is normal. If I am the first to mention that living aboard as a family can get emotionally challenging, then good for me. After speaking with "the Ladies" at the loft, I know we are normal. That makes it a lot easier. Life is good.
This is something I learned that day at the sail loft. I also learned that there is a great group of women working at the loft. You can read about them here. http://porttownsendsails.com/index.htm
Not only do they make the best sails in the Northwest, they are professional, and so so kind. They call themselves "the Ladies," and let me know that I was welcome anytime, even if I just needed to chat. I hadn't made any friends here yet, but that day, I felt like I had.
Honestly, living aboard, in this tiny space, in a town I know nothing about, can get a little uncomfortable. As much as I love and adore my Husband and our little boy, and being with them brings me joy like no other, I just need to be in the presence of another or other women. Scott and I can get on each others nerves, and when this happens, who do I vent to? The ladies at the loft had complete understanding. They too have the experience of living aboard. They too say it can be very challenging. Scott and I are new at breathing each others air 2/4/7. We are learning a lot about each other, ourselves, and our relationship. Most of the time it is hearts, rainbows, and lollipops. Let me tell you, though, when the air is so thick it can be cut with a knife, we HAVE to deal with it. There is no backyard for me to run to or no going out to wash a vehicle for him.....nope, no running, only dealing. We are becoming good communicators. Sometimes I find a good cry is all I need. I have read a few blogs of other family's that live aboard. None seem to mention "those" times. The times that get tough. The times that you get on each other's nerves. I wish they would speak of it, let us newbies know, that it is normal. If I am the first to mention that living aboard as a family can get emotionally challenging, then good for me. After speaking with "the Ladies" at the loft, I know we are normal. That makes it a lot easier. Life is good.
November 2, 2013
November 2, 2013
We picked up our new main sail from Hasse & Co. (Port Townsend Sails) on Tuesday the 22nd of October.
Let me back up a little. Kelsey from Port Townsend Sails called and informed us that our sails were ready to be picked up. Our old sails were there waiting in storage and the new Main was white and beautiful waiting to be filled with wind for the first time in its existence. We get there (this was on the 18th of October) and pick up all of our old sails, they fill the car, we have no room for the new Main. The old sails are living in the car for the time being. We are hoping that we can sell them to another IP owner. If we don't sell them, I will likely cut them into some kind of pattern for reusable grocery bags or beach bags, or maybe just recycle them somewhere. And as it turns out the new main does not fold anyway and even if the car was empty it would not go in. The kind people at Port Townsend Rigging offered their Pickup, and we graciously accepted and picked up our new Mainsail on Tuesday the 22nd. With all the rigging complete to date, the boom was ready to welcome its new tenant. We put the sail on and hoisted it up on the 23rd. We slowly let it back down and ever so carefully began flaking it (laying it down on the boom in a nice even folded pattern). We were proud of our flaking job. In the sail bag we found we came across a smaller bag filled with parts and pieces for sail repair, an instruction manual for replacing the cars, and some line labeled "reefing nettle." What in the world is a reefing nettle? I would plan to return the sail loft and talk to the ladies there, they would explain all this "stuff." And what about this giant sail bag? Do we stow it somewhere on the boat? Do I return it to the sail makers? Oh the questions! I will go to the loft on Friday, the 25th. For today, we are just happy to get the sail on the boom, flaked, and tied down. OH! The next thing we are so grateful for is that our sail cover fits and fastens over the new sail. So that was our major accomplishment for that day.
Thursday rolls by with nothing much to report. The riggers are finishing up their jobs. Putting on the cunningham, making their final touch ups and looking over the rigging to be sure we were ready to set sail.
Friday morning I drop the Bucket off at preschool and go to the sail loft with my little bag of goods.
Friday, November 1, 2013
Life Raft (11-01-2013)
One of the essential pieces of safety equipment we felt we needed for off shore passage was a life raft.
As luck would have it while we were negotiating for the purchase of Velvet Sky we hit an impasse with the old owner and the brokerage offered a life raft as an inducement to make another offer.
The raft is manufactured by Zodiac and is rated for 4 people.
A life raft has to be re certified every 3 years; which means that a certified test facility pulls the rip cord and inflates the raft just as it would in an abandon ship situation.
We had Rollie at Westpac Marine in Tacoma complete the inspection.
There is limited real estate on the deck of Velvet Sky so we decided to mount the raft in the center of the cabin roof just ahead of the turtle top ( the dome that the companionway door slides into).
Island Packet builds their yachts with a hard fiberglass headliner under the fiberglass reinforced deck, while it is a very clean look it presents a challenge or two to mounting anything on deck.
We discovered that there was a void between the inner liner and the deck on the starboard side of the install holes. I used some thickened epoxy to fill the void, then re-drilled the holes and used the same method as the stay'l track mounts to bed the fasteners.
For securing the raft we used nylon web belt straps and a quick release snap hook to complete the tie down.
As luck would have it while we were negotiating for the purchase of Velvet Sky we hit an impasse with the old owner and the brokerage offered a life raft as an inducement to make another offer.
The raft is manufactured by Zodiac and is rated for 4 people.
A life raft has to be re certified every 3 years; which means that a certified test facility pulls the rip cord and inflates the raft just as it would in an abandon ship situation.
We had Rollie at Westpac Marine in Tacoma complete the inspection.
There is limited real estate on the deck of Velvet Sky so we decided to mount the raft in the center of the cabin roof just ahead of the turtle top ( the dome that the companionway door slides into).
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| Blue tape is used to lay out the positioning of the through holes and ease of clean-up |
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| The cradle was built custom at Port Townsend Rigging (thanks Josh) |
Island Packet builds their yachts with a hard fiberglass headliner under the fiberglass reinforced deck, while it is a very clean look it presents a challenge or two to mounting anything on deck.
We discovered that there was a void between the inner liner and the deck on the starboard side of the install holes. I used some thickened epoxy to fill the void, then re-drilled the holes and used the same method as the stay'l track mounts to bed the fasteners.
For securing the raft we used nylon web belt straps and a quick release snap hook to complete the tie down.
November 1, 2013
Happy November!
We did the traditional "Halloween" thing last night. We went trick-or-treating in Port Townsend. There was something about it that was not traditional for us, however. We were a part of the Halloween Parade. This IS tradition for the town of Port Townsend. So, it started out that Zayden was going to dress as a White Ninja, and he did.
Well, those of you who know me, also know that October 31st does not get by without me in some kind of costume. Mind you, we are on a sailing vessel and there is little to no storage for extra stuff like costumes or holiday decorations. I have managed to stow away a small holiday flag for each holiday (thank you, Ronna). I have also stowed a bit of costume jewelry and skirts. This was my first year to dress as a gypsy for Halloween ("how fitting," I thought). I must say also, that Scott (the man who prefers to go as himself) found the spirit to play along. He wore his Grandmother's (yes, Great Mama's) silky summer scarf (which I so gratefully inherited). Yes it is a very nice scarf and as it turns out it makes great "pirate" headwear. Scott had me add a bit of a mustache and some sort of beardy hair with my eyeliner make-up and we were off to a parade of 1500 or so.
After parading through town and coming across some close encounters of the same kind,
we found ourselves with a pail full of candy. We even enjoyed a cupcake from the local cupcakery, who today told us that she makes 500 cupcakes to hand out and adds 1500 pieces of candy to her treat giving night. Now that is a lot of sugar for this small town!
We walked home to our Velvet Sky and crossed the paths of many spooks and other beings heading downtown. Zayden toasted them with his pail of candy and shouted, "Halloween is over!" He was a happy white ninja and it seems that 2 hours of costume and candy was just what the kid doctor ordered. As for me.... I was ready for a combination of hops, barley, and yeast joined together in their finest form.....and make it bubbly. It was a fun 2 hours.
We did the traditional "Halloween" thing last night. We went trick-or-treating in Port Townsend. There was something about it that was not traditional for us, however. We were a part of the Halloween Parade. This IS tradition for the town of Port Townsend. So, it started out that Zayden was going to dress as a White Ninja, and he did.
Well, those of you who know me, also know that October 31st does not get by without me in some kind of costume. Mind you, we are on a sailing vessel and there is little to no storage for extra stuff like costumes or holiday decorations. I have managed to stow away a small holiday flag for each holiday (thank you, Ronna). I have also stowed a bit of costume jewelry and skirts. This was my first year to dress as a gypsy for Halloween ("how fitting," I thought). I must say also, that Scott (the man who prefers to go as himself) found the spirit to play along. He wore his Grandmother's (yes, Great Mama's) silky summer scarf (which I so gratefully inherited). Yes it is a very nice scarf and as it turns out it makes great "pirate" headwear. Scott had me add a bit of a mustache and some sort of beardy hair with my eyeliner make-up and we were off to a parade of 1500 or so.
After parading through town and coming across some close encounters of the same kind,
we found ourselves with a pail full of candy. We even enjoyed a cupcake from the local cupcakery, who today told us that she makes 500 cupcakes to hand out and adds 1500 pieces of candy to her treat giving night. Now that is a lot of sugar for this small town!
We walked home to our Velvet Sky and crossed the paths of many spooks and other beings heading downtown. Zayden toasted them with his pail of candy and shouted, "Halloween is over!" He was a happy white ninja and it seems that 2 hours of costume and candy was just what the kid doctor ordered. As for me.... I was ready for a combination of hops, barley, and yeast joined together in their finest form.....and make it bubbly. It was a fun 2 hours.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Stays'l Tracks
Yes...there is a technical aspect of living aboard. It seems as though we are adding, subtracting, or modifying something on the Velvet Sky day. I should be recording the work daily and be taking lots of photos. I haven't really been doing either so there will be a bunch of catching up. I am excited to say...."WE GOT THE MAINSAIL UP YESTERDAY!" Being that Scott and I are the working crew no photos were taken of the process, but we will be getting photos of the sails up.
In order to do this task we drilled 7 holes into the cabin top on each side, a total of 14 holes (as you can imagine we had to be very mindful of how we sealed the holes as to not allow the rain to trickle into the cabin.). It turns out that one of the holes on each piece of track landed right in the middle of the reinforcement on the inside of the cabin which required us to use a g-10 insert ( G-10 insert is a super super hard piece of fiberglass rod that you glue in to the fiberglass substratet of the cabin roof) You then drill with #7 bit and tap with a quarter 20 tap for the fastener (insert photo). To make sure that you don’t have any leaks clean the stainless steel fastener with acetone to remove oil residue, and coat threads with sika 291 and tighten up. We used acorn nuts on the inside to hold the backing plates. The whole goal of adding the t-track on the deck was allow us to use stand up blocks to lead the sheet lines to the cockpit. The end result is more precise control of the staysail and made a much cleaner and safer foredeck and plenty of room to store our dinghy. In removing the old rigid boom we removed the pivot and replaced it with a solid aluminum pad with two fold down pad-eyes.
We can use that anchor point to hold down the bow of the dinghy and have a rock solid attachment point for our jack-lines (Jack-line explanation to follow).
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| A Happy Sailor... New jib and Stays'l up and furled The boom is waiting patiently to hold and carry the new Mainsail |
Stays’l tracks...
We made a Stays’l sail handling change. IP Yachts come with a self -tacking boom that takes up a lot of room where we plan to store a dinghy. As part of the re-outfitting of the boat we had Carol Hasse of Port Townsend Sails survey all of our sails. Her staff found that our staysail was rotten. We commissioned them to sew for us a brand new staysail. We took the opportunity to refine the sail handling characteristics and free up deck space where we will store our dinghy. In consultation with Dan from PT Rigging and Hasse from PT sails we decided to install some t-track. |
| Port Side interior backing plates |
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| Starboard side interior backing plates |
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| T-Track (starboard side) |
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| Cradle for life boat (through bolted with stainless backing plates inside cabin) |
In order to do this task we drilled 7 holes into the cabin top on each side, a total of 14 holes (as you can imagine we had to be very mindful of how we sealed the holes as to not allow the rain to trickle into the cabin.). It turns out that one of the holes on each piece of track landed right in the middle of the reinforcement on the inside of the cabin which required us to use a g-10 insert ( G-10 insert is a super super hard piece of fiberglass rod that you glue in to the fiberglass substratet of the cabin roof) You then drill with #7 bit and tap with a quarter 20 tap for the fastener (insert photo). To make sure that you don’t have any leaks clean the stainless steel fastener with acetone to remove oil residue, and coat threads with sika 291 and tighten up. We used acorn nuts on the inside to hold the backing plates. The whole goal of adding the t-track on the deck was allow us to use stand up blocks to lead the sheet lines to the cockpit. The end result is more precise control of the staysail and made a much cleaner and safer foredeck and plenty of room to store our dinghy. In removing the old rigid boom we removed the pivot and replaced it with a solid aluminum pad with two fold down pad-eyes.
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| Custom design and made by Port Townsend Rigging |
We can use that anchor point to hold down the bow of the dinghy and have a rock solid attachment point for our jack-lines (Jack-line explanation to follow).
Friday, October 18, 2013
Winch Servicing
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| My first "boat" knot |
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| Winch servicing step one: take a photo as to remember how it goes back together |
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| Take the top off |
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| observe the gooey gears |
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| disassemble |
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| more disassembly |
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| clean each part with a brush, dental pick, and paint thinner |
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| begin re-greasing |
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| this is a pall, in this winch there are four and each one has a tiny spring and they have a tendency to want to get lost in the mix, these little dudes need to be monitored |
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| The palls in place and gears greased and ready to be reassembled |
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| The winch reassembled and ready for the casing. Whoo-Hoo! She works! This is number 7 complete. I estimate one and a half hours per winch. Only one more to go until next year about this time (it is an annual job). I considered giving myself a badge of "Official Winch Servicer." (At least here on the Velvet Sky) |
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Preschool for the Bucket
October 3, 2013
So much happens in just three days. Zayden started a Montessori based preschool on Wednesday. He loves it. When asked his name he responds with a handshake and “I’m Bucket.!” He will be learning to write his birth name and will likely find his nickname left behind soon. We will leave that up to him for a while longer, though.
We have been on the hunt for social activities for him. He will be attending preschool two days a week. Today we tried a dance class. He was so excited to go to a dance party he could hardly stand it. It is ballet for children 3 and older. The next class is offered when he is four, that is tap. The class today consisted of about 20 children, 19 of them were little girls. He had no idea that he was the only boy. He was there for the party! I am opting to wait until he can be enrolled in tap or hip-hop or maybe even karate. He showed no sign of being graceful, no floating on tip toes for the Bucket. He wants to jump, make big noises, and do ninja moves. Ballet is out.
Now I know many of you are saying, “We love hearing about the Bucket, and his adventures. What about sailing?” Big news! We got our jib sail today! This means we will be heading out into the big Ocean soon. Scott and I put it on and learned to furl it (that means rolled it up and secured it until ready to use). One step at a time, Matey’s. Our next step will be having a few sailing lessons with a pro. She will spend a few hours with us teaching us the ropes, so to speak. This will be taking place next week, likely.
And more good news, Scott has found help in setting up this website. This guy knows what he is doing and the page will be easier and more enjoyable to follow. Thanks for following us and hanging in there. I am still learning how to post photos and other cool stuff. Eventually, as per Shawn’s request, I will be starting a journal of then and now, and I will begin to tell of our sail boat adventure beginning with shopping for our boat.
Until next time,
Fair Winds and Oceans of Love,
Cindy, Scott, the Bucket
So much happens in just three days. Zayden started a Montessori based preschool on Wednesday. He loves it. When asked his name he responds with a handshake and “I’m Bucket.!” He will be learning to write his birth name and will likely find his nickname left behind soon. We will leave that up to him for a while longer, though.
We have been on the hunt for social activities for him. He will be attending preschool two days a week. Today we tried a dance class. He was so excited to go to a dance party he could hardly stand it. It is ballet for children 3 and older. The next class is offered when he is four, that is tap. The class today consisted of about 20 children, 19 of them were little girls. He had no idea that he was the only boy. He was there for the party! I am opting to wait until he can be enrolled in tap or hip-hop or maybe even karate. He showed no sign of being graceful, no floating on tip toes for the Bucket. He wants to jump, make big noises, and do ninja moves. Ballet is out.
Now I know many of you are saying, “We love hearing about the Bucket, and his adventures. What about sailing?” Big news! We got our jib sail today! This means we will be heading out into the big Ocean soon. Scott and I put it on and learned to furl it (that means rolled it up and secured it until ready to use). One step at a time, Matey’s. Our next step will be having a few sailing lessons with a pro. She will spend a few hours with us teaching us the ropes, so to speak. This will be taking place next week, likely.
And more good news, Scott has found help in setting up this website. This guy knows what he is doing and the page will be easier and more enjoyable to follow. Thanks for following us and hanging in there. I am still learning how to post photos and other cool stuff. Eventually, as per Shawn’s request, I will be starting a journal of then and now, and I will begin to tell of our sail boat adventure beginning with shopping for our boat.
Until next time,
Fair Winds and Oceans of Love,
Cindy, Scott, the Bucket
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| Zayden LOVING the beach! |
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| So this is our "Winter in Port Townsend" photo :) |
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| Ooops! Another face plant in the sand....brain works faster than the feet. |
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| One of the Kinetic Sculptures (thinking about Jacob and Rose) |
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| We supported "Boots and Bootie" in the 2013 Kinetic Sculpture Race Go Collin and Amber! |
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| Learning Ballet Fingers |
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| You want me to do what? |
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| My feet to my head? |
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| Whoa....Lady! |
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| Is this a wrestling match or ballet? |
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| Oh...I see... |
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| Nope...not doing it! |
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| This is a cool sight on our way home from the "dance party" |
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| At the stop sign...."hello dear" |
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
September 29, 30, 2013
September 30, 2013
The weather here was fair, and there was no work to be done on the boat so we decided to venture out of Port Townsend to the nearest shopping mecca. Bremerton is about a forty minute drive. The Bucket was in need of a size bigger running shoe, a rain slicker, hat, and gloves. We found that Bremerton was not our town, but rather a town called Silverdale.We found a Shari’s for lunch, JC Penny for running shoes, and a Sportman’s Warehouse for a hat. Most importantly we found a FISHING POLE! HOORAY!
Although we came home shorthanded of what was on our list (no rain coat or gloves), the fishing pole was a huge bonus.
September 29, 2013
We went to the beach today. Scott assured me that it was just like Mexico, only 50 degrees cooler. Well, as it turns out he was wrong. It was 40 degrees cooler and winds up to 30 miles an hour. No rain though, so it was a pleasant trip.Today is Sunday. My idea of a good Sunday is lying around, eating “bad for you” food, and watching television. With a 3 year old lying around isn’t much of an option. Scott managed to find an antenna at our local hardware store so we have television. We get one channel, clearly, all the time. Blessing or curse? I haven’t decided. The station is called QUBO, it is cartoons and children’s television, all day, everyday. That hasn’t put a damper to my idea of a good Sunday. I can cook.
I made bread on the boat. We ate it. Divine!
Instead of lying around and watching television I began to sew window coverings. Yes, they are small and do not use curtain rods, and are referred to as portholes. Lucky for us I brought along a few yards of blue velvet and several yards of elastic. I have a plan. Photos later (if these covers are photo worthy).
Fair Winds and Oceans of Love,
Cindy, Scott, and the Bucket
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