The Agony - Part II

Preface:  Sometimes we take things too seriously but when you are spending thousands of dollars on replacing new sails and rigging, I think it prudent that the results should be what you want, not what you have to settle for.  I am writing this particular blog so that perhaps it can help other aspiring Captains from making the same mistakes I did.

Well, everything has been ordered.  Bought everything but the rigging through the internet.  Took the original rigging down to a well know vendor in Annapolis and contracted with them to have a new set of rigging built.  They have a contractor named Winston, who purportedly does excellent work.  I found this to be true.  Winston is meticulous in every detail.  The Hood furler I had was also in need of replacement so I bought a CDI 6 furler with 1/4 inch sheath.  (I would not recommend 1/4 because for the average guy, its too small in the hand.  In hindsight, I would have gone with a CDI 7 which accommodates 3/8").  It is what it is.  I asked the vendor to mount the furler on the fore-stay for me.  They would do it for no charge.  Nice.

Meanwhile, back at the boat slip, the mast was on a dolly right near the slip and my other contractor was prepping the mast to receive the new wiring and lights.

Phopah #1 - While waiting for the parts, the vendor noticed that the fiberglass surrounding the mast step was significantly de-laminated.  He decided to build up the fiberglass and so removed the mast step.  He then went below decks and removed the teak fascades around the compression post to access the area from below.  In repairing this area, the mast step area was raised 1.5 to 2 inches. That information never made it back to me so I could pass it along to the rigging vendor, who was told to duplicate the exact dimensions of the old rigging! (Remember Captains how many time rigging gets completely replaced on an old boat).

Lesson learned - maintain communications with your contractors through all phases of the work.  Ask questions to confirm status and communicate, communicate, communicate.

Everything else proceeded as scheduled while we waited for the rigging.  On the prescribed day around the third week in June, I made my second two hour trip to Annapolis.  I picked up the assembled rigging from my general contractor and was excited to also see the furler mounted onto the fore-stay.  The way the perpetual motion CDI furler works is that it has its own halyard inside the fore-stay that pulls the Leech end of the sail up to the top of the mast.  Of course, as with most furlers, this action only needs to be done at the beginning or end of the sailing season.

I dropped the new rigging off with my vendor and proceeded to work.  Soon later, I got a voice mail stating that we were two inches short on the length of the shrouds.  I could not believe it.  It could not be true! The mortal sin of all sins was committed and it happened with my own boat.  During my career, I have been a leader of men in most of what I did for a living.  I knew that the buck stopped with me.  To blame anyone else would have been a lapse in character.

I rushed to the boat yard after work and compared the old shrouds to the new ones.  They were exactly the same length.  We had five days to go before the club cruise on the 4th.  I called Winston and he said that he could locate some "extenders". I told him I would be at Annapolis at the general contractor by 5pm.  Could he meet me there with the extenders?  He agreed. So, I made my third two hour trip to Annapolis.

Phopah #2 - I met Winston at the store and gave me the extenders.  Only problem was that three were 4 inches in length three were six inches in length.  After paying an additional $223.00 for the extenders, I returned to my home that same day.  The next day, I met my vendor at 0800 at the boat yard and delivered the extenders.  We went through all six shrouds (the fore-stay and back-stay with splitter fit just fine) and customized the lengths for each to minimize their appearance on the boat.  I left for work.

Well, there we were, done.  It was mid-day on 30 June.  New rigging (with shiny new extenders), new radio mast, new LED anchor light, new LED combo spreader/steaming light, new shiny brass radio connectors, new halyards and sheaths all around.  Man, the Constance Marie looked good.

The Agony - Part 1

These next two blog entries will not be easy for me to write.  It will span the continuum from hope, excitement, concern, worry, despair, misplaced feelings of betrayal but feelings nonetheless moving on to thankfulness and relief. Not sure joy was ever felt. Some of you have stories like this, but this is mine and I learned a lot about myself during this particular journey.  

Figure 119 Old VHF radio antennae

It begins on 6/3/2015. I met with a vendor at the boat yard who had a great reputation for supporting boat maintenance projects. We laid out a plan for upgrading the mast lights to LED. Found some great buys on the internet for the Anchor light and Steaming/Spreader combination light. Given the condition of the unraveling fore-stay, I made a decision to procure new rigging all around. I wanted to upgrade my fore-stay and back-stays to 1/4" from 3/16".  All new turnbuckles included. Around 6/10/15 I located a rigging vendor down in Annapolis. I wanted to use a local rigging company that has a sterling reputation but their schedule could not accommodate getting to my boat until July.  I was determined to make the July 4th club cruise up the Sassafras River to Georgetown, MD for the fireworks.

Figure 120 - Old VHF radio connector

Figure 121 - Original mast wiring connector

Normally I am a very hands on guy.  Obviously you can see that from all the past blog postings.  Things were pretty busy at work so I thought I would outsource the complete project minus the few purchases that I would need to make.

1.      LED anchor light
2.      LED spreader/steaming light combo
3.      Brass VHF connectors (male and female)
4.      Wind-vane
5.      Full set of wire rigging with new turnbuckles
6.      New halyard sheaths
7.      New wire to run through mast

Figure 122 - Old steaming light

Figure 123 - Old anchor light

Figure 124 - Wind vane broke off

Figure 125 - Original top of mast

Well,  the story develops with the next blog.......

Patience Is A Virtue

Took some time off from the boat.....had some business to do in Annapolis.  Always fun for an Airborne Ranger to visit the the Naval Academy.

Figure 110 -If you know my family, then you know we love playing the sport of Lacrosse!

Figure 111 - Up the Severn River

Figure 112 - Looking toward Whitehall Bay and Chessi

Figure 113 - At the Point

Figure 114 - The Mark XIV Torpedo

Figure 115 - Looking toward Annapolis Harbor

Figure 116 - A well placed anchorage

Figure 117 - The moorings at Annapolis

Figure 118 - Hmmm...Chick and Ruth's Delly

It's good to take some time off and just enjoy life.  To slow down and take time to appreciate the finer things of life.

What Goes Up, Must Come Down

Figure 101 - motoring to the yard

Figure 100 - A Captain's decision

It was five days later and a cool gloomy day. My oldest son would call this kind of day a "Hartford Day".  I felt like Admiral Halsey that day. I had to take the Constance Marie to the boat yard for repairs.  Kind of like the USS Enterprise after taking on Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto's fleet the first time "in the slot".  It was a day of mixed emotions knowing that sailing season was well in progress.

Figure 102 - De-masting begins

Figure 103 - Does it hurt?

Figure 104 - Walking the mast.

Figure 105 - Don's Cash Cow

It was a rainy cool day for June.  Don't crew had the mast down inside an hour from start to finish.

Figure 106 - Grabing hold

Figure 108 - It's done

Figure 107 - Putting the mast on the dolly

Figure 109 - YIKES! The main halyard was ready to snap!

The Gallant Hours

One of my favorite movies of all time is The Gallant Hours . It stars James Cagney as Fleet Admiral William F. Halsey Jr. during the battle of Guadalcanal.  Save this for a rainy day afternoon.  There is a poignant song that is sung at the beginning and close of the movie. The lyrics can be found below.

• I knew a lad who went to sea and left the shore behind him. 
• I knew him well the lad was me and now I cannot find him. 
• Away, away, away he went, in deep and salty water. 
• His girl she waited years for him. She was his neighbor's daughter. 
• Away, away, away he went and left the shore behind him. 
• I knew him well the lad was me and now I cannot find him. 
• Away, away, away he went. Away he went and now I cannot find him. 
• The rolling sea he would embrace, the rolling sea hath took him. 
• And passed him on a lonely beach, the roaring sea forsook him.

So, why the poignancy? Friday, was the beginning of Memorial Day Weekend.  My wife, who like me, still works full time, arranged to take a long weekend off to help with our shakedown cruise.  I brought the Constance Marie to the loading dock to dovetail with our supplies.

Captain Denis was there with his boat, the Brazen Article. He was helping me furl the brand new 135 head sail I had recently bought.  We ran the sail up and it make it to about two feet from the top of the mast.  We brought it down and tried to put it up again with the same results.

Denis asked for pair of binoculars and scanned the top of the mast.  Oh no! (see Figure 99 below). Denis gave me the binos and said to focus on the top of the mast.  My stomach dropped.  I felt the gloom of Mordor settle over me.  I realized that Memorial Day fantasy weekend would have to wait. I turned to my wife and told her that the fore-stay was unraveling and the mast could come crashing down at any time, not to mention tearing our new head sail if we were to go sailing. Olivia smiled at me and told me she understood.  I then made a phone call to the boat yard manager.

We are blessed at our yacht club to be within a mile of a great boatyard. It's a well known working marina with most of the essential amenities. What makes this yard stand out is that it is more a community of tradesman who specialize in various aspects of boat maintenance. And the head operator is a first class businessman.

Figure 99 - Anybody know a good rigger?

Queen Constance Marie, Her Carriage, Driven By A True Prince To The Chesapeake Ball

The big day has finally arrived!  Launch day 2015.  Off the hard of land and into the soft of water.  The old girl is officially in her 35th season of a rendezvous with her best friend, Chessie.  

Figure 96 - Gently my Prince

Figure 97 - Robert is one of our best drivers

It's a special feeling when your boat hits the water, then you check for leaks, and you signal the launch crew....NO LEAKS!

Most landlubbers do not realize the skill it takes to drive one of our boats into the water.  Just off to the port side of that rear traveler wheel is a "hole" that if it is hit, tests the very strength of our cables and straps and oh yeah, the driver.  Being on the dock as the Captain watching your boat jerk about a foot, tests any Captain's nervous system.

Figure 98 -  Good-bye Copper.  Hello Chessie

The Lady Has A Date (Memorial Day Cruise), Put On The Make-Up

Figure 89

Well, it has been over two and a half years since we purchased the Constance Marie.  It's time to put some paint on the her.  She is a Hunter and so she should be made to look like a Hunter.  Break out the gray non-skid and Brightside White!

Figure 90

We taped around all the non-skid areas.  I was surprised to see how much gray was going to cover the decks.  It changed the whole appearance of the boat.

While the deck was drying, I went below and knocked off the front berth, the head and the main galley with three coats of anti-mildew primer and two coats of Brightside white.

Figure 91 - White before Gray

Figure 92 - Yes!

Figure 93 - Forward berth

Figure 94 - Head sink

Figure 95 - Head area