A lot of breeze and not our sweet spot, but a fun race anywhoo. Started in big breeze right off the DALI which was one hell of a distraction! It was a struggle keeping the big flat top main working and we might've been better off with a reef tied in. But still, it was a nice night on the water.
Yet another light air race complete with a big iron wind shadow in the beginning legs of the race. We got the boat goind and won our class. We played Cat & Mouse with Mr. White (he'd spotted us a 10 minute head-start) and ended up changing leads with him numerous times. Finally caugh up to him in the spinn legs up Eastern Bay and we legged out on the beat to the finish. It didn't matter, the boat was not in our class, but it's always fun to have a boat-for-boat race, especially against two of the Chesapeake's finest. (Don't foget thay INCOMMUNICADO won the LeBrot Trophy about 9 or 10 years ago)
Helped get INCOMMUNICADO up to MYC for the race on Saturday. Once called the FIVE FORTS race, with the collapse of the Key Bridge, we called it the TWO FORTS race, as we were denied access to water adjacent to or surrounding Fort Carroll, Fort McHenry and Fort Armisted.
Took some distance shots of the bridge in it's clean-up phase. Not that the world needs anymore DALI shots. But it's such a weird landscape/seascape, I couldn't resist.
Spent the first night (since I acquired the boat) on RAINBOW and it was excellent, very comfy and no drops from the persistent rain. Woke up and got to MYC for the race. It was super light and after 3-4 hours the RC mercifully abandoned the race. We were way out in front, but such is life.
ALSO: got the red hat photo for Spinsheet and apparently it won me some swag.
Worked on boats all day but was too tired to go out with the Tues eve. folks. Plus the weather looked damp. But as just one boat was heading out, I said I'd stick around and keep my phone handy in case they needed assistance or just a tow back to PSA, as the breeze was dying.
Started up the Safety Boat just to get reacquainted with its controls and equipment. Seemed to start ok, so I shut it off and waited for a call. But then I thought, well, I should just head out anyway, just in case.
That's when the fight started.
Turned the key. No starter. No power lift (I'd left the engine down, prop in the water). Fiddled around with various other operational deficiencies and grabbed my multi-meter. AHAH! Battery read plenty of V. and I could hear the solenoid clicking but not engaging the engine. To me, that sounds like crappy battery connections.
So sure enough, pulled the battery box out and took a look at the terminals. UGH. A little sandpaper, a little knife action and that was all it needed. Battery connectors back on and VOILA enginre runs. Of course, by then, the FS folks were back at the dock.
Kind of a workday, so maybe it shouldn't count but we were "on the water" for 4 hours in not the greatest weather and on and off the boat quite a bit. I won't get 100 days this year anyhow. But I would like to document some of the early season stuff. Stuff about my own boats and also the OPBs I race on from time to time.
I had never seen a mast stepped by using a forklift so far. But it worked and the guys at MarineMax are good at what they do. So no drama, expect for a could of pricey pieces of hardware deciding to go for a swim.
i550, kayak and the Flying Scot Tuesday evening fleet, complete with rig down on one. No one injured and FS towed back to PSA safely, so all in all, it was a day!
Painted a bit of the sportboat's interior and launched a kayak to inspect the transom. Paddled out to where one of our neighbors has planted a bugeye! Wanted some photos, as my Great Grandfather, John R. Ford owned and operated a bugeye in the great turn-of-the-century oyster bed ravage.
2nd time in as many weeks the red FS lost its rig...something to do with a "pin." Isn't it always?
Goal was to make the i550 look clean and mean. Took off a winter's worth of dirt, but then I got distracted, feeling sorry for the kayaks that don't go out all that often so I grabbed one and went out for a paddle.
Noisy ospreys abound!
My last of usable "work days."
Lots of sanding on INC. The results look like a new Interlux VC Offshore color, called "Magothy Camo" but it is slick as hell and sanded to perfection. Can you say, "laminar flow?"
Bunch of stuff.
2nd coat of paint in the V-berth, clean-up in aisle Nine and battery charge. But I forgot my shop vac so I didn't make much progress on the other areas in need of help.
Launched a kayak for the first time in awhile. Pesky osprey kept circling the kayak, showing off its newly aquired lunch. I took a second and then third look and damned if the bird wasn't carrying a decent-sized shad! Either that or a whopper herring, but it looked more like a hickory shad. Anyway, I hope it was tasty and next time out I'll bring a rod and a few shad darts.
I just reread Thomas McGuane's The Longest Silence and it has given me a renewed appreciation of Catch-n-Release fishing.
Hmm...they do taste good though...
Not much done as the trip to Lake Erie ate up some free days and a weekend.
And I'm quickly exhausting the limit on boat work days. Doesn't matter, I'm on the water and it's very satisfying to apply paint and try out systems. I wanted to get the solar panel wired in, but puffs on the creek got to almost 40 (mph) and I didn't think it too wise to start farting around witn a big flat panel on deck.
So that got scuttled.
But I was able to hook the otto up and while the boat was getting tossed around in the slip watch and listen to it make minor corrections to keep us on course (even though we weren't really going anywhere).
One day it'll be warm and relatively calm. Until then, a luta continua...