Lots of work has been done since the move on Saturday. (I accidentally posted the last post on my mom's blog by the way) so here is some of the story.
Saturday we had hoped to have the new trailer ready for the move but alas it was no where to be found. The manager of the store that we ordered the trailer from said that it was in route but apparently, no one was able to get in touch with the driver of the delivery so even the manufacturer didn't know where our trailer was. So we borrowed a loner trailer for the weekend in hopes that the new one would arrive on Tues. (the place is closed on Mondays, go figure). The loner was a monster of trailer with tandem axles and brakes but it worked. So we get a call yesterday from the store and they say that they screwed up a little bit and the delivery driver had dropped off our new trailer early Friday morning in the back lot of the store (apparently where they rarely go) and no one knew that it had been delivered. The driver then went to the hospital to be with his wife who delivered twins which explains why he was unavailable. So they had it the whole time!!! Today, Dad is driving back to the place with our boat and their trailer where they will be hoisting our boat onto the new trailer. (should be some good pics to come).
Saturday, after the move I just kept on trucking and started installing hardware. We decided not to cut any corners with this and have been drilling out every hole for the hardware bigger and filling with epoxy before re drilling and installing. Meanwhile, Dad completed the long and monotonous task of installing the two sail tracks on the masts with all 200+ rivets. Sunday we dropped in the mizzen mast and clamped the main in to the tabernacle. WOWEEE it's a sailboat. We stepped back in awe. Then got back to work drilling the hole for the tabernacle pivot pin (In the rain) and the base pin. Then we tested out the tabernacle pivot. PERFECT. it just cleared the mizzen with about an inch to spare. Back up and bolted in, we raised the sails!!! Now it really looked like a boat. We did this so that we could determine how much of the masts we needed to cut off the ends (we left them long when we glued the sections together) No sprits yet though. We took everything down and Dad epoxied in the main mast tabernacle blocks into the main mast and riveted on the leftover sail track to both masts evenly while I worked on installing more hardware.
Monday, I got home around 5:00pm and started drilling holes for more hardware. We pulled the boat out again and tried out the new lower cut masts and raised the sails again. I also raised up the mizzen staysail to check the tack attachment placement and halyard block placement on the mizzen. All perfect, just need to rivet the block to the top of the mast and install the tack eyelets. We also raised up the sprits and set and marked the angle and marked where we needed to cut the sprits shorter to the right length and drilled out holes to be epoxy filled for the sprit hardware. Then back into the garage (where it is warmer but not much) to finish the rest of the hardware bedding. I drilled holes for the oarlocks, cleats (main and mizzen), fairleads (main and mizzen), centerboard hardware, bow U-bolt, Transom ladder, Anderson Bailer and also we glued in the base bolt for the tabernacle by bedding a lock nut into the front side of the tabernacle.
Today (Tuesday) I will go back home and install all the hardware while dad finishes the hatches. He has been working on the hinges and the fit of his beautiful fiberglass molded drain gutters on the hatches and it sure has paid off, the hatches are beautiful. The boat will be on the new trailer and there should be nothing stopping us from rigging the boat to completion today aside from cutting lines to their final length. And then ITS DONE....well almost.
There were some things that we have not started yet. We still need to make a mast gallows for trailering (probably just a temp one from pine) and also a plate to cover the cabin foot well (probably also temporary). We also need to make a seat board that is removable that will be used when rowing that just rests on the seat tops in the cockpit. We decided to leave off the gunwale strip for the EC because it would just be too much work. We will make and install it after the race and be careful not to bang up the edges next week. We are also planning to cut out an emergency rudder (probably just bare plywood cut to the right profile) juuuuuust in case. A broken rudder would make us pretty dead in the water. In the glades, a broken rudder would be an interesting problem to solve without a pre-planned spare. We will also have some spare fir stick stock on board (probably 2x2) and a sprit splint (aluminum tube that the two broken ends of a sprit could fit in) in case of sprit failure.
While Dad and I have been working on sails, rigging, and hatches, Mom has not been left out and has been spending ALL of her time either packing and preparing GPS's OR working on the cabin door that she is sewing for us from heavy cloth. It will be beautiful. She has been ignoring her boat for fear that we will not get done if she does not help and she is probably right. We will need to work on her boat as well as ours when we arrive in Tampa. Also, Mom was able to move my flight up to Thursday at 12:45pm which will put me in Tampa around 2:30pm. So I will be arriving a full day earlier which will be great because Dad and I will have some daylight to finish rigging the boat and hit the grocery for food supplies.
My friend Trey (skipper with me for
Velocity Sailing) has been a great help in getting some of the hardware and misc supplies here and there. He has a large inventory of used parts that he uses to fix up used boats. I also borrowed a secret weapon from him that Dad and I will use during those long black MOONLESS nights in the glades. Lets just say, it will
illuminate the situation.
Dawn Patrol rigged and ready just above the high water mark on Mullet Key.
Saturday, after the move I just kept on trucking and started installing hardware. We decided not to cut any corners with this and have been drilling out every hole for the hardware bigger and filling with epoxy before re drilling and installing. Meanwhile, Dad completed the long and monotonous task of installing the two sail tracks on the masts with all 200+ rivets. Sunday we dropped in the mizzen mast and clamped the main in to the tabernacle. WOWEEE it's a sailboat. We stepped back in awe. Then got back to work drilling the hole for the tabernacle pivot pin (In the rain) and the base pin. Then we tested out the tabernacle pivot. PERFECT. it just cleared the mizzen with about an inch to spare. Back up and bolted in, we raised the sails!!! Now it really looked like a boat. We did this so that we could determine how much of the masts we needed to cut off the ends (we left them long when we glued the sections together) No sprits yet though. We took everything down and Dad epoxied in the main mast tabernacle blocks into the main mast and riveted on the leftover sail track to both masts evenly while I worked on installing more hardware.
Monday, I got home around 5:00pm and started drilling holes for more hardware. We pulled the boat out again and tried out the new lower cut masts and raised the sails again. I also raised up the mizzen staysail to check the tack attachment placement and halyard block placement on the mizzen. All perfect, just need to rivet the block to the top of the mast and install the tack eyelets. We also raised up the sprits and set and marked the angle and marked where we needed to cut the sprits shorter to the right length and drilled out holes to be epoxy filled for the sprit hardware. Then back into the garage (where it is warmer but not much) to finish the rest of the hardware bedding. I drilled holes for the oarlocks, cleats (main and mizzen), fairleads (main and mizzen), centerboard hardware, bow U-bolt, Transom ladder, Anderson Bailer and also we glued in the base bolt for the tabernacle by bedding a lock nut into the front side of the tabernacle.
We were alerted by the noise and crept to the kitchen with my camera, turned the lights on and pulled the cabinet doors open as fast as we could. We met the visitor face to face like a deer in headlights and we scared the crap out of him. He promptly hid behind a bag of corn meal. When we pulled back the bag, there he was...a little squirrel. But no ordinary squirrel, this was a FLYING SQUIRREL. (A Southern Flying Squirrel we found out). Almost immediately after he had worked up enough courage to jet back into the ceiling Mike said, "Alan, thats what you could name the boat, Flying Squirrel". I thought about it for a second and I kind of liked it. Maybe it doesn't make much sense as a boat name but I think its my top pick for just that reason. Here is a video that Mike got upon meeting our visitor. Pretty cute little feller.
