Last sail of 2017?

Sjogin gets hauled this week for some shop time. Two coats of varnish on the spars, topside paint, paint on the rub rails and such. The plan is to have her back in commission next month.

It’s been over thirty years, absent the Sandy years on the hard, that Sjogin’s been in the water and ready to sail through the winter. One of these years that run will end but not this year.

Here are a few pics and a video from yesterday’s sail:

That was quick. A half hour after finally getting back to the dock (it took three tries), Sjogin’s spars were headed to the shop.

Hove to for lunch.

The classic Sjogin view. Hope to have her back looking Beaton fresh before Christmas.

Here’s the YouTube link: Last sail of 2017?

So easy we may have a run of HtoSP exclusive content 

Here’s news:  Bill Fortenbaugh, the gentlemen for whom I helped build Ghost those many years ago, has written a book about building and sailing Ghost.  I’m about half way through and reliving almost every rivet.  I’ll post purchase details soon but here’s the cover:

The cover shows Ghost in a trailing position.   For seven years she was unbeatable. 

Yours truly assisting an over Old Overholted Santa with the last rivet.

The origin of the Lazy Russ.

What joy to have helped bring Ghost to life.  Thanks, Julia.

Still here

And sorry I haven’t updated this Blog since whenever.  I’ve been busy with my life, happy to keep up with most of my duties absent writing HtoSP blog posts.   I hope anyone still reading this is aware of the other ways to follow along.  

Instagram is where most of the good stuff shows up first.  It’s a public account so anyone can see my posts.  It’s at  https://www.instagram.com/sjogin/

I’m also doing a bit of writing that may show up in our favorite magazine.

Let me know if anyone sees this.

Here’s one recent pic:


Best,

Russ

Recent Sjogin pics

And the first sail of this year and the bright, new Spring we are supposed to be having.  Too dry and cold so far and little water in the Bay.

Sjogin has been taking up nicely with just a slow weep.  She hasn’t been out in brisk winds yet but she seems as tight as ever.  (Touch wood.)

Enjoy the pics.

…
Last snow of the year on deck.  It makes the warmth from the stove just that much better.

…

View from the spar shed.  Nice spot protected from the northeast.  There’s a greater chance of icing over in here but the protection’s worth it.  (and little persistent ice this past Winter.

…

Calm day waiting for water and a breeze.  Please excuse the temporary blue tape mast boot.  Better system on its way.

…

New tiller from Paul Smith.  It’ll weather for a bit and then be finished bright.

…

Another breathless day at Beaton’s.  It never gets old.

…

Ready to go for the first sail of the New Year and Spring.  It’s always a thrill to go for that first one after a lay-up.  Thanks to Paul and the folks at Beaton’s Sjogin’s ready for another season on Barnegat Bay.

…

Hove to off Swan Point once more.  Sjogin hasn’t forgotten how.

…

Your Happy Skipper under way.  The new tiller allows sitting on the seats when driving.  Most comfortable.

…

Back at the dock after two missed attempts; one too fast and one to slow. The last one was just right.  Need practice.

…

Back in her Summer position.  A bit early but hope springs eternal…

…

A fine draw with the raised smoke head with far fewer puff backs.

…

Sjogin’s nod to the Modern Age.  New Solar panel keeps the battery topped up.  When on board it slips under the seat with no visible wires.  Then its back to the 19th Century.

…

Recent read down below about sailing a 22′ Catboat sans engine in one of the finest but challenging cruising grounds anywhere.  Mr. Cheney (not that one) and I have a similar sailing philosophy.  He too sails slow.

…

Bosun’s work: making a strop to be used as the jib tack.  Note the new bronze snap from the extensive legacy of a local legend.  RIP Bad Bob.

…

New sounding lead salvaged by Paul.  It works far better than a two inch square nut.

Well, here we are after another pause.  The above pics had their captions removed and order changed with a dumb click on my part so you may find new details and a changed pic.

Trust some still enjoy this format.  I seem to treat it as a monthly than as a more frequently updated Blog.

Under sail videos soon.

Do write.

A new record?

For not updating the Log.  As most know I post on Facebook frequently, mostly via Instagram.  You can also see new pics on Twitter.

Here’s a series of photos of the repair to Lightning from a nasty insult this past season.  In reverse order but you get the idea.  Another bit of boat magic from Paul and Beaton’s.

…

What wound?

…

Faired and primed.

…

Sealed and spot filled. 

…

Almost there. 
…

Damage revealed. 
…

Dock rash?
Sjogin stuff soon.  

Mostly Beaton’s pics

Busy Winter in the wood shop.  After Sjogin’s recent refit, the Hankins’ skiff Legend was brought in for the same treatment.  There’s also the elegant rowing skiff awaitng return of the principals to salt water to continue her re-construction.

If you have a project, I’m sure Beaton’s could fit you in.

Here you go:

…

New tiller for Sjogin by Paul Smith.  Bespoke indeed. 

…

 And a proper sounding lead for Sjogin from the collection of a local legend.  Thanks Bob.

…

 Here’s Paul tending to last seasons wear and tear on Myth bits.

…

 Here’s Paul with Sjogin’s new/old boat hook.  The natural Swamp Maple crook was carved by Phil Clarke in the 1970s.  Long enough to sound my way around Barnegat Bay.  No bottom, no problem. 

…

 Steaming cedar planks for the new rowing skiff.

…

The seemingly eternal search for fair enough. 

…

 Look familiar?   It’s the job made form used to set the curve in Sjogin’s coaming.

…

 Dave explaining the virtues of the new, larger bilge pump.  

…

The new skiff .  Plenty of twist forward.

…

Pleasant sheer.
So this was fairly easy.  Sjogin stuff soon.

 

Happy New Year

Yes, it’s been far too long without a Post.  Sjogin’s now hauled and in the shop at Beaton’s getting a little TLC and attention to a few minor projects.  The plan is to have her back in the water and rigged providing no serious ice.  Seems strange to have a January launching but she needs to go back in and prevent too much drying out.  Especially in the warm and cozy woodshop.

Here are some pics and a video from the last month or so.

…

One of the main reasons I want her back in the water.  Hard to have a fire and sizzle when she’s on the hard and especially in the shop.  We’ve had little ice so far this winter and I hope that trend continues.

…

She still weeps a bit due to her iron sick joints.  Note the cedar bilge pump switch.

…

First ice of the season a few weeks ago.  It was mostly slush and soon gone.

…

Last sail of 2016 and a fine one at that.  The usual light SW breeze with no one else on the Bay.  Here’s Sjogin showing off her ghosting ability.

…

It took about five minutes to make her way to the slip.  I had to let her eventually bump up against the piling rather than walking up to the bow and stopping her way.  It was a clear case of sailing as slow as she could.

…

Here she is waiting her turn in the wood shop.  You can see a very expensive Osprey nest in the upper left and the strongback for building Duckboats at the bottom.

…

In the shop and ready for the tender ministrations of Paul Smith.

…

Rails stripped and a few coats of varnish already. Boy they work fast.  Again a mulitple of my speed.

…

When I renewed the trim pieces twenty years ago I overlapped the ends which have opened up over the years.  This simple solution should keep things tight.

…

Here’s Paul working on the rudder.  It needs a bit more weight to counteract the tendency flop over.  He’s also adjusting the angle of the tiller slot so the tiller needs less sweep in profile. There’s also a new tiller to be made.  If Paul can find a suitable piece of oak or locust I’ll fashion it myself and make it a bit longer so I can steer comfortably from the new seats.

Happy New Year again Sjogin fans.  For those that need a more regular diet of Sjogin, Beaton’s and such pics, my Instagram account is public and updated more frequently.

Edited to add yet another slow sailing video:

New photos

If, for some reason you come here just for a glimpse of a beautiful boat and reasonably taken snaps of our particular place of Earth, then I’ll not disappoint.  I’ve been at this now for more than a decade, reaching folks all over our watery world and now ask for your indulgence if one of the pics below makes reference to current events.

First up is one of Sjogin through a Prisma algorithm.

…

Given the right photo, the painterly effect works well.

…

A very shiny Lighting.  Nice off season work.

…

Here’s another Prisma example.  Some of the algorithms work better than others.  I think this one is called Dallas.

…


Finally, here is one taken at noon on Election Day.  After the tumult of the past year or so, a quiet sail before voting seemed necessary.

Will we need to find a term to describe the time before that day and the time after?  I hope not.  Patience, good will and manners will see us through to remembering this past Election Day as just another one, a bit of a Black Swan, but none the less one of many more to come.

Your considered comments are welcome.

Sail slow America.

This and that

Here are a few pics from the last month or so.  Some Sjogin stuff, some Speedwell stuff and this and that.  Pics first because it’s so easy now; captions later.

Edited to add: And now the captions are done.
…

The Classic View.  I’ll count the pics taken from this spot some day.

…

A quiet morning last week.  Fine weather for creek crawling in Speedwell.

…

Here she is after our quick adventure.  You can see the deck seams showing.  When the boat was built in the 1950s, Phil Clarke used splines in the deck planks.  Sixty years of sanding and fairing have taken their toll and now the plank edges are curling.

…

Hers a Prisma effect that works.  This pic goes back to last spring

…

New neighbor.  Bigger than our usual Ospreys, it’s a Bald Eagle.   I heard that they had been in the area for a few years now. I think there’s a nesting pair out at the Manasquan Reservoir but this is the first time Ive see one here. Just the other day I saw two more males that were twisting and turning in the air over our yard; most amazing sight.

…

Finall, Sjogin from a different angle.  Out testing the steering or on Speedwell.  Seems OK in light air but a shallow draft rudder would work better in more breeze.  Perhaps an end plate on the rudder per Mr. Bolger.