Hove to off Swan Point – Page 25 – and sailing as slow as I can….

A fine last day of May.

It’s also son David’s Birthday. No sign of same as he’s busy teaching at J-World in Annapolis. Cushy huh?

Had a quiet sail Saturday morning. Nice breeze from the WNW about 4 to 8. Was able to reach the T Dock by shifting jib sheets while hove to. Basically sailing quite slow and needed the tiller line for just the last few feet. Also slow enough not to do any damage. He hopes…

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Hove to
Hove to in the basin. Sjogin will tack herself when the jib sheets are shifted. This close sailing can be done from the comfort of the companion way, nice on cool days.

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Tom and Serena
Serena, looking Beaton Fresh, being placed on her mooring by Tom. Randy’s down below tidying up. Sailed circles around her in the almost empty basin.

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Stem details
Bow details along with peeling paint on the stem. A normal sign of “it’s time for a haul.”

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Tom and the Rowboats
Tom, talking about the rowboats. The first delivery is supposed to be today.

Back from the USVI

Spent a week enjoying the hospitality of our good friends Dave and Cheryl on Success, their 42′ cutter.

Flickr pics here. More later.

And later than intended but nonetheless, here are a few choice snaps…

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Fish Bay, south side of St Thomas. The National Park starts just to the east. Our home for the week is the second boat from the right.

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S.V. Success
S. V. Success, Dave and Cheryl’s 42′ cutter. The other boat is a Fife schooner.

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Mooring OK
Mooring pennant OK?

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Classic view of Trunk Bay. We picked up a mooring there the day after and had some beach time.

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Julia and Cheryl on Trunk Bay beach.

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Honeymoon Bay. We were there on a Monday which turned out to be Movie Night. This is on Water Island off St Thomas; the locals rig a screen between the palms and show movies. We caught glimpses of Yes Man.

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Cannon christening
Cheryl and Dave firing our boat christening gift for the first time. It’s a yacht cannon, traditionally used to signal end of day, when colors are struck. Or the Beer Gun as remarked by a nearby boat. Great echoes in Francis Bay.

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Local boat
Neat gaff skiff moored in very shallow water in Fish Bay. Could be a local design, though I see a bit of New England influence. (Very hollow bow.)

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Cheryl
Finally, a great shot of Cheryl and the emerald water of Trunk Bay. Such is paradise.

Thanks to them both for another great cruise. Our experience grows.

Spyder activity this morning

Down for a quick visit today and found the crew of Spyder getting ready for a shake down sail. Had a chat with the crew and a viewing of Sjogin’s stove.

Had a fire and the usual, then home to weed. Seems like a particularly fecund Spring this year though the damp soil makes for easy removal.

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Chompin' at the bit
Spyder, chomping at the bit. Perfect breeze for the first sail of the season; light out of the SSE with a promise of more later. Clearing fog as well. I think she’s the first one in.

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Under way
Looking Beaton’s fresh. The Yard pampers the fleet over the winter. Cover comes off and in she goes. John Brady built her last year and she’s ready for her Sophomore Season.

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Done!
Done; at least the first two are spoken for. One may be raffled for a local charity. The last two will be finished as Spring work permits.

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Tom preaching to the choir
Tom, looking at what the wood shop has brought forth. Nice work, men.

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Reflections
Last week after watering the moss. The goal is to have a grass free back yard.

Ark not needed after all

It stopped raining Friday and absent a chance of a shower, we’ve had a bit of dry weather. Too wet for too long. And too far backed up in garden chores. I can see the Bindweed marshaling its forces.

Had a quick sail Saturday morning and then finished the clean-up of the Cranberry Viburnums and made a dent in said chores.

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Light
Very light air start, building to 6 or so when I came in. Mostly out of the ENE

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Just cool enough for a fire with the hatch open and breakfast on deck. I may spring for an alcohol insert for the stove to make this scene practical all year long.

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Shiny
Varnish and paint build up under way. The varnished one will be the tender to the new Silent Maid. Tom came up with the name of Maid Servant. (I think that’s it.)

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New tennants
Here’s something from my commute. This is a farm, just outside Clarksburg, that for years had sheep in the pasture by the road. The sheep disappeared last year and now we have some horses.

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Misty morning
Last Friday before I left for work. A promise of finer weather after le deluge’.

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High tide
Calm and bright. I try to come down to the lake each morning before my drive west and take a good deep whiff. Then off to the Cube Wars.

Another rainy weekend.

Seems we’re in a pattern of weekend wet spells. Morning visits yesterday and today for the usual.

Rowboat progress with paint buildup underway. Quiet at Beaton’s otherwise.

Dampish
Dampish. Rain on and off, breeze from the NNE about 10 or so.

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Warm below
Warmish below. Another chapter read in R o t S.

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Varnish and paint build-up underway.

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Gain and no gain
An interesting method of combining plank end treatments

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Blackjack beauty
Classic Blackjack. A Hubert Johnson beauty from the 60’s

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A far too early view of the Shark River taken from the NY train last week. Spent Monday through Thursday at an audit in Lower Manhattan.

The stars align

Find the eight
Perfect conditions this morning. More later.

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And later:
Smokin'
Smokin’ Reaching along the marsh.

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Happy Skipper; breakfast al Sjogin.

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Blue Moon ex Claire; son David’s ex cruiser/racer. Ready to do battle on the Metedeconk. Great PHRF rating, she’s a C&C24. Fin keel, spade rudder and ready to rumble.

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Pick of the Litter. The first boat had the first pick through the pile of Jersey White Cedar so she gets varnished. Her knotty sisters get painted.

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A very happy Tom Beaton, standing amongst his progeny. Nice work guys.

Rowboat progress at Beaton’s

Here are a few pics from last weekend showing feverish activity in the woodshop. Discovered the fifth of these Colie Rowboats. (Any other name suggestions?) The one with the best cedar is being varnished. I think two are spoken for. Call Tom for yours.

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A Fifth!
Check out the semi-planked bottom. I’ll ask just why it’s done that way. Interesting. I think the Shop’s just big enough for five.

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Pick of the litter. Green bottom I hope. The others will be painted in appropriate Kirby colors.

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Timeless
Pick a date. 1939? 1951? 1969? The years have been kind to photographers at Beaton’s.

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A good view of the way the stern is tucked up. This makes it a delight to row and able to carry a Grandkid on the stern sheets. No adults and no outboards. Though a small electric trolling motor might serve. Hmmmm….

Expect to see them in an advance state of completion this weekend. An early May row perhaps?

Today is RJK Day

Along with Earth Day, April 22nd is the 40th anniversary of Robin Knox-Johnston’s victory in the Golden Globe Singlehanded Round the World Race. In fact he was the only one to finish. This is the same race where Donald Crowhurst went insane and Bernard Moitessier decided to head for French Polynesia after passing Cape Horn, going one and a half times around the world.

from Britsattheirbest.com
Hereâ€™s Suhali at sea. A turtle among faster hares but brought RKJ home in 313 days, non-stop, all alone. Magnificent.

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Lots more at the 70.8 Blog and here. Raise a toast today to celebrate what was then a rather remarkable achievement.

Stole an hour this evening

and managed a short sail after work today. Conditions ideal, with an 8 knot southerly and plenty of water. Went out for about an hour, enough for a quick fire and tea. Only the second sail of the year. I need to work on my average.

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Ready
Ready to go. With the wind out of the south I leave the jib backed and cast off. Sjogin looks after herself while I coil the painter.