Beaton’s – Page 12 – Hove to off Swan Point

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.

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.

Weekend pics

We had a visit this weekend from Bob McHugh, in town for our friend Dave’s 60th. Bob just had his 57th Thursday.

McHugh
Birthday boy down below on Sjogin. Enough breeze to stay put and enjoy the bright sun and warm stove.

Number Four started
I guess they’ll keep building them till they run out of shop space. Number Four on the mold. Details and finishing next.

Plank parts ready to go
The planks are cut to a pattern, beveled and steamed to shape. I’m pretty sure about the steamed bit.

Details
Getting to the 100 grit stage. I think this is the one that’s going to be finished bright.

Riveter's Kit
Riveter’s tools. I remember using the one with the tape to rivet Ghost. You can see how the head takes on a copper sheen after a gazillion taps.

Air on!
From Saturday, blowing 30 or so.

Good show this year, the squill are starting to spread.

Foggy visit to Beaton’s

after work Thursday. Tempted to go out and poke around in the fog but light air and a little too thick o’fog. Opted for a watch below and another chapter in Riddle of the Sands.

Fresh Garvey
Nothing like the sight of the freshly painted yard garvey as a sure sign of Spring.

Re-rigged Lift
The Railway Lift has been re-built with new motor bits. It acts like a train with a very very shot set of tracks to run on. The straps raise and lower to haul and launch boats. Built by Tom’s Grandfather David in the 50’s? I’ll have to ask Tom. Early version of the now ubiquitous Travel Lift.

Motor bits. Rebuilt by the staff in the off season. It’ll see heavy use this launching season.

Thick o' Fog
Thickish. And showers imminent.

The trap. This is where Dollman leaves Davies to his own devices. The lee’est shore imaginable.

Skiff progress at Beaton’s

The crew at Beaton’s has started on the third of the new rowing skiffs. Classic yacht quality construction. Hope to have a row in one when done. Put your order in soon, I think the first two have been spoken for.
Third skiff
Third one is underway. All of the bits have had patterns made to make it easy to duplicate parts. Looks a little factory like in the Wood Shop.
Factory floor
Plenty of room for skiff building. Tom hopes to use these skiffs as fill in work when major projects allow.
Riveted breast-hook
Note the rivet through the breasthook. Nice attention to detail.
The adventure continues
Continuing with Riddle of the Sands. Perfect small boat reading. On line copy available here.
Comfort on a raw day
I imagine Schlei Fiord in October would be comfortable with a Sardine stove at your elbow. One of my daydreams is to follow in the Dulcibella’s wake in Sjogin. Let’s see…ship her to Flensburg, a tour of the Baltic and then on to the Frisian Islands….Hmmmm. Next life perhaps.

First sail of 2009 today

Broke my barnacles visible rule and sounded my way out and in. Touched for a bit where I half-expected on the way in. Hung my not inconsiderable mass off the lee side and reduced the draft enough to tack an sail up to the dock. Was able to use the tiller line to steer while hanging to leeward. Kind of like reverse hiking. Video later.

First sail of 2009. Reaching up to Swan Point.

Happy Skipper
Well at least we got out of the basin. About three and a half feet inside, five where I’m at in the pic.

Back safely
Back after having a semi-grounding. The judicious use of my mass hanging from the lee shrouds and the use of the tiller line saved the day.

Steward! Breakfast stuff waiting for the next watch.

al fresco
Breakfast as fresco. First breath of Spring. Clocks advance tonight. Ahhhh… post work sails.

New rowboat abuilding
New boat project at Beaton’s. They’ve taken the lines off a rowboat built by David Beaton for Mrs. Colie and plan to start selling a few.
Glowing Hazlenut
Photo by Julia. Our Henry Lauder’s Walking Stick (Contorted Hazelnut) being full of it’s bad self in fresh snow last Monday morning.

February is exiting and still no sailing.

Perhaps the water in the Bay will return in March. Down today for a check-up and a cuppa and the barnacles were still showing. They usually need to be covered to have enough water in the basin for sailing in and out of the slip.

It was almost high enough today but falling on brisk breezes from the west. Big front coming through with the promise of snow tomorrow.

Still in the slip
Here’s hoping March will be a little kinder and bless us with gentle southerlies.

That’s my Phil Clarke Duckboat Speedwell viewed through the lumber shed. She was built in 1951 and the last boat Clarke built before selling the plans and patterns to David Beaton, Tom’s grandfather.

There’s a great story in the new issue of WoodenBoat about the resurgence of the Duckboat fleet on Barnegat Bay. Thanks Mr. Kellogg.

Photo by Suzanne Beaton of Tom and Meghan Beaton on the way to the starting line in B-10.

Ice free!

The lengthening daylight has worked it’s magic and the ice has left the Bay. Last weekend saw the last ice in the basin and now it’s time to continue off-season sailing.

One of my WoodenBoat Forum friends, Steven Bauer, is here from Maine on a family visit. He’s coming by tomorrow and we’ll try to squeeze in a sail, conditions permitting.

Reflections
From last weekend. Meltwater on top of the ice make a perfect mirror. Looks calm though it was blowing over 25kts last Sunday. Here’s a bit of video:

It was neat seeing the gusts ruffle the melt water while the ice moved due to the wave energy. Getting thinner.

Here’s another one. What a perfect mirror.

Ice free
Taken this morning. And now the Bay beckons. Maybe tomorrow will see my first sail of 2009.

The duckboat is Speedwell, our 1951? Phil Clarke duckboat. She needs a bit of work to get her back on the Bay. I’m going to give her a lug rig to make it easier to sail for those north of fifty. The standard rig is a cat with a leg-o-mutton sail with the foot almost as long as the hoist. The boom on the standard rig is only a few feet off the deck, which is fine for an eight year old. You really need to “duck” when tacking these boats.

Quest progress

Beatons is moving along on the restoration of Quest, a 1922 Watch Hill 15. Built by the Herreshoff Mfg. Co. for service in Watch Hill Bay, RI, she’s been given a second ninety years on our Bay.

Coamings in
The coamings are in place and await final trimming and fairing. The hull’s had the first of several finish coats applied.

Deck jewels
Deck hardware being installed. It will all turn a nice soft green over time.

Paul Smith of Beatons, lead builder on Quest. Note the original bronze knee.

Sleet!
Sleet! And rain and snow and blowing 25 out of the ENE. Definitely Sardine weather.

Crispy
Though the weather outside was frightful….

The weather for the Winter Solstice was decidedly more benign. About 4:00 yesterday.

Yet another semi-rainy weekend

Down to Sjogin yesterday for the usual. Again a Saturday morning spitting rain out of the SSE, blowing 20 or so. Not too cool but raw enough for a fire. Noisy below with the chop raised in the basin. Plenty of water too.

Shop scraps
Prime dry Jersey White Cedar makes fine kindling. Off cuts from the Quest planking job.

Comfort food
Classic Saturday morning ritual. Finished going through John Stilgoe’s Shallow Water Dictionary. It’s a slim book that ranges over the meanings and origins of “estuary” english.

Quest
Speaking of Quest, the Xynole deck covering is on and the hull’s been faired. Expect paint soon.

Sjogin
Plenty of water, plenty of wind and in between showers. Not a very pretty day.

Irene Tansy dancing back and forth on her mooring.

Happy Brant
High water in Stockton Lake last Friday. The Brant seem to like the easy in and out.

Hole
Something interesting in the shop at Beatons. It’s a new bottom plank with a hole for the propeller shaft for the Bunker and Ellis picnic boat Cats Whiskers.