Hove to off Swan Point – Page 32 – and sailing as slow as I can….

Quick sail Saturday morning

Out and back before the breeze picked up. About 4 to 8 from the NNW which allowed me to raise the sails in the slip, then pull her out and fall off to starboard. Fire was stoked, tea brewing and breakfast in the skillet as I left. Turned into a beautiful day, bright sun and a productive afternoon in the garden.

Ready to go
Perfect breeze for leaving the slip with the sails up. Plenty of water today.

Barge still there
Still no attempt to remove this derelict.

Swan Point to leeward.

Happy Skipper; reaching home.

Porch view
Inviting spring in.

Library window view
View out our rear window. Nice and lush after a soaking rain.

Garden photos

Here are a few pics taken this past weekend. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems our perennials are developing earlier and earlier. With a longer growing season we need more mid and late summer interest. (Like we have the room.)

We’re in the money! Self sown Money Plants (Lunaria annua) in full bloom.

Bed work
Vegetable and herb beds being prepped; soon to filled with tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, salad greens et al.

Specie azalea's
Our single species Azalea in all their glory. No need for mulch under the Holly.

Ferns rising
Happy ferns coming up through the ivy.

Not much new

as evidenced by the moss growing on Sjogin’s jib halyard. Under the weather last weekend so little new “content”.

Moss!
Need to air things out. Maybe this week after work; Tuesday sounds good.

Last sip warming up yesterday morning. Quick visit and then edging and such in the garden.

H-15 back in shape
Progress on the H-15 with the framing done and a new mahogany sheer strake. As you can see her sweet sheer line has been restored. Planking next.

Finally, here’s a pic of the back steps at Trinity Church in Lower Manhattan. I was in the city for a business lunch and retraced my 9/11 steps. I’m working on a narrative about that day and will post same here.

Steps

Jett came for a visit Friday

along with Bob and Amy, a friend from NY. Dinner at the Shipwreck and a lovely Saturday morning in the garden.

Thee ball Jett
Jett’s new trick; hoovering tennis balls.

Julia and Jett on a lovely Spring morning.

A chat
Inter species communication.

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Went for a damp and chilly sail this morning. Wind out of the N to NNE, about 5 to 10

Barge

Derelict barge still abandoned at Swan Point. Please call the NJDEP to complain at 877-WARNDEP.

Hot tea
Hot tea, hove to on Port tack south of Swan Point, near the Mantoloking shore. Good April sail.

Downwind landing with the breeze out of the NE.

Tempted

to go out yesterday morning but garden duties prevailed as we had three Blueberry shrubs to plant. (two Low, one High bush.) Which involves moving some roses and so on. Hope to go far a sail this week after work.

Settled for a quick fire and the usual. Nice day with occasional showers and a bit of thunder.

Sjogin
Tempting as the breeze wasn’t yet up to the forecast 10 to 15 but I had unplanted Blueberry bushes to plant.

Happy Skipper; bright sun, cool breeze , full of tea and toast.

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Floors and frames; all riveted joints
Lots of progress on the H-15 in the shop. Just about all of the new frames are in and riveted to the floors. The plywood form is temporary; it’s used to get her shape back. The form is from a laydown taken from handwritted offsets from the Herreshoff shop.

Quest bow
The backbone’s been trued and fastened together. Note the forward planking and sawn frames are in good shape. That’s because Tom Beaton replaced the stem, planks and ribs after Quest was hit by a jet ski at speed. That must have been 20 years ago.

More later. Today’s the 100th Birthday of Olin Stephens, one of this country’s finest yacht designers. WBF Thread here.

The 2008 Classic Yacht Symposium

was held in Bristol, RI this past weekend at the Herreshoff Marine Museum. Julia and I made a three day weekend out of the event. Nice folks and we got to meet Halsey Herreshoff, Nathaniel’s grandson (and L. Francis’ nephew.) It was gathering of the faithful to celebrate and learn of developments in the restoration, use and management of classic yachts. Note this inculdes relativley small yachts as well. (Though probably not reaching down to a Sjogin level as she’s of workboat origins.)

One of our digital friends from the WoodenBoat Forum, Margo Geer, presented a paper on the ongoing restoration of her Concordia Yawl, Sarah. Her moving story is here. When available I’ll link to a PDF of her paper.

Here are few pics with more here as usual.

Spartan
Part of the weekend events included shop tours in the Mystic area. Spartan, shown here in the McClave, Philbrick, and Giblin shop, is a NY50 designed and built by N. G. Herreshoff in 1907. The straps shown are placed in the vertical grooves as an additional way of tying the hull to the ballast.

Knees
Interior construction on Spartan.

Julia and the Booby Hatch
Julia inspecting a Booby Hatch to be installed on Spartan. On display at the Symposium.

Booby Hatch plan
And here’s the plan for said Booby Hatch as approved by Captain Nat himself.

Sarah
Sarah being loaded on a freighter in Germany in 1955. Taken form Margo’s fine presentation.

Dinner at HMM
Dinner at the Herreshoff Marine Museum on Saturday night. Our table is by the stairs just left of center. Margo’s the redhead.

Bauers and Manheimers
Forum friends Steven and Mary Bauer join us for drinks before dinner by the hotel. Only sunshine of the weekend.

Odd bits

Pics of a few different items from the past few weeks or so:

Sunrise
Sunrise, March 12th

Slips
Empty for now; view from Beatons, March 21st.

One of the pieces from our “Permanent Collection”. It’s a 1907 canoe engine built by the Waterman Marine Motor Company of Detroit. It was given to me years ago by Phil Clarke, noted local boatwright.

Another view. I found (of course) a web site for old marine engine collecters. I’ve had daydreams of having this engine restored and using it in a small skiff. Pocketa, pocketa, pocketa…..

Easter pics.

It was Famiglia Day at 219 for Easter. Julia’s family came down for Easter dinner and an Easter Egg hunt with one huntsman.

Jason and bearer
Jason and his bearer on the hunt.

D'Amato's
The D’Amato Clan gathers; Michael, Julia, Mary, James, Laura and Jason. Gracie observes all through the window. Nice day out of the wind.

Easter tulips. Late Saturday afternoon.

Welcome spring

Had my first Osprey sighting yesterday. Looking out the bathroom window post business wondering when the Osprey’s would return when poof; a young one hovering at tree top height. Very weird.

Saw another pair hanging out at the Beatons platform. Here’s a shot of the platform a few years ago.

Osprey family

Stockton Lake, first light of Spring 2008.

Sjogin
Late Thursday afternoon, March 20th

More later….

H-15 and A-Cat mast progress

at Beatons.

The H-15 has its new transom in place and floors are growing on the new keel. While construction continues, deconstruction proceeds apace. The sheer strake and some of the bilge strakes have been removed in anticipation of bending in hot new frames.

Transom
Steady progress. The removed planks can be seen standing in the background.

New floor frames being fitted. Note the missing planks and frames.

Transom bits
Transom framing bits.

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The new A-Cat mast has been put together for a trial fit and also to work out gluing up eight fifty foot staves. It’s a new way of doing masts at Beatons. They will still end up with a light, stiff mast, ready to power a new Bay champion.

New method!
Tom Beaton with a change in the mast building procedures. Change at Beatons!

Sample mast section laid up to work out how the staves will be glued and laid up on the mast bench. Note the mahogany form and hose clamps. Stressful gluing job.