Sunday, December 11th

Quiet day after our annual Christmas dinner party. Quick visit for a check on Sjogin and a fire and brew-up. Need to see what her leak rate is as I expect the bilge to start freezing in a few weeks. Left the pump off yesterday and about 2″ of water over the keel by this afternoon, about average.

Wind from the WSW at 12 or so but slackening. Damp and chilly; by the time the cabin was warm it was time to go.

Here are two pics from today and one of my wife a few weeks ago:

Fire 12.11.05
Today’s fire; a quick one using cedar and fir.

Chilly Sjogin
Bone chilling day.

Julia driving Sjogin
My wife driving Sjogin at speed.

Saturday Morning, December 3rd

A quick visit this morning as we have a wedding to attend this afternoon. Clear and cold about 30 or so. Strong WNW winds 15 to 22 kts. Enough time for a brew-up and a bit of toasted sausage and provolone bread along with another chapter in Mischief in Patagonia

Tea 12.03.05
Tilman, tea and a quick fire.

Sjogin in slip 12.03.05
Sjogin in her slip. Too much wind and too little time for a sail today.

Lotus cabin beams
The just faired cedar cabin beams on Lotus. The cabin decking will be two layers of glued 4mm pyl with carbon fiber stiffening.

Saturday Morning, November 26th

Still cold, about 30 or so when I left at 9:30, wind SW 4 to 8. High clouds, mackerel sky. SAWMC. (Sky associated with major change.) Mostly hove to on St’bd E of Swan Point, then beat over to First Creek and HT on Port. Kept the hatch and drop board in place which helped the draw. No real puffbacks today.

Ran down to MYC and gybed over to Port for the reach home and a firm landing. Pics follow:

Myth
The catboat Myth, replicated by John Brady of the Independence Maritime Museum Boatshop in Philadelphia. The original was built in the 30’s and is the municipal symbol of Bay Head.

Myth off Swan Point Myth off Swan Point.

Bound Tiller
A new technique for binding the tiller when hove to.

Iced tea
Iced tea anyone?

Post Thanksgiving Morning at Beaton’s

Here are some snaps from today. First seriously cold morning on Sjogin. Cranky fire and just enough wood smoke to season the cabin air.

11.25.05 Tea and fire
A good draw, wind out of the WSW about 15 to 22. Note the ships hatchet on the chopping block to the left. Shop scraps and split fire wood cut into 3″ chunks feeds the Sardine.

Today’s reading
Another H. W. Tilman book, Mischief in Patagonia. I’ve been working through his books over the last few years. Classic self deprecating, tongue in cheek, slogging on through the bergy bits Brit style. Great stuff.

Lotus
Lotus, one of the original 1920’s A-Cats, currently entering the finishing stages of her weight loss program. Lotus has lost about 800 pounds, mostly due to the use of ply web frames and spruce and cedar framing. She was restored by Beaton’s in 1984 to original design. The slow tweaking of the A-Class fleet over the years has left her relatively heavier than her competitors and in need of her present transformation.

Lotus forward
Note the lightening holes in the floors and the ply web frames. The only structural wood left over from her 1926 construction are her sheer and bilge clamps.

War and Piece

War and Piece This is the well credentialed Laura Rozen’s blog. Well reasoned; slightly left.
Also this is a test of the “Press It” feature of WordPress. There’s a button on the toolbar (Firefox) that when pressed when you are at a site you wish to comment on or point out, opens a Write page is WordPress. The result is what you see here. Hmmmm…

Recent Pics

Here are some recent pics…..


One last look at Sjogin after putting her away yesterday. If you’re lucky enough to have a nice boat you find yourself always taking one last look.


Here’s Muriel, our quite large cat. She’s named after L. Francis Herreshoff’s “friend”.


Finally, here we are hove to on the Port tack (when the stove draws well) about a mile south of Swan Point. The bay was fairly empty.