Sjogin lives

She was greviously wounded but survived Sandy by hiding under the waves. It seems she parted some of her dock lines early in the storm and laid against the pilings to the west. When the surge was at the highest, Sjogin crashed on to the piling, holing her forward and causing her sinking. We were lucky that she went down and didn’t float into the wreckage and possibly break up. An astonishing result. What joy when Suzanne Beaton sent me a cell photo of her getting hauled last Saturday.

Sjogin will require a lot of work and may not make the water next year. It will be a while before Beaton’s can resume operations. I plan to do as much as I can but the planking I’ll leave to the art of Paul Smith.

Beaton’s was severely damaged with five feet or more of storm surge over the ground. The buildings still stand but the tools, patterns and wood were scattered by the storm. There are boats off their stands, ending up here and there. The A-Cats had a bit of a dance in the big shed but had no major damage.

I was able to get into Beaton’s Wednesday and took the following pics:

The pics below have been fixed. This was written originally on the iPad which is a bit cumbersome. More Sjogin pics (and others) on the Flickr page.



A nasty hole but between the unharmed frames. The only structural damage was to the sheer clamp which should be an easy repair. Already I can imagine sitting below by the fire and looking at the new wood,  marveling at what a lucky little ship she is.



You can see the busted sheer clamp at the top. It’s a wonder that the piling didn’t pierce the deck. That would have been far more serious with Sjogin pinned by the piling and thrashing about in the surge. Ouch!



It’ll be a while before there’s a sizzle down below. We’ll push on and keep trying to bring a bit of beauty to the waterfront.

We made out relatively fine at home. The height of the surge was just a bit above our first floor. The floors which had been refinished during the Summer’s renovation had enough water on them the get well soaked. We hope when we have heat again (all utilities ruined) that the floors will lay down and not have to be replaced. We were very lucky. Neighbors a block away have their lives on the curb.

Best wishes to all in this most trying time,

Russ

Odds and ends

Here are a few pics from the last few weeks. I’ve also added a section on the right side of the page to show the current Instagram pic posted from my iPhone. Let me know if it works for you.


Done
Speedwell at rest after another spin around Stockton Lake. I’ve managed to set up the dolly to make launching and retrieving relatively easy. (Though she seems to get heavier with each passing week.)



Cruising along the Army Camp bulkhead after finding a bit of salvage. The marsh by the Camp tends to collect treasures like this. And garbage but that’s another story.


Old friend
Old friend. Tom’s Columbia Model dinghy ready for a row.


Look familiar
This is an illustration from L. Francis Herreshoff’s The Compleat Cruiser. This shows Weldon and Corridon down below on the Rozinante sitting by the stove and chatting about boats. I think this image stoked (pardon the pun) my desire to have a small stove on Sjogin. The drawing was done by Herreshoff.


Original Mainsail
This is Sjogin’s original cotton main. If I have a chance this fall I’ll bend them on for old times sake.


Late season flopping
Finally a pic from our garden. By this time of year the garden has gone wild and has a mind of it’s own. Wait till next year for a little more order.

Beaton Pics

Here are a few pics of Summer at Beaton’s. More to follow.


George and Martha
George and his Martha Jane down for Wally’s memorial. The boat is Phil Bolger’s update of Black Skimmer (which George recently adopted). Had a good sail in her up to Bay Head the following day. Quite an agile boat and not as tender as expected. Black Skimmer would be my first choice to go Bolgering on Barnegat Bay. Hmmmm…..


The Summer of our Discontent
Clearing; for now. Another storm in a Summer full of them.

One of the items to be accomplished this Winter is adding weight to the rudder to get it to lay vertical.


A big 'un
I always wanted a nice big Hankin’s for race watching and such. I’m sure we could work in a WC for Julia.


Beaton Fresh (tm)
Here’s Myth at the start of the Season looking Beaton Fresh. Paul Smith crafted a fine deck with no sticky bits.


Fred
More than boats get painted at Beaton’s. Here’s Fred pimping his ride.

And finally a pic of your Happy Skipper yesterday. Renovations at Ourhouse are almost done and the shingle folk are gone. Had a day long computer issue so I went for a sail. Over the years these late August light breezes beckoned while I was working on Sjogin in the South shed. Now that she’s committed to a winter ashore, and when we’re blessed with these days the temptation’s too great.

H. S.

Sail slow my friends.

Duckboat Worlds and and a leaking Sjogin

The Duckboat Worlds were held at Mantoloking Yacht Club last Friday. Our Speedwell was in commission again with her sprit rig. Conditions were less than ideal with a light, flukey NE breeze. Not only that, but an unusually strong Northerly current played havoc with the start and weather mark rounding. I managed to get around the leeward mark in the bottom 20% of the fleet and then headed back to Beaton’s. The thought of another run and long beat back was just too much.

Pre race party
Julia sitting on Speedwell at the Duckboat party the night before the race. There were 74 boats participating this year.


Heading out
Leaving MYC. If it wasn’t for the northerly current the fleet would have never reached the course. The forecasted NE to SE 5 to 10 kt breeze never materialized.


Beaton's rule
The two Beaton boats heading out. Tom is in B-9. Beaton’s built hundreds of these boats over the years. There are several generations of sailors that learned to sail in these boats.


Barely moving
Arriving at the start. Just enough room to fit this Happy Skipper. Let’s hope for a bit more breeze next year.


Not good
Do I need a clam license? Do you think Sjogin’s been taking on more water than usual? Enough to grow clams!  Usually bilge water won’t support such growth.


Leak search
Time for a quick haul to find out why she’s leaking so much.


Quick fix
When hauled, we found the garboard plank split with bilge water draining out. A lead tingle stopped most of it. After launch we found another split and leak above the repair. An inside caulking job slowed that one down too.

Usually Sjogin is hauled this time of year for her annual maintenance. Since the aft garboard planks need to be replaced, along with several other long deferred items, she’ll stay in till November or so. Then she’ll come out, set up outside for a bit of drying out and then into the shop for a few months this winter. I’ll miss the heart of the hot stove season this year, but at sixty or so years old, Sjogin needs some TLC from Beaton’s.

Enough for now. I’ll catch up on a few other items this week. I promise.

Pics from here and there

It’s been a busy Summer.  We’re having our home renovated which entails removing 24 years of accumulated treasures as the floors are all getting refinished. Many long delayed projects are being done, including widows on the second floor for views of the gardens, lake and distant dunes.

We’ve been up to Mystic for the WoodenBoat Show again, meeting new folks and renewing acquaintances both analog and digital.

All this with the business, gardens and marshaling forces (thanks Andy) for the move out, it’s left little time for things Sjogin.  I go down to the yard to check on her on a regular business and have taken a few pics you may enjoy.

 

I’ll put the Beaton pics first to make Peter S happy

Smile
Smile, the steam bent coaming for Myth went around the old Lotus house without a problem.

 


Myth’s deck is almost done.  I have some of her just completed that shows Paul Smith’s fine work at Beaton’s.  I’ll put them up next post.

 



Here’s an old friend.  Tom Beaton and I built this Herreshoff Columbia model Dinghy in the early 80’s.  Now maybe the next generation will go for a row or three.


New birdsmouth A-Cat spar
New bird’s mouth mast for Ghost (I think.) Just not going fast enough?


Opps!
Bettle Cat mast vs. low hanging tree limb. Here’s the loser.


Indeed a Happy Skipper.  This was taken in late-June; a morning stolen from the move preparation.


Summer bounty
The garden continues to shine despite my benign neglect. The new Attic window surveys all.


Sunrise from the Attic
Summer sunrise from the Attic window. When the room is wainscoted and painted white, the sunrise will make the space glow. Fine spot for a first cup.


Small boat heaven
The John Gardner Small Craft Weekend coincided with the WoodenBoat Show. Double the fun!


Aida
One of my all time favorites. This is Aida, one of N. G. Herreshoff’s finest shallow draft yawls. She would be perfect for Barnegat Bay as she only draws 3 feet.


Porch people
After last years gap, we continued our tradition of hosting a quick Saturday afternoon party on the Whaler Porch for our WoodenBoat Forum friends. Margo’s smile fills the foreground.

Sorry for the long wait between posts but other duties call. You can check on my Flickr Page for more frequent pics not otherwise found here. For those so inclined, my Facebook page has occasional postings as well

Russ

Small Sjogin plans now available

The indefatigable Rod Brink has brought forth another version of Sjogin. After Paul Gartside did a fine job with the building (and dreaming) plans for a replica of Sjogin, Rod convinced him there was a market for a smaller, trailerable version. So here we have Sjogin III, as published in the current issue of Watercraft Magazine. She’s 19′ LOA, with a hefty 8′ Beam. Very shallow draft at 1′ with a Centerboard draft of 4′ 2″. There’s an ingenious outboard bracket tucked away for a clean look under sail. Plans are $50 from the Gartside Sjogin III page.


We're famous!
Hopefully the new version won’t need a pump.


Sjogin III Sailplan
Here’s an image of the Sail plan. What joy. Let a thousand Sjogins sail.


Very Happy Skipper
Here’s a pic of your Very Happy Skipper at Brunch on Friday. A nice SE breeze and a northerly current allowed a very slow sail over the bottom off Mantoloking


Deck work of Myth
The deck work continues on Myth. Paul Smith is doing this exacting job. The seams will be caulked with a decidedly not sticky compound.


Silent Maid bling
The Maid’s back in and looking especially fine this year. Note the fore hatch that matches the deck crown in both directions.

No April foolin’ here

Managed to take my first sail of 2012 on Sunday, April Fools Day. The tiller is still rough but enough fitting to work as planned. Still not sure why it took so long but here we are, finally hove to off Swan Point.


Ready to cast off
Sails raised for the first time in many months. Let’s hope I make up for lost time. Who wants to go for a sail?


Brunch on deck
Brunch under way. A treat a long time coming.


It works!
Lots of shaping to do but it works fine. The aft end needs to be trimmed and faired but the forward end is now high enough to clear the blocks. When I laid out the new rudder I made the tiller slot parallel to the water line. I think the original rudder had the slot angled up slightly so the tiller started out at a bit of an angle, thus the current kink. Oh well, it and the rudder itself works fine.


Open Bay
Beating into a rising Southwesterly on a mostly empty Bay. It seems I still remember how to sail. I poked around south of Swan Point hoping to catch a glimpse of the lost rudder as the water’s still clear but no luck. By now, if it’s still on the bottom, it’s covered in growth and mud and invisible.


Pics from St. John later this week.

Quick Post

before we leave for paradise. I’ll try to do one from St John though no sailing this time, just days and days of watching the clouds drift by. And having a great time with our friends Dave and Cheryl.

Here are some pics from the last few weeks to keep Peter happy.


Progress
Progress on the store/office. I tried out the chair on the porch and it works fine.


New sign
New sign at Beaton’s. Glad they kept the Ghost image.


Calm
Calm between showers. Still working on the tiller and will have to postpone our first sail of the season till we return.


Garvey work
A sure sign of Spring as the yard Garvey gets her makeover.


Repairs
Repairs to the rigging ladder. They’ll need it soon as this warm weather will start the sailing juices flowing.

It works

but the tiller needs a bit of the cut and shim. For now I’ll fit a custom wedge and glue it back to shape later. Looks like we’ll be sailing this week. (Written 02.22.12)

Friend and carpenter Andy helped me with the installation last Saturday. Andy was nourished with the ship’s best before his “stand here; hold this” efforts.


Stand there; hold this
Andy passes the stand here; hold this test. A few years ago he passed the sit there; hold this test on Charlotte.


It fits!
It fits though a bit closer than it needs to be. When very hard over it binds a bit. I’ll fair in the tight spots next haul out. And yes, the cotter pins are in place. I’ll place the lower one when I get a half dozen Beatonites to stand forward.


It fits as well
The tiller is a work in progress. I need to take a further wedge off the bottom and glue it on top to bring the end of the tiller above the mainsheet blocks. Fun work (as he mutters walking off to the band saw for another slice.)


Sails on
Sails bent on and about ready to go. Waiting on a light to moderate dry Northeaster, about 40 degrees, bright sun and fresh sausage bread. The water’s still clear so the first order of business is a cruise of the Rudder Grounds. Hope springs eternal.


Gusty NNW @20+
Plenty of water but gusting from the NNW about 20 and building. No thanks.


Sea Level Living
The Joys of living at Sea Level. And it is rising. I’ve been driving by this corner for, well forever and you can now see marine growth on the lowest drain and curb. Get used to it.