Heres Windalier at the 1st ever Annapolis Spring Boat Show being held from today, April 27 through Sunday, April 29 at the Annapolis City Docks and surrounding vicinity. Shes design #1615. The boat is currently on the market for $395,000.
Broker Jeff Grey will be at the show all weekend. Contact: Mobile: 774-454-7638 Email: jgrey@sparkmanstephens.com
"A long time ago I concluded that there is enough sorrow in life, some inevitable and much unnecessarily man made, and I would rather be on the side of joy and laughter."
The above quote is from my friend Webb Chiles, who is about to set sail from San Diego for destinations global. I wish him fair winds and good luck.
I have a feeling this is going to be a great year. Not the least because I agree with Webb wholeheartedly in this case. A life spent in the pursuit of joy and laughter is a wonder.
Webb is a profound believer in making lists and recently declared himself listless. Not because he is tired, but since his Moore 24, Gannet, is ready to go. I must admit a bit of jealously, though I have no desire to circumnavigate the globe. Finding yourself at the end of your lists is cause for joy.
The Stone Horse Belle Starr is a fount of list making. Last season, I got her back on the water for the first time since she became part of the Doryman fleet, but that did not mean she was restored to her original glory. Far from it. Her short fall cruise brought out good and not so good details and the winter months have been spent in the pursuit of joy. Early this summer we will embark on a cruise into Canadian waters and I want her to be a happy ship. I wont bore you with details, suffice to say, the entire boat has been repainted and much of the running rigging has been revamped. To ensure the comfort and good humor of her skipper, there is a new set of cushions in the fore-peak. Nothing like a good nights sleep aboard to improve ones outlook.
The list is far from finished. But when Webb sets sail in May, I hope to be on my way as well. His diligence in preparing for a fresh voyage has been an inspiration to me. Thank you, Webb. Happy voyageto you and all good friends who find peace and contentment on the water.
The photo of Webb on Gannets deck, by Ronnie Simpson. Photos of Belle Starr under sail, courtesy of John Kohnen.
New cushions, as viewed from the companionway, off the sewing table of a happy Doryman.
I finally got around to tweaking a few things on Ellie that have been bothering me for a while.
Tweak #1: Jib Fairleads When I built Ellie, somehow I missed the note on plan sheet NV11 that tells you where to locate the jib fairleads. They should be located 120mm aft of B4 and close to the coamings. The fairleads have been relocated per the plans. Verdict: The jib shape appears noticeably improved.
Before
After
Tweak #2: Roller Furler deck block. My roller furler line makes a 90 degree turn through a fairlead in the deck. The arrangement works, but created unwanted friction and abrasion on the line. I scoured the internet searching for a block that would work here but could not find one. I finally gave up and fashioned my own.
After
Before
I made the deck block from a small swivel that I got from Duckworks. I cut one leg off of one side, and added a roller to the other and mounted it right over the fairlead. Verdict: works great. Much less friction and no more abrasion.
Tweak #3: Halyard Cleats For my mainsail halyard cleats I was using cam cleats which, like all cleats, have their pros and cons. I liked how I could easily give the halyards a tug to tighten them but I didnt like the angle that I had to pull the halyards at, how they took two hands to secure the halyards, and how a stop knot was required in case the halyard became inadvertently released. For my application the ideal halyard cleat should have these features
Ability to secure the halyard to the cleat with one hand.
Ability to remove the halyard from the cleat with one hand.
Ability to pull the halyard at any angle.
Ability to secure the halyard to the cleat with no possibility of it accidentally coming undone.
Should not have plastic teeth that can wear out.
I couldnt find cleats that I liked so I ended up making my own jam cleats from white oak and painted them black to match my other cleats. Theyre similar to these. Verdict: I like them a lot. They met all my expectations.
Tweak #4: Whipping I finally got around to whipping the ends of all my lines. Verdict: very salty.
Tweak #5: Boom height This was the biggest tweak. The boom on my gaff-rigged Navigator is right about at chin level. Ive always wished it cleared my head like it does on the lug-rigged sailplan. So I decided to raise the boom enough to clear my head (10 inches) and give it a try. This involved moving the gooseneck 10 inches higher on the mast and lowering the gunter on the gaff by 10 inches.
After with boom 10" higher
Before
Verdict: The jury is still out on this one. The boom clears my head nicely, but raising the sail 10 inches made a noticeable difference in the way the boat sails. The boat heels over more now and reacts more to gusts. One of the things I like most about Navigator is how stable and upright she sails. It was uncomfortable to feel her reacting this way. I think Ill sail her a few more times with the boom in this position but right now Im leaning towards putting the boom back where it was or at least not raising it quite as high. [UPDATE: Eventually settled on 6" above the plan location. Seems to be the best compromise between safety, appearance and performance]
Here is some video of the years first sail, with the raised boom.
Maybe I should switch to a gooseneck mounted on a sailtrack. What do you think?
