Last Fall I made a galley box for my daughter’s birthday. Added 1″ to width and depth of previous iteration. Bigger silverware drawer. Galvanized sheet metal liner. All an improvement. She gets credit for the photos and her thriving business, Folkling. I’m quite proud of her independent spirit. There are too many brain-glued people out there. She always has had a sense of wonder accompanied by a kind heart. Check out her store. Among their incredible vintage curations, they have a fine roast too!
Drawer and tray are removeable for a taller box windscreen.
Plenty of room for essential utensils.
Oak cleats secure top and front face.
I’ve considered making a few more to see what the market bears, but an old house and boats of course are always beckoning. Till next time-
The temperatures moderated quite nicely this past week. Daytime highs in the low eighties. That accompanied with some fine breeze made for some quick overnighters in Little Bird. We’d leave the pier around 5;00 and return by 9:00 the next morning. Add a full moon one night and … can’t complain. Simple video here:
“I’d love to change the world, but I don’t know what to do.”- 10 Years
Know that one? A tune can really yank you back in time. That summer I shared a Turnabout dinghy (aka a National 10) with David. We were 10 years old, took sailing class, but more often then not skipped out on the lessons part. His older brother Paul had a baby blue van with a prized Easy Boy in back with shag carpet floor. D and I would wrestle for that seat for the ride home. Why would you want shotgun? Of course there was an 8-track player and Paul had the music: Argent, the Guess Who, Creedance to name a few.
“I wanna know, have you ever seen the rain?”- Creedence
Paul had the look of a long haired hippie. Gentle guy. Think Gregg Allman. Not sure if good Paul subscribed to the movement, but I suspected he knew something was happening. We were brats at times. He put up with it. Can’t leave out D’s brother Charlie. His white van had a large American flag on the side. No chair or carpet as I recall. He did keep us in check better. We knew better than to push his buttons too far. Not sure about Paul, but Charlie went on to med school. David was lucky to have them both.
“Cause it’s a good life, too hard to lose.”- 10 Years
Well, that’s a bit off track. My daughter sent this post of hers from almost 10 years ago. That was UNA’s first season and we had taken her for her first overnight. Even behind Milford Haven’s barrier beaches it was a rolling bucking night at anchor. I had given my girl the cockpit and stuffed my little frame into the bow. Morning couldn’t come soon enough though I recall many shooting stars.
My daughter is an original, a good one. UNA has been a good boat. So, here we are, 10 years after.
“And if it’s bad, don’t let them get you down, you can take it.” -Argent
UNA has been sailing for 10 seasons since that “leaky” maiden trip. Back then I had planned on tent windows, but didn’t put them in. There have been windy nights I’ve reluctantly stuck my head out in the driving rain to confirm the anchor’s hold.
Yesterday I put those windows in. I followed Sailrite’s video. I confess I was only partially successful. Sewing remains a mystery to me. Perhaps it is mostly a lack of patience? In any event the task is done. I believe the wrinkles in the ports are largely due to the stretchiness of the WeatherMax fabric. I did not cut the fabric until after the window and backing were sewn in. While it is lighter than Sunbrella, I’m not sure I can recommend it. Maybe this is all a dry run. I must say even without the mizzen deployed, the boat and tent weathervane quite well even without the bow canvass, the tent stands up to 40+ mph winds. I’ve yet to have a midnight fire drill with it.
It looks better at night.
UNA is now back in the garage. Putting lead in the centerboard and a road cover are the next projects in line. 10 years should be plenty of time to complete them.
I’ll keep it short. The video below took more time than usual with many cameras contributing.
The Old Bay Club cruised Maryland’s St. Marys River and its surrounds last week. We put in as guests at the Corinthian Yacht Club in Jutland Creek and sailed up the St. Marys into Indigoes Creek for the night. the next day we visited the St. Marys museum and toured a replica of the Dove. Sailing back down river to Carthagena Creek we caught an early dinner at Captain Pats and anchored upstream for the night. A trip up St. Georges Creek followed the next day with a beach picnic along the way. That afternoon we crossed back over to Smith Creek, anchored for a swim and dinner. day four was an early return to the ramp and home. It was an excellent trip as you will see here:
At our last OBC gathering, one of the fellows, let’s call him “Rob”, showed up with a 100 Ah LiFePo battery in a fabricated plywood box with USB and 12v outlets. Yes, 100 amp hours! That’s enough to charge your mobile phone and cameras for life. Not satisfied there, he is now considering adding a solar panel to keep his new found electrical wealth (and ballast) topped off. I must confess, I was envious. None of the small LiPo charge banks I’ve purchased have lasted nor delivered enough juice over a week’s cruise. I’ve a small foldable small solar panel too, but it has always been lacking. After years of bumming additional charges and cords, I got tired of being electron poor. Now I have my own bank using an old ammo box, a 50Ah batt, a couple outlets and wood scraps. The battery is centered in the box for ease of lifting and carrying. A remainder space offers storage for extra cords, phone, iPod, etc. AUW is 15 pounds. Light enough. Though not waterproof, the setup is quite water resistant, portable and can be readily positioned about the boat, or, used elsewhere. A printed chart equates battery capacity to voltage which is read off the USB outlet. We’re set now. Onwards and upwards!
I hear some of you, “What’s next? Widescreen TV?! Inverter? Blender?” Hmm, now you have me thinking. Margaritas anyone?
8 OBC members dwindled to 5 stout boaters. 5 hours south of home didn’t amount to warmer air temps, but the water wasn’t as cold thankfully. Beaufort, NC was our destination. We had a sailing rumpus. UNA, Zephyr, Jolie, Liberte and newbie, Trim, started the season early. It was an exhilaratingly good time. Ready to go again!
I awoke excited to see Little Bird this morning. I hadn’t visited her for almost 2 weeks. A hoped for sail between Christmas and New Years didn’t happen. I do however catch a frequent glimpse of her green hull across the creek through the trees. Her proud bow points her sprit in my direction to face those days of NE winds that beat a path downriver. I imagine Bird saying, “I’m here. Let’s go.”
We’ve shared some lovely sails and overnight cruises this past year. Now winterized, bare of sails and under cover, Little Bird will once again wait patiently for a haul out and freshen up. That will be sooner than we expect, but not soon enough. New gunnel guard is planned for the dinghy Gigi. She will be a better freight and dog hauler for future cruises. The pram Tuna though significantly lighter is a wee under what’s needed here.
The days are getting longer. We can dream of Spring, some boatyard work and that first overnighter which has always been sublime-
In construction she got 2 coats of each: epoxy, primer and paint. After now over 9 years since launch and many miles under her keel, UNA is ready for a refresh. Despite all her bumps and scrapes, she is still beautiful! Iain Oughtred has an eye for the sweet line.
I doubled over two 4″ wide x 30′ nylon straps, shackled the massive “D” rings overhead and fastened the opposite end with jury rigged block and tackle to hoist the old girl, remove the trailer and substitute long saw horses. Then with safety lines to control the rotation, a come-along strung across the garage allowed for a manageable flip.
The worst of the wear is at the keel and bow stem where the naval brass half oval is just shy of covering the timber. We’ll need to rethink whether to replace the brass with wider bits. That will be a heavier look.
While we’re noting changes, my galley box is updated. I was prompted by, I won’t say whom, a fellow sailer who nearly turned his double ender into a Viking funeral pyre! Yep. He scorched his floor boards while cooking another five course meal. Apparently a three foot diameter iron skillet can generate and reflect enough heat to warrant a fire extinguisher.
As they say, the best experience is someone else’s. So, I screwed copper to the back of my box and added stainless to the bottom making a safer windscreen. Plastic laminate was glued to the removable shelf. A small wooden box holds utensils. Raised rubber disc tile added to the exterior top and bottom protects surfaces from getting scratched and sliding about. Lastly, a new butane stove replaces the old leaking one. Hopefully we’ve avoided more uncontrolled pyrotechnics. Just doing our part.
Chocked fullUtensil drawer and plam Copper and stainlessNew stove in windscreen
Hi! my name is Sebastian (You can call me Seb!) ...welcome to my Blog. I'm a photographer from Worcester, Worcestershire, England. Thanks for dropping by! I hope you enjoy my work.
Gavin Atkin's weblog for the sort of people who like looking inside boat sheds. It's about old boats, traditional boats, boat building, restoration, the sea and the North Kent Coast
Lingering Lunacy 