Schizophrenic Boatwork

Between getting L.M ready for winter, Me Voy ready for launch, Chopper's stubborn eye infection, working jobs, revamping my website, and just living, well...phew!

Our ride to Me Voy is 1 1/2 hrs, this is the Bay bridge over the Chesapeake

Me Voy is in a state of Deep Chaos as Travis works on wiring

I being painting the mast

We had to flip the mast over, which wasn't as hard as it sounded, but look how flexible the mast is. It looks like its bent in this pic.

The varnish on the mast was beautiful, but too much to keep up with, and it would have needed many more coats, so we made this scallop which is going to be right at the boom. I think this is going to looks so sharp!

Chopper Fit! And here we go back over the bridge to Baltimore.

Now back on Lucy Maru this is the last of the rotten deck to be replaced

Plywood going in

It looks like magic in picture but this was hours of work. And, even though it looks like T is doing all the work, well for some reason all the pics of me cutting, grinding, sanding, epoxing were filled with blinding light. I know I wasn't having that good of a time!

Deck before primer

Deck primered, Chopper approves

Check out our cool roll up willow shades. I love them. This aft deck still needs to get doors and a railing and canvas. You can't really see in this pic, but that's our industrial singer sewing machine, ready to go. We got it for free, from this seamstress, all we had to do was carry it up three flights of stairs, since she sewed in the basement. It was so worth it. (T did have the heavy end)

Sanded and faired deck house

Primered deck house with winter canvas

And there we float...

So yeah, I'm beat. Now a walk with the dog, a Hollywood shower and a cheesy chick flick.

Very un-Halloween like, but really, do you think I a care?

Catching Up

Travis :

It has been a long hard Summer. Nothing but work it seems. The past few weeks leading up to the US Sailboat Show in Annapolis brought a lot of extra work at my job at a time when I am already cramming at home to get Lucy Maru buttoned up for the rapidly approaching Winter. Now the show is over and I am on "vacation". I finally have time to get some work done. And, maybe have a little fun with friends on a cool little sailboat. This is us on "emotion" an older e33. The entire company and their lady counterparts are onboard. We made it all the way out of the cove when the outhaul for the mainsail broke, again. Our trip was cut short and thousands of suggestions were made on how to fix the problem, but in the end we just sat around drinking beer in green bottles.

We were unable to get the sails for "arch angel", the latest e33, for delivery to the show. We motored the whole way, 4hours, on what would have been a perfect day for sailing. The sails arrived the day the show opened. Thanks Doyle Sails!!! I sailed "emotion", with her newly repaired rig, down with a friend a couple of days later. Another perfect day for sailing.

Easily the best one yet.

"arch angel" and "P-cardy", a new Chesapeake 20

I did manage to get some work done. Maggie and I got the back deck repaced.

Then we enjoyed a beautiful sunset.

Then more work. Maggie sanded and faired the deck house and deck.

I worked on the side.

New sheer clamp.

Then just as the weather turned foul, the Honda guy called and said Maggie's new car was in. We went and brought it home. It as a brand new Honda fit. We are honestly thinking of giving up the boat dream now so we can just go roadtripping. Maybe follow String Cheese or something.

Chopper approves. I guess we'll keep it. It has rained now for four days, and no more work has been done. I love the rain.

Samoa Story

www.noonsite.com/Members/sue/R2009-09-30-1

The Circle of Life

This is a new phase. No more rot digging, no more bilge paint; we've surfaced from the rotten depths and now find ourselves aboard a very sea worthy vessel. She no longer smells like my grandma's basement.

Now the work is different. This past weekend I sanded half the mast. It was so nice. Haylards were clanging against their masts, the wind was singing thru the rigging cables, and the corrugated paneling of the boat shed kept time with a bassy whooo whoooo sound.

Not all of us were so lucky. Travis had a hell of a time with one of the cable connections for the steering, but did manage to hook it up. We took turns at the wheel. This was the first time we had seen it on. It made everything make sense. Me Voy finally felt like a boat, a ride, instead of a treehouse that we go to every weekend. I can't wait to see what happens with all this.

Dear Blog...

Its hard to love two boats. Each one needs so much attention and care. A marina friend asked me "Do you know why they call boats "she"?' Cause... like a woman they take a lot of money and maintenance... and they can both KILL you! Right now I am feeling a bit killed by each of these bitches!

I shouldn't be too mad at Me Voy. She's almost ready to splash in the water, with only the mast now needing new paint and hardware. I'm soooo ready to see how she bobs in the water, and let the memory of climbing a 20 ft ladder to get into the boat, fade with our wake.

Lucy Maru is a different story... that bitch! Yes I'm mad at her now. The last of our deck job is kicking my ass. I'm feeling burned out, not the best timing, since the dreaded Winter is coming. I once got rid of all my winter gear since I never planned to do winter again, and here is another one chasing me. Don't panic! What the hell happened to September anyway?

Bottom's Up!!!

Travis:

Green bottles with our new green bottom. The paint is done. We still have to install the rudder and bond the sea cocks before launch, so we are saving the champagne for later. For now we are enjoying a slightly cold sixer of St. Pauli's Girl. The bottom job felt pretty easy after the ordeal with Lucy Maru, which I still have nightmares about. Looks like we could have easily sanded, taped, and painted in one day if the weather had held out. But Hurricane Mike had sent us a bit of foul weather as it made its way up the coast. Fortunately the rain came before we started painting. Another week-end warrior at the marina didn't fair as well. He had just completed a beautiful paint job on his cove stripe when it began to pour. Bummer!! I used the time to create a to-do list for the boat. It is still a bit daunting, but I am looking forward to seeing her all done, and of course, sailing!!! There will be many more week-ends of working on Me Voy dreaming of traveling to a tropical paradise while singing "Sail Away With Me Honey". Good times.

Big Bronze Cocks!!!

Travis:

We Are back to work on Me Voy hoping to finally get her launched. We replaced all of the old sea cocks with shiny new ones last week-end as the final task before bottom paint. It can be a bit intimidating handling such big heavy cocks, but after lubing them up with ball lube and smearing around the gooey white stuff they slid into their openings with ease. It took both me and Maggie to twist them home, but afterward we wiped up the white stuff and sat back fully spent. I managed to screw a few nipples on after my energy was renewed but the cocks were just too much for me in the end. The whole thing gave me a strange craving for a cigarette.

It happened (pt.3)

This was the sign that greeted us each morning

After our barnacle lunch, it was time to sand and caulk the bottom. Our friend Glenn helped with both these jobs, and after it was all done we took a poll and decided, that in all our short individual lives, this job was the worst any of us have ever done.

Glenn caulking the bottom

Me getting beaten by the bottom paint

T grinding prop shafts

I tried to shelter Chopper and Billy as much as possible from the horribleness going on down below. Chopper just didn't understand why he had to say on the boat, he's such a good dog!

Me and T caulking

A picture for my upcoming calender,"So You Want to Buy a Boat?"

It wasn't only the grueling positions or the dust and stickiness that surrounded us. The worst was the incoming tide, which we had to wade in waist deep at times while holding a sanders and caulk guns. I got zapped by the electrical cords a few times, and even though it is all over now, I hesitate a bit before plugging anything it.Anyhow, we managed to get the bottom and the waterline painted in four days. The local boatyard boys were amazed that we accomplished this so easily, and kept congratulating us on how great the boat looked. And it did look sharp!

Sitting in the railway admiring L.M.'S new bottom and waterline

After all that, this is what we have been waiting for ... our reward. To celebrate we invited some friends and took off to anchor out at the local hangout Heart Miller Island. Again the boat performed great, reaching its top speed of 17 knots, without a problem. This was our first time taking a boat that is ours out for a joy ride, and it was awesome! I can't say that enough, it was the best Monday ever, ever!

A jet ski jumping our wake, stupid jetskis

So after four grueling days of hard work, and countless days of preparation, we did it! We painted our first bottom, and came back to dock, all without a mishap, sort of... Billy did fall off the boat as we began to take off, but the little guy climbed up the side of the boat. Another life used up. By my calculations he has four left.