Windstorm: What happens when the wind blows the wrong direction!

A windstorm blew in Sunday afternoon.  It blew all night and all day on Monday.  Wind speeds were up to 45 mph.    OK, that's not that big of a deal, except the winds were from the EAST.  Storm winds are normally from the west around here.  Trees were falling and we were without power for 24 hours.  And the boat tarp got really whipped.  We listened to it all night long.  Today we went out to do some repair work.

Click on the short video for a snippet of what was going on.

 

The wind blew so hard it pushed back the tarps and exposed the bow. 
This is bad because the decks are not sealed and future rains could cause a lot of damage.







The boat looked a little bit like, well, a pig.

  





The tarp was damaged from all the wear and tear of the ropes. 
Here I'm pulling up a new tarp, from the other side of the boat. 
Sometimes the wind would pick it up and I felt like I was holding onto a parachute.



So CAI secured the tarp over the bow so it could not blow back again. 
After he finished he felt inspired to either give us his interpretation of that famous

scene in The Titanic, or he's just pretending to be flying with the seagulls.  You'll have to pick :-)



So we got the new tarp on.  It's only a partial solution.  It's not big enough for the whole boat. CAI ordered a new tarp today and we'll pull that up over the top next week.  Once the deck has a layer of fiberglass this will not be such a concern.

I do have to say that last night, when the wind was blowing so hard, I was fearful the boat would be pushed over.  I'm sure CAI didn't have any doubts about its stability, but my imagination ran wild.  But for now, the winds have calmed down. 

Help Arrives

Hey - Do you need help with your catnap?  I am really good at it!

Cocoa and Maggie, our two kitties, climb up the ladder and check out the boat occasionally, leaving telltale footprints behind. It's rare to get a personal visit.  Tonight, however, Cocoa was pretty intrigued by the new decking and how easy it was to walk around the boat now.  He figured he'd check it all out.  He was pretty enamored with the warm soft spot in the fore deck.  :-)

Getting the Deck Built

A satisfied CAI, after a hard day's work.

Foredeck and aft deck is done!  Correction, just the first layer of the deck is done.  The deck will have 2 layers of plywood (9mm + 12mm) and be covered with 2 layers of 10 oz fiberglass cloth and epoxy.  That will make a strong lightweight watertight deck.



Fairing the beams to get ready to put on the first layer of plywood.

Cleaning up the boat. Been creating a lot of cutoffs.

 

Knee pads and dustmask is normal work gear for me.

The boat feels different with plywood on.  Stiffer.  More solid.

....and the boat doesn't rock anymore.  It even sounds different.

Cutting out the cockpit.

Old traditional cockpits were actually more of a small hole to stand in.  So this small footwell is a good compromise, as you can sit.  It will not be so heavy when it fills with water but still provides a nice place to crawl into in bad weather.   Hatches will be cut out later when the second layer of plywood is glued in.  

Tethys in Port Townsend



Standing next to Tethys.  She is the same size as AtLast. 
I hope to sail on this boat next spring for a whole week of ocean sailing training.



Forward hatches are "IN"

Forepeak Hatches

Here's CAI, in his safety glasses, sitting in front of the new forepeak hatches he installed this week.

There will be valuable storage behind them....  Anchor chain and sails.






It's raining and cool today. Finally a break from the hot summer weather.  When it's really hot the fiberglass and epoxy materials (go off) set really fast.

Last week he was working fast to "beat the heat" and slipped, falling down into the boat.  Maybe he cracked a rib or something.  Breathing is painful these days.  He says every time he falls down in the boat it hurts.

The Engine is "IN"

(click on the picture to enlarge it)

Getting the engine in was a big milestone.

It's a 38 HP BetaMarine 4 cylinder diesel.  Seems small.  Car engines are 125 HP and up right?  But how often do car engines run full time at full RPM?  These engines are designed to do that.  

ABOVE LEFT:   Last year CAI formed the engine mounts - lots of fiberglassing.

ABOVE MIDDLE & RIGHT:  Progress! The engine is in and you can see it in the far right picture.

This engine is about 350 pounds and he got it in ALONE by building a framework over the top of the boat and using ropes and pulleys to pull it up and inch it over bit by bit.

CAI on Black Locust, the Ingrid & Gaffs

CAI in the rudder.

Layout of the Ingrid 38

Black Locust
Materials are really important in the ocean environment.  Black locust is a very good boat building wood since it is very rot resistant and stronger than oak.  Black locust is rare in boats though. It's not frequently sold commercially because it's a crooked growing tree. 'Not much profit, too much processing.

The Ingrid
William Aktin designed the Ingrid 38 with inspiration from the famous Colin Archer Rescue vessels for Norway coast.   Bad sea, storms and cold weather. So they needed to be quick in heavy weather, managed with a minimal crew and be able to tow other boats in to safety.  These were the days before engines.
Here's a link to the Atkin site.    Atkin & Co. - Ingrid

Gaff Rigs
The gaff rig is old and traditional for Colin Archers.  It’s a simple rig, easy to reef with a low sail area so the boat does not heal over so much.   

Forward Hatches (Today's Project)

Today's goal is to finish the hatches that provide access from the forward berth to forward storage.  The dark frames need to be glued on and the hatches need to be installed onto the bulkhead.  Sounds so simple.  Who can guess what surprises will occur!

FIVE Trees in the Boat.

Trees to lumber to beams and paneling

Several years ago (2007?) CAI came home and told me he bought 5 black locust trees that had been cut down somewhere in Spokane.  "This will be the interior of our boat" he says! "Myron (a delightful 80 yr old neighbor-friend who has an old saw mill) will cut it into lumber for me."

Black Locust Beams
6 layers per beam, each layer cut and
shaped separately, then bonded together. 

And he did it.  Then CAI came home with 4" thick boards.  They are now stacked next to the shop and drying in an 8 ft x 8 ft x 16 ft stack of lumber.

Starting last year, CAI has been cutting the lumber for the boat, building beams and paneling and more.

Black Locust Paneling

 

It's in Our Backyard

We're standing on the ladder.  See us?

The hull was trailered to our place from Bellingham, WA.  The driver turned around when he got here and then backed up a hill into this spot next to CAI's shop.  It was really impressive. It will be just as impressive taking it out. 

Where will our first mooring be??
'don't know yet.  Maybe Ocean Shores, WA.

We'll trailer it  over when CAI is ready.  Maybe summer of 2014.  The boat will be about 75% complete at that point. 

  

Below I'm sitting in the foreclosure.  It's an old picture.

It will be our bedroom when we are in port.  The boat will be moving too much on the open water to sleep here.  We'll sleep in the "salon" instead.  More on that later.

Notice the beams.  Some cross overhead completely.  Others have a partial span.  CAI built these beams.  More on this in the next post.

Not Exactly Sailing

Here I am at the bottom of the hill at the end of the day. 
You ski to here, then you walk out - maybe 50 yards.

The view of the Palmer snow field where you ski. 
It's waaaaayy  up there.

OK - It's not sailing or boat building but skiing shares that wind in your face exhilaration.  I went skiing on Mt Hood last month with my ski instructor buddies.  What a total blast!

I skied with 3 other guys that were certified to levels higher than my Level III status.  There aren't many of that stature running around.

I also skied with the (just retired) general manager of Brundage Mtn Ski Area in McCall Idaho.   Small world.

. 

Our Sail Design, almost...

A Colin Archer,
a famous Norwegian rescue boat

Here's an example of the gaff rig sail design that CAI is going to use.  'Not very commonly seen any more.

Notice the gaff sails (with a spar or bar across the top.)  Good for sailing downwind.  Not so good for sailing upwind.  Of course cruising should be all down wind if you are lucky :-). 

That sail at the very top....  not sure we'll have one of those.

The Flagship (s/v Ingrid Princess)

This is the Ingrid Princess.  This boat is a 38' 1977 Blue Water Ingrid with a ketch rig.  It is the flagship of the Blue Water designed Ingrid hulls and it based on the Colin Archer design.  CAI is building a boat using the same 38' hull construction - a double-ender or pointy on both ends.

S/V Ingrid Princess