In The Beginning...

So, it's been a while since I've posted anything on a blog, mostly due to recovering from the sailing magazine incident that somehow landed me here in Bellingham, WA. Now that things have settled down, I thought I'd start posting my life and times again. A rolling stone gathers no moss... My first foray back into the true sailor's life was the purchase of a Chrysler Mutineer 15. It's already got the pirate built right into it...;)

Mine is what they affectionately refer to in the sailing world as a "project boat". Meaning it needs a lot of work to get it either working, pretty, or both. I have worked in the marine industry for 10 years and one of the truest axioms is "There's nothing more expensive than a cheap boat", meaning that you end up paying the difference in rigging, paint, epoxy, fiberglass, etc. At least you can put it on your own payment plan, though...;)

 So far, I've replaced the dodgy standing rigging with Amsteel. I'll post pics of that later. BTW, I live on Lummi Island and the boat is in the parking lot at work on the mainland, so I've been able to work on it for an hour or so after work, but then have to run to catch the ferry home.

 Today's project is to make a new rudder. The original one is sadly delaminated, so I bought some epoxy, fiberglass and a decent piece of plywood, which I will sand down into a proper foil shape. Not going to be a true NACA foil, but I've done enough foils in the past to get a decent approximation, plus I've got the original to work from.  The symmetrical layers of ply will help me get the contour lines even.

Some people ask me why I'm crazy enough to live out on Lummi Island.  It's a hassle, it's expensive, etc.  As a sailor, there's something very intriguing about taking a boat to and from work every day.  I'm have an island getaway every night after work.  It's very peaceful and the views are spectacular.  Here's a pic I shot just last night on my drive home.  You can see Mt. Baker and the Twin Sisters from just South of the ferry landing.  As a side note, I watched the owners of this nice little IOR sailboat grab the mooring ball while under sail.  NICE!  That's what I do when for fun and to impress my guests when I'm skippering a charter in the Caribbean.

P.S.  Part of my job description is running the rigging shop at a local chandlery.  On a daily basis, I do the same stuff, rope to chain splices, double braid, Amsteel, etc.  However, yesterday something new popped up.  A customer wanted a stop knot permanently installed at the end of his anchor rode.  To make this magic happen, I had to "invent" a splice.  The customer was delighted and so were some of my coworkers...;)  The anchor was 40# and looked like something out of Mad Max.  I definitely want that anchor on my boat when the Zombie Apocalypse happens...