Foggy morn

The fog horns are blowing here in Seattle this morning, echoing my mood.

We had Helmut and Dominic over for dinner last nite, for the last time.  s/v Nevada Faye will be hauled out tomorrow for transport to Conneticut, from whence she will sail to Germany.

Well, we think that's what will happen.  I spent some time on the phone with Dominic at my side this morning, trying to help salvage the plans they had made - salvage was needed because their hauler had become ill and could not transport the boat.  So, a visit to the yard to nail down details and then the time on the phone and another hauler was arranged.  Situation sorted.

Nevada Faye will get her masts pulled tomorrow morning at low tide (to give the crane enough headroom), and should be on the hard on stands later in the day, or possibly Wednesday, depending on how the prep work goes and the yard schedule.  The boat leaves Thursday, and Helmut and Dominic fly back to Germany on Friday, leaving behind an empty slip and a big hole in our hearts.

Helmut and Dominic are two of the most congenial folks you'd ever meet.

They will be missed out here on the end of G Dock.

Foggy morn

Nano experiment

I'm excited to try this nano stuff.  

For the experiment, I chose the subject to be our fabric sea hood.  (Yeah, I know what you're gonna say.  Building a real, solid sea hood is on the agenda.  But that's why this is such a good candidate for the test.)

When the hatch is closed, there is no support for the fabric so it collapses into a shallow depression that holds water. And because the hatch is closed, and its wet all winter, mildew runs rampant on it. Opening and closing the hatch, which will also go on all winter, will give it some good mechanical exercise too. 

Applying NeverWet is a two-step process.  Following the directions, I applied Part One and waited 30 minutes for it to dry.  Part One was completely clear.  It smelled suspiciously like an acrylic enamel going on, and it stiffened the fabric - just like an acrylic enamel would.  At this point I was really happy that I had chosen a part of the dodger that is scheduled for removal as the experimental subject.

After 30 minutes, I applied Part Two.  This is an entirely different composition, and apparently uses an alcohol as the solvent.  As advertised, it left the fabric with a white, frosted appearance.  Once again, I was glad for the choice of experimental subject.

It will be many months before this test can be declared a success or a failure.  But the results the next morning, were pretty amazing.  The dew was scattered over the surface like a field of diamonds, and a few fat drops had consolidated and swept up their near-microscopic brethren, leaving dry trails behind them. 

Pros:

• Really, really hydrophobic coating!

Cons:

• $18.75 for coating to cover 10 ft².  That's $1.88/ft²
• Substantially stiffens the fabric
• Leaves a white, frosted appearance on the fabric (might be OK for white fabric)

 

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Addendum:  After Rain

If you look closely, you'll see actual air, under the water

Nano experiment

Doubled Docklines

Mixed feelings.

I have mixed feelings about this time of year.  On the one hand, the weather has made it uncomfortable to be off the dock.  It is cold; rain is frequent. Winter storms are lining up out there in the North Pacific, jockeying for position to attack the Pacific Northwest, one after the other.  The sun is visible less and less every day, not just because of the now ubiquitous clouds, but because the tilt of the Earth's axis and its progress around its orbit puts the sun lower and lower in the sky every day.

But on the other hand, the "nesting instinct" returns at full strength this time of year.  We like to think we are "above" the animal kingdom, that we are too "advanced" for the instincts that govern the behavior of the lower animals to affect us.  What bunk! 

Perhaps because of my retirement, for the first time ever, we enter the stormy season with all the preparations completed:

• Docklines have been doubled.  
• The winter fenders have been added.  
• All the failing seams in the cockpit canvas and a total of eight new (YKK #10) zippers have been installed.  
• The sail covers have been completely restitched. 
• The annual brightwork refinishing tasks are done.
• The prop nut zinc has been changed.
• The spreaders have been inspected and repainted.

We are ready.  And there is huge satisfaction in that.  We have evolved so that complying with those instincts is one of the most satisfying things we can do.


So yes, mixed feelings.

Doubled Docklines

Workshop again

With the additional time that retirement brings, I am tackling some things that had been too low on the priority stack for too long. 

First project: freshen up the finish in the galley. This area gets probably the heaviest usage of any on the boat. That, coupled with grease mist from cooking these last 15 years has made refinishing here a priority. 

I am using Interlux Goldspar Satin for this. And once again, I find that the $40/qt varnish is worth every single penny. It goes on easily and self-levels to a gorgeous smooth satin finish.  I can't recommend it highly enough. 

And of course, with the workshop occupying the saloon table and the galley disabled for all intents and purposes, we've had a spate of eating out.  Well, except for last nite - last nite was our 42^nd wedding anniversary, and we stayed in for that (yeah, that is an empty wine bottle - some of the good stuff).

Workshop again