Sail away

Fuggles hit the water with sails for the first time today. Such was the excitement that I took not a single photo. But believe me, we got a nice afternoon of sailing in. After arriving at the boat ramp, I rigged the mast and sails, and then we launched at the ramp. I hoisted the main, and it was relatively easy this time to run it completely up with no binding, and with the gunter yard right on the mast. We sailed away slowly at first, but little puffs of wind came, giving us momentum, and then dying. Finally, after about half an hour, we got a fairly steady light breeze, which allowed us to practice our tacks. We beat to windward up the length of the lake just in time for the wind to die again. About that time, we heard some distant thunder, even though the sky above us was quite clear. But we decided to turn around and head for the boat ramp. As we ran down wind, the thunder built, and it became time to break out the oars. I rowed from the forward seat, hunkered down slightly to clear the main boom. We managed to get back to the dock just as the first dark clouds appeared. By the time I got the car and trailer, waited my turn at the ramp, and loaded up Fuggles, things were really looking ominous, although a fresh breeze was kicking up. We got on the road for home and were treated to some rain and a spectacular lightning show just to our south. A good introduction to Passagemaker dinghy sailing; I look forward to many more outings.

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Sail Kit

While I struggle with an intermittent internet connection today (its rather windy, and Charter Cable being the worthless entity it is, cant seem to maintain a connection in a breeze) I unpacked the Passagemaker dinghy sail kit that arrived this week. A wonderful Christmas gift from my dear mother, the kit contains all the hardware to turn the Passagemaker dinghy into a sailboat. Somewhere in transit, the plastic bag holding the tiny metal parts got ripped, so some of the hardware was loose in the packing box. I gathered it all up, and I think nothing was lost, but Ill check it against the packing list soon. The actual sails have been back ordered for 1-2 weeks. No matter, I am still a couple of months away from sailing. But I will be eager to actually see them when they arrive.

Now, on to the turning of the hull, in preparation of sealing the strakes.

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Sail Ahoy!

Ive just learned that a package is headed my way via UPS from Chesapeake Light Craft, which can only mean that my sails have been made, and will arrive Friday. Very exciting! I was also thrilled to find out this weekend that the sails are made by Bohndell, a company located in midcoast Maine. Apart from being fine sails, they will provide my boat with a tangible connection to one of my favorite regions of the country. Indeed, over the past two years, Kathy and I have traveled to midcoast Maine no less than three times (and four times in the last seven). Among my many waiting projects is to edit the video footage from our most recent trip (you can view a sneak peek here). With my boats sails and oars, we tap into the fine wooden boat building tradition that can be found in Maine to this day. While I putter along, building my humble craft, I think about our recent trip to Camden, and boat builders such as William Cannell, a wooden boat building company responsible for absolutely beautiful boat restorations and new construction. Through the efforts of this company, and many others in New England, the proud tradition of wooden boats remains alive and well. It also gives an anonymous first-time boatbuilder in central Alabama plenty of material for daydreams!

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Yard Sail

Prep work was the order of the day today, as I turned my attention to the spars. A number of holes had to be marked and drilled in the gunter yard and the main boom, so that I could begin varnishing these parts. The instructions mention that it is surprisingly difficult to epoxy coat these pieces, and that multiple coats of varnish are sufficient to protect them. But before I could do this, a number of holes had to be drilled. In the gunter yard, there are holes positioned all along the spar that correspond to grommets in the luff of the main sail. These are the points where the sail will be lashed to the gunter. Also, a hole is drilled in the long axis of the gunter at its center for the attachment of the main sail halyard. Along the main boom, holes must be drilled for mounting of two mainsheet blocks, the main clew outhaul, and the boom downhaul. When these were marked, I drilled each with a 1/4" bit. I also mounted the main mast stays and jib halyard block to the masthead. Finally, three cleats were installed at the base of the main mast which will be used to belay halyards and the main sail downhaul.

After that, I rolled the boat out into the fresh afternoon breeze and gave the first coat of varnish a light sanding. I was disappointed to find several areas of crazing. This apparently resulted from a too thick coat of varnish. Since they were mostly on horizontal surfaces, there werent drips or runs, but as the overly-thick layer dried, it crinkled up into a pattern much like a fingerprint. So extra sanding mostly removed these areas, and served as a reminder to be extra careful about applying a thin layer when I put the second coat on tomorrow morning. Total Hours 91.75.

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Info Dinghy sail plans

Found Dinghy sail plans Hi, now i Know useful for you yes this for Dinghy sail plans from another source Boat plans and boat designs for powerboat and sailboat, Boat plans and boat designs from select naval architects, yacht designers, and marine architects. powerboat plans, sailboat plans, monohull, multihull, and trihull. Myboatplans� 518 boat plans - high quality

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