jeremyrandall / sailing /

I did some cleanup today, actually quite a bit; I removed a bunch of old parts and miscellany that has collected over the boat since the last big spring cleaning, taking out a couple bags of stuff. I also went through all the cabinets, checked on the PDFs (life jackets) and made sure the fire extinguishers have not expired (I just realized I need to check the expiration dates on the flares too). I checked the batteries and engine oil and ran the engine for a good while (this is something I do regularly, of course, to keep things in good working order).

It was a nice day of boat work at the dock, which I find rather meditative. I had the radio on 14 and the Coast Guard was checking in with all of the active ships, getting wind speed reports as it headed toward 30 knots out there. Maybe just a few knots higher than a regular summer day here on the bay!

So the sailing today ended up not actually being sailing. We motored all the way to the Cityfront before we found wind, then when we went to raise the main the halyard got stuck, hard. We tried for a while to loosen it up, but it wouldn’t budge. We motored through South Beach Harbor and McCovery Cove, then motored back across the bay. It was still a nice time, and the engine performed flawlessly. Eddie, Kameela, Jameel, Mary.

New jib sheets, replacement batten for the main, oil change. Thanks to the folks who helped with these items.

We had a great sailing day today. I can’t believe how few times this year have been sailing days, but now that the summer weather and wind seem to have set it, I’m hoping to get out there much more often.

We left Alameda around noon. On the previous trip the engine had been running a little hot, so I replaced the thermostat. Today it was still running hot and the water flow from the exhaust was anemic. We pulled in to Fortmann and replaced the impeller in the water pump (and added a bit of transmission oil). Once that was done and we ran the engine for a bit, water flow came back to normal and so did the temperature.

We motored most of the way out of the Estuary. We saw a sailboat tack right in front of a moving barge, which was really scary to watch. The sailboat missed the barge by about 20 feet. We were reminded by another sailboat that there are folks out there who don’t know the basic navigation rules and are a menance to themselves and others!

The wind was moderate to high; we sailed all day with a reef in the main, out of Alameda, across the bay toward Hunter’s Point, back up toward the baseball park in San Francisco and to the Bay Bridge before heading back. Steph, Linhy and Steve and I enjoyed a clear and gorgeous day out there!

Steph got a great picture of the classic wooden schooner Dauntless a few moments before it passed us like we were standing still (we weren’t!):

I’m planning to sail next Saturday. Email me if you’d like to go.

Bicycle ride to the marina and some boat maintenance work…

Sun, Nov. 13th, 2005, 10:37 pm

I caulked the outside of the windows (portholes) two days ago. It rained this afternoon, and upon inspection, it seems like the seal is holding pretty well. Stevan may come by tomorrow afternoon to help futz around with boat work.

Fri, Nov. 14th, 2003, 05:24 pm

The boat work party last weekend was good. Only a few of us did actual boat work, the rest socialized and hung out. It was nice to see folks.

I replaced the galley faucet, and had some help scrubbing the hull and cleaning/oiling some of the exterior teak including the handrails. Amelia is looking good.

I really need to look into buying some fabric and see if I can make new cushions myself.

I did manage to stop by West Marine for a couple extra PFDs, and then went to the boat to clean out some of the old crap onboard, including old clothes, old catalogs, old tide tables, etc.

I’m hoping to get some more boat work done on Friday.

Wed, Jul. 9th, 2003, 09:22 pm

Talked to Sally at Pineapple about my mainsail…

Wed, May. 21st, 2003, 12:43 am

I’m pretty sure there’s a piece of rope wrapped around the prop shaft. Which means no sailing tonight. And no sailing tomorrow unless I can get a diver down there to pull it off. Sigh.

The epoxy work is going well. I have all of the fiberglass tape pieces installed. Might even be ready to paint tomorrow (though I doubt it).

Fri, Sep. 27th, 2002, 12:32 pm

Good work today: cleaned out Ellen’s primary filter (what a mess), moved said filter to a more accessible location, replaced secondary filter and modified/shortened fuel lines. Engine started on third crank. Going to let it sit overnight and test again tomorrow. Should be all good.