This day, Christmas Afternoon, i got a little work done on the dinghy. i’m forcing myself to get it buttoned up and regularly sailing before i start getting into my big boat.
i carefully paddled the dinghy over to the baech, where i slid it up the shore and careened it. The new ballasted keel slid in from underneath, and was temporarily pegged in place. Just paddling back to the dock, the new weight made a huge difference. There is still an initial instability, but it really starts to firm up once heeled.
i got the headsails bent on, and got the corners of the main attached; the head and luff lacing on the main will wait for the morrow.
Tomorrow, we West Endians will gather to go out to Bubbly Pool and Jost Van Dyke aboard Kuralu.
December 24, 2005
at it again
December 21, 2005
happiest christmas ever
i have in my hands a sheaf of paperwork. Instead of coming to me in a ubiquitous large yellow envelope, it came bundled and taped in striped wrapping paper; a gift! Hooray!
Second page in, there it is: a signed sales agreement from Sverre. The boat is mine. i’m a little stunned… wow.
Now the work begins. First, the paperwork must go through the local bureaucratic channels. A thourough inventory must be made of the boat’s equipment; her missing bits and extra bits, what needs to be rebuilt, replaced, or just cleaned out.
My happy paperwork bundle includes a number of additional interesting pieces; articles, sales brochures, and the detailed, lengthly original owner’s construction manual. The latter is explained by the factthat many of these Laurinkoster 32’s were supplied as bare hulls to the owners, who would then either complete the interiors themselves, or contract them out. Of course, much of this literature is in Swedish, but just by following the numbered diagrams, i’m learning plenty of words!
Ah, i need to take a breath… i still need to get Ripple sailing regularly and well before dumping all my free time and income into Centaurea, but we are looking at about a week of down-time between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, so i’ll have a chance to get caught up.
“they say” that the two happiest days in a boat-owner’s life are the day he buys a boat, and the day he sells it… Well, never mind the latter, i’m happy for the former right now!
December 19, 2005
brb, busy, what news, etc.
Busy as all heck around the boatyard. Launching many boats lately, and buttoning up projects before owners arrive, general commissioning, etc. One nice Herreshoff schooner in and out of the harbour lately.
New lead ballast bulb has been shaped for the dinghy keel; hoping to get that in this week sometime, along with a new traveller. Yay! Sailing again! The poor dinghy has just been getting in the way on our docks lately, tuggin’ at her lines. Can’t wait for another set of seatrials!
The cat slowly leaking out of the bag, wispered into one ear or another. An “agreement in principle” has been reached, via many inter-continental emails and phonecalls, and Sverre has agreed to sell me “my” boat. i’m eager to get a-crackin’, but am waiting until all the paperwork is signed/sealed/delivered. Details to follow…
November 16, 2005
boat watch!
After a slow start, the Season is coming on pretty hard and fast. The harbour is filling up with the usual bareboats and charterboats, along with a couple noteworthy individuals.
Last week we had the W-46 “Equus” in the harbour. During an afternoon go-fast ride across to Jost, a few of us saw her out sailing; reaching along at a frighteningly fast clip under reefed main alone. Very pretty.
Our friend Nick is back on Tortola with his natty little Tahiti Ketch. We’ll be embarking on a complete cabinhouse rebuild very soon. A fun little boat, he has rigged her with a squares’l and gaff tops’l in addition to the usual 3 working lowers.
Out in the harbour yesterday afternoon, and now on the dock, is the elegant “Victoria of Strathearn”, a yacht i had missed viewing last year. Soper’s Hole, with protected deep water, sees several of these type of yachts (along with the usual ghastly Perini Navis) each year. i, personally, am much enthused to see the whole “spirit of Tradition” thing really kick off.
