Let’s go to Three Mile Harbor! O.k., let’s not.

As we drove down to Shenny on Friday, July 7th we had already decided that we were going to Three Mile Harbor on Saturday to anchor out overnight. It was going to be a nice weekend and it looked like we would have some wind for sailing.

We wanted to catch slack tide at the Race so we left before the wind picked up and motored for an hour, but eventually the breeze started filling in so we turned off Thumper and settled in for a nice sail. As we sailed past Gardiner’s Island, the wind increased from the predicted 10-12 to a steady 18 knots and the water was getting choppy but we were quite comfortable on a beam reach. That day we learned something new about Pegu Club. When the wind hits 18 close hauled she definitely needs a reef, but it’s not necessary on a beam reach. Good to know.

The only problem with our sporty sail was that we were going to need to make a 45 degree turn to port and then sail straight for several more miles to Three Mile Harbor. Where was the wind coming from? Why the port of course. Continue reading “Let’s go to Three Mile Harbor! O.k., let’s not.” →

Vacation (part two): also known as the week I lost all faith in NOAA.

Wednesday morning NOAA was calling for 8-10 knots as we prepared to head from Stonington to Shelter Island. Since the wind was going to howl on Thursday, the plan was to pick up a mooring at Shelter Island and spend the day in Greenport, then continue our journey on Friday. Not so much.

We were enjoying a nice sail through Fishers Island Sound with approximately 10 knots of wind, but when we were out of the shelter of Fishers Island the 8-10 knots turned into a steady 18-20. What the?? I suspect 18-20 is a lot more comfortable in other areas, but on Long Island Sound the water turns into a bit of a washing machine. Combine that with having to sail close-hauled, and this was not going to be our idea of a good time. In fact, it was looking like a repeat of last year’s slog from Block Island to Three Mile Harbor.

Continue reading “Vacation (part two): also known as the week I lost all faith in NOAA.” →

Haul out day. It was an adventure.

Sometimes I really don’t know why we bother checking the forecast. It was Sunday, October 16th – haul out day. The predicted 5-10 knot overnight winds had, in reality, been 15-20 knots and when we woke up in the morning they had increased to a steady 20+. We literally had whitecaps in the mooring field.

Earlier in the week I had been thinking about launch day. All I had wanted was for decent weather with light winds, and for Pegu Club to be facing bow out when she was splashed. We went zero for three that day. I knew that this time I would be motoring her into the liftout well, so I didn’t need to worry about backing her out, but I was still hoping for decent weather and light winds. Well, it was going to be sixty degrees and sunny, but we had white caps in the mooring field. The winds were worse than launch day and we were going to have to dock. I was not happy.

Continue reading “Haul out day. It was an adventure.” →

We built some skills on this sail.

With Jeff and I both needing to work on Sunday, the weekend of September 24th was going to be a short one on Pegu Club. We made the most of it though, with a fun four-hour sail with wind conditions that made us very glad we didn’t have a specific destination to get to.

Now that fall has officially arrived the temperatures have definitely gotten cooler, but with bright sunshine warming our all-black clothing, we were quite comfortable. While I prefer sailing in t-shirts and shorts, I have to admit the cooler temperatures definitely opens up the water a bit more. People start hauling their boats out right after Labor Day, and as each weekend passes we see fewer and fewer people on the water. It’s substantially more peaceful than it is during the height of summer.

Continue reading “We built some skills on this sail.” →

Vacation, part 2: O.k. I guess we’re not going to Narragansett.

Tuesday, July 12th (yes, I’m behind on my blog posts) we set sail for Newport. The winds were supposed to start off light and then fill in, so we ghosted along the coast of Fishers Island under the jib alone, and headed out through Watch Hill Passage.

The promised winds arrived, but unfortunately they were right up our bum so we were crawling along at 3 1/2 knots. Upon turning into the wind to raise the mainsail so we could switch to wing and wing, we realized just how good the wind was so we made a command decision to bang a right and head to Block Island instead. Sure it was the middle of the summer, but it was Tuesday. How crowded could it be?

Continue reading “Vacation, part 2: O.k. I guess we’re not going to Narragansett.” →

Memorial Day Weekend on Block Island: “I wish it was windier” said no one on Block!

This past weekend marked our fourth annual sailing trip to Block Island. We had spent the prior windless Saturday installing our solar panel (the subject of a future post), and Sunday was mostly windless so we continued doing small projects and getting the boat ready for our mini-vacation. We were psyched because the weather forecast for the holiday weekend looked great and we were going to be hosting our friends Vanessa and Kurt for two nights – our first overnight guests of the season!

Jeff and I had taken a few extra days off to get a jump start on the holiday weekend, so on Wednesday we drove down to Shenny. It was a sunny, warmish day with great winds, and we were really looking forward to seeing how Pegu Club would do. Continue reading “Memorial Day Weekend on Block Island: “I wish it was windier” said no one on Block!” →

Maiden Voyage

The forecast was mixed for the weekend, but Saturday looked like it would be a great day. Temps would be in the 60’s with bright sunshine and moderate winds – perfect conditions for our first sail on Pegu Club. As an added bonus, we were going to be joined by Jeff’s good friend Jeff O. Jeff O. was the person who introduced Jeff to sailing when they were growing up, and we were psyched to have him along on our maiden voyage. Continue reading “Maiden Voyage” →

Splash!

Since I was able to take a few mornings off from work, Wednesday the 4th and Thursday the 5th found us at Shenny bright and early to try to finish up some final tasks. Priority number one was to put two coats of bottom paint under the poppets. The weather had made it difficult so it was down to the wire, but by 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday we had crossed it off of the list. Everything else from that point on would be gravy.

We were so busy that everything is pretty much a blur, but I do remember that we were finally able to get Pegu-teeny in the water on Thursday:

**Doesn’t she look spiffy sitting there?**

We were scheduled to launch at 8:00 a.m. on Friday the 6th, and I was hoping for three things: the weather would be decent, the winds would be light, and Pegu Club would be placed in the water with her bow facing out so we wouldn’t have to back out of the slip. We went zero for three.

Continue reading “Splash!” →

Two important projects complete (no, not the painting).

Another cold weekend. Temperatures were in the mid-forties on Saturday with rain coming in during the afternoon. Although Sunday called for a high in the upper 40’s and sunny, a strong cold wind put the wind chill in the upper 30’s and was most unwelcome. Winter was warmer than spring has been, and once again we were not able to get any painting done. With less than three weeks to go, it’s starting to get down to the wire. However, the forecast for this weekend is starting to look promising, so maybe – just maybe – we can finally start putting the barrier coat on soon. In the meantime there were plenty of other tasks to accomplish, with one job even more important than painting. Continue reading “Two important projects complete (no, not the painting).” →

So I like sanding – yes, this makes me weird.

Now that we’ve finished scraping the bottom of the boat, it’s time to turn our attention to sanding. Scraping doesn’t get rid of all of the paint, and before we put the barrier coat on the bottom needs to be paint free – down to the gelcoat.

We only had one sander, so initially Jeff gamely sanded on his own while I worked inside the boat. The inside of the VHF cabinet needed to be cleaned, along with the area where the Origo is inserted, so I broke out our trusty Clorox Clean-up and got to work. I was very pleased with the difference in the VHF cabinet (“before” is on the left”):

Before

After

I also started working on wiring diagrams for our 12 volt electrical system. We still are complete novices when it comes to all things electric, but bit-by-bit we’re learning.

It was clear after a few trips to Shenny that we needed to get another sander if we wanted to be finished any time in the near future, so after the obligatory trip to Home Depot we were back at Shenny last weekend ready to get back at it. This was going to be my first time sanding, so Jeff showed me the ropes and we got to it. Continue reading “So I like sanding – yes, this makes me weird.” →