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The Logbook

Timing is Everything. Timing and Weather.

By the Skipper:

What a spectacular day this is turning into! I just got back from my morning walk with the pups regretting that I forgot to slip a camera into my pocket.
  We set out in thick fog at about 0945 and headed for one of the trails around town.  At 10:00 the sun just began to peek over the mountain to the East and the light gradually shifted from grey to gold.  I turned around to look back along the trail to the NW and was startled to see the snow capped mountains across the Narrows towering above in full sunlight reflecting a golden glow back toward still misty Mitcof Island.  The reflections off the ice crystals in the muskeg began to sparkle and catch my eye as I turned back toward the rising sun, now clear of the mountain but still with a halo of mist. Just then (I am not exaggerating) a flight of Canadian Geese, noisily honking to announce their passage, flew out of the fog not twenty feet over my head and disappeared into the glare of the sun.
  I really need to remember to bring a camera along.

I got a stock check and quote from Edensaw Woods in Port Townsend, WA for the forest products we will not be sourcing locally. I just have to determine the exact quantities required, add a margin for error and place the order.    Similarly, the resin, cloth, solvents, tools etc. we will be getting from Fisheries Supply in Seattle.  Everything is readily available so there will be no backorder problems. We know that the barge runs twice a week and takes ten days to get here from Seattle so we can order after the first of January and expect everything to be here in two weeks.  With luck we will avoid any materials delays as the job progresses.
  Before the materials arrive, we have to shift all our belongings from the boat into storage ashore until the interior is finished. Like everything else in our life, "Weather permitting" actual work will begin with removing the interior furniture during the first half of January.   
  The part I am dreading is cleaning the stripped interior and preparing it for painting.  But good preparation is the key to good results and the best way to deal with an unpleasant task is to plow through and do it so well you won't have to do it again any time soon.  I have allocated 80 man hours to bare hull cleaning and fiberglass repair on the interior of the boat.  If I have to do it by myself I will have to bust my but to finish that part of the job in two weeks.
  While the time consuming task of preparing the hull for painting and receiving the new bulkheads and furniture is ongoing, the new wood will be in process of being turned into our vision of the ideal Vega accommodations.  We think the pieces can be fabricated in  a 40 hour week. Finishing will take another ten days. Making the boat habitable will take another week.
  Eliminate the overlap of tasks and double that timeline and we are in the first week of March.  I hope I have allowed enough time for this part of the refit. We will need to move back onto the boat the second week of April.

1 comment | Add a New Comment
1. Gerald | December 13, 2015 at 11:31 AM EST

Good luck to you guys! I purchased Vega 2856 a year and a half ago, sailed her on the Great Lakes this past summer to get a sense of what I wanted to do with it, and now I'm planning a refit. Honestly, I like working on my boat almost as much as I like sailing her.

I'm planning to put a blog and share some CAD files of my work as I go. Good luck. After watching your videos, Wife and I are thinking strongly of coming to Alaska in a few years.

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"Jim's book is thoroughly, entertaining and honest and for us to be included is an honor. 

If you dream of sailing off into the sunset after you retire we suggest "Sailing into Retirement" is a must read."

Chuck and Laura

Fellow shipmate, Fran Taylor, writes about her many adventures as crew sailing aboard different tall ships and she mentions one voyage in particular  during her time aboard HMB Endeavour where she meets a couple on their honeymoon.  Read the humorous tale of the seasick groom and how a new "private signal" was born among the Endeavour crew.
The first book I read after moving aboard Lealea.  A wonderful journey that got me dreaming.
-Laura
Looking for a read that will make your stomach hurt from laughing?  This one did it for us!  A definite page turner.
-Chuck and Laura

"This Old Boat" If you can only have one book on sailboat maintenance aboard, this is the one.

-Chuck Rose

"This old boat" If you can only have one book on sailboat maintenance, this is the one.
Chuck and Laura

“The Ashley Book of Knots” by Clifford W. Ashley is, quite simply, the definitive work on knots.  We think if you have more than a passing interest in marlinspike seamanship or decorative knotting this book is pretty much a “Must Have” This book is a high mass volume. 
                       -Chuck and Laura
Fran Taylor was born and grew up in Scotland on the banks of the River Clyde.  She has sailed all over the world in a number of “Tall Ships” and has had a number of articles published. She is a regular on the guest  speaking circuit around Perth where she lives when not pursuing her dreams and answering the call of the sea. In 2012 she took part in the Titanic Memorial Cruise, a special event to commemorate the 100th
anniversary of the sinking. This book tells that story.
The story of Margo Wood and her husband Charles who began the "Charlie's Charts" cruising guide series. When her husband passed away she began to sail as a singlehander.   A wonderful story about a lady I admire a lot. - Laura  
An excellent read for anyone interested in single handed sailing. An inspiration for women. Anne had quite an adventure and this book is especially interesting to Albin Vega owners.- Chuck
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