Still Time Issues

Now that Still Time is on the hard, I have found several things that need to be addressed.

First is the bow damage sustained when I hit a C&C 115 in a 20 knot breeze at a little over a knot:

YES that is raw fiberglass!

The damage is more than I thought!  Spider cracks radiate out on the port side.  This will need some epoxy/fibreglass repair.  I will have to dig out the gelcoat cracks.  Think this might be an insurance claim, as I already have to pay for the repair of the other boat's transom.

Second is a crack in the rudder:

Crack in rudder between pintles

The crack has always been there since I bought the boat, but this year it has opened up.  The rudder is a wood core encapulated in fibreglass, so it appears to be separating.  It however does not extend to the waterline.  I have always stored my rudder indoors: if there was any water in the core, it would split the rudder right in half!   The transom trim at the top of the photo is looking tired; Catalina Direct has a replacement for $22.  A replacement rudder is over $600!

Third is the rear transom:

Furry transom

When Still Time was build in 1982, she was expecting a 5 hp motor weighing 40 pounds.  The 8hp Honda on Still Time weighs over 110 pounds.  I also have lots of gear (sails, anchor, safety equipment) in the aft lockers.  So Still Time is sitting lower at the stern in the water. The transom does not have any barrier coat or anti fouling paint on it.  When I strip and epoxy barrier coat the bottom, I will extend it up the transom a couple of inches.

Haul Out

I stayed on the boat with the ceramic heater keeping me warm. 

Woke up at 6am, and had a nice breakfast upstairs at the club.

I was working the west crane sling crew (same as last year).

I was to be the 9th boat out of the water, so I had to quickly reposition and leveled my cradle before the first lifts started.  Last year, I had put Still Time on the cradle backwards, and the pads did not line up correctly, making her unstable if you were doing work on her.  Before we started lifting, I moved Still Time from her slip on pier 8 over to a free slip over by the west haulout dock.

Click on photos for a larger one:

Fred gunning the motor to run it dry
Noani with pink hard hat

Clear of the water

Flying through the air...

On her cradle

The quick keel joint repair I did last spring seemed to hold.  Still want to drop and rebed it.  I am puzzled where the water is coming in when she is sailed hard.

2011.10.21 Last Sail

Can't believe the cold, nasty weather we have been having.  The winds and waves meant I have not been out in 10 days.

Worked from the boat all day Friday.

At 2pm I decided to skip hockey and head out singlehanded for a last sail.  Winds were forecast for 10 knots from the NW with gusts to 16, old reefed main and #3.

Went out on a close reach toward the Ajax weather buoy, doing over 6 knots, pounding through the waves.  As I got within a mile of the buoy, the winds/waves were building, so I decided to turn back.  On the broad reach back Still Time was constantly doing over 7 knots!  At one point, I hit 8.5 knots surfing a wave.

What a great sail to end the season!

Trip Odometer: 7.81 miles
Moving Avg: 4.7 knots
Moving Time: 01:38:48

Google Earth track: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/20111021.kmz

Took the sails/boom off, loosened the shrouds, and Peter and Rich help me drop my mast at the dock.  Peter and I walked it over to the mast racks.

Stayed on the boat Friday night, and took this picture:

Only 7 Masts Up

Out of 260 boats in the Whitby Yacht Club, seven still have their masts up:

Click for larger photo

30+ knots and rain last night meant no sailing for Still Time.

Hopefully get out one more time before Saturday's haulout.

Lifelines & Stantions?

Here is a picture of a couple of Catalina 22s without lifelines and stantions:

Click for larger photo

The admiral says it doesn't look right.

They just get in the way of going forward.
Thay are too low to keep you on the boat if you are on the coachtop.
They chafe the sail when close hauled/closed reached.
Would not have to skirt the #1 when close hauled.

I would epoxy the four holes for each stantion, 16 less places for leaks.

Refections on Sailing Season

Still Time finished 2nd overall in division 1 (white sail):

http://wyc.ca/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=89

Looking at the numbers, I could have made a run for 1st overal if I didn't miss a bunch of races in the beginning of the season.  It is important to attend all races. 

Last weekend's cold weather with 30+ knot winds and 8 ft waves meant no sailing.
Don't know if I will get out before Saturday's haulout.
I will take my mast down on Friday night.
Probably stay on the boat because haulout starts early.

84 trips
1795 nautical miles
347 hours of sailing (14.45 days)

Went out about the same number of times as last year, but definately had more sailing time and miles.  The biggest diffence was the Susan Hood on French Vanilla, Whitby 50 on Sumac, and Youngstown on Coug.

I learned a LOT this year.

First in the LO300 on French Vanilla.
Second in the Susan Hood on French Vanilla.

It was a GREAT year.

Significant additions to Still Time:

• New main
• New light #1
• New heavy #1
• Used spinnaker and pole
• New backstay adjuster

Wish I had bought the new sails earlier in the season.  They really make a difference.  Still have to figure out reefing for the new main.  When the wind is over 15 knots, I am using my old main with a reef or two and my #3 or storm jib.

Lots of projects for Still Time in the off season :

• drop and rebed keel (going to do this right after haulout)
• repair rudder (small crack in leading edge above waterline)
• fair keel joint
• scrape bottom
• Epoxy barrier
• VC17 bottom paint
• re-inforce stem fitting (forestay attachment point)
• spinnaker crane
• spinnaker halyard/uphaul/downhaul in mast
• deck organizers
• rope clutches
• cabintop winch
• move teak grab rails to the pop top
• remove stantions and lifelines
• inboard genoa tracks
• re-bed outboard genoa tracks
• new open turnbuckles
• mainsail reefing

Looking forward to getting regular crew in next years racing.
John is in for next year.
Pretty sure Dave Stephens from work is in also.
May even enter the spinnaker class.

Pretty much made the decision that Still Time II (my next boat) will be more a cruiser than a racer.  I will have PLENTY of opportunities to get my racing fix: Santeria, Coug, Sumac, and of course Still Time.

2011.10.11 Whitby with Friend

Barb March is the first person I met at Ontario Hydro, when I started working as a summer student in 1984 at Darlington Nuclear Generating Station.  I have kept in touch with her over the years.  Her daughter Wendy was my coaching assistant when my daughter (now 24) was in Novice.  Barb retired a couple of years ago, and last Saturday Rita and I were driving by her house, and decided to stop in for a visit. 

Barb says she always walks down to the Whitby Pier to watch the sailboats going in and out of the harbour.  We setup a date to take her out sailing.  Today was the day.

Winds were forcast to be 7 knots with gusts to 12 from east, so I put the old main on with a reef and the #3 jib.  Did not want to spook her.  Also knew that when we came in, it would be dark, so I fixed the bow navigation light (turned out to be corrosion in the socket). Barb, Rita, and I went out for a little over an hour.  Boat moved along quite well, with not much heel.  Barb liked the waves (she didn't get splashed).

We saw a beautiful sunset in the west and an almost full moon in the east.



Great night on the water!
Click for larger photo



After coming back in from the lake, we motored around the habour.

Trip Odometer: 5.75 miles
Moving Avg: 3.1 knots
Moving Time: 01:51:19

Google Earth track: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/20111011.kmz

2011.10.10 Monday Spin

Beautiful Thanksgiving Monday: sunny and warm, 26 degrees Celcius, winds from the SE between 5 and 8 knots, diminishing as the afternoon progressed.  Full main and light #1. 

Rita and I got the boat going over 5 knots a little over 3 miles SE into the lake on a close hauled course.  We tacked to the west and could only get about 4 knots of speed.  Waves were very small (<1 ft).

Just look at the sail shape of the new main!
...and the missing antenna windex!

I took the boat far enough to the west so that we could gybe and set the spinnaker for a broad reach back.  Rita had never flown a spinnaker, so she was a little leary, but she could see my excitement.  After the gybe, the winds were diminishing, and could only get at 1 1/2 knots of boat speed.  Dropped the jib, and hoisted the spinnaker.  Had the lines inside the lifelines, so had to correct that, but the chute filled and got us going comfortably over 4 knots.

Rita took over flying the chute; after a couple of pointers, SHE WAS A NATURAL AT IT!   She flew a lot of kites with her kids, and absolutely loved it. 

Rita, main, and spinnaker!

She came up with this saying "Guys have a pole, and the other is a SHEet" BRILLIANT!

The Admiral with the SHEet

Looking great!

We sailed it right into the channel, did a perfect douse as we turned toward the yacht club. 


Drying the spinnaker afterwards dockside

AWESOME!  Best sail of the season.

Be sure to click on the pictures for a larger sized version.

Trip Odometer: 9.66 miles
Moving Avg: 3.7 knots
Moving Time: 02:35:30

Google Earth track: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/20111010.kmz

2011.10.09 Whitby Single Handed & Moeder

Got out EARLY right at noon for the Whitby Single Handed makeup race.  Winds were forecast for 4-6 knots from the SW all day, sunny and warm.  Full main and light #1.

Got out to near the course, and did not see any boats out.  Called on the radio, and only Mark from Black Magic was out.  Apparent Andrew from Berserk and Dale from Kye Express thought there wasn't enough wind.  I was able to get the boat going between 3 and 4 knots just shy of close hauled.

Race called, out for a pleasure sail west to Ajax a little off shore.  Set the spinnaker for the downwind sail back to the Whitby.  Had the boat going 5 knots most of the time.  End for end gybed the spinnaker and sailed into the harbour.  There was a Catalina 320 that looked a little leary of me coming in the channel flying a spinnaker.

Google Earth track: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/20111009-1.kmz

Parked the boat with main up, packed the spinnaker away.  Rita Moeder (Dutch for Mom) came by for a sail.  We went about a mile into the lake, but the waves fetched from yesterday's wind in Niagara were too much for the diminishing wind.  The sails were flapping and the boat was uncomfortable. We dropped the jib, and motored over to a mooring ball by the clubhouse.  We dropped and rolled the main, and enjoyed the warm sunshine for a while.

Google Earth track: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/20111009-2.kmz

Trip Odometer: 10.00 miles
Moving Avg: 3.3 knots
Moving Time: 03:59:40

The club was putting on a Thanksgiving Diner from 4pm to 6pm.
It was awesome!  Moeder really enjoyed it and the sail.

Matching life jackets!

I have a lot to be thankful for: a wonderful girlfriend with a kewl Moeder.
Sunny 25 degree celcius is October!

2011.09.08 Whitby Frostbite Series

Wind was forecast to be 4-6 knots from the SW all day.  Sunny, and warm 25 degrees Celcius.

Winds were that at the start, but quickly diminished as the race went on.  Full main and light #1.  Course was 4 short.  Waves were <1 ft.

John had to bail because his son had hockey in the early afternoon, so I went out single handed.

Had a really BAD start (really have to work on this part), didn't cross the line for 3 minutes.  Was able to get the boat going close the 4 knots to the first windward mark.  Downwind leg was very slow (<2 knots), as the wind diminished.  Got half way back to mark 9 (third leg of triangle), and the wind completely died.  The small waves were just enough so you could not set sail because they were flapping.  Was going at 0.2 knots for a LONG time.  Then no wind whatsover.  GPS was registering 0.0 for about 45 minutes before the race was called.  Black Shaddow and Sumac were the only two boats to finish.  Even Berserk could not finish; they were withing 200 ft of the finish.

I dropped the genoa, and setup the spinnaker for the run back home.  Got the boat going at 2 1/2 knots, until there wasn't even enough wind to fill the spinnaker.

Trip Odometer: 9.09 miles
Moving Avg: 2.2 knots (includes motoring out and in)
Moving Time: 04:08:04

Google Earth track: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/20111008.kmz

2011.10.05 Whitby Single Handed

Wanted to get to the dock by 4:30pm as the race was starting at 5:30pm because the light is getting less and less.  Could not get of work until 4pm.  Had to goto the bank, get gas, and the traffic was TERRIBLE.  Didn't get to the club until 5:10pm.  The flags at the club house were limp.  Jumped on the boat, and motored out as fast as I could radioing Berserk, saying my ETA was 5:41pm to the mark 9. 

I motored out to the start putting up my sails.  They started the 10 minute countdown at 5:30pm. When the start gun went off I turned the motor, and was about 1/4 mile from the start.  Took me about 10 minutes to cross the line. 

There was only about 4 knots of breeze but flat water (no waves).  Full sail (new main and light #1) got the boat going over 3 knots.   Course was 5 short, and was eventually shorted to a 5 triangle.  Experimented with moving the jib cars back to put twist in the genoa; worked well.  I was able to skirt the light #1 inside the lifelines.

Got the boat moving well in the little bit of wind.  Missed the first mark and had to tack twice.  Downwind to the 2nd mark was slow wing on wing with about 2 knots of boat speed.

MAN I miss having a windex, and there wasn't enough wind to drive the tell tails on the back stay.  Outhaul kept popping loose; need to do something about that.

Came dead last FAR behind the fleet as the wind was dying, but I finished.  Lost opportunity to place in the top three for the fall singlehanded series.

Tried to put the sails away on the dock, but they kept falling in the water.  I loosely flaked them, and put them on top of the car, and drove to the clubhouse for a beer.  Mark Ashworth helped me roll/fold them (thanks Mark!).

Tomorrow, I will bring my rolled main, and whisker pole to Nats, and get some shock chord fitted to allow me to roll the main as I take it down singlehanded.

Trip Odometer: 11.11 knots
Moving Avg: 4.5 knots (this sound wrong)
Moving Time: 02:26:33

Think the GPS came on in the car on the way over, squewing the moving avg.

Google Earth track: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/20111005.kmz

2011.10.02 Boswell Regatta on Coug

Got out to CBYC at 8:45am, Coug left the dock at 9am.

We had nine of us:

Mike (helm)
Mike (pit)
Dick (helm)
Me (bow)
Bev (mast)
Wendy (runners)
Mike (grinding)
Mark (grinding)
Dave (main)

Mike had said that we would have trouble getting out of the channel.  We hit bottom almost immediately, and could not move.  We tried heeling the boat over with everyone on the starboard side.   We put Mike up on the end of the boom, and moved the boom to starboard to heel us over more.  This was enough for us to inch out of the channel.

Winds were 20 knots constant from the North with gusts over 30.  Too much wind for a spinnaker.  Full main and #3.  We sailed all the way to the start line (about 10 miles) at over 8 knots. 

We had a great mid line start with boats all around us.  We had the boat going over 7 knots the entire time.  On the downwind leg, we hit 10.9 knots on a surf down a wave!  Boats that tried to fly spinnakers really didn't gain any ground on the short downwind leg (western gap to Gibraltar mark).   Many tried to fly asymetricals on the reaching legs, but we saw most broaching all over the place.  We switched to the #2 (actually a heavy #1) for the last two legs.   A little too much sail and heel, but was managable.

We came about middle in the pack of 12 boats.

We motor sailed back with the main only, and the wind had swing over to the ENE. Kept the main up to heel us over to get back in the channel.

I was completely soaked, even though I had my foulies on.  The new Gill sailing boots worked great (the only dry part on me!)  Went for a beer in the CBYC clubhouse, and  when I came back, my Mustang PDF that I had left on the passengar seat had went off!

Trip Odometer: 43.67 miles
Moving Avg: 7.0 knots!
Moinvg Time: 06:15:05

Google Maps track: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/20111002.kmz

2011.10.01 Whitby Frostbite Series races 5&6

A north wind was blowing steady 16 knots with gusts to 30.  COLD, 10 degrees, but the sun was shining.  The SE wind from the last two days left 5 ft rollers with a long period.

Went with the old main with a double reef, and the #3 (110% jib).  This sail combination kept the boat at 6 knots in control, rounding up slightly in the gusts.  Perfect amount of sail.  The reefing for the new main is not working, and is very shallow; would have been too much sail.

Five boats went out.  Black Shaddow withdrew because these was too much wind for that little rocket.  Sumac went to gybe at the start, and their traveller car blew up.  We are hardening up to start and see Sumac with their mainsheet in the water.  Sumac DNFed, but competed in the 2nd race with just their #3.

John is getting better and better on the helm; was was able to feather the tiller to keep the boat from rounding up.  There were sometimes after rounding the mark to go upwind, I would be grinding the sheet in, and my arm/winch/handle/coaming was underwater.  Water was poaring over the coaming.  We kept the crib boards on at all times.

There were times I wanted to switch the 110 out for the storm jib, but didn't want to go forward.  At one point we hit a gust over 30 knots, knocking us probably 45 degrees over.  I looked up to see the windex that is on the VHF antenna, was working it way loose.  I couple seconds later, we watched it sail off and land in the water about 20 feet from us.  No windex, so I went below and got some nylon tell tales and tied them to the backstay. After going below I felt a little queezy.

Going upwind, we had the boat going between 5 and 6 knots.  Waves were breaking over the bow, we both got soaked.  We finished last, but pretty sure we came 2nd in corrected time  behind Berserk.

The poor boat was NUKED inside.  Water coming over coaming went into the coaming box and leaked into the quarter birth.  Waves breaking over the bow had leaked past the forward hatch and soaked the v-birth (all the bedding and pillows).  A piece of the companionway trim was broken off.

Still Time performed well, we were please with how we sailed her.

Trip Odometer: 20.20 miles
Moving: Avg: 5.4 knots (WOW!)
Moving Time: 03:48:11

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/20111001.kmz