C22 WYC Series 1 Race 3

Melissa is busy with wedding prep (only 10 more days!), so enlisted Jenny from ACE.

Chris and Jenny on the sails, and me on the helm wearing my cast condom:

Selfie from Jenny

Winds were supposed to be 11-17 knots from the ENE, and drop after 8pm.  Full main and #2.

We were a underpowered going out as we tacked the boat a bunch for the new crew to get used to tacking Still Time.

As we got closer to the start, the winds picked up to over 20 knots from the NNW.  It was a shore breeze, so it was warm.  We watched major storm clouds develop and died on land,

Its been a while since I had helmed little Still Time, it was like riding a bike,  In the puffs, I would feather the helm to windward to keep the boat in its feet while Chris would instinctively dump the main when required by the one armed helmsman,

On the first upwind leg, we got overwelmed and rounded up (you can see it in yellow on the track below),

We really got the boat moving close to 6 knots most of the time.  We were just ragging the main and sailing to the headsail telltales.  On the last two upwind legs, the winds had dropped, and we were smokin along with the main fully powered up, and the headsail burped out for power in the waves.

We finished first in our dedicated fleet.

Great race, great night, as the rains held off,

Trip Odometer: 14,47 miles
Avg Speed: 5.7 knots
Max Speed 8.7 knots
Moving Time: 02:32:00

CS34 Dodger and Bimini

Marcio from Dreamcast marine canvas came out the boat to pattern Still Time for a new dodger/bimini and enclosure, as well as cockpit cushions.

We were able to use the existing frames, and were able to raise the dodger a little over 2 inches. Any higher would reduce the size of the connector panel and the view forward when sailing/docking.

Marcio started by positioning the dodger with tape:

He then installed a stanchion going forward:

This along with grab rails that are being added will make the dodger frame free standing.

The patterning material is a non stretch plastic that is strung over two sided tape.

View from the side 

We took some time to figure out window placement, and how the traveller lines will be led back.  

We also figured out how the bimini and enclosure will be done.

Thunderstorms were happening on land, so he quickly took a pattern of the cockpit seats for new cushions before the rains started.

Marcio will come back another time to pattern the binini.

The tops of the dodger/bimini will be done first, and fitted to the boat before pattering for the sides.

CS34 Winter Frame

Enlisted the help of the WYC grounds crew and the Kubota tractor/trailer to get the aluminum winter cover frame pieces moved to Still Time's cradle:

Kinda hard to do with one hand!

ACE Delivery to National

I drove to National for 9am and picked up Michael, Kris, and Ashley.

We got back to Whitby, packed the boat and shoved off at 10:30am.  Jenny came down to see them off.

I had lots on the go at the home front so I stayed back; besides, the return logistics didn't make sense.

Jenny walking Selkie on the beach with ACE putting the spinnaker up

Winds were 8-11 knots from the ENE, so the spin run took four hours to cover 25 miles with one gybe near Toronto Island.

Taken from Ashley's Facebook

ACE Final Prep

Last Wednesday, Michael came out and we were able to get the stanchions and lifelines on.  Was quite a task getting the nuts on the rear stanchion.

Jenny, Peter, and I met on Sat at 3pm to get the boat ready for delivery on Sun.

We moved the boat over to the gas dock and took EVERYTHING off the boat:

Looked like a yard sale!

Notice how high the water levels are:

Those fenders are floating on the water!

Jenny went nuts with the power washer inside, and vacuumed up the water with a large shop vac.

Meanwhile Peter and I installed the main with its new batten system:

AWESOME sail shape

Once the insides of the boat dried a bit, EVERYTHING was put back on MINUS a garbage bag full of junk to throw out.

Jenny then powerwashed the topsides:

 While Peter and I had some refreshments:

Cast Condom keeping it dry

I washed the hull sides removing the black streaks with a brush and mixture of Tide and CLR.

ACE has NEVER looked so clean inside and out!

We finished just after 8pm and headed over the the Food Truck Frenzy across the bay.

C22 WYC Series 1 Race 2

John is out to concentrate on a work project, so I picked up Christine from RazorBill.

Melissa on the helm, with the Chris' on the sheets.

Parking lot was really flooded:

Dock 8 on the left

You had to park your car and get out on the driver's side only!

Winds were a constant 12 knots from the east with gusts over 20.  Full main and #2.  Right amount of sail BUT were were overwelmed in the puffs.

Meliss, Chris, and Christine

At one point a gust came up, and Melissa instinctively turned the boat into the wind to get the boat back on its feet, but the jib backwinded and we did a 360.  You can see it on the track below.

I just hung out in the cabin doing aluminum can physiotherapy on my hand:

New this year is on race 2 and 4 of a series, they are sending a mark boat out with a tetrahedron, and we do a windward/leeward like most other clubs/regattas.

We were the only boat in our class; kinda a drag!

We had fun just the same and were in before most of the others.

Sorry, no sunset picture because there was no sunset.

Trip Odometer: 9.77 miles
Avg Speed: 4,8 knots
Max Speed: 8.2 knots
Moving Time: 02:19:21

My phone is having battery troubles with the RaceQs app:

Phone died after taking one picture with the tacking app the the background, so no 3D replay.

C22 WYC Series 1 Race 1

First race of the season!

• Me
• John 
• Chris
• Steve

Melissa had a work commitment, Steve from the club jumped aboard.

I spent the afternoon replacing traveller lines and tuning the rig.
I drove the boat over to the gas dock because of the flooding to get to dock 8.

With my arm in a cast, I just stayed below in the cabin.

Forecast was for 12 knots from the SW with gusts in the 20s.  We decided to go out with full main and #2; perfect amount of sail for getting through the waves.

Justintime in background

Course was 4 medium; we were the 3rd start with 4 boats.
Winds were less west and north of the start, so we did a port start at the pin and immediately tacked to starboard after crossing the line.

Starboard tack was slow because of the waves, but we stayed on it to cover that distance in more wind.

As we tacked to round the first mark, a puff of wind rounded us up and around we went, while our competitor Firebird rounded first.

Final approach to mark 4

At the leeward mark 8, we tacked too soon and touched the mark, and had to do a penalty turn.

Winds were dying on the final windward/leeward legs, so it was a tough slog to finish.

Sunset picture for Melissa

Great start to the season!

New GPS was not configured to save our track.

Trip Odometer: 9.56 nm
Moving Avg: 4.3 knots
Moving Time: 02:14:00

3D Replay

C22 Masting

First race in Wed night, so Still Time's mast had to get up.

The wind instrument did not work last season, so I removed the cabling and wind transducer and hooked them up on ACE.  Turns out that the cable in the mast is faulty and I will have to order another.  Takes a couple of weeks to come in.

Decided to put the mast up sans transducer.

Had to fill the hole where the cable goes through the mast step:

Bluenose on a dime

Scott and Gary gave me a hand

Scott pushing the button

The mast crane cable deflected the windex feathers, so I had to go up in a bosun's chair using the crane to correct.

Going back to dock

I will drop the mast after the new cable comes in.

Spent the afternoon rigging the boat:

• boom
• vang
• halyards
• mainsheet
• traveller 

Just need to tighten up the shrouds for tomorrow night.

CS34 Slip

For 2017, we got a new slip of the east side of dock 8 near the end.

Really nice because is offers a nice view of the harbour and breakwall

Instead of other boats.

CS34 Rigging

Even though I can't really sail with a damaged hand, I needed to get the mast up and rigged and the dodger/bimini frame on.

At the boat show in January,we committed to a new dodger, bimini, and encloure for Still Time.  The old one was tired and was damaged in a wind storm last August.  We went with Dreamcast Canvas who is located locally in Bowmanville.

They won't pattern until the boat is rigged.  Got the boom and such on, running the lines back

Used a tape measure to pull the lines back

Got the sail stack pack and dodger/bimini frames on

CS34 Masting

With one good hand I prepped the mast for raising.

Had to replace the spinnaker halyard because if had chaffed on a worn out mast head block:

You can see the worn out block.
The red line is a tracer line used while I was getting the new halyard made up.
$70 from Nat's Marine in Pickering.

Busy masthead with new white halyard

My hand was killing me, but I had LOTS of help.

Single Handed Sailor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E36JaBiYI0g

On Tue May 02 I hurt my hand throwing construction waste in a refuge bin.

Broke the knuckle in my ring finger on my right hand:

That finger was FUBARed 20+ years ago with a baseball injury.

Ouch

Did not require any surgery or pins.

The cast will come off in 3 weeks; just in time for the Susan Hood.