2017: Work on the boat and an answer

Of course everyone I talked to wanted to know if I was coming back in 2017.   My answer was "ask me in January 2017!"

That was from the post race analysis of 2015's Bermuda 1-2.  Well, January 2017 rolled around and I was a bit busy on New Year's Day (racing in the Hangover Regatta on my Laser) but on January 2 I signed up for the 2017 edition!
So this spring the boat got a makeover.  New standing rigging, a new furler, AIS, new instruments and a chartplotter.  I also installed a new shore power inlet in the cockpit.  The boat was made with a standard screw fastened shore power in the anchor locker of all the stupid places to put one.  I got a new Smart Plug kit at the Annapolis Boat Show last fall at a huge discount.  Taking advantage of the warm winter I installed it and relocated the AC power in the nav station and ran proper stranded wire.  

When my son Zach was on Spring Break I put him to work, namely scrubbing the topsides, rinsing, and then waxing the entire hull.  A huge help; THANKS ZACH!


While all this work (and $$$) would have been a big undertaking in and of itself, on the home front we sold the "Tabor Inn" in April and rented a house on the water near Fishing Bay.  This necessitated packing up 3000 sq. ft. of house stuff, plus my complete shop in the 3rd bay of the garage and moving it all 170 miles away.  Oh, and the Porsche, and the Laser, and the less than completely restored wooden Lightning!  And putting it all in a house 2/3 the size of the Inn.   Oh, and let's not forget my son's college graduation and planning for Carol's daughter's wedding (which was incredible!).  In the meantime we're living with my Father-in-law in his apt while I work til the end of July at which time I will be retired!  Yea!

My old instruments on the left, while perfectly serviceable were somewhat limiting and I wanted the capability to program waypoints and course to those waypoints.  When the rigging was taken off it became apparent that the furler also needed to be replaced as it was starting to show signs of cracking on the torsion tube and the fasteners were all frozen in place.  Josh from Oak Harbor did a great job of glassing shut the three existing holes where upon I drilled new smaller holes for the B & G Triton instruments that were going in.

The old Harken Furler.  You can't see it but a crack is starting to develop on the torsion tube.

The old Datamarine instruments that Carol really liked.  I ended up selling them to a gentleman in Baltimore who was happy as could be with them.

New smaller holes I carefully drilled out for the B&G instruments.

Newly installed on the left and making some serious time in the Bermuda 1-2 Single-handed leg.

Meanwhile, also in the yard was a friends Beneteau First 38 that was getting some serious attention, including having the keel blasted.  Well, since they're going to be right next to my boat, what's a few more hundred $$s?
Had the keel blasted and then began the arduous task of filling and fairing all the gouges, divots and dents in the keel to make it more slippery in the water.

Trailing edge looking like something took a bite.

Not visible are the huge gouges on the leading edge of the keel.

Multiple trips to the yard were required to mix epoxy/filler, smear on the keel and then come back and sand and fill some more.  Not perfect but a huge improvement.

Next, the yard rolled on a coating of Epoxy paint and then a coat of red paint.  I then finished w/ the ablative paint I have been using with great success.