Planning

I'm in a winter planning mode trying to figure out how to best prepare for a possible voyage across Lake Michigan next summer.

I'm reading charts, looking at weather history (wind speed/direction for seasonal trends, not guarantees), talking with sailors who have done (albeit in races on larger boats) what I want to do, and learning Garmin's Homeport application and my new Garmin GPSMap 78sc.

It seems to me that my first effort on big water should be short, so that first trip will be a bit more than 10 miles along the Lake Michigan shore from Muskegon Lake to White Lake. (I'm still figuring out Homeport so the detail of this image is not very good.) The magenta line represents a track from Muskegon Lake northward to White Lake. The plan is to sail to White Lake, raft up with another boat for the night and return to Muskegon the next day. I'd like to do this trip as early in May as possible, and do longer day-sails as conditions allow throughout May.

Another trip I am looking forward to is crossing Lake Huron's Saginaw Bay. I'm thinking from Caseville, MI to Tawas City, MI in early June. Tawas City hosts a festival in June with a "traditional boat" gathering the first weekend of the month. The trip across Saginaw Bay is about 20 miles, give or take depending on wind speed and direction.

The Saginaw Bay trip would involve the sail across, two nights (maybe three) in Tawas City (probably in the State marina), and sail back to Caseville (weather permitting).

Discussing a Lake Michigan crossing with more experienced sailors has been encouraging. None of them said, "Don't do it." Several suggested other trips - not necessarily using Sheboygan, WI as the destination - that will be worth looking into for later in the summer. (Sheboygan is my destination as that is where a Welsford Boats get-together is tentatively planned for sometime in July.)

So, I continue to study, plan and add to Gardens' kit, fully aware that planning on paper in the cold, dark months of winter is not the same as getting out there and sailing!

Additions to the Kit

Gardens needs a lot of gear, accessories, and trinkets. The list is pretty long and seems to grow faster than I can cross items off.

So, here are recent additions to the Kit:
Garmin GPSMAP 78sc West Marine had it on sale for $100 off, so how could I resist?

Anemometer This one was very inexpensive but it works and will help me re-learn to gauge wind speeds.

Michigan’s BEST LAKES Fishing Maps Guide Book Not what one might normally find in a sailboat kit, but it lists 90+ inland lakes over 1000 acres (there are thousands of smaller lakes in Michigan). While the maps are “not to be used for navigation,” they provide depth contours, launch ramp locations, and other information that will be useful for planning day-sails or camp outings.

Another tool I’ve added to the “planning kit” is the Midwestern Region Climate Center’s cli-MATE Database that can be searched for local historic weather data and patterns. Of particular interest and use to sailors is the Wind Rose tool which can create illustrations of wind speed and direction for specific locations. While it is a good tool, it took me a bit of practice to pull out the data I think is useful. You do need to register as a user (no charge). There is a Product Guide to help.

No photo but here is the link to Midwestern Regional Climate Center’s cli-Mate Database

How much is enough?

Discussions on John Welsford Small Craft Designs FB page re battery life and power needs of handheld VHF radios opened the door to what I’ll call “Supplemental Power Supplies.” Small, particularly open, boats do not often, usually, have a ship’s power system - primarily because such small craft do not carry much in the way of electronics. (Yes, I know I am painting with a large brush and that last statement is a sweeping generality. And, yes, given what I am contemplating for Gardens may mean I should consider some elaborate ship’s power…)

What came up in the discussion were portable car jump start batteries. Twelve or fourteen years ago I used one of these to power a GPS, fish finder, and VHF radio on my 24’ Columbia Challenger sailboat in the California Delta. That device was about the size of a shoe box and would provide power for a long weekend of long days on the water. How I managed to forget about that device is a mystery to me…

A comment in the FB discussion stated that jump starters come as small as a couple decks of cards and provide enough power to charge handheld radios, smartphones, cameras and other small electronics. Obviously, the technology has evolved over the last 14 years or so.

Research, beginning with “car jump starters,” has taken me down a rabbit hole - there are so many such devices (car jump starters, booster batteries, battery packs, power banks, and more) ranging in size from toaster-sized jump starters with air compressors to cigarette lighter-size (think Zippo lighters) external batteries for cell phones and other small electronics. Of course, the capacity of these devices covers a wide range as well - as do the prices.

Another complication came about with responses to the question, “How to figure out how much battery capacity is needed?” Do a power budget - listing all the planned electronics and how much current they draw, was one approach. Find the largest battery you’re willing to haul in and out of the boat and plan your electronics around that, was another. A third was, Duration. How long you need power will color all other decision re electronics. So, more than one way to skin a cat…

In short, I am overwhelmed with the choices… On top of which, I don’t know much about electricity, 12V or otherwise. So, back to studying the basics… Maybe then I'll be able to answer, "How much is enough?"

What I don’t know…

I recently asked a “What if…” question on the John Welsford Small Craft Designs FB page:

“What if… I wanted to sail my Pathfinder across Lake Michigan… (70-ish straight-line miles)… sometime in July…?”

That question generated a good discussion, the consensus of which was: uncertainty of the weather will be the biggest issue. But there are many other issues to consider.

Planning an open water crossing involves many elements of small boat sailing that just are not contemplated when setting off for a pleasant day sail. While researching gear, studying weather patterns, talking with veterans of sailing across Lake Michigan and asking lots of questions - particularly on the John Welsford Small Craft Design FB page - I’m realizing I don’t know how much I don’t know…

Almost a week ago I asked for suggestions and comments for handheld VHF radios. That prompted a good discussion with several radios suggested/recommended, some comments re issues with some models. And of course, several models had fans and detractors… Another result was discussion of compact car emergency jump start units as possible solutions to recharging/powering handheld electronic devices.

I spent nearly a week researching 11 handheld VHF radios, creating a spreadsheet comparing the features, and figuring out how to share the spreadsheet. That spreadsheet is now in the Files section of the John Welsford Small Craft Design page on Face Book.

There will be more questions… because I don’t know how much I don’t know.

Turn the Page...

...and it is November.

September and October were spent in physical therapy getting my right knee functional. It is that (functional enough to not need a walker or cane; functional enough to drive; functional enough to get back into my workshop and begin a few simple projects) but there is more to be done - particularly before my next knee replacement in December.

September and October were also spent thinking and preparing lists of improvements, tasks, chores and ideas to get Gardens ready for next summer. That list keeps getting longer - and I thought Gardens was ‘done!’ I’m getting the sense (which I really didn’t appreciate with my GIS) that additions, refinements, and adjustments are just a part of the joy of owning a wooden boat like the Pathfinder. That is not a criticism of the design. It is a reflection of my lack of experience and short-sightedness… Some items on the list are ‘buy’ (GPS, compass, VHF radio, etc.), some are ‘make’ (cook box, birds-mouth mizzen mast, halyard bag, paint, etc.) and some are 'buy & make' (cockpit tent, etc).

My plan is to do what I can before mid-December, update and add to the list through February and begin serious work on Gardens in March - aiming for a mid-April or early May relaunch.

Perishable Skills

English blacksmith Alec Steele used the phrase “perishable skills” in a recent YouTube video to describe the decline of a skill level after not using that skill for a few months. He also applied the concept to patience - as in, rushing a task and having to fix the resulting error. Patience needs to be exercised, just as a muscle needs to be exercised, and practiced to be a useful tool in one's skill set.

So, while it means the same as “use it or lose it,” “perishable skills” is, to me, a more elegant description of the phenomenon.

Now, five weeks out from surgery, I am growing inpatient - I want to get back to Gardens to tidy things up, put some things right that need it, and work on the ‘improvements’ I’ve identified since that one sailing weekend almost two months ago. But, since I am not physically able to get to work in my shop, I must exercise patience while resting soft tissue…

I am also growing inpatient for next year's sailing season. There are a number of events I am looking forward to attending: a planned messabout (including a Scamp Camp, small boat skills training, hand tool demonstrations, and boatbuilding skills) featuring John Welsford designed boats in Sheboygan, WI; a sailing weekend in Les Cheneaux Islands in Michigan's Upper Penninsula; the Sunfish Dinghy Challenge in Virginia; the Mid Atlantic Small Boat Festival in Maryland; the the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival in Washington; day sailing local lakes and other events as they come up!

The knee is improving - just not as quickly as I'd like.

Good News… Bad News…

The good news: Tuesday’s total right knee replacement surgery (scheduled for quite some time) should, in the long run, make me more agile and better suited for small boat sailing and bicycle riding.

The bad news: The rest of the year is lost to all but rehabilitating my new knee and prepping for replacing the left knee in December.

I’ll be making lists and planning the refitting tasks identified during those four, all too short, days of sailing Gardens last month. I’m sure I’ll be asking a few questions over the next six months…

Note: Gardens’ cosmetics were not completed when we took her sailing. Our focus was to get her sailing this summer. Paint and trim are high on the list of next spring’s refitting.

Still in Awe

We've been home for almost a week following our trip to Michigan's UP to launch and sail Gardens of Fenwick.

Sailed three of the four days we were there (the second day was spent rearranging a bit of hardware and adjusting some rigging)... Conditions were just about perfect: Light air on Day 1, progressively stronger winds thru Day 4. Most photos of Gardens were taken on that first day, so there aren't any real action shots - but there are a few 'duffer' shots (slack downhaul, tight outhaul = big crease in the main). (

Gardens at the dock:

Sailing off the dock:

Light air, slack downhaul, tight outhaul:

Friday workday:

Toasting Gardens:

Me throughout the weekend:

My email to another Pathfinder builder best captures, I think, my reactions to Gardens, the Pathfinder design and John Welsford:

The Pathfinder is SO worth it! John Welsford is a genius!

I find it difficult to describe how it feels to sail a boat I have taken so long to get in the water. None of the ‘flaws’ I’ve fretted about matter. No one else saw them. The boat either didn’t notice them or shrugged them off.

Enjoy your build - but don’t dally: sailing a Pathfinder is so much more fun than building one!

I am still in awe!

Mast Supports

A few days ago,I asked for - and received - suggestions about transporting (when towing the boat) spars.

Here is my roughed out solution for the main mast:

These will support the main. The mizzen mast and boom/sail/yard bundle will be stowed and secured in the boat.

Jan says the supports look like wind-up keys...

Gardens' Out-of-Barn Experience

I was a bit nervous about putting Gardens back on her trailer yesterday. Several recent threads (including one of my own) about trailer set up had me a bit anxious. Things went better than expected, which doesn't happen all that much, and Gardens rested easy on her trailer late yesterday afternoon.

Around 5:30, I got the idea to take a short (really) drive just to see how things would go down the road. I mentioned this to Jan, who suggested I wait for the afternoon rush hour of folks heading home from work. Seemed like a good plan so, after those three vehicles (two pick-ups and an SUV) went by the house, I pulled out of the drive, went two miles down to a church parking lot, turned around and came home. Four miles isn't much but I felt much better for having made that little trek.

One minor incident happened when I put the rig back in the barn - I bumped into one of my sawhorses (which was really well out of the way) and broke the lens out of the driver's side light on the trailer (no sawhorses were damaged). After getting the boat & trailer in the barn, I was too tired to change out the light. I figured I could take a few minutes in the morning to take care of that. Right, a "few" was more like 90 minutes but I got it done.

Today was Gardens' test-launch. I needed to find out if the centerboard pin leaked at all - because that, to me, is the most likely candidate for a leak - and I've been nervous about it.

Jan went for sandwiches, drinks and other goodies for a post-launch picnic and I headed to Wabasis Lake (a bit west of Greenville, MI) with Gardens in tow. A very pleasant 16-mile drive to the lake was uneventful.

Not too busy at the ramp, which is a nice five-lanes with docks and lots of room in front of the ramp facility. Friends met us there to help and my sister and brother-in-law arrived to witness the event, too.

Finally put Gardens in the water without incident and, she FLOATS!!

No leaks of any kind anywhere. I really can't describe what a relief that was and is! Also very nice to hear a number of compliments from other boaters. After pulling Gardens' out of the lake, the six of us had a very nice picnic lunch which included a celebratory toast to Gardens.

No masts, sails, rigging or other gear today as the mission was to check for leaks. That, and I am still sorting out how to carry the masts and sails. However, I am glad we were not planning to sail today as the centerboard would not lower all the way and that would not have been good out on the lake. Our diagnosis is that the top foreward corner of the centerboard is not clearing the front on the case. We'll check again before pulling the board and reshaping that corner, but we believe that is the issue. And, no, I did not test fit the centerboard in the case early on in the build (like before installing the CB case in the boat).

As far as I'm concerned, today's out-of-barn experience was a huge success! When I got home, I took numerous photos to serve as reminders of what needs to be done (plenty!) to finish Gardens. The next time out will be the official launch and first sail!

Show & Tell

Saturday's Show & Tell for some friends and family was fun on several levels: sharing Gardens in her nearly completed stage and sorting out what rigging needs to be tweaked.

Recent work done: deck cleats installed, spar leathers installed, masts stepped, main sail raised, outhaul installed, motor mount installed, rudder head and tiller in place, and most of the rigging for the main sorted out. I got to show and tell and answer questions several times as family and friends came and went at different times throughout the day - and that was okay.

The downhaul is not yet installed, the halyard set-up needs some tweaking, and the mainsheet hardware needs to be installed. The centerboard case cap needs to be finished and installed, too.

Being able to set sail inside the barn is a plus on hot summer days.

The halyard attachment point need adjusting. It needs to be a smaller loop and moved foreward on the yard.

Since I was test fitting the sail to the spars, I used an odd assortment of rope to rig the sail. I'll keep some of what I used and replace some of the bits and pieces with new and proper line. The rag-tag ends of lashings will be shortened and cleaned up.

The mizzen sail needs grommets installed - and I need a tutorial on rigging (and sailing) the mizzen.

The top decks are painted but the interior needs color coating. Gun'ls and rub-rails need varnishing and there's a bit of cleanup at the bow to be done.

Other than that...

Testing the Mast Slot

Today was to be a sand & paint day. Warm temperatures, high humidity and very little wind proved otherwise.

I've been carrying on now for quite awhile about my "Mast Slot" idea to facilitate stepping the mast: Concept, proof-of-concept, improving (maybe expanding) the concept, seeing a variation of the idea built into another boat, building it into Gardens... even 'testing it with a stub mast...

But, as they say, the proof is in the pudding when the rubber hits the road, so I was a little anxious to see if the Slot really would facilitate stepping the full-size (length and weight) mast. I was relieved to find that it does, indeed, make stepping the mast easier (than raising it ~20" vertically and then reaching forward about 24" to drop the mast into place)!

In the mast step:

Plug in place:

Toggles on the bottom of the plug hold it in place:

Both sticks installed:

Nice to have full height indoor clearance:

Still some to get done on the mast - a bit of leather on the mast where it passes through the deck, probably wedges for 'final' fit, and more varnish - but it is a huge relief to see an idea come to fruition.

That gray deck color behind the mast is what I'm using for the seat-tops and platform deck. Funny thing about colors: they rarely look like the sample card... The sample card looks light brown but in the gloomier light of the barn the color looks gray... It will be interesting to see it in sunlight.

Bits and Pieces - Moving Toward Completion

Coamings installed, shaped, and the 'end cap' tying the two coamings together figured out.

Things are still a bit rough but, really, getting closer to completion. That 'end cap' is epoxy coated and will be painted, along with the outside of the coamings, to match the top decks.

Backing plates for deck cleats fitted, installed, holes drilled and cleats installed. Yes, after tomorrow the cleats will be removed, the holes drilled oversized, filled with epoxy, drilled to size and the cleats reinstalled, but for about 36 hours the temporary installation will work.

There is a lot more work to be done but installing those cleats today made Gardens somehow more real, completing her closer, and sailing her more than just a distant possibility.

Coamings: Dry Fit

The coamings have been cut, trimmed (and trimmed multiple times, butt-joined, sanded, faired, sanded and now, today dry fit and ready for installation.

The blue tape in the cockpit area marks the location of the carlins (hoping to improve my aim with the drill). The blue tape on the foredeck marks where I'll scuff the epoxy coating before gluing the coamings in place. A side note: the decks (fore, side and aft) that are now epoxy coated (and look pretty good finished bright) will be painted along with the outside of the coamings.

Actual installation would have taken place today but for the weather. Afternoon temperatures in the 90s made me nervous about the epoxy going off before the entire coaming could be pulled/clamped into place.

So, tomorrow morning is the planned installation. And, the coamings are the last 'big' components to be installed... really getting close.

Getting Closer

Lots of nearly ‘invisible’ progress this week.

Seat tops and platform deck prepped for paint (sanded, epoxy, sanded, epoxy, sanded). Decks sanded and epoxied (almost ready for paint…)

Decided on a paint color : a light tannish brown called Eagle Ridge. The small sample looks more gray than brown in the photo… After a lot of what-ifs and maybes about color, we realized we can always re-paint if we don’t like it.

The cockpit needs work and the coamings need to be installed. Mast step and step base have been pre-drilled for installation and both need epoxy before going into the boat.

Mast/coaming anchor block fitted to foredeck and ready for installation (one more check to make sure mast fits the slot… )

Busy Again!

After three-plus months of doing nothing, I am suddenly very busy!

Gardens: working on the interior; sanding decks, fiddling with the coamings, prepping the mast step for installation, prepping for paint, and much, much more.

Karen Ann: refinishing the foils, sanding the interior, new varnish, cleaning the exterior, getting the trailer road-ready, checking the rigging, and much more.

OZ Goose Project : Yep, since I don't have enough to keep me busy, I'm planning a community boat-building project based on the Philippine phenomenon.

(No images of the OZ Goose Project as yet, although work on Karen Ann and the OZ Goose Project will be documented elsewhere.)

Light of Day

Gardens emerged from the barn today so a big clean up of the boat bay could happen today.

The clean up involved the removal of plastic sheeting suspended across 2x4s 12' above the floor. It was placed there years ago to protect vehicles from pigeon droppings... After the pigeons departed (we have no idea why), raccoons took over and decided the plastic sheeting was great as a latrine... Needless to say, it was not a pleasant chore but we got it done: remove the droppings, pull out the sheeting, remove the 2x4s. My theory is that without the sheeting and the 2x4s to walk on, the raccoons can't use the overhead space as a latrine...

With Gardens out in the open, I decided to see how the mizzen mast fits. And it does:

I didn't test the main mast in the mast slot as that mast step is not ready. I left the yellow webbing used as slings to lift Gardens in place.

Gardens went back into the barn. Elmer Gantry lifted her off the trailer and set her back on her supports. The trailer went to another part of the barn and things are very much as they were this morning - except for the big overhead clean up changed the overhead space and gives me clearance to raise the mast inside.

Yes, there is a lot more to do but the sight of Gardens out of the barn and on the trailer is inspiring...

Weather, Shoulder and Gardens

Weather has improved.

Shoulder is improving.

Work on Gardens has resumed.

Work on the coaming has gone from door-skin pattern stage...

to the real 9mm ply pieces...

Despite using patterns there is a good bit of fitting to be done - for several reasons: the patterns were only used to draw the outline of the pieces on the ply - so the 'line' on the ply actually described a 'larger' piece; I still had to cut accurately; and the bottom edge of the ply needs to be beveled to sit flush on the cockpit seat tops.

So much more to do... but I am glad to be back to working on Gardens.

For One Brief and Wonderful Day…

Thursday was beautiful. Temperatures in the mid-60s. Sunshine. Very light winds. It was great. And I got to spend three hours working on Gardens! Yes, working - not just puttering around tidying up - on Gardens.

The deck was prepped (sanded, wiped down) for another coat of epoxy.

The mast block/coaming anchor was cut to size and fitted but not installed (not quite ready for that).

Photo

Photo shows the block in an early stage of development.

The template for the coaming was finalized. It may need a bit more tweaking but it is close enough to the proper size that I can lay it out on the plywood to determine if I need another piece of 9mm ply.

Photo

Again, the photo is from early work on the coaming and doesn't show the transition to the foredeck. (Didn’t have my phone with me Thursday afternoon.)

So, on Thursday I felt great. I was pleased that I could work on Gardens without any ill effects to my shoulder. I was pleased that, after four months, I was able to make progress on Gardens. I was looking forward to getting more done this weekend.

And then, the weekend arrived: Friday was cloudy, windier and 20 degrees cooler than Thursday. Things got worse on Saturday: A Winter Storm Warning was issued. Temperatures hovered around freezing. Winds of 25+mph made the temps feel colder. Rain, sleet and snow took turns making life miserable. Saturday night and Sunday produced more rain, sleet, freezing rain (the kind that coats everything with ice) and snow. For the time being it looks and feels more like mid-January than mid-April.

But for that one brief and wonderful day I was back at work on Gardens. I'm looking forward to getting more done as the weather improves.