More from the slow boats regatta

These were taken on board Shemara. Really must do something about that jib halyard tension!

The yellow and white kite is an asymmetrical spinnaker. It works OK but really needs a spar two or three feet longer (to work with the regular jib still up). We tried the other symmetrical kkite which is great, but didn't get any pics of it up. You can see it drying out a the bottom.

Also here is Sean in action with his funny way of rowing backwards.

Slow boat regatta

Organised by the crew of Tracer, about six yachts joined in a race for the slow boats, followed by a barbie. These photos were taken by one of their crew. We followed up with a barbie at Milan's shed.

Photos: Milan getting his new spinnaker pole sorted for Charlie ; Mike trying to thread a masthead jib halyard for Galatea ; milling around the start line are Charlie (giving Shemara a tow out) and Galatea ; Thelma in full flight ; Charlie ; Shemara and Thelma ; on board Tracer ; 3 pics of Shemara at Somes Island ; BBQ scenes (plus Mike and Craig looking like they're coming to trade for muskets).

I'll put my pics up when I find the cable for my camera!

Sister ship

Left is Shemara's sister ship Gazelle. She was built shortly after Shemara, though from what I've heard, she's been misdated to the 1970s. She is planked in cedar, and sold to Australia around ten years ago. This photo is from a for sale ad in Australia in 2002.

Where is she now? I see a lot of Norfolk Pine in the background - could it be Qld?

Paint

Easter was spent waterblasting, scraping, sanding, priming, undercoating and painting. Topsides and hull. It's a bit rough in patches but we ran out of time, so had to be practical. However - a vast improvement! Mike helped me sail her back to the mooring and she really likes a bit of extra wind (20 kt gusts) ; and a smooth hull made a huge difference!

The picture here shows the antifouling job just about done.

Let there be light

I've got some nav lights now, all wired up and they go!

I got the LED ones, which are super bright, and they run off a twelve volt rechargeable battery. I knocked up a little box for the battery from marine ply, which is hidden well forward; and I put in a bakelite light switch, which is the sum of my electronics board. Wiring works, but I'll not bother to get it tidy till I've decided how to fit out the interior.

I also made the rather simple but snazzy mount for the stern light out of mahogany.

Interior lights will be battery run LEDs when I get around to it.

little jobs

The great thing about bronze is that you can bury it in the ground, leave it at the bottom of the sea, or in the open air, come back after 3000 years and it is as good as new. Museums are full of it.

Anyway, here is an old rod of bronze (of course not that old!) that I made a thread on. It will hold the spinnaker pole cup to the mast.

Also -

There are the headsail tracks and jarrah handrails cleaned of paint and on their way to being cleaned up.

I made a solid mahogany outboard bracket, nicely capped much in the same way as our doghouse doors.

I've also started scraping away paint that needs to be redone.

Moki

I just bought a doer upper to put in the garage when the sponsor and I move to the coast next month. At 50 bucks including the trailer, I couldn't in all conscience let it go for scrap.

It was purchased by the vendor's father in 1978, and was told then that she was built in 1893, which is possible, but after a bit of discussion with some very knowledgeable types on the CYA forum, she's more likely built during the first 20 or 30 years of of the 20th century. Anyway, I'm writing around the local clubs to try and find something out.

The lovely Phillipa is keeping it in front of her house, gamely fending off the local kids for a month till we get her up the coast; and Mike has already donated a lovely oregon mast. I'm fast stacking up the favours!

We did a rough and ready measurement, and she's about 20 feet by 6 feet, with about 2 feet max draft. All Kauri, and all but one of the plank lines are full length. Does this boat hold a record for the most sistered frames? I think it must do!

(I'm loving the 1930s bling at the bow).

Reasons to be cheerful Part 5

Friday evening on the water. We had a little breeze, which was forecast to fill in to nice 10 knots. It didn't.