March 19, 2010

Today was the big day for restepping the mast. Carol was up from LA for a visit and was bribed to photograph the process with the promise of some wine-tasting when we were done. I had conscripted my friend Jim to help with only the promise of lunch. His wife Cathy came as well, not only to see Circadian, but to do some work on their own boat that was also in Napa marina and to meet Carol. She and Carol hit it off from the get-go as I knew they would, and enjoyed talking and getting to know one another. I have to confess I'm a bit nervous that I may get in some trouble as consequence, though!

We started lifting the mast about 11 am, and the whole process took a bit over an hour. There were no problems or mishaps. The only glitch was the unfortunate discovery that two turnbuckles and one fork were missing, apparently having vibrated off when the boat was trucked across the country. Fortunately, they were only for the lower shrouds, so we could get the mast secure enough to stand in place without them connected. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but being StaLok fittings, the tab for replacement is going to be about $175. Ouch! The good news: the inner forestay did indeed connect to the chainplate on the front of the cabin as I had deduced, so I had made the right call in removing the old fitting from the foredeck.

The young and strong crane operator offered to haul the heavy new windlass up the ladder by hand instead of using the crane. (I think he was hungry and wanted to go to lunch.) He did it, but it wasn't easy, even for him. As soon as we had standing rigging in place and tight enough to hold the mast up securely, the crane left and we all went for a nice lunch at cuttings wharf.

After lunch, Jim was kind enough to stick around and help me get the boom, mainsail and cover in place. By the time we had finished and cleaned up, it was getting pretty late in the afternoon. I knew I'd be in deep kimchee if I didn't make good on my promise to Carol, so we bid good by to Jim and Cathy who wanted to keep working on their boat, and I took Carol to Domaine Carneros to taste champagne and enjoy the lovely view from the chateau's veranda. The flight of three varieties was yummy, and we got an extra treat: we were given some of their very expensive premium sparkling wine to try. The perfect ending to a special day. Cheers!