October 25, 2012

I finished the battens for the quarterberth!  Although I still need to refinish the fiddle for the shelf above the berth, getting the battens done was a major milestone.  I got a couple of more coats of varnish on the mahogany trim, some of which is good enough to call "done."  I also made good progress on lining the cabin side above a small shelf forward of the quarterberth. The first vertical batten was the key.  It and all the rest had to be very precisely made because there will be no trim due to a curve at the far end.  (You'll see next week.)  As soon as I finish this section of the aft cabin, it will be time to start on the aft head.  Winter is coming, bringing with it crystal clear air and beautiful sunsets!

Weekend was busy and fun.  Watched some of the Kinetic Sculpture races in Ventura Saturday, then headed to Carol's in LA.  Sunday John came down and we all went to Long Beach to see the Strictly Sail boat show.  On the way back, we did a quick drive-by of the battleship Iowa which is now permanently berthed in San Pedro.  LA Harbor is huge, growing and busy!

October 18, 2012

After a nice weekend with Carol that included a dinghy cruise for breakfast at the Harbor Cove Cafe, a visit to the Museum of Ventura County for a lecture and booksigning by Gustavo Arellano who writes the syndicated column ¡Ask a Mexican!,and a Thai dinner, I got back to working on the battens for the starboard quarterberth in the aft cabin. Having previously done the port side, I was able to improve efficiency a bit on the starboard side with some subtle, but significant adjustments in methodology.

My first sailing article, "A Swell Story" , was published this month by Boat US in their quarterly Seaworthy.  If you look carefully elsewhere in the issue, you'll also find a couple of short anecdotes of mine.  Let me know what you think....

October 11, 2012

More fall:  light rain, a harbor surrounded by thunderheads and a dearth of flowers.  Nonetheless, I continued to work on the aft starboard quarterberth while taking precautions for possible rain. I learned from my experience with the port side, and things went a bit smoother.  Carol came up for a short weekend visit that we filled with fun:  local wine tasting, dinner at Spasso's, a visit to the Oil Museum, and even a movie!

October 4, 2012

With autumn undeniably here, I'm in a race to get the long oak strips stored on deck turned into battens for the aft cabin and out of the rain, since I have no inside storage space large enough for them.  As long as we don't get unusually early rains, I should be okay.  The starboard cabin side is now covered with oak battens and the stringers have been bonded in place on the overhead and hull side around the starboard quarterberth.  Everything is painted too.  Next steps are to make a pattern for the overhead panel, cut the panel, install the reading light and switch, and mount the panel.  Next I need to cut and install the foam-core insulation on the hull side.  After that I can start fabricating, finishing, and installing the long oak battens along the berth.  I'll also continue varnishing the grab handle and mahagony trim. With both Carol and my buddy John out of town, I don't have any good excuses for slacking....