October 17, 2013

It was literally "back to the grind" this week.  With most of the teak in the cockpit renewed, the teak seats stood out as shabby.  I decided to redo them and try a bit of an experiment.  I wanted to retain the non-skid properties of rough teak, so I thought I'd try a sealer.  I'd stumbled upon one called Primo on the Internet, that some liked better than Semco.  After finally locating a source online, I got a can of the stain/sealer and spray clear-coat.  After prepping the wood on the starboard seat, I applied two coats of the stain/sealer and one of the clear spray overcoat (only on the perimeter boards, assuming the clear-coat was gloss).  Well, it wasn't gloss. Soooooo.......I also laid on a coat of Epifanes varnish on the perimeter boards.  While the tint is a bit more orange than I would like, I think it will look fine in place.  I'll do the port side next week and more coats of varnish on the perimeter of the starboard side if necessary.  We'll see how it holds up over time and foot traffic.

While I had the varnish out, I put on a couple of more coats on the companionway doors and re-did the fiddles on the galley counter.

It's slow, but it's progress.

Cruise to Cat Harbor Part 3

This week was all about the annual Two Harbors Buccaneer Days bacchanal, the weather and dolphins. (I also managed to squeeze in a bit of varnish work.) Gale force Santa Ana winds were forecast in the channel for the very weekend of Buccaneer Days, which needless to say caused considerable anxiety.  A bunch of drunken boaters and dangerous conditions in the exposed harbor would not be a good mix.  Fortunately, although winds were very strong near shore, by the time they got to Catalina, they were only about 10 mph.  The resulting chop made for a very unpleasant morning after for those out on the moorings in Two Harbors, but didn't cause any serious problems.

Thanks to the wind direction switching 180 degrees during the day, I got acquainted with a nice couple heading south with the Ha Ha due to their boat dragging into me.  No harm done and it all worked out fine.

The highlight of the trip back to Ventura was all the dolphin activity. Of the six groups encountered on the passage to Paradise Cove, one stayed a good ten minutes playing in the bow wave.   Magic.  Only three sightings between Paradise Cove and Ventura, all feeding or otherwise on a mission.

My weather planning for the return passage was right on:  light winds going to weather made for easy motorsailing, and light winds in Ventura Harbor made getting into my slip relatively easy.   No gear problems, breakdowns or harrowing tales on the cruise.  All-in-all, a great trip!

Cruise to Cat Harbor Part 2

Enjoying just hanging out around Cat Harbor and Two Harbors. Things are about to change soon, tho. Buccaneer Days starts tomorrow at Two Harbors, which brings a lot of loud music, debauchery and saucy wenches.  Aaarrrggghhhh!!!!!   In addition, a Santa Ana wind is forecast , which could make things a bit dicey. Carol might take the ferry  back tomorrow (Friday) to avoid possible discomfort and anxiety.  Wish me luck here!