In which IAZ P boldly sails forth to new adventures

AHOY Mateys, Intrepid Readers, and friends!  I report to you this fine spring day that "I Am Zinea, Pterodactylus" has exchanged sailors in a happy fashion and is southwest bound from New Hampshire to the bustling and exciting 6th boro of New York City.  She is now in the hands of Capn Patrick Danger Danger and his nefarious gang.

Lots of symbolic appropriateness going on in this picture

Oh! Poseidon look kindly on IAZ,Ps new crew! I now shall recite to you this slightly modified age-old Goat Island Skiff plea. Amazing aquatic one, please receive it with benevolence:

May they enjoy fair winds and following seas,
High adventure and times of quiet relaxation,
May they always find the port before the storm,
and may she never abandon her crew in their most dire moment of need. 

Appropriate beverage-esque ceremony to follow.

I am happy to see this happen.

Thank you everyone, for everything.  Too many people to list, so many unknown peoples, it doesnt matter, thank you all.  IAZ,P has been such a wonderful experience in my life.  Please continue to follow GIS Amateur Style as we slowly segue fully into Sea Pearl 21 adventuring with "Scout" who has been featured in several previous posts, such as this one.

HUZZAH
HUZZAH
HUZZAH!!!

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Spring is just around the corner Well several corners and a couple of straights really

Three minutes and forty four seconds.

Not a lot, you cant do much in that small amount of time.  I can type about 100 words, walk a hundred and fifty yards at a gentle pace, paddle around twice that if I am pushing it along, or brew a cup of tea.

Today I’m working on taking off the plank offsets for SEI, and I can tell you that although it’s not a complicated job, it takes a great deal more time than that. I’ve been on it most of the afternoon and it’s a job nearly done.

But todays time here in the southern hemisphere between sunrise and sunset will be three minutes and forty four seconds longer than the shortest day a couple of weeks ago. The seasons are heading for springtime and we’ll soon be able to tell the difference! 

I will be heading for summertime in 10 days time though, the long trip to Port Townsend has become an annual event for me, SCAMP Camp is a fixture these days, usually run just before the Port Townsend Wooden Boat festival in September this one has had to be scheduled early due to the Maritime Center being booked for our usual time so I am in there in a couple of weeks time being a Schoolmaster teaching people to put their kits together.

It’s a long trip, and most of the airlines go through LAX That place is my least favourite airport on the planet and I’d got to great lengths to avoid travelling through there, so this time I’ve managed to get a decent deal on the tickets with Hawaiian Air, flying via Hawaii then into SeaTac. No I don’t get a stopover, drat.

But its going to be an interesting northern hemisphere summer for me, Jackie Monies and I are touring, from Port Townsend to Michigan, back to Toledo Or for their boat show, then Port Townsend for the Wooden Boat Festival, then wandering south to Oklahoma, Texas and the Port Aransas PlyWooden Boat show.

Once we can get our heads together in PT we’ll be working out where we’ll be, who we can call on, what we’re doing. Our thoughts are to post our schedule so people will know when we’re in their area, stop for a day to meet builders and interested people, talk boats and other nonsense, then drive to the next stop.

All this takes time, more than the 90 days that my visitors permit allows, so I have to leave not only the country but “neighbouring countries and Island territories” as well.  So it looks as though we’re going to Belize, just for a few days. 

Could be a lot worse.

It will be well into spring when I get home to New Zealand again.

Hope to see you somewhere along the way.

JW

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RePost from Planing Around

SimonLew in Florida has decided to cater to his aesthetic sensibilities and is resurfacing his Goat to make it run-free, as posted on his excellent blog.  This works well for round birdsmouth masts.

The video link is below.  I would have embedded it in this post but Blogger is apparently at war with me right now and wont allow it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vi4WqYgPc44#!

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Screwing around with the timer on my camera

Im in the process of gluing the forward seat into place. This will seal the forward water-tight compartment. I have epoxy-sealed the compartment, now I just need to glue the seat down. In a final fitting session, I cut open the hole for the mast and the inspection port. However, I noticed that I needed to push down on the starboard side in order to make contact with the seat cleat. I thought I had everything pretty level but apparently not. Its not much, but to be sure I took pictures from inside the compartment with the seat in place, using the automatic timer on my computer. These were taken before I epoxy sealed the ply.

The bow, notice the faint shadow smudge on the starboard side:


More pronounced in the aft section of the tank:


Nice fit on the port side:


Anyway, neat idea to see what was going on in there. Its not perfect, but close enough. I also slightly angled the seat cleats up from the BHs to the stem in order to facilitate draining so water didnt pool up front, so that may have skewed some things a small amount.

No glue yet, just still fitting and getting ready.

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Small Reach Regatta 2013! Hog Island

I cant wait any longer! Im already late! The bug has bitten and I am fevered! Fevered I tell you by the madness and the heat in my head and the promise of the atmospheric heat to come, and the delusions, the delusions they invade my dreams!

Intrepid Readers I hereby foist upon you the much-delayed annual report-ahj of the one, the only,

Small Reach Regatta 2013!

[insert crashing cymbals]

Here at Goat Island Skiff Amateur Style and the Sleek Sea Pearl 21 Too (new cumbersome name of blog) the Small Reach is a moment to be savored.  It is, without a doubt, the highlight of our glorious New England Summer (the likes of which the rest of the world envies) because it always contains good times, good sailing, good food and most importantly, absolutely fantastic people.  See SRR 2011 and SRR 2012 for more goodness.  This SRR 2013 features Sea Pearl Scout, instead of my Goat, IAZ,P which stayed at home.

This year, it was held at Hog Island in Muscongus Bay a most worthy destination.  I recommend a trip.

An important note: Some curmudgeonie types will notice the Iron Mizzon (aka Tohatsu 3.5) making its way to Hog via the stern plate of Scout.  I was pressed (against my will) to be at a wedding on Saturday, which meant I was missing Saturday Lobster-fest, and I had to scoot way back up to my trailer.  I brought the Iron Mizzon along to facilitate my trudge if needed.  Fortunately, I never needed it, and I never started it once, the entire weekend.  Just sayin guys, just sayin.

Day ZERO

I put in way up-bay on my own the day before the start of the week and I wandered down to Hog over the course of an evening and early morning.  Our first night destination was small Havener Ledge in the more narrow and current prone necks of upper Muscongus Bay.  That evening heavy fog and rain finally rolled in after lurking for hours.

Rowing south in a calm.  Destination is that nub of an island called Havener Ledge.  Note fog bank far down the Bay.

Scout securely tied into a small beach where she will ride out the night.  The fog has set in now.

My new more spacious tent on the only small site on Havener.

Day ONE

Catching the tide, we made our way southbound to Hog Island.  I rowed first, and then a small breeze pushed us down the Bay along with the tide. We were speckled with rain but managed to spot Bald Eagles and in the mist, at a distance, a lone ship with long oars slowly working its way in the same direction.  Undoubtedly, it was a fellow Small Reacher and soon, we met with Geoff Kerr of Two Daughters Boatworks in Vermont.

About this time, the clouds broke and the sun came out and the Regatta filled in and we did a little sailing and a little hand shaking.  I ended up meeting someone famous, which was just awesome.

Scout in the morning

THE VIEW IS TREMENDOUS! WISH YOU WERE HERE!

Sausage Brian and his brandy new Ross Lillistone designed Flint, KEEL BASA! This was the first with a lugsail.  Nice job Brian! First time boatbuilder.

Le Schooner Rose-something-something adding some ambiance.

Funky-Funk-Andrew showed up with a Reuel Parker/Chapelle Cape Cod Oyster Skiff enlarged.
Andrew used to have a Ness Yawl as seen in SRR 2011.
Andrew threw together PHOEBE (classy name) over the winter to tide him over as he builds his next big boat.
Andrew = BoatManly.  See Small Boats 2014 for more.

HISTORIC PHOTO.  I pose here with KEES PRINS who is FAMOUS!
Kees Prins and I did salty sailor type things together which means I am now somewhat FAMOUS TOO.  

CAPN JON and KEES PRINS!!! Notice how the famous is rubbing off on Capn Jon!
The stokage right about this time was absolutely mindblowing.

Its DINNER!  Hog Island staff really put on a good feast for all involved.  (Capn Jon)

Boats all rafted up on the main dock.

I was able to anchor Scout in the mooring area which was good, as I planned on sleeping aboard.  This meant figuring out how to get back out to the boat and the dock, but Kees Prins was in a similar predicament as he was there with his boat Fetch, (a Oughtred designed Fulmar with post-mod cabin).  Kees and I arranged a small rowing skiff borrowing schedule which sounds complicated, (because it was) but we figured out how to get there and back with little issues.

The view from my bed. Notice the Caledonia Yawl at 10:00.  Thats MOLLY HART owned by Phil, who owned Scout!
At 11:00 is FETCH, where Famous Kees Prins is sleeping.

HISTORIC PHOTO AGAIN! This is me, first night EVAR sleeping aboard my.own.boat.
Ive slept aboard before, Ive owned boats before, and this is the first time putting the two together.
Absolutely bonkers.  I kept waking up all night and couldnt wipe the poopie-eating grin off my face.  

Day TWO

Today was, well, exciting.  We left Hog en-masse and proceeded north, got confused on our lunch spot, got rectified, found our lunch spot, almost lost a few souls to man-eating mud/oyster bar, and then sailed into a strong wind, beating upwind for hours to make way back to Hog.  I dont have any pictures of The Big Wind because I was busy sailing, reefing, sailing, reefing, checking on others in smaller boats, and sailing.  It was great sailing for Scout, difficult for others, but all in all we made it back no problems.  One guy capsized, but near the dock back at Hog, not during the difficult stuff.

Kees Prins and I rowing back to the dock after I picked him up for breakfast.  Scouts tent is up.
Life is grand. WOW. (Capn Jon)

Porch time after breakfast.  No one really wants to go sailing.

I double dog dare you.

Its that sneaky Coquina from SRR 2011!

The legendary WOLFISH makes her appearance in the anchorage.
Washington County Peapod

Roger Long designed 22 Yawldory ELYSSA with veteran Clint Chase BoatBuilder  at the helm.

Funky-funk Andrew and his Cape Cod Oyster Skiff

The fleet in a slightly blurry pic that makes it feel like its 1964. Right?

A Melonseed and a Superseed That Supercedes the Melonseed discuss duck hunting on their way north.
WHAT A SIGHT.

Lunch beach.  Note rescue of poor soul being eaten by the oyster bar.

Most of these people are just happy to be alive and not swallowed whole by the oyster bar.
Little do they know of the travails that await that them.

After The Big Wind, Capn Jon and his Phoenix III TWO HEARTED cruise back to Hog with swank.

Scout and me rolling back in to the Hog Island harbor after The Big Wind.
We are tuckered and looking for rest. Note the reef in the sails.
The Iron Mizzen is almost dragging because I lost my more-wedge and the mount slipped a notch.
Otherwise, a proud Sea Pearl 21 photo! (Kees Prins)

Capn Jon, Sausage Brian, and myself raft up to congratulate each other on how great we all are.
Scout is the mothership, and is feeling pretty important right about now.

Day TWO

After the excitement of Day One, it was good to get a breather.  Unfortunately, this was my last day at the Small Reach due to my obligations back in the Granite State.  I missed traditional Lobster dinner and the Saturday Sail, so apologies beforehand.  We sailed down to Harbor Island whose owners allows the public day use of the terrain, with big cliffs and forests, and berry fruits.  Please respect the occupants.  Its a great place.

Another great night sleeping aboard.

Little wind but pretty boats. 

Im drying laundry. (Capn Jon)

Tom Jackson and FAR AND AWAY his beautiful Nomans Land boat.

I am pointing to something important and meaningful. (Capn Jon)

Previous Scout skipper with MOLLY HART and her crew! YAR!

Working down to Harbor Island.  (Capn Jon)

Sneaky Coquina

Yawldory on the beach at Harbor Island.

Ben Fullers Harrier RANTAN 

Sneaky Coquina again because they are so, so, so pretty!

Scout and Two Hearted being buds.

These are our Dutch friends that we remember from 2011.
 I am giving them a US Yacht Ensign to help forge peace between our countries.
(Capn Jon)

Clint Chase, Capn Jon and me walking through raspberries to the cliffs on Harbor Island. (Capn Jon)

Yours truly napping on a ledge.
It is quite the drop to my left, do not be fooled by this photographic device!
(Capn Jon)

Sausage Brian rolling back to Hog in KEEL BASA. (oh, the piggy references!)  I love the look of this boat! Go!

VELLELA VELLELA, SCOUT, and KEEL BASA working north. Go man, go! (Capn Jon)

I check out the rocks up close. (Capn Jon)

Ness Yawl

The three Sea Pearls decided to round Hog the long way.  Here we are strung out like SHIPS OF THE LINE.

All of us wing-and-wing!

Kees Prins and FETCH!

At this point, I had to exit stage left and work northwards to my trailer.  It was a sad moment for me, but I cant wait, I tell you again, I cant wait for SRR 2014! YES! Bring the fun, bring the people, bring the

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