More boat projects, and we’re off!

Since returning from our time in Salem, OR, it has been back to the grind on boat projects. We wanted to use time wisely so that the boat could be in ship shape for our planned trip up the coast of British Columbia this summer. Since returning from Oregon we have: waxed the topsides and hull, varnished the exterior wood, installed new life lines, installed lazy jacks, designed and had fabricated then installed a new anchor bracket, completed a rigging inspection, fixed leaky port lights, had covers made for our dodger windows and cleaned. Owning an old boat is certainly a “labor of love” as boating people say, and Callooh! Callay! is no exception.

One of the most involved projects was replacing the life lines. The old life lines were rusting through which is a safety hazard. We got a quote for replacing these as well as adding lazy jacks from the rigger. We almost fell off the dock at the price. No, we do not want to have to go back to work and get jobs to afford to pay the rigger for this stuff! Erik jumped into action and learned how to slice dyneema line which is just as strong (or stronger) than the steel cables that were used for the life lines before. After researching how others have installed dyneema life lines, Erik designed ours and spliced them together for a totally professional job.

Next up was figuring out a way to store and deploy our new Rocna anchor on the bow. The anchor that came with the boat is a Danforth that did not inspire a huge amount of anchoring confidence, particularly in our deep waters. The project was going to involve installing a new bow roller, cleats and massive expense and aggravation. After tons of measuring, designing and testing, we came up with a design to have hangers fabricated to hold the anchor off the bow pulpit. Our old Danforth was mounted this way and worked well. We found a welder that did it for us via our drawing and it fit perfectly!

Next up, lots of waxing, varnishing and general tidying.

We also had a local canvas shop replace some of the windows on our dodger and fabricate covers for when the boat is not in use.

We also decided to take on the installation of lazy jacks with Erik’s new found splicing skills. For our non-boating friends, lazy jacks are a configuration of lines that run up either side of the sail. These lines corral the sail when it is lowered to make it much easier to deal with. They also reduce time up on deck in heavy seas which is important.

We made sure to take time out to brew a batch of beer on the dock with friends. The beer has been fermenting in our quarter berth and came out great. It’s coming with us to British Columbia.

Callooh! Callay! is now ready for her voyage. We pushed several dock carts loaded full of provisions down the dock gangway and loaded up. We plan on leaving tomorrow and returning sometime in mid-August. People have been asking what our itinerary and plans for the voyage are. We have always responded that the plan is simply to “go north”. We are fortunate to be making the journey with friends in two other boats and believe we will probably run into more people we know as we go. British Columbia is supposed to have some of the most beautiful cruising grounds in the world. For this trip, we have the Gulf Islands, Vancouver Island, the Desolation Sound area and the Broughtons to the north of Vancouver Island within reach.

The adventure continues!