Bristol-Blue Lake Michigan Sailing Adventures

Sometimes refinishing is not the way to go. Our Mirage 24's teak handrails have been in pretty rough shape and I decided it was time to do something before I get a splinter in my hand. While they seem sturdy enough they are starting to crack and show their age I removed one and started to sand it but by the time I get it looking good, It will be pretty thin in some areas. It is time for them to go. One of the things about owning a boat is sometimes you can't just find the part you need right off the shelf.  I went down to Wolf's Marina and they had several of these grab handles in stock but none of them fit my boat so It's time to fabricate something.   For $15.00 I found this teak block in Wolf's scrap area. A crazy bargain for this bock. I was able to get my brother to rip it down on his table saw into pieces for me.     Next, I set up my belt sander and band saw and got to work. The pieces started taking shape pretty quickly.  To get the hand grip...

This past week has been super hot and there has been a significant lack of wind. Today we finally got a light breeze and Myles and I took the boat out. We were not exactly screaming along but made good time.  After a while, we decided to take a swim. BB meant us after work at the beach and I brought Woodstock back single-handed. There is some question as to whether it was a Mutiny of the Crew or a Marooning of the Crew Member. 😂

Over the last few weeks, we have been sailing at least once a week. We are really just starting to get the feel for Woodstock. We are also really just starting to organize and make things our own.        Using the leftover Sunbrella from the sail cover and a mesh laundry bag I did a little cutting and sewing to make a few stow bags for all the lines coming back to the cockpit.   I also made two new winch covers, the Self-tailing Winchards I installed last season increased the size of the winches heads so the old covers no longer fit. I used velcro wraps on the bottom to secure them.  I know a lot of people use elastic but with Covid-19 it can be hard to come by and I like the way these came out better.   Here are some weird people, you might see in the channel.          Asymmetric Spinnaker Day 2  We have loved this sail in light winds. On this run, we caught up with a cruising catamaran. They gave us a nice...

We could not have asked for a better day for a shakedown. We set off to Lake Michigan in the early afternoon to a smooth lake and winds between 5 and 10 knots out of the north. We made several passes straight out and back. Trying out the new roller furler. Wow, I don't know why we didn't put one of these on our boats sooner.   Then we flew the asymmetric for a bit.  Video of a Tack Master of the Cleats.  Helm works. The Red Hot Challenge continues.  How long can you keep it on your tongue?  Lazy feet. Bow Watch Man An amazing first run for the season. Happy faces and all the new rigging and sail changes worked great. 

Preventative Maintenance Water Pump Impeller  This weekend we have had some unseasonably warm weather. I took the opportunity to do some much-needed maintenance on the iron genny. I'm not sure when the impeller what changed last but it was clearly overdue.   Slimy and gross.  It took me about an hour and a half but I got it all cleaned up and reassembled.

Spinnaker Socks are super nice for launching and recovering your spinnaker.  My last two boats have had them and after using one the benefits are clear. 1st off, sail handling is much easier especially if you're short-handed. 2nd, safety spinnaker socks let you launch and recover your spinnaker without everything being perfectly packed in a turtle bag another word fewer things to tangle up keeps it safer. Woodstock does not have one so we have not used the Spinnaker yet and our trip to Lake Mac last week would have been the ideal time to use a Spinnaker.  So it is time to look into this.  $17.00 per foot x 28 ft =$476 plus tax.  Hum lets go see what's in the garage.  Any past readers remember this old post Boom Tent   Well this is one sewing project that didn't work out. However, I still have the material sitting here on a shelf and it is light enough and long enough to make into a sock. Now just to find one of those fancy fiberglass hoops they use to ...