Sail Pandora

It’s Saturday morning and the temperature this morning is an almost chilly 68 degrees.  It’s funny how 68 seems chilly in the summer and yet warm in the winter.   How is that…

The cooler temperatures now are making the heat and humidity of a week ago seem like a distant memory.  Pandora’s bottom is all nice and white with ALL the bottom paint now gone.  Yahoo!!!  Given the glacial (to torture the temperature theme just a bit longer) progress of sanding the bottom, it’s hard to believe that it’s done.  In the heat, some days, I was only able to do an hour of sanding before I pooped out.  I felt like the job would never be done.  The one redeeming feature of all that work is that I wasn’t paying someone to do it at $100 an hour.

But now, it’s done and nearly ready to paint.   The Pettit paint rep visited Pandora yesterday to survey my work and advise me on next steps in preparing and ultimately painting the bottom.  For years I have been using Interlux products, and ablative paints in particular.  Unfortunately, I haven’t been particularly happy with the results.  Ablative paints are designed to wear away so that there isn’t a nasty buildup over the years.   In my case, I found that the paint built up on the under body of the boat and wore away on the bow and up near the waterline.  In any event, I have not been happy with the performance of the paint.

Now that the bottom of Pandora, or to put it another way, Pandora’s bottom (Get it, Pandora’s bottom, sort of like Pandora’s box?)…  Anyway, now that Pandora’s bottom is white and paint free, the question is what sort of paint to put on.   After speaking with the rep and telling him about our sailing in tropical as well as temperate waters, that’s Maine to the Bahamas, he really felt that a hard bottom paint, verses an ablative, would be the way to go.

His reasoning is that Trinidad SR, the SR stands for slime resistance, was the way to go.  Being a hard paint, I could also scrub the bottom to my hearts content and not wear it away.  He also felt that the paint would last from 18 months to two years, the time that I want to keep Pandora afloat until her next haul out.    Well, we will see how that goes.  After nearly 30 years of sailing with ablative bottom paints, this will certainly be a change.  As I think about the 30-40 hours, perhaps more, of sanding time that I put in over the last few weeks, let’s hope it’s a good decision.  Fingers crossed.

Who could ever think that a sanded boat bottom could be beautiful.  I guess that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.To me, a beautiful bottom.  Isn’t having a great looking bottom what it’s all about?Actually, I should feel pretty pathetic spending hours sweating in the heat when others were out sailing.  More importantly, I retired from a job where I was well paid so that I could do manual labor every day.  While I was in the midst of the sanding with sweat dripping off of my chin, I had to wonder what the H^$# I was thinking.  Now that it’s “done”, I am happy to be in the “manual” part of my life.   It’s certainly a whole lot less stressful.  Did I mention that on top of everything else, it takes over two hours to cut my lawn?  At least I can have more ice cream. Yes, that makes it all worth while, manual labor and ice cream, the perfect combination.

I also spent hours cutting out the three rudder bearings, the nylon sleeves that the rudder stock turns on as they had gotten a bit sloppy, making the rudder clunk in a seaway, over the years.   Getting them out was really tough and the mere thought of messing with Pandora’s steering gear made me weak in the knees.  There isn’t any system on the boat that is more important than being able to control the boat, that’s for sure.   The white plastic sleeve in this photo is the lower bearing.  It looks simple enough but it took me hours to cut it out.   Now it’s ready for the new bearing.The yard is about finished working on the engine.  With over 3,000 hours on the little Yanmar, I decided to have them go over every aspect of the engine to be sure that everything was in tip top shape.   They did plenty, based on the bills so far, but I am very pleased with their work.   Amazingly, the yard, Brewer’s Marine in Deep River, offered two months of free storage as long as I have them do work on the boat.  It seems that they love me so much that that they threw in a free haul and power wash as well. Clearly, they are not as busy in the summer as in the winter.  Another reason to spend the winters in the Bahamas, free storage and haul out too.   And, all that only three miles from home.

My plan remains to put Pandora back in the water in mid August.  After splashing her, we plan to spend a week or so sailing to Block Island and on to Newport where we will take in some of the tourist sites.  I can’t wait to be back on the water.

Perhaps I’ll close with a few shots of places that we have visited care of Pandora.   In no particular order some special spots.

A little cottage on the shores of Hadley Harbor in Nashon Island near Woods Hole MA.  Friends of ours, Toby and Martha Forbes stayed there one summer and we visited them, so many years ago in our little catboat.   Indeed, several lifetimes ago for us.Visiting gardens has been a special part of our cruising experiences aboard Pandora.  This community vegetable garden, on Fisher’s Island at the eastern end of Long Island Sound, is a special favorite.  Perhaps it will be on our itinerary later this month.
Annapolis, and a visit to the Naval Academy Chapel, will be a part of our fall travels.  We plan on spending a few weeks cruising the Chesapeake before I run Pandora to Florida.
I am particularly looking forward to special dinners aboard.
And the sunsets, the perfect end to an evening aboard…
And the never ending marshes on the ICW.
Perhaps we will walk out to the lighthouse on Block Island.  It’s a beautiful Island. We’ll be there in a few weeks.
I am so looking forward to the magnificent cloud displays of the Bahamas.
And, the turquoise crystal waters and white sandy beaches at every turn. And, who doesn’t like dolphins playing in the bow wave?  I am old enough to remember Flipper.  The theme song still plays in my head.  Better not think about that or it will plague me on a constant loop for the rest of the day.  Forgive me… I just had to include the theme song here so you too can be plagued all day with this song in a constant loop.  Sorry…

Speaking of clear water, it’s hard to believe that this starfish is actually in the water.   I can’t wait to visit 100’+ visibility waters again, and soon.
Well, this reminiscing isn’t getting anything done on Pandora so I’d better sign off for now.  

Quick, how does the Flipper theme song go again?

Yes, the most common question that I get from non-boaters when they learn that I have a boat is “how big is it”.  I imagine that if I were to say “well, it’s about 100′ long”, they would not know any different than if I said that she’s 43′.  Perhaps size is a relative question after all.  And, I am beginning to wonder just how big Pandora actually is myself.  

Let me explain.

So, what’s this discussion about how big Pandora is, have to do with anything? Actually, it has to do with how she seems to be growing nearly every day as I sand away on her bottom.  When I get home after a few hours of sanding, in the awful heat, (Have I mentioned that it’s been really hot?  Thought so.) ” Brenda asks “so, how much do you have left to go?”.   For what seems like days, if not weeks now, my answer has been a steady “I am about three quarters done, I think?”.

So, how can I have about 3/4 left to go after days and weeks of sanding? I am not sure.  Not sure at all.  Perhaps it’s because Pandora is growing.  Hmm…

Honestly, it does seem that the more I sand, and I have sanded a lot, I just don’t seem to be getting all that much closer to the end.  I have been at this FOR EVER and there is still more to be sanded.  Sure, I am making progress but a week later I think I am still about 3/4 of the way done.   Having said that, the shady side, starboard, is done, mostly.  Yippee!!!  The sunny side, not so much… Besides, it’s hot on that side.  Yes, a bit more near the waterline up toward the bow, but even the keel is completely done.  However, there is still some left to do on the port aft quarter.

Pandora is getting bigger.  A few weeks ago I took this shot of Pandora with my little BMW next to her.  Pandora looks pretty big next to my BMW but not too big.However, a week later with about a quarter of the bottom remaining to be sanded, look how much bigger she looks next to our SAAB, a much larger car than the BMW.  Hmm…    I think that Pandora really IS getting bigger.What’s happening? The more I sand, the larger Pandora becomes.  Hmm… Pandora IS growing.  I hope that the folks in the yard don’t see this as they will likely get out a tape measure to see what’s going on.  Of course, they will likely charge me more.

Setting aside the “magical expanding yacht, I am still clinging desperately to the belief that I can finish the sanding in a few days.  Let it be so, please let it be so.

Along the way I also decided to pull the rudder and upgrade the bearings.  There is a little play in them, making the rudder clunk in a seaway, so now I will install a new lower bearing with a waterproof seal along with fitting a bit snugger.  The addition of a seal, along with the new bearing, should quiet things down and also keep out the small amount of water that seeps into the boat when she is full loaded, and these days she’s always fully loaded.  

The stern looks odd without a rudder or a prop for that matter. 

And, you can see that pesky 1/4 of the boat that remains to be sanded.  Yes, bigger.

The rudder looks enormous out of the boat.  The stock is 4″ in diameter.  Pretty hefty.  From top to bottom it’s over five feet tall and really heavy.   Good thing it’s solidly built as if it were to fail that would be a very bad thing, yes bad. With all the things that remain to be done, and a few parts on back order, Pandora won’t be ready to head back to the “briny deep” for a few weeks.  I HOPE she will splash by mid August.   I’ll admit that it’s been nice being home for a while but I am getting a bit homesick for being underway.

Homesick?  Essex is home.  No, Pandora’s home.  No wait….  I’ll take both, thank you very much.   Besides, if I keep sanding long enough perhaps Pandora will grow to the size of our home.  Yes, that’s the ticket.  Keep sanding and before you know it…a mega yacht.  “Only in your dreams Bob, snap out of it and get back to work, sanding.” 

Actually, having Pandora in this yard, sanding and all, is a treat, in a sick sort of way, as it’s the most scenic boat yard I have ever seen.  There’s even a steam train that serenaded me as I headed home the other day.  Very nice and the train is way bigger than Pandora.  For now at least and that’s good. I almost forgot, as soon as I finish sanding her I get to enjoy putting on four coats of primer and bottom paint.  Oh boy…

How hot does it feel to be out in 90 degree heat and sanding the bottom of Pandora?  Let me tell you, it’s hot, really hot.

I try to head to work on Pandora most every day and hopefully, before it get hot. If I get there around 7:30 in the morning I can usually get a few hours in before it becomes unbearable.

The plan is for me to sand off all of the paint so I can begin fresh with a new type of paint that hopefully will work better over the next few years.   For now, the goal is to sand off all of the paint back down to the bare hull.  In some cases, like the keel, that means taking off many layers that have accumulated over the years.  Fortunately, much of the hull has only a few layers of paint and some areas have little or none.

Having said that, the going is still very slow.  This shot shows what I accomplished after several hours.  Not too good.Now that I have been at it for several weeks, this is what it looks like.  This side, starboard, is in the shade more of the morning so I have favored working on this side.  I like shade although I still sweat like crazy.  Making progress.   Notice that even the keel is mostly cleaned up too.  

Port, not quite as far along.  Along the way I decided to pull out the rudder so I can put in new bearings.  The current ones were getting a bit sloppy.   We wouldn’t want the rudder to fall off, would we?  Actually, not much risk of that but there was plenty of clunking of the sloppy bearings.

Friday they will pick up Pandora with the crane so I can lower the rudder out of the boat.  I spent several hours today and yesterday removing the various pieces of equipment that steer the boat and attach to the upper rudder post.  After 15 years some of the bolts, no make that all of the bolts, were tough to get off.  I was successful in getting a few off and several broke.  Looks like there will be a bit of work on the bench cleaning things up prior to putting things back together.  Not a simple job. 

I am also having some work done on the engine as it’s not had a through going over since I purchased her.  Good thing as the mechanic has found a few “issues” that need to be resolved.  Glad that I had him on board.  I like to do much of the work on Pandora myself but major engine work is a bit above my grade.

Hopefully, the heat will break in a few days, but for now I’ll just be sure and drink plenty of water in an attempt to stay on my feet.  Sure I could hire the yard to do the grunt work but at $100/hr, that’s a lot of hours.

Besides, when I am done, I will be able to say “I did it myself”.  Yes, that’s Yankee for “I am too cheap to hire someone”.  Besides, the more work I do, the more  I ice cream I can eat as long as I wash it down with a gallon or so of water.

Quick, pass me another bowl of heavenly hash.  Hmm…

I just wish that my arms weren’t so tired from sanding that I didn’t have so much trouble holding the spoon.   Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to adapt.

Yes, yes, a terribly boring post.  But that’s life and sometimes it’s just a grind.

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It’s just great to live in an area that is so focused on the water.  After being far from the water for so many years, when we lived in NJ, it’s just so much more fun to be less than a mile from the water now.  With all of the risks of living on the water, I personally like to be “near” verses “on” the wet stuff, with our land home, that is.  For Pandora, being “on” is definitely better.  Unfortunately, she remains high and dry as I finish up projects including sanding and scraping off all of the paint on her bottom.

Working on her has been a challenge with the 90 degree heat that we have had over the last few weeks and early morning visits to the boat yard, when it is cool, is the only way for folks like me with our “delicate” constitution, to get anything done without wasting away.   Being under the Pandora with my respirator and hearing protection while sanding away with the sander and vacuum blaring away is not fun at all and especially so when the sun is higher and heat is really up.    It’s hard work but to pay the yard $98 per hour to do this, hour after hour, doesn’t seem to be sound fiscal planning, in my book.  So, sand away I will.

Here’s about 6-8 hours of progress.  Pretty depressing with only about 1/4 of the boat done.  It looks like more but don’t forget that the bottom is very narrow at the bow, and shallow.  The best is still to come. The good news is that the other side is done to the same degree.  
The reason I am taking off all of the paint is that I plan on changing bottom paints and going with a combination of hard and ablative paints.  I won’t bore you with the details but it is sufficient to report that sanding is the pits and has to be done. 

While I am at it, why not post a photo of the damage done to the front of the keel by that rock I tangled with a year ago May.  Pretty nasty.  I am impressed with the strength of the boat as I hit pretty hard and only have this “little” dent to show for it.  No damage to the hull at all.  That’s good, very good. After months of looking at this dent underwater when I was cleaning the hull or was just swimming around, it’s good to see it for real.  And, don’t forget that everything looks larger underwater. Imagine how nasty, and big, this dent looked when Pandora was in the water.  It was pretty alarming, trust me on that.   However, it’s nothing that a bit of epoxy putty won’t make right.

So, what’s a boat husband to do when it’s too hot out to sand the bottom?  Look at boats, of course!!! Yes, the perfect diversion. 

Over the weekend there was a rendezvous of classic mahogany powerboats at the CT River Museum.  It was great fun to take a look at all the varnish and perfect finishes on display.  The group putting on the event call themselves “Mahogany Memories”, a chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society.  This was just one of the many events that the group puts on each year.

I always enjoy looking at beautiful woodworking and what better things to make from wood than boats?   Here are a few of the boats on display.  Amazing stuff.

It seemed that there was varnished mahogany everywhere.  This one was one of the few boats that were actually new.  Beautiful!Some were much older but look new, like this lovely Garwood.All weren’t varnished.  I understand that this one was painted black when it was built, years ago, and is the only Garwood that was ever painted this color.  I guess if Darth Vador had a nice runabout, it would look like this.  “Luke, I am your father…Want to go for a ride?…While most of the boats on display were of the “go fast” persuasion, this lovely was clearly not in a hurry. I could just imagine the captain sitting in the cockpit sporting a straw boater.  Very classy.  “I’ll take another G&T please”. Her beam is very narrow.  It doesn’t take a lot of HP to move her along, I am sure.Perhaps my favorite boat of all was this sweet Old Town Canoe with her 1 1/2 HP inboard.  The owner told me that this was a popular option way back when and some years they sold upwards of 100,000 of these power conversion kits.  Actually, the motor, a two stroke, was the same engine as the outboard from Evinrude, but turned on it’s side. Note the pull cord on the flywheel to start it.  See the resemblance to an outboard?Pretty slick. What a great little motor.  Amazing how nice plain old bronze and brass fittings look when they are polished up and shiny.Love the brass rudder and prop.   I just love, love, love it.   And, a wonderful paint job complete with a gold leaf stripe between the light and dark green on the hull. Not all of the boats were “big”.  How about this little remote controlled tug? Wouldn’t this look great on a shelf in our home?  Yes, I want one.   It would be a pretty big shelf as the model is nearly 4′ long.  So, that’s a good example of what I am up to when I am not sanding away on Pandora.  I prefer strolling around the waterfront looking at boats verses holding a buzzing sander…  Alas, everything in balance, Bob.   Think balance…  I am thinking that I still hate sanding.   It will be over soon, I hope.  Then I can go sailing.  Yes, that’s good.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been more than a month since Pandora found her way to Essex and into “decommission mode” at the boat yard.  While sitting in the slip, she remained unused, waiting the word to pull her out for some work on the hard.

After months of being aboard when the morning would come and go with little done but reading and enjoying the scenery, it’s been hard to get back to my “frantic, let’s get going, self”, fine tuned over the years.  Now that I am back on shore, for a while, all I want to do is to enjoy the moment…  Alas, that dreaded “honey do” list hangs over my head.  Perhaps I’ll have another cup of coffee.

The yard has begun work on the engine to be sure that things are in tip-top shape after 3,000 hours of use over the years.  I don’t know what has been done to the engine prior to my ownership but, while I have done regular oil changes, not much else has been done to the engine during the 1,000 hours I have put on.

Sure, prior to hauling, I have done plenty to her including interior cleaning along with re-bedding some of the ports with the hope of solving the admittedly minor water leaks that have been vexing me for years.  Happily, all of those leaks are behind the cabin liner and don’t find their way into the interior, but I’d love to keep all water, behind the cabinetry or not, from entering the boat.

Happily, after months of trying to find the leak in the domestic water system, I can finally say that IT’S FIXED!!!.   After tearing up the cabin sole numerous times, I finally found a very minor leak under the sole in the galley.   I also replaced the water pump with a lower pressure unit and now all is well.  What the actual fix was is still unclear, but it’s solved, for now…  We’ll see.

When non-boating folks hear that I have a boat it seems that the first question out of their mouth is “what kind” quickly followed by “how big”.  My answer, a SAGA, is often greeted with a blank stare, as they have no idea what that is.  I guess they think that a SAGA is something that Hobbits do.  Not knowing what a SAGA is  makes sense, setting aside the Middle Earth thing, as there were not many made, only about 50.  For the second question, “how big”, my answer is often, “well, it depends how far from the dock I am”.   Far out to sea she feels really little.  Close to a dock or something else hard and she looks a lot bigger.  This shot of Pandora in the boat yard gives a pretty good feel for what “big” looks like.  Out of her element she looks enormous, to me anyway.

Note how much bottom paint is showing on the keel as she was coming out of the water. Pretty thin. It seems that much of the ablative paint, well, ablated over the year she was under way. I have to settle on a better paint going forward.

In any event, there’s plenty to do to get Pandora ready to be put back in the water by late July so I’d better get cracking.

Meanwhile, following our SSCA gam we had two couples visit us here in Essex. Both had hoped to get here in time for our event, but were delayed by weather. Have you noticed that it’s been raining? Yikes! It seems that it’s been weeks, since we have had a stretch of dry weather lasting more than a few hours.

Peter and Helga aboard Twiga, whom I had met in Little Harbor Abaco, in the Bahamas back in May, are on their way around the world, beginning in Cape Town South Africa. Their boat Twiga, is a catamaran and it will be their home for the next few years as they make their way around. Peter is from Germany and Helga from Austria. They purchased Twiga in Cape Town, ran over to Brazil and up to the Bahamas, where I caught up with them. Brenda and I were thrilled to have them visit us here in Essex.  From here they will head to Nova Scotia, down the coast from Maine, to Florida and on to the Panama Canal.  After that they will head to the South Pacific.  Sounds like a great trip.  Hmm…  Hope Brenda doesn’t read this post.

They are a very nice couple. That’s Brenda in the middle after a nice dinner. Happy group. Twiga is a bit unconventional by staid New England standards. Catamarans are becoming more popular every year and are down right pervasive in the Bahamas where the water is skinny.   Peter and Helga keep a website too and it’s worth checking out.  Great news, some of it is even in English.  

Speaking of “unconventional”, this UFO, as it was described by a cruising friend who passed it on their run down the Delaware River a few weeks ago, is actually a solar powered boat, Planet Solar.   Pretty wild and clearly “unconventional”.

This “boat” is run totally by solar and has gone all the way around the world. Imagine how big the batteries are. Actually there are several tons of them on board. The panels that power the boat are very similar to those on Pandora but there are many, many more. On Pandora folks are amazed at how much solar we have with just four panels. This boat has hundreds. Pretty amazing. You can learn more about Planet Solar on their website. Pretty interesting. You can even see where they are right now by clicking here.

So, how’s that for a post with a bunch of unrelated elements?  Well, all this blogging stuff isn’t getting Pandora ready to put back in the water so I’d better sign off for now.  

Perhaps a cup of coffee first…

I feel like it’s been ages since my last post.  After putting something up a few times a week when we were away, I have to admit that I find it hard to find stuff to write about when I am home doing chores, like cutting the lawn.  Having said that, I do like the mix of shore and afloat.  However, a major time sink over the last few weeks was getting ready for our first Seven Seas Cruising Association (SSCA) Gam here in Essex which we had for three days over the weekend.

When Brenda and I traveled down the Intra Coastal Waterway (ICW) last fall we took advantage of a terrific benefit of the SSCA, their “Cruising Stations”.  These “stations” are provided by members of the group that live in areas where cruisers pass by.  These folks agree to take members out to get groceries, marine supplies and other necessities when they stop by their area.  Last fall, prior to heading south, Brenda and I signed up to be the Essex Cruising Station with the goal of helping out fellow cruisers who visit Essex.

SSCA also has a number of Gams or meetings on the east Coast including one in Annapolis in September, November in Melborne Florida and an informal one day gam in Isleboro Maine in August.  It seemed to me that hosting a Gam here in Essex to connect with cruisers who are headed to Maine for the summer would be a good idea, and fun.  After much discussion about dates, we settled on late June.

So, how did the first Essex Gam go?  Thanks for asking.  It went very well, thank you.  The “event”, with a total of 35 participants was held over a three day period, with something happening each day.  While all attending spend time cruising, on small boats and a number of them live aboard, one couple, Harry and Jane of Cormorant, just returned from a 15 year circumnavigation aboard their 39′ Corbin.  What a nice couple and how interesting to hear about their journey.  I hope to have them speak to our group next June.  However, given their vagabond life, who knows where they will be in a year.  Actually, you can read about their travels on their blog.  I have not read much yet, but it’s got to be great reading.

Don’t they look like nice folks?  Photos don’t lie, at least this time.

We kicked off our Gam with a cocktail party at the Essex Yacht Club, where Brenda and I are members, on Saturday June 22nd.  I thought that having an informal cocktail party to kick things off would be fun, and it really was.  Here’s me calling the group to order to announce the weekends itinerary.  After years of getting folks attention by banging a spoon against a wine glass, in my previous life, it was so great to blow my conch horn.  So much more “cruiserly”.  I am happy to report that I blew it pretty well even with the pressure of an audience.  I am just so “mature” these days. 

On the next afternoon, Sunday, we had a potluck supper at the Essex Corinthians Yacht Club, next door.  That club is a little less formal than EYC where a pot luck, because EYC has a full service kitchen, wouldn’t work.   An SSCA member Ted, who lives aboard, brought along his guitar.  

On top of the group that came to the cocktail party on Saturday, a few late comers joined the group.  The weather was perfect and we had a terrific time.  We also had a speaker, Judy Silva who has just published a book “The Voyage of the Yankee Lady” an account of her voyage with her husband Jim up the Hudson River, into Lake Champlain, into the St Laurence River, past the Canadian Maritime provinces, including Newfoundland and back down the coast and back to the CT River where they began their trip.    This is Judy, Jim and me.   It was nice having them with us.

On Monday evening, the final night of the event, about a dozen of us attended the Sea Shanties at the nearby Griswold Inn just up the street.  

The “Gris” as she is known locally, is a very pretty colonial period inn and restaurant that is very popular with locals and visitors alike.   All decorated with her bunting she surely looks the part of a country inn.  The Gris hosts sea shanties every Monday night, year round.  It’s worth a visit but be prepared for standing room only, and on a Monday night of all nights.  

During the weekend some visitors took in the local Essex Steam Train, a great thing to do when you are in town.  The cars are very well maintained and this one in particular, well appointed.  

All and all, the weekend was a terrific time.   I couldn’t be more pleased with how it all worked out.  So happy, in fact, that we will be doing it again next year, probably over the weekend of June 21st.  

So, now back to work on Pandora who is supposed to come out of the water today.   On top of that, I have a patio to build for Brenda and there are a few more cruisers in town to take to the market.   Whew!  So much for a retired life of leisure.

Where’s my book?  I need to sit and read for a while….  Ha!!!

I was thrilled that the Naval Academy brought five of their 44s to Essex Yacht Club for the weekend.  It seems that they were on a training voyage, perhaps a “field trip” up the coast from Annapolis.  These rugged 44′ sail training boats are part of a fleet of a dozen vessels that they use for cadet training.  These are busy vessels, spending some 240 days a year on the water.

In an age when designers go out of their way to make boats more comfortable and easy to manage, the 44s are designed to be spartan and labor intensive.   Carrying a crew of ten, nearly all amenities are absent from these boats.   While Pandora is only one foot shorter, she is set up with all sorts of labor saving equipment including auto pilot, roller furling headsails, watermaker and microwave.   On the 44s, nada on all counts.

The designer, ‘David Pedrick of Pedrick Designs, who have designed winning boats over the years including two successful America’s Cup boats, working with a team from The Naval Academy in Annapolis, went out of his way to make these boats true to their Luder designed predecessors, as simple and tough as possible.  The design goals were described in an article in Blue Water Sailing Magazine.  The dozen boats were built in Maine at Morris Yachts, known for their beautifully appointed yachts.  

While these boats are rugged and simple, they are deliberately designed to be labor intensive to sail as they sport a crew of ten with plenty of bodies to keep them moving.  Interestingly, with a relatively short waterline relative to their length, they went with a design that isn’t particularly current.  It would be very easy to believe that these boats were designed twenty or more years ago.  However, under the skin, these boats are plenty modern with the latest high tech materials.  

These shots certainly show the dramatic difference between the 44s and the SAGA 43.  Not a lot of teak on deck on either design.   That’s good.

Oops, missing the dodger and bimini too. Not a lot to appeal to Brenda, I’d expect.

Ok, how about down below. The 44s have great lee cloths. The crew certainly won’t fall out of their bunks under way.  Notice the elaborate lee cloth system, including an aluminum pole, with block and tackle.  I believe that the lower bunk can even be hoisted to make it level on the weather side.  Pretty nifty.  Not great for lounging about off watch however.    I am told that they use a two watch system with five below and the rest on deck.   Nobody will get lonely on board a 44.  Pandora feels cramped with four on deck. 
Pandora, a bit more cushy perhaps.  However, I doubt that she would hold up for long with ten young cadets stomping around.  “Wait, watch out for the throw cushions.  Hey, don’t be so rough with the espresso maker…”

So, how about the forward cabin accommodations. Oops, someone stuffed the sails up there.  Forgot, no roller furling.  Well, you do have to keep those cadets busy.  Besides there are ten of them on board.  Recall what Brenda says about folks on board Pandora.  “six for cocktails, four for dinner and two sleep over”.  Perhaps not the Navy way.  Hmm…

Me, at this point in my life I prefer the forward cabin on Pandora.  It seems more fun and even Pandora’s sheep mascots enjoy messing around up there. 

However, spending time aboard Pandora won’t breed the sorts of leaders that the 44s will, I would expect.   Probably too much rum.  

You might say that by working hard, leaders might someday sail yachts, and those sailing on the Navy 44s become leaders who will someday have yachts.  With that in mind, the 44s are a good example of form following function.  That’s good. 

After my last post about the megayacht Marie, perhaps it is fitting that I write about our great day yesterday where we hung out with the non-megaboating set.  Let me explain.

In Essex there is a terrific museum dedicated to the preservation of steam trains.   The Essex Steam Train Museum is a very popular tourist attraction that draws visitors from all over.   While we did a trip on the train years ago, we have not been aboard since moving to the area a year ago.

About two weeks ago I was reading the local newspaper, an actual paper newspaper, if you can believe it, how quaint, and saw a notice about a planned 100 year celebration of the swing bridge in Haddam, over the CT River.  This opening bridge, with perhaps the longest opening span at the time, was an engineering marvel when it was finished in 1913.  Well, it’s now 2013… 100 years, a birthday? Get it?  Time to celebrate.

So, what better way to mark the 100th anniversary of the bridge than a run up the river in a historic, and beautifully preserved, steam train, ride in a riverboat and watch a parade complete with fife and drum and antique cars processing across a beautiful bridge?   Oh yeah,  and on a perfect cool and sunny spring day.  What could be better?  How about free hot dogs, ice cream, cookies etc?  Well, it was all that and more.

The train in Essex is beautifully preserved, a real classic, and in perfect condition. We boarded the train, and yesterday’s 7:30 AM run was free, to make the run up to the swing bridge dedication.   Free makes sense when you think about being out and about by 7:30 on a Saturday morning.  We were greeted by the president of the railroad museum.  This guy looks totally the part of railroad aficionado.  You can easily imagine him bellowing “aaalll aboooard!” (Is that how you spell all aboard?  Not sure.) as the train prepares to leave the station.  The train, and there are several of them, provide trips up the river valley and connects with the Becky Thatcher, an 80′ Mississippi style riverboat.  We enjoyed a run from Haddam back down to Deep River, where Pandora is moored for work for several months.

The train took us to East Haddam, home of the Goodspeed Opera House, which just happens to be on the eastern end of the “birthday bridge”.   They were celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Opera House, so were happy to get in on the action.    The bridge looked splendid with a fresh coat of paint.  

As we arrived in Haddam, everyone got off of the train.  They really decked out the train with bunting for the occasion.  Forgive the thumb on the pix.  My “real” camera is on the fritz.  Yes, I could crop out my thumb but this blog is about real photos and really amateur photographers, me.  Besides, it’s so much easier to just post it and ask for forgiveness.  This is a blog with no shame…

This area of CT is very serious about classic cars, with a show cropping up what seems like every week.  Actually, I am told that there is a classic car meet every Tuesday evening in Deep River that draws 100 or so cars.  That’s a lot of meets.   Well, a bridge birthday was an opportunity, as good as any, to show up and they did.  I thought that this one from Essex, I am told, was particularly nice.  Hard to imagine Ford putting out a car like this today.  What a beauty. 

Fords were in abundance, and I loved the color of this one too.   

It was just so great to see the Fife and Drum corps making their way across the bridge.  The drums are so loud, I can only imagine what sort of hearing loss this group must have.  Hello?  Can you hear me now… at all, even a little?  Hello?   

The first car to cross was hardly a car.  Well, it even had a tiller to steer with.  I don’t know if it was even powered by gasoline.  What a classic.    

How about a fire engine?  I can understand having a classic car if you have an extra garage to spare.  Who has one that will fit a fire engine?   “Honey, guess what, I got a new vehicle.  It’s red.  It wasn’t that expensive, really.  Oh, and about that new barn that I need to build to put it in… And it gets even better, I have a perfect spot for your stuffed Dalmatian.”

This is the lovely Becky Thatcher that we boarded for the trip back down the river. Along the way we spied the train that was crawling along to keep pace with good old BT.  
We enjoyed watching the “race” against the steam train to the Deep River landing.

Along the way we passed Gillette Castle, a local landmark that is a great outing itself.  

We also went by a lovely old school that is for wayward boys, I am told.  It almost makes me wish I was a bad boy.  I could have gone there.  Drat…

Nearly back to Deep River Landing.  Pandora’s in the distance.  Actually, I should be aboard her working or she won’t be ready for sailing in August.  Never mind.  

Once back on the steam train, we passed lovely scenery on our way down to Essex.  We have taken our dink up into this creek for one of our “cocktail cruises” recently.  We have seen the train come by and blow it’s horn from the water.  It’s nice to be on the train looking out for once.  

All and all a great time.  In spite of it all, we were back home by noon and time for a nap.  Well, no rest for the weary, as we had dinner guests coming over, by boat.  Our third day of entertaining in three days but worth it.

Yes, time for a nap.  Besides, it’s Father’s day.  And, with Pandora out of commission for now, that makes me part of the non boating set, the 95% that don’t own a boat, and the 99.999% that can’t afford a megayacht, for now.    It’s fun to mingle with them now and then.

“Bob, Bob, have you fixed the leaking portholes yet?”  Quit it… I’ll deal with that tomorrow.  Remember, it’s Father’s Day.  Actually, some might suggest that every day is Father’s Day.  True enough.

It’s Sunday morning and a beautiful day here in Essex and I am not sailing or even on the water.  Not yet anyway as I am planning to do a bit of sailing later with my son Christoper on one of the Essex Yacht Club’s Ideal 12 day sailor boats. As usual, I am thinking about sailing.  Pandora’s coming along and soon I will begin re-caulking all of the port lights with the hope of arresting some of the leaks that have been plaguing me over the last year.  Fortunately, the leaks from what I think are the ports, are behind the scenes and no water shows up in the cabin.  However, I know that the leaks are there and need to be fixed as some water is seeping down into lockers.  Let’s hope that’s where it’s coming from as removing hardware from the cabin top will be a lot more complicated and I’d prefer not to deal with that.  Enough of boat keeping drivel for now.  I’d prefer to think about our next trip to the Bahamas.

Speaking of the Bahamas, when we were there last winter, we visited a really great anchorage in the Exumas chain, called Compass Cay.  This is one island in the chain and is home to a number of privately owned islands including one owned by a guy Ed Borsarge, PhD.  I mention him in particular as I saw a profile about him in a magazine ShowBoats International’s June issue.  Most issues include a profile of someone who owns a massive yacht.  Unfortunately, most are just puff pieces about some gold chain festooned rich guy with more money than taste.  However,  it seems that Dr. Borsarge, while he must have vast wealth, is also a guy who seems to have taste that is proportional to his finances.

For several days I have been trying to find a way to write about one of his yachts, a lovely, huge, ketch Marie but have been struggling on how to make it more than a piece about a big boat.  It seems that the good doctor, who’s actually a PhD in physics and math or some such thing, is involved with a museum out of Texas called the Texas Flying Legends.  This museum, which he supports, has an impressive collection of flyable WWII airplanes that tour the country to put on airshows.  I am particularly interested in this because I grew up with a father that loves the planes of this period.  So, what better way to frame a post than to combine a mix of sailing and flying with a dash of The Bahamas tossed in for good measure.

So, I learned that Dr. B owns the island Over Yonder Cay in the Exumas.  I made the connection because of a reference in the article that he owned an island in the Bahamas that is powered by wind and solar, something that we saw almost no evidence of last winter.  You would think that alternative energy would be very popular where there is nearly unlimited wind and sun and there is plenty of both in the Bahamas.  However, there are no tax incentives to support alternative energy in the Bahamas as there as there are in the US.  I also was told by someone that hurricane damage is not covered by most insurance policies so owners just don’t invest in alternative energy as they fear that their installations will just blow away in the next hurricane.  That’s a shame as the wind is nearly always strong and sunny days are the norm.

Pandora gets all of her house power for charging the batteries and making water from solar so we hardly ever have to run our generator to bring up the batteries.  In any event, his island is totally powered by renewable energy with so much left over that they make something like 20,000 gallons of water per day through reverse osmosis.  The wind turbines he has installed on this island are huge, hundreds of feet tall, the sort that you generally see electric utilities put in place, not individual owners.  The “compound” and an amazing facility it is, is available for “charter”.  The island has it’s own website.  It’s worth checking out. There’s a promotional video that’s interesting as well.  People having fun.  Actually, that would be well heeled people having fun.  You might be wondering what it costs to stay there.  As they say, “if you have to ask, you can’t afford it”.

His biggest yacht, Marie is relatively new and constructed at the Vitters Ship Yard in the Netherlands a few years ago.  Check out the yard’s information about Marie.  She is truly spectacular with her massive red spinnaker.  You can’t miss her in the fleet.  This video was shot in St Barts, in the Caribbean during one of the “Bucket regattas”.  I believe that the “bucket” is a bucket with ice and champagne that is awarded to the winner of the regatta.  Enjoy the tour of Marie.  As Dr. B is so supportive of the flying museum that he was able to arrange for an air show at the 2011 Bucket Regatta.  I can’t imagine what it cost to pay for these four birds just to fly from Huston to the regatta much less for the cost of crew and support.   Oh yeah… If you have to ask, you can’t afford it.  Almost forgot..

The St Barts airport runway is known as having a particularly tough approach and to watch these warbirds dive down over the hill and low to the runway is breathtaking.And, as if that’s not enough, how about some shots from a pilots point of view.  Remember, Marie has her distinctive red spinnaker.   It’s hard to miss. The article also stated that Marie summers in Booth Bay Harbor Maine.  I believe that I have seen her there.  Actually, I don’t recall the boat specifically but do recall a really large sailing yacht in the harbor with huge signal cannons on board, something that you don’t see every day and yet are on Marie.

My hat is off to Dr. Bosarge for putting his money toward things of great beauty.  Perhaps next time we anchor off of Over Yonder Cay we’ll stop by for a Rum Punch.   One can always wish…

Back to reality and the ports still leak on Pandora.   Oh well, it could be worse, way worse…

I was thrilled yesterday when I received this week’s installment of Blue Water Sailing’s “Cruising Compass”, an e-newsletter that they send out weekly.  I have been a subscriber to BWS magazine and newsletter for a number of years and am just tickled that they chose a photo of Pandora to feature.  Each week they publish a photo taken by a reader or of a reader’s boat.

This is the shot that they used.  It was taken by Jay on Take Two.  You may recall that Jay and Tanya live aboard the 48′ custom catamaran Take Two with their five, yes five, children.  They are a wonderful gang and it was fun to meet up with them in the Abacos.  Jay took a number of photos of Pandora as they passed by us (yes, they passed us smartly and it made me nuts) as we sailed from Royal Island at the top of Eleuthera, to Little Harbor in the Abacos.  I do take some solace in knowing that Pandora’s bottom looked like the fur on an ape when I cleaned her a few days later.  As Pandora’s ablative paint had almost totally ablated, she was pretty foul.  Having said that, I expect that Take Two would have passed us anyway, if a bit less decisively, had her bottom been clean.

Jay and Tanya keep a very nice blog of their travels.  Yes, Take Two is a big boat but seven is a big crew.  Quite remarkable and impressive.    Their blog is a combination of info about cruising with a “herd” and some interesting recommendations on what works, or doesn’t, on board.  A recent post, May 4th, has some amazing shots of water spouts.  We had been in the area that they describe when the spout came through but didn’t see it.  Not something that I would like to have in my neighborhood.

Yesterday, I was able to finish up the interior cleaning of Pandora and she’s back under control.    My nature is to have things all neat and tidy.  Tidy’s good and Pandora is, mostly, tidy again.   Bummer that I still have not found the fresh water leak.   Looking under control down below once more. And, if perhaps a somewhat awkward segue, speaking of form and function, I was struck by this lovely motor-sailor in the marina where Pandora is right now for some maintenance.   Vagrant is just lovely.  She even has a nice round cocktail table on the aft deck.  I can just imagine how great it would be to be motoring down the CT River enjoying a G&T while someone else steers from the cabin helm.    Classy boat indeed.    I’ll have to learn more about her.  While she probably won’t win any races.  However, she will certainly win some hearts.  Function does dictate function and Pandora looks a bit different.   Perhaps it’s just me but she does look like she is on the move.  Perhaps it’s the river current.   In case you are wondering, a G&T tastes pretty good aboard Pandora too.