2023-02-21 Winter Gale - Tales from C-Dock

6pm...

The winds have begun to arrive along the coast...

 

 

7:30pm...

Well, this will put a dent in my deck cleaning plans for this week...

 

 

 

 

 9pm...

Heard a massive flapping sound in the marina...took my headlamp and went out to check on the boats on my dock...

 

One boat...with a tarp over the boom...in anticipation of the coming rain...shredded by the 30+ knots of wind...

 

Another boat...with a jib on a roller-furling - that was starting to unfurl...at risk of shredding the jib...or possibly taking the mast down. Two other fellows already trying to secure the jib.....I tried to help...but there wasn't much I could do...the lines are tangled...and the job roller-furling cannot be rotated...and the biting cold was more than I could bear in my t-shirt and shorts...plus it isn't safe to be out on the docks right now...as flying debris from other boats could do some serious damage to you (like the paddle board that went airborne on Thanksgiving day in 2021...and crashed into my deck...)

 

11pm...

 
my 2nd foray onto the docks tonight...another significant sound of a flogging sail...caught my attention...

 

Just down the dock...the thick stainless steel connector of the forestay to the bow - of a roller-furling jib snapped clean in-two...

 

The owner of the boat was valiantly struggling to regain control of the flailing forestay...with a flailing jib unraveling in 30+ knots of wind...but it appeared he had no plan...and he was in imminent danger of either a) his mast crashing down and killing him; or b) the roller-furling bits bludgeoning him to death. 

 

I retrieved a heavy-duty spare dock line from my dock box - and helped him secure the flailing bits to the anchor roller...and then further secured to the anchor windlass.

 

For the moment - his rig is [somewhat] more secure...

 

If the winds do not abate in the next few hours...the friction will wear through even that heavy dock line...so I advised him to get some more lines applied to give it more purchase to the bow anchor roller and the anchor windlass...

 

Hopefully his rig will make it through the night...

 
I also closed a neighbors dock box lid - that had blown open...

I fear it is going to be a long night...

 

23:50..

https://twitter.com/myboyzmomma/status/1628259821815496704
"Winds gust to 60 at the coast"

https://twitter.com/ReadyAlerts/status/1628285813506347008

"#BreakingNews A Blizzard Warning has been issued for Los Angeles & Ventura counties; it will be one of the worst winter storms of the 21st century to hit Southern California, experts say."

 

https://twitter.com/myboyzmomma/status/1628259821815496704

"High howling winds knocked out power to a lot of Ventura. Trees down, one across 101 south."

 

 

2023-02-22 update:  

 

 

A shredded tarp...note the shredded jib in the background

The steel tang for the forestay gave way...jib = shredded

Another jib...in the process of being shredded

Riggers helping to secure the broken roller furling / forestay

The result of helping secure the forestay / roller furling unit of a dock neighbor

The Cure for Anything...

 

[Image by David Miller from Pixabay]

 

The Cure for Anything is Salt Water...

Sweat...

Tears...

The Sea. 

~ Isak Dinesen

2023-02-19 Sunday - Boat Refit Progress Update

copyright 2023, Kelvin D. Meeks, All Rights Reserved

 

 

Some small progress steps today

 

- cut two of the corners back (about 1.5") on the hardwood board I bought at Lowe's - to create a shelf in my dock box. 

 

- 3x 50 gallon trash bags (of expired, COVID-19 emergency food stores) offloaded from the boat - and dumped in the trash.

 

- 2 boxes of books offloaded from the boat - to storage 

 

- 2 trips to Goodwill to drop off some donations

 

- Tested polishing a 2 ft. section of hull (of a long blue strip) - cleaned with 3M Rubbing Compound - to remove oxidation - and protected with some automotive Turtle Wax. Looks much better. 

 

- Triple-checked my wiring for the proper electrical connector sizes - and picked-up a collection of new connectors.

 

I suspect the water line rose a bit today...

2023-02-10 Friday - Boat Refit Progress Update

Today was another day spent scrubbing - this time focusing on the deck's stainless steel hardware - and using a wire brush to knock off some of the rust spots that have accumulated.

I also did some maintenance work - and lubricated all of the blocks at deck level.

While scrubbing a latch on the stern anchor locker - I realized that I need to fix a problem with the way the latching mechanism is secured to the deck.

I've also scheduled an appointment for Monday morning, at 10am, to get a quote for a new mainsail cover.
(tomorrow I'll take some measurements - and check online for some replacement options)

Tomorrow (Saturday), I will try to complete some internal wiring projects.

Sunday, I hope to complete my first pass of deck scrubbing tasks.

Monday, I'll call the yard and see about getting a haul-out scheduled in the coming weeks (and try to combine that date with a new survey)

2023-02-09 Thursday - Boat Refit Progress Update

A good week so far. 

Over the last few days, scrubbing the deck has been my primary focus - but I've managed to also tackle a few other projects, and cleaning out the boat a bit more.

After a lot of time spent scrubbing - I decided to take a small break and do something that would use different muscles. 

One small project I tacked today was removing the brass lamp from the main cabin and using Brasso to clean-up years of tarnish and oxidation It will need several more sessions to get it really shining - but you can see a bit of my progress in the last photo.

photo by Kelvin D. Meeks (c) 2023

photo by Kelvin D. Meeks (c) 2023

photo by Kelvin D. Meeks (c) 2023

 

Santa Ana Winds can destroy tarps

 This was the previous tarp that I replaced late last year..it didn't last 6 months...

[photo by Kelvin Meeks]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Ana_winds 

"The Santa Ana winds (sometimes devil winds)^[1][2] are strong, extremely dry downslope winds that originate inland and affect coastal Southern California and northern Baja California. They originate from cool, dry high-pressure air masses in the Great Basin." 

"During the Santa Ana winds, large ocean waves can develop. These waves come from a northeasterly direction toward the normally sheltered sides of the Channel Islands, including commonly visited Catalina and Santa Cruz islands. Normally well-sheltered harbors and anchorages such as Avalon and Two Harbors can develop high surf and strong winds that can tear boats from their moorings. During Santa Ana conditions, it is advised that boaters moor on the Southern side of affected islands or return to the mainland."

"In early December 2011, the Santa Ana winds were the strongest yet recorded. An atmospheric set-up occurred that allowed the towns of Pasadena and Altadena in the San Gabriel Valley to get whipped by sustained winds at 97 mph (156 km/h), and gusts up to 167 mph (269 km/h).^[22] The winds toppled thousands of trees, knocking out power for over a week. Schools were closed, and a "state of emergency" was declared. The winds grounded planes at LAX, destroyed homes, and were even strong enough to snap a concrete stop light from its foundation.^[23] The winds also ripped through Mammoth Mountain and parts of Utah. Mammoth Mountain experienced a near-record wind gust of 175 mph (282 km/h), on December 1, 2011."

The Great 2023 Refit

 

[Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay]

 This month marks the beginning of The Great 2023 Refit effort.

When I first acquired my boat - I thought, "I'll work for a few years - and then take some time off and go sailing again".

Well, client demands for my services have kept me busy for over the last 10+ years.

I deferred upgrading/replacing some items on the boat - as I wasn't sure how long the client engagements would keep me busy...and I wanted to delay any equipment upgrades until I was ready to prepare for my next voyage. 

Last year, I decided that this would be The Great 2023 Refit.

I arrived back in the marina Wednesday this week - and have been resting/recovering from a lot of traveling over four days.

Today, I began a few small tasks. 

Tomorrow, there will be more.

Monday - I will dive into the boat project list. 

As much as I can finish in the next three weeks - and then I will have the boat hauled-out and have the yard do some of the more difficult projects.

I expect the boat will be in the yard for 3-5 months - and should be ready for some shakedown cruises in the late summer / early fall. 

My Entry made it in the Top 10 for the February Photo Caption Contest - Latitude38.com

 

[image source: Latitude38.com]

 

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