Week Two

Starting Monday, 8/8 thru Wed. 8/10 I had planed to shop for tools and supplies that I might need at the Yard and also work a little with clients. Thursday planned to hit the Yard but the morning got away from me and I had a lot of unfinished business.



Friday started a little slow but I was on the road at a reasonable time. Skis were clear and partly cloudy, at home. At the Yard it was very cloudy and getting darker by the moment. By the time I got the boat opened up and was trying to decide what to do next it started to sprinkle, then rain, the pour, the the wind picked up. So now the rain is almost horizontal and there are white caps on the puddles. I am now stuck in my truck and there is lightening ever where. I decided to move away from the boat with it's 40' lightening rod and drive up near the office. This did not seem like a great spot either as the office is on a hill that is the highest place around. Since it did not look as though the wether as about the clear anytime soon I drive to the nearest place for coffee, a BP/ Subway about 3 miles away. This boatyard in really in the middle of nowhere.
Lots of people were just hanging out waiting out the storm. There was a couple from Canada riding BMWs riding down the coast, headed for Myrtle Beach.
When I got back and the rain had stopped the wind was about nil so I figured this would be a good time ti unfurl the genoa and take it and the main off the stick.
I got a few more little things accomplished when about 1600 it started to get get dark again. Packed up my stuff, loaded the sail bags into the truck and headed home.
When I got within 8-10 miles of home the skies opened up for yet another monsoon.

Saturday I got about 95% of the bottom and one side of the waterline sanded. I was so covered in blue bottom paint that Max didn't know me.
After 2 showers and a bath the water was so blue that I couldn't see my toes.
Sunday I picked up some more sanding disc, finished the bottom and the waterline. I also managed to wash the entire boat and hose the dust off he bottom. Have fill a few spots with Marine Tex and she is ready for paint. Well paint after I repair or replace a couple of thru hulls.

First Days on the hill

Monday and Tuesday we were towed to the Yard, Wednesday had to play catch-up, Thursday was Change of Command on the Diligence and Friday was spent mostly doing house stuff.

So now it is time to get back to the boat. Saturday and Sunday were spent measuring, making lists and taking stuff home. It is a lot easier to work in a boat of it is empty and clean. I took home the cushions and just about everything that I took up to Beaufort for the trip down. I did manage to remove the old name on the transom.

Ships Log 8/2/2011

 Day two of our little adventure was to start early, like 7 AM. At about 0640 I spotted Bob walking down the dock, gear in hand. I still had not had any coffee and wanted a shower. That was OK because Paul had to bring the car back to the Water Way and walk back, pretty neat service, a loaned car with a motel room.
Once Paul got back we breakfasted on coffee and muffins. I stalled a bit packing things away hoping that the wind might die down a bit. I was concerned that as we turned to starboard the wind might push us into other boats especially given the poor haul speed that we where able to achieve.
By about 0800 we cast off Dudley's dock and headed for the channel of the ICW. Our goal was to catch the current and make some distance on our own before Roy meet us for the final tow back to the Boat Yard at Hampstead. Our able navigator(s) check the charts for our first mark. The helmsman steered a straight and steady course. At the same time we kept a close eye on the yet untested depth meter. The meter beeped a few times, we were not sure what the shallow alarm was set for but when it read 4.?? feet and our forward motion stopped we knew it was pretty accurate. A Bristol 27 draws 4.0 feet!
We tried backing off, heeling the boat over to reduce our draft and Bob then Paul jumped in to try to push us off, the boat displaces 6600 lb. That's like pushing a couple of '58 Caddy's out of a 4' snow drift without shoveling first. The good news is the tide was rising, the bad news is that our window with the current was getting shorter by the moment. Then along came a couple of commercial fishermen in about a 20' skiff.
As hard as he tried his flat bottom boat was on match for the current. After 2 or 3 attempts the fisherman wanted to get to "fishing". I asked for one more try, we tried to heel the boat a bit, gave it all the power we had and ever so slowly we moved off the high spot. We waved good by, shouted thank-you' but neglected to get their names or haul numbers.
It was now a little after 0900, with the current the mighty Yanmar 1GM10 was pushing southward at about 3- 3.5 kn. Some time after 1000 we spotted Roy steaming in our direction.

Bob hooked-up the towline to the bridle that he had rigged with one of our dock lines.  The trip was pretty uneventful, we got bounced a few times by folks who failed to slow for the boat in tow and passed  real close to a push tug who made a real effort to give us as much room as possible by almost going out of the channel to his starboard. He told Roy "take all the room that you need", what a guy! Uneventful until we got to the Topsail bridge and the tender would not open even 5 minutes early, Roy slowed way down and we got to the bridge at almost exactly 1400.
I had not mentioned speed before but a Bristol 27 has a haul speed of maybe 5.5 - 6 kn. Roy had us up to a little over 7 at one point. We had a stern wake like you might see on a fast downhill spinnaker run. Carl Alberg must have had a big smile that afternoon.
When we got part way thru I saw a couple of large powerboats waiting for us to make our way thru the narrow opening, again thanks folks.

Think that this might explain our slow speed?

At this point we had about 20 - 30 minutes to the Boat Yard. I call Gerald the owner of the Yard to advise him of our position. By the time we got out front and Roy "cut" us loose the travellift was about ready to haul us out. Within 2 hours the boat was pressure washed, brought up the hill and blocked and ready for the next step, bottom paint.

Ships Log 8/1/2011

Southbound Galleon 

Jim, studying the waterway

Bob and Jim

Lollipop departed Middle Sound about 0600 with Capt. Roy, Jim & Betty. They arrived at the Lewis Rd fish dock about 0635 to pick-up Bob, Paul and myself. After loading our gear we headed north on the ICW toward Beaufort, NC. Along the way Capt. Roy pointed out areas were the marks might be a bit confusing and were there might be some shoaling.
At some point along the way when I thanked Roy for ferrying us up to pick up the boat he reached down next to his helm station and presented me with a really neat folio to hold ships papers, manuals, Notices to Mariners and the like, simply saying " no problem, and you need one of these.." I was blown away.
We pulled into the fuel dock at Gateway Marine at about 0945 or 1000. The Lollipop was refueled and the sailboat crews gear was off loaded while a couple of us walked over to top off water and move the Bristol 27 to the fuel dock.
Aboard the  Bristol the engine turned right over and ran like a sewing machine, a single cylinder, diesel sewing machine. With a dead calm and almost no current casting off would no problem. I backed her out of the slip, backing to port to have a nice easy shot to the fuel dock. After clearing the piling I shifted into forward gear and we kept backing-up. I rev'd the little motor, nothing. Now we were going in a backwards circle toward the stern of a neighboring sailboat.
The kind folks that I purchased the boat from were on hand to bid us "bon voyage" so Michael hopped aboard and discovered that the shifter cable housing had loosened in it clamp. A little adjustment, tighten a screw and we were good as new.
Fuel and ice, handshake with Michael a hug for Kate and we were off. Ever so slowly, but we were off. We figured that the incoming tide in the narrow inlet was slowing our progress, then we headed in a southerly direction on the ICW. Still we were only making 1.5 kn at 3000 RPMs! This was not good. At this rate we might make it home sometime next week.
Capt. Roy and crew were still standing by so we hailed them over to assist. Roy agreed to tow us back to Swansboro, NC, I had overnight slip space arranged at Dudley's. So the CGAUX training sprang into play, Lollipop is at times a CGAUX facility. Jim got the towline and towing bridle out, tossed it to Bob who secured it to the Bristol.

Paul at the helm

As we headed down thru Morehead City, Paul was tending the tiller but each correction seemed over correct and was actually fighting the tow vessel. I suggested that we lash the tiller midship and see if she will fall into line. In short order it seemed to work and the sailboat seemed to stay in better tow mode. From that point on we only manned the helm when going under or thru an open bridge.
As a side note; a few days later I asked Jim if this effected the helm on the towboat. He stated that Roy had commented that he was fighting the helm but Jim said it was much easier on his shift which I think is about when we lashed the tiller on the sailboat.
The two boats made it to Swansboro by about 1600, we headed for the dock at Dudley's while Roy and crew headed back to Page's Creek.
Once we had the boat secure Bob and Paul caught a ride from one of the Dudley's staff to a nearby motel. The Waterway Inn loaned the guys a car and we got a reasonable meal at the Bogue Cafe'.

After dinner I had the opportunity to meet the marina's 60+ year old parrot, Claud. I think that we went to different schools together at the same time. I really wanted to see if he could pull the cork out of a bottle of rum.

Then there was the million dollar view as I tried to stay awake until it got at least dark.

Bristol 27

forward berth

I'm cool

at Seagate Marina

vee berth

galley forward

galley aft

port side

engine

companion way

new engine controls

Thanks

Thanks to the crew for helping to move the boat from Beaufort to Hampstead.
Thanks to Bob & Paul for going with my and Jim and Betty for going with Roy. 
And an especially big thank you to Roy for his generosity, help and expertise.