Boat Repairs on the {Secret Richmond} Riviera

Our new sails arrived this morning at 11:00 am and we quickly got busy installing them. The headsails were a snap because nothing had changed there, but the mainsail presented more of a challenge. We had "in-the-mast" furling before and now we need reefing lines and hardware. 

But still, it is so exciting to see that crisp, clean, new sail up there.

We also discovered (when we went to adjust the backstay) that the NavTec hydraulic pump was shooting out fluid like a sprinkler. Hence the title of this post. 

So this afternoon we removed the pump and control unit and will take it to Svendsen's tomorrow for repairs. 

Needless to say, we had hydraulic fluid all over ourselves, the tools, and the cockpit. Ah, the joys of cruising.

At the Rigger's Dock

After motoring for 12 hours Tuesday, we are here at the rigger's dock in Point Richmond, California. 

We have discovered that we LOVE the chartplotter. It was obscenely easy to navigate the complicated route from Carquinez to Point Richmond in the dark. We arrived at 11:30 pm Tuesday and today our rig was inspected and tuned. Tomorrow our new sails will be installed and we will go for a sail. It has been over a year since we sailed this boat and we are really looking forward to it!

Finished Nav Station

We bought the new instruments MONTHS ago and finally got them installed and operational yesterday. Not only did we get a new Chartplotter, and a new radar antenna, but we ran new cable for that, ran a new cable for the VHF antenna, designed and made a new panel, installed two speakers in the cockpit, and did tons of tidying up of wires behind both panels.

We are pleased with the new electronics and have discovered that it is quite easy to see the Chartplotter from the helm.

Check out our cockpit speakers. We are from the Delta after all. You will recognize us as the dark blue sailboat with the Techno music thumpin'.

Pouring the Spartite

We poured the Spartite into our mold this morning. First I taped two hospital bed pads tightly around the partners.

Then I mixed the goop according to the directions...

And poured it in. It didn't fill the mold, but we knew we would need a double batch so we repeated the mixing and poured the second batch on top of the first.

I poured in enough to take it about 1/4" above the partners, then we carefully disposed if everything in a trash bag.

And we were done. With only a few drips. WhooHoo!

Here's how it looks with the tape pealed off.

Spartite

We are using the Spartite Mast Wedge Replacement System to secure our mast at the partners. I opened the box this morning, read the instructions, did a few other little projects, jammed the foam up in the partner, and suddenly it was lunch time.

After lunch I started creating the clay mold on top of the foam. Then someone came by, we got to talking, we went to look at his hot rod, then his boat, then back to our boat, and pretty soon it was 4:00! Generally we get more done in a day, but sometimes we get distracted.

Now here it is almost 6:00, i finished the clay, made the tape dam, and I'm finally ready to pour the goop in. 

Our partners overlapped the deck a little so I had to fill that with clay so the Spartite would be removable. Luckily, the decorative trim makes a strong support for the Spartite as it dries. We screwed it back in place after I jammed the foam in.

Now tomorrow morning we will mix and pour the Spartite in.

You can see the grey clay filling the bottom of the mold in this photo.

Mast Step Bolts

Today we put in the maststep bolts and made the wire connections at the base of the mast. Only one of the bolts was all the way through when we removed the mast, and we thought perhaps the mast was twisted on the step. But really, how could it be twisted? Anyway, today I slipped both bolts all the way through with no problem. We will never know why it was done that way, but it's correct now.

Only In The Delta

We celebrated the mast being restepped by motoring out to Windmill Cove, and this was our entertainment.

And this is why it's called Windmill Cove.

Stepping the Mast

We drove our boat over to the crane area this morning at 6:30, attached the two headstays, and shrink wrapped the shrouds. Our helpers arrived at 8:00, and it was back in the boat at 9:00.

What a sight to see the mast back in the boat after more than two months!

Then I got to go up in the basket and remove the blankets and run the flag halyards. Here was my view on the way up. I actually enjoy going up the mast; it almost feels like flying.

Closer to Stepping the Mast

We have moved the mast down to the small boat launch area where we are doing the final assembly. After more than two months, it looks like we may actually get the mast back on the boat soon.

Headstay From Hell

OMG! I sure hope this roller furling is worth all the struggle we've put into it. After we took the mast down and disassembled the furler, we found the foils extremely difficult to remove. Now we are putting it back together and having more problems, (I'm beginning to hate red Locktite) but this morning I think we finally got it right. Now to move the mast to the staging area.

Millionaire Tape

Our rigger recommended "millionaire" tape along the edges of the spreaders and radar mount. It must be expensive if they call it that, but he sent it to us at no charge.

It's actually a Teflon tape used in factories to help slide products through machinery, but it also helps sails slide across obstacles when tacking.

Here's the package if you want to order some. And you can see a strip of it along the spreader at the bottom of the photo.

I will also put it all along the stainless tubing that supports the radar.

Back In The Water

We went back in the water Saturday morning and motored to our new slip, which is an end-tie. Hopefully our hull won't get all marked up now that we don't have to shoehorn ourselves into a too-small slip. 

Now it's back to work on the mast. The captain installed the new sail track using a giant pop rivet tool. Those stainless steel pop rivets are really tough!

And there were a whole lot of them on that 59' of track. After that we slipped the Tides Marine track over it, then started installing hardware.

Then as we so often do here at the Stockton Sailing Club, we watched a ship come in and enjoyed the sunset.

Ready To Splash

The Captain color sanded the patch on the starboard side this morning, then finished polishing and waxing it. Even though the paint shop brought out their fancy computerized color matching camera.....it's not a perfect match. But it's close enough for us.

Right after lunch the yard raised the boat way up so we could lower the centerboard, sand it, and paint it. We were done by 3:00, so we paid our bill and celebrated with an ice cream. And we go back in the water at tomorrow morning's high tide.