Volunteers demonstrate Creativity on Two Projects

Seven volunteers mustered on deck Saturday morning to continue some existing projects and start a few new ones.  The two masts remain a priority due to their extended neglect, and need for sanding down, oiling, and slushing to restore some preservative and protection to them. Progress has been intermittent over the past two months due to poor weather. 

Meanwhile, our two life raft canisters, appeared on the dock, fresh from inspection and restocking of expirables, as did the Fore Staysail (Jumbo) neatly rolled  up fresh from the sailmaker's. Unfortunately it was left sitting on the concrete dock without any dunnage below to allow for ventilation and moisture control.  Bryan Oliver salvaged a small pallet from an neighbor and rolled the sail up onto it.

Meanwhile, last weekend, a creative solution was conceived to the continuous issue of lack of a permanent hand-railing spanning from the dock steps to the gangway. Tide changes that forced the gangway rail to rise and fall, was stymying any fixed solutions, until now.  So, Saturday, with materials at hand, Danny Johnson was set to tackle this project and test our theory.

Weatherwise, this past Saturday was not looking good for advancing our planned mast projects aboard. NNW winds sustained at 10-15 knots, gusting to 20, would make it dicey for swinging about in a bosun's chair, let alone trying to slush a mast with linseed oil without it scattering over the deck.  And so, Bryan  Oliver redirected hands to rigging up a sling and boat falls for swinging aboard the two life raft canisters. Tony Marchesani, Doug Hartley, David Brennan, and Mikell Evatt manned the falls, and dockside taglines to control the lifting, swinging over, and lowering away to the deck where they secured each in their forward and aft deck mounting brackets. 

Meanwhile, Danny Johnson and David La Zar organized tools, extension cords, and materials on the dock to begin fashioning a piece of 2x 4 into a sliding hand rail. As those tasks progressed, Bryan set up an oiling station for applying coats of "Deks Olje" D.1 preservative sealant, onto the port side kevel cleats, just recently sanded down to bare wood, handing it off to Doug who managed 7 coats on as the day progressed.  

Just as Bryan was about to run out of projects that would justify provisioning for lunch and afternoon work, Mikell pointed out that the winds were noticeably easing off.  White caps had disappeared, and conditions improving for sending hands aloft to continue the mast preparation. A lunch fund was quickly collected and handed off to Hunter who disembarked for his hike to Harris Teeter.  The rest of the crew gathered around the mainmast to rig up a bosun's chair.  

The mainmast posed a particular challenge in that the throat halyard tackles available to hoist up the chair were situated on the aft side of the mast, preventing the crewman in the chair from working around to the front of the mast for complete sanding coverage.  

Mikell checks the shackle of the boat falls
 that will keep him situated on the foward
side of the mainmast.

Four volunteer minds, gazing aloft at the various options, quickly gained consensus on repurposing the forward boat falls, currently holding up the gangway.  It would act as a tagline on the bosun's chair, keeping it along the forward edge of the mainmast, allowing the occupant to sand down the forward hemisphere of the mast. 

 Mikell volunteered to take a sander aloft in the chair and test out our creative theory of managing vector forces on his chair.  It worked like a charm.   

Mikell makes quick work of a forward section
of the mainmast.-now going up.

With hands left to tend Mikell and his chair, David La Zar started a new project, to gather small piles of rusted drill bits and drivers languishing in old tool bags to soak in a plastic jar of vinegar for a couple of days. 

By 1330, Hunter had returned and been at work creating more magic in the galley.. the aromas rising out of the galley hatch became quite distracting, so with relief, he called for lunch, and all hands piled down into the saloon for platefuls of Shepherds Pie.    

Lunch concluded, there remained an opportunity for one last task to advance.  The foremast had been completely sanded last week and was ready for a first coat of linseed oil.  With two volunteers already departing early, the remainder rigged up a second bosun's chair, using the jumbo halyard tackles for the forward hemisphere of the foremast.  Bryan organized a small canvas bucket holding a pint of linseed oil in a plastic jar with an absorbent rag, and climbed into the chair.  They hauled Bryan all the way to the gaff- copper mast cover, as far as the tackles would allow, where he started slopping linseed oil as far around the mast as he could.  In  about a 1/2 hour, Bryan had covered the entire length of the foremast, forward side in a coat of linseed oil, in time.  In the meantime, idle hands weren't idle, and had been securing from projects, coiling lines, securing tackles and other cordage, tools, and materials.  

By 1500, all secure on deck, remaining volunteers disembarked, still digesting huge lunch, looking forward to finishing up the mainmast with the forward boat falls, and on their way ashore, checking out Danny's workmanship on the now-sliding steps-to-gangway hand rail.