2020 Launch Day!

After all the pandemic associated worries, restrictions and closers this year our 2020 initial launch happened on May 15th at the Gibsons Marina.

After a few wacky moments like me hitting the motor throttle at the dock leaving Lisa and Farley behind and losing two fenders (as different times) we got underway for a fairly gusty (triple reefed) sail on Shoal Channel.

Stopped at Plumpers Cove Marine Park to stretch our legs and again at Granthams Landing to pop in on a little unofficial (socially distanced) happy hour group that meet there on Friday afternoon.

Nice to finally get out on the water!

PS - Found a fender washed up on the beach the next day.  Not ours but a suitable replacement.  Broke even!

A few pictures....

A Few Modifications

Here are a couple of little mods that had been in the back of my mind and now made it to reality.

Boathook and Paddle Holder

The smaller the boat the more important to have a secure and organized storage for things.  I discovered the telescoping paddle and boathook both fit cross ship against he inside surface of the transom.  I had a little shock cord hook fitting left over from Chebacco so I extended the cord and screwed it onto the doubler plywood.  Nice and tidy and ready to deploy.

Sail Tamer Furling

I saw this clever idea as 'Stow-A-Way' kit sold by DuckWorks:  https://www.duckworks.com/product-p/bb-sawsts.htm.  Very reasonable at $24 but after experiencing the brutal shipping charges to Canada I just bought the component bits and made it myself.

The idea is the bungee cord is permanently attached in a crisscross fashion on the underside of the boom.  Plastic hooks are positioned on loops midway.  When the sail is lowered you simply stretch the bungee loops across the sail bundle and hook the two sides together.  Works a dream in the driveway but certain this will be great at sea too.

Footwell Grate

An neighbour at our old home gave me some boaty bits after her husband passed.  Included was this nifty snap together rubbery grate.  Assembled and cut down a shade with utility knife it fit 

beautifully.  Thanks Lynn!

Radio Operator

I have had a icon VHF Marine Radio for years and to be honest, aside from some longer trips with others, rarely turn it on.  However I did not go through the process of getting my official operators certificate which is the law.  Until now...

I signed up for the one day certification class that includes the exam.  It was put on by our local Power Squadron group and scheduled for May 9th.  This ended up being scuttled due to the pandemic but rescheduled as an on-line class via Zoom.  The sixty question exam was also administered over Zoom a few days later. 
Passed - now I am a legit!

My license includes the DSC (digital selective calling) feature that is now available in radios.  This is very cool but my radio predates this and for now I will be satisfied with the basic VHF and mobile phone for communication needs.

The Complete Sailor

'The Complete Sailor' by David Seidman is a sailing basics book and it is a favourite  of mine over the years.

This was given to me by my parents way back for Christmas 2002.

At 206 pages and fourteen chapters it touches on (without excessive amounts of detail) many aspects of sailing including the theory of sailing, boats and rigging, sails, power, seamanship, emergencies, etc.  What is really cool is there is only one photo in the whole book (cover) but almost every page includes beautifully done drawings.

I see Amazon has the 2nd edition for sale (mine is the 1st).  Highly recommended for anyone just starting to dabble in sailing or someone who appreciates a quick reference and quality read.

2020 - Spring Preparations

Here in Vancouver it seems spring is taking its time arriving - we are even forecast to have sub-zero temperatures this second weekend in March!

I have a few sailing plans/goals this year which include trying to participate in one of the several small boat events here on the west coast:

The Montague Rendezvous (May)
https://salishseasmallboatrendezvous.wordpress.com/montague-harbour-rendezvous

The Sucia Island Small Boat Gathering (July)
https://salishseasmallboatrendezvous.wordpress.com/sucia-island-rendezvous/

 For several years now I have been missing out so keen to join these informal and friendly gatherings again.

My hard goal for prepping the boat and myself is the one week Barefoot Raid 2020 through the Gulf Islands starting June 27th.
http://www.barefootraid.net/
There will be about thirty small sailboats and a 'mother ship' with a morning and afternoon sail/row leg each day.  The $600 fee for boat and captain includes all the organization plus three meals per day.  I understand this is a great event and am stoked to be a participant this year!

2019 Raid - Mothership rafted up with some of the participants 

Leading up to these events I would like to get as much sailing in as possible including some local overnight cruises.

With regards to modifications and improvements for Fib itself I have the following plans:

• Boom tent - something fairly simple and quick to build for my 1.0 version.  Likely custom cut/fitted poly tarp with taped seams.
• Re-boarding system - a simple stirrup type as described by John Welsford
• Furling system - looking into a permanently mounted bungy cord on boom system
• Sail cover - to cover boom/yard/sail bundle for storage and travel
• Reseal hatches - I was a little too stingy on the silicone sealant when I installed these as I noticed some unwelcome water egress.  Plan to remove, reseal and reinstall.  Lesson learned.
• Mast/boom protective leather or fake leather installation

Items I plan to purchase or already have purchased (details to follow):

• Compass - small bulkhead mounted

• VHF Marine Radio - upgrade to newer version.  I have signed up for a Marine Radio Operators course May 9th.

• Camera - replacement for my trusty Olympus TG-2 that was destroyed in a fall in Vietnam

Good old TG-2

PFD - I have an 15 year old inflatable Mustang and a 35 year old kayaking PFD neither of which in ideally suited to small boat sailing and rowing.  Picked up this MEC Fulcrum on sale and I will be perfect for sailing and paddling.

• Order up a sea anchor that I plan to use when reefing or dropping sail

• Order up an Anchor Buddy to facilitate beach stops

• Order up and install a small, simple mast head wind indicator like this one:

April 1, 2020 Update...

Due to the Corona pandemic both the Montague and Sucia Rendezvous have been cancelled.  The marine radio course too. Rats

Looks like it will be lot of solo sailing this year.

Bedding Down for the Winter

Over the summer months I was fortunate to be able to store my SCAMP in my wonderful mother-in-law's garage.  Cozy, dry and sheltered from the elements. 

Now she needs the garage back so this weekend I relocated her (boat, not mother-in-law) to my home in Gibsons where she will sit out the winter months under a tarp.

Purchased this 8'x10' poly tarp to cover the cockpit to keep things dry during the trip

Ridge pole and tarps  installed

Sail bundle and mast stored in the rafters of the covered porch

Dry Bag for On Board Essentials

When Dale came out with me for a sail last month he had a small dry bag for his essentials.  The good sense of this really hit home during my two weeks sailing around on Kootenay Lake when I came to realist this is a great but small boat and it is easy to get things wet.  Rain, spray or dew can all give your electronics, wallet, mobile phone, key fobs grief.

I found a very nice MEC 'Muskoka' dry bag in a tote style that comes in 20, 40 and 60 litres sizes. I picked up the 20 litre one as this seems the perfect size for safely storing my incidentals.  I also like the tote design rather than the more traditional bag style for my purposes.  Comes in a nice bright 'lichen/deep lagoon' colour.  $39 seemed very reasonable too.