These are the voyages of SV Serenity, whose multi-year mission is to cruise the waters of Newfoundland, and to very carefully go where many others have gone before.
This blog is an online logbook for everything concerning my sailboat. It includes trip journals, repairs, upgrades, observations and anything else directly related to this vessel. Keep checking back, and please leave comments.
"When the wind is right you can sail away and find Serenity"
In a previous post I listed the jobs to be done on Serenity this year. The ones with the highest priority are the ones which keep the boat out of the water. Next are the ones that keep the boat at the dock, Anything else can be done when I have the time. Basically, do what you have to do to go sailing safely first.
My pre-launch jobs were:
remove all thru-hulls and install backing plates
Modify trailer to improve launching and recovery
Reseal the iron keel
Touch up anti-fouling
I decided that the first one was not necessary at this time, since there has never been a problem with the thru-hulls, and it was something that could wait until the boat was hauled out at the end of the season.
The third item I have no idea what I meant by it now. I won't be unbolting the keel, and it looks tight around the join. Maybe I'll remember next year.
The trailer modification for this spring is to put a roller under the bow to keep it in the proper position. The trailer's winch is mounted much too low, and causes the boat to be improperly positioned when it comes out of the water. It can sit so far back on the trailer that it is aft heavy. This is unsafe for towing and in the yard.
There is a roller on the trailer under the bow, it's just too low to do anything at all. I purchased two 20" pieces of steel flatbar, and will extend it up to a position that should make positioning easier.
That means just slapping on some antifouling and dropping the boat in the water. It looks to be an early launch for Serenity this year.
There are some jobs on the boat that seem to get put off year after year. As long as there are no issues, other tasks take priority. One of those, for me, is cleaning and lubricating the winches.
I've owned the boat for 9 years, and it has never been done. Some people suggest that it should be an annual thing, but I think that for the length of our season, and the amount of boating I get in, that it can be stretched to 4 years. That means that I should have already done it twice.
It is not a complicated procedure. For Serenity's Barlow 15s, disassembly requires removing a single screw, and it all slides apart. There are no gears to be concerned about. The biggest worry is not losing the pawl springs.
A proper cleaning probably involves soaking the parts in a solvent, using a brush to get into all of the crevices, and giving everything a proper cleaning. I just used a paper towel to rub off what I could, and a flat head screwdriver to scrape off what was more resistant. At this point anything was an improvement, and I didn't have that much time to put into it before dark.
The winch was dirty. Much of the old grease was hard and useless. Only one pawl had much sign of life. The other two were very lethargic, and refused to snap promptly back out. This winch was not too many seasons away from failing to function at all.
After the cleaning, some light oil was applied to the pawls, while everything else was coated in a white PTEF lubricant. After being put back together, there was a noticeable improvement in the functionality of the winch.
The entire job took me about 90 minutes. If it was done more regularly, the cleaning would be done much faster. The next time I'd expect to spend less than an hour at it. That is, as long as I stick to the 4 year maximum cycle. Have you done yours lately?
Update 2015-05-15
Cleaned the starboard winch today, and it was actually worse than the port one. It might not have even lasted this season before giving problems. Something I forgot to mention, check the winch screws/bolts. All of mine were a little loose. That's the jib winches taken care of. The Harken B6A halyard winch is only a couple years old, but I might as well look at that one while I'm at it.
May 2015 marks the ninth anniversary of my purchase of a 1977 AMF Paceship PY23. It also means that this will be the tenth sailing season with Serenity. From 2006 to 2015 the boat has been an ongoing project of repairs and upgrades. It has consumed more than its original cost in parts and materials, meaning that if sold, I probably couldn't get one third of what has been spent on it back. The market was stronger then too, and today I can buy something 26' long for the same price. Still, you don't buy a boat as a financial investment. It is an investment of a different sort.
Serenity travelled from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland in May 2006.
One of the major advantages of a smaller sailboat is the ability to trailer it. At under 2500lbs (1130kg), it doesn't need an especially large tow vehicle. I am able to launch and haul-out Serenity without having to call in a crane or travel lift. I also save winter storage fees by keeping the boat in my driveway - a more convenient place to work on it than at the marina too. My cruising options are extended as well, since it can travel in a few hours on the highway, what would take days or weeks to reach by water. Still lots of places to see in my home waters yet though.
A portion of my cruising grounds. About 20NM before reaching open ocean.
It was July of 2006 before Serenity was launched. The first five or six weeks were spent fixing things and making the boat ready. It did not arrive in perfect sailing condition. The rest of the summer we sailed around the harbour and bay with weekends at Exploits Islands and Sivier Island. You can follow all of the activities from the first season here.
Roxanne at Sivier Island. We had some good times aboard the boat in 2006.
Serenity spent all of 2007 in my driveway. There just wasn't time when the weather was good, to complete all the pre-launch jobs. It got so late in the season, that it just wasn't worth the trouble and marina fees.
POR-15 coated the iron keel, but no launch in 2007.
I had my own truck for the 2008 launching, and it was good not to have to borrow one for the job. It was near the end of June, but that still left four months of sailing. The issue that season, however, was that I was away for work for half the summer. On top of that, there was a disagreement with the marina management which made it uncomfortable to be there, and I was afraid to move the boat from the berth in case I wouldn't be able to get back in. To summarize, about a week after being assigned a dock, they tried to move me to one that did not have enough water to completely float the boat at low tide, plus there was a chain across the approach that would catch the keel.
Serenity being launched in 2008.
2009 was another dry season. Things hadn't improved at the marina, and it was better to avoid the place than enter another battle. I was able to borrow a boat, or sail with other people, but the summer was mostly spent doing things on land.
The boat just taking up space in the driveway.
As of this writing, I cannot find any pictures or references to Serenity being on the water for the summers of 2010 or 2011 either. I didn't think it had been out of the water for so long, but it must have been. There was still lots of sailing, however, because I can usually find someone looking for crew, or willing to loan me their boat. I actually got a summer's worth of sailing in 2010 doing just one delivery from Halifax to St. John's. 2011 was the year I bought my first motorcycle, so I was somewhat preoccupied with that as well.
1998 Honda Shadow 750 ACE bought in 2011 with just over 14,000km on it.
2012 definitely saw Serenity back on the water, although late in the season. We had been involved in a fairly serious motor vehicle accident back in March, so boating was not a priority. It was into August before the craft was launched, but that still allowed for three months of sailing. A short season is better than no season. Things were different at the marina by now. More docks had been added, and I was able to get a nice berth location. The winter of 2012/2013 was the only one the boat spent at the marina. I worried, however, about someone breaking in or damage being done, and it was more difficult to work on it. Probably won't be doing that again.
Serenity at a temporary dock after being launched on 2012-08-06.
November 28 and the boat is all ready for winter at the marina.
The season started a little earlier in 2013, and it proved to be one of my best summers of sailing. Our outing on August 2 became the subject of the blog post A Good Day Sailing. I got to sail aboard several boats that year, including one visiting from France, see video. Being able to improve on that summer is now an ongoing goal.
Afloat two years in a row - a first!
One of the few pictures of Serenity under sail. (photo by PW)
2014 was an interesting time. My sister and niece came to visit from Ontario around the middle of July, and we spent a few days at Exploits Islands. I was also in a couple of races, although the wind only showed up once. At the end of the season I bought a 12' Petrel aluminum dinghy. It needs a trailer, however, and that will cost three times what the little boat did. Most spare time on nice days was spent preparing the grounds to build a new shed, not sailing.
Niece, sister, wife and mother making our way to Exploits.
Looking ahead at the tenth season in 2015 there are no specific trips planned yet, but as usual, a wish to spend more time on the water. The ongoing construction of the new shed will take up a good amount of time, but the plan is to have the bulk of it done before the best boating weather arrives, usually around the middle of July.
April 22 and still a mostly frozen harbour.
As I write this the harbour is covered in ice, but it is melting quickly, and could well be out of the way by this weekend. If spare time and weather line up to get the pre-launch tasks completed, Serenity might be floating in its berth before the end of May - in time to take full advantage of season number 10.
It is that time again when I have to start planning my things-to-do list
for the year. Here are a few projects...
Pre-launch jobs
remove all thru-hulls and install backing plates
Modify trailer to improve launching and recovery
Reseal the iron keel
Touch up anti-fouling
Post-launch Jobs
Move switch panel, add the additional switches and outlets
Make dual house battery system
Install pole for antennas and solar panel
Install the autopilot
Install a mirror
Improve mast slot cover
Add hardware for a second reefing point for the main sail
Add lazy jacks
Add downhaul for jib
Redo Cetol on hand rails
Replace missing stanchion screws
Add 5200 to new traveller cleats
Fix sliding door
Insulate around the ice box
Improve locker storage
Install vented loops
Install weatherstripping on all hatches
Buy a better anchor and find a way to carry it
Improve fuel storage area
Have sail cover refitted
New tires and bearings on the trailer
While I am still thinking about selling the boat, there are quite a few things I'd like to have done on it before passing it on to someone else. The parts for most of the projects have already been bought, so it is just a matter of installing.
There is a major complication this year, however, since I absolutely must get the new shed built, and there is only so much spare time when the weather cooperates. Pretty much the only reason I'm thinking of launching, is to get the boat out of the way of the construction. There probably won't be any time to use it before August, if not sold by then.
