Opua: to the boatyard
Opua: to the boatyard
For the first time this year, THE HAWKE OF TUONELA has moved from her mooring: all of a half mile to the dock at Ashby’s Boat Yard.
I am due to haul out tomorrow, but needed to come to the dock early so the rigger could go up the mast. Last evening while watching the Wednesday night Opua Cruising Club race, I realized that conditions were perfect for making the move, with very light wind and the tide at slack water. Having already prepared dock lines and fenders for this morning, I started the engine and dropped the mooring .
I had already heated water for my freeze dry dinner of lamb and peas. It was still warm when I ate fifteen minutes later at Ashby’s.
The riggers here used to go up masts while boats were out of the water, a practice which surprised me. But as I just learned, last October one of them was up a mast when a boat that had not been properly propped fell forward onto its bow, causing the rigger to swing forward and smash into the mast, breaking his leg in five places.
A different man went up HAWKE’s mast today to install a stronger fitting that I had brought back with me for the block providing a fairlead for the gennaker halyard. I also had him replace the old spinnaker halyard with a messenger line. I am never going to set a conventional masthead spinnaker on this boat again, and that halyard routinely chaffed against the jib furling gear. And, lastly, he touched up an old scratch on the mast caused by a broken batten fitting on a passage a couple of years ago.
It all took less than an hour, and I think the new gennaker furling system is complete and ready to fly the new sail. My hands are even almost up to it.
The weather has changed slightly. Overcast much of the day, with a light shower around noon. Not bad enough so that it will interfere with the haul out, but no longer perfect as it has been for a week.
A diesel mechanic will come tomorrow to replace the defective siphon. I’m scheduled to be pulled from the water at 12:30. Assuming no unpleasant surprises, and no weather delays, I should have three coats of paint on the bottom and be ready to go back in the water by late Monday or Tuesday morning.
THE HAWKE OF TUONELA is already in boat yard disarray. The solar panels are on the quarterberths instead of on deck. The Avon is on deck instead of in the water. The old spinnaker halyard, now cut into two pieces to eliminate the chaffed spot, the former spinnaker halyard masthead block, and a can of white spray paint are on the chart table. Three four liter cans of anti-fouling paint are on the corner of the cabin sole.
A fender and two unused dock lines are in the cockpit. And today’s newspaper, filled with news of the unconscionable prices New York’s former governor paid prostitutes, is on the other settee berth.
The mess on the boat will only get worse. I don’t know about New York.
Thursday, March 13, 2008