We had to order sanitation hose so that left today open to take on another project that has been waiting in the wings. Hatch restoration. Sailboats are notoriously dark so as much light as you can get “down-below” is all the better. The “windows” in the hatches are made out of plastic and after some years they become crazed and look unsightly. In addition the gaskets wear out eventually as well. We have old Lewmar Rollstop Hatches which they only made for 4 years so that should tell you something! They are what we have and because of their unique sizes it is not economical to replace them. That said the best we can do is have them rebuilt by the experts at Select Plastics. 

All things considered this is the perfect time to have the work down in that the boat deck is completely covered by the shrink wrap. On a sunny day like today it makes it completely comfortable to work on deck even when like today the temperatures were in the mid 30s and wind was gusting in the 30-35 knt range! The whole time I was working in shirt sleeves!!

I previously made an emergency hatch cover for each of two sizes of hatches. (2 & 4) In case of heavy weather and a hatch failure we would be able to prevent a huge amount of water from entering the boat. In addition I made them with carriage bolts only being exposed do they would provide some level of security if I needed to use them in non-emergency situations such as this. I should have take a picture from below but there are basically oak cross members cross the hatch frame below with wing nuts holding the carriage bolts.

After taking the all screws surrounding the frame of the hatch it was a relatively simple matter to separate the frame from the deck suing a Plastic/Rubber tipped hammer and paint scraper with a sharpened edge. BTW – If you do not have one of these hammers, go get one now. My buddy Greg Rodgers turned me on to this one and it is no much better than a standard hammer on a boat. This hammer has saved me from inflicting real damage on Magnolia so many times!!!

Here is the aft hatch removed and all battened down with the emergency hatch cover. I will have to add a picture of below but the underside has cross members just like the top which makes for a very solid installation. (1/2 inch plywood and oak cross members all with a coat of 2 part epoxy)

I keep hearing you are never quite become “one with your boat” until until you wade (figuratively speaking) into your Black-Water System.

Most boats have a potable water (drinking), grey waste water (sink drains) and of course black-water. You can guess source of the later I am sure! The laws for sewage disposal are pretty straight forward. When inland/shore water disposal is in a tank and when you get into port you use a big vacuum device to empty said tank. When you are in the ocean though (3 miles or more off shore) you discharge directly to the ocean or you can empty your tank into the ocean.  The later part of the statement is where we meet Magnolia. She has a tank of course and the ability be vacuumed at the dock but was not equipped to empty her tank at sea. This becomes a particularly important capability in the Bahamas since they don’t have pump facilities. (I understand “some” marinas are being equipped.) The only way to dispose of black-water there is off shore in the ocean. This calls for Magnolia’s current system to modified with the addition of 2 valves and a pump to empty the tank. This project will add a “Overboard Selector Valve” and a “Tank Discharge Selector Valve” along with the “Pump” which will be a Whale brand Manual Sanitation Pump designed exactly for this purpose.

First is to remove the 1 1/2”  “Tank” and “Overboard” hoses from existing valve.

Select the location for the “Overboard” selector valve.

I used West System two part epoxy to attach mounting block to the hull interior. The manual described the consistency to be like peanut butter. Obviously my first batch was a little on the runny side of peanut butter.  I got it right the second time though!

After a little clean up, a count of primer and coat of paint nearly ready to go here. Well except for a last minute decision to replace the hose connected to the deck fitting, so one more to pull out then we really are ready to go.

The pump and “tank discharge selector valve” will be mounted on the stringer just aft of the rudder post so we will need to add an access hatch there. (Note: I don’t recall if Grandpa Emerson or Dad gave me that jig-saw but I suspect its as old as I am and twice tough!)

I also took the opportunity to give the tank/bladder locker a coat of 2-part epoxy to make sure things were really sealed up in case of leaks!

With all the old hoses removed and compartments freshly painted next we will start putting it all back together next weekend!

Please let me interrupt the planned article for a quick PSA (Public Service Announcement). We have relocated the Magnolia and Seamless Sailor Blogs so you might notice a some small changes. In addition Magnolia now has her own Facebook Page (of course she would ) which you can subscribe to. That concludes the PSA, thank you for your attention!

This project started out as a simple Lifeline replacement and toss in re-bedding a couple of stanchions and davit mounts. No big deal right? Yes and then enters “Scope Creep” (Hear the organ music from Phantom of the Opera?) “Scope Creep, what the heck is that?” Scope Creep occurs when a project gets bigger than its initial plan. In the case of this project it was found that each stanchion was mounted differently. Some had threaded backing plates, some had no backing plates and some were not even through bolted!

In the case of the davit mounts the through bolts had some little wimpy washers that were deforming from the load. Before you get on me about the stainless next to aluminum ignore that. I am taking on some risk of bi-metallic corrosion but I am aware and will monitor. Since this is a DIY (Do It Yourself) project I opted to get some aluminum stock from Home Depot of various widths so I could use the widest possible for each individual instance. Believe when I say these pictures were the easiest thing to do with these plates. These things were a bear to get to even after a couple of small interior modifications! At least now they can be observed unlike they had been for the first 2o years of boat life and much better maintained in the future. My buddy Greg taught me, “if you take something apart on a boat, make sure you can take it apart a second time cause at some point you are going to have too!” With the davits more secure it was time to move on to the stanchions.

The original plan was to remove the Port Gate Fwd Stanchion and Port Stanchion #3 and simply epoxy a crack in the teal cap rail, re-bed the hardware and be done. Unfortunately we were unsatisfied with method used to secure the gate stanchion so we decided we better remove all of them. As the chart below indicates we still have some data to gather but at least we will where stand and where we need to add plates and devise additional access below decks. When we get the stanchions and lifelines re-installed in the spring we will know everything will be installed as securely as possible.

Ok, perhaps we are not at Crunch Time yet…..but I can see it from here! As the calendar counts down I can feel the first inklings of dead-line anxiety! We hauled (pulled out of the water) Magnolia a little early this year because we wanted to address some deck issues namely lifelines, lifeline stanchions and some less than perfect teak work.

We removed the lifelines and will fabricate new ones over the winter. The lifelines in conjunction with the stanchions are the last line of defense to stay aboard Magnolia in the midst of an unfortunate accident. I joke that the only rule on Magnolia is to stay on the boat and those lifelines are your last shot! The lifelines are made up of stainless steel cable, some are coated in a plastic sheath others are left bare. Coated or uncoated is a religious question and this blog does not address religion or politics so that is discussion for another blog.

Stanchions though, well there is no debate there. They need to be securely as possible attached to the boat. The best way to do this is called thru-bolting, where a bolt is passed through the stanchion plate, through the deck, through a metal plate under the deck and finally having washer and nut added with sufficient bedding compound (caulk) to make it all water proof.

As can be seen, of the three screws only the middle screw is a thru-bolt while the outer screws simply penetrate the teak cap rail. The preference would be that all 6 were thru-bolts (3 on each side). We at least have the two and frankly we will take that. Sadly at some point in the past the stanchions were removed the nuts and washers were never replaced on the thru-bolts. MAJOR safely foul there. Even worse I had a piece of teak replaced last year and the gentlemen that did the work (a “Maritime Industry Professional”) used 6 wood screws not even attempting to thru-bolt the stanchion. That was a DOUBLE MAJOR safely foul. He endangered us and everyone who sailed on Magnolia and will never get near another boat of ours as long as I live!  I will stop now but check with me before you have work done by a yard in the West River area.

The picture above looks pretty “poopy” but actually things will be looking MUCH better after a little cleaning, polishing and sanding. More importantly once Annette and I get the stanchions re-installed with proper thru-bolts and backing plates we will be MUCH safer too!

As soon as we get the deck chores done we will have the shrink wrap applied and move onto our below deck chores. The first one, Sewage System Improvements! REALLY excited to get into that one!

On the lighter side most people know how much Annette & I consider ourselves amateurs regarding our sail boat undertaking. We have come huge distances because of our mentors who have given SO MUCH of their time and from books of experienced authors that we consider our text books. Nigel Calder, Beth Lenard, Lin Pardey and the writings of Greg Rodgers are among the writings we keep close at hand. As luck would have it on my first visit to Magnolia since being hauled I saw an unusual but familiar hull shape right next to us. A quick view of her transom confirmed it was “S/V Hawk”, the boat sailed by Beth Lenard and her husband Evans Starzinger.

Obviously I am referring to the boat behind the trailer boat! Hawk has sailed all over the world and even around Cape Horn which is scary just thinking about it. I have a included a link to their travels here: http://www.bethandevans.com/map_voyage.htm.

Beth & Evans were working on Hawk as Annette and I were on Magnolia. We had to  introduced ourselves! They asked about Magnolia and complemented how great she looks for 22 years old! Our mentors Greg & Marie aboard Second Sally were anchorage mates with Hawk during last year during hurricane Irene. Beth & Evans were very kind and also quite interested on how we got to where we are in regards to training and such. I will add a link to Hawk as well. http://www.bethandevans.com/hawk.htm

I am sure you will be looking forward to that article on Sewage Systems so just be patient!

Be Safe, Anthony & Annette

Magnolia has been extremely blessed when it comes to Hurricanes! Last year Magnolia and I weathered Irene together but this year with Sandy things were different. Sandy was expected to be much worse and with the Irene experience I learned once the storm showed up, well there is little you can do. THE HURRICANE GAME IS WON OR LOST BEFORE THE STORM SHOWS UP! It is clearly all in the preparations. My parents were in town to visit my niece on Friday night so first thing on Saturday Annette and I got right to work by removing the head-sail, top side canvas and stowing the dinghy on the forward deck lashed down.  I returned to Magnolia on Sunday to take one more look around and double checking all was secure. Even a day and half before Sandy’s arrival the atmosphere was turbulent!

Sandy thankfully came ashore (Cape May, NJ) well north of our location at Galesville, MD. This meant that rather than having water pushed into the Chesapeake Bay at the same time we had the strongest winds the water would actually be “sucked” out. Notes: It’s a WHOLE lot easier to deal with too little than too much water, particularly when the wind is blowing 80-100mph! Once the storm had passed that’s when our high water conditions came to be with the water being “pushed in” by the strong southerly winds. We left the mooring lines a little long and Magnolia rode through just fine. Our friend Wes went to check on the boats and was kind enough to send us some “proof of life” photos. Over night the water was somewhere between 18-24 inches ABOVE the dock deck.

On Saturday Jack & Kathy Tennar along with Neil & Merle Brown drove down from New Jersey for a weekend visit. Below is me, Jack & Neil “doing our man look”

Kathy, Merle & Annette enjoy an afternoon of browsing the small shops that line the lovely downtown area.

Below we were able to observe a large Car Carrier transit the canal

 As quickly as the weekend started it ended and it was time to start heading for home. We did not have the best weather for our trip home. The forecast called for 18-22 knts of wind coming directly from the south which is the direction needed to go. We secured the boat the best we could and off we went. We split the 75 mile trip into two days but they were certainly long ones!

We did get to spend one more night in the lovely anchorage at Worton Creek which made the long haul worth while!

A more detailed map of our complete trip is available at: Magnolia Map

After leaving the truly spectacular Sassafras River Magnolia transited the Chesapeake & Delaware (C&D) Canal as far as Chesapeake City, MD.

Most ships going from or to Baltimore from Philadelphia, New York or Northern Europe transit the C&D Canal. Some of the largest ships in the world can and do pass through this canal. Thankfully we did not need to share the waters with the really huge ones. The barge and tug at anchor was plenty large!

Upon arriving at Chesapeake City we took advantage of the Anchorage Basin just off the canal which gave us a wonderful view of the Chesapeake City Bridge.

The C&D Canal is owned and maintained by the Army Corp of Engineers. (Canal Information) There is a small really enjoyable museum dedicated to the history of the canal. We had a very enjoyable visit. It is only open Monday – Friday though!

In preparation of friends our friends Tennars and Browns arriving we brought Magnolia into a slip to make it easier to have guests aboard. As you can see we needed to park right in front of that 53 foot Carver Power Boat. As you might know Annette does most of the boat driving in our family and this was no exception. Annette slipped Magnolia right in front of the Carver in-spite of the fact the Carver’s bow extended beyond the dock!

After spending a couple of days in Georgetown the Admiral decided it was time for some sightseeing so we moved Magnolia a few miles down the river to a remote corner creek where Harmon Plantation is located.  Harmon was an old Tobacco Plantation and though it was not open for touring we were able to tour the grounds after Blossom our dinghy brought us ashore!

Okay, I get why you might like a place like this….

Time to pile back in Blossom and head for Magnolia….hate to be late for Happy Hour! This was  literally “our anchorage” with not another soul in sight!

With our departure from Worton Creek to the Sassafras River the weather had not obviously improved but we just slogged along the best we could praying for some sun!

Perhaps we are a little biased but darn she is a good looking lady!

Yes, this one even more so!!! We decided to get off the boat for dinner and head over to the Kitty Knight Inn in Georgetown, MD. It was a lovely evening!

Yes those are Magnolias…must be a sign to get back to the boat! Not as easy as you might guess from the below!

We are going to walk where? for what?

“No Anthony we are not walking to  Elkton to see some stupid Rocket Motor”

“but Annette we got to see this cool historical maker….and George Washing slept here too!”

After spending Friday at the Annapolis Sailboat Show and time in the crowds, Magnolia was ready to get out of “dodge” and head up the bay. The forecast was for winds to clock from SW to N and we wanted to be at anchor by the time that happened. We had a lovely 35 nm trip north with the main sheeted all the way out anchoring in Worton Creek. Neither of us had been there before so we looked forward to exploring a new anchorage.

I am sure many of you have driven over the Bay Bridge but have you driven under it? It is actually pretty imposing looking at it from underneath!

As we entered Worton Creek the first thing we see is sticks with birds. The obvious question is do they have their own stick or is it first come first serve?

Worton Creek ended up pretty nice!