T-Minus 5..4..3..2..1......

Hard to believe it's only 5 days to go. Seems like yesterday I had just started the blog and bought a beat up old sailboat that needed a lot of attention. I've given BeBop all the money, time and skill that I have in hopes that when the time comes she'll take care of me. I'm rather worried about her sinking or something right at the dock when the travel lift puts her in. I can't afford to buy comprehensive insurance to replace her if something happens so this is probably where my fear is coming from. None the less, until I see she's floating without issue and the bilge water level alarm doesn't go off within say...2 minutes of launch....I will worry.

Ok lets back up a step and let me catch you all up with the current state of Half Note. We left off in the last post right after Rich and I had cut her in half. Since then we glassed the bulkhead seams, drilled the holes for the bolts that will hold her together, fabricated the seat, finished the trim, mounted the oar locks and pins the new oars and did the float test Wensday night. I wish to give Rich credit in getting a lot of that done last week. There is no way I could of completed it this fast without his help.

Here is the picture of the seat after cutting it out and screwing on the support legs.

Here's me last Wensday at the beach during sunset getting ready to bolt her (bow and stern) together for the first test.

Since Rich put in so much time to get her ready so quickly, I let him take her out first.

Me in a rather horrible photograph (I was very tired) rowing by close to the shore. The balance is perfect this time compared to Notes which I felt was bow heavy. She rows like a dream too. Very easy, very quick.

Testing stability by standing up and rocking her back and forth. Rich was egging my on trying to get me to fall in by standing on the seat until he realized I had both cell phones, the house keys, the car keys and a vhf radio with me. Then he really wanted me to sit down lol. ^_^

With luck I'll at the very least have her primed by the time BeBop launches. (and hopefully doesn't sink) She doesn't have much in the way of carrying capacity, so if I need to haul a lot of water, food or gear all in one trip, I'll end up either towing her with a kayak or towing a inflatable with Half Note. Which way depends on how much money I have. She'll get a single person back and forth to shore ok though which is what I wanted in the first place.

Moving on to BeBop, this weekend Rich and I painted her bottom with black anti fouling paint. It was all going great until we took off the painters tape and with it about half the bootstripe!! I was not a happy man. For whatever reason Brightsides does not want to stick to Primocon primer vs the Pre Kote primer I used for the white on the hull. The bootstrip was about half on Pre Kote and half on Primocon so the bottom half on the Primocon peeled off nearly like a banana. The solution was simply to raise the waterline and decrease the thickness of the bootstripe. It's hard to see much of a difference anyway since it was black next to a dark green. I'm pretty happy with how it came out regardless.

I've also started moving everything back on board. Sails, cushions, stove....coffee pot etc.

Looking forward into the V berth, you can see all the sails, the trolling motor, spinnaker pole, cockpit umbrella's and dodger. That big white bag is the spinnaker.

Looking aft at the quarterberth cushions back in and vhf installed...looking sharp.

Since we brought her back home she was sitting next to the house. To minimize tracking dirt into her while I put her gear back onboard, we moved her into the driveway Sunday afternoon. It was a cool moment amongst the stress of trying to get it all done and more than one passing car stopped out front of the house to take a good long look! (or maybe they've never seen a twin keel sailboat upclose. ^_^)


View from astern, you can see curtains up in this picture.

I'm taking most of next week off to finish putting gear back onboard, work on Half Note and I expect it to take the better part of a whole day to get the mast rigged and back up on deck into it's storage position. I've made arrangements to get her hauled in not more than about 5 miles from the house for a good price even if they won't allow me to step the mast in their yard. (they want $75 a hour to do it..NOT!!) I plan on motoring around the corner and with the help of my friends put it up while at anchor. The area is very calm and unless the weather is horrid this shouldn't be a problem.

I want to have another post up late next weekend or Monday night covering the launch and trip to her new slip...of course if she sinks I guess I will have to cover that too. What? Me worry?

I am....it's in my nature.

Until next time....Fair winds....