BOOM!

How to repair a boom without any experience.

Step one: Remove boom from boat.

Step Two: Analyze boom and grimace as you realize it is bent in not one, but two directions!

Step Three: Remove all of the hardware from boom including all of the parts that have rusted into place. Might we recommend power tools?

Step Four: Prep your sleeving materials. In this case we are getting ready to cut down and cut the sail track out of a broken mast from a Catalina Capri. Major thanks to Tradewinds Sailing who donated this to the project and to the class of students that kept their cool and hauled all of the pieces of this broken mast back to shore after it broke under sail! Eek!

Step Five: Don your safety gear like a rockstar.

Step Six: Thank Tradewinds again for being the best sailing school around and for helping us in a million ways!!!

Step Seven: Bring out the pouty face because you are hungry and your husband is not responding quickly enough.

Step Eight: Take a grinder and cut the track out of the mast.

Step Nine: WIN!

 

Step Ten: Seek assistant with that last screw you can't get out! Thanks Steve!

Step Eleven: Call on your friends to help you try and re-bend your boom. When that doesn't work, just have a seat and enjoy the sunshine!

 

Step Twelve: While friends are sitting on the boom to keep it straight, shove the mast inside. 

Step Thirteen: Rivet the two layers of metal together! 

Step Fourteen: Re-drill all holes for the hardware you removed back in Step Three. It has to go thru both layers of metal now!

Step Fifteen: If your boom is old and sketchy looking like ours, now is the time to prep it for a new layer of paint. Basically that just requires sanding...

...and sanding...

...and sanding! No pictures, but next we painted it!

Step Sixteen: Have your friend Tom enjoy a cold beer while you drill weep holes into the boom. This gives water a place to go if it gets inside the boom.

Step Seventeen: Now it's time to put all of the hardware back on and re-run the outhaul line. If your arm is small enough this is a pretty simple task!

Step Eighteen: Put boom back on boat! Way to go!!

BOOM!

New anchor, new sail, new sailors

The weather is turning and here on the bay we are seeing the first signs of Summer weather! The days are longer and the winds are stronger and the urge to go sailing every weekend is beyond control.

Since last posting we've been sailing, bobbing and anchoring as often as possible. Since our initial sail we have added a new main sail! She is a thing a beauty! After installation we also discovered that our boom is bent, but we'll figure that out later! :-) For now we're enjoying the crisp, full battened main and her newly installed two line reefing system! (For the non sailors out there, reefing allows you to pull in part of the sail when the winds get high. Therefore, you have less sail area and it makes it easier, and safer, to manage the boat's movements).

Over President's Day weekend we headed over to Paradise Cove for our first night at anchor aboard our little home. The weather was divine and the herring were spawning, which led to thousands of sea birds and dozens of seals and sea lions joining us in and around the cove. Who needs TV?!

On the first night of our anchoring adventure four of our friends zipped over on their motor boat to join us for dinner and drinks! What fun to have house guests while out and away from it all!

 

 

 

 

We passed our time reading and of course singing loudly with the ukulele.



Two weekends ago we were lucky enough to have two out of town friends join us for a sail. It was the first sail for both Julia and JJ and I must admit it was one of the most perfect days we've ever had. The winds were light but sustained on the trip out of the marina which allowed us ladies to lounge on the fore deck and sip cocktails while our noble captain kept us safe. Once all of that girliness was out of our system the wind picked up and Malabar showed us her speed. It was great fun to have two newbies on board AND see their excitement! Thanks for a GREAT day!

Projects continue on the boat. Keegan is continuing to work on our electrical system and is spending his spring break replacing all of our lighting with LED lights. What a guy! My next project is to build the bimini so we can be protected from the sun this summer! Updates will be coming soon!

OH---sometimes the wind doesn't blow and we have to entertain ourselves...see below.

 

Malabar Under Sail

I'll admit, there were some nerves. After weeks of working on the rigging, hours of installing a new roller furler and at least 20 minutes of running catastrophic scenarios, the time had come for Malabar to set sail!

Winds were light at noon on the 20th of January as we fired up the motor and headed out of the channel. It seemed like only a few minutes before we were at the entrance to the Bay and it was time to hoist. Main sail UP! Jib OUT! And...we....were...OFF!

Even with light winds our beautiful home headed off towards Angel Island. The sun was brilliant overhead and the air crisp and clean. I think we're in love.

Thanks so much to our friend, John, for taking some photos of Malabar's big day. They are great!

We were lucky enough to go out again this past Saturday and experience all the bay has to offer. 20+ kt winds, 3-4ft quartering seas and more kelp and logs floating at the current lines than I've ever seen! Even with her worn out main sail Malabar held her own! Thanks to our friends and neighbors, the Eells, for tagging along on our wild ride!

Catching Up

Life has been busy for the captain and crew of Malabar over the last six weeks! The holiday season on D Dock was celebrated by many with colorful lights. I'll admit that I miss them now that they have all been taken down!

Work has continued on our standing rigging, but our schedule was thrown off by several very rainy weeks in December. Alas, the best laid plans sometimes get totally trashed by Mother Nature! But, we are SO THRILLED to announce that the rigging is COMPLETE!! The final touches were added yesterday and the aloft rig inspection is scheduled for tomorrow which means that in just a few short days we will own an actual sailing vessel, not just underpowered motor boat! YAY!

Happy to report that our rigging project has been a very educational experience and even stayed within budget! Shocking! We did have to give up on the old roller furler and order a new one. Sometimes dismanteling equipment from the 70's is just not worth the effort.

Enjoy the potporri of pictures below featuring our holiday season, final aloft work and a great day of snow, snow, snow while visiting family over the holiday!

**As of one hour ago, our standing rigging has passed inspection! Our boat is safe to sail!**

April and Watson fight the rigging pins

Hello Down There!



Candy Cane Mast!

A Great Gift from Keegan's Student

Boat lights

Holiday slippers with non-skid bottoms! Thanks Monica!

Enjoying the snow in Ohio!

My Bro..in the snow.

Merry Christmas!

Keegs enjoying our awesome Christmas present!

Installing boots!

Finishing up the last of our rig work!