Winterizing Lil Provo

As most are aware, we have had some pretty crazy weather lately. We have had earthquakes, hurricanes, and early snow falls. What else has mother nature got in store for us. Before it gets to late into the season it was time to winterize Lil Provo. When I say winterize, it isn't the same as filling toilets with antifreeze or stuff like that, it is removing the bottled water and other drinks from the cabin. Anything that is liquid, like the spray cleaners under the sink. They will also freeze and can create a mess to clean in the spring. Have to move the porti potti to the basement along with the outboard. Anything that cold might bother gets moved into the basement. Later I will remove all the cushions and just about everything else in the cabin and lockers. I like to start each season clean, but by the end of the season, most the same junk is back on board. Why do I need four fishing poles, two tackle boxes, eight life jackets, 2 sets of rain gear, a tool box, had pumps, nets, boat poles, paddles, two GPS units, and much more. I try to get away with out some of it, but it always ends up back on the boat. Maybe I'm a hoarder sailor?

The end of the season

This season was trying. We had problems with the boat leaking, a hurricane, and the spreader falling apart once again. Most of the problems were covered in past posts. The season came about two weeks early for us and Lil Provo. We went to go sailing on Sunday the 9th of October. I arrived at the boat yard, found some idiot ran over the back corner of my dinghy cracking the fiberglass and breaking off the wood trim. The dinghy looked strong enough to get out to Lil Provo so we loaded her up and headed out for the boat. When we got about halfway there we noticed the spreader was apart, hanging, and the mast was woobling around. We had a cable holding it on three of the four sides, so I took one of my halyards and hooked it to the deck and then tightened it up to try to act as the cable. It seemed to work. In any case we did not go out and instead, we loaded up some of the things from Lil Provo into the dinghy to take home. We proceed back to the ramp and loaded the truck.

Before leaving, I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at the HMS23 Pilothouse sailboat I had been admiring for the past year. I had contacted the owner and he offered her to me at a great price. I went to the office to get the key and returned to find Gary had already placed a ladder along side of her. I climbed in and opened the lock. When I open the cabin door expecting a nice cabin with six foot head room I was greeted with a cabin full of water. This boat has been sitting for 2 to 3 years. It means the motor has been underwater for some time now, plus the wiring. It would have been a great deal, but the flooded cabin made it a no deal. I'm not looking for any major projects and just want to sail.

This is the second time the grass looked greener on the other side of the fence. In both cases I look back and am thankful that I have a boat like Lil Provo.

It has been a trying month

After we pumped out the basement, threw out all the junk that got wet and cleaned out work, we were able to get down to the boat. Before I get that far I need to say that Lil Provo came through fine up on land. No problems that I am aware of. When I called the boat yard and asked how things were going I was told that Lil Provo was sitting on her mooring. WHAT! What about the leak on the lower tiller bracket? The other end of the phone lite up with him calling himself dumb and stupid, etc. I assume after I hung up he went right out to bring Lil Provo back to shore to repair the leak. A couple weeks have gone by and I went down to check on her only to find her on the mooring. When I opened the companionway, the cabin had about 3" of water sloshing around the floor. I immediately went to the cockpit locker to open it up to see if there was water in the rear bilge from the lose tiller bracket. It was bone dry. Stupid me, I opened the floor inspection cover and more water came pushing into the cabin. I thought maybe the battery had died due to Tropical Storm Lee dumping so much rain on us. I pulled the battery from the dinghy and replaced the one in the cockpit compartment. I then went into the cabin and pulled the bilge pump from her stand down in the bilge. When I turned it on, it was barely moving. I came to the conclusion that the pump was shot. I pumped her dry with the hand pump and took a ride to West Marine where I picked up another pump. I got back to the yard and back out to Lil Provo where I changed the pump. It wasn't much fun laying on my stomach to get to the terminal strip under the cockpit. I did lay down some life jackets, but still got soaked. The test went fine and the pump was working well. I had killed most of my sailing time. The water was loaded with debri anyway, so I decided to sit it out and clean up the boat. Hopefully everything will remain in good shape until by return from China.

Ending August with Hurricane Irene

August went out with a bang here in Jersey, thanks to hurricane Irene.

We went sailing a few times the week before and had a great time sailing and fishing. The weather was warm and the fishing was pretty good. On August 26th I went down to take a sail and hopefully pull the boat out before the storm, but the boat yard had already taken her out and had her on dry land. Being I couldn't sail, I hung around the yard for a while and this is where I met Keith. The boat yard was full of boats on land and room was becoming a scarce thing. The harbor was like glass and there was virtually no wind. This was exactly what I picture when you hear the calm before the storm. As I looked out upon the bay I saw this boat moving around that looked like it belonged in a story book someplace. I have admired this cute little boat every time I pass her on the way out. Well I finally got a good look at her and met the owner. The boat took a long turn through the mooring field and headed right for the boat yard's ramp. I stood up on the bulk head about ten feet above the water and watched. Keith brought the boat in and tied her up while he got his truck and trailer ready to receive her. Putting a sailboat on a trailer can be tough sometimes when doing it by yourself. He backed the trailer into the water and the boat was drifting to the side as tides were changing. I jumped down to the cat walk along the bulkhead and gave him a hand pushing the boat sideways with my feet so he could winch her onto the trailer. With the little help I gave he was able to get her on the trailer. However, he couldn't pull her up the ramp as it was slippery from the changing tide. He eventually had to have the boat yard truck come over and pull his truck and boat up the ramp.

I now had a chance to look over Lil Provo to see how the bottom was. She was pretty clean with the exception of the slim coating the bottom. I now looked to see where we were taking on water as I have been looking for a leak for weeks. Well I finally found it. The bottom tiller bracket was loose allowing the water to seep in along side of the bolts. I brought the yard owner over to show him and ask if it could be repaired before putting her back in the water. He assured me that would not be a problem. I left the boat yard feeling comfortable the boat would be safe during the storm and that the leak I had been dealing with would be fixed. No I could go home and deal with preparing for the hurricane.

I won't bore you with the flooding that attacked my home home and business, requiring days of cleaning, sorting, and getting rid of so much stuff. I finally had a chance to call the boat yard to check on the boat and how they did with the hurricane. I called and was told that they made out okay and Lil Provo was on her mooring. I immediately questioned the repair of the leak and John had forgotten. Easily understood based on all the things he had to take care of. He said he would take care of it. On Saturday I took a ride down to the boat yard with a fresh battery for the bilge pump. I found Lil Provo sitting on her mooring and her water line was sitting high. We took a trip out with the dinghy to replace the battery and found the tiller bracket was fixed and that the rear bilge was bone dry. There was a little water on the cabin floor which I mopped up so I could see if she was still leaking on my next visit. We left with a feeling that everything was okay and went home to deal with more of the flood damage at work and at home.

Sailing on my Birthday

Yesterday was one of the best sailing days I have had in a couple years. The weather was perfect with the wind from the Northeast, a few puffy cumulus clouds, nice sun between the clouds, and only about 80 degrees. The water temperature was 77 degrees according to the electronics. Everything was perfect. I raised both sails as soon as we were out of the mooring field and were off headed to Long Island New York. I let the sails out a little as to reduce the heal, but tried to maintain our speed and direction. We were cruising! When the boat hooks up with the wind, you can feel the boat tighten up and the tiller get hard to move. This is always a great feeling. Trying to keep the boat in this position is always a challenge. Every now and then one of the larger waves would come rolling over the bow and bring us a chill back in the cockpit. We had no tacking today, a straight shot there and back....perfect. We ended with us back on our mooring in Keyport Harbor feeling good about where we had been and the distance traveled. It was a great day for sailing!

Fishing From A Sailboat

The past couple weekends the summer flounder have been biting very well. We decided to sail on out to the channel and try our luck at a few of these good tasting flatties. We left and headed to the area that had the best write ups in the local fishing news. However, there were so many boats and large vessels moving around, I couldn't believe there would be good fishing with so much activity going on. We gave it a try for an hour or so and moved away from the congestion to a spot where we caught a bunch of fluke.


Once we got to an area that had less traffic we were able to get some strikes on our baits. The first mate "Blue" caught the first two fish and some nice fish he caught. We fished on a drift that took us almost two miles. It was busy with hits and fish along this great drift.


We called it a day and went back to the mooring a couple of happy sailing fishermen.

July 3rd and 4th

This holiday weekend started with some great thoughts of sailing everyday, however, mother nature had other ideas. I had to tend bar on Saturday, so that wasn't mother nature's fault, but it started everything in the wrong direction. The weather channel changed it's weekend forecast to rain on Sunday. How dare they do that to me! We still made an attempt to go sailing. We got down to the boat yard around 10:00am and it was raining pretty hard. I suggested we take a ride to Fair Haven to look at another boat I have been eyeing. We got to Fair Haven and the rain had stopped, it even looked like it was beginning to clear. As we stood next to the boat Gary said that this looks a lot bigger than your boat. I said' "Yessssss". It was another ODay, but this one has something called sail drive. It looks like the bottom of an outboard sticking out the bottom of the hull. I need to do some research before I do anything further regarding this boat.

We then drove back to Keyport and stood at the top of the boat ramp looking out at Lil Provo. It was then I noticed one of the guys I had met at the yard standing on his boat in the pouring rain looking around. I immediately noticed he had a white dinghy, not the red one he usually uses. While we stood under the make lift gate of my truck, blocking us from the rain, we watched him come back to shore. When he arrived to the boat ramp he was screaming and yelling about someone had stolen his hand made dinghy last night. We hate to hear things like this! We stood around a little while longer hoping for the rain to stop, but it didn't so we headed home.

Monday was suppose to me a great day. We packed up and left early on Monday and got down to the boat to find the mooring field sitting in a big bowl of pea soup. There was fog, heavy fog! By the time we got the dinghy in the water and loaded up, the fog had begun to thin out. We went a couple miles out and baited some hooks and threw them over the side. We had a great time catching Fluke. We only had two keepers, but it was a fun day fishing. Later on, the sun came up, but the wind stayed at a low breeze. We finished up our day around 2:00 and headed home to take care of our picnic appointments. It turned out to be a really fun day.

Fathers Day in Keyport Harbor NJ

Sailing on Fathers Day was a blast. I knew I had the typical Dad obligations all day and had to get to the boat early so I could be home by noon. Arrived about 8:30am to the boat yard, another 15 minutes and I was pulling the dinghy up along side Lil Provo. It amazes me how dirty a boat gets just sitting there! I placed my daily supplies on board and climbed into the cockpit to stow the gear.

The harbor was like glass with no wind present at all. I gave a couple pumps to the gas bulb and started the motor, ran to the front to drop the mooring line and back to the cockpit to put the motor into gear. I motored on out into the bay where there was a great breeze for sailing. I opened the sails and let the wind take over. I hate the sound of a motor running lately. There is nothing to compare to doing six knots with only the sound of the water splashing against the hull. After a couple hours, I headed back to the harbor so I could secure Lil Provo and head home for Fathers day.

Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day weekend was the best weekend we had so far this year. The days were like summer days and the winds were moving good, as were the fish. We did run into some problems on Thursday which was our first day out. The bilge pump float died again and the boat yard chopped my look off of the cabin so they could get in and get my boom. They would usually just put her on the water without it and leave that up to me, but this year they had a new sail for me and wanted to make sure it fit. Now I have a newer jib and a newer main. They both work great! I went to West Marine and picked up a float for the pump and got that working fine. The boat was very good this weekend and it was a lot of fun. So much fun I didn't have time to take too many pictures, but what would a post be without pictures.



Next weekend we plan of have a real good time!

Lil Provo is finally ready

It has been a tough few weeks.  We have had so much rain and there is never a nice day when I am off.  It seems to take for ever to get the boat done this year.  Well, after weeks of squeezing in a little work between the raining, Lil Provo is ready.  I finished the bottom paint and the deck repair.  On Sunday we brought her down to the boat year where they will raise the mast and place her on her morring sometime today.  On Wednesday evening we will delivery the dinghy and on Thursday, I will go out sailing.  She looked pretty good when I towned her down there yesterday.  The trailer had the bnew axle and leaf springs in and I shouldn't have to worry about that stuff for years.  Here is a quick video of her on Sunday.

Weather is breaking, Boat is coming along

The spring has finally gotten here.  It is only weeks now until the boat goes into the water.  Last night we installed a new axle, leaf springs, and hardware under our trailer.  I increased the load capacity of the trailer at the same time.  Traveling home this winter taught me a lesson and I will not have to worry about the trailer being over loaded again.  We began the fiberglassing on the deck where a life line pole had broken the fiberglass under it's mount during the accident last September.  It is only a six by six section and I only need to add a couple more layers of cloth to bring it up to the level of the rest of the deck.  I can then remount the life line support pole.

We have cleared out most of the interior and will be staining the sliding door that divides the salon area from the front V birth and head. I have some redwood that I would like to add a small shelf area for more storage.  I need to also mount my fire extinguisher and organize my cockpit compartment.  I have been sliding the fishing poles down one of the settees for years now, but I will try to find someplace I can mount them out of the way.   The bottom of the boat still needs to be touched up and will have to look into getting some paint this week.  I will also need to paint the area of deck that was repaired.  I think I still have some of the gray non slip paint in the basement.

The mast needs some attention.  I need to put a hole in it so I can run the wires out for the anchor light and antenna.  This will allow the wires to hang out instead of mounting the mast and finding out you can't get to the wires to plug them in.  I will give all deck plates a coating of silicone to minimize any water passing by.  Need to purchase a new antenna and Windex to replace those lost in the September accident.  I am getting a new or used mainsheet.  Something in better condition than what I have.  The sailmaker recommended replacing the original sail and keep it for a backup.  I have a newer jib now as the original was ruined in the accident as well.

Yes, there seems to be lots to do, but working evenings and weekends, this will all be done and ready by the 21st.  Once I get her all done and I have some time, I'll add pictures to these posts. I'll be back soon!

Starting that preparation for the coming season

After having the boat repaired from the accident she had in September when she dragged the mooring during a storm, I brought her home as noted in my last blog.  On that trip the axle started to bend due to rust.  I have now ordered a new axle and expect that any day now.  I am also buying new leaf springs so I won't have to worry about the suspension for years to come. 

I just brought my mainsail to the sail maker and was told to use it as a spare.  The sail is the original and someone before me had holes at the ends of the battens which they repaired, but had to shorten the battens to stop the wear.  So now I am in search of a sail.  I will check with the boat yard first to see if they have one and if they don't, I'll have to but a new one.  The jib will be in better shape than the old one as after the accident I bought a replacement from the yard that was in very good condition.  Now all I will have left will be to replace the running rigging.

 I have been cleaning the water stains on the outside off and will wax the hull after I complete this task.  The interior will be stripped out and everything cleaned when we get some good weather.  That has been hard to find lately.  The is a spot on the deck where a pole for the life line was knocked over during the accident and I will fiberglass that once I know we will have a few good days of fair weather.

Thats it for now.  I'll keep the blog posted on upcoming events.

Lil Provo is home

Saturday, February 19th I drove down to the boat yard to see if I could get Lil Provo home.  When I arrived all the snow and ice were gone.  She was on her trailer at the top of the lot. I proceeded home and called Blue to advise him that Sunday would be the day.  Sunday morning we drove down to the shore to pick up Lil Provo. We hooked her up to our hitch and pulled her out of her spot.  We climbed on board to make sure everything was tightened down for the trip home.  I open the cabin to see there was 4" of water inside.  I knew this was adding a lot of weight to the trailer so I pulled out the hand pump and started pumping.  I eventually had to switch off to Blue and let him do some pumping.  I tried to use the bilge pump, but it was frozen in ice.  After about a half hour we got the water level down to the sole level.  The bilge was still full.  I thought that would be enough reduction in weight for the trip home.  It kind of pissed me off that the guys in the boat yard would park a boat with the nose down.  Nobody said the workers were the sharpest pencils in the tin.  We had to travel on major highways to get her home.  On the way back a guy was pointing at our trailer and trying to say something.  We couldn't figure out what it was he was trying to tell us, all tie downs looked taught and things seemed okay. When we pulled off the highway I noticed a cloud of white smoke coming from the tires, but they were full of air.  I travel a little further down the street and saw another puff of smoke. I pulled into a school lot and got out to check on the trailer.  Everything seemed fine, except the tires were rubbing on the trailer frame. The axle was bending due to the heavy load and rust! We only had a couple more miles to go and we figured we would give it a try.  We arrived at my home and parked the boat in the back yard. Out uneventful trip could have easily been a very memorable trip if the axle had broke through.

I had a chance to inspect the work done to the damage that happened in September. She looked good, could barely see any repair. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! Now to set up my schedule of things to do.