Trip to Europe (and back) begins

[dLj]

Suggested Safety Gear

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WestMarine's Safety advice.
Safety Harnesses Tethers and Jacklines | West Marine

Stay safe, please.

Jim...

Thank you - I've got all that already and have been using them for a year now. The double clip tether I consider mandatory. You are never unclipped as you move about. Offshore heavy weather clothing - check. I've also got a wetsuit with hood, gloves and footsies.... Actually, I have a dive outfit with a Hookah... Flat webbing for jack lines. No slipping if you step on one...

dj

 

[PaulK]

We took a northern Great Circle route from CT to Ireland, leaving in June. Couldn't believe how cold & damp it was, despite multiple layers of pants, shirts, sweaters & jackets, hats and cabin heater. Fleece gloves squeeze dry and cut the wind. Fog, limiting visibility to a max of about 1/2 mile and down to a boat length, for a week, was not fun. If you take a northern route, coming from the Chesapeake, pack like you're going to go skiing.

 

[dLj]

We took a northern Great Circle route from CT to Ireland, leaving in June. Couldn't believe how cold & damp it was, despite multiple layers of pants, shirts, sweaters & jackets, hats and cabin heater. Fleece gloves squeeze dry and cut the wind. Fog, limiting visibility to a max of about 1/2 mile and down to a boat length, for a week, was not fun. If you take a northern route, coming from the Chesapeake, pack like you're going to go skiing.

Yes indeed - June is early for the Northern route, July is the better month is my understanding. If I were to run the northern route, I'd probably do a more leisurely run up the East Coast arriving in Nova Scotia in July. But time will only tell. Still finishing up all the preparations to the boat.

dj

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Yes indeed - June is early for the Northern route, July is the better month is my understanding. If I were to run the northern route, I'd probably do a more leisurely run up the East Coast arriving in Nova Scotia in July. But time will only tell. Still finishing up all the preparations to the boat.

dj

My vote would be for the northern route. Your boat has sweet lines and what a foredeck! Love to see her in person in our neck of the east coast! I know a group heading for LIS, ultimately Mystic in June/ early July who might be company. Sailing UMA departed for Europe and had some very interesting experiences in Novia Scotia & Newfoundland, though NFL would probably be out of the way heading toward Azores, I imagine. Have fun!

 

[dLj]

My vote would be for the northern route.

I've always wanted to do the Northern route but it needs to be later in the summer. Will see how timing works out...

Your boat has sweet lines and what a foredeck!

Hahaha - there is an identical boat on the Chesapeake that several of the folks where I'm at know - it was called the party boat because everyone would gather on the foredeck after events to party... It's certainly got the space...

Love to see her in person in our neck of the east coast!

Come down and visit...

I know a group heading for LIS, ultimately Mystic in June/ early July who might be company. Sailing UMA departed for Europe and had some very interesting experiences in Novia Scotia & Newfoundland, though NFL would probably be out of the way heading toward Azores, I imagine. Have fun!

Send me the details on the group.

Having fun is the goal!

dj

 

[Ward H]

Dave,
Good chance you met them at my wedding last year. Dick (our photographer) and Hunt are organizing the trip. Barnegat to Sandy Hook, up thru NYC on the East River to LIS out to Mystic. Leaving 6/22.
@Scott T-Bird Turns out we can’t do the whole trip but can do a couple of days if your still interested in that.

 

[dLj]

Dave,
Good chance you met them at my wedding last year. Dick (our photographer) and Hunt are organizing the trip. Barnegat to Sandy Hook, up thru NYC on the East River to LIS out to Mystic. Leaving 6/22.
@Scott T-Bird Turns out we can’t do the whole trip but can do a couple of days if your still interested in that.

@Ward H Yes, I met Dick at your wedding. So you folk are looking at the reverse trip from what I did bringing my boat to the Chesapeake. Keep me updated. Are you familiar with Salty Dawg? They have a rally going from the Chesapeake to Maine, then from Maine to Nova Scotia. Depending upon my time frame getting my sail luff taken care of (major glitch at the marina...sigh), I'll see where I head first. I've got my fingers crossed that I can get it taken care of sooner rather than later, but will see.

dj

 

[Ward H]

No, not familiar with Salty Dawg. Sounds like it might be something you should go on.
Dick and Hunt do a variation of this trip about every other year, the off year being a trip to the Chesapeake. I did the reverse with @Scott T-Bird when I crewed for him when he brought down this C=320 from Buzzards Bay in 2020. Great trip.

 

[gpatron]

My crossing and tour our the coasts of the Med was a life changing experience .
Even wrote a book!
We left in June from Newport (lost of prep resources there ) to Azores (a wonderful stop ) the to Lisbon and the Med. Good weather all the way.
Best of luck to you.

 

[Will Gilmore]

to Azores (a wonderful stop )

Got to put a painting on the seawall in Horta.

-Will

 

[dLj]

My crossing and tour our the coasts of the Med was a life changing experience .
Even wrote a book!
We left in June from Newport (lost of prep resources there ) to Azores (a wonderful stop ) the to Lisbon and the Med. Good weather all the way.
Best of luck to you.

So what's the book? Can I get a copy?

dj

 

[dLj]

Got to put a painting on the seawall in Horta.

-Will

Im not actually planning to stop in Horta. They have new rules where they charge you just to anchor out. I'm planning to go to Angra instead. It has the best anchorage in the islands..

dj

 

[dLj]

The installation of the Viking life raft was very interesting. I haven't had a life raft on a boat in about 30 years. They have notably improved.

Note in this image an interesting structure that holds the raft to the frame. You see the top shackle with the red pull tab connected to a rope with a yellow thimble, there is a canister on the right and then below that another thimble in red. That red thimble holds the pink and blue fleck cord that is the pull cord to inflate the raft. Below that is another black thimble connected by a shackle to the frame. If you look closely, you'll see the white with black fleck line that runs from there up through the cannister and the top yellow shackle. that white with black fleck line is that holds the life raft onto the frame. This means the life raft is released two different ways: 1) If you pull the red tab and release the quick connect - you'd then throw the life raft overboard and pulling the pink and blue fleck cord the raft inflates. 2) The boat starts sinking, you can't get to the raft, but when that canister goes underwater far enough, it cuts through that cord releasing the raft, floating up until it pulls the pink with blue fleck cord and the raft inflates...

It's pretty amazing - I think anyway...

dj

 

[kappykaplan]

It's pretty amazing

Agreed!

 

[rgranger]

The installation of the Viking life raft was very interesting.
dj

Did you install it or did Viking install it? What does one of those cost?

 

[JamesG161]

What does one of those cost?

Here is WestMarines advice on Life Rafts

Guide to Choosing a Life Raft for Recreational Boating | West Marine

Jim...

 

[dLj]

Did you install it or did Viking install it? What does one of those cost?

I bought the raft and frame from Viking. I was debating getting just the raft but then I wasn't sure where I was exactly going to mount it as I couldn't quite figure out if the old life raft structure would work for this new one, so I got both the raft and the mounting apparatus. I'm REALLY glad I did! Essentially I just had to bolt down four points of the frame and set the life raft up on the frame - done. I did end up using my original structure but I had to modify it a bit. But it worked great and it's a good location on this boat for a life raft.

Reading the article @JamesG161 tagged - you'll note the different "levels" of rafts - I got the Solas A version which is the top of the line off-shore more than 24 hours to rescue edition. I'd have to look it up but I think with shipping and everything it was about $3k. Certainly not cheap...

dj

 

[dlochner]

I'd have to look it up but I think with shipping and everything it was about $3k. Certainly not cheap...

That sounds about right and then there is the triennial or biennial inspection for $1500. Chump change if you watching the waterline sink lower in the water. Lots of money for something you hope to never use.

I bought a Viking Coastal version among other devices I hope to never use.

 

[dLj]

That sounds about right and then there is the triennial or biennial inspection for $1500. Chump change if you watching the waterline sink lower in the water. Lots of money for something you hope to never use.

I bought a Viking Coastal version among other devices I hope to never use.

Yes, I got the extended time frame. Definitely not chump change. But if you are picking up crew and going off-shore, not sure you can find someone (you'd want on your boat) without an up-to-date liferaft...

dj

 

[dLj]

So time has been flitting away and I'm still at the dock. A couple glitches, some work that fell through the cracks and a real surprise that had to be fixed. I have a luff cloth that needed to be replaced but the marina here at first thought they could make it then at the last minute realized they couldn't and I needed to get it done by North Sails here in Annapolis. Not a huge problem except for timing. There was an Annapolis to Newport race that had them totally tied up for weeks.

An overview and close-up showing the fabric was on its last legs. This has just been changed and installed yesterday. New one looks amazing! I'll have to take photos.

But the big surprise was during the rigging tune and the rigger wanted to change the side whiskers on my bowsprit. Removing the cranse iron, low and behold the wood was damaged, cracked, with some amount of dry rot. Not good.


This had to be addressed. At first I thought to fill in everything with structural epoxy, but everyone here I talked to said better to laminate another beam on. Pretty sure I'm out of photo space so next post will show finished work. I'm actually sitting here doing final coats of UV protection coatings.

dj