One more Challenger afloat after long dry spell

[hudson challenger]

The Ode to Joy went into the Hudson River last weeend, after over a decade on jackstands and then a solid year of full-time refit. It was tricky at the end; dodging a bullet from Irene as it roared up the Hudson RIver Valley. The giant boatshed tent I rebuilt her in at my house was blown up into air, crashed hard and wrecked, but boat had been moved out to marina only 5 days before storm; only dammage was good old boatshed and all my lawn furniture. Boat was fine on jackstands at Rondout Harbor, masts were on the ground and flooded in 3 feet of water, new lights and clean halyards covered in mud, but OK.

Now the boat is floating, and a new chapter is opened. Need to align prop shaft, improve sails, replace bilge pump, learn parking skills. Still have not raised a sail: waiting for a luff tape to be added to old jenny to try my new roller furler, but we motored out into the glorious post-storm Hudson River yesterday and took a lap around the lighthouse. SO Fine. Thanks to TY on this page, and Kittiwake and many other friends for the help so far. Lower Hudson River, Long Island Sound, and Cheasapeake cruises await. Hope to see some sister ships out there.

Here is a link to some before and after boat work photos:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1448880154375.56532.1604367412&l=a0bd6254f4&type=1

 

[Philip dann]

Actually there are 2 more afloat this year,Black Star has been afloat in the Connecticut river at Portland after a 13 year spell in Yankee Boatyard.She is motorable but has no masts fitted as yet,Irene just forstalled the mizzen going up and we spent a choppy night aboard when she passed through.
Coming out anytime soon as I return to the UK in 2 weeks time and have had to wait for the floods to recede for the boat lift to get usable again.Maybe with luck I shall be sailing next summer and hope to see more Challengers in Long Island sound and have hopes of a better summer next year.

 

[TomY]

Great news! Congrats to both of you. This was a good year for Challengers.

Say Joe, I followed your blog(it was good, I don't know why you didn't have a horde following it), and can relate to your cabin leaks. Don't despair, we can fix them. They must be fixed, no other option.

We are essentially wooden boats, with all their problems above, the decks. I have a first class wooden boat yard in my neighborhood where I get the real answers.

I know almost all of them intimately. There's only ONE, I haven't been able to stop(I can't talk about it).


This winter, give as much info here, and we can compare notes. I also pulled and rebedded that trim piece just a couple years ago, and I screwed up. I'll be pulling it this winter. I've been through that one before, successfully, which is frustating...

 

[stevens]

Joe i was very sorry to hear about ode to Joy . If you want I invite you for a sail aboard Foolish Things at Larchmont Yacht Club. I bet i'm the closest forum member to you.Foolish things is a 1961 Alden Zephyr Yawl . if you don't know the Zephyrs, they have lines like the Challenger with one less port. If you sent me your eMail i'll forward some pic's