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New Boat 4 Sled

skatzman said:
And there is a funny word for you, "wharfinger". I like words. It makes one wonder. Why not wharf manager? Or wharf master? SDK
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Hi Steve,
Though "wharfinger" is an outdated maritime word in this age of marinas, it is still used in many backwaters, especially in Canada. The definition, "the manager and operator of a commercial wharf," remains in most dictionaries. Curiously, "wharfinger" is also a legal term for court proceedings.

I like "wharfinger" because it is one of those serendipitous words you don't get to use very often :rolleyes:
 
Thanks to correspondent Red Roo in Boston for pointing out today is the 300th Birthday of the first and oldest lighthouse station in the country, Boston Light, on Little Brewster Island, at the entrance to Boston Harbor.

Boston Light.JPG

Historical Boston Light, still an important navigational landmark, was also the last "womaned" lighthouse, the sole remaining U.S. Coast Guard lighthouse keeper being Ms Sally Snowman. http://www.npr.org/2016/09/14/493794425/keeper-of-boston-light-reflects-on-americas-first-lighthouse

Here's a short video of our Birthday Lighthouse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSqINCvYeTU
 
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sleddog said:
1,000 miles south of the currently happening Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival, my homeport of Capitola Village is having its own end of summer celebration, the Capitola Art and Wine Festival. 30 boats are moored just offshore, some at anchor, more on moorings that include shoreboat service to the Wharf.

Capitola Art and Wine. Good news is no cars in the area, foot traffic only. Art always seems to look better after a few glasses of wine.

Our favorite accordionist, the Great Moorgani, is holding court to appreciative onlookers.

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At the Esplanade, local hula dancers are swaying to music from Polynesia.

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Today is the 50th wedding anniversary celebration of Dennis and Rainy Bassano, co-designers of the Olson-30 in 1977. The Olson 30, along with the Santa Cruz 27, the Moore 24, and the Express 27, all were built locally during the heyday of Santa Cruz ultralight boat building.
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longtime SSS friend and sailor and SHTP vet, George McKay also played his bagpipes in that very location, this weekend.
 
Philpott wrote: Oh, and there was a pod of dolphins playing close to shore.

Speaking of dolphins playing, Flippy and Synthia have checked in on their pilgrimage to visit relatives in the "Old Country," the Baltic countries of Lithuania, Poland, Latvia.

Despite his passport ("International Ocean Traveler"), getting Flippy through TSA Security required some creativeness having something to do with a fellow passenger with a mean kitty in a small box.

Flippy looks to be having fun in old town Vilnius surfing flower beds
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and meeting Polish and Lithuanian cousins
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as well as visiting 14th Century castles
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Flippy and Syn seem to be taking to heart their friends, Lin and Larry's mantra to "travel small, travel light, travel now." Never can tell where that pair will check in from next.
 
sleddog said:
Never can tell where that pair will check in from next.
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My heart sank when my own little flippy said: "Mama, why does Flippy get to fly to Europe with Synthia? All we ever do is work work work. I wish I was Synthia's little flippy."
 

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So what was the final outcome of the recent tussle between the Capitola Wharf and the 42 foot ferro-cement cutter TROUBADOUR that got wedged between Wharf pilings for 5 hours?
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Weighing a massive 35,000 pounds, the cutter had great potential for destroying part of the Wharf. However, it looked like the Wharf got the better of the matchup, cracking sections of TROUBADOUR's bulwarks and hull, as well as breaking the bowsprit and stern pulpit.IMGP0001-005.JPG

Reportedly, TROUBADOUR had been bought for $9,000. and insured for $30,000. Most "rock" boats are not insurable, so if this is true, the owner is fortunate. It's likely to take all the insured value, if not more, to fix the damage.

Bring on the trowels and Portland Cement.
 
Again, as in my Oct. 2007 ACL reconstruction, I'm sailing SOFA TO NOWHERE on an extended voyage. This passage is a physician prescribed, 6 week voyage of "non-weight bearing" to promote healing of my left foot ("paddle"), the result of podiatry reconstructive surgery 5 days ago that included insertion of a titanium plate, screws, rods, and tendon transfers.

For as long as I can remember the Big Toe on that foot has been increasingly pointing east when it should be heading north. The medical term for this congenital anomaly is "Hallux Varus", Hallux being the big toe, and Varus meaning a deviation inwards.
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Some say this congenital deformity is a result of going barefoot as a kid. This theory possibly holds water, as Hallux Varus remains common in the Third World where shoes are less common. Others wonder if I am part Maine lobster, and that is my "Crusher" claw?

All I know is that Hallux Varus is painful and prevents wearing of shoes, even 6E in width.
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It should be pointed out that there is no Hallux Varus deviation in the right foot. Strange. But as Howard S. would confirm, even Moore 24's are not symmetrical.

Perhaps it should be mentioned that this operation has been in the works for weeks. The first attempt in early August was postponed at the last minute due to possible stress fracture. The second attempt a week ago was also postponed as I was lying on the gurney, IV dripping, and about to be wheeled into the OR. It seems the left hand did not know what the right hand was doing, and the titanium plate had not been delivered to the hospital and was "missing."

Friday afternoon's third try was a success, although as I was entering dreamy land on the gurney, I noticed the OR Head Nurse was prepping the wrong foot. Holy Shit. "Never buy a car built on Friday" comes to mind.

Currently, a primary concern is maintaining my recently repaired foot above heart level 45 minutes out of every hour. This requirement has me staring at the ceiling, figuring how to mount a topping lift, cleat, and sling diaper for adjustment while prone. Calling DOMINO, DOMINO to the White Courtesy Phone please.
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So I'm floating merrily along, summoning energy and patience, on my 7 foot SOFA TO NOWHERE. Hopping on one leg is being practiced, plastic urinal bungeed to one leg. Good luck to all in the HMB Race!
 
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On the Way, rig kit in hand!
The scenic designer in me thinks that a vintage wood block & manilla gun tackle is more in keeping with the decor of the Capitola Maritime Museum of Small Boats than DOMINO's predilection to spectra and Karver widgits...

DH
 
Hi Skip,
Hope for quick recovery. Hope the doc's were thoughtful and attached a permanent bottle opener to the bottom of your foot. Who needs a flipflop? "Hi to Annie".

Patty
sv Dolfin
 
A surreal afternoon/evening as a mushroom cloud rose over Loma Prieta Peak, 8 miles inland. Homes and animals being evacuated as record triple digit temps were recorded in the area. Tonight from Capitola I can see 100 foot flames in the hills casting an eerie glow, reminiscent of growing up in S.Cal and seeing the mountains on fire.
Loma Prieta Fire.jpg
 
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Nice to hear from Synthia that Flippy is in Warsaw collaborating with Franz Liszt on his next piano concerto.
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I enjoyed another Polish interlude this morning when my foot surgeon PA cut-off the previous splint and applied a new blue fiberglas cast. The 3"x4 yard stretchy fiberglas cloth for this cast is made by 3M in Poland, and is activated by water reactive resin. It kicks off in 5 minutes and comes in 13 colors. I immediately contacted Howard and suggested we could possibly use this stuff in our boat repair business. His comment was the fiberglas cast cloth is porous and breathable, and apparently not waterproof.....

The removal of the splint temporarily revealed my new foot, and things are looking good according to the surgeon. Only 4 weeks to go before I'm able to walk again with both feet on the ground.
Hallux.jpg Hallux2.jpg

Unfortunately, Patty and Bill, the doctor's assistants balked at inserting a bottle opener in the bottom of the cast like in the flipflops. So we'll have to be without, hihi.

The MVP equipment is, by far, the knee scooter, which allows me to cruise around the house without crutches. Unfortunately, it is heavy (steel parts), has a large turning radius, marginal brakes, and the stability of an Aussie 18. So far I have not capsized. But there have been several near misses where a wheel caught a crack or door jam. Howard and I will be discussing making these handy scooters out of carbon fiber or PVC. IMGP0002-001.JPG

Of much less use to the single-footed sailor was the "beach accessible" wheelchair, mandated by the California Coastal Commission for State Parks near the water. My attempt to get the wheel chair, lacking any means of self-propulsion except by several sherpas pushing or carrying the thing, resulted in immediately getting stuck in the sand near the Cement Ship. The only thing to do was get out of the wheel chair, and hop push it along. Even then, I could see the large tires rubbing against the tube framework, creating massive friction. IMGP0001-005.JPG

Once back to the parking lot, I reverted to the knee scooter. And continued my education on the difficulty and lack of access for the disabled. Sea Cliff State Beach has a nice handicap accessible "promenade" along the waterfront. Unfortunately, the sand drifts apparently hadn't been cleared in months, and the knee scooter wheels sunk in. I detoured into the road, only to find eucalyptus berries hindered pushing with my good foot and again nearly capsized the scooter. As Jackie says, "welcome to the world of the disabled."

4 weeks to go before I'm able to walk again with both feet on the ground. Meanwhile, Jackie has suggested a higher caliber of fashion by painting the toes pink or red ....but they are now hidden under fiberglas, so that will have to wait.
 
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Now personally I think you can never go wrong with blue, but every sailor looks pretty in pink. Hmmm. What goes well with surgical thread? Always a fashion quandary.
 

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The replica of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo's flagship SAN SALVADOR arriving this morning in Morro Bay. Thanks to Craig Johnsen of nearby Los Osos for the photo.San Salvador.JPG

The original galleon SAN SALVADOR, under the command of Cabrillo, was the first European flagged ship to explore California, "discovering" San Diego Bay on Sept. 28, 1542 and claiming the new territory for Spain.

Cabrillo, disrepecting local natives along the way, continued sailing north, visiting Catalina, Santa Monica Bay, the Channel Islands, Cuyler Harbor on San Miguel Island, and ultimately reached the Russian River before turning south, back to overwinter at Catalina, where he died of gangrene after slipping on a rock and breaking a leg.

The new SAN SALVADOR, painstakingly researched and built in San Diego by professionals and volunteers as an educational platform, is sailing on her maiden cruise along the coast and recently visited Monterey Harbor before heading back south. At 92 feet overall, complete with chickens in cages, she is reportedly "full sized, fully functional, and historically accurate."

I'll bet Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo would have appreciated the John Deere diesels that drive his modern sister-ship to windward. :cool:

https://sdmaritime.org/visit/the-ships/san-salvador/
 
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And the water tight bulkheads, and the bottom paint, and the modern electronics (hidden away), and the access to modern medicine including antibiotics to avoid gangrene. I'll bet the food's better, too. Perhaps even that Coast Guard helicopter ride from the island to the hospital.

The last time we were in London we stopped by the "Golden Hinde" nestled in her permanent dry dock along the Thames on the Bank Side. I remember going out to greet her in 1988 when she visited S. F. to celebrate Drake's original visit to nearby Pt. Reyes (or maybe not?). The "Golden Hinde" crew, dressed in period costume, also appreciated their diesel engine. My pictures show the sails pressed back against the masts and shrouds as she "sailed" in under the Golden Gate Bridge.
 
Sometimes......
Sometimes when the Autumn light is right, and the sun is low to the west,
Santa Cruz has a special feeling.

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”SARAH” is a classic gaff-rigged Sharpie ketch designed in the 19th century, built by Bill Garvie (1919-2009) in San Rafael, California, and launched in 2005 when Garvie was 86.
http://www.californiaclassicsail.com/building-sarah.html

Thanks to long time local V.Vaughn Visnius for the tasty photos.
 
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