Don't Tread Upon Me!
FBBB,
Well it almost didn't happen.
5 days ago my daughter and I were out scooning along the Western edge
of Lake Montauk at a fair clip when BAM!!! The daggerboard stuck a
submerged rock, we were both pitched forward into the cockpit, and
water started gurgling in from somewhere between the bulkheads. I sized
up the rate that the water was coming in, took a guess at how fast and
how long Margaret would be able to bail, and decided we had a better
than 50/50 chance of making it back to South Lake Beach.
Well thanks to Margaret we made it back, and the next day some kids
from the sailing school helped me put her on her side up on the dune to
dry out. One Friday I mixed up a batch of Raka slow w/microfibers and
pugged up the crack as best I could. Yesterday we rolled her back over,
and what do you know! The repair is water tight.
I lace the sails back on, tied a little block to the end of the main
gaff, ran up the First Naval Jack, and off we went. All around the lack
I could see heads turning. On the Fourth of July wouldn't want a better
look at a clipper-bowed, gaff-rigged schooner flying a candy-stripped
"Don't Treat Upon Me" flag! After parading around the lake, we tied her
up on her float and went home for BBQ'd steaks and then went up to Fort
Hill cemetery (Teddy Roosevelt!) to watch fireworks.
I went back down this AM, and her waterline appears unchanged. Perhaps
I'll do a re-build of the daggerboard case this Winter, but it looks
like the patch will do for now.
YIBB,
David
Well it almost didn't happen.
5 days ago my daughter and I were out scooning along the Western edge
of Lake Montauk at a fair clip when BAM!!! The daggerboard stuck a
submerged rock, we were both pitched forward into the cockpit, and
water started gurgling in from somewhere between the bulkheads. I sized
up the rate that the water was coming in, took a guess at how fast and
how long Margaret would be able to bail, and decided we had a better
than 50/50 chance of making it back to South Lake Beach.
Well thanks to Margaret we made it back, and the next day some kids
from the sailing school helped me put her on her side up on the dune to
dry out. One Friday I mixed up a batch of Raka slow w/microfibers and
pugged up the crack as best I could. Yesterday we rolled her back over,
and what do you know! The repair is water tight.
I lace the sails back on, tied a little block to the end of the main
gaff, ran up the First Naval Jack, and off we went. All around the lack
I could see heads turning. On the Fourth of July wouldn't want a better
look at a clipper-bowed, gaff-rigged schooner flying a candy-stripped
"Don't Treat Upon Me" flag! After parading around the lake, we tied her
up on her float and went home for BBQ'd steaks and then went up to Fort
Hill cemetery (Teddy Roosevelt!) to watch fireworks.
I went back down this AM, and her waterline appears unchanged. Perhaps
I'll do a re-build of the daggerboard case this Winter, but it looks
like the patch will do for now.
YIBB,
David