Restoring Grace: Week Two

This week was a bit more of an adventure than usual.

It started with a phone call from the captain who is looking after Grace, saying that we needed to put down some better ground tackle. The anchor rode was unraveling because of chafe against the bottom, and he had moved her to deeper water to get the rope off the bottom, but that meant that there was now insufficient scope to hold her securely. So it was off to Kelly Marine in San Pedro, to hunt for another anchor and and a chain rode. After looking over what was available we settled on a 20kg Bruce, 90' of 3/8" chain and a handful of swivels and shackles. We freighted the gear to the island on Friday afternoon, on the twice-daily barge.

Over the weekend, we shopped for other miscellaneous items and supplies. Early on Monday we headed out to get the last few items and catch the ferry to Avalon. If you have ever tried to find matching blocks for some rigging you will understand why a 10 minute stop took an hour and meant that we missed the early afternoon boat and had to wait till 5:00.

We reached Avalon as the sun was going down over the hills. We could see that Grace was indeed dragging, but the freight company was closed for the evening so we had to wait till the next day to get the gear. As we were unloading the tender I noticed that the water seemed a bit closer than I remembered. About 1.2 seconds later the meaning of this information dawned on me and I hurried below to check the bilge. Pulling up the floorboards revealed an unbroken pool of water lapping over the frames and everything else including the submerged bilge pump switch. Out came the multi-meter and showed that the battery was at precisely 0.00v. I checked the other battery and it was a healthy 12.94v. A couple of minutes after the switch was made we were back to the normal 1/2" of water in the bilge. 

Later that night I noticed that the bilge pump was sucking air (not uncommon when there is chop) and got up to un-stick the switch, but found that it was functioning normally- a couple of taps and it seemed to shut off without incident. Next morning during breakfast the same thing happened but this time I found that even when the pump was "off" it was still idling at a low enough pressure that it didn't actually clear any water but kept the output line full and drained the battery. After some checking I found a short in the switch, so we took the dinghy into town to get another switch. Once back on board the switch switch was quickly made and things were back to normal.

Here are the bilge pump switches about to be swapped out.

The "retired" switch and its replacement.

The next item that needed attention was the galley pump. It had stared leaking on the last trip and was overdue for servicing. We had ordered the service kit and brought it with us. Even without instructions it was a fairly straightforward job that took about an hour and a half (it would have taken less time but I dropped some of the pieces and had to figure out where they came from).

Here is the pump before servicing. Note the pan of water that had leaked from it.

Roo loves to help whenever I am fixing anything. Here he is, fixing a plug for a power cord.

On this trip we also installed some oil lamps, which make for much more pleasant evenings below. This one is in the galley and there is a matching one across the companionway, above the nav station.

The forepeak also got a new lamp that neatly fit in holes already in the mast.

By the time we got into town and picked up the gear from the freight company it was getting late and the captain decided that re-anchoring could wait till morning. During dinner (high tide) we noticed that the next boat over was swinging rather closer than is comfortable (she is on a couple of hundred feet of chain and has quite a swing) and that we were dragging at an alarming rate. Lesson learned: spring tides are not to be toyed with.

The shackles and other hardware for rigging the anchor were not on board yet so off I went in the skiff to talk to the captain and get the hardware. When I got back to Grace we tied another couple of lengths of anchor rope onto the current rode (we should have done this as soon as we got on board- it would have saved a lot of headaches) which ended enabled the anchor to bite again. Then Corrie and I rigged the new anchor and chain and towed Grace up-current. When the first rode went taut we let go the new anchor and waited for it to set. Unfortunately, in the dark we managed to tow Grace off the side of the shelf into deeper water, meaning that the new anchor didn't bite until we swung completely around over the side of the shelf (and it REALLY set then) We hadn't taken into account how strong the current had become; another lesson learned the hard way.. By the time the action was over it was nearing 3:00am. I still was not comfortable with how close the other boat was so I hauled Grace up the rode to gain a couple of yards (not fun to do alone against a 2-3kt current without a windlass).

The next morning, when the captain was aboard, we discovered what had  happened with the anchor and decided, after trying to raise it, that we would move the other anchor to oppose the new one. Another session of pretending to be a windlass ensued, and after a couple of hours' work towing the boat and anchor around we got everything under control and both anchors well set. Later in the day, once we were sure things were holding, I added chafing gear to the rode and lashed the two rodes together to help with chafe on the bobstay.

After another trip to town to pick up the stove (which got delayed the first day because the barge was full), we temporarily mounted it and ran a propane line to it (not the full system yet, as that needs to wait until after the new fuel tanks are put in with the engine). It is a bit of a hassle to use as you need to hook up and disconnect the the disposable cylinder each time the stove is used, but it is worlds better than the grill for boiling water, baking, and everyday cooking.

Here is the stove, mounted and ready to cook.

Always a talented purveyor of delicious food, Corrie set an amazing table at each meal.

The yacht lamps that we ordered came with an extra lamp which we traded to my brother for a handmade produce hammock.

Our little midshipman taking the noon sunshot.

The next day, we continued the cleaning and organizing and I installed a new hatch to cover the hole in the cockpit where the binnacle had been.

The hole being enlarged for the hatch

(all the plywood will be replaced when the aft deck is redone, so this is temporary)

The new hatch in place.

After finishing the hatch we went ashore for some supplies and decided to take a walk in the hills above Avalon. We walked up to the Wrigley Memorial and Botanical Garden. The scenery is beautiful and the weather was perfect.

Corrie and Roo on the way back down.

Roo always enjoys trips ashore, which (as far as possible) are planned with him in mind.

On the way down we noticed a labyrinth off to the side of the road. I have been interested in labyrinths for several years. According to archeologists, labyrinths (not to be confused with mazes) were used by early seafarers as a navigation aid, similar to modern lighthouses, and are often found near pilot stations and narrow channels from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia. Many are also found in older churches, cathedrals, and government buildings across Europe. This particular example was of the Medieval type and took about 15 minutes to walk, while taking time to repair the sides in a couple of places.

On the way back down we got one-dollar tacos at the Sand Trap (yay for happy hour!). They were great, and one of the better deals we've found in Avalon so far.

After taking in some music and making some new friends at Machine Gun Park, we headed back to Grace and made it in time to watch the moon rise out of the cloud bank.

Notice the wake of boat anchored next to us- it is from the strong current .

The next day was spent getting Grace shipshape before we left. At about noon we noticed that Grace's shadow had come alive as thousands of bait fish hid in the shade.

We counted at least 4 different kinds of fish over the course of the afternoon. at one point the school was too large to fit in Grace's shadow and went well down in the water.

I spent the afternoon making chafing gear and working on lifelines and the damaged rail, with Roo's help.

The foredeck after some straightening up (note the new solar anchor light).

The (finally) clear aft deck set in order.

As always, it was sad to leave, but we were happy with the progress that was made and how much we had learned. We are looking forward to the next trip.

Restoring Grace: Week One

On Monday night we loaded my parents' van with all our supplies and gear and early on Tuesday we drove down to Newport. Two of my brothers came along to fish from Newport Pier and to drive the van back. After buying some bait, we dropped them off at the pier and drove to the dock to meet Capt. Jim, who had motored across the channel with his friend Butch the previous night.

Uncle Dan and Uncle Jon rigging their tackle.

Courage, Jim's 67' schooner, was anchored about half a mile from the dinghy dock. We crammed his zodiac and Favor with most of our gear and he and I motored to Courage and transferred the cargo to her deck while Corrie and Roo took a walk around Newport.
Then it was off to Minney's Yacht Surplus for a few last things and then we dropped Butch and Jim off at the dinghy dock again, picked up Jon and Daniel from the pier (where they had been having great success) and headed over to the fuel dock to board Courage. It took a while to finally meet up as it turns out there are two fuel docks about a block away from each other.

Once on board we headed down the bay and out into the channel for our night passage to Avalon. The weather was beautiful with a flat sea and calm wind. We arrived around 10pm and spent the night on board Courage. In the morning after breakfast Jim and I took his tender down to where Grace was moored.

After casting off her mooring we towed her "on the hip" back to Courage's mooring.

We side tied Grace and transferred all our stuff over from Courage. As the weather was cooperating, we decided to stay side tied for the next day as we started getting things organized. 

Jim was kind enough to lend us his 14' inflatable with an 18hp outboard for the week, which made the trips into town much shorter than if we had been rowing Favor.  The weather was looking a bit doubtful so we decided to put Grace back on her own mooring. We towed her with Courage, still side tied, down to where the buoy that was holding up the chain was supposed to be. But there was no sign of it to be found, so we motored back and secured both boats on Courage's mooring. Jim and I took the inflatable down to look for the gear. We found the buoy tangled in some kelp a quarter mile from where it was supposed to be but couldn't find the gear even after dragging the bottom with a couple of grappling hooks. So we rigged up some ground tackle for Grace using a length of Jim's chain and shackle and our anchor and rope, and towed her back with the tender and anchored her.

Here she is on her own, finally. You can see how she is floating well off her lines in the stern due to the 1200 pounds of engine that are absent at the moment.

Roo had a wonderful time romping around in Grace's salon, which is just perfect for a little sailor who is shorter than the dinette.

Corrie's mother gave us a a marine grill as a boat-warming gift, and it served as our only means of cooking aboard since the parts we had ordered for the stove didn't come in time.

Even though there is still a lot of work to do to fit out the galley Corrie was still happy to finally have her own kitchen.

Three times a day we were treated to wonderful creations from Corrie's galley. I was amazed at how well she was able to prepare delicious meals even with the lack of cooking equipment (the icebox proved a much larger task than we had time for on this trip).

Galley overhead before cleaning

Once we were "settled" it was time to start the cleaning. Almost every painted surface inside was more or less covered with mildew stains. My great-grandfather once told me that Simple Green is great for taking stains off of boats and RVs. He was right. You can see in these before-and-after pictures how much better Grace is looking, not to mention smelling.

Galley overhead after cleaning

Port side aft before cleaning

Port side aft after cleaning

Port side forward before cleaning

Port side forward after cleaning

Once the walls and overhead were clean, it was time to tackle the drawers and lockers, many of which were lined with wallpaper that had disintegrated and was harboring all manner of unpleasant guests.

Simple Green and a scraper made the job much easier but, due to the sheer volume of the work, it still took quite a while.

Then there is this locker that has yet to be tackled. The fuel filler line is supposed to be in here but it was cut off about a foot below the deck and someone later tried to use the filler and dumped what appears to have been at one point diesel fuel over the slats and neglected to clean it up afterwards.

The cockpit was Roo's domain when he was on deck- he enjoyed playing with the pots, pans, tongs, and all manner of odds and ends that he was allowed to play with or managed to grab.

Roo is a wonderful boy and we enjoy having him along on the adventure.

After all the cleaning below, both of us were ready for something more fun. I started working on the wheel and some of the other woodwork on deck.

Grace has three nice electric panels  which are almost completely disconnected. Much of the wiring is also cut in various places.

It wasn't all work and cleaning, however- we really enjoyed the sunrises over the channel and relaxing for odd moments on the aft deck.

The view of Pinnacle Rock from our anchorage.

Sunset over the island.

The week went quickly and before we knew it it was time to leave Grace for one last dinghy trip into Avalon to catch the express back to the mainland.

It was good to be back with our families. Roo was all smiles at having Grandma back and riding in his car seat again.

Restoring Grace

Here is a peek at what we were working on over the last week.

This is the cleaned and oiled wheel and partially restored captain's seat. More pictures and details co
ming soon.

Headed for the Island

We are headed for Catalina today to start on Grace's restoration. Lord willing we will be taking pictures and posting our progress (as well as some pictures of the work on Favor). Things have been kind of crazy around here the last few weeks with the rush to get the tender finished,  being sick, and our car's brakes (master cylinder) going out.

Short Update

We have been working like crazy to get everything in order for going to Grace. There have been a couple of snags along the way but we are getting things sorted out more or less. We finished Favor (except for the lettering and stripes) and her oars. Pictures are on their way as soon as we hit a lull.
Godspeed

Restoring Favor: days 3-6

We have now finished laminating up the new gunwales and fairing them. It took a while longer than expected because we had to do quite a bit of adjustment to bring the hull closer to being symmetrical. Then it was time to smooth everything out, which meant several days of working with filler, grinding and sanding. We also bought a set of oars which, like most things we acquire, were a really good deal but need some work.

Here are the new gunwales and the oars. The port side one has already been scraped.

The oars came spray-painted olive drab, which would be fine for a combat dinghy or a duck boat but which is rather less than aesthetic in our opinion. So I made a cabinet scraper to take off the OD paint.

 Favor was lacking a bow eye, so we picked one up and I modified it to fit her bow.

That is where we are at the moment.  Next up is adding the seats and buoyancy chambers.