Spring 2009

2 days from splashing in! Right now the forecast is looking raw; about 43 degrees with a 60% chance of rain. Not planning on doing any sailing this weekend. I promise to share more adventures this year!

Happy Easter!

Captain's Log: August 8th-10th, 2008

Friday, August 8th- Destination: Kelley's Island


This was to be THE trip of 2008! Back in May, my business partner asked me to sail her and a few of her friends to Put-In-Bay on the weekend of August 9th. Because of her limited experience and that none of her friends had sailed before I asked Chris (my usual 1st mate) to help me in sailing LUNA SEA the 17 miles to Put-In-Bay from Sandusky Harbor Marina. We also decided to do a one night stay on nearby Kelley's Island, roughly halfway between SHM & PIB. Finally after months of planning we were 3 days from departure. In usual fashion, everyone bailed for various reasons (boyfriends couldn't go, finances, etc). But that wasn't gonna stop Chris and I. Hell there's some sailing to do!!

After provisioning and preparation we departed Sandusky Harbor around 15:00. Winds were strong, out of the W/NW at 17 with gusts to 25+. The waves had also picked up to 4 ft, building to 6. Rather than risking a sail change in rough waters we departed under mainsail only. Seas were VERY rough, and was compounded by the fact that the wind was blowing from Kelley's. Average boat speed hovered around 4.5-5 knots. We arrived at Seaway Marina on Kelley's around 17:30.

Seaway is a decent marina with powered slips, showers, fuel, store and a place to rent golf carts. After checking in we walked to a boater's favorite, The Village Pump. The restaurant is a boater's paradise: great food, good people, free Wi-Fi and the best Brandy Alexanders on the planet! After filling up on Erie perch we hopped to several other local favorites, including Kelley's Island Winery: the best sangria in Northern Ohio!

Saturday, August 9th- Destination: Put In Bay, OH
I woke up at 0500 to a rocking motion and the familiar sound of loose rigging. The winds and waves had picked up, causing LUNA to buck and kick at dock. I went on deck with some bungees to hold the noisy halyards away from the mast. I then rechecked our docklines and returned to my berth, but not before downing a bottled water and Tylenol to stop my oncoming hangover. At 0830 we woke up and hit the showers. While the water and pills had served me well, Chris wasn't fairing as well. The showers unfortunately did little to help his condition. I offered to hang at Kelley's for a bit longer but he thought it best to head to Put-In-Bay. We headed out at 0930

Upon leaving Seaway Marina we encountered similar weather conditions that we had encountered the day before: winds out of the W/NW at 17 gusting to 20; waves 4-6 ft. Fortunately the air temp was still in the upper 70s. Once out on the open water, Chris laid down in the cockpit while I manned the boat. Once again we face the scenario of sailing onto the oncoming waves, which were brutal! In spite of the high winds we decided to fly both main and jib. We arrived in Put-In-bay around 1100. The time disappointed me, but not surprising with the water conditions. As we waited to check in with the harbor master, Chris was still feeling a bit rough. Admittedly I too was dragging after the long night and harsh sail, so I prescribed my usual treatment: Malibu and Diet, followed by a high-protein meal. After sipping down the Malibus and meeting with the harbor master we headed to the famous Chicken Patio. As expected, we were back up to speed!

After lunch we circled around and looked into what PIB had to offer. We settled on The Blue Marin at PIB Resort which featured an in-water bar. So after changing into our trunks and the purchase of 2 $5 Miller Lites we dipped in and watched the scenery. After a few hours we headed back to the boat for some cheap drinks and a swim. The water in the harbor was crystal clear, but full of kelp. After the swim I got a call from a couple of my Cincinnati friends who were visiting for the weekend: Mike and Mark. We met Mike at The Boardwalk where we each had a sampling of their famous lobster bisque and then headed to meet Mark, who was there with his girlfriend and dad at Beer Barrel Saloon.

After a few drinks we took note of the incoming storm. Mark and his crew decided to hop back to Sandusky via his dad's boat as we took shelter in The Roundhouse Bar. After a brilliant show of tropical downpours and lightning strikes, we got word that Mark and crew had made it. Between downpours we managed to hit the usual PIB haunts before heading back to LUNA around 0030.

Sunday, August 10th- Destination: Home
After spinning around the mooring ball all night, we woke up and headed off to breakfast at Pasquale's. After seeing Mike off at the Jet Express dock, Chris and I headed back to LUNA to prepare for our departure. As we made ready, I received a text from Mike saying "Man it is rough out here! Be careful boys."


Around 1030 we left the mooring and headed into the lake. The high winds, heavy traffic and narrow passage caused the waves to build substantially, to the point where I considered doing an about face and staying in PIB for one more day. However, I'm a sailor. I have to learn to cope with bad weather. Fortunately the sun was shining bright and the air temps were still warm, and once we left the inlet the ride became more manageable. The winds were still in that 20-25knot range, with 6' seas. Fortunately the winds hadn't shifted so with the wind at our backs we surfed the crests back to Sandusky. I had decided to fly jib only, which was a good choice. The Columbia 26 has an exceptionally heavy weather-helm under main only, and by using the jib the boat was better balanced. We also managed to rack up 6.5 knots of boat speed!

As it had on a previous crossing, the trip from PIB to SHM took about 3.5 hours. The worst part of the journey by far was the entrance into Sandusky Bay. The high winds and waves created a bathtub effect, with us bobbing in the middle. With only 2 miles to go we dropped the jib and continued under motor power until we finally reached my harbor.

Just another weekend on the water!

Luna Sea!

So I realize I am WAY behind on my updates, but here's a recap from the final paint day and the launch of the "new" boat!

My launch was scheduled for the morning of April 19, so Chris and I arrived in Sandusky on Friday evening to complete the final touches to the boat. The first project was to add the non-skid color accents. For this I used Interlux Brightside in Kingston Gray. I rolled it on in about 30 minutes while Chris finished some of the electrical work (wiring in the cockpit lights, etc). I then went around and made one last check of through hulls and the keel, and thanks to a neighbor with some leftover paint, touched up the bottom. After sunset, we headed out to Lyman Harbor for dinner and drinks.

Finally! The big day was upon us... launch day! After months of sawing, sanding, wiring, painting and cleaning... the "new" boat was ready for the water. We put our name on the list of other eager boaters waiting for their launch. While waiting, Chris and I performed some last minute checks: Through hulls were in good shape, her recently powdercoated tiller was bolted back into place, and her outboard was reconnected- fresh from the service department. The final touch came her new name, which was covered in its contact paper until the renaming ceremony could be carried out. Chris and I completed the de-naming ceremony that morning, where we bid farewell to the name SHAZAM.

At 11 am she began the trip back to the well where she had been lifted out 5 months earlier. Her keel and rudder slowly dipped into the cold, murky water and soon she was floating again! Shortly there after boat and mast were reunited. Then it was time to back out of the well and make her way to Dock A-74. However, after both a failed electronic and pull start, we found out that the service had inadvertently set the engine on its side while it was in their shop, flooding the cylinders with oil. Fortunately they knew the error of their ways and sent a tech to fix the problem. So after being slowly moved via ropes to the service dock, work on the motor began and soon the boat was back in her summer place!

At the dock, Chris and I grabbed the champagne to complete her transition from old to new. After offering bubbly to Neptune and to the 4 winds, we toasted to her and slowly removed the backing paper to reveal her new name: Luna Sea. A mystical yet tongue-in-cheek name that best embodies her and her skipper.

Soon after the renaming ceremony we unpacked the rest of the CG equipment and decided it was time for a sail. The winds were pretty decent with an air temp of 70 degrees. We were joined by one of the bartenders we had met earlier at Lyman Harbor and after a quick lunch we headed out into the bay. The boat seemed happy to be back in her element. We decided to make it a short sail since it was her first time out this season. I was convinced that Neptune had accepted the "new" boat to his kingdom. However, I quickly learned that Neptune will from time to time invoke a hazing ritual to test a vessel's worthiness.

On the return trip back to Sandusky Harbor, I saw 3 other boats out: 1 sailboat, 2 power. I observed the other sailboat running parallel to us on a port tack, roughly 3/4 of a mile away. We were making about 5 knots and had a heel of no more than 5 degrees. Suddenly, the other boat quickly lowered its main and furled its jib. I looked at Chris and said "we need to drop sail... I think that guy knows something we don't." Not 10 seconds later and without warning, we were broadsided by a squall. The winds went from a comfortable 10 knots to 30+, and soon we were heeled over 30 degrees and burying the port rail. I turned us away from the wind and we soon righted. Chris immediately dropped the sails as I started the motor. The seas had swelled to 4ft with whitecaps as we slowly made way for Sandusky Harbor. We fought wind and waves for an hour before we arrived back in the harbor, the sails tangled up and lying on deck. The halyards wrapped around the stays and the sheets were intertwined with every bit of deck hardware within reach. But, we were back safe. And I think Neptune was quite impressed with the new old girl!

Needless to say after dinner and a few rum drinks we were out for the night. The temps dipped into the mid 40s as the boat bucked and kicked at the dock all night. The next morning the morning fog slowly lifted as we continued to get her ready for the season. The sails were back in place, the lazyjacks reinstalled and soon she was ready for her next adventure. It's good to be back!

How to rename your boat

Bye, Bye Blues (and Bye, bye Shazam)!

We lucked out! I originally scheduled 2 weekends for repainting (one weekend being a rain date). Fortunately for us, the first scheduled weekend was sunny and in the 60s! Perfect for painting. We arrived at SHM at 9:30am. Prior to that we stopped at West Marine where I exchanged $160 of my hard-earned cash for a quart of blue paint (for touching up the hull) and a gallon of white. Now to be honest I've never worked with topside paint before, but seeing how shoddy the last job was I figured we had nothing to lose! Chris joined me for this trip as usual, and I also brought my other best buddy Jesse (who owed me a favor).

According to Interlux, you first start by cleaning the surface with their 216 solvent. With this stuff being $59 for a small bottle, we decided to use good ol' fashioned acetone. In my opinion, this did the job just fine, so Jesse and I started the paint prep while Chris worked on my last remaining electrical projects. After the cleaning, we hit the old blue paint using 180 grit sandpaper and sanded the hull with orbital sanders. Needless to say, with the blue pain dust, we resembled smurfs at the end of our job! After that it was time for the acetone again.

After our second round of cleaning, we started rolling on the paint. As I was told by Bob at Strictly Sail, it rolled on very easily. I decided to go with Interlux's Brightside 1-part polyurethane instead of a 2-part because it was cheaper, and is the same as what was used prior. The thing to watch with topsade paint is that it tacks up almost immediately, so WORK FAST! I trimmed in around the hardware while Jesse focused on rolling large areas of the deck.

While Jesse and I were making quick work of making the ugly blue decks disappear, Chris turned his attention to our electrical projects. First, he opened up the panel and cleaned up the spaghetti of wiring. He then worked on installing our new accent and locker lights. We decided to add accent lighting in the cockpit area, which will be illuminated with red light (to not attract bugs). We also added a light in each locker seat in order to make finding docklines, etc in the night a bit easier. After a few jumps in the lockers, he then worked on getting the new CD changer and speakers hooked up.

In no time at all Jesse and I reached the cockpit, which meant it was time for Chris to hang it up for the day. Painting the cockpit is a 1-person job, which I undertook. In the meantime, Jesse and Chris went back down and focused on the remaining hull graphics and pinstripe. A few minutes later, the blueberry decks were a thing of the past (or would be after our second coat the next day).

With a few more pulls and sprays, Chris finally had the last of the hideous yellow SHAZAM graphic removed. As mentioned earlier, the decals took the paint off beneath them. After a wipe-down with acetone, Jesse hit the areas with the blue Interlux. With a few strokes of blue, and some spray paint on her name-bearing cradle, SHAZAM was a thing of the past.*



The next day, Jesse and I applied the second coat while Chris installed the new outdoor speakers. The magnetically shielded speakers worked brilliantly! The compass didn't even twitch when the cones were brought next to it. A few minutes later, the sound of mariachi music came from my cockpit. We had tunes!



I also placed the newly modified and heavily polyurethaned locker doors! Man does it look sharp! The contrast of red wood with white hull really brought a hit of classic beauty. With the second coat finished, we started cleaning up and prepared for the long trek home.



After this experience, I have learned a few tips regarding topside paint. First, as stated earlier WORK FAST!!!! Second, make sure you use a mohair roller. While the rollers I purchased were a good quality, they were better suited for the walls of your home. They left large drips and curtains that were constantly having to be smoother over (unfortunately some were missed until it was too late). Fortunately for us one of my marina neighbors was kind enough to spare us a mohair roller for the second coat! And by all means DO NOT USE CHEAP ROLLERS!!!! I made the mistake for our smaller trim roller, and my paint job was left with pubes! Fortunately most sanded out between coats and we trimmed in with our mohair roller. But in spite of these lessons, I am thrilled with the new paint job! Not a factory quality restoration, but for our purposes she looks great! Next blog: LAUNCH DAY!!!

* So after we were finished, we decided to scour the boat for other places where SHAZAM could still be written (to remove them before renaming). For whatever reason, one of the previous owners decided to etch the name into the interior side of the compass!!!! So after a quick job with a dremel we'll be ready to go!

Prepare to launch!

It's official! The boat will be launched on Saturday, April 19th! Crunch time has officially begun! Chris and I once again made the trek up to Sandusky to finish the winter projects. My credit card has begun feeling the pinch from all of the new toys and supplies; including a depth sounder, Windex windvane, outside speakers (magnetically shielded to avoid throwing off the compass), topside paint, accent lights, and lumber to build the new locker seat doors. First things first! We needed to enlarge the existing holes (from the old wind instruments) to accommodate the speakers, and add a new one for the depth sounder. If you've never done it before, taking any kind of saw or drill to your boat the first time isn't easy. However, it becomes old hat after the first cut! We then proceeded to cut two new holes for the accent lights in the cockpit.

With the cutting finished, we did a dry fit of the speakers and depth sounder. Wow! Imagine how they'll look with fresh white paint on the decks!


Speaking of dry fits, a couple of weeks ago my good friend Mike helped me make some new locker doors. While they aren't finished yet, I wanted to place them to make sure they fit. While there are a few mods needed, they will be ready for next weekend! I'll make the cuts, do the sanding and finally stain and poly them this week.

Now the fun begins: saying goodbye to SHAZAM and hello to LUNA SEA!* The process started with removing the vinyl lettering from her hull. Unfortunately the previous owner used some kind of crazy, industrial strength vinyl and adhesive and it ended up taking the hull paint with it! Not a big deal... I have the brand name and color paint used so I'll buy a quart next weekend and fill in the gaps. The new name will go in the same place so any variation in the paint won't be too noticeable. We also removed the generic OH numbers. I laid out a new design for the numbers and logo, which Chris (who owns a vinyl printer) fabricated and started applying. First the new numbers...
Then it's onto new hull striping, which I bought at West Marine. Chris had a hell of a time placing it! Keeping striping straight is not an easy task! To cap off the ends of the stripes, we added a Columbia logo and badge. It's amazing how adding these small touches really finishes out the boat!

This week the boat will be moved outdoors so the deck painting can begin! The good thing about being outside is that we will no longer have limited access! Chris, myself and our buddy Jesse will be up in Sandusky for a full weekend so there should be no problem finishing up her paint!


* For those of you who question my sanity in changing the boat's name, I plan on a full renaming ceremony

Happy 2008!

Happy new year! As the days start getting longer and the winter chill begins to bite, my attention turns towards spring! Let me tell you, owning a boat makes winter seem longer. Fortunately I have many projects planned for the boat this year. Chris, who has been my partner in crime on the Surprise, has been kind enough to help me plan and execute improvements to the boat. When I bought SHAZAM in August of 2007 I already had some ideas for improvements and upgrades I wanted to do this winter. They include:

- Remove old Signet wind gauges
- Add a new sound system
- Replace incandescent lights with LED (except nav lights)
- Strip the tiller and repaint
- Build new locker doors (old ones are rotting)
- Repaint deck and nonskid
- Add furler for jib & recut the 150 genoa
- Rename the boat, remove the old graphics and add pinstripe. (yes there will be some sort of renaming ceremony with offers to poseidon)

For the haulout I removed the locker doors and tiller (as well as all of the usual seasonal stuff). The tiller is made of solid aluminum and was originally painted white. I have stripped and cleaned it, and have decided to have the tiller powdercoated instead of going the spraypaint route. That will be done next month, along with the rebuilding of the locker doors. In the meantime, Chris and I decided that we needed to get out of town and used it as an excuse to go up to Sandusky and get some work completed on the boat itself.

The first project we tackled was to remove the signet gauges. The masthead sensors were not on the boat when I bought it, and rather than go through the time and expense of replacing them I decided to remove them and use a simple masthead fly instead. The empty cavities would be used to mount outdoor marine speakers. The compass would also be moved from port to starboard to create a balanced look and sound. The speakers will need to be shielded as to not interfere with the compass. We experimented with the standard speakers that would be used inside the cabin and it threw the compass off by about 5 degrees.

With the gauges removed, Chris went about removing the wind instrument wiring. While he did that, I installed the new anchor holder on the pulpit. I then set about getting measurements of the companionway doors and forward hatch for the new screens. I also measured the new dimensions needed for the speaker/compass mounting holes. A job for the sawzall on the next trip! We also discussed the new lighting system, which would call for the standard incandescent bulbs to be replaced with LEDs as well as the addition of new cockpit and companionway lights.

With the wiring removed and measurements taken, we decided to inspect the keel and rudder since they were items of concern at the haul out (keel has some surface rust, rudder had some minor damage from the previous owner). Upon further inspection the keel seems solid, and the rust is indeed superficial. We will remove the rust and touch up the bottom paint. There will also be some minor repairs that a box of MarineTex will take care of. The rudder damage is small, however I noticed that the rudder has a very large blister (about 6" across) dead center of the starboard side. I poked a hole in it to test for delamination, but it was dry. I am sure that the rudder is fine, but I will research it and find out if it's an area of concern.

With our time growing short, we decided the last order of business was to remove the name SHAZAM. Chris gathered his supplies and started the process of removing the name. However, we discovered that Oleg (the previous owner) had used a super heavy-duty grade vinyl to make the name. Chris' remover spray had no impact, so we'll be coming back with a hairdryer. Looks like she'll have to live with the terrible name for a few more weeks.

We bid farewell to the boat and headed over to the yard to check on her mast. We wanted to remove the wind instrument wiring, and I needed to grab the forestay so I could get the new furler. After we got what we needed, off we went to Demore's Fish Den for a bite to eat and headed home. With busy weeks ahead I think I'll tackle my at-home projects in February (powdercoat tiller, fabricate new locker doors and screens) and return to Sandusky in early March. In the meantime I'm prepping for some relief from winter via a trip to Maui! Aloha!

High n' Dry

In the cold November sunshine, Chris and I made our way to Sandusky Harbor for likely the last trip of 2007. The time had come to haul my girl out for the season. The marina offered to haul the boat out themselves for $50, but I needed to grab some things off the boat before she went into storage. Besides, I had never seen the boat out of the water so I had to be there!

We moved the boat near to the lift to do our unloading. We removed all of the cushions, CG equipment, electronics and the battery. We also removed the boom and tucked it inside the cabin. In fact it and the anchor were the only things left inside. Soon it was time to motor over to the well. After I tied up the first thing they did was remove the mast. A boom arm came in and hooked in while 2 techs removed the deck hardware. Soon it was in the air and on its rack.



Wow! Look! Naked sailboat!

Now it was time for the fun part. The lift came back for the hull. They manuvered into position and hooked up the straps. With the throw of a lever and the revving of the diesel engine the hull was lifted in the water. Her blue bottompaint was brown with slime.



After she was clear of the well, over she went for a bath. In no time the bright blue of her antifouling paint was revealed. She is a beauty! Soon a tractor came over, pulling a trailer containing my cradle. They set her down and touched up the areas they had missed when the straps were in place. Soon she was on her way to her winter berth.

After they manuvered her into place among the others, Chris and I climbed back onboard to gather the last few items. The first to come down was her 85lb Tohatsu outboard, which proved to not be as bad as I thought. We also grabbed the fuel tank. We aslo grabbed a few of my winter projects: the aluminum tiller (which needed paint), a few cabinet doors in need of stain and varnish, and her two cockpit locker covers/seats. The wood covers were in poor shape. The starboard cover was the worst. I pulled it off its hinges with the same amount of force I'd use to pull a pizza out of an oven! They will both be replaced with new wood. I still have to decide it I'm going to go with stained-wood seats or if I will glass them in.


I locked up the companionway and made my way down the ladder (the boat sits up a good 9' in the air), dropped off my sails at service (they are due for a cleaning and stitching) and headed home. Now the question is, where the hell will all of this stuff go?!?!