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Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Sail Lockers and Too Much Stuff


Fenders in the water?  I don't know why.
When we moved aboard Northern Star, we brought with us a couple of our best large fenders that we had used on our previous sailboat.  Our new boat already had several fenders as well.  We didn’t want to get rid of any of them.  You never know when you’re going to need a smaller or larger fender than the ones you used the last time coming into a dock or rafting off another boat.  
Jerry cans atop the deck

So, we had fenders tied to the stainless handholds on deck, and we had them shoved into the large sail locker in the cockpit.  Seemed like there were fenders everywhere. Our biggest problem with the sail locker is simply that there are too many things that we want to keep stored in there……and oddly enough, let me just say that sails are not one of the them.  
Two fenders used  with a board to keep off piling.

Besides the bulky fenders, there are the extra jerry cans for diesel and water, water hoses, power cords, piles of extra lines. our folded shopping cart, two folding chairs. all the dock lines, a bucket or two and a box of spare hardware like shackles and snatch blocks.  
Carl is standing in the sail locker.  Sorting lines.

I wanted the fenders out of there.  And I didn’t want them lashed onto the deck in various places.  Messy looking, I figured.  So, I determined to make fender holders to mount on either side of the cockpit rails.  

Fenders lashed to cabin roof.
I began with taking stock of the fender situation.  We have seven oblong fenders and two large round fenders.  I figured there wasn’t much I could do to contain the big orange round fenders so I ignored those for the time being.  Two of the oblongs we have never used, so I shoved those way into the back of the sail locker.  I would give the remaining five fenders their own custom fit holders and by doing that, I would free up lots of space in the sail locker.  Yea!
The inside of the sail locker.

First I measured the five fenders. Two were 28” long with a circumference of 27”.  Two were 31” long with a circumference of 32”.  And the fifth, the one I tend to use ALL the time was 32” long and had a circumference of 39”.  What I wanted was to have these fenders attached to the outside on each side of the cockpit, much like weather cloths would be. (Lengths above include the shank of the fender where the line is attached).  


Plenty of room on the side to hang fenders.
I calculated that in order for the fenders to fit well, the circumference of the opening should be 4” greater than the circumference of each fender.  For the vertical length of each fender holder, I decided that I would go with a length that was about 8” shorter than the entire length of the fender.  I didn’t want the holders so large that the entire fender would disappear into the holder.  And I planned to leave the bottoms open anyhow, except for about a 6” wide “hammock” that would be sewn to hang across the bottom of the holder.  This would prevent the fender from falling all the way through and help water drain away from the holders.
6" wide "hammock" support the bottom fender

Some folks have weather cloths attached to the stanchions that surround their cockpit which we do not.  Weather cloths are appealing to me not only because they help to prevent getting sprayed by waves hitting the boat on the beam, but also because they add some privacy to the cockpit seating area.  Some people shower in their cockpit and so the weather cloths are helpful for that as well.  
Larger fender in between two smaller fenders
Ideally, I wanted the fender holders to be firmly attached to the boat, but removable, and to be somewhat symmetrical.  If they sort of resemble weather cloths, that would be a plus, I thought. Given there were three different sizes of fenders, I married up the extra large fender with one of the two large ones.  And I put the other large one in between the two medium-sized fenders.  The overall size of the two holders ends up being somewhat similiar

The side of the fender holder that faces into the cockpit.


Thanks to having scavenged yards of Pfifertex while I was in Annapolis, I had a lot of sturdy fabric to work with.  
The mesh is Pfifertex

I’ve talked about Pfifertex in previous posts.  It’s an extremely durable outdoor fabric and because it’s a mesh material, the water drains away and it dries quickly.  The back of each fender holder (that one sees when sitting in the cockpit) is Sunbrella that matches our shade panels and cockpit seating upholstery.  The Pfifertex is what actually surrounds each fender and that faces out, away from the cockpit. 

Fenders stay put, even when heeled.
Each fender slides into it’s custom fit opening and rests on a “hammock” that prevents the fender from falling all the way through.  In order to help the round opening hold its’ shape to make it easier to side the fenders in, I inserted a stay into a hem that encircles the top opening.  Fabric stores sell ready-made stays by the yard.  It’s the same stuff that is used to make a corset stand up on its’ own.  
Stays were placed inside a hem atop each opening.

Here’s an important tip about thread.  In order to make this project withstand constant UV exposure, I used a Lifetime thread called Profilen.  I ordered that from SailRite and it is the same thread that I used when I made chaps for our dinghy.  It’s really expensive ($129 for ___ oz) but it’s amazing stuff.  You can NOT break it.  It doesn’t snag or twist or separate when sewing with it.  And it does not burn!  Astonishing stuff.  It is slippery however, and when threading the machine, I had to wind it twice around the tension knob to prevent skipped stitches.  No wonder it lasts forever, or close to it.  It’s more like fishing line than regular thread in my opinion.
Heeling.  No problem with fenders.

To attach the fender holders to the railing, I sewed three sets of webbing and buckles across the back.  I ordered the white nylon webbing and buckles from SailRite.  
Close-up of webbing and buckle system

The webbing is attached top and bottom and then slides through a loop to keep the webbing cinched up snugly against the railings.  When the boat heels, the fenders stay right in place.  No risk of losing them.  The fender holders can be removed as needed for cleaning.  And I do appreciate the bit of added privacy in the cockpit.
We'll have more room in the sail locker this season.






Sunday, November 27, 2016

Shoes, Shoes, SHOES!



Northern Star living area, stateroom beyond

I like shoes.  I really don’t have occasion to wear all the various styles of shoes that I wore while living on land, but I still like to have a few pair with me onboard. Some people might tell you that I have too many shoes onboard, but that is a discussion for another time, maybe. (Or maybe not.)   
Keens--my most comfortable shoes

It is entirely justifiable, in my opinion, to have shoes onboard for the following purposes:  sturdy hiking shoes for cooler days on land or water (Keens--check); 

Chacos--great arch support and perfect for hiking or water.
walking sandals with great arch support that can be worn in the water (Chacos--check); slip-on loafer boat shoes when neither of the above pair is appropriate (Sperry--check);
Note my foot wearing a slip-on loafer boat shoe
sneakers for exercising (Balance, check); comfy all-vinyl shoes to wear to the shower or when washing down the boat or Jax (Crocs--check); and little black sandals to wear with a sundress (also Crocs--check).  And, I have a pair that I would wear if I were to make an unplanned trip to see family in the winter—the shoes that could be worn on the plane with wool socks, and be appropriate in Minnesota in January (Bass--check.)  

Rain boots are necessary, not fun
Of course, we each have a pair of rain boots which are required sailboat gear so they don’t "count" as shoes.  We also each have a pair of fins, which are really beyond the scope of this discussion about shoes. (Okay, and I’ll admit that I do have another couple of pair onboard which I really can’t justify, but I didn’t know that I couldn’t justify them at the time I brought them onboard, so they have to be tucked away, too.)


We both have Crocs
The problem boils down to space.  Boats have a finite amount of space.  And shoes tend to be bulky.  I have scoured out the easily usable spaces where shoes can be tucked away.  The “winter shoes” lie on the floor of our hanging locker.  The rain boots live in our shower when we are not using it, which is frankly 99% of the time. All the other shoes need their own places to belong.  On a sailboat, every item needs its’ own home.  When the boat heels (no pun intended) things tend to move around, sometimes quite abruptly, so it’s important to be able to put things in their place.

Available walking space in stateroom
Shoes tend to end up everywhere--under the table, under the nav (navigation) station, scattered in the cockpit, kicked off beside the bed; you get the picture.   The ones that get kicked off before climbing into bed tend to cover the available walking space on the floor.  Between the shoes and Jax lying beside the bed, walking can be precarious.  Shoes need to be contained. 
Shoes got shoved against the hull

About a year into this adventure, I had an "ah HA" moment.  I found an underutilized space in our stateroom.  Underutilized because it’s sort of part floor and part wall—a space underneath a cabinet at a 45 degree angle due to the shape of the hull.  Since we can’t walk on a 45 degree angle, it’s kind of useless space.  For a long time, I’ve shoved our shoes up against that 45 degree angle which works as long as the boat is level.  Then, it dawned on me.  That would become a permanent shoe storage place, at least for several pairs of them if only I could make them stay put.  
Between the bed and cabinets there are shoes and Jax


When I measured the area (16" from floor to bottom of the cabinet) it was tall enough for my husband’s larger shoes to fit lengthwise up and down.  And wide enough (28") for five to six pair of shoes stacked alongside one another.  Great!  I just needed to make a large "pocket" that would be attached to the wall.  I would cut the fabric front and back larger than what I wanted the finished product to be.  When the pocket is filled with shoes it will of course, expand outward which will then shorten the overall length of the pocket. This may be quite obvious to everyone else, but I had to think this through to make the most use of my available space. 
Shoes stay put in this "pocket", attached to the hull below the cabinet.
I didn't want the fabric of the shoe pocket to rest on the floor where it would just collect dust and dog hair, so I left the bottom edge open enough to allow for the heels of the shoes to slide in and rest on the floor rather than the pocket itself. 

Bungee is threaded through a sleeve on the back, against the hull. 
I am a big fan of Pfifertex.  Pfifertex is a manmade fabric available through SailRite.  It is designed for outdoor uses.  I used it to make the shade panels around our cockpit. The denser weave is called 90% coverage, and the looser weave is 70%.  I had the 70% weave on hand.  This seemed like a good choice for the fabric because Pfifertex can be washed down, scrubbed, sprayed with bleach water to kill and prevent mildew and it’s really durable. 

Cockpit shade panels

The design I came up with is quite simple. Essentially, it’s a pocket with 6 grommets spaced across the front and a sleeve across the back where one continuous bungee cord threads through.  
Diagram of the "pattern"

The front and back are sewn together on the short ends, and are connected on the bottom by 4 or 5 (4") Pfifertex strips sewn to each bottom. These open up the bottom enough for the heels of the shoes to poke through to rest against the floor. Additionally, this allows for more air circulation which is helpful in high humidity. 
One continuous bungee threads all the way around

On each end of the hanging pocket, I mounted a pad eye to the boat. The bungee cord hooks to one pad eye, slides through the sleeve across the back of the pocket, through the other pad eye and then back across the front through the grommets and hooks back onto the first pad eye.  Having one continuous bungee cord makes it easy to pull it out toward myself so I can see the shoes in there, and to make it easy to shove other shoes in there. Voila’.
Six large grommets are spaced across the front of the shoe pocket.  

A woman’s gotta have her shoes.

I’ve made some other little space-conserving projects too, which I’ll write about soon.   








Saturday, November 26, 2016

One Day of Thanks


I try to be a thankful person on a daily basis.  Some days, I actually succeed.  I think it’s good to have at least one day each year that I am reminded to be thankful, and so I was yesterday.
Northern Star under sail.


I am thankful that I have a place to live.  

Many people don’t, or at least, not a place where they can feel safe to lay down their heads at night.  


Ice cream with new friends in Maine
I am thankful that I have plenty of food.  

Every single day I have enough. I have never ever really been hungry, although I’ve claimed to be plenty of times.  In my world, eating is for enjoyment first, survival second. There are too many who cannot say that.

I am thankful that I have people that love me, and people that I love.  

with my sister, Betz
These people forgive me when I mess up, or even when I’ve forgotten something that’s important to them.  I try not to take advantage of that fact, but I do want to acknowledge how fortunate I am to have those merciful people in my life. Because of them, I can be alone and not feel lonely.
Bahamian flower

I am thankful that I am healthy.  

with Carl and Jax, Titusville, FL

I admit that I don’t work at it much.  I should probably be ashamed of myself for taking my good health for granted so much of the time.  Some day I’ll look back on today and remember that I was blessed with good health for a really long time in my life.  And that I could have taken better care of myself.  


Daughter, Liz, son Pete and his girlfriend, Itzel
I am thankful that I have many things to look forward to—friends and family to spend time with,  making new friends, exploring interesting new places, learning to do new things.  There’s something good to look forward to every morning when I wake up.  


a friend's boat at sunset


I am thankful that the world is breathtakingly beautiful.  
SuperFund site, Connecticut

There are places where the beauty is harder to find--places where we have squandered the natural beauty for industry or allowed areas to fall into utter blight.  
Jax cleans out the peanut butter jar to recycle

If I can do at least a little bit to help keep the world beautiful, I will.  I can live with a smaller carbon footprint, I can take only what I can actually use, and I can recycle—every little bit helps.  I want my grandchildren to see the same beautiful world that I do.

Folk artistry, Charleston, S.C.

I am thankful that I live in a country that values and protects free speech.  I am thankful that this country has made so 
many gains toward taking care of its’ most vulnerable people in the last 100 years.  I admit though, that I have some worries about our country’s future.  
Site of 9 murders in Charleston Baptist church. 

I want there to be a place for everyone in our world.  I don’t need everyone to look like me, believe as I do, or agree with the way that I think.  But I DO fervently hope that there will always be room for everyone to speak and be heard, no matter their persuasion.  

And I am thankful for clean laundry.  Mine is just about done.  May you all have a thankful day today, tomorrow and the days after.  



Saturday, November 12, 2016

The "Look" that Launched Curtains

Our new curtains, made with fabric from SailRite.

I read in a novel many years ago (maybe it was ShoGun) how the people of Japan have been accustomed to living in very close quarters with one another and with only paper walls between them, no less.  Therefore, in order to maintain a sense of privacy, each person restricted their attention to one’s own living space.  You simply would not “hear” what was produced on the other side of the wall.  And certainly, you wouldn’t look into someone else’s living space. That would invade the neighbor’s privacy.  In some small ways, I think I have adopted that sense of finding my own private spaces.  
We had a little work done on our boat at this marina in Connecticut.

And then we moved onto a sailboat.  When we’re at a slip in a marina, we may very well have another boat close alongside on both sides of our boat.  They have windows—we have windows.  When the boats are of similar size, the windows often kind of line up.  As a matter of privacy, I don’t look into other boaters' windows (unless the boat is an enormous yacht in which case, I figure they WANT you to gawk) and I trust that nobody is purposely looking into mine.  At night, the boat’s interior is well lit, but like on land, it doesn’t really bother me too much to think that someone might casually glance through the window as they drive or walk past. 
Carl really liked the shades on our friends' boat.

My husband apparently did not read the same novel about Japanese privacy that I did.  He is, I would say, fairly bothered by the notion of someone being able to see into our windows.  Not all of the boat’s windows produce this concern for him, however.  The windows in our stateroom, where we change clothes and sleep are not problematic for him.  They’re small portholes and without the lights turned on, you really can’t see inside the boat.  With our galley and head the portholes are a bit larger but still not problematic, by his way of thinking.  
Our stateroom with two small portholes, one on each side.

However, the windows in the main salon of the boat, where we spend the bulk of our time onboard—those are long windows that extend the length of the settees. Since we moved onboard, Carl has occasionally made noises about ‘Are you planning to make curtains for the boat?’  My reciprocal response has been ‘No, not really,’ because I’m thinking ShoGun, right?  Well, this “noise” became more insistent a couple of months ago.  
These two long windows are the ones that "need curtains" per Carl

We were in a slip at a marina in Connecticut, surrounded by boaters who were primarily not live-aboards.  I mention that fact only to offer that perhaps their privacy meters may be “set” a little differently from live-aboards.  Not sure about that— just throwin’ it out there.  
Celebration included boat parade

Anyway, there was a celebration that weekend and lots of people were on the docks.  The large power boat next to us was hosting a family of guests, I presumed the younger ones were their grandchildren. 

Carl is really good about introducing himself to the people that we meet on the docks.  If nothing else, somebody will invariably want to know about Jax. ‘Oh, what a beautiful dog!  What kind of dog is that?’ and the conversation is off and running.  Such conversation had already taken place with the next door neighbors.  
Jax, forever popular on the docks

The owner of said boat adjacent to ours was a fastidious man.  There was lots of cleaning, polishing, etc. going on over there. We, on the other hand, were not hosting any guests, and were decidedly not cleaning and polishing over on our side of the dock.  I mention this fact only to allow as how he might have wondered if we had any friends, or whether we might be slobs, who knows?  At any rate, this gentleman made the gaff of looking into our window.  
We're "okay" with no curtains on these portholes

You’re wondering, ‘how do you know he looked into your window?’  I know because my husband suddenly jumped up,  “Ardys, I can’t sit here.  We looked at each other.”  I had not been privy to the shared “look" but apparently they had locked gazes and clearly, it was unacceptable.  I’m like, “Whaaaat?”  “We looked at each other through the window.,” he says.  “I can’t have this.”  He’s pacing within the small confines of our boat now.  “What do I do?”  
Carl's favorite spot for relaxing

Now, in all seriousness, is this not hysterically funny?  Two grown men make eye contact across the dock, one is inside his boat, the other outside his boat (I’m hearing strains of “Some Enchanted Evening”) and one of them is bothered enough by this that he can’t figure out what to do about it, but clearly something must be done and done now.  My husband was not going to be able to sit down again until this “problem” was addressed.  It was I who was being called into action to fix the problem.  Since I’m leaning more toward ShoGun “rules” I did think this was an unfair expectation on his part.  But okay, I rigged a cloth across the window so that my husband could sit down again, in privacy.  So... that was my clue that I was going to be making curtains for our boat and sooner, rather than later.  

Random sights driving cross-country
I took all the measurements on the boat and installed the curtain mounting brackets from SailRite before we went on our driving trip to Memphis.  I had the fabric shipped to us in Memphis so that I could sew the curtains during our visit there. 
Love my workhorse SailRite machine

Carl is pleased with the curtains.  It seems his sense of having privacy has been supported enough just by knowing they're there, as an option.  Curious remnant of a tune still in my head, though….Some Enchanted Evening……