The flooring is done!

The boat is in a state of chaos as we are starting to move aboard but not really move aboard since we’ll be in our house until September. One of the hangups in getting things squared away on the trawler was the situation with the guest cabin floor. So today, full of vim and vigor, I paddled out to Cyclops, started the generator and ran the air conditioning so I could work in comfort. And wow was it comfortable!

Temps ashore were in the low nineties, but on board things were dry, cool, and 75. So very nice. Yesterday I got the cork floor tiles cut to my satisfaction. Last night I formulated an order of operations so when I glued the tiles down I would be able to minimize gaps and crookedness. The adhesive recommended by the cork company is contact cement, which meant I wouldn’t get a second chance to position the tiles. Today I rolled the contact cement on the subfloor and the backs of the cork tiles, let it dry and get tacky, then got down to business. The installation went better than expected and the results are pleasing. I also laid down two coats of my favorite polyurethane, so once that stuff cures the floor will be good to go.

Glue is applied, waiting for it to get tacky.

Second coat of polyurethane looking good.

Of course, Cyclops is a boat, so the anchor wash down fitting broke this weekend. We managed to get it working but it’s not a long-term fix. And the new fresh water pump is acting funny, hammering and clunking when I run the cold water at the galley sink. It doesn't have a problem pumping water to the head, the sink in the head, or the shower so it’s almost certainly a galley sink issue. I think it needs an accumulator tank to help smooth out the pressure demands relating to trying to push water through the big filter under the sink. Both parts are inbound. Stay tuned.

In non-marine news, I replaced the foggy headlights on the truck, replaced the front brake pads, and located the source of the clunk/rattle from the rear. We’ve got a broken leaf spring, so that repair is also on the to-do list. It’s such a good truck I will do just about anything to keep her going. At 195,000 miles the truck has earned all the love.

On our way home from a weekend aboard we decided to take advantage of high tide and run through the narrow passage between the piglets (of Sow and Pigs fame here in Maquoit Bay). It is a beautiful, peaceful slot of calm green water between two lovely little islands. Not something to attempt at low tide. Probably not something to attempt in a 39 foot trawler at any state of tide, but there you have it.

We’ve sailed this passage in three different sailboats and motored it in two powerboats. Nevertheless, it’s always a treat. Look how beautiful it is up here in the summer!

And we realized there’s no church key aboard the boat so we installed this essential item. Cheers!

Quick update

After dealing with Lyme Disease all week I had enough energy yesterday to get some time on Cyclops with Ellen. (Note: Lyme is no joke. Use bug spray, and if you have even a hint of a tick encounter or have awful flu-like symptoms or that bullseye rash get the antibiotics. I’m finally feeling symptom-free after nearly two weeks on antibiotics that left me utterly enervated.)

We started the flooring project in the guest cabin in earnest. Last year the cat did some outside the box thinking and peed on the carpet in there. It was an accident but definitely needed to be addressed. So this spring we took up the carpet, sealed the floor with polyurethane to contain any residual odor (there was none, but just in case), and yesterday we laid down a 1/4” plywood subfloor. Tomorrow we will install the cork flooring. I’m pretty excited to get that room back in business, and I am looking forward to seeing how the cork does. If it works out well we may use the remaining cork tiles to redo the floor in the head at some point.

This is the subfloor being held down by all the crap we still need to stow.

After the flooring excitement, we practiced being retired by having lunch on the back deck. Nailed it.

And this is our pet aloe plant, the first of the crew members to move aboard full time.

Launch day

So in case you were wondering, preparing a gaff rigged sloop to sail is no quick operation. Ellen and I trailered Cupcake to the boat ramp on Mere Point to catch the high tide, and after a busy hour running the halyards, stepping the mast, bending on the sails, and fussing with the trailer, we got Cupcake back in the sea where she belongs. Had a delightful sail back to the mooring. Then stalwart Ellen kayaked back to the boat launch to retrieve the truck and trailer while I tidied up Cupcake at her mooring.

Celebration

So Ellen’s last day at work happened last week. My last day for in-person court was this morning, and although I still have a bunch of loose ends to tie up through Zoom court until mid-December, we are feeling pretty retired.

We also accepted an offer on the sale of our house this week. Eleven days on the market, and so far things look like they are going very well.

Anyway, we are celebrating all this excellent news by launching Cupcake tomorrow so we can sail, sail, sail all summer long. Doesn’t she look lovely with that old Tacoma? Two of my favorite (inanimate) girls ready for fun.

Drone shots

In preparation for selling the house, the realtor had photos and drone photos taken. We got these shots of Cyclops sitting pretty at her home mooring.

Shine

Got out to the boat this afternoon after the rain stopped and the sun (and fog!) came out. I’ve been meaning to put some polyurethane down on the cabin floors. Figured it made sense to do it before we moved aboard, before Friday the cat covers everything with fur. I am quite pleased with the way it turned out.

The results are quite excellent. I use a product from Minwax called Spar Urethane. It’s water based so cleanup is a piece of cake. It goes on easily, doesn’t stink, is very forgiving in the application process, is rugged once it is dry, and looks marvelous.

In other news, love abounds in Freeport among the horseshoe crab couples canoodling throughout the shallows.

Tool storage

The other big change I made to the engine room this week was the addition of an excellent stacking toolbox. The old Husky box was less than ideal. The drawers were too small, it was heavy, it was rust-prone, and it was not big enough. The Milwaukee boxes fit great, won’t rust, and hold more than twice as much stuff. The setup still needs a lot of organization, but all my major tools are safely stored in the red tower and I am pleased with the setup.

A fin time was had by all

Today I finished my shore-based activities and was able to get out to Cyclops for a few hours this afternoon.

The primary goal was to install a fin on the outboard. It’s supposed to help the dinghy get up on plane quicker, and it is supposed to add stability. The installation was straightforward but was complicated by two factors. The first is that it wasn’t easy to drill straight into the cavitation plate because the prop and motor were in the way. I managed fine but the holes are a little sloppier than I would prefer.

The first step was trimming the fin so it fit the outboard.

The second issue was far more troubling. I don’t like quick release chucks for drills. They wobble more than traditional three jaw chucks, and the drills are weak at the hexagonal bases. My concerns were realized today when the bit snapped at the base and the stub got stuck (is still stuck) in the drill. What a hassle. Fortunately I have a regular drill aboard as well and used it to finish the installation.

With the new fin, the dinghy definitely planes quicker with just me aboard, and it is much more stable and less darty when steering at high speed. However it doesn't really seem to get on plane any faster with two people. (Ellen came out for a test once it was all installed.)

I also cleaned and oiled some of the teak. And I affixed the dinghy’s registration numbers and stickers. They look sharp but will probably fall off by the end of the summer – they didn’t seem too eager to stay attached, but we will see. For now everything is looking pretty ship shape.

Cleaned and oiled the teak around the dashboard. I think it looks mighty fine.

The boat is still not sitting level, she’s down on the port side. That issue will be easily resolved – once the boat is fully loaded I’ll just remove lead from the lead box until I’m satisfied with the trim. But she is also down at the stern. A week ago I took 50’ of chain off the second spare anchor setup. It was too heavy to manage 125’ of chain and it was too much weight so far aft. This afternoon I moved all the boat’s spare fluids from the aft lazarette to the starboard side of the engine. That moved the weight out of the stern and closer to the centerline. We’ve got about seven gallons of oil for the engine and generator, six gallons of coolant, and another couple of gallons of transmission oil. Ready for business.

Splash

The day prior to launch I loaded Giggle Monster into the truck in the hopes I could park next to Cyclops before launch and just pick the dinghy up with the crane. Worked just like I hoped. Now the dinghy is strapped and covered on deck. Ready for business.

It was a long, cold, lonely, winter. but the warm weather is here and Cyclops is in the water at last. As she was being lowered into the water by the TravelLift I realized we don’t know when she will be out of the water next. Every other year we knew the haul out date would come some time in the fall. Not this year because we’re hoping for an endless summer.

I passed a pleasant day at the boatyard getting everything running. Only flooded the galley once (leaky water filter housing). Then the water pump died (it’s something we’ve been expecting since we bought the boat) and I had to choose from the four replacement pumps I have on hand. Then I thought the head was broken, but it turns out it was just turned off. Vacuumed and washed the floors. Pretty thrilling stuff.

She comes home to her mooring on Friday.

With the addition of the lead ballast, her list to starboard has turned into a slight list to port. That’s ok because by the time we load our pots and pans (cast iron) and our plates and silverware and canned goods - all of which stow on the starboard side, we should be trim and level.

When the boatyard crew in their little Whaler was moving Cyclops to her temporary spot on the dock, they mocked her for her impressive mass. And burst into song: “fat bottomed girls you make the rockin’ world go ‘round.”

This is the first video I’ve posted to the blog. Pretty neat.

Small projects

Yesterday the boatyard called to see if we were ready for launch. As appealing as that notion sounds, we are not ready. We are not ready because the hull needs to be waxed first. That happens this Sunday. We are not ready because it’s cold and rainy – spring weather has not arrived. That happens this weekend as well, but we don’t know if it will stick around very long. We are not ready because the stairs to the beach have not been installed yet. No idea when that happens.

In the meantime, I got out to the boat today to take care of a few projects and take a look at the leaking pilot house hatch. Ellen and I rebed that hatch last summer, but it has started leaking. So that’s another task on the to-do list.

I ran the anchor and all the chain out onto the ground so I could get to the bitter end of the chain. Then I spliced 90’ of line to the end of our 200’ of anchor chain. Now the primary ground tackle is finished. The anchor windlass worked flawlessly, I got to enjoy the bright rode markers Ellen and I sewed on last fall. Each pink tab indicates 25’ of chain.

I’m kind of proud of the rope-to-chain splice I made. With luck, I won’t see it very much because I don’t know when I will need to have that much chain and line deployed. Better safe than sorry, I suppose.