Sailing

Saturday Sailing with 6 on board!

Deck Stain!

Switched from shackles to dyneema lashings on the forestay bridle and halyard blocks. Much quieter!

Co Skippered an Adult Sailing Class

Had some great students out, and everyone who went on the catamaran said they don't see the point in those keel boat things. 100% success! Passing people to leeward and drinking a beer, all while sitting in a hammock net on the bow is a sure way to win people over to multis. 

All of  my students loved the sailing qualities of Beto and the extreme comfort

Wing sails out point Catalinas and allow you to pass to leeward with ease :)

Beto Under Sail

Pictures from the 2016 HUI Wharram

Labor Day Sailing

We got Beto all rigged up (sans trampolines) and took her out for a Labor Day sail. There wasn't much wind (Screw you, Summer), but we had a good time nonetheless with swimming and sunbathing. I can't wait for Fall to arrive with good wind and no more daily thunderstorms. I'll be spending my 27th birthday on her in a couple of weeks, so check back for updates of binge rum drinking debauchery. Lake sailing isn't too spectacular, but at least we have some water around Birmingham to get out on. I'm planning a one or two month trip to Keys or somewhere around there in the Spring if I can work out something with the boss. I've been putting off school for too long, so I am torn between knocking it out and continuing my moderate work/bum/travel lifestyle for a few more years before buckling down. 27 is too soon to be a serious adult!

Much Needed Update

I haven't updated on here in a while. Anyways, I've had Beto on her trailer for the past month and a half. I moved in with Ali in Birmingham and started working for a moving company until I can get started in Nursing school (hopefully) this Spring. After a year off of work, I needed to start pushing the savings back up! I plan to cruise each summer between semesters and cruise extensively in a few years when I'm eligible to be a travel nurse. We may enter Beto in the 50/50 Round the Island Race in Fort Walton in September. Until then, she will be dry sailed at Logan Martin Lake at the Birmingham Sailing Club. 

Texas Tiki for Sale

Here is a nice looking 21 for sale for cheap!

http://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/57991

Florida

We spent a couple of days sailing in Panama City. The winds were kicking out of the Southeast and forecast called for a week straight of rain. That being said, we are almost down to the Keys and will be putting Beto in tomorrow afternoon where she'll await a long journey back to Pensacola under her own power. 60 knots by land is a nice function of the Tiki 21!

Cedar Deck

Rough Weather Outside this Bayou Channel

Refit Almost Complete

While having Beto in the water for a month last Fall, I had a few things I wanted to change up before heading to the sea where I have no garage to work. Moving hardware around, building the cedar deck, making some net lashing strips, and installing dodgers are a few of the things on the list. The non-stop rain here in the South has really lengthened the time I thought I would be working. 

However, I should be finished up with all of the refit changes by Sunday night. That means we will be in Florida by next weekend ready to cruise! Ali had off of work until the end of May, but her boss decided to force her back at the end of March. Due to this hiccup, she'll only be sailing for a month or so and I will be looking for another crew member in April/May. The HUI is at the end of May this year, and we damn sure will be there this time!!! After the HUI, we'll sail up to Pensacola where Beto will be moored for the hurricane season and used for weekend and day trips. 

I ended up making some hardwood lashing strips for the net. They are all epoxied. Tomorrow I'll varnish and install them. 

After an hour of scrubbing black death bird shit off of her. I had the cover off for three hours, and with my luck the birds decided to strike. 

Tested out the stain for the deck. The stain company advised to wait at least a month before staining to let it all dry out properly. We can't wait to apply it!

Changing Hatch Design

The previous hatch design I worked out allowed for a little more leaking than I would have wished. I changed the slider style to that of the Tiki 26, using "A Roamer" from Barefoot Boat Bums as an example. Now the forward part of the hatch is notched and connected to aluminum rails in order to slide but also be held down so to speak. I will have a line on the underside of the hatch and a jam cleat to lock the back end down when slid forward and another jam cleat inside to lock the hatch down when closed for sleeping in sketchy places. I still need to epoxy it and all, but here is a snapshot.

A Stable Cockpit

After sailing on Little Cat, Ali has been begging for a platform in the cockpit. I didn't want to spend $90 a sheet for the three additional sheets of Okoume I'd need, so I decided to go with a slatted deck. A slatted deck will also drain much better if we take a breaker over the deck. I'm using cedar 1x6 boards, so the whole thing is very light but strong. Some rigidity in the cockpit would be a nice change for daily life, especially when it comes to cooking, raising the mast, and sleeping on deck. Today I got the deck fitted to the crossbeams, and all that's left is working out the lateral support system in between.

It was getting dark when I took the photos, so I'll add some more later on.

Reunited

We just finished a two month road trip put West. I have a couple of things to do on Beto, and if that goes to plan we will start cruising her in March. She still looks good for two months of winter under a tarp!