Bury the Rail!

Yep, the title says it all. I'm out of my PocketShip doldrums and falling off the wind to pick up some speed. I went on a race / sail on Lake Pepin today, manning the jibsheets for a 30' sloop out of Lake City. Winds were steady at 15kn all day and of course were coming out of the marina. Again. Which meant heavy heeling as the quickest way back. It was fun and spirited sailing and I could do it in my shorts this time instead of my January Minnesota gear.

Lake Pepin splashes against the bow.

Heeled over pretty good. The horizon is crooked, not the boat.

I got home and headed for a fantastic little hole in the wall BBQ joint on 48th and Nicolett where I treated myself to a half slab of baby backs, double shot of beans, and peach cobbler. Heated of course. Finished with that and avoiding the beer that usually accompanies such a meal, I sanded half a bay (progress, right?) then decided to prep the footwell sides and floor. The only space in the shop that can safely hold pieces this size is the boat itself. Figured now's the time to do it before I muck it all up with an actual finished boat.

Outboard footwell sides getting epoxy. Bulkheads 7 and 8 serve as saw horses.

Since the manual doesn't call for 'glass for the outboard footwell sides, they sure as heck get epoxy, so the first layer of that went down tonight. The manual also isn't specific on 'glass for the bottom of the footwell (the side facing the hull) so I laid 'glass there.

The bottom of the footwell gets 'glassed. The bow compartment makes a nice saw horse, too.

A bit of a problem as my small garage originally forced me to run around the stern to get to the other end of the bow, so I opened the garage door. That was a great decision. The street lamps added a little more light and a cool breeze came through every now and then, not strong enough to affect the 'glass but enough to freshen the air and lift the spirits. Boatbuilding was fun again. I felt a little bit like those guys in Vegas who paint space scenes on the street corner. I've never seen anyone buy one of them but it sure is fun to watch.

An acrylic painting by Andrew McAttee. Wonder if this matches tanbark?

I had a little extra epoxy in the cup so I put a third layer down at the fresh compartment #2 and thickened it up for some divets here and there. Time and desire willing, I should be finished sanding the hull except for the bow by Tuesday night. Taking the page from other builders, I'm likely to ignore the bow compartment until a little while later.

The storage locker with the final 3rd layer of epoxy.

While my goal of having the sole down before my wife gets back Thursday won't happen, I'm pretty sure I'll be ready sooner than later. Fun day on the water and in the garage.