We are on the better side of this winter's renovation project and the launch is scheduled for the next week. During this week we have been busy with installing the deck vent and anchor windlass, glueing new seals for the locker lids and finishing the teak deck repair.
Speaking of the deck caulking method, previously I have leveled the fresh caulking with a tip of finger (moisten with some washing-up liquid). The good thing with this method is, that if the teak is masked well, there is no need for sanding. However, the job is quite messy and the outcome relays on the masking of the teak. Thus, this time we tried a bit different approach: the new caulking was simply let to dry as it was, standing proud of the teak. After a couple of days, the residuals were cut off with a sharpened trowel to the same level with the teak. In some curved seams, there was need for some sanding, but especially the straight seams were perfect after the cutting.
With the rudder, we drilled a couple of holes in the lower part of the rudder as there was about a cup of water trapped inside the blade. To my knowledge, water in the rudder is a common problem with older HR's (sometimes referred to as the Enderlein drip). In general, this problem is rather common for almost all brands, regardless of how old or new the boat is, as the joint between a fiberglass and metal is difficult to get totally watertight. That is especially true in the case of a rudder, which can be under a great strain when sailing. I think that Baltic Yachts has come up with the best solution so far, as today Baltics have all-composite rudders, and that includes the rudder stock.
Still a lot of things to do, but there is some light visible at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully, at this time of the next week, Dolphin Dance is ready for sailing.
/Antti
Leveling the residual caulking with a (sharpened) trowel
Small brush set is handy for teak deck repairs
Applying Sikaflex primer
Before installing the deck vent, the deck core was carefully sealed to prevent future leaks.
For this season, Dolphin Dance has a new home port as we got a berth for this summer from a marina located in Hirvensalo. The main reason for changing to a new harbour is getting closer to the main sailing areas of the Archipelago Sea. The marina is located only about a nautical mile from the Airisto fjard, so this reduces significantly the motoring time out of the harbour. From our previous home port, closer to the Turku city center, there was almost an hour of motoring along a narrow channel before reaching wider sea areas.
The new harbour is located only a twenty minutes drive away from our home, which is good news when one has to work on a boat or check that everything is ok. We are also keen to make shorter evening/day sailing trips this year, as the sailing grounds are more accessible.
/Antti
Discussion has lately been vivid on the subject of sailboats vs. ships on various internet's sailing forums. Locally, we had a recent court case where two skippers of yachts, participating in the sail race, were fined for steering their boats too close to the 250 meters' long tanker ship. More serious incident happened in UK during the Cowes Week 2011, when a yacht, participating in the regatta, actually collided with a tanker. Yachting Monthly wrote on their May issue about the incident, where luckily were no casualties. Check out this following video of the incident:
These two cases, and the discussion around them, made me revise the COLREGs (Collisions Regulations) and re-think our routines for avoiding ships. After all, a collision with a ship is one of the most serious incidents, which can happen at the sea.
It seems to cause controversy whether a sailboat is a give-way or a stand-on vessel in respect to the ship. By the way, COLREGs do not give a right of way to one vessel over
another; the stand-on vessel has to keep a steady course and speed and be ready to take action, if the
action taken by the give-way vessel is not sufficient to prevent
collision. As a general rule, a powerboat gives way to a sailboat. However, there are exceptions to this rule if the former has a restricted maneuverability. Following is the order of increasing maneuverability; a boat lower in the list has to give-way to the vessel higher on the list (sourcehttp://sailing.about.com):
a disabled boat
a boat that is difficult to maneuver, like a dredge or barge in tow
a boat whose maneuverability is restricted by size or draft, like a freighter
a boat engaged in commercial fishing, like a trawler
a boat being rowed
a sailboat
a recreational powerboat
When talking about the large ships, it is good to presume (also by common sense or self-protection instinct) that they have restricted maneuverability due to their size, and thus a sailboat is a give-way vessel in respect to the ship. This is especially true in shallow and narrow waterways of the Baltic Sea archipelagoes.
M/S Queen Elizabeth in Stockholm Archipelago
However, in practice the situation is not always as simple as that, since in offshore it is often the case, that ships do alter their course several miles in advance to avoid a crossing course with a leisure boat. Therefore, it is important to monitor if the ship has already taken actions to avoid you. Inexpensive AIS-receiver is particularly handy in this, since it has information on the speed and course of the ship.
A fishing trawler in Skagerrak
When visual, AIS or radar contact is made of the another vessel, it is important to assess the risk for collision before taking any significant action. In addition to the radar and the AIS-device, a bearing compass is helpful tool: it is good idea to take a bearing of the ship, when you see it in the horizon and monitor changes. If the bearing remains the same or changes very slowly, you are probably on a collision course.
There was an interesting story also in the May issue of the Yachting Monthly about collision between a 50ft sailing yacht Whispa and a freighter Gas Monarch in 2007 in UK waters. Due to the dense fog and misinterpretation of the radar image on the location of the ship, the sailboat altered her course 50 degrees to starboard which actually put the vessels onto a collision course. Without (mis)use of radar, the vessels would have passed each other within a good distance. Thus, actions based on a imperfect knowledge may lead to a worse situation, than keeping an initial steady course. As always, there were many contributing factors to the incident — the complete report is available at maib.gov.uk.
When it is assessed that vessels might be on a collision course, and you are a give-way vessel, it is important to make an early and significant alteration to your course to clearly signal for the other vessel your intentions. Course change should be merely several tens of degrees — preferably 60 degrees or more. If still — after the course change — the situation seems unclear, it is wise to call the ship's bridge by VHF to discuss how the situation is handled. AIS receiver is handy in this situation as well, since it usually shows the name and the MMSI-number of the ship, so you can call it by the name. Even better, if you have a VHF-radio with a DSC-function: you can then contact the ship directly.
AIS receiver is handy in monitoring ships
As a conclusion, it is also good to keep in mind that ships do not always keep a proper lookout and the radar does not see everything. Therefore, a good supposition is that the ship does not see you. Also if crossing a busy shipping lane, the crossing should be made as close to the 90 degrees angle as possible.
So far the busiest shipping area, that we have experienced, was in the Southern Baltics near Bornholm. However, I guess that the North Sea and especially the English Channel are much more challenging in this respect. I have mostly written about good weather conditions, but poor visibility makes the life a lot more complicated. What kind of experience and tips do you have about avoiding ships?
/Antti
The most time-consuming part has been fixing and replacing the teak deck caulking. Basically the whole deck is now checked and all the susceptible caulking has been either removed or dealt with Capt. Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure (See our older blog post on this). I also injected some epoxy under the teak deck to fill up empty spaces, where water could be pooling. Removing and cleaning the old caulking is incredibly time-consuming, but filling the seams is on the other hand pretty straight-forward job.
During the countless hours of kneeling on the deck, I have wondered the whole rationale behind having a wooden deck in a fiberglass boat. Well, hopefully the coming years will be easier in this respect, since after all, teak deck is almost maintenance free, if it is kept in good condition. On the other hand, I like the looks of a silver grey deck, and hopefully walking on a warm wooden deck on a nice sunny day will make it worth the effort.
The propellor is now removed, since zinc anode needed to be changed. Also all the cockpit locker lids are now removed, since they need to have new seals. More about this later.
How about you, when are you planning to launch or have you already?
/Antti & Minna
A work camp? Hopefully, also a sailboat in a couple of week's time.
Removing propellor (2-blade Radice)
Injecting epoxy
Applying new caulking
Removing old glue and dirt from the locker lids
Quite a few boats already launched. And the number is increasing day by day.
Located in the outer Stockholm Archipelago, Sandhamn is one of the most legendary sailing destinations in the Baltic Sea, especially among the sail racing folks. Sandhamn is probably best known as the main scene for the prestigious Gotland Runt sailing competition, which gathers every year around 300 boats to take part in the race around the Gotland.
Sandhamn
My first visit to Sandhamn was in the summer of 2009. This was actually my first trip to Stockholm Archipelago as well, so approaching Sandhamn after 80 nm singlehanded Baltic Sea crossing from Kökar felt particularly thrilling. There were a lot of boats at the sea, but one could tell from a good distance, that Sandhamn was full of masts already in the early evening, so I was a bit anxious if I would find a berth from the harbour. Also the sea charts and marks in Sweden are a bit different, so that required some extra attention. The Stockholm Archipelago appeared to be very lively, and the contrast was large to quiet Åland Archipelago, which I had left early in the morning. Don't get me wrong, I love those quiet anchorages on Åland, but Sandhamn is a place, which should be experienced during the high season: the harbour with almost 200 guest berths is filled every night with boats of all-sizes, coming from all over the Baltic Sea and further.
Sandhamn is actually the name of the harbour on the island called Sandön, that is a Swedish expression for 'sand island'. Indeed, the whole island is basically made of sand. Nowadays, it is difficult to imagine, that the island has originally been barren and treeless. Pine trees were planted on the island to anchor the sand, and nowadays the island is covered by lush forests, which give Sandön a somewhat exotic appearance. The middle part of the island is scattered by numerous trails which offer great walks to the different parts of the island.
Lökholmen
During the summer season it may be a good idea to look for a berth from a nearby Lökholmen, also owned by the Royal Swedish Yacht Club (KSSS), which is one of the oldest yachting clubs in the world. The atmosphere on Lökholmen is quite different than on the nearby Sandhamn: the island has kept its natural state better and the overall feeling is quieter and more like on a wild/natural anchorage — even if there are fairly good facilities and berths for about 200 guest boats. Sandhamn can be easily visited from a nearby Lökholmen, since there is free ferry boat running hourly.
If we have enough time during this season, we would like to make a detour to Stockholm Archipelago, when going to or coming from Gotland. Visit to Sandhamn/Lökholmen is almost a must.
/Antti
Old guard tower on Lökholmen
Sandhamn seen from Lökholmen
Lökholmen
Dolphin Dance in Sandhamn (early June 2011). Strange to see Sandhamn so quiet.
Ericsson 3 and 4 in Sandhamn after the Volvo Ocean Race 2008/2009
Start for the final VOR leg to St. Petersburg near Sandhamn (2009).
We have still about three weeks to go before the launch, so I think that we are quite well in the schedule — assuming of course that there are no unpleasant surprises lurking behind the corner. The keel project is advancing according to the plan: the keel is now coated five times with Teknos Inerta primer 5 (epoxy primer). After the underside of the keel is antifouled twice, Dolphin Dance can be lowered on her keel. The underside of the keel is difficult to operate during the normal winter haul-out, so it is good, that it is now properly made. We try to avoid scratching the keel in the coming season.
DD's topsides were polished and waxed already last autumn, so this saves quite a lot of time now in the spring. The plan is to wax the topsides once more (with a hard wax), but that is pretty straight-forward and quick job compared to the rubbing stage.
The teak deck is one of the most time-consuming projects during this spring. Now that the air is dry in the shed, one can see the places where the caulking has separated from the teak. When the teak gets wet, it expands and therefore it may be difficult to locate those areas during the season. Furthermore, all the repairs to the teak deck should be made, when the teak is thoroughly dry, which may be impossible to achieve during the sailing season. In addition to replacing some caulking at few spots, I also tried a bit different approach this year: I bought Capt. Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure, which I injected to all the seams, which looked potentially leaky. Crack Cure has a very low viscosity, so by using capillary action, it finds its way even to the fine cracks. When cured, it should make flexible and strong bond. I will report later how well this method works.
In general, Creeping Crack Cure is easy to apply. However, according to some internet discussions, the Creeping Crack Cure can leave nasty black spots on the teak, which may be impossible to clean later. Therefore, I cleaned all the spills instantly with a cloth and acetone. This quick action seemed to be sufficient and fortunately we did not have problem with teak turning to black. Also, it is wise to try to avoid the spills in the first place; an injection needle, which can be purchased from pharmaceutical store, helps a lot in accuracy of application.
/Antti
The Isokari lighthouse island is located in the Southern Bothnian Sea, about eleven nautical miles north from Kustavi. My first visit to this island was in the beginning of the 21st century with our family's small sailing boat. Although located next to the open sea, Isokari is rich in flora and fauna and the middle part of the island has lush forests. However, the kilometres long western shoreline of the island is barren and treeless and offers a great view towards the Bothnian Sea. This western part is my utmost favourite place on the island — especially in the evening when the sun starts setting. Actually, it was on Isokari that I first experienced (and became addicted to) the beauty of the open sea; it is rare to find that kind of view in the Southwestern Archipelago, where one can see no islands in the horizon. Well, actually there is one very small island (or islet with a lighthouse) called Sandbäck, located about 8 nm to the west, but it is barely visible.
On that late summer evening in 2000, I remember dreaming how it would feel to sail towards that endless horizon of the Bothnian Sea. That dream was realized last year, when we set sail from Isokari towards Sundsvall in Sweden. Unfortunately, the weather was less romantic than on that beautiful evening over ten years ago.
My second visit to Isokari was in 2007 and after that, I have visited the island every year except in 2011. If we have enough time, we would like to visit this great island also in the coming season, especially as our previous visit was a rather quick one.
The sheltered harbour is on the east side of the island and the guest pier is located quite close to the pilot station. During the high season, there are daily guided tours from the harbour to the lighthouse. The lighthouse, built in 1833, is the second highest in Finland (49,4 m). From the top, one can enjoy a magnificent view to the Bothnian Sea and all the way to the outer islands of the Northern Åland.
Also, check out this great blog (in Finnish) by a pilot. The blog frequently features photography and stories from Isokari.
/Antti
Isokari in sight!
It is said, that spray from the waves may reach the top of the lighthouse during the strongest storms.
Kilometres long rocky shoreline
Dolphin Dance and a pilot boat
In July 2007, I spent an extra day on the island due to the northwesterly gale.
Speaking of the deck caulking method, previously I have leveled the fresh caulking with a tip of finger (moisten with some washing-up liquid). The good thing with this method is, that if the teak is masked well, there is no need for sanding. However, the job is quite messy and the outcome relays on the masking of the teak. Thus, this time we tried a bit different approach: the new caulking was simply let to dry as it was, standing proud of the teak. After a couple of days, the residuals were cut off with a sharpened trowel to the same level with the teak. In some curved seams, there was need for some sanding, but especially the straight seams were perfect after the cutting.
