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Signs of Spring are out there but you have to look under the snow. Sjogin’s still resting comfortably in her ice berth. There’s signs of open water but the Bay’s still frozen solid south of Curtis Point. Spar work begins next week with the assembling of the various bits and cleaning up the mast and boom tracks. And then on to the other long pending work.

Here are a few recent pics:

An inch of water over the ice makes for nice reflections. And just an inch or so of ice in the bilge.

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You can just make out a strip of open water over by the Mantoloking shore. It will take a while for the basin to open up. Maybe in time for stepping the mast.

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Yet another snow storm. I think this one was named Thor. Which I am from shoveling.

Hang in there fellow Northeasterners. The Osprey, crocuses and such harbingers of Spring are just around the corner.

and I’m feeling guilty about the lack of of a new post.

Here’s a few quick pics of Sjogin in the shed being very slowly prepared for painting. I’m starting from the house down because if the hull get’s done first there’s always the temptation to finish the deck and house painting “when it’s in the water”.

Sealer has been applied to all the bare wood. (From the deck up so far.)

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Though the new wood looks fine bright, it was always meant to be painted. The hatch frame will remain varnished.

The only new wood to be varnished will be the rub rails. They have two coats of sealer on them now and will have a few more coats of varnish before the bronze half oval is installed.

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Heres the first two planks of the cockpit sole, more to follow.

And more progress pics as well. Eventually….

I’ve started using an application called Flicstaker to upload photos to Flickr. It’s pretty easy to use which should result in more pics here.

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The dinghy is a Columbia Model designed by Nathaniel G. Herreshoff. I had the pleasure of helping Tom build her in the early 80’s. The ugly duckling is Speedwell, ready for some late season Duckboating. Now that the major work at home’s been completed, she’ll be trucked home. She could be sailed home absent the Point Pleasant Canal. Hmmm. Maybe next year. We’ll see how we do with Stockton Lake and the fixed bridges. Glimmerglass here I come.

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Taken by Kent Mountford last week. Again sailing as slow as I can.

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That’s one way of cleaning the shop. A fresh coat of floor paint is applied in stages. Perhaps it’s being done in honor of Sjogin’s pending visit?

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More change. After 30 or so years, the outfeed table for the band saw has been replaced.

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And a pivoting support for the table. The pivot is on the same axis as the band saw. Tres clever.

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Hard to believe that it’s been thirty years or so since I helped Tom build this gem. Light use and careful storage make for a long life.

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Lark sitting quietly before another squall hits. Busy Summer.

Last Monday I had the pleasure of having Kent Mountford on board while he was interviewed by Kirk Moore of the Asbury Park Press about the state of Barnegat Bay. Delightful day, sad story. Videographer Tom Costello recorded it all.

We had a nice light breeze from the West that made for a pleasant sail with no drama. We came back to the dock to pump bilges (battery dead) and drop off Tom. We then sailed about in the basin and then out for more of the interview.

Here’s the LINK to the on-line article in the Press including the video. Sjogin did fine in her first “close-up”.

Here’s a pic I took of Kent being interviewed by Kirk:

Be sure to comment on the article and let them know what you think of Sjogin as a recording studio.

Had a chance today for a quick sail and brunch under way. Also discovered the Charlie Nobel is finished. Good excuse to order a new one from the stove’s builder. Copper perhaps.

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Out before the Southerly picks up.

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Still rough but very functional.

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Hove to inside Swan Point.

Another iPad Post.

You may have seen this as it’s been making the rounds on the Web. It’a a real-time wind speed map of the continental US using NOAA predictions. Click anywhere on the map to zoom in. Very cool and mesmerizing.

Here’s the Link

Just a quick note to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a more Post filed New Year.

Thanks again for stopping by.

Russ

A quick Post to let you know Sjogin’s rigged and ready to go. No sail yet but look for pics next week.

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she’s taken up a lot better that I would have thought with the long haul out.

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Ready for her sails.

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Ready to go!

With the 2010 Duckboat Worlds set for the 27th, I’m sharing my boat work time between Sjogin and Speedwell. Our 1950? Phil Clarke Duckboat had a new keel, centerboard case and mast step renewed this past winter. Prior posts here and here. Of course Speedwell’s been sitting in a shed waiting to be painted and rigged since April. Must be something in the water at Beaton’s.

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Doubling my fun. The bottom needs a lot of attention after her surgery and general tightening up.

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When done she’ll be painted Malachy Green on the bottom and coamings, Seattle Grey decks and Slate Grey inside the hull. All paints will be low gloss Kirby paints. And all are Sjogin colors.

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We had Phil Heffernan, one of our imaginary friends, down last weekend for a visit. An inspection tour of Beaton’s is always on the list. He’s starting a Blog that should be photo rich as Phil’s a Professional.

As Thomas Armstrong has so eloquently described it, Sjogin had her lines recorded this week with the able help of Steve Martinsen. Steve is one of the parties that will receive a set of the Paul Gartside plans. It is his dream to build a copy of Sjogin for himself. Just typing that makes me very happy.

Thomas came by late Wednesday afternoon and took some pics which are shown below. Here’s a link to the post on his always interesting 70.8% Blog.

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Here I am applying one of the fingers to mark the location of the lower edge of the keel. This will define her profile.

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Moving right along, more fingers are added, each pointing to the lap joints where the planks are joined.

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Here the fingers are laid on the laydown, where each point is marked. Then a hopefully fair line is drawn between the points. At each crossing of the waterline and buttock lines, the distance from the centerline and the above the baseline respectively are recorded, resulting in a table of offsets. That table lists all the points that define the hull shape. It’s the essential information that allows the boat to be built.

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Here Steve and I are setting up a batten to draw a line through all the recorded points. In practice not all points lined up in a smooth curve. Paul Gartside and Francois Vivier will take the measurements and fair them as they see fit.

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After the lines are drawn, each height and half-breadth is recorded in the table. Since the whole boat is drawn here on only one side of the centerline, it was a challenge to make sure the offsets were measured properly.

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The almost completed Table of Offsets. The first step in developing plans for Sjogin. The next steps involve measuring all of her construction details, the shape and size of the cabin, spars and everything else that the designers will need as a starting point for their own idea of what makes Sjogin, well Sjogin.

Thanks again to Steve for his able assistance and to Thomas for documenting the documentation.