Projects...Complete!

After a productive period of time this last summer, I am proud to say that my list of projects aboard TERN are almost entirely complete....I decided that I would just continue to teat TERN as though I'll own her forever, though she is still for sale!

Port side, showing new Lexan portlights and modified foredeck.

Stbd. bow, new portlights.

Stbd. bow showing new pulpit, dorades removed, new cabin house paint.

I customized and installed the custom stainless bow pulpit.

Port side view

New welded mounting plates.  Note internal condensation drain hole at bottom.

Removed bulky dorade ventilators on the foredeck and replaced with flush mount, opening access ports.

Customized and reinforced the cockpit coaming to accommodate for sheet-to-tiller self steering gear.

Jorgen Haarle shaping stainless brackets for self-steering attachment.

Placing for fit and fastening.  These are now primed and painted white.

Replaced old cleat-mounts with gum-wood ones and painted.  Re-intsalled sheet cleats.

New Ipea cleat mounts for job sheets

Removed the 2 wooden chocks at stern (one had broken) and replaced with stainless ones.

Removed old plexiglass portlights and replaced with bronze-tint Lexan.

New bronze Lexan matched with old portlights

Re-painted cabin house (interior and exterior) while the portlights were out.

Toe rail stripped and sanded.  Cabin house primed and painted.

Stripped to wood and re-finished the wooden cleats and toe rail with 3 coats of Interlux sealer followed by 3 coats of Interlux Perfection Plus.

I had hoped to sail the Wooden Boat Show circuit (Vancouver, Victoria, Deer Harbor, Port Townsend) in late August this summer, but was about three weeks too late in completing these projects.  Guess it'll have to wait until next season.  That's OK--I wanted to take my time and do things right;  the satisfaction of a job well-done is always worth it.

A Visit to Trekka!

I recently had the fortunate opportunity to visit the original Trekka, at the  Maritime Museum of Victoria .

When I realized that I would be spending some time in this beautiful little city, I decided to walk down to the museum.  When I mentioned to a very helpful museum staff that I owned a sister ship to Trekka, and would love to talk with someone there who was very involved in her restoration, she recommended  I call her husband, John West.

John talks about Trekka

John was extremely generous with his time, has a lot of history with boat, allowed me to climb aboard and down below, and offered some great technical experience regarding the longevity and strength of the keel and fastening system used on Trekka.

I had some specific questions:

"Was the keel, and were the fasteners, original when Trekka came into the hands of the museum?

--Yes--

"And what were the condition of these at that time (after multiple circumnavigations and thousands of ocean miles)?"

--Very good, actually.  The museum ended up replacing the galvanized flanges because they got misplaced, but the keel plate is the original.  They sandblasted and epoxy-coated the keel plate, which is as good as new.--

"How did the rudder and associated parts hold up?"

--I was able to see the original rudder which looked fine.  It differs from TERN's in that Trekka's is a steel shaft, TERN's is stainless.

The noble little ship that circumnavigated twice.

There were some other interesting differences between TERN and Trekka, all of which made me feel yet more confidence in TERN;

1) Trekka was tight-seam planked in 3" wide red cedar, TERN was strip-planked, edge-fastened (and epoxied in seams) with 1.5" wide Port Orford yellow cedar.

2) Trekka is painted down below, TERN's interior hull is finished bright with Linseed oil.

Tern's interior

3) Trekka is yawl-rigged, TERN is sloop-rigged.

4)  Trekka was sheathed after launching and 2 ocean passages with polyester resin and glass cloth, TERN was sheathed with epoxy and polypropylene cloth, as part of the construction process.

5)  Trekka's spars were of Sitka spruce, TERN's mast is aluminum.

6)  TERN's rudder was replaced and a new one built of a slightly different design--a little more surface area forward of the rudder post lends to a very light helm.

Tern, showing rudder and keel.

Even with these differences, the two boats are very similar.  It was a very special treat to be aboard the boat that had been skillfully sailed around the world twice.

I so look forward to getting TERN launched again, and experiencing the feeling of sailing her again.

Reunion with TERN

Having spent all winter in the Bay Area, I was eager to return to our place on Orcas Island in April.  I was optimistic that TERN had fared well over the course of the winter, and friends had repeatedly checked up on her for me.

The giant tarp I had set up over a taut-line had kept any debris from making contact with the boat, and the custom boat cover had kept tree detritus off the decks.  I puled the boat cover off to open up the space under the tarp, and have some working room to tackle a few small projects while TERN is so close to my shop.

Clean and dry, custom bow pulpit ready to have attachment tabs welded on.

The list of projects aren't necessary, but will make TERN safer and easier for offshore sailing:

-Install custom bow pulpit
-Replace old plexiglass portlights with new bronze-tint lexan
-Have stainless bails (which attach to and strengthen cockpit coaming) made for attaching the sheet-to-tiller self steering components
-Bottom paint touch-up, and install zincs
-Renew gaskets on water-tight bulkheads, and acquire canoe-style float-bags to inflate in water-tight compartments while offshore.
-Touch up brightwork
-Install oarlocks and order oars for engineless maneuvering

Side view of TERN showing cradle and bow pulpit.

She was a little dusty from pollen, but smelled dry and cedar-like down below.  A quick sweep on deck showed that no piles of debris had accumulated, she just needs a nice washing.  I will try to launch her in early July.  As much as I still want a small multihull to be able to carry kayaks with, I just love sailing TERN, and can't wait to launch her again...

Thlaloca! An Unexpected Blast from the Past...

What a superb little boat.
I was the 4th owner of Thlaloca a sloop rigged trekka sistership built in 1959-60 by Hein Zenker
Hein & his wife Siggi sailed Thlaloca around the world starting in '61 with a small dog aboard.  Mentioned in a book titled 
The Circumnavigators  by Donald Holm.
 
I set out for the Carribean in 1985 from the Bahamas and got a bit hammered;  the boat could take way more than it's crew.
We were surfing down 20' waves before I got sail reduced and finally hove to for 3 days and then turned back in.
You definitely don't go the "Thorny Path" to the Carribean in this boat.  My mistake, not the boat's.

Considering that Thlaloca was built circa 1960 at a cost of $2800 (1960 dollars) and that I sold her in 1987 for $10,000
(1987 dollars) your price of 10k in todays dollars represents an excellent value for such a boat.
May she find the adventurous soul to cross a couple oceans in her-she's a real thorough-bred and can take you almost anywhere.

best of luck
John 

Thlaloca, another "Trekka" sistership.

Out of the blue, I received this email from an admirer of TERN.  As stated above, Thlaloca circumnavigated as well--with two adults and a dog!  No more excuses from the folks who say she's too small.  She's just small!  So thankful to read this generous email, and bittersweet to want to be on the sea, sailing TERN, to a warm, clear-watered destination.

Images From A Recent Adventure...

Anchored in the fog.

Parks Bay, a great anchorage, but seems to be a fave with the power boaters.

A raucous close reach back from Stuart Is.

Too foggy to go, so I went paddling!

Heading to Port Townsend!

Yes, I'll be sailing TERN to Port Townsend and should be there Saturday and Sunday.  I'm not sure yet wether I'll anchor out every night, or be at a dock for Friday or Saturday night.  Either the Port Townsend boat harbor or the Pt. Hudson marina.  If anchored, I'll be to the west of the ferry landing, near the P.T. marina.

Come say "HI!"

"The Wind Is My Engine"

Wow!  We've had some great sailing in the last week here in the San Juan Islands.  Djuna's sister was visiting us from landlocked Colorado, so we decided to sail TERN to Friday Harbor for some "city life".  Had a great lunch at Pablito's, checked out the used clothing store, and enjoyed the town, glad to be independent of the ferry schedule and huge lines of traffic.  It's so nice to utilize the privilege of having TERN to embark on these small adventures, and to share the beauty of the area with other people.

Djuna, my love, at the helm, TERN going nicely.

 A day later, a big fan of the boat came out for a look and a sail.  It was great to meet Sam, and I appreciated talking with him and sharing stories while we reached back and forth across West Sound in 12 knots of wind.  One of the many things we talked about was what brings happiness in one's life.  I reflected on this as we sailed and realized that, though there are costs and complexities involved with boat ownership, there is so much value in the quality time spent moving over the water in a snug, simple vessel.   There is a synergy between the sailor and the boat to where, at times, I literally feel what the boat is experiencing--as though I've inherited a new body carefully constructed of yellow cedar, oak, stainless steel, and sail.  It is as it should be;  the medium through which we move imparting movement and vibrations (itself, really) onto me, the traveller.

Close reaching with current assisting, we make the south point of Shaw.

Now I'm lining up my schedule to sail the boat to the Deer Harbor wooden boat festival (which occurs between the Victoria and Port Townsend event), where the boat will get a lot of attention, I'm sure.  After that, Port Townsend for a weekend of good sailing, beautiful boats, and great sailing for me across the Straits of Juan de Fuca....unless, of course, TERN captures someone's fancy earlier.