Tying Up Loose Ends

Our family took this week off for some much needed rest. Of course, rest for me means being able to work on Shan Skailyn and playing with the kids and hanging with my woman. I actually didn't accomplish much work on the boat that is readily visible. I spent most of the time I had literally tying up loose ends. After working with the rigging over and over again to gain confidence in the different things I'd need to be able to do, I was able to better determine where to cut some of that all too precious rope with confidence that I wasn't making some stupid mistake that I'd regret. All ropes cut to length, whipped, ends fused, etc. Made up the proper lengths of braided inner tube lashings for the polas, and more of that kind of stuff.

I was sure to practice reefing and un-reefing the sail at least once each day. I'm really happy with how smooth the whole thing works. Now we'll have to see how it works out at sea, likely with at least some wind to fight against. One thing I realized is that it would be really easy to ignore the fact that the boom can give me a pounding not soon to be forgotten while reefing!

Finally I was able to rig up the harness by which the helicopter can safely sling Shan Skailyn down to the coast in not quite eight weeks time now. It's good to work out little details like that ahead of time. I'm regretting not having taken a picture of the thing all harnessed up. What was I thinking?

I've been working with Sesi too, teaching him some of the more important things about the boat and what he'd need to do in an emergency, like if Kyle and I both got knocked off the boat. For example, he needs to know how to depower the sail. Obviously there's so much more, but I don't want to bore you with too much detail, which I may have done already.

I've been very anxiously awaiting a package that I had mailed to me back in early October with all the last little tidbits that are needed to finish the boat as well as some essentials for the trip. This package has taken an unusually long time to arrive and my last chance to get it is coming up in just two days. I'll find out on Monday when the helicopter does our next supply run if the package is here. Gonna have to improvise on some things if it hasn't.

Shan Skailyn has been assembled in our yard all week and it's quite a hit for our friends passing by. During my week off it was fun to hang out around the boat and explain how it works. Most have never seen a sailboat before. "Where's the motor?" they keep asking. They can't believe that the wind alone is supposed to make Shan Skailyn move. It's a crazy thing this whiteskin is doing up here on the mountain!

Dig the Rig

As I've looked around online (when I'm out in town obviously) I've struggled to find good details of different folks' reefing solutions. So here is my potentially lame attempt to put it all together. Not that Shan Skailyn's rig is the best example or anything. But wherever it fits on the scale of good-bad, here are pictures of the details. I would just post all the pix separate, but our limited email system cannot handle that many attachments. So I'm combining in one larger picture. You'll have to forgive my possible skewing of terminology. In many cases I'm just being descriptive without actually knowing what everything is called.

Reefy Reeferson!

I'm feeling pretty stoked after the work I was able to get done yesterday (sat). Finally managed to get the sail to a point where it can be reefed out on the water! The solution was in the use of parrel beads at key points as well as the installation of a sheave for a clew outhaul. Altogether I can now reef with the entire rig remaining upright. Still takes a little finessing, but it does work. I think I'll throw in a couple more parrels add some ease to the procedure and call it good. As it stands right now, I have to release clew outhaul, release the halyard (for the head of the sail... what's that called anyway?), take up the weight of the boom and 'jiggle' the sail down the mast, which takes a few minutes to get all the mast hoops to work down and over the bamboo joints. Once that's done, I can attach the reefing hook at the tack, which is actually just a stainless carabiner, tighten up the reefing line that pulls the new clew down into place, and tighten up the main clew. Then just tie up the cringles or whatever those little rope thingies are supposed to be called, and we're good to go. Probably sounds more complicated than it needs to be, but I figure for a setup using more traditional materials it's probably about as good as it's gonna get. I'm quite pleased with it. Though it has yet to be tested in a real situation.

Just FYI, this system reefs 25" of the foot of the sail, which is very nearly, if not a perfect, 1/3 of the total sail area, or about 27.7 square feet.

One thing I've noticed is that finding good pictures of all the details of a system's rigging have been hard to find (when I actually have access to internet in town, that is). If I can scrounge up the time, I'm hoping to put together some pictures of details of the rigging.

Reefing Conundrum

My focus this weekend was on getting a good start on modifying the boom and sail so that I can reef the thing. I ran into problems with my original reefing plan, where the luff edge did not want to slide down the bamboo mast. Adding to the complications is the attachment of a halyard about 1/3 of the way up the mast, past which one of the mast hoops has to go down. I've since come to realize there are a few key points that keep this sail from lowering. One is the brailing line attachment point up on the luff spar. The pulley is integrated into the mast hoop via a quick eye in the rope. The pull of the weight of the boom is just enough to make for a lot of friction as the hoop tries to pass over the joint in the bamboo (BTW the joint is called 'gwudukngu' here in the Mibu language. Same word is used for elbow. Bamboo is called 'kekngu', the bamboo joint is called 'kekngu gwudukngu'.) OK, back from our rabbit trail. The other biggie is the clew attachment. Right now the clew is attached via static connection. Because of the angles in the sail, when the luff is lowered down the mast, the clew needs to pull in toward the mast. So I had to modify the end of the boom to incorporate a sheave. Now I have a clew outhaul... well almost. I wasn't able to get it completely done. When I am done though, I'll uncleat the clew outhaul, let it loose a bit, then lower the sail to its reefing points and tighten up the clew again. Note in the picture that I've simply added an extension on to my original bamboo plug into which I was able to make a slot for the sheave. I tenoned the new piece into the original, then drilled out and doweled through the whole thing, locking it into place for what I hope will be a really strong joint.

Because of the other friction problems, I've decided that a few spots need parrels. I looked high and low when I was in town last and could not find any suitable beads for the job. So I made my own out of some very dense, strong wood called 'kwila' which from what I understand is ironwood. So far, it looks like parrel beads at the head, the clew, and at the brailing line attachment point on the luff, will all serve their purpose well. Hoping I don't need any more than that to make it work.

I stewed and stewed about just how to go about making these parrel beads. Then it hit me! A small hole saw in the end grain of a piece of timber, then cross cut with the table saw. Then thread each one on a long bolt and work the things into shape with the orbital sander. Worked out pretty nice. I used similar methods to make my sheave as well.

No, I'm not into some kind of all natural funk or anything like that. Remember, I live in the middle of the jungle. No home depot, no Lowe's, no nothing. I would just order whatever I find lacking next time I'm out in town, except since it usually takes several months for me to get things I've ordered, and since the maiden voyage is coming up soon, in March, I have to make do with what I have. The added benefit is that I'm saving money this way too. Those parrel beads are expensive to buy online!

Will post pix of the finished assembly when everything is finished, which by the looks of it, may be a couple weeks. Got a lot going on that is limiting time spent on extracurricular activities.