Books We Love Insider Blog: #CatalinaSailboat

Short-listed for Best Young Adult Book, The Word Guild

It's that time of year again when we haul off the canvas tarps, fire up the buffer, and prepare our sailboat, Escape Route II, for the sailing season. I do so love prepping, but it always involves the purchase of:
Compound ($50)
Wax ($60)
Cleaning solutions ($50)
VC17 keel paint ($100 per can and we need two cans)
Varathane ($50)
Cetol ($50)
And the list goes on.....
Everyone knows what the acronym for BOAT is, right?
It's Bring Out Another Thousand.
Yes, sailing and owning a boat is an expensive undertaking. The price for material used for 'marine' purpose is at least quadruple what you'd pay for another purpose. Example: the cost of a marine water pump is $800. The cost for the same item, used in a motor vehicle, is $100.
However, the pure joy of harnessing the wind to bring you from Point A to Point B, is - priceless.
And anchoring? Pure bliss.
But back to spring fitting.
Our spring fitting (the terms used for prepping the boat for the sailing season), usually involves four or five weekends of hard, physical work. First, we remove the canvas tarps and dismantle the winter structure. This takes one full weekend.

Then we spend two more weekends cleaning the interior of the boat (the interior is referred to as 'down below'), applying compound to the hull, waxing the hull, buffing the hull, washing the decks. I also bring back all my reading materials, cushions, spices for the 'galley' (kitchen), materials for the 'head' (bathroom), sunscreen and insect repellents. (All liquids are removed for the winter and returned in the spring.)

'Down below'

Then another weekend is dedicated to hooking up batteries, changing oil and water filters, testing the engine, and painting the bottom. The mast also needs to be cleaned and the rigging inspected (that's the steel cables, chains and turnbuckles that connect the mast to the body of the boat, as well as the spreaders, shrouds and halyards).

FACT: The ropes from the foresail, aka Genoa, aka Genny, are called 'sheets.'
FACT: Ropes are not referred to as ropes on a sailboat. They are 'lines,' 'sheets' or 'halyards.'
FACT: 'Halyards' are the ropes from the top of the mast leading to the foresail and the mainsail.

When everything has been inspected, cleaned and waxed, then it's time to paint the bottom of the boat and the keel. The keel on our 36' Catalina sailboat is made of lead and weighs approximately 6,600 lbs. The boat when empty, weighs over 14,000 lbs. My partner likes to joke and say when I provision the boat, it weighs 20,000 pounds. NOT TRUE, but funny. Provisioning means I've provided food, water and important materials to survive on the sailboat.

FACT: The lighter the boat, the faster it sails.

Finally, it's time to launch the boat. A large and powerful wheeled transport 'lifts' the boat from its cradle (the metal structure that holds the boat while it's out of the water. A sailboat sitting on the cradle is referred to as being 'on the hard.')

FACT: the main part of the boat consists of the dining area which is 'down below.' This is referred to as the 'main salon.'

FACT: Bedrooms are called 'staterooms.' Our boat has two staterooms: the v-berth in the forward section of the boat (which is called the 'bow'), and the aft cabin, which is in the stern or 'aft' section of the boat.
FACT: the left side of the boat is called 'port.' The right side of the boat is called 'starboard.'

Last, we use the mast crane to lift and position the 54' mast into place. The shrouds and turnbuckles are attached to the decks; the forestay is locked into place along with the backstay. These 'stays' hold and prevent the mast from falling forward/back. The shrouds maintain the mast's centre position. Then the sails are hoisted into place.

There's one last check to ensure the rigging is not too tight and not too loose.

Then.... the sailing season begins!

Some exciting news to share.... The Twisted Climb - Darkness Descends has been short-listed by The Word Guild in the Young Adult Book, General market category. The winner will be announced at their awards/gala event in June. I'll keep you posted!

Take a few moments today to enjoy nature.