Paul356

I have varnished over gussets made of epoxy and woodflour, that is gussets made of B&B's special blend. It works very well. The coaming you see here is such an animal. I also used screws through pads to hold down the deck pieces while the epoxy dried, then removed the screws and filled the holes with thickened epoxy, which I sanded flat before recoating and then varnishing the whole thing. That also works well. As you can see, from a few feet away, the whole thing looks like there are no blemishes, and up close, if you take care, it all looks very nice.

Congratulations, PP

You saw that the Mk III in Oriental is now for sale??

Very nice. That's such a cool-looking boat, Todd.

This is a gorgeous boat. And Todd is ecstatic.

You will be missed. Take care.

Things have finally firmed up and I will be making the trek from Milwaukee. I'm planning to arrive Thursday afternoon or evening. I can launch then or Friday a.m., depending what time I arrive and who is around. I will have my tent, but I am planning to sleep on my boat if the weather is ok. Leaving late Sunday or Monday a.m. See you all then.

Yup. Main caught, and it was a problem. Sprits shown in the plans were too short, but make sure your longer ones don't catch. (Good memory, PP!)

Very nice. That's a great picture.

I still use ol' "Moby Turtle," which I got from B&B a few years back. You can just see it at the top of the mizzen in this photo. I know it adds some wind resistance, since I can feel it when I put up the mizzen. It makes a pretty good wind vane, tho. Whatever, it's there to stay. Fortunately I have not had to deploy it in anger. I.e., no capsizes since installed.

I think Graham recommends sailing the main by the lee and the mizzen on the "regular" or downwind side when running wing on wing, which I realize is a little different matter. That way you get the full effect of the by-the-lee arrangement on the biggest sail. Like others, I would feel most comfortable with this in light to moderate breezes. Or reefed. Don't forget the alternative to a heavy wind-gybe, the "chicken gybe," or heading up and tacking around through 270 degrees. I do this on the big boat when going solo and seeking to avoid a crashing boom all standing. I would certainly consider it for the CS in heavy wind. You'd have a chance to take a breather in the middle, too, heaving to.

You bet. Brian/Buck was there. He's in that Sea Pearl going wing on wing in the foto, along with its proud new owner, Thor. Brian left his own SP at home in order to team up with Thor this trip.

Tried a video, but no dice. Rats.

The CS 17 and I joined 5 other campers for a week on the Turtle Flambeau Flowage in far Up North Wisconsin. This is an impoundment dating to 1926 behind a dam designed to provide electricity to farms and communities in the area. The 14,000-acre Flowage (as we call impoundments here) has 334 miles of shoreline and 377 islands, and I would estimate about 100 million stumps, logs, rocks and mudflats. Still the sailing wasn't bad. We set up a base camp and went out every day to sail and poke around. Our fleet included the CS 17, a Sea Pearl 21, two sailing kayaks with akas and amas, and a strip built sailing canoe based on a 16-foot square-stern Grumman. We had some pretty windy days and some moderate days, with the breezes and gusts swirling around those 377 islands. It was a good place to practice upwind technique, nosing out the gusts and playing the shifts. As to the stumps, mud, etc., I learned that the CS could sail, or at least make forward progress, if unhappily, in about 8" of water. Before the group arrived, I spent one night anchored out, sleeping on the boat. I got pelted with rain, but stayed mostly dry under my dodger and tarp setup. A few fotos for fun.

Wow!

Great stuff.

What are the dates?

I would worry about the wind catching your sail and turning it into a parachute. Can you brail it and the boom up against the mast? I know that area in Manhattan. It's amazing to see you sailing out of that little harbor. Good for you!

Graham, the designer and our guru, monitors these boards and I imagine he will respond. But you can also contact him or young Alan directly at B & B Yachts. I expect one or both of them would be glad to discuss this with you.

Really nice. We had a similar week with boatloads of small relatives a month ago. Exceedingly fun. Thanks for sharing.

Sea Pearl sails roll up on the mast. It's a little complicated.

Very nice Wisconsin evening. Love that Chebacco, too.

You need to get a bugle and learn how to play that. How cool would it be to hear the skipper holding forth as you approach the landing. Or in a fog bank.

I switched to the Ronstan units on all 4 of my sheets, i.e., double-ended main and mizzen. They make a huge difference, especially when I'm sailing alone in heavier weather and need to adjust from where I'm sitting without moving. They are pricy, but worth it in this case.

For better or worse, we had 7 folks - 5 adults and 2 kids - aboard the 17 recently, in a moderate breeze. Lots of room for everyone, and the double-ended sheets were helpful to me trying to keep an eye on everything from the back end.