Monday 16 April 2007

Marine Forecast issued for Lake Ontario. Issued: 10:13 AM EDT Friday 16 March 2007 for the period ending at 10.30 AM Saturday with an outlook for the following 24 hours. Forecast: ..Gale warning in effect...Freezing spray warning in effect.. Wind northeast 20 to 25 knots increasing to 30 with gusts to gales 35 this evening then backing to north 25 to 30 Saturday morning. Fair. Snow developing late this afternoon. Risk of freezing spray. Freezing spray beginning this evening. Waves 1 to 2 metres building to 2 to 3 this evening. Outlook..Strong northerlies backing to northwesterlies..

This was a day that the world watched another crazy college shooting. This one at Virginia Tech where 33 people were murdered. As I update the Blog I wonder where this will all end. 20 years ago someone going postal might involve a couple of people while today outright slaughter of innocents seems the rule.

There is no doubt the weather services got it right. There is an evil north west wind whipping sticky wet snow into blankets of such that sticks to all NW facing surfaces. The boom tent was sagging as deep as I have ever seen it and Defiance looks pretty miserable as I took of to the shop. The roads were slippery and the drive miserable with the walk in an exercise in wadding with the big shop once again flooded.

In spite of the snow and rain Monday was a good day at the shop and I have the entire dory rough sanded and have most of the new construction roughed in. To begin with it is important to understand that the Banker Dory is true Nufie, the boat is built from ordinary pine and fastened with ordinary screws then painted with what appears to be house paint. The old orange tries extremely hard to bleed through new colors leaving me no choice but to return its colour to the great pumpkin, or Chinese orange as ICI calls it.

As I worked my way through the task I found the bottom plank on the starboard side, where it joins the stem has a huge knot that is begining to seperate which is an unexpected repair, yet must be done as once the knots start to pop out life could get exciting in a hurry. I got the footrest fitted for me and am pondering how to attach it to allow a bit of adjustment.

Late in the day I made a Belleville run to try to find a paint that would not bleed but gave up and had to go with another orange, this one a bit brighter as I think that if one is going to be a pumpkin you might as well be a pretty pumpkin.

Tuesday, April 17

I starter very early and tried to start the primary 671 after replacing the fuel water filter, but unfortunately have taken too much apart and have gotten a air lock in the injector lines., Now I will have no choice but to go into the engine and touch the rack as on these old 671 have no way to bleed an injector other than loosening the supply line at the injector. OH BOY. AW SH-T! Once I figured out I have cooked my goose I ignored the libary and headed straight for the shop. The weather today was a little better but I seldom looked outside and now that I am home it is already growing dark as a light rain falls.

This was very much crunch day as I have to be summarily finished by the weekend, although I could have to wait to the next weekend for the paint to dry. After next monday I have taken a construction gig rather than get too involved in boat repair as Rick has a bee in his bonnet and I have no wish to make him mad if I am not going to go full out in the repair business. Like it or not I am going to have to settle down to a couple more years of regular income before I can leave, unless...

• Install the new port side gunwale
• Epoxy composite mat/roving patch to questionable plank at bow
• Hand sand and prep interior #2
• Devise and fabricate adjustable footrest for rower
• Begin primer coat of the pumpkin

Attempting to mask the old orange proved tricky due to bleed through so an orange was called for. THis is a ICI Chinese Orange. The green I have chosen is somewhat lighter than the current trim as I try to brighten the boat up. Sitting in the shop it seems bright but on the water it will show up extremely well and hopefully keep the high speed boys from running you over.

Seen from left to right are the epoxy roving repair to starboard bow plank, the adjusting blocks for the footrest, the adjusting blocks with sa coat of primer, and the new gunwale.