7 June 2009: Sunday- Scappoose Moorage
Well my light show last night was perfect. I love the soft white light and the red diffuses throughout the cabin without reflecting on the window. I rarely run at night, but a few years ago I had to for a medical emergency and the glare on the window was too much. So I am quite the happy camper.
After breakfast I went into town to Ace Hardware to pick up a few items and went over to my old marina to pick up a copy of the Fresh Water News. The owner of the boat, I thought was a Fisher 25, was onboard, so I stopped by hoping I could take a look. It turns out that WhiskyJack is an Island Drifter, made in British Columbia. I went aboard and it is a v
ery well built vessel, The pilot house has room for only one person at the helm station and the icebox is on the starboard side. While he trucked her down from Victoria, this summer he will be sailing her back north. He longs to explore the west coast of Vancouver Island. This is a dream of many people, but few actually do it. I wish him good winds and a safe journey. Perhaps in the future I can hear some of his stories.
I’m ready to get to work. I unbolt the aft cleats from the deck and sand them down as they are the most weathe
red from the sun. Next, are the aft cabin grab bars and they get sanded, as well. All the other wood trim is in good condition, so a light sanding and cleaning is good enough preparation, so I can put on another glossy coat of Cetol. I will have to go into Portland tomorrow and pick up a can of base Cetol to begin refinishing the others pieces. This process will take several days, at which time, I need to contact my diesel mechanic Mike at Mayday Marine and see when he and Tony can check my valve clearances on my cylinders.
I am usually never here on a Sunday, so it is nice to chat with some of my neighbors and meet new boaters who have recently moved in on my dock. After looking at several boats today, I am more and more impressed by my little Albin. She is economical, well built by strict Swedish standards, ingeniously designed, easy to single hand, yet comfortable with 2 on board and 3 for short periods of time. Having the aft cabin for guests is particularly comfortable, whereas most boats have a dinette conversion for guests, which in my view is not practical, nor comfortable. Shatoosh aft cabin has 2 - 6 foot quarter berths with sitting headroom. While I have never slept back there, everyone seems to enjoy it. Perhaps one day I’ll try it out.
Another aspect that is unique to the albin is the slanted navigation chart table. As I look at 40 foot power cr
uisers, none of them have a helmsman chart table, much less a slanted one. Most power boats don’t have a dual helm seat like the one on Shatoosh, and only have a single helm station. Having a dual station and chart table in front of you, really helps navigate in the shoal areas of the outback waters that I enjoy cruising in. Having someone else checking the chart as I am watching the depth sounder is quite helpful.
I remember years ago when a group of us gals chartered in Florida to head for a Christmas vacation in the Dry Tortugas Islands. We were navigating at night, coming back up the Caloosahatchee River in a storm, and my friend, Bambi was standing on the cabin ladder looking aft into the cockpit and using a flashlight to read the chart, which was on the cockpit sole, and give out course headings and mileage to the next marker. It was an impossible scene, yet we came through it without a hitch. There was no chart table in sight. Thanks, Bambi for being able to do that. Wasn’t that a fun vacation? Several people never went on a boat after that, as I recall. The Gulf of Mexico can really kick up some nasty weather. At least our time in the Tortugas was sunny and fun filled. I came very close to throwing up the night before while we were crossing the Gulf.
Well my light show last night was perfect. I love the soft white light and the red diffuses throughout the cabin without reflecting on the window. I rarely run at night, but a few years ago I had to for a medical emergency and the glare on the window was too much. So I am quite the happy camper.
After breakfast I went into town to Ace Hardware to pick up a few items and went over to my old marina to pick up a copy of the Fresh Water News. The owner of the boat, I thought was a Fisher 25, was onboard, so I stopped by hoping I could take a look. It turns out that WhiskyJack is an Island Drifter, made in British Columbia. I went aboard and it is a v
ery well built vessel, The pilot house has room for only one person at the helm station and the icebox is on the starboard side. While he trucked her down from Victoria, this summer he will be sailing her back north. He longs to explore the west coast of Vancouver Island. This is a dream of many people, but few actually do it. I wish him good winds and a safe journey. Perhaps in the future I can hear some of his stories.I’m ready to get to work. I unbolt the aft cleats from the deck and sand them down as they are the most weathe
red from the sun. Next, are the aft cabin grab bars and they get sanded, as well. All the other wood trim is in good condition, so a light sanding and cleaning is good enough preparation, so I can put on another glossy coat of Cetol. I will have to go into Portland tomorrow and pick up a can of base Cetol to begin refinishing the others pieces. This process will take several days, at which time, I need to contact my diesel mechanic Mike at Mayday Marine and see when he and Tony can check my valve clearances on my cylinders.I am usually never here on a Sunday, so it is nice to chat with some of my neighbors and meet new boaters who have recently moved in on my dock. After looking at several boats today, I am more and more impressed by my little Albin. She is economical, well built by strict Swedish standards, ingeniously designed, easy to single hand, yet comfortable with 2 on board and 3 for short periods of time. Having the aft cabin for guests is particularly comfortable, whereas most boats have a dinette conversion for guests, which in my view is not practical, nor comfortable. Shatoosh aft cabin has 2 - 6 foot quarter berths with sitting headroom. While I have never slept back there, everyone seems to enjoy it. Perhaps one day I’ll try it out.
Another aspect that is unique to the albin is the slanted navigation chart table. As I look at 40 foot power cr
uisers, none of them have a helmsman chart table, much less a slanted one. Most power boats don’t have a dual helm seat like the one on Shatoosh, and only have a single helm station. Having a dual station and chart table in front of you, really helps navigate in the shoal areas of the outback waters that I enjoy cruising in. Having someone else checking the chart as I am watching the depth sounder is quite helpful.I remember years ago when a group of us gals chartered in Florida to head for a Christmas vacation in the Dry Tortugas Islands. We were navigating at night, coming back up the Caloosahatchee River in a storm, and my friend, Bambi was standing on the cabin ladder looking aft into the cockpit and using a flashlight to read the chart, which was on the cockpit sole, and give out course headings and mileage to the next marker. It was an impossible scene, yet we came through it without a hitch. There was no chart table in sight. Thanks, Bambi for being able to do that. Wasn’t that a fun vacation? Several people never went on a boat after that, as I recall. The Gulf of Mexico can really kick up some nasty weather. At least our time in the Tortugas was sunny and fun filled. I came very close to throwing up the night before while we were crossing the Gulf.
