Securing Pashmina to the Hardtop

This past week I have been tinkering and contemplating a simple way to stow Pashmina on the hardtop. I don't want to put any holes in the hardtop, so this is my first prototype, after talking it over with several people.

I bought some swim noodles, as they are called. Then put  PVC piping down the center of them. An image came to mind as I slowly moved the tube along the piping; it was like working a leg into a tight panty-hose. It would have been good to grease the pipe first, in hind sight. The PVC then would prevent the noodle from being compressed. I still need to run a line through the PVC tubing to tie and secure the  tubing to the grab bars.

Thoughts on the lift and getting Pashmina on to the hardtop. This all started when I first bought Pashmina, a much larger dinghy than I had previously owned. With P1, I could get her up on the hardtop by myself. I always cruised with her on top, rarely, towing her. My mantra was I'd rather "Stow than Tow".

With P2, my mantra changed to I'd rather "Tow than Stow", after P2 got swept away off the swim platform during a storm. She tows really well in rough water so far. If I was to cross a large body of water here in the NW, like the Strait of Juan de Fuca or the Strait of Georgia, then I would have to have her on the hardtop. My friend Jim from Orcas, being the innovative guy that he is, dreaded the thought of me crossing the Strait towing Pashmina and went to work building a lift. While this needs some tweaking still, I am happy to be able to lift her up on the hardtop, especially for stowing during the winter months while under a covered slip. While it is cruising season, I will continue to have her stowed on the swim platform while dock-side and towing her in the water while cruising. She tows really easily and she is easy to get on and off the swim platform. I can rest assured that I have enough options to handle several  situations. When "Mother Nature" kicks up her heels, my other mantra will be,  Don't Stow, Don't Tow, Don't Go.

Jim Finishes My Pashmina Lift- West Sound, Orcas Island

Last year Jim and Patty from Orcas were cruising with me and Jim said he would work on several projects that I wanted done. It wasn't long that I received my galley extension table and slats to make an extra chart holder in the nav-station. While at Jarrals Cove, we measured and came up with a plan to make a lift to put Pashmina on the cabin roof top. While I have been out cruising Jim has been hard at work constructing the lift.

Finally the day has come, I motor from Blind Bay to Westsound County Dock where Jim meets me with all the parts at 0900 hrs. The weather is slightly drizzly off and on, but we hang in there for the whole day going back and forth from the dock to Jim's workshop a few miles away.

Day 2: I anchored in West Sound for the night and carefully picked my spot so that I would avoid the private mooring buoys. In the morning as I was weighing anchor I discovered that my line was caught on an anchor of a near by buoy. I worked and worked at all angles to free the snagged line, but no luck. I sat and sent a Reiki treatment to the situation. After the session I learned to put out more lack in the line and go forward in the direction of where my anchor was set. I then started to pull in the line and wow, it was free. I passed the snagged section and pulled in the anchor without a problem. Just like in life we get snagged on things, situations, the weight of them makes us feel as though we are dragging an anchor around or we have a large burden on our shoulders. Reiki goes in and removes the cause and then there is no tension in the line, we don't feel stuck and I certainly was relieved when the  line was free. Shatoosh was free to move about without restriction.

 I  practice getting Pashmina on and off. Jim makes some additional tweaks. I take time to clean Pashmina while we have use of the dock. It begins to rain, so I put her back in the water and head for the Orcas ferry Dock and buy a few things at the market, visit with an old friend and take off for Spencer Spit on Lopez Island.

County Dock West  Sound

Starboard Baseplate

Starboard cabin top bracket

Testing winch

Lifting bar attaches to seat  braces

Winch hook attaching to lifting ring

Up she goes

Temporary  fenders stabilize Pashmina 

Jim makes some final  adjustments

Thank you Jim and Patty for all the help, support and fabricating these special projects. I have used my galley extension and chart rack every day on this trip. I am going to have to practice with the lift more while Pashmina is on the dock before I even try to lift her out of the water. Jim, you are quite the craftsman and it was wonderful to get to see you in the process of making the final parts. It all came together so smoothly. Thanks a million.