my favorite picture of Ceol na Mara

This is from September of this year - Kathleen, Jack, PJ, and I racing on Jack's boat. It was warm but foul weather, but that boat sho' is pretty.

A history lesson

One of the reasons I was so excited to buy Redwing was because of my history with the boat. I learned how to sail while I was in the Navy, but really learned a lot about the finer points when I got home and sailed on Redwing. For the entire time Jack owned the boat I sailed when I could. As Jack raced, I crewed. I didn't know a damn thing about spinnaker, and always thought it was for the Pros, but there we were on race night, being competitive with the other spinn boats. Wild shtuff.

Uncle Jack bought the boat in November of 1995. He sailed and rebuilt it during the 1996 - 2002 seasons, some of those years included late season events like the Turkey Race and the Ward Brooks Memorial/New Year's races. (The other white sailboat you see here is Paula's boat, or, my old boat when it was Paula's.)

In 2003 Jack sold Redwing to John C. After the deal was done Jack, Hugh, John, and I sailed it down to its new home. Jack bought his Tartan 3000, Ceol na Mara, in June 2003.

Jack was the third owner of Redwing. The second owner had the boat for most of its life. Apparently the
first owner didn't have it for long. The boat was kept somewhere on the north shore. When Bill Cook, of Cook's boatyard, "acquired" it, he had one of his yard guys sail it around via Manhattan. That guy was a big fan of that boat. He said he was trying to buy it but couldn't swing it.

During John C's tenure the boat moved from Patchogue, to New Suffolk, to Mt Sinai Harbor. Apparently during a storm one night a powerboat slipped its mooring and came down on Redwing, smashing the starboard side lifelines/stanchions, gouging the holy hell out of the hull, and smashing the stern pulpit (or pushpit?).

Having had enough of the deep keel and the maintenance burdens of a 30' sailboat, John put the boat on Craigslist where my good brother Lukeman saw it and sent the ad to me.

I'll see if I can dig up any old pics of Redwing and get them on the computer. My absolute favorite is this one here.

"the best cleaner/degreaser"

I stopped by WestMarine today after work to stroll around and do some window shopping. I don't need anything right now, but I thought I'd see what was on sale, and see if there was anything I was forgetting to need. I also had a $50 gift certificate leftover from my birthday or last Channukah.

You may be aware that I have a mold problem. A mold problem so deep and so profound that when I think of the boat I think of the mold. Let me describe the mold: it's black, it's dense, and it's all over the place. In some places the mold is so thick that I could scrape it off with a knife and spread it on a piece of baguette.

So I bought another cleaner. This one is some seriously good shit. It's called Krazy Clean and this hombre lives up to its nombre.

Redwing has two long, blue cushions for the cockpit. These have not seen the light of day, or rather, the strong side of a green scrubbie since 2002, so they are covered with black mold that has somehow penetrated the cushions. I tried Fantastick, soap and water, and various other household cleaners and was one bad decision away from opening a bottle of bleach.

This Krazy Clean took the mold right off, penetration and all. I highly recommend it for all your boat cleaning needs. The label says that it is to be used for vinyl surfaces, fiberglass, teak trim, and non-skid decks. That means pretty much everywhere.

Now, you might be thinking this stuff probably takes the scales off fish, and the kelp off the sea floor, but the label indicates it is bio-degradable.

Get some now!

Sails: inspection and refolding

Took a look at the working jib (most far away), the Hild main sail (middlest), and the crisp, clean Hood main sail during the long weekend (closest). The Hild has three small holes in it and needs a bath. The Hood looks perfect but Uncle Jack tells me it has no shape. That'll be the backup if/when we go out on a really nasty day or the other one bursts into dental floss. The jib looked good. I did have to refold all of the sails in a seaman-like manner, though, which made me even more happy that I took a look at them. Next time, the spinnakers.

Project Mold: The Fight Goes On!

Amityville, NY 3 December - The Mold Insurgency suffered another defeat aboard Redwing yesterday as they yielded the territory known as the "large compartment in the bow where the water tank goes." Facing the combined forces of Soapy Water and a Stiff Scrub Brush, Mold retreated to the corners, hoping to keep at least a foothold in the v-berth, but it's hopes were dashed when the initial strike force was reinforced with Soapy Sponges and Washcloths. All hopes of a rally ended when Old T-Shirts came in to wipe everything down.

The leaders of the Mold Insurgency admitted they'd have problems maintaining their grip on Redwing if this kind of pressure was going to be consistently applied. "We just don't have the resources to maintain our domination. After the leaks were plugged we know we were going to face a tough battle, but the buckets of soapy water are going to be tough to beat."

The latest reports show that Mold still has a strong hold in Redwing's holds, particularly in the stern compartment, the very forward bow compartment (fwd of the v-berth), and the whole section under the cockpit (including the two lockers that are accessible from outside where Mold's indoor and outdoor forces are combining to raise Black Hell in the corners and ridges).

"By coordinating the various weapons in the 'Clean and Seaman-like' Army's arsenal with Ahab-like concentration, I have been able to get the boat a little closer to a condition we call 'ship shape,' back to where it's supposed to be," said Ol' Jar, Redwing's new skipper. "I know the hose is an unexpected additon to the clean up efforts, but this is one time where overwhelming force is required."

Fighting is expected to last until Spring, when the boat will be relaunched on the south shore.