clean coal? yeah. right.

We here at Redwing, Inc support wind power and solar power, and pretty much no others.

Atomic 4 kind of frustration

I am pretty sure he didn't, but this guy must have had an Atomic 4.

a Redwing for Sale!

Here is a link for a Redwing in Florida that is up for sale. 3 photos.

Winter Work List

These are the things I would like to accomplish before the boat goes back in the water:

Electric:

1. The wiring is a mess. All of the wires for everything on the boat run back to two posts that are in turn connected to the batteries. This is not good.

2. The engine fan. I have a gasoline engine and the fan does not work. This is not good.

Bilge:

1. It is disgusting. Murky brown water. It doesn't have to be clean enough to drink the water, necessarily, but I want to be able to see the bottom, or at least, when I drain it, I don't want scummy brown scum to be clinging to the sides and bottom. It looks infectious.

2. And when I installed the new bilge pump when I first got the boat I made the hose about 2" too short, which means the pump doesn't reach deepest part of the bilge. By 2 F-ing inches.

Hatches:

1. More properly, the sea hood, what I call "the main hatch." The plexiglass is cracked. The wood is basically gone.

2. I also have a secret plan to use a piece of very thin teak to remake the forward hatch. Replace that crazed plexiglass with beautiful brown teak. More varnishing; more beauty.

Winches:

1. They work fine, but they need to be serviced. I want to race more this year, and if the winches don't spin effortlessly the crew's gonna get tired faster. Less efficient is less fun.

Tiller:

1. Replace.

Stern pulpit:

1. I rebuilt the stern pulpit myself after hearing some absolutely laughable quotes (that didn't include shipping, even), and had to do it in two pieces. You would never be able to tell that was the case unless I told you. But the joint has come apart because the set screws are simply not up to the job and so I need to install some kind of permanent screw/bolt fastening, and hopefully make it invisible.

The usual: Varnish; sand the bottom; wax the sides and topsides (stay tuned for Waxtravaganza '09); prop & shaft; epoxy the holes; and worry about everything I forgot (like taking a look at that damnable stuffing box).

learn something new everyday...

So, I have known Redwing for many years...

And only just yesterday (YESTERDAY!) did I notice that the cleats on the back winch-stands are in different positions. I'm going to assume that this was done on purpose for the sole reason that it was my own infallible Uncle Jack who installed them. And I am going to guess that the reason for the different positions of the cleats has to do with setting and trimming the spinnaker.

But I'm'na email him to check.

Here's what they look like. And I'm embarrassed to say that I never noticed until today (and only did because one of the tangs on the port-side cleat broke and I had to replace it and the one I bought doesn't have the same hole pattern and should I then replace both of them...and...what the?).

Port.









Starboard.

...to the ladies: Happy Valentine's Day and Thank You!

Here's a thank you to some of the ladies who help make the best sport better. Happy Valentine's Day!

Mrs EVK4, from San Francisco, sporting the Lady Bug Winter look.






Mrs Hoku Pa'a, from the state of Washington.












And, of course, my little Alli!

So I grappled with the niceties of that delicate craft; smarting eyes, chafed hands, and dazed brain all pressed into the service, whilst Davies, taming the ropes the while, shouted into my ear the subtle mysteries of the art; that fidgeting ripple in the luff of the mainsail, and the distant rattle from the hungry jib--signs that they are starved of wind and must be given more; the heavy list and wallow of the hull, the feel of the wind on your cheek instead of your nose, the broader angle of the burgee at the masthead--signs that they have too much, and that she is sagging recreantly to leeward instead of fighting to windward. -Erskine Childers

(found the quote here)

one last complaint about the AC

One thing I hate about the AC racing is the weather. It seems like it's always blowing too much or too little. For example, here's a line from an article on what sounds like a great race: "A long delay waiting for suitable wind forced a late start to racing and nightfall was near by the time the Italians and South Africans and had their chance to sail a race that was abandoned yesterday."

And another line from another race: "The last race of the day was abandoned as the breeze went over 27 knots."

I mean, I don't want to race in 27 kts either, but I think it demonstrates one of the sad facts of AC racing. It's less about the weather than it is about the boats. These boats are shite. They are made to work properly only in very specific conditions. To me, that's not seaworthy, not salty.