The above photos are of Chasca in winter storage.
Top picture is work in progress trying to make the cuddy watertight.
The cuddy is the covered compartment forward and it leaked like a sieve when I purchased her but after loads of work searching and sealing each one in turn, the cuddy is now bone dry at all times.
The next three shows her ready to sail, with two added coats of anti-fouling on her hull, as there never had been any on her before.
As she will be lying at Maidens harbour all season the sea water produces barnacles and weed around the hull which will be kept at bay by that special coating of paint.
She never had a name when I purchased her, nor did she ever sail on the sea, only freshwater lochs, and was taken out of the water at the end of each fishing trip, so anti-fouling paint was never really needed.
The engine needed some work on her but after I tidied up and cleaned the fuel system, she is now running smooth and sweet.
I have installed a ship to shore radio and a GPS system a must if you are going to venture out on the ocean, and of course she has a "fishfinder", or a sounder as we fishermen used to call them, which gives you the depth of water and any fish swimming under the boat shows up as an added bonus.
With a bit of luck, a man of my experience will be able to find fish without instruments ha ha.
Other parts like the deck, bilges and the floor of the cuddy have been cleaned and painted to smarten her up a bit, and most likely I will give her a complete paint job when the season is over.
That will depend if she is a good girl or not ha ha.
This photo is the picturesque marina in Maidens on the south west coast of Scotland where Chasca will be based.
I hope to launch her at the weekend 14-04-12 weather permitting with the help of my friend Robbie who has helped me tremendously in acquiring the new skills needed in maintaining, managing and sailing this smaller and much different type of boat than I have been used to.
I will take this chance to convey my gratitude to him on giving up his time and supplying me with several items, but most of all sharing the knowledge he has acquired since he took up this pastime on his little boat "Wee Lad" that I wrote about last year.
The next post should have video of the launch which with a bit of luck will be next week.
I will thank my partner Pat, for her patience and help too, and who will be responsible for the video during the imminent launch.
I would also like to thank any readers who are continuing to read my blog and have waited patiently for this saga to continue.
Hopefully the stories, although not as exciting as my days on commercial fishing boats, will be amusing and entertaining enough to hold your interest.
CHEERS! Here's to Chasca, may God bless her and all who sail in her.
Found it! :D so that's how you named the new boat. Inca mythology hein. The boat looks small, Can it sail on the sea?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, its nice to see you and your partner Pat working together for the blog posts too. ^^