January 9, 2012
It’s our big day….We moved out of our wonderful host Bristol Marine and moved in to the Toronto International Boat Show! It’s a bit of a hurry up and wait game before we get fully positioned at the boat show and get the mast up. Yes that’s right, we’re putting the mast up and fully rigging the boat so everyone can see and appreciate! There will also be speaking engagements where you can come and hear all the stories of OGOC over the past two years and about our upcoming adventures in qualifying races in France. Check out the Toronto International Boat Show website for the show presentations and see you in Sailfest!
Diane
January 6, 2012
We’re finished!!!! Monday morning we tidy up and blow the dust off of the topsides and head over for the boat show with our sparkling new deck, bottom and all the little repairs in between. This refit couldn’t have been accomplished without the MASSIVE help from the OGOC team and the MASSIVE help from Bristol Marine and their expertise!!! Thanks to everyone 🙂
January 6, 2012
Last Day! Yesterday the last few pieces of harware got put down, Sheila sanded up the rudders and I refilled the quarter berth with expanding foam. Back at the beginning of the refit project we opened up the port quarter berth and dug out the structural flotation foam to check to make sure that one of the bulkheads hadn’t popped. The bulkhead was fine and we then did a major fairing job on the hull instead of having to rectify a bulkhead. Here’s a very grainy picture of the new foam expanding in the hole.
Monday Nick and I will load up on the trailer and get ourselves over to the Boat Show for move in day! Woohoo!
Diane
January 4, 2011
One newly curved traveller fully installed and ready for 40+ knots!
January 3, 2012
We’re in the home stretch! Most of the hardware has been reinstated and today I’m off to Klacko to get the traveller bent to match the radius of the boom. This will make life soooo much better when there’s a big puff and the traveller needs to get dropped to accomodate the pressure. Right now with the straight traveller sheeting at the end of the boom I can only drop the traveller about 18 inches below center and then I have to ease the mainsheet to get it lower. This is death to the leech of the main and seriously depowers the sail in a horrible way, rather than just “opening the door” a little and keep the drive. 🙂
Diane
January 1, 2012
What a nice day. Last night we rang in the New Year with friends and today we did it again with friends at the New Year’s Levee at ABYC. Here’s to a great 2012! Tomorrow we’re back to Bristol Marine to finish reinstating hardware and getting OGOC ready for the and for racing in France in the spring!
Diane
December 28, 2011
So what does a sailor do when she can’t work on her boat? Work on another boat of course! This was a Christmas present from my nephew and niece. It’s a plastic “twist” on snap together building sticks. Two empty water bottles snap into the bottom of this “Uberstix” boat, and it will actually float, sail and bop along 🙂 How was everyone else’s holidays? I’m back to work at Bristol Marine this week trying to get the touch ups finished on OGOC so we can get the hardware down in time for the Toronto International Boat Show.
Diane
December 23, 2011
TADAAAAA!
She looks beautiful! The non skid is SO aggressive that I’ll never slide off! Even the boys at Bristol said Nick and I did a great job rolling it out in one coat. A big thank you goes out to Bristol’s master fiberglass guy who mixed us the perfect colour match and texture for the non skid. A job well done for sure. Since it’s Christmas this weekend, Nick and I decided to give each other the day off so we could finish our Christmas shopping! Good thing we’ve got our priorities in order 🙂 Happy Christmas, Hanukkah and Happy All Other Holidays that are celebrated!
December 22, 2011
The deck is ready for the non skid. It’s been a ton of sanding filling, sanding, filling, and in fact there are a few little spots to sand this morning and then we roll. With the incredible help of Bristol Marine’s master fiberglasser, we have a perfect colour match for the deck and just the right consistency for the non skid. Not only will she look great for the boat show, but I’ll also have the BEST traction when the gale force winds blow out in the Atlantic! Very comforting for sure 🙂
Diane
December 20, 2011
Class Mini has announced a new group to organize the 2013 and 2015 transat race. For 2013 “Douarnenez – Courses” will be organizing the race and that means a new course. It’s back to a previous similar course. Very similar if not the same as the course that Ellen MacArthur did. We will start in Douarnenez and go to the Canary Islands. Then leg 2 will go from the Canary Islands to Guadaloupe.
Diane
