Owens L'ill Slice of the Web

We sailed Coppelia for the first time in 20 years! A couple of lengths of the Gaasperplas and a big smile on my face…

I finally got the mast on Coppelia up yesterday, and the sails raised, really pleased!

Still a way to go before first trip on the water:

• Sail repairs: cleats on foresails, rip in spinnaker.
• Mainsail outhaul (clew) needs strengthening.
• Halyards need fittings splicing to the line.
• Toestraps to be purchased and fitted.
• Deck fittings need sealing in place, keel bolt needs sealing.
• Rear lockers need lockable catches fitting.
• Sort out the forestay bottom fitting, it’s a mess at the moment.

The list is growing shorter every day

Keel after refitting in boat.

The keel is now back in the boat, and the new winch mechanism works well. Many thanks to Cassje for helping me to get the bolt in place, it was not easy.. The list of things to do is getting shorter:

• Seal keel bolt, replace and seal a load of fittings, get some matching locks and some lock-plates for the cockpit lockers.
• Paint cockpit floor with anti-slip, make and fit toe-straps, end-stops on mainsheet track.
• General hull cleaning and touch-up, seal up some cracks.
• Mast and rigging; do a dummy-run on the rigging and work out what needs to be replaced, find any sail repairs that are necesscary.
• Test sail on the Gaasperplas..
• I’d like to sort electrics and some running lights out too, plus interior fittings and cushions.

I got the keel of Coppelia painted yesterday, two coats of ‘POR-15‘, she needs a final topcoat today (a nice blue to match the rudder) and she’s ready to go back in. Another huge job, hopefully I’ll be doing that later this week

The keel weighs 110 kilo (240lbs) and is made of a single piece of cast iron, it was very rusty when I took it out and has needed quite a lot of cleaning, the paint I used is a specialist rust covering/proofing coating that should protect her for some time. To do the painting I needed to hang the keel by it’s mounting points from the roof of the EHDC clubhouse, this let me paint all of it, but makes me nervous as hell. Despite my best efforts I could not really smooth it off, although it is good enough for cruising. Maybe that is a job for the future; ideally it should be fibreglass clad.

I got a load of other minor things done, the new keel winch is in place, I have now baseplates on the sheet winches so that they can be fitted to the existing holes in the hull, rather then creating new ones. All that is left are the toe straps, painting the cockpit floor and then rigging her. Which will be fun, all the rigging was stored in the dry and looks good, but new halyards and lines will need to be brought. The sails are good, but maybe a bit baggy and I think ther eis a rip in the spinnaker. If she sails OK with the existing rig I might try to get a roller-furling setup for the front and a new mainsail.

Coppelia being lifted

I lifted Coppelia  yesterday and removed the keel. A hundred kilos of cast iron, pretty awkward to handle but lifting the boat was actually quite easy once I’d worked out the correct way of securing her.

The keel will now be renovated, it’s the last really big job before I can sail her for the first time in many years.

More photos in my gallery; here.

Hurrah for Zodiac and Mercury.. She’s rubber, and only 2.8m long, but with a 5 Hp motor she moves nicely. Now to go into Amsterdam..

Aargh! My arms ache, fortunately some lovely has soothed the pain.

.. but also hard work. We came Fifth in Gorinchem.

Well, actually it’s both. And it even looks like it’s competent at both roles, which is something most amphibious cars don’t achieve.

If this is as good as it sounds, it might have a major impact in the maritime world.