Zincs

This is the heat exchanger zinc after about 6 months of usage,
worn down to a nubbin

New heat exchanger zinc replaced 05/22
West marine part number 28309 10337

Cruise to Penfield light house

Beautiful day so we took Constance out on a little cruise. Penfield reef light house is just about 1 hour away reaching towards Bridgeport and just the right distance for a leisurely afternoon sail. The wind was puffy from the north with some gusts heeling us all the way over, so we decided to shorten sail before something breaks.
The reef that extends from the Connecticut shore to the light house is one of the most dangerous places in the Long Island sound. Many boats have run aground here. There is a wicked current pulling over the reef when the tide runs and if your engine fails and the wind dies and you don't have the anchor ready you are on the rocks in no time. Also the light house seems to stand in the middle of the water and there is no evidence of shoaling around. Being one of the last mason brick lighthouses built, it does have the appearance of a private house on an island if you don't know the area. So I bet some people went in between the light house and the shore wondering what that funny little house would be. Also the light house is supposedly HAUNTED. One of the keepers died while trying to make it to the mainland during a storm and is said to be roaming inside the house at night. The thing does look a bit creepy, doesn't it?

Reaching to Penfield

The Lighthouse

..and reaching back to Cedar Point

some more work

on the boat: Varnishing toerails, replacing the zincs, putting on registration stickers and decals, changing headsail to the big #1 so we have a slight chance on Wed nights. This is how Constance looks inside:

Looking forward through the main cabin

The galley and companionway

We also have a new slip! This one is a little bit more difficult to get out of since it requires backing out into a turn where the old one had plenty of space towards the back. The Tartan 34C is a beautiful boat but unfortunately a demon when it comes to reverse driving. With the long overhangs any side wind will push her away from whatever you're intending to do. Also, since the engine is at an angle towards the midship line the boat initially wants to go to starboard in reverse and then pulls to port when the prop walk effect sets in.  So any undocking requires careful planning and nerves of steel. I guess I still have to learn something here..

Our new slip

First sail

Little bit late on the posting but things have been busy! We took Constance out the first time this year on March 18th. Blustery but sunny day with lots of wind, white caps all over the sound. We put in the first reef, ventured beyond Georges rock and turned around soon after, ahem. Even with the day feeling quite warm on land the waters of the sound are still very cold so it gets chilly after a while even with all the sailing gear on. At least we were probably the first boat out this year, how about that. Oh and I put the sail numbers on so we can race now legally! In hindsight I should have put them a little lower, oh well.

Ready for the season!

Removed the sail cover yesterday. I don't know why but it always seems to blow like crazy whenever we have to handle that big unwieldy canvas cover. Anyways, Constance did very well last winter, nothing broke during the multiple blizzards we had up here (one with 50+ kn gusts!). And besides some minor broken seams the cover is doing allright too. Inside everything seems fine, I left the front hatch a crack open and didn't close the companionway all the way to allow for some air to circulate. The problematic spots around the foot rails stayed mold free and all the cushions I left inside are also fine. So, just need to put the sails on and off we are for another beautiful sailing season!

winter cover

is up! Took us 3 hours to get the damn thing up! The cover came in three pieces of heavy canvas that are zipped together over the boom and attached to stanchions and pulpits. We had a pretty heavy breeze going on Saturday so it was like wrestling with demons. I put a line underneath the canvas stretching from the boom end to the aft stay to reduce the sag in the cockpit area. Probably have to add some more lines to the sides as well before it starts snowing. Also, drained all the water from the pipes and replaced it with antifreeze. Constance should be all ready to go through the winter now!

winterizing..

Last night was the first night below freezing up here in the Northeast. High time to finalize winterizing the boat! Did oil/filter change, drained freshwater from the pipes and put some biocide into the diesel tank. Both main and furling jib are down, flaked and bagged down below. Also checked the zincs. The heat exchanger zinc was half gone after 3 months so I probably need to exchange that one. Dove into the freezing harbor to check the zincs on the prop shaft, they were still fine. I thought with the colder temperatures those pesky birds that love to sit on the wind vane and shit happily on the decks would finally leave, but the colder weather seems to have invigorated them instead. Grr. So I guess we need to do some more deck scrubbing. Anyways, once we know which berth Constance will have (since the boat will stay in the water), I'll put up the brand new canvas cover. Keeping fingers crossed, I hope the canvas store got the measurements right. Up here we can expect snow within a few weeks so I better get this thing up. The bubbler below the boat is supposed to keep the sea water from freezing so it's relatively safe to leave the boat in the water. Probably need to haul the boat out in spring but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.