Friday, November 29, 2013

Preparations for Watertribe 2013 North Carolina Challenge

Preparation for the Watertribe 2013 North Carolina Challenge involved training and equipment upgrades.  We did our rowing on two small local lakes.

Practice for rowing the Harlowe Canal - mast down

Sustained 2.5 mph rowing with all gear

We did a capsize test to get comfortable with self rescue: Climb up on the deck, grab the mast and hang over the water.  Spalsh.

Prepare to capsize

Creamcheese floats high on her side
Swim around the the exposed bottom.  Reach up and grab the chine log.  Give it a gentle downward pull.  The boat pops back upright.

Back up, boarding from the stern
Swim around to the stern, climb into the boat.  Start bailing.  There will be about five inches of water in the cockpit.  None in the cabin.

Slot-top cover, halyard
I wanted the slot top cover to protect the cabin while under sail but the halyard was cleated down in the cabin which would have made it difficult to drop sail at a moments notice.  I routed the halyard through a raceline check block to a belaying pin set into the aft deck rail.

vent
To sleep in the cabin while it was wet, a simple vent made out of PVC pipe and a recycled Philadelphia Cream Cheese container.  Pun intended.

cockpit storage pockets, netting in the cabin
I added canvas pockets in the cockpit and storage netting in the cabin.

bronze oar hardware
We started the year out with galvanized oarlocks and oarlock sockets, but these were squeaky and dirty.  It didn't take too many miles of rowing to convince us to switch back to bronze.  I added leather buttons on the oar leathers and tennis racquet "overgrip" tape while I was at it.

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