To see as much of the world as we can,
Using the smallest carbon footprint we can,
Spending the least amount of money we can,
Making as many friends we can.

Team Red Cruising

Red Ranger Prep — High Heat Index

Mon 27 July 2020 | Archive July 2020 | Tags Day Sailing

She's been on the hard for about a year.

We had emptied every battery container (except one.) We had opened every locker and drawer.

We'd even disconnected the vent fan for the Air Head composting toilet. The only thing left on was the bilge pump. On the hard, she takes on water through an obscure path, and a pump has to be left running.

Back on board
Moving back to the boat

This was my "we're back home" picture. Sailbags and our canvas tote bag.

There's a lot to do. But. The Chesapeake was unforgivingly hot. A year in Nevada taught us that 40°C (104°F) is manageable. If there's no humidity. And you're not doing anything.

35°C (95°F) with a relative humidity over 50% is about the same as 40°C in the desert. The Heat Index suggests we take it easy.

As soon as we start working, we enter the realm of projectile sweat.

We're dripping everywhere. On everything.

We have to drink more-or-less constantly. And the water tanks haven't been cleaned. So we're bringing dock water into Red Ranger in buckets.

Jobs are broken into pieces where you can sit down in the shade and sweat for a while.

  1. Move the sail to the cockpit. Rest.

  2. Move the sail to the mast. Sweat Break.

  3. Bend on the sail to the extent possible. Water Break.

  4. Furl or flake and maybe think about the cover.

Four sails. Two weekends of two days each. That's a day for each sail.

One was particularly difficult, though.

CA Sewing
CA restitching the sacrificial panel on the yankee

The yankee required restitching the sacrificial panel. Most of the panel is still in good shape. The threads had started to fail. So we staged all 49' or so feet of yankee in the cockpit and forced it through the SailRite machine.

Three times.

Once for each line of stitching on the sacrificial panel.

Then we took a long break.

Then be followed the four-step procedure for getting it onto the forestay. Which involved long breaks after each step.

We think next weekend may be down to 30°C. We might be able to start washing the interior. Maybe change the oil. Maybe add another USB charging port (we have four pairs, but, you know, everyone has a watch and a phone, and if we have guests we could need as many as six pairs.)

Stay tuned.