First Sailing Weekend. And More Work.

Fat Cat 2 #001 floating at the dock.

    The season as been for me at least ongoing for two weeks and what a busy two weeks it's been. I've had some wonderful sailing, broke the boat, and am set to to do the sailing part again. But we'll take it one step at at time. Saturday the  14th was the first day Kat Boat was on the water. And it was wonderful. Drove down the lake Saturday late what with the work that needed doing. But thanks to the help of fine friends the work got done. I launched solo and as usual my first one of the year wasn't as smooth as I would have liked but it did get the job done. I'm sure I amused the small crowd on the deck of the house next to the ram but one should speak nicely to a boat. 

    A bit about the work that was done. When I first got Kat Boat nee Julie L. she had a few things that were upgrades to her rig. One was a different set of gaff jaws from plans and the other was the Sandell Tabernacle. In the six years I've had the vessel both had their pluses and minuses. First the tabernacle. I was and am very impressed with the engineering that allowed for the rig to be raised from the ground. If you have a Fat Cat it may well be worth doing for your particular circumstance. It certainly does make raising the mast easier. But it did have some issues. Mainly that the holes for the pivoting bolt were not sleeved meaning they didn't stay the same size. Same with the pin bolt that held the mast in place. Finally it didn't pull the mast to it's factory rake meaning the boom was low in the cockpit and the COE was every so slightly off.  By eliminating this system I've returned the rake to design and the boom clears the cockpit by a few more inches. Kat Boat lives in a yard now so I should only step the mast once a season. And honestly the mast isn't that difficult for me to pick up and drop in the spring and pull in the fall. 

    The gaff jaws as reimagined by the builder were pretty slick. They featured triangular gussets that allowed the mast to rest flush with the boom and have the top of them still clear the tabernacle. The builder said he broke the jaws several times on a previous build and wanted to do better. Last year they developed a sticking issues particularly on dropping the rig that was proving troublesome. The plans specify 1" plywood for the jaws and that I believe is a mistake. We did a set out of oak based on the plans and a set we saw in Seattle on S/V Bay Lady. They seem to work just fine. I also reduced the throat halyard from 2:1 to 1:1. 

New gaff jaws. Still a WIP but coming along.

    First sail of the year was just after launch. We were motoring south along the big dock and I thought "Why not raise the sail?" which should be a feeling familiar to any sailor.  The new jaws slid up the mast easy and she took the wind and we were off. There wasn't much wind but there was enough. We sailed around the big dock, did a lap of Dayton Bay and lowered the rig. That was the big test and I'm pleased to say the vessel passed with flying colors. The differing halyard ratios take some adjustment but over all I'm very pleased with how it all works. 

Evening on the water.

    I returned to the mooring ball and got settled in for the night. It is always amazing to me how simply right my own little boat feels. Knowing that everything aboard has a purpose and a place.  That the term sitting headroom in small pocket cruiser is different then in a bigger boat. The lake was calm and sleep came easily. Waking up to unfamiliar surroundings is always interesting.  But the sound of water on the hull and the view of the overhead as light filters in through the curtained portholes never gets old. Breakfast was had and after a few hours of boat chores and general lazing about it was time to go sailing. The boys were going to meet me so I didn't go far. Just cruised the bay a few times. That is really how you should do a first weekend. There will be time for grand adventures later. 

Morning on the mooring ball. 

    Eventually the boys arrived and I took them aboard for an all to brief sail. The weather was acting up and while we didn't forecast anything to terrible we'd much rather not. So a few laps with them and it was time to head to the dock. We dropped Dan off to pick up the tru
ck and trailer and motored over to the dock. There may have been a slight alliding with a pier post on the big dock but we made it to the dock nonetheless. After tying up I needed to get my keys. Now it should be noted the lake is down about a foot and a half and in a smaller vessel that means more then on a larger vessel. Well one thing led to another and I got into a fight with gravity and ended putting my foot through my starboard seat. The one I has reinforced last season.  

This is a lack of bueno. 

    One thing The Typesetter is great for is perspective. And he's right, it's no that bad. An hour of work and then overnight and it'll be as right as rain. And it's a good thing it's raining THIS weekend as no sailing is happening. The Cedar Island Odyssey is going to have to wait for better weather. And we'll spend an evening and get that fixed. YC Opener is coming up and the self appointed flagship needs to be on the water. 

Can't resist pictures of my boat. 

Spring Work Begins

First look under the tarp for the season. All was snug and tight.

    It's that time of the year, when catboats come home to roost. Well it's only temporary as they are prepared to splash in the coming weeks. Facebook is full of mast stepped forward boats either about to go or in the water. And SV Kat Boat is no different. She's come south from her roost in a very tumultuous boat yard and is once more safely sitting in the front yard. There are parts missing, the annual USGCA Vessel Inspection is looming in a few days and a launch date is set with an overnight dinghy cruise event coming soon. It's busy as it should be. 

With the leeboard and guard removed.

    There are  few major areas of work to be done on the boat this year. It seems the leeboard guard has been cracked and will need to be either repaired or replaced. The guard takes a bit of abuse but that's why it's there and we're pleased the hull behind it remains sound. The gaff proper actually came back before the boat. 2024 was a season of unsatisfactory performance from the gaff in the area of lowering. The gaff didn't always hang up except when you actually needed it too and going forward while doable is not ideal. So The Typesetter has taken it upon himself to redo the jaws in a more traditional fashion. I picked up a band saw, most likely a former meat saw, for future wood work. The phrase "Just use a bandsaw" was getting more and more common in our talks and it became apparent one was needed. 

Cutting gaff jaws. The saw does remarkably well for what it is.

Roughed out gaff jaws.

    There is a history of gaff jaws with this particular boat.  The original builder actually built another Michalak catboat the now unavailable Vector. This racy narrow hulled boat showed the error of the plywood gaff jaws that are specified and he broke several pair. This meant that the Kat Boat nee Julie L sported a gaff design of the builders. But it's come full circle and we are now fashioning jaws rooted in both tradition and good oak. We'll know pretty quickly if they work and if so what needs to be done to make them work.

    It's going to be a busy year. Yacht Club stuff aside the Western Montana Small Boat Association and the Inland Northwest Chapter of the Traditional Small Craft Association have two major events planned. First up is Cedar Island Odyssey, based on the short story of the same name. This overnight event serves as an opening to our small boat season. And the big event this year is the Wild Horse Messabout an overnight in Skeeko Bay and a day sail to Big Arm and return. All of the information can be found on our website.

Kat holding a Cat with a catboat named Kat Boat.

We're on the Water

 

The catboat Kat Boat in good company.

 Two weekends on the water in and we've gotten a lot done. Following our first sail the lazy jacks were found to be not placed right. Taped to the forestay as they were I'm happy I didn't have to reef. But a laundry list of things were completed. And for now a list is what we'll do.

• Moved the lazy jacks up the mast for a better position. 
• Rigged both of the jiffy reefing lines. I use a system partly inspired by Toby Goes Sailing on YouTube.  
• Got all my flag, burgees, pennants and ensigns ready for use. I now have a rear flag staff for when the sail is down and got the bow staff reinstalled. 
• Rigged for a fixed mount VHF radio that will be installed soon. This will allow me to monitor multiple channels while acting as committee boat. 
• Got a really good race in two hours of solid sailing, most of it at the first reef.

 It's another big weekend at the club along with 4th of July goings on so we'll try and get a proper update then. 

Photo by a dock mate of mine with a bit of editing courtesy of a fellow CBA'er.

On Target, On Time

How My Mast Was Built

 It was a good day! The biggest bugaboo that has plagued me, the mast, was sorted with some help from a friend. So as you saw earlier up the blog the mast was stuck. Very, very stuck. Lifting my boat off the trailer and jumping up and down stuck. Today the The Typesetter came over with a bag of tools and we sorted it out. Well he did, I took pictures and worked on other boat projects. Turns out the fiberglass wrap that had been put over the mast had bubbled and that was the  reason for the sticking. So out came a rasp and he set to work. After a bit we tried the mast. Still took a strap to get it out. So there was more rasping and we tried again. Still stuck. I told TT to go after it with the plane. I wanted to see wood chips. Lots of them. I'd rather too much then too little. Wood chips were asked for and wood chips came!

The Typesetter at Work

 And it was done. It goes in easy and comes out without a strap. So it's just all the other projects I have to do, the biggest being getting the boat rigged. BUT I know what I'm doing at this point so I'm not as worried about it. The simplification of the lines will help a lot. Moving from the pivot to the drop in will take some figuring but I'm sure it's no big deal.  I'll do my best to get photos as we rig so I can sort of explain my process. 

 The other attempted project was installing a used base mount VHF. I've wanted one for a while and took a shot at a used one. It received great but failed to transmit. This is after TWO extra holes in the roof of my boat trying to get the antenna mounted. But I'm a 2nd Class Boat Builder so it took thickened epoxy and we'll paint over it. Oh and sanding. But that's for later. At this point the wiring is in place I just need to buy a new radio. So that'll be post launch. 

 The boat is not looking her best. But she will be come Wild Horse Regatta weekend. That will be her 2nd debut and her Sweet Sixteen. Really looking forward to the aesthetic touches I have planned for her. The Princess of Flathead Lake will look even more wonderful. 

 But it's rain the next two days so a small break to catch up on some other work. We're far closer then we were and I'm feeling good.

Bow Flag Holder Mounted, CBA Burgee

One Piece at a Time II

The video is from March, 2021

Just a quick note that work continues at a fair pace. I have a second hand marine VHF radio I'm working to install and I'm about seventy percent done with that project. That will allow me to monitor both the race and and 16 when I need to. And I've always wanted one in the boat. Just take a bit more wiring and drilling a hole for the antenna. My handheld works all the time and will keep a charge all week so the draw from the base should be minimal .  

 The mast continues to vex me. I cut some blocks for the base to keep it from dropping all the way down but that didn't work. I have picked up a pretty good way to get it unstuck though. But it still needs a bit of shaping to really be safe. I was thinking of putting the pin back in and giving up but I really like how she sails with a more vertical mast. The Typesetter was over today and we stared at the plans. As designed she's got a touch of rake but the bottom of the mast requires a step to do so. I'm thinking the original builder just took the bottom four inches off when we put it on a pin. It'll take a bit of fiddling but we'll get it done. 

 When I got the boat the lazy jacks did double duty as a sort of topping lift but the light and stretchy line used wasn't up to the task. I've added a dedicated topping lift and no longer need to adjust the jacks from the deck. I see how many have them permanently fixed at the mast and I've decided that's what I want to do. I got inspiration on how I want to from the Ayers Pond Catboat Essential video series. It's just small boat jacks so no need to go crazy. This also feeds my mantra of simplicity for the vessel. I'll have one less line heading forward and up that I need to worry about. I've already made the luff line set it and forget it on the mast, eliminating it's adjustability aft and it's corresponding line.  When it's all done I should have from port to starboard, topping lift, second reef luff, first reef luff, throat halyard, peak halyard. We'll see if the reef lines stay. I'm thinking of going back to an all boom set up. 

 Got the house battery  in and the electrics all work. As of this moment I'm fully prepared for my USCGA safety inspection I have scheduled for later this week. Save for 2022 I've managed it almost every year with this boat. It's a simple and easy way pre-season to ensure that your boat is ready to go. I highly suggest you schedule one today, it's free.

 Lots of little projects getting done. And a lot of little projects left to go. I'm on my own this week, The Lady is on a work trip so it's just me and the boat. I'm fine with that at this point as I have so much to do. But it's all fifteen minute jobs that will be done in good time I'm sure.  

It's a 10-24 Boat

Some Michalak Boats at Rend Messabout. Photo by Joe Stromski

 It would be amiss of me to not mention Kat Boat's 16th Birthday on the 12th of June. Happy Birthday Kat Boat! With that out of the way it's been busy around here. The boat was moved from the Dayton Yacht Harbor back to my home for work. We love having the boat at the yard but the fact is that having easy access to water and power makes some projects so much easier. With that in mind we put half a pump of grease in each trailer hub, added some magnetic lights, and hit the road south. This was the first and longest journey since last spring when the boat was moved to the yard. We took stops every twenty miles at first but the tires were fine and the bearings sone cold. We have  a new towing vehicle with half the cylinders so we were bit leery but other then getting slightly better gas milage we towed the sawtooth profile at 65mph without issue. Unlike our previous Suburban which towed the thousand pounds of boat and trailer at highway speed without complaint, the Equinox ensures i know where every slow lane is on the entire 91.4 mile journey north. And we use use every single one. 

New and Shiny Up Top, Old and Busted Below

 When we first got Kat Boat there was a rush of new parts and fasteners. There were a variety of decisions made when the vessel was originally constructed that I may have disagreed with.  For the use she got it was a good choice at the time. There were also decisions made when the boat made it to our fleet that maybe could have been handled better as well. Today we look back on those decisions, give them grace, and try and improve upon them. The above is an excellent example of renewing things. Thankfully I sail in freshwater so my hardware doesn't rust rust but as you see it does wear. I haven't replaced my tiller hardware since I got the boat and it appeared it was time. Now I would have preferred stainless but I think that simply buying new in this case is enough. It's not expensive and I'll get five more years out of the new set.  We also are in the process of replacing star drive deck screws, driven in by a madman who thought it was the cats meow at that fevered moment, with stainless steel wood screws from Duckworks. 

 I've decided that the work will progress one system at a time. This keeps it from becoming overwhelming and gives a focus to the work. As it's summer and I must do my boat work outside my MS doesn't allow me to work well in the heat. That's sailing time. So my time is limited and it needs to be productive. So the first system we're working on is first is the mainsheet. When the boat arrived she has Racelite 1/4" blocks. The system we use is from the tiller up to the boom, then forward and a double purchase there. So four blocks in total. The line was originally the kind used for equine work but it was tacky with age so we replaced it with three strand utility line.  I've never been satisfied with the small blocks. The drag was pretty high and it took a bit for the rig to respond. Things improved slightly with the replacement of the aft boom block with a larger ratcheting black. I got the idea from the Katie M. and Left Coast Charters. But while it was an improvement I knew the only to really get it right was to replace all the blocks.  So that's what I've done. These are Racelite 7/16ths blocks that match the old ones but will allow far less friction hopefully resulting in a snappier action and better response overall. 

 As faithful readers will no doubt recall I've been messing with giving my boat a forestay for a while now. Catboats have a forestay, from 12' Beetles to 23' party cats they all support the mast from the front. Now it should be noted that the FatCat 2 doesn't share the same hull as a traditional New England catboat. Her bow is out of the water and she carriers her buoyancy slightly forward of midships but lacks the support a Cape Cod style hull gives the cat rigged gaff sail. She's also under canvased even with my slightly larger sail. According to Fenwick Williams, who is said to have designed more catboats then just about anybody, "Another rough rule obtained from practice says that an area of 80 percent the square of the length will give quite good results." (F. Williams, The Cat Boat Book, p32) That works out to 180sqft. Which would require much larger spars overall and quite frankly I don't think it would work all that well with so little wetted surface in the water. But I digress. I've never been a fan of the unsupported mast with that much sail hanging off the back. For lack of a better reason it just didn't look right to my eyes.  After bending two different stout eyebolts I've settled on a tang to attach the forestay at the mast. However at the angle it was hung there was interference with the gaff jaws., which were also different from plan. The Typesetter had the idea of a standoff to change the angle and distance of the forestay. Today I wanged© it together out of a piece he so kindly cut out for me. It's rough and needs paint but we'll cross that bridge a bit later. I'm pleased to say it's not going anywhere being through bolted. We'll know right quick if it worked or not but I have a good feeling about it. 

 And that's about as far as I'm getting today. The boat needs washing and at a minimum and maybe some paint here and there. And I have my USCGA Safety inspection scheduled for the Thursday before we launch but everything I need to be ready is on that list so easy enough to get done. The list of get them done's is long but doable a few hours a day. And that really what this type of work is. Just a few hours everyday and you'll see your results. 

 Oh about the title. Most of the projects today centered around what has become the standard size of fastener in the boat. The 10-24 machine screw with a Phillips head from 1 1/4" up to 5". Normally comes with washers and nylocks. 

Boat Work 2024 Begins

 

Kat and Her Boat

 Ah spring, when a young persons fancy turns to boating.  Work is hard and heavy on Kat Boat this spring. With the boat in the yard work has to be better planned and executed due to it being an hour and a half from the old boat yard, which was my house. First thing up this year was getting the mast pulled.  Faithful readers will know of the Sandell Tabernacle my boat came with. An ingenious device that allowed the raising and lowering of the mast while on the trailer with ease.  As a yard boat these days the setup was not as desired. The fact is the mast was never as straight without being in the bottom of the step as designed and a catboat wants a straight mast. And with the mast being hollow it was easy enough to swing it up and plant it in the step. We sailed like that for the majority of the last season and the boat behaved very well. Slightly better I think then before.  Sail peaked higher, lifted the boom that extra bit and wanted to go to weather more readily and closer to the wind. It was great. And at the end of the last season we tried pulling the mast for winter. And tried again. And again. It was indeed quite stuck.

  But this season we are at a boat yard. With a mast crane. A few half hitches later we were in business. The strain was put on. And then a little more. Then a few more half hitches. The bow started coming off the trailer. The lead yard hand jumped lightly on the cabin top. And the mast popped free.  It was an interesting forty five seconds, that's for sure. We are making sure to ensure this won't happen again before the mast goes back up.

When in Doubt Add More Force

 Last year in a blinding rainstorm I discovered that my cabin hatch was not in fact waterproof. And the dripping water was a rather large annoyance. So one of the projects this spring has been fiberglassing the hatch. It's amazing how well a random orbital sander will clean up the job. It's far from perfect but I am a 2nd Class Boat Builder. That is to say I'm not afeared of epoxy and I know enough to get myself if not into trouble a job done. We await the possibility of painting later this week and we'll see if it worked. We hate to lose the look of the natural wood but it's worth not worrying about keeping the water on the outside of the boat. 

Will Look Good With Paint

 And what of the Whoa Nellie you ask? Well we got the skeg on and we've got a few little things to tidy up on the bottom, then paint and flip. The changes we're working on are making the side decks 6" as per the Beetlecat that inspired it. We also got rid of the rear "seat" as full hull lounging room is desirable. Sliding around the bottom is a key component to the sailing I think. We're hoping to splash before September and get a sail or two in this year.

Always Impressed With Her Lines

 And now it's little things. The work on Kat Boat this summer is being broken into two parts: The Making It Work part and the Making It Pretty part. Goal now is to get the vessel sailing. Then in July we'll haul it and take it up to the old boat yard and make it pretty.  The hope is by our Wild Horse Island Regatta she'll be looking find and hopefully be able to be used as our committee boat. The lady will appreciate the ability to take a Kat Nap during the proceedings.  We hope to launch the week I right this but the weather may not cooperate. No harm done there, it's simply another week to get the boat ready and we'll launch the weekend of our yacht club opener.  It's going to be a great year.

Starting To Look Like My Boat Again

Sailing Season 2023 is Finished

 Just a quick update on the Bolger Bobcat, now named Whoa Nellie. We've added some epoxy and I added a single layer of paint. It should be noted the paint is not the final bottom paint but another barrier to protect the wood this winter. But with the area for the skeg and the centerboard masked off I think it looks pretty sharp. From thirty feet away. While squinting. It was a rush brush job after all. 

Now epoxied up to the sides.

Add a good tarp and we're good to go for storage.

It was a good year of sailing. Ran some races. Didn't come last in all of them. Boat on the hard in the yard for another month for hopeful work. I'll do a major update post later but for now it was a good year. 

Smugglers Run 2023

1130-0501

Saturday July 8th 2023

  The day started early as a good sailing day should. I had laid out my clothes the day before so was ready to head out and pick up the crew by 0545. Regular readers will no doubt know The Typsetter, a long time friend and fellow sailor. He was a veteran of Smugglers Run, having given the event it's name, and was crew for me in 2022. He had his hand baggage when I pulled up in front of his house and was ready to go. Spirits were high as after a stop for coffee we headed north. Earlier in the week we had prepped to install the forestay and were equipped to finish it. The plan was to get the minor boat work done, get the vessel in the water and hold the skippers meeting for the yacht club race being held that morning.

Triple through bolted. Not going anywhere.

 The rigging of the forestay went well and we splashed the boat. Mike motored it over to The Old Harbor House Dock and we went and attended the skippers meeting. The plan had been to hold the Smuggler Run skippers meeting immediately after but as we were the only attendees we knew what was up. There was another possible participant but alas they were called away. Next year! As a race steward for the SFYC we piled into Kat Boat and used it's mighty klaxon to start the race. Thanks to the count down I can give you a blow by blow of that moment.

1020-blast as the ten minute warning.

1025-blast to start the the five minute start sequence

1026-blast for the four minute

Somewhere in here we lost the forestay with a metallic clank and the sound of cable on the move. The Typesetter moved forward to ascertain the damage as I looked at my watch and tried to think of options. The race had to start regardless.

1029-blast for the one minute

102930 "I just lost the mainsheet!" "I need to get the race started!"

1030-blast for the start 

The idea was to follow the fleet out but that wasn't going to happen. The mainsheet was the easy part, pull the boom in and reattach. The forestay on the other hand was going to be a dozy. I had it made locally and the crimp failed to hold. This speaks to the force that a cat boat can put on it's rig and why it's so important. For a moment I was utterly defeated. "There's nothing to do but call it. I don't feel comfortable on a long sail without it" It needed to be said and it was the smart thing to do. Immediately following this pronouncement I looked at my feet. And the 75' of 3/8th Raid Braid I had purchased just in case "We'll make a new forestay. We have good rope. That's what I used all last season." I just need to panic first. Then calm deliberation is my process. 

Kat Boat beached for repairs.

Typsetter and I at work.

  And that is just what we did. We beached the boat, as catboats do, and quickly got to work. We lowered the mast got the cable off and attached the line in it's place. We used the turnbuckle to get it drum tight and pushed off. Only about three quarters of an hour gone. We were back at it. The usual thermal in Dayton that gives us a solid Force 3 was in full effect and we took full advantage of it. We caught the fleet returning and waved them goodbye. Our goal was to pass Cedar Island and carry on into the lake. But try as we might the doldrums still caught us. 

 I should explain the doldrums as they exist on the western side of Flathead Lake and in particular the east side of Dayton Bay. There exists a perfect triangle of utterly no wind that I've never NOT gotten caught in. The insidious thing is you'll sail right into it all full and bye without a care in the world and the next thing you know you have wind lines on all sides, cats paws on the water and slating sails. It's utterly maddening. The Typesetter was sure he had it licked and I still have no reason to doubt it. We've been here before after all. We stayed close inshore and observed a beautiful cutter to match her effortless progress. 

Gorgeous BCC under full sail.

 We also enlisted the help of the J24 Sverre J to find out where the wind was.  We'd match her course and with the knowledge aboard the racer that far exceeds our own we'll be in the clear. It was truly a cunning plan.But with one major drawback. A Michalak Fat Cat 2 is NOT a J24. They left us well in their wake and we blissfully sailed into the doldrums. Blast. 

 Eventually we fired up the electric spanker and made our way very slowly north towards Shelter and Cedar Island. As we made our way towards the hoped for end of the accursed triangle we came across a pair of MacGregor 26's having a gam. That's the joy of the lake meeting up with your friends on your motorboats with sails and enjoying life. Shelter Island is known for the huge chateau that is built on it. In my opinion it's tastefully done, that is it could have been far worse. As we passed Rock Island we saw the breeze ahead. Raising sail and sheeting home we made our way further north and into the main body of the lake.

The open lake. That's Cedar on the right.

 Sunday, July 9th

And so we sailed. And sat. And sailed. And sat. The goal was to break the 12 hour barrier or at least beat our time last year. We didn't do that. But what we did have was some wonderful memories as we headed up the lake. We've heard what winds might  do as we headed north. But we had no idea how much fun it would be sailing past midnight with the stars high above and the lake stretching out in front of us. Or how lights and towns play tricks on you as you see them in the dark and from the the lake side. Or that the port side navigation light would blink in time with the waves. We need to get that fixed actually. I'm not going to try and write a full blow by blow. Part of it is because I was so sleep addled I don't remember it well enough to properly recount it. And also because for a lot of it you just needed to be there.  I grew up on stories of these epic voyages in small boats and would hang on every word. And here I am with my own epic voyage and I'm unsure of how to tell the full story of the dark time, from sundown. It's good conversation, guessing at the wind and sailing when we can. It's looking at spots of light and trying to make them match our charts and finding out where a northerly wind will REALLY take you. For the record it wasn't north.

Dinner at sea. Wonderful.

Heading into a smoky sunset.

We crossed the line at 0501

I had gotten about an hour of sleep and when I awoke we had no wind. "We better motor in the last bit" my companion suggested. So we lowered the rig and did just that. I put the Typesetter off watch and tidied up. As I was flying my clubs burgee and that of my office a decent harbor furl was called for. The shock cord furling inspired by Marshall Marine does a fine job of that. As we ghosted along the entire eastern horizon became pink and purple. The mountains became visable and I was confused for a moment. It struck me that it was dawn. We had been on the lake all night. We passed the outer trestle at 0501. We had not improved upon our time of last year, coming in an hour later. But the sense of accomplishment was even greater. As I navigated the last bit into the North Flathead Yacht Club I thought of why we do this. Because we can. We see sights no one else does. And do it at our own hand. It's truly an amazing thing to do. And my little boat is up to it. As is my stalwart crew.

 In closing I'd like to thank The Typsetter who puts up with me and keeps this sailing thing a going concern. The North Flathead Yacht Club for their wonderful hospitality. And all of those who enjoyed my story here and elsewhere as we make plans to do it again. Next year. But this story isn't done yet. We woke up around 0800 and had even more adventure. But I'll leave that to the next post. 

Done.

Preparing For the Longest Sail of the Year

 

The Typesetter Working on the New Forestay

 For the second time the Western Montana Small Boat Association is putting on it's long distance event on Flathead Lake, Smugglers Run. From Dayton To Somers taking most, if not all, of the day. Final work is being done on Kat Boat to ensure we're in good shape for the run. As planned the Fat Cat 2 does not have a forestay. With our heavier boom and larger sail it's become apparent that this is going to be a necessity. Final work will be done the day of the event but the rough parts are taken care off. Stocking the larder and prepping the electronics will take up the remanider of the day. 

 Plan is to star with the South Flathead Yacht Club race fleet and then go slow, go north. We've been in touch with the North Flathead Yacht Club and have secured overnight spots. Excitement is high.