Saturday July 19 to Saturday July 26, 2025

Day 25 to Day 27

Saturday July 19 Weather

Inside boat: temp. L 60° high 79.9° current 79.9° humidity low 59% high 74% current 65% outside was 70° at 8:30 AM.

I’m sorry that I haven’t posted the daily blogs. We’ve been enjoying visiting friends and family and gotten some boat projects done. We’re taking advantage, some days, of the A/C in our living room at home while washing clothes.

First on the agenda Saturday was to fix the roller furler while the wind was calm. Phil unrolled the jammed line from the roller furler. We had to unhook the foot of the sail from the furler so that we could turn it around and around to rewind the line. Phil controlled the black line and I turned the furler until it was full. The it was a matter of bringing the line back to the stern through the appropriate fair leads and put the line away in our usual fashion. Next step was to raise the head sail. Now we know why we have the short winch handle as the long one gets caught on the folded mainsail. If you remember, the handle on the short winch handle keeps sliding off. It was a joint effort with Lorraine jumping the line the taking in the slack to start. When it got too hard, Phil finished the job. Last step we rolled up the head sail in the furler.

The next boat project was to check out and fix the groan the steering wheel made under rudder pressure and the autopilot slipping which gave us a rudder error message and why we hand steered yesterday. Phil told me the groaning noise and the autopilot slipping were both caused by slipping where the tiller arm connects to the rudder post..

After a couple trips to the hardware store, ( it can’t be just one trip per project, right?) we had the right bolt (quarter 20 1.25” long to insert into the hole Phil drilled. We went sailing Tuesday, July 21 with our grandson and there wasn’t any problems we’re happy to say.

We are taking this opportunity of being close to home to take things we aren’t using off the boat and bring some things that we found we needed. Lorraine did this the first day back but it’s been a work in progress.

We enjoyed visiting with Bill and Nancy Niessen, club members and found out that next Saturday, July 26 is the dock crawl. I haven’t been able to attend in the past working weekends, so we immediately decided to stay for the dock crawl. Each member)s) at the dock participating provid a drink (usually alcoholic) and appetizer. Everyone starts at one end of the dock and walks as a group to the other end. I’ve heard it’s lots of fun.

I had an early evening shower, which worked great as about 8pm we had a nice visit with our friends Ted and Barb Zimmerman. They were at Painesville Speedway with their corvette doing time trials on the track. We showed them the boat and what was different from their Tartan 37. They didn’t stay long as it was a long day and they will return to the track on Sunday.

Day 26, July 20, 2025

I woke early at 0630 to rain coming in the hatches, so closed them and stayed awake. The rain didn’t last long.

Weather: outside. Temperature 75° cloudy, dewpoint 72°, humidity 91% when’s West nine sunset 8:54 PM they expected high is 77°. It will be partly cloudy this afternoon with winds Northwest 10 to 15mph.

I went shopping this morning at Aldi’s target it was back about 12 noon at ham and turkey sandwiches and sweet cherries for lunch. Then at 12:30 we started the engine to go to the pump out dock. We arrived there and found out that the Johnny trap was not having any section. So we had to return to our dock and we may need to make sure we use the clubhouse bathroom as we have 20 gallons of black water in room for 35 gallons

I had a nice chat with my mom today and then one of the previous club members Dave who’s birthday is five days away from mine called to express how much he enjoyed the blog. I really appreciate that as I don’t have many comments so I don’t get the feedback about whether I’m doing a good thing or not. So thanks Dave for the call and your expression of appreciation.

I’ve been knitting as long as the weather is not too hot while visiting with club members in our area. I got all the yoke color work finished so now we’ll be starting on the main color which is ecru. Now I knit for 1.5” in the round and separate for the sleeves.

Day 27, Monday, July 22

I woke at 0705 with a nice breeze coming in through the companionway hatch.

Boat jobs we still need to do:

pump out, fill water tank, check the Centerboard as it won’t go down and install the reef line for the mainsail.

Weather inside: temp 70.5° high 79.5° current 71.4° humidity low 60%, 81% current 71%

Outside 64° sunny dew point 59°, humidity 83% winds WNW3 sunset 8:53 PM it’s supposed to be sunny, winds NNE 5 to 10 mph, high 74°. I’ve been really tracking the weather in the morning to see when it’s gonna be very low and from the southwest direction as that will be the time to install the roof line for the mainsail.

After breakfast out at FATS (Flavors around the Square restaurant), I worked on two blog posts until about 1:15 PM. I took so long that Phil filled the water tank himself. We talked about the centerboard and after talking with Ted Z on the phone we decided that the best course was to wait until to have the boat lifted until we’re on the west end of the Lake Erie at Port Clinton and go to Brands Marine. They have the personnel that could fix the centerboard for us. Ted also said that most people with a Tartan 37 don’t put down the centerboard unless they’re gonna be going up wind and we have been routinely putting down the center board. Looks like we’re going to have to change our practice once the centerboard is fixed.

Phil and I talked about what to do for a pump out. We were thinking about leaving after the dock crawl when the weather was good so we’re gonna be here for a little bit of time. Phil left a message with Yvonne at Erieau Marina to have Kathy call him back. We did find out that while your dog there you can get a pump out for C$25. Ross G. Is going to call Monday to check out costs for parts and price out new one, so I’m hopeful we can get it done before we leave.

I haven’t liked the flat sheets that I’ve been using on the V berth so ordered some king size cotton sheets. They arrived at the house so I went over there to pick them up and put them on the V birth mattress.

I knitted and Phil read until it was time to fix supper at 6 PM. I cooked roast beef chuck in the pressure cooker and cooked the vegetables and potatoes in a separate pot since I only have my 4 quart pressure cooker on the boat leaving my 8 quart pressure cooker at home. After supper, we went back to the boat and did our own things. It was a nice comfortable weather day today.

I have been keeping notes of my trip in a red composition book. The one I have been writing in up to this point has been since we bought Katie O Oct, 1, 2023 and now I have filled up the book. I’ll start the next log book, a blue composition book.