On the Hard

Winter Berth

Piao has a new spot on which to winter-over on the hard.  Fed up with the cacophony of vines and natural undergrowth of brush in our backyard, the Admiral hired a landscaping service to rip it all out, lay topsoil, spread wood chips, and seed new grass.  For a little extra, he also created a streetside gravel bed where Piao could sit for the winter.  The boat used to sit next to the garage, which necessitated the haulers driving across part of the front yard, which always left deep ruts and last time damaged the lawn irrigation system.  The new site not only removes a clump of Japanese Knotweed (a long-time nemesis of mine) but also offers easy-access for the transport carrier and to nearby outlets for both power and water.

Piao's new winter berth

My neighbor Henry, on the other side of the property, thinks I made a big mistake.  He believes it was better when I stored the boat alongside the garage.  It is more convenient to access tools, he argued.  It was also more convenient for him to watch and come over to chat while I work on the boat.  You see, he used to own an O'Day 23 just like Piao.  He doesn't like Obama very much....

Haul out

7 November 2015

This year, I had the Brownell guys block the boat up a bit higher, to give me better access to the centerboard, which retracts into the shoal keel.  The boat only draws 27" with the centerboard up, and 5'4" with it down.  This is great for scooching in close to shore for temporary anchorage and beach exploring.  The retractable centerboard is also much more forgiving than a fixed keel during bathymetric explorations of unmarked rocks around the shallows and shoals of Buzzards Bay.

Piao arrives at her Winter Crib....

The centerboard needs to be cleaned (and maybe patched up a bit?), then repainted with ablative.  I want to check the attachment point for the line that runs up through the boat into the cockpit.  Last winter, in its old spot alongside the garage, Piao sat high enough for me to lower the centerboard only an inch or two.  This year I got it a bit higher.  The Brownell guys advised me that I would probably need a couple or three (or four) new 18" blocks by next year.  They said they could sell them to me, but suggested I might find them cheaper elsewhere.

I still won't get that centerboard all the way down, but this is progress....

With Piao (hopefully) secured 'high on the hard,' my first task was to service the outboard motor in preparation for the coming winter.  Once again, I discovered that the marine environment had caused the padlock on the motor mount to seize solid.  Looks like I will need to go knock on Henry's door after all, and invited him to come over again with his Sawsall.  But other boating neighbors advised me that I could simply leave the outboard engine mounted (and covered) for the winter.  I will replace the mounting bracket in the spring, with Henry's assistance, and next year I will be sure to grease and lube the Masterlock liberally and frequently throughout the sailing season.


Holidays approach!  This year we went with a nautical theme.  The Admiral repurposed some Halloween pumpkins, spray painting them white and arranging them to resemble a snowwoman standing out by the mailbox.  Behind her we put the spare hard-shell dinghy.  That seemed a bit odd to me, so I went out and found a little plastic Santa, which I wired upright on the middle thwart.  Then I decorated the dinghy with lights: blue for the bow wave, and white for the trailing wake.  The neighbors approve.