The Cape Dory Board

No need to paint your mast. Aluminum left bare gets a kind of patina surface corrosion that protects it. I painted mine because I wanted to not because it was necessary. Those old fasteners may be very tough to remove. Pop rivets are easy to drill out. Machine screws are a whole other animal. All mi...

The mast is about 90 percent reassembled. It's been slow going in the oppressive blazing NC heat. Mostly I work on the boom in my garage in the morning then drive to the boatyard in the afternoon when it's beginning to cool off. Last week I spent a ridiculous amount of time installing a single backi...

Jim,
Did I understand correctly via you comment on JDMs thread you sailed back to Connecticut? Your home? How was the voyage? I hope you post a thorough trip report. Well done if you are in fact home. BZ.

My mast is a Spar Craft 330. It has two separate full length tabs running inside the mast. Their purpose is to support a PVC conduit which serve as a wire chase. You take very light PVC which you rip a slit in lengthwise and then run them down the mast slipped over the tab. Wires are then run inside...

That's amazing fridge performance. I could live with that.

Ha. Ship's cat. They got him as a kitten in St Barts during their first Atlantic Circle in 2019. His name is Filou (trickster).

Good post Jim. I'm the same way about
squeaks and rattles.

You do not have to have a holding tank if you don't have a toilet with a through hull. I do not have a marine toilet. I use wag bags inshore and bucket and chuck it offshore. Very simple. And totally legit--the wag bags are approved by the national park service. And by the way, the head seat in the ...

I was at the boatyard yesterday working on mast. Lots of fire engines arrived. Walked over to the ICW about 100 yards away to see what was going on. On the floating dock was a sport-fishing boat on fire. Smoke pouring out of the saloon. They cut holes in the side deck with a big power saw. Then smas...

Thanks everyone. I past all the info on to them. They left Beaufort, NC Thursday at 1200. They arrived in Norfolk VA this morning (Saturday) after an uneventful rounding of Cape Hatteras. Light southerly winds. Sailed the whole way. A charming delightful couple. In their early 30's. Raphael taught s...

You have been very busy. 16 amps a day would seems really really efficient. I could live with that for sure.

Good work on your projects. Where are you now? When will you head down to Mexico?

Hello everyone. We are hosting a French sailing couple this week. We met them through another a French sailor friend of mine. Raphael and Marielou are on the return leg of a two year Atlantic loop from France to the West Indies, the US, and back to France. This is their second Atlantic Circuit. They...

Hahaha. No kidding. That’s a mess. Looks like you are goin to have a whole bunch of visitors.

JD Thanks for sharing your experience perspective. I can't really offer much other than the photo you posted of the jib suggest the jib is in very bad shape. Maybe it's not fully hoisted and that's why it looks so baggy. Your storm jib rig might work. You may have trouble sheeting it in snug. Did yo...

Many of the Cape Dory models seem to have different hatch designs. I think the hatches on the Far Reach are same as on Orion. Mine have a very close fit but I have considered adding a gasket at some point. I'd have to take measurements from inside the locker then use hand planes and/or a router to e...