Finally sailing Combolo after 20 years

NevisTyphoon · Post by **NevisTyphoon** » Mar 13th, '09, 22:29

Well, I got back on island with a new tiller and we got Combolo fixed and finally sailed her this week after 20 years of her on the hard. Further delayed by my almost new Zodiak dingy falling apart (PVC dingy's have a very short life in the tropics), so we couldn't even get out to her until I imported a new one from Sint Maarten last week.

A good friend mentioned that having a boat on Nevis is like being in the frontier. Another said it was even worse 20 years ago. But I asked how could it be worse 20 years ago? We have not one single boat dock, not a single supplier of boat parts, and close to 100% duty on parts that generally take weeks if not months to arrive? My long-shaft motor is expected to arrive in June at the earliest after ordering it over a month ago. How could it possibly be worse?

I understand this story is tedious for most of you who have sailed all of your lives, and the story of the restoration of this little tiny boat is probably both meaningless and trivial. But for me as a new sailor, and the people of Nevis who fondly remember this little boat, it's a good bit more.

And more than a few folks on this message board have been actively engaged in helping me with the restoration. I just can't possibly thank enough y'all who helped me. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

When I first posted my quest here 2 years ago (and I was totally clueless), somebody said that if I finished, I had to post a picture of me in her heeled over and me grinning from ear to ear.

While not exactly high resolution enough to catch me grinning from ear to ear, Trish did get a pic today of us on our (mostly) maiden voyage. Skip down to the end of the page if you want to see the pic.

www.crookedriver.wordpress.com/combolo

Sea Hunt · Post by **Sea Hunt** » Mar 13th, '09, 23:15

NevisTy wrote: I understand this story is tedious for most of you who have sailed all of your lives, and the story of the restoration of this little tiny boat is probably both meaningless and trivial.

Respectfully, you could not be more wrong. I am a rookie/tadpole sailor and I am certain I have much less experience, knowledge and skills than you. I have read ALL of your posts, etc. and have been inspired by your determination despite "island outpost" conditions to restore Combolo, your Cape Dory Typhoon Daysailor.

Because I have read all of your posts, as well as the replies and suggestions from other CDers, I am certain all on this board feel the same way, regardless of whether they are down at my skill level or up in the level of "Oswego John". It's a great story and a great adventure. I only wish I had your obvious skills. I'm still trying to repair/replace a 16"-18" piece of toe rail teak that I first noticed months ago.

I don't even have the skill to bend a simple little piece of teak.

WELL DONE

Neil Gordon · Post by **Neil Gordon** » Mar 14th, '09, 07:45

NevisTy wrote:I understand this story is tedious for most of you who have sailed all of your lives, and the story of the restoration of this little tiny boat is probably both meaningless and trivial.

Quite the contrary, for any number or reasons!

1 - The number of Cape Dory hulls (with all due respect to Robinhood) is finite. One that is lost is lost forever. I really do want to hear that a boat's been saved.

2 - There's a caring community here that's intereted not only in your boat, but in you.

3 - As for hearing about the specifics of the restoration, even the smaller details, we all learn something that eventually gets put to practical use.

4 - Etc.

Thanks for sharing.

Neil Gordon · Post by **Neil Gordon** » Mar 14th, '09, 07:48

Sea Hunt wrote:I don't even have the skill to bend a simple little piece of teak.

You do, on the other hand, have the skill to cajole a fellow board member into bending it for you. Not to mention the time you plied me with sandwiches and beer in order to extract my sail trimming secrets.

barfwinkle · Post by **barfwinkle** » Mar 14th, '09, 08:45

Thank you for the updates Chris. I think you'll find more sailors than you think are interested in your restoration of Combolo. BTW, what does Combolo mean?

Also, if you bump into an Outbound 44 at anchor in Nevis, say hi to Mike Thorpe and Merrie Bergman currently anchored somewhere in your vicinity. They are eastbound later this spring and are former CD owners and still member of the CDSOA.

Thanks again for the updates.

Fair winds and good luck with the sailing.

NevisTyphoon · Post by **NevisTyphoon** » Mar 14th, '09, 08:51

Appropriately enough, Combolo is a Jamaican slang word for a gathering of friends. It took a rather large and extended community of friends to pull this off!

Joe Myerson · Post by **Joe Myerson** » Mar 14th, '09, 09:02

Chris,

That's a terrific name for a boat.

And, congratulations on getting her back into the water.

--Joe

Joe Montana · Post by **Joe Montana** » Mar 14th, '09, 09:41

Chris, I've made your "sailing" photo my Spring screensaver. The resolution isn't perfect, but it's clear enough to be an inspiration to me for making at least one longer-than-usual passage with my Ty daysailer this season. I've enjoyed following your story.

(If you can private message me a higher-resolution image, I'd appreciate it.)

chase · Post by **chase** » Mar 14th, '09, 11:31

Chris, enjoyed your story like the rest, I hope you have many days of sailing Combolo.

As a side note, I'm a farmer in the S. Appalachians, and have lots of friends in Floyd. I used to work horses some and spent some time logging with Jason Rutledge using suffolks. Your project in Floyd looks like it is going really well.

Perhaps I'll see you in Floyd one day or better yet....Nevis!

Take Care-

Chase

NevisTyphoon · Post by **NevisTyphoon** » Mar 14th, '09, 12:20

Geeze, there are only 50 people in the world, eh? Jason has mentioned you more than once, Chase....

Duncan · Post by **Duncan** » Mar 14th, '09, 19:47

There's something about that photo that just says it all. Congratulations and kudos on your persistence!

It's been almost 20 years since I anchored off Nevis, but I was lucky enough to get down to St. Kitts on business two summers ago.

Apropos the comment on your blog about trade winds, I snuck away for an afternoon and rented a Laser. I've never sailed a fast dinghy in anything like that - six foot swells and 20 knots of wind.

The bow wake was flying up half the height of the mast (on the odd occasions that I got everything balanced for a moment or two). I dumped it at least three times, survived, and I felt like a kid again!
Your Typhoon will be a bit less of a handful, but, as you say, a working jib may be more suitable than a genoa

NevisTyphoon · Post by **NevisTyphoon** » Mar 14th, '09, 21:52

Duncan - What I think I'm going to do (of course based upon searches of the archives of this board and the advice contained therein) is send the genoa to FX Sails and have them sew foam in the luff for a CDI FF1 roller reefing system, and sew in UV fabric on the luff and the leach while they are at it. While I don't see many opportunities for needing any more than 80% of a working jib, we did experience just a month ago crossing "the shark-infested waters" between St Kitts and Nevis in my Windrider 17 when the wind just *stopped*. Almost 1 hour of just spinning around slowly in circles following the current up towards Saba before it finally kicked in again. Since the Typhoon will be the "cruiser", I don't feel the need for an optimal sail setup for speed - flexibility and the ability to handle the headsail from the tiller wins out for me.

Am I thinking correctly?

Now that I finally got my dingy working properly last week (I hope!), I stoopidly volunteered to haul a dozen sea kayaks from Oualie beach to Charlestown to be used tomorrow (Sunday) to monitor the swim portion of the Nevis Triathlon - an international event, and then to sit and monitor both the kayaks and the swimmers, purportedly to catch anyone from drowning. At this event two years ago, a friend of mine was on a kayak watching for swimmers when a wave knocked him off his kayak and he lost a shoe and his oars. Nobody noticed, and he drifted all the way to a remote shore of St Kitts and had to walk for hours to find help. Conditions predicted to be much worse tomorrow. WindGuru.com is predicting 3.5M northern swells and over 20 knot winds. My 9.5' dingy and 4HP Johnson probably does 3 mph and I've got about 5 miles to haul them. Not too smart, eh? But probably smarter than the folks who agreed to sit atop the kayaks for an hour in that, probably wiser still than the folks who are *voluntarily* swimming in it! I ran into some of the triathlon competitors today and told them to look our for me, and for the kayakers - we who are there to save them may be in need of saving our own selves....

News at 11....

seajunkie · Post by **seajunkie** » Mar 14th, '09, 21:56

I understand this story is tedious

I look forward to catching posts like yours. I search the Internet for web pages like the one you have. Your story is inspirational. Thanks for sharing it.

Duncan · Post by **Duncan** » Mar 14th, '09, 22:11

NevisTyphoon wrote:Am I thinking correctly?

I think you're on the right track, but, of course, Typhoon owners could comment more knowledgeably.

Just by way of "conversation", though, I am going to try my new working jib as the main headsail this season on my 27, instead of the genoa. I have a "flasher", which I can use in light air. My thinking is that, even with a foam luff, you can't "roller reef" much before you get a pretty awful sail shape.

I do agree with you, I don't think I'd want to be up on the foredeck any more than necessary.

Bob Owens · Post by **Bob Owens** » Mar 14th, '09, 23:44

Bravo, Chris. Hope the pleasure you get from Combolo will far out-weigh the great work you have put into her.
Bob

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