From Acorn To Arabella.
After our offshore run, I promised Robin that I would wait for her in Beaufort so she could see the wild horses on Carrot Island, explore the shops in downtown Beaufort, and visit the Outer Banks before our run back North. While waiting, I tackle some boat maintenance projects, namely fixing our leaky deck. But more on that later…
Beaufort was an interesting place to anchor. Because of the wind and tides, the boats in the anchorage all sit differently. We came pretty close to playing bumper boats with our neighbor. But I enjoyed a surprise wooden boat show by the harbor, and a pretty impressive farmer’s market! The Beaufort experience was really a 10 out of 10!
Beaufort was also a great place for me to tackle some boat work. First task: fixing our leaky boat deck. We’ve been getting some drips in the forepeak, and I think it all boils down to an issue with the way we pitched and waterproofed the deck in the first place. Basically, I think the pitch didn’t make it deep enough into the grooves between our deck planks, which created a pocket of air. As we’ve migrated to warmer weather, my thought is that the air warmed up, ultimately expanding and causing the pitch to bubble, rupture…and leak.
Pitch is an interesting substance. It’s mostly solid at room temperature, and liquifies when heated (though, even in its liquid state, it’s still 1,000x more viscous than water).
I spent a few long, tedious days just hammering the pitch as deep as I could, identifying where more pitch was needed to fill the gaps. And then the rain came. And the forepeak stayed dry. What can I say: good deck work works 😉
Next up on the to-do list is fixing our windlass. We lost a set screw, and fortunately the local hardware store had just the key stock we needed for the job (and I had just the vice to finish the job).
Now it’s time to go play. Robin wanted to go explore Beaufort’s downtown area, which is filled with shops and coffee…two of her favorite things. But, along the way, we found where the wooden boats get built…and we had to pop in to check it out.
After exploring the town (and procuring coffee, of course), we set sail for Okracoke Island…and a beautiful sail it was.
Join us next week in the Outer Banks, and stay tuned for our passage back to Massachusetts.
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Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38′ wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin’s Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel’s gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat—sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they’ve built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva.
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