Short trip on Björköfjärden

July 12, 2021 by Lukasz Kumanowski

Summer heat with hardly any wind. One can count thou that in the afternoon there will be sjöbris for sure.

And certainly there will be wind in Björköfjärden.

I took our guests for a short ride with Meritaten.

Weather was perfect to demonstrate how sailing looks like - without scaring them with dramatic conditions or heavy sail flogging.

First part, in Vätösund, was on engine, to get out of wind shade. Once in more open waters steady SE wind reached us so we could put up all the canvas.

There was no destination, we just sailed around and enjoyed fresh wind on this otherwise very hot day.

Coming back the same way, now in half-wind, Meritaten showed how agile and quick she is on this course.

Back in the shade of Vätö I dropped sails and good-old Yanmar-san took us back to the harbour.

Crew disembarked and I was left alone to clean up things before leaving the deck.

Heat taking its toll

June 27, 2021 by Lukasz Kumanowski

Few days of extreme heat and whale deck on port side - exposed to SE sun - got few seams opened. When Meritaten was built seams between planks were glued with Cascofen. Lifetime of this glue has expired circa 10 years ago and planks can separate if exposed to heavy sunlight or very dry conditions.

Many boat owners have glued back planks by cutting seams with circular saw and epoxy-gluing slats of mahogany. Maybe this time will come also for Meritaten but for now - as the gaps are no wider than 0.9mm - I feel no need for so radical procedure. Instead I press-in brown Sika which seals the seam and holds rain water away from bare wood. Previous owner, Christer, already had this problem and few seams became black due to sweet water ingress.

I have sealed these other seams already but to cure the blackened wood I would need to wood the whole whale deck and either sand it or bleach with oxalic acid. That I leave for now, it is purely cosmetic issue once the water ingress is stopped.

My work today went in two stages - we arrived at the harbour and I started masking with paper tape when abrupt and heavy thunderstorm came. I could see a wall of rain coming at us, we barely managed to run back into the car. I didn’t quite make it as I was franticly taping opened seams with paper tape, to protect them from coming shower.

I came in the evening and finished the job. Seam proximity was taped, leaving just a tiny gap for spreading the compound.

Sika was spread and pressed into the gap. I judge that no more than 1mm deep - which is enough to stop the water and keep the seam undamaged. Even though cured Sika is like soft rubber I don’t want to deform these precise seam lines unnecessarily.

While Sika was still uncured the tape was removed. Result is pleasing and should anyone notice it it means that he/she looks too closely!

Cured Sika takes varnish with no problem so before next season this will be covered with 2 layers, protecting things even better. Similar repair on starboard side is holding for 2 years now, no problems there.

Upon leaving I chatted with Patrik who lives on his magnificent Colin Archer “Flikan”. He was grilling vegetables for the supper. Life on the waterfront!

Midsommar

June 27, 2021 by Lukasz Kumanowski

Jim texted me, worried that I died because there is no movement on this log. That made me aware that, indeed, I have not used my boat for many weeks since launching.

I was busy with other projects, house renovation and garden work. Somehow Meritaten slipped my thoughts in the abundance of activities. Last days before summer vacations are hectic at daily work - it seems that all folk suddenly need to finish everything, as if there is no tomorrow - or “after vacations” time. That makes me busy and tired so after coming home I keep myself occupied close to my workshop, not feeling attraction to leave anywhere.

It is Midsommar - the most awaited day in the summer. All Swedes who have summer house in Roslagen came - one can notice intense activity on the waterfront, too.

I went to the boat to finish rigging her and starting preparations for family sailing.

Genua sail is now fitted. Reef lines on the main sail are set.

Following Jim - and his Mentor, Börje - I’ve change the way I moor my boat.
It is in fact the old way of doing things which I was following until I came to Sweden: good sailor does not leave his mooring ropes upon leaving. Thank you Jim for reminding me!
All this came with the requirement to use mooring “dumpers” which should amortise boat movements while moored. As is build-in elasticity of mooring ropes was not enough.
Additionally - as a way to protect expensive ropes most sailors use shackles or carbines to attach ropes to the mooring loops. This results in trouble upon leaving - you cannot remove lines from the deck easily and undoing all this hardware becomes a pain. Hence folk leave them behind, on place, and sail away. Upon coming back they simply pick them up and tie the boat.

So a mooring place, in the absence of a boat, has these ropes and rubber dampers lying around - or hanging in the water. Not nice, not seamanlike.
Industry, recognising this behaviour, has even developed overpriced Y-rods to be fastened in mooring - to hang the ropes as to keep them away from water. All this is unnecessary if one takes his stuff with him, as it used to be in the old times - when ropes were expensive and sailing etiquette was in force. (Same as doing line ends with twine, not electrical tape).

So I reverted from this way to perdition and equipped Meritaten with new bungee dumpers which are easily mounted on already deployed mooring lines. No need to have a free end for threading these huge, black rubber dildos. Also - my mooring ropes can be set and removed from the deck - they run in loop towards the mooring loops. Like I used to do before.

Jim protects Kaika from frying sun. I admit that it matches nicely cream-white whale deck while doing its job.

I headed back home for midsummer supper but being on Meritaten has woken desire to spend some more time on a boat. Later in the evening I took Nano for a 3 km walk to the harbour. I use removable wheel-barrow wheels which nicely fit in centreboard slot from beneath. Steven, owner of the Seahopper Boats, presented them very kindly to me. They work perfectly and are small enough to be stowed in the dinghy upon launching. So as to not leave anything behind me on shore!

At this day the night is the shortest. It is in fact no night here anyway so even late evening escapades can count on warm sun rays for some time.

I launched the boat and rowed in calm water. No motor boats with their abrupt wake, silent midsummer night.

Around 22.00 I turned back home. It became chilly but I did not feel it - I had to work hard to push Nano on steep uphill way from the harbour. Good with some physical activity before going to sleep.

Rigged

May 30, 2021 by Lukasz Kumanowski

The hull is fully tight. There was some water in the bilge after last week constant raining. Most of it came, I believe, through the cockpit - engine cover is not fully watertight. I planned to fix it last winter but did not manage. Onto “to do” list.

I tested new boat hook. This is a modern contraption, not really matching classic boat but it is so clever and works so well that both Jim and now me make an exception for it onboard. Hook and moor, producer’s website is here.
It is not cheap but very much worth its price.

Rigged got tensioned to working value and I’ve put up the main sail. Genua will be risen on coming evening. The boat is now ready for sailing, maybe next weekend I will find time for the first sail.

Swelling

May 19, 2021 by Lukasz Kumanowski

Not much time to spend on the boat during working days but I visit her every evening to check how things look. Meritaten is now completely water tight since yesterday - bilge pump did not have to start for more that 30 hours. Time to tighten the rig and put sails on - but that will be done soonest on Friday.

Jim went out on Kaika - good to have a free day in the middle of the week, crowds in most popular places come on weekends.

I’ve installed solar panel to keep batteries juiced. I spread it towards South when the boat is moored, it is stored under deck when we sail. This way I don’t need to run cables through the deck. Besides - the look of so modern (ekhm…!) euipment does not much my boat so I don’t want to have it permanently on the deck.

I’m designing mounting fixture for installing the autopilot. Somehow I need to fit something strong and nice between pipes forming the back pulpit.

In the meantime youngest member of the crew is giving Meritaten a scrub.