Friday, February 14, 2025

Abaco Dinghy HENNING Rub Rail

14 Feb 25:

We are still staring at this rub rail, like by staring at it, it will magically reproduce itself. A good portion of the rubrail was rotten, so we removed all of it and kept a few pieces to be used as a pattern. It would be easy enough to cut the roundovers on top and bottom, they look to be about 3/4", but the middle cove has us stumped. Any thoughts on how to shape the shouldered groove?




P. D. Gwltney Sr. Gasoline Yacht

14 Feb 25:

We are looking for information on P. D. Gwaltney Sr.'s Gasoline Yacht named Jean & Virginia, shown here on the Pagan River in Smithfield about 1905. 

Image credit: Smithfield A Pictorial History. Segar Cofer Dashiel. 19177. 

Image credit: Smithfield A Pictorial History. Segar Cofer Dashiel. 19177. 

We think that Jean & Virginia was built by the Gas Engine & Power Company in Morris Heights, Bronx, New York, USA. There is another yacht built by Gas Engine & Power Company named Virginia bumping around up North, a 40 footer with the same clipper bow. A sister ship?

Image Credit: Antique Boat Museum
Please help us solve the mystery!

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

SERO Innovation New Builder of Sunfish Sailboat

12 Feb 25:

SERO Innovation of Marine City Michigan are the new licensed builder of the Sunfish sailboat. They are hoping to have boats on the water in the late Spring. They are also the manufacturer of the SOL sailboat.

We think Alex and Cortlandt would be happy that Sunfish manufacturing has returned to the US.

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Spring Is Around the Corner

11 Feb 25:

Spring is near and it is a good time to start sorting flotsam and jetsam in the flagship, Skipper's Drascombe Lugger named ONKAHYE (Dancing Feather). You can see that ONKAHYE leads a pampered life when not sailing, with her own spot in the air conditioned garage. We try to keep her escape path clear, right now only a few bikes in the way. She can squeeze out past the Mustang, but it is smarter to move the car first. 


While we try to keep only ONKAHYE's gear in the boat, there is some overflow from the resto of the fleet, spare PFDs, a stray Sunfish cover awaiting repair...overall it takes 5-10 minutes to get the gear sorted. 


Snow showers today, but the daffodils are also poking out...


Log of ONKAHYE.

Saturday, January 18, 2025

Alcort Icefish

18 Jan 25:

I don't think we can call ourselves true sailors until we have sailed an Alcort Icefish. The Icefish was actually one of Alcort's first boats, marketed around the same time as the Sailfish in the late 1940s. Here is our friend Alan heading out on his Icefish, if I remember he described it as "terrifyingly fast." 40 mph or so over the hard water.





There was one for sale on facebook marketplace recently, maybe it can still be yours...



But in the meantime, Skipper and I will stick to the wet water. 

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Navy Curtis (NC) Flying Boats 1919

 15 Jan 25:

NC-4, in the first photo below, was the first aircraft to cross the Atlantic back in May of 1919, flying from Rockaway, New York to Plymouth, England with a few stops along the way. The photo was taken in October 1919 at the Navy Wharf in Washington, DC. 

What is more amazing beyond the Transatlantic crossing was the logistics effort to disassemble the aircraft, safely return it to the US in a ship, reassemble and then launch on a publicity tour of the Eastern US. That's a lot of parts and pieces to keep track of. We also like the little sightseeing canoe in the photo, reminds us of something Capn Jack and Audrey would do.

NC-1 is shown here flying near Rockaway, she made it almost all the way to the Azores, and had to be abandoned at sea after being damaged in a landing, with the crew safely aboard a support ship.

We also enjoy seeing photos of the maintenance crew and flight crew, working together to make it all happen. Check out the flight crew's gear, we really didn't have aircrew flight clothing back then, so oilskins and thick long johns were the uniform of the day. The pilots could hide behind a tiny piece of glass in their open cockpit, while the navigator poked his head out of the bow cupola to take sightings with his aerial sextant. Meanwhile the Flight Engineer worked from engine to engine on the wing, checking oil and water, adjusting timing, etc...Hard core.



Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Abaco Dinghy Month

14 Jan 25:

This month's WoodenBoat Calendar photo of WIDGET, built by Winer Malone, reminds us that it is time to get out and work on our Abaco style Dinghy. The warm waters of the Bahamas and WIDGET look inviting, and beautifully photographed by Benjamin Mendlowitz.


Sunday, January 12, 2025

More Snow

11 Jan 25:

Another tiny bit of snow came down Friday night, enough for Skipper to make a snowman. 







The snow was melting fast, so we headed over to our local park to take a few pictures.








Then today a huge pileated woodpecker dropped by to hammer one of our trees. 

Friday, January 10, 2025

Virginia Boat Registrations and Gorilla Cart Tires

 10 Jan 25:

Time for new Virginia registrations on the Day Sailer II CYANE, Drascombe Lugger ONKAHYE and Sorg 15 Runabout WILLOW. 




Maybe we'll splash one or two of them after the snow melts. In the meantime I need to order a few new tires for one of Skipper's Gorilla Carts. 


Back to boat registrations, it is cool that the Lugger has its hull number on the bow stem, all that was needed back in 1980 in the UK.


Honnor Marine created a US Hull ID Number for ON KA HY E before she shipped from Devon, and it is engraved on the transom, underneath the name badge.


Stay warm and dry...unless you want to be cold and wet...

Clark and Skipper

Thursday, January 9, 2025

"Snow"

07 Jan 24:

We had our first little batch of snow a few days ago, with more forecast this weekend. Surprisingly, the snow is still on the ground in some areas after three or four days, which is unusual. We are happier when it is cold for one day and then warms up...to like 50F+...


Rather than going for a longer walk in the park in the 26F weather, we have been looping the back yard for 10 minutes at a time, then coming back in to warm up. I don't always put my watch into tracking mode, but every now and then it thinks I am out for a walk and asks to record the activity. I am grateful that my exertion was enough for the watch to become interested.


In only a few months the temperature tide will turn from ebb to flood, and with high heat indexes we will limit our outdoor activity to shady cool spots, or only 20 minutes of walking at a time.

Cheers,

Clark and Skipper