Hampton Roads VA Sunfish Challenge and Dinghy Race

 15 Sep 24:

Went out this morning to watch the start of the Hampton Roads VA Sunfish Challenge and Dinghy Distance Race sponsored by the Hampton Yacht Club. From the Notice Of Race: "The intended course to be sailed will consist of a start in Hampton Flats with at least one mark consisting of Middle Ground Lighthouse. Course is approximately 11 NM." But due to high winds with a lot of gust, the race was shortened. I met a lot of nice folks, helped launch a few boats and then headed back to the other side of the James River.

AMF AMFlite 14

Trailex SUT-220, a great trailer for short and medium hauls. Sold as a kit, 12 inch wheels also available which is what we'd run for long haul highway trips.

Tidewater Virginia Maritime History

05 Sep 24:

We have been visiting local spots in the Tidewater Region of Virginia, especially spots on the Southside of the James River. One stop was at the Isle of Wight County Museum to check out a traveling exhibit on the Marquis de Lafayette and some of their displays on steamboats of the region.

Dugout canoe remnants.

Early european explorers included Captain John Smith, who went looking for passage to the Pacific...

Fast forward to the 20th Century, and waterways were still being used as routes for essential services. Shown below is a barge that brought fuel to local mariners in Rescue, Virginia

Alcort Sailfish Handrail Tips

03 Sep 24:

A few tips about how we make handrails for the Alcort Sailfish and other boats.

First we cut 3/4" stock to height. 1x lumber works for this, today we cut pine. Pine is strong and has a little flex, which is handy when attaching the handrails, as the handrails have to take a little bend to follow the curve of the deck edge. Pine is also delightful to work with, but it needs to be coated well with paint or varnish to last for a long time. Notice our pattern piece.

We have a full size pattern but all we need is a half pattern, just trace a half then flip over to trace the mirror image.

Pencil works well, or a Sharpie.

Our pattern is not exactly mirror image, so we traced halfway...

...then we flipped the pattern to trace the other half. We have a little mark that aligns the half pattern.

We cut the shape with a DeWALT 20V jigsaw and a wood scroll blade. The scroll blade is narrow and takes the curves well.

A few spares for the Super Sailfish (14' long boat) and the shorter Standard Sailfish (12'). 

All edges , except the handrail deck bases, are rounded for comfort with a 1//4 roundover bit on a DeWALT 20V compact trim router, then sanded with 120 grit on a DeWALT 20V random orbital sander. 

Note how we did NOT round the base sides of the handrail.

We marked the location for the screws using a set of factory handrails.

Ready to ship.

Video: https://youtu.be/F_g2OA_ZnBU

You order will include 2 handrails, with a spot marked on the top or bottom for factory screw hole locations. You will need to source four #10 x 2 1/2 inch screws per handrail, silicone bronze preferred.

Send us an email at lewis dot kent gmail to get more info.

Order Handrails - 41" for the Super Sailfish or 28" for the smaller Standard Sailfish.

Boat Shop Tour

03 Sep 24:

We didn't start off with a big shop...it grew from one small bench in the corner of a garage to its own structure. Folding tables and having carts and benches on wheels allow a shop to be set up anywhere. More info in the video...

Video: https://youtu.be/OE6VQUWaKT0?si=D3B7-63xyBA5_HKM

...and let's hear your tips in the comments!

Huzzah,

Kent and Skipper

Crickle

23 Aug 24: 

Our CRICKet bat sized paddLE = the Crickle. We made it from a full size paddle that had a rotten tip and chunk of blade missing. Cut down the shaft and shaped a Greenland style blade.

Still Here

26 Aug 24:

Slow time this August, dodgin' the heat, but we're still here. We have been playing with the generator, which needed a new battery. Turns out the new battery is a bit too tall for the hold down bracket, so we did some field engineering after referencing our flowchart.

Duct tape = zip ties in this case. Once the factory battery comes back into stock, we'll order that. 

Let's see, why was I in the HEUER GARAGE? I was looking to see if we had spare "old style" Sunfish rudder assemblies to sell...We do.

The Sunfish Shack, Mid-Atlantic style.

Tucked in for the night.

Smith's Fort - Surry, VA

24 Aug 24:

Skipper and I went on a recon trip to Surry, VA to visit Smith's Fort, the oldest remaining Eropean earthworks in America. Soon after Virginia Company Adventurers arrived in their New World at Jamestown Island, John Smith was sent across the James River to build a fort. Not much was built before efforts were consolidated back at Jamestown, but today the earthen berm remains.

A large amount of the acreage was later gifted to the marriage of John Rolfe and Matoaka (Pocahontas), the land was let out to tenant farmers and eventually sold by Thomas Rolfe, the son of John and Matoaka. In the mid 18th Century the current house was built, and archaeologists are aware of footprints of previous 17th Century European structures and pre contact Native activity.

The craftsmanship inside the Faulcon home is spectacular, very little repair was needed during the restoration. We loved the design of the butterfly shelves.

I love the gadgetty and utility of the 4 legged table. Before this day I assumed that drop leaf table had 6 legs.

Local heart pine flooring. 

The gift shop commonly found in 18th Century cellars...The arch structure is not a fireplace but rather an ingenious support of the brick chimneys above, the arch design used significantly fewer bricks while still providing the necessary strength.

Did Skipper behave during the tour? No, of course she didn't. She kept asking questions just before the tour guide got to that part of their presentation...finally the tour guide said "Let me finish." He was super fun to talk to, turns out he is a wooden boat fan to an even greater degree than we are, and we'll have fun learning about the wooden boat scene on this part of the James.

Smith's Fort...circa 1609...the "Plantation" came decades later with Thomas Rolfe's tenant farmers....and then Faulcon's manor house in the 1760s.

 Smith's Fort Plantation

Jamestown Island

20 Aug 24: 

Took a ferry ride to Jamestown, then headed over a small causeway to Jamestown Island.

Pocahontas statue. 

Skipper checking out the footprint of the old State House. 

Up until 40 years ago many folks thought that there was no trace of the original fort. They were wrong. Archaeological teams are carefully rediscovering the history of the 17th Century English settlement.

Skipper had an ancestor in the Governor's Guard, who later crossed the James and ran around our Shire/County for a while. This structure marks where the Guard House would have been.