odds and ends

That's the bow wave as Spartina crossed Pamlico Sound south of Swan Quarter last fall.  I always like the way the Pathfinder hull cuts through the water on a nice reach.  That narrow forefoot slices through the waves and pushes the water up and away from the hull.  You can also see the mahogany trim I've added to the the douglas fir rub rails.  The rub rails were pretty beat up after two seasons, particularly mid-ships.  So I added a layer of mahogany - both uppper and lower,  and, on top of that, about a four foot length of brass half oval.  So now the brass strips take the brunt of the wear and tear as I tie up alongside the docks.

I saw on Duckworks Magazine a piece by Perry Burton about building his Pathfinder.  He lives up in Newfoundland, Canada.  Wow!  Serious weather and sailing up there.  But I think he has picked the right design for small boat sailing in those waters.  For lumber he is, with permit in hand, cutting down trees and towing them across water to a waiting truck and then sawing them in to shape.  Not only is the weather serious up there, but the boatbuilders are too!  He wants to be sailing by next summer.  I'll look forward to following his build, but even more I want to see how the Pathfinder handles the ocean up there.

Cold with snow flurries here, so not much work with the boat.  I did find my paint at Jamestown Distributors, steel gray for touching up the cockpit.  Twelve bucks less than West Marine, but ten bucks of shipping.  I come out a little bit ahead, but not much.  I did buy a four pack of lithium AA batteries for the Spot satellite tracker (I wrote a piece about this nice little device for Chuck at Duckworks - I'll note here if he publishes it).  Most importantly this week I bought, cooked and ate a package of Simply Asia spicy kung pao noodles with sauce and peanut topping.  It was an excellent meal and will definitely make the provisions list for the boat.  Total prep time, including heating up the water, was less than 15 minutes.  Good meal, plenty for two people.  Add a little chicken from a foil packet and we'll be dining in fine style.