It was marks on the races and corrosion on the bearings that told me I had some work to do on Spartina's trailer. The original bearing protectors - an off brand that came with the trailer - had failed. The protectors are spring loaded pistons that keep a slight amount of pressure within the hub, which keeps the axle grease in and the water out. Salt water had gotten into one hub, mixing with the marine grade axle grease and causing corrosion. About $50 later I came home from the trailer store with new seals, races, bearings and Bearing Buddies, not to mention the rubber cap that goes over the bearing buddy, something known as a Bearing Bra. Spartina's trailer, it seems from the product code on the package, requires a B cup.
Now I just need the leaf springs, which should be in at the shop in the next couple of weeks. Once those are in place, I can remount the axle, guide posts and trailer lights. All should be done by the end of January, and then it is just a matter of waiting on warm weather (which is typically early March).
Trailer work has been more extensive than I had planned, but after eight years of trailering, eight years of being exposed to salt water weekly from March through November, it was time for something above and beyond the usual maintenance.
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I did not realize, until I read Stuart's News From The Loft, that my sails were the first set of sails made at the Dabbler loft last year. Stuart refers to the past year as the "Year of the Yawls," with a total of three sets of sails for John Welsford Pathfinders, sails for a Herreshoff cat yawl Coquina and sails for some Ian Oughtred yawls. Stuart made 49 sets of sails during the year, impressive for a one-man loft, and says he has a handful of sails in the making for the new year. Ordering those sails for Spartina was one of the smartest things I did last year. Thanks, Stuart, for putting them at the top of your list.
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