Where have we been?

It has been a very slow start for the Nauti Dog crew this year. Plagued by repairs, dingy air leaks, outboard issues, etc. We were finally able to hoist the sails and leave the harbor! It was great a shakedown sail that resolved some issues and discovered new ones.

On the sail out the jib would not unfurl. On our return back to the harbor we saw a pin rolling around on the foredeck. After checking the stays & shrouds we determined it wasn’t ours! Settling down back in the cockpit we gave the furler one last try and the jib quickly furled out. We can only think the pin must have been from someone else’s furlers the was lodged itself in our while on the storage rack.

There was another problem the line clutch not engaging the main halyard.

The Sailcomp would not power on and therefore not provide heading data. Also the engine overheated twice which forced us to sail through the mooring field and back to the ball. Thank fully the winds were in our favor and there was no boat traffic!

Even with everything that happened it was great to be back out on the bay!

Rain continues

With a break in the rain the car was loaded up to head to the boatyard. The plan was to fish a new pull line for 1st jib halyard and remove the 2nd jib and main halyard. Thankfully the pull line fished very easily just moments before a wall of rain sweep through the boatyard.

April showers bring...

A light mist turned into steady rain pulling into the boatyard. Only did a quick scraping of the last barnacles off the hull but will need to scrub more later. Attention was then turned to removing the 2 jib and main halyards but after the pull cord came loose it was time to call it a night. Only 1 of the jib halyards was removed.

Busy first day

Busy first day preparing Nauti Dog for 2019! Started with a great morning attending the small outboard clinic at Rick's Outboard Marine Inc Big thanks to Rick for all the great info! While there, got nearly all the parts to do a full service on the outboard for the dinghy. Then headed out to the Jamestown Distributors Tent Sale. Picked-up some Pettit Marine Paint HydrocoatSR. Also had a great conversation with the Lewmar rep regarding servicing Nauti Dog's winches! Finished the day starting to build a stand to service the outboard.

Happy New Year!!

Last minute gift ideas for sailors

Running out time for finding gifts for your favorite crew or sailors? Here are few ideas available from local stores that won’t require shipping or dangers of pourch pirates.

1. Marine Fire Extinguisher: Continuing with this year’s safety gift list is the Kidde Auto/Marine Fire Extinguisher. It is available though many big box stores.

2. Fabric water proofing: Star Brite’s Waterproofing for Marine Fabrics with PTEF. It is great for boat covers, acrylic cushions, and many other uses. Available through many home improvement or marine stores.

3. Grill Fuel Canisters: Either Coleman or generic propane fuel 16 oz canisters for your sailor that has a Magma style grill. These are typically available at outdoor gear stores.

4. Rum & Beer: A favorite among sailors is Mount Gay rum or try Sow & Pigs from Buzzards Bay Brewing. Both available through a variety of local package stores.

5 Gift ideas your sailor

Christmas and the holidays are right around the corner. Here are 5 recommend gifts for you sailor to keep them safe out on the water.

1. Personal safety: Personal Flotation Devices

WEST MARINE - Coastal Automatic Inflatable Life Jacket

2. Crew safety: Man-Overboard Recovery

LIFESLING - Lifesling2 Overboard Rescue System

3. Footwear: (Yes, Sperry is a crew favorite!)

SPERRY- Men's Sea Kite Sailing Shoes

4. Signaling: Flares and accesories

ORION - Inland Locator® Plus 4 Marine Flare Kit

5. Communications: Handheld VHF Radio 

WEST MARINE - VHF160 Floating 6W Handheld VHF Radio

ICOM - M93D Floating Handheld VHF Radio with GPS and DSC