The Next Rudder Blade

I was in a hurry when I made my rudder, so I just threw something together that I thought looked right. 

And now I have a really nice piece of cedar that Godfrey was going to use for his rudder, which he gave me in exchange for some glassing I did for him:

As you can see, it has a big chunk out of it. G was making a balanced rudder, so that nose sticking out would go under the boat, making steering easier.

But my rudder has to be straight down, as the skeg extends straight down from the transom. So, what do do. A really nice piece of wood, the time and sometimes the energy... So I went back to read—really read, this time—the article about rudder blades (pdf file) that I just skimmed last summer.

Now I understand that the outer dimensions of a correctly foil-shaped blade are: Thickness of board = 12% of its Length (of chord, or fore & aft section). So to really know how much of that rudder to use, I only needed to see how thick the plank is. It's 1¼" thick, so I calculated that the blade needed to be 10.42" wide. Which worked out well:

I just sawed a line parallel to the after edge and 10.42" away from it, cutting off that nose that I couldn't have used anyway. John's bandsaw.

This blade is 6½" longer than my current blade and 1½" narrower. According to the author of the article, J.R. Watson, the foil shape will add a performance boost to the rudder. He says:
"A section that has a faired airfoil shape is preferred over one that is flat with parallel sides. This is because the airfoil shape produces lift when moving through the water, thereby counteracting the sideward forces exerted by the sail rig. A flat section produces less lift and at a great expense of drag, slowing the boat and making it more difficult to steer."

Using the above-linked article for reference, I made my own NACA 0012 foil shape to those dimensions in my Illustrator program, to print onto 8½ x 14" paper, which will then be glued to foam board, cut out, and used as a template to get the foil shape right. Or more-or-less right.

The author says that solid wood is good for blades, but plywood laminations are not, because the layers tend to shear apart. And he says that cedar is the best. So I'm making a good start. I'll glass it after it's shaped, of course.

Collapsible Head

The bucket, lined with a biodegradable plastic bag, hangs from the board by its flange. The ring seat sits atop the board, cradling the flange. The bag gets tied after use and sealed inside another bag or container in the cockpit, to be taken ashore later. For solid waste only. Ring is yet to be finished (varnish, I think). It's all disassembled and put away after use, natch.

 

Anchors

 The green milk box in the background holds the anchor line. The 5 kilo main claw anchor is snugged under the shelf just ahead of the box. I snagged another, smaller claw anchor at the maritime flea market, to replace the grapple anchor, which I don't trust to stay open. The smaller claw is the secondary anchor and is kept with its own tackle under the cockpit seat, handy in case of emergency, the bitter end tied to the boat. The grapple may get used as well at some point, so it's not going anywhere.

Scuttlefish blog

This is one of my favourite blogs. Check out his entry about Stan Rogers:

http://thescuttlefish.com/2015/04/stan-rogers-barretts-privateers-and-the-20th-century-sea-shanty/

Race Rocks

I've been reading Bill Wolferstan's Cruising Guide to British Columbia, Vol. I: Gulf Islands (thanks for the loan, Jim!) and came across this interesting bit about the southern tip of Vancouver Island. I'm not sure I'll get there any time soon, as my thoughts go more toward the north, but it's a good read. I thought my brother Mike in Germany might enjoy it:

Race Rocks

    Race Rocks, the southernmost portion of Canada west of Ontario,was named by officers of the Hudson's Bay Company. Captain Kellett of the Royal Navy survey ship HMS Herald wrote in his journals in 1846: "This dangerous group is appropriately named, for the tide makes a perfect race around it". Over 35 vessels have experienced disaster over the years in the immediate vicinity of Race Rocks. Some of the more notable of these were the Nanette, a 385-ton barque which foundered only a few days before the light at the Rocks was first lit in 1860; the Rosedale which ran aground on Rosedale Reef in 1862; the Idaho, a total loss, the Rosamond, the Eemdyk, the tugs Hope and Tyee; and the steamer Sechelt (all 48 aboard drowned). All of these disasters occurred during the winter months, predominantly October to December.
    In addition to these larger vessels, a number of small craft have succumbed to the rip tides and breaking seas which sometimes build up around Race Rocks. The tide rips can be very deceptive. At times the strong currents cause only a ripple on the surface, but a passing freighter may send in a swell which meets the current at a certain angle causing huge breaking seas to develop without warning. The lightkeepers have rescued many who were close to disaster but were too late several years ago when a Cub sailboat went down just south of Rosedale Rock. All four aboard drowned.
    The 105-foot black and white striped lighthouse, one of the most distinctive and attractive lighthouses on the B.C. coast, is made from four-foot-thick granite blocks, cut, fitted and numbered in England, and brought around the Horn in 1858. This light and the Fisgard light outside Esquimalt were the first two lighthouses to be erected on the B.C. coast.
    On Christmas Eve, 1865, the first lightkeeper at Race Rocks, George Davis, watched helplessly as his brother, sister and three friends struggled and drowned before his eyes when their small boat overturned while trying to cross to the Rocks. His own boat had been carried away in a gale a few days previously so he was unable to go to their assistance. Davis (age 30) died within a year, many said, from grief.
    Race Rocks is also a fascinating area for diving (at slack water only) and for observing marine life. It is common to see up to 20 seals at one time, their heads bobbing in the current. Other visitors include the California sea lion basking on the smaller rocks, and stellar sea lions in passage. 

-p.108, Chapter 10 - Albert Head to Becher Bay

Here's what the chart looks like:

And here's where they are:

Coffee

I am fussy about coffee. I have a hand-cranked grinder on the boat for the beans. Here's how I made coffee last week (again, the green cast is from the boom tent):

I like a mug with a big handle. And it's good if it's insulated.

Boards work!

It wasn't a great day for wind, but I just had to try out the newly finished daggerboards, so I headed out two Sundays ago. There were lots of power boats stirring things up, and a number of big boats with lots of people on them roaring back and forth bothering the whales. I guess the whales were up to no good, so they had to be watched.

The boards worked great. I'm glad to finally be done with that project. Or should I say, that part of the project?

The wind was so fluky I couldn't make it out past Ogden Point pier without powering up the outboard. But once I got out, there was some wind for awhile before it died for the night.

Here's a little video of the best breezy bit:

I wanted it to show Mount Baker better, but the camera didn't do that.

Readier than Ever

Finished up the boards, finally! I can go sailing again.

My thanks once again to John for letting me use his space and materials. In exchange I helped him lay up one of his dinghies.

(In case you're wondering what that bandage is doing on the cockpit floor, it was where the table leg fit. I found that every valuable little thing I dropped on the floorboard found that hole. Lifting the floorboard requires first taking off the cockpit seat tops—too much work, thus the bandage.)

Since it's been so sunny lately I decided to try on the non-waterproof cockpit cover that came with the boat:

It uses the pvc hoops for extra spaciousness. It's open at the back, and doesn't go down as far as the rain cover, so there's more air flow. Lani says that, contrary to what I would have thought, a darker tarp is cooler underneath than a lighter one.

I made a cover for the iPad out of clear vinyl, to protect it from splash and rain. It kept ending up on the cabin floor before, so I fastened straps to the cabin door to hold it. This is the first iteration. Lots more vinyl to play with.

The doors look green 'cause the cover's on. The nail in the vise grips was for melting the holes in the webbing; heated with a mini-torch (but not on the cushion!).