Category Archives: Musings

Wind Speed and Rigging Noise

Posted on by under misc, Musings

For every wind speed, there are a host of boat noises that go along with it.  Below 20 knots, there’s really not a lot happening in the rigging.  However, once we get into the mid-20’s we start hearing distinctive wind-whistling noises and certain lines in the rig decide to “wap, wap, wap” against a mast or shroud if they haven’t been properly tightened down or tied away from the masts.  As an aside here, I must note that “wap, wap, wap” against a wood mast is quite distinctive and must less grating on the nerves than the “clang, clang, clang” of similar lines against an aluminum mast.

Once the wind is in the 30’s, there’s a whole ‘nuther host of sounds.  The wind-whistling turns up and becomes more howling along with some higher pitched whistling just to let you know that things are a bit more “serious” now.  The previously well secured lines in the rig will find a way to again “wap, wap, wap” and blocks will fight to bang against anything close by.  So, again, things have to be secured more tightly against the rigging pins and sometimes a line tied more stoutly on the main halyard to bring it away from the mainmast.  Surprisingly, the throat halyard of the foresail does best set a bit loose.  It moves around and about but doesn’t allow the block at the top to hit the mast that way.  If that halyard is too tightly set, an oscillation ensures and “bang, bang, bang” the big triple block hits against the mast and we have to loosen up that halyard a bit more. So some things loose and some things tight–it is dynamic.

This morning, we’re hearing 20-something winds with a few excursions up around 30 knots.  With the patter and smatter of rain against the windows, it is surely a day to be inside, not out!

+++

Update… 1:35 pm

Ah, those sounds were getting more and more into the 30-something range, so I checked the NOAA weather.  Yup, we’re now having a “Gale Warning” until early tomorrow morning.

"A FAST MOVING COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS
TODAY. GALE FORCE WINDS BEHIND THE COLD FRONT WILL BEGIN TO AFFECT
THE OUTER COASTAL WATERS BY MID DAY AND THE INNER COASTAL WATERS BY
EARLY AFTERNOON. THESE STRONG WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE
NIGHT. WIND GUSTS MAY BE NEAR STORM FORCE...50 KNOTS...THIS
EVENING. COMBINED SEAS OVER 10 FEET ARE LIKELY DUE TO WIND WAVES
AND A NORTHWEST SWELL. ROUGH SEAS WILL LIKELY CONTINUE INTO THURSDAY
MORNING."

Quiet Days

Posted on by under Musings

Thursday was my birthday and we happily spent it quietly going about our business and doing little things needed to be done. I’d say the highlight of my birthday was the confirmed consolidation of data and programs, by David, on numerous old hard drives onto a single newer hard drive so the old drives could be chucked for good! When we replace a computer with a newer one, we have a habit of keeping functional hard drives (with their data/programs intact) “just in case” of needing the drive. While the important data on hard drives has always been backed up to the new drives or onto CD/DVD disks, the programs are left in place on the old drives; we had a stack of 5 or 6 such drives dating back to around 2001 that just needed to “go away.” They’re now “history” as the saying goes: no more, gone-zo! It doesn’t lighten the boat since they were in the little storage unit here in San Diego but it is just another thing that had to be tossed so we can get rid of that storage unit. David, by nature, is the consummate pack-rat and keeper of all things that he might need at any point in the future. Therefore, for me, this was a very nice birthday gift.

The Sun is Shining and Buttercup Lives

Posted on by under car repairs, Musings

The sun came out this morning. Rainbows and sparkles. Ah, Much better now. Late last night I sat up reading and websurfing for several hours as the winds piped up to the “howling” stage and the boat shuddered and rocked with the power of it all against the hull and rig. In the early morning light, the wind died down and I slept until 10 am!

As I dragged David out of bed (his excuse for sleeping in was that I blocked the exit from the bed, asleep myself) and shooed him out the companionway door saying “fix Buttercup” he mumbled and grumbled but went outside. A few minutes later he returned, grabbing my bathroom hand-held mirror and a few wire leads and headed back out to Buttercup. Thirty minutes passed and I could stand the suspense no more. I put on my jacket and went looking for him–thinking he might need help. However, as soon as I walked up the gangway I heard David’s distinctive laughter and saw him standing talking with fellows who have boats at this military marina. As I reached him, I asked if he fixed the car. “Yep. It was no problem.” he said with a big grin. Relief. Whatever it was, it was no big deal.

After a few days of steady rain and then last night’s total deluge, several boats at the marina were in danger of sinking. The marina manager, dockmaster and crew spent the day pumping out dingies, making sure bilge pumps were working on the boats that belong to active duty military people deployed and bringing a couple boats in from the mooring field–boats that looked “low” in the water and in need of bilge pumping. I’m thankful that the marina manager has such a good attitude about keeping everyone’s boat afloat and making sure deployed military don’t have reason to worry about their vessels.

Later, as we were going out to run our various errands, David told me a wire had come undone from the starter motor–one that was hidden behind the header and not easy to see (thus the mirror) but all was well now. Buttercup, what a bad girl you’re been! Disconnecting wires! That’s a low shot. I’m so happy that David saw through your ruse!

We finished the day by stopping by our storage unit to retrieve a cable and video card for the Shuttle computer, stopping at the grocery, stopping at our favorite marine bookstore to chat with the owner, Ann, stopping by Downwind Marine and picking up many important packages delivered there for us–my car registration (expires this month!) and a wonderful gift from my brother, Brad, and sister-in-law, Alina. They studied all the pictures of Mahdee that we have on the blog and then Alina drew a lovely profile of the boat that she had an embroidery shop put onto two soft and warm merino wool sweater-jackets for David and I. I’m wearing mine now and we’ll have to take pictures shortly to post here.

All-in-all, a very good day for us. Tonight David is futzing around with the Shuttle computer and I’m catching up on reading; shortly we’ll watch a DVD about John Adams. Yes, all-in-all a very good day.

Google Analytics Alternative