I thought 2 days would be sufficient to pack up Elizabeth for the truck. Monday and Tuesday: Pack. Wednesday: Load boat on truck. Thursday: Go home. Wrong. I spent 3.5 long days, and could have easily used the full 4th day, packing and prepping the boat. As usual, double your time estimate. So I’m actually glad the trucking company called telling me their axle broke on a huge pothole and they’d be delayed another 7 days for repairs!

Another truck load from the storage unit, more packing into small spaces: a spare bowsprit, electronic charts, binoculars, inflatable life vests, halyards, oil sump pump, towing bridle, Yanmar spares, Monitor rebuild kits, Raritan rebuild kits, Edson portable pump, Chartkits, zincs, lubes, oars & sailing rig for dink, etc etc etc..

The real trick is packing the heavy, and very hard objects like anchors, dodger and rigging. I packed the Danforths between sail bags up forward. The CQR stayed on deck, lashed tightly. The rigging was boxed and secured on deck as well. The dodger, in my hasty rush to finish in time to catch my flight, I decided to tie below in what seems to be a secure position, however, I have my reservations… won’t it be fun to see what mistakes I made when the boat arrives in 10 days or so!

On the flight home, I thought of a few things I would have packed differently, or neglected to do. One thing I forgot to do is pad the water tank where the anchor chain touches… the potential for 4 days of destructive chafing is high.

So the time to begin prioritizing the To-Do List and sourcing parts, paints, hardware et al is upon me. Which leads me to think… Crap! I better line up some more work to fund this project (and help pay the Yard Bill)!

All pics can be seen here

Twas another sweaty, dusty day in Port Isabel…

The morning began with the continuation and conclusion of the mast derig. I borrowed the yard’s portable fuel pump and emptied my diesel tank. Evidently the fuel was left over from the last decade… I wonder what they paid per gallon. It was about 10 gallons… $45 worth in todays market.

I had been over to see “the storage unit” when I first came down to see Crystal Swan II back In February. We examined the pile and although didn’t dig into it at all, I could tell it was alot of stuff. But I had no idea that it’d be so much stuff that it might not fit on the boat! We filled the yard pickup once today, and I’ll go back for a second load tomorrow.

Let’s see if I can recall some of the highlights so far:

1. Full size charts of the entire East Coast
2. A brand new unused sextant
3. ELECTRICAL! Every type of wire/connectors/cable clamps/heatshrink/fuses…
4. FASTENERS! Stainless, bronze… any size and shape!
5. 2 sets of unused (with tags still) foul weather gear in my size!
6. Brand new Self tending Bosun’s Chair (6 part purchase!)
7. Complete Bosun’s Stores (paint, varnish, sandpaper, brushes, solvents etc)
8. Some new running rigging, blocks and docklines
9. Brand new lifelines
10. Brand new harnesses and jackline

And of course some of the standard BCC tidbits that had been removed from the boat… the table, engine compartment cover/drawer, the flatware tray. I cleaned them up a bit and installed them. Felt good to see her coming together a little bit, she’s a real BCC that’s for sure.

In an effort to keep chafe to a minimum during the trucking, I’ve padded most compartments with various lines, carpet or cardboard I had laying around. The lazarette is layered with line and chain and other goodies such that only soft line touches the hull. Finding the right place for all this stuff has been challenging, and will only get more so tomorrow. I don’t expect the interior of the boat to be accessible at all when I am finished. I envision standing at the companionway with the last remaining sail to pack, and trying to stuff it in with my feet to get the hatch to close…

All pics can be seen here

Holy Paperwork Batman… But it’s a done deal now. I own a BCC officially. Turns out that going out on my own as a freelance graphic designer this year, was bad timing. Not having a steady paycheck for the last 6 months of 2007 sent up the red flags in the loan office. With a bit of coaxing, and an extra signature (Dad had absolutely no idea he was going to be buying a boat this year!!) on the loan they eventually lowered their flag halyards. So only 6 days later then expected, I find myself here in the motel on South Padre Island again. This is my third trip down here. It’s not an easy place to get to (ie not cheap). All planes to Harlingen fly through Houston, so it’s a minimum of 2 plane fares to get here…and with my last minute flight change, this trip has turned out to be a financial doozy. With motels, flights, rental cars, the survey, haulout, storage, mast removal etc, this boat has cost me approximately $4400 so far and she’s not even on the truck yet! Note to self: Next time (don’t think there will be, but…) try to buy a boat within driving distance.

I got fairly well acquainted with the amount of work I will have to do this Spring, as a I took her apart and prepped her for mast removal. I was amazed to find that every SS halyard shackle was frozen and required a wrench to twist it open. The salt infused winds that torment this coast wreak havoc on the boats here. You can see a permanent salt haze in the air, coming from the Gulf.

To pull the rig, we had to get the boat in the water where it was low enough for the fork lift to get a good pick on the mast. Joy…another launch to pay for. The mast had been set/sealed inside the partners with a product called Spartite. Their site has many great testimonials about how secure, stable, dry, and fail proof this product is… but no one talks about how much of a complete b*tch it is to remove. A simple mast removal turned into a 2 hr sweaty, swearing saga to the tune of $70/hr per person. We hammered, we tugged, we cut… little by little we got it out. My overhead near the opening for the mast has a few battle scars and the mast certainly rose to the occasion and took one for the team…but it’s nothing a little cosmetic surgery can’t fix.

She still looks real sexy even without her rig. Note all canvas on deck must be removed for the truck. The mast although new in 2000 and never sailed, is in pathetic shape. Evidently it began to blister within the first year. And again this environment here, like smoking 2 packs a day, has made her look far older then she really is. You can also see in the pic the swaged fitting is cracked. My closer inspection of the rig makes me realize I will need all new standing rigging this year, rather than just replacing the three stays with cracked fittings as I originally thought.