Tight Schedule

This weekend the Tender Sail launch is rolled out. I have to get it done in the morning while the tide is right. After that it is do or die on the tax submissions that I have on extensions. I also really need to get a Bluefish run in, and sand the deck cap.
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Theoretically, it could all happen, .....but no way this will all get done. Monday morning will show up real soon with a 4:00 AM wake up call to get to our job on Cape Cod.
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BTW... Has anyone ever heard of a Magic Hat brew called "Circus Boy"? I think Kate and Mike are setting me up on this one.

Tender Sail Launching

I'm rigging the sprit sail that Joanne bought for me from Doyle Sailmakers to use on the Tender today. The sail was designed for the pram that I built a couple of years ago, it was never set up to use. High tide is at 5:00 PM and we'll be ready for a sailing launch by then, unless we decide to bring the WhaleEye to Brown's Island for the afternoon.
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I bought the kit for a full size sail from Sail Rite to use on the Tender, but it needs to be sewn and I'd rather use the smaller sail to see how the Tender performs
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When I build the Marblehead Gunning Dory, it will be rigged for the use of both sails simultaneously. By then I should actually have learned how to sail.

Week 30 - Peeps of the Week

It's official.
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The Nanepashemet POTW logo is established for the ages.
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I suppose that I should give some credit to Emily Ingardia, even though there is a cloud of suspicion regarding the source of this submittal. I really don't care. Emily had the fortitude to propose the best, regardless of where she stole it from.
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So Emily is the winner, basking in the sultry glory of her victory. She gets a ride in the Tender on Marblehead Harbor over the holidays, and fifteen minutes alone with Roenick the Cat.
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I know these prizes seem too generous, but to the victor goes the spoils.
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Now.... to the all important business at hand.

Announcing
The Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 30th week of 2007

• Lou Tarmy
• Will Murray
• Linda O'Shea
• Lindsay Lohan
• Jack Attridge
• Jack Barry

Now that the POTW has a logo, the honor/disgrace is even more intense. That's progress.

Weekend Goals

There's a couple of things that I'm going to try to do this weekend.
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Tomorrow, I have to test the Broadband equipment that we bought for the New Hampshire State Liquor Commission with Elsier and DiMatteo.
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So don't you think it is appropriate that we taste some fine single malt scotch afterwards? Me too.
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On Sunday, I really have to devote some time to the deck railing project, but that shouldn't preclude a spin around the Marblehead Harbor on the Tender.
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There's a bunch of other things I'd like to do too, some that I can't, and some that I won't.

POTW Logo

I know that today is Thursday, POTW day.
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Seriously... do you think I need a couple thousand of you sending me emails to remind me????
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How Annoying!
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I suppose that it is the price of celebrity.
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What do you think of staging a logo contest for the Nanepashemet Peep of the Week?
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Naturally the sole judge would be me, and the winner would get little or no recognition. I think that it is a really good idea. Start sending your graphic images now.
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Who knows, you might even merit a POTW selection based upon your inspirational/annoying logo submittals.
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Maybe I'll even offer a prize to the Winner.... like a five minute audience with Roenick the cat, or a chance to touch the Tender.

Thinking Ahead

Even though the sailing rig is not complete on the Herreshoff Columbia Tender, and even though the deck railing hasn't been touched in three weeks, and even though the basement tile job has slowed to a dead halt.... I'm really starting to get psyched about building the Chamberlain Marblehead Gunning Dory.
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I find myself starring at the plans in John Gardner's Dory Book every chance I get.... thinking of ways that I would approach the construction.
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Plus, you wouldn't believe how hot Nanepashemet Telecom is getting. We're pitching two major contracts in the next two weeks and pricing another. If we win all three, plus maintain the other opportunities in the air, my boatbuilding time will be few and far between.

A Fair Trade

So I get a good row in today. All the way from Riverhead Ramp through Marblehead Harbor, around Fort Sewall, into Little Harbor and over to Grace Oliver Beach, where I picked up Joanne and we rafted up with Greg and Nancy Bruett. Greg took a trial of the Tender, and I was thrilled to see how it performed from afar. It even made Greg look good.
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A nice couple of hours.
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Then over to O'Shea's pool and a trip to Beacon Hill Liquors for some Dark and Stormie supply. At the Beacon Hill counter, they sell Nancy Bruett's mystery novel, Dusting.
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A guy was looking at the book and I told him that it was a great read. He said that it should be for $14.95, and I said he wouldn't be dissapointed. He muttered something like, "What the Hell, Life is short." and bought the book.
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I'm thinking that paid for the two beers that I drank on Greg's boat, Damp Yankee, today.
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High Tide

2007-07-13

11:06 PM EDT

10.70 feet High Tide

That pretty much kills my early evening rowing plans.
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Tomorrow, I'm going to work like hell on the deck railing in the morning until 12:00 noon when the tide will be high again. Then I'll take the tender out for a spin, maybe all the way to Grace Oliver Beach where I might have a Bruett sighting.

Setting a Course

Now that the Tender is substantially done, with the exception of the sailing rig, I've been thinking of the next project for Nanepashemet Boatbuilding.
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I've decided that it will be the Marblehead Gunning Dory, but the planking will be cedar strip planking with the chines substantially rounded. It will be long enough and equipped to allow two Piandetosi Rowing Rigs, and will also have a motor well for an outboard motor of less than 10hp.
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I'll also include a centerboard, rudder and sailing rig that will incorporate the two sails that I have for the Tender and the Pram.
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I will document the construction process in words and photographs sufficiently to convert into a book, which will be used to fund my early retirement. (I wish!!) A central focus of the book will be to point out all of the events and circumstances that cause delays in the project, such as business and personal obligations.
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A bunch of stuff has to occur before I can launch this project. I have to finish the deck railing first, then complete the basement cabinet demolition and tiling. I've committed to Mike to finish the basement by next Thanksgiving. Finally, the garage has to fully overhauled and organized - not an easy proposition.
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I'm guessing that the project starts in October. We'll run the whole thing through Microsoft Project, and try to use my professional PMP training, but that could get embarrassing.

July Turkey

Today turned out a little better than expected. I didn't have to go to the airport with Mike after confirming his flight on United's obnoxious system, so I used the time to construct the mast support and glue it to the Tender.
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I left a small amount of epoxy untended while I lined the glue area with masking tape, and it set up in the cup in that short time. The cup was actually too hot to touch as the chemical reaction occurred. Epoxy is weird stuff.
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Then Joanne and I went over to Tommy and Linda O'Shea's new pool across the street. It is really nice and Tommy has the filtering system going so that the water is crystal clear. But it turned cool and rained after an hour or so.
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Joanne cooked a turkey for dinner. Not quite sure why, but she was bound and determined to have turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and corn on the cob, and I just wasn't in the questioning mood. Naturally, it was outstanding. The girl can cook.
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After dinner, I took a quick doze, then rallied by 6:30 PM to get the Tender towed down to Marblehead Harbor for a row.
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Tomorrow, it's all business.

Closing out the Week

Mike heads to the airport early this afternoon for the trip back to DC. I tried to use my frequent flyer miles for his flight, but they couldn't find a flight, or had him going to Chicago first. What a scam!!
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You can have the remaining 123,000 miles United. I wouldn't talk to one of your Indian call centers in Calcutta again for any amount of money.
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I finally had to pay for his flight on my credit card , but now United Airlines is requiring the "cardholder" to go to the ticketing. Such crap!! Hate is a strong word. I only use it when referring to the United Airlines reservation system.
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We'll miss Mikey around the house again. He's easy to be around, and has grown in intellect and judgment since he left for Washington. He's due back in August.
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High tide is around 6:00 PM. I'm going to put the Tender through the paces in Marblehead Harbor and kiss this 4th of July goodbye. Some good times, but way too much drama.

Tender Adjustments

I made some adjustments to the Tender today, in order for the Piandetosi Rowing Rig to work property. I basically screwed some mahogany onto the rig, then affixed the mahogany boards to the cedar benches with aluminum bolts and wing nuts, which will allow the rig to be easily removed when I finally get around to setting the Tender up to sail.
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I also permanently screwed the back seat to the transom to alleviate all of the movement during towing.
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The rowing rig worked great. If I was in the right physical shape, I could easily maintain five knots or better through Marblehead Harbor. Ran into Gill, Crawford, and Kevin Rockett. They invited me to raft at the Patriot for a beer, but better judgement prevailed and I made it back to Riverhead Beach just before the Tide was leaving the ramp area.

A New Business Division

More great news from prospective customers today. There is a scary amount of balls in the air, and I hope that Elsier and DiMatteo are master jugglers.
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I keep waiting for a ball to drop, but no, we just keep adding more. The New Hampshire Liquor Commission bid was an experiment, and we won that too!
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Around 3:30PM EDT, I brought the Tender down to the Harbor for a workout. Three or four people asked where I got the boat, and when I said that I made it from Moynihan Lumber wood, I got incredulous remarks.
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So then I got smart.
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I told the last guy who asked that I bought the boat from Nanepashemet Boatbuilding, that they were a great company, and that he should Google them.
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It was just easier, and he accepted it readily.

Work on the 3rd

High tide is at 2:15 PM EDT. That's probably when I'm going to put a wrap on Nanepashemet Telecom work to get ready for the 4th. Until then, petal to the metal with a lot of stuff that I have to get out.
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I'll start the holiday by taking a row around Marblehead Harbor in the Tender. Then the grill on the WhaleEye has to be checked out and made ready for rafting in the Harbor for the fireworks Wed. Night.
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The 4th of July is special in Marblehead.

Diverse Accomplishments

We got up in North Conway early, cleaned the condo and were back in Marblehead by 9:30AM. The lawn was a mess so I cut it immediately, but by 10:00 AM it was over 80 Degrees and getting hotter. I knew that I had to get a coat of paint on the deck railings, so I went into overdrive while fielding calls from the New Hampshire State Liquor Commission and Sprint.
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By 2:00 PM , the deck railings were painted and I was showered and ready for my pricing call with Tom and MIke. We covered a lot of ground with three potential customers by 5:00 PM and I also got some interesting calls from Wild Bill.
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At 5:30, before dinner, I went down to the Salem Harbor Mooring to check on the WhaleEye electronics, that Ryan had said blew a fuse. They were fine. Don't really understand what happened. I want the WhaleEye ship shape for when Mike Nestor is home with us for the next ten days or so.
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After dinner, I toured Marblehead Harbor in the Tender... a three mile row that basically qualified as a workout.. The leak issue is very minimal, but I have to tune a lot of stuff in the trailering process.
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Got the usual oohs and ahhs from people watching me row from their sailboats. The tender does cut a pretty figure... even with me rowing it.
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Tomorrow, I have meetings with Mike Rockett in the morning. Mike got some great press in the Salem Evening News today for the Salem Waterfront Hotel expansion. His photo, in a very visionary pose, was featured on the front page of the paper, and the Salem Mayor and State Rep went on record with supportive comments for the project.
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Nice Job Mike!!! I'm really proud to be associated with him and this project.
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Time for some Dark and Stormies.

Nice Office

The day in North Conway was a great success, with the sunset capping a fine 24 hours on Earth.
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Joanne and I went to the outlets then had a nice lunch at the Thompson Eatery in Jackson.
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After lunch, we took a ride to Conway Lake and checked out the boat launch ramp and the trailer parking facilities.
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When I got back to the condo, I took a couple of business calls and fired off some emails, which really got me pumped, because it is apparent that this virtual office gig is very feasible.
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I'll take the Tender for its first lake run in Conway, then later make the trek up north to Lake Umbagog.

Time to Regroup

We haven't been to the Northbrook condominium in North Conway for a while. Building the new Sundance school, the work on the Tender, and not wanting to go far while Will was getting ready to be born were the major reasons.
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In fact, the last time I came, I got some X-C skiing in.
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Everything was fine, except a couple of hornets decided to build a nest in our grill on the deck. Bad choice.
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We'll regroup here for a day or so, then get back to business at Nanepashemet Project Management.

Deck Cap Plan

Last night I got my inspiration for the deck cap design.
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It will be patterned after the breasthook of the yacht tender, which was formed with two pieces of Meranti Mahogany, and a strip of red oak epoxied in the middle. There is a crown on the oak strip that was formed by planing and belt sanding the breasthook. Then fine sanding, a couple or three coats of epoxy and at least five coats of marine varnish.
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1x8 meranti boards will be positioned over the rail curves from post to post, then curves of mahogany will be jigsawed from one side and jointed to the other. All of the angle joints will be expoxy glued and reinforced with biscuits.
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Under all of the edges will be a 3/4 strip of oak, which will form a two toned illusion of a 1 1/2" rail piece.
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I'll set my router edge guard for 7 1/2" inches and run a straight edge bit along the entire rail to insure that the rail curves are parallel.
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Then I'll reset the edge guard to center on 3 1/4" and make the center plough cut which will house the middle oak strip. Then 1/4" oak strips will be cut from a 14 foot oak board that I have been storing for a couple of years. The thin width of the oak should allow it to bend easily into the plough cut, which will be bedded with epoxy.
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When all that dries, I will plan and sand the crown and edges.
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The contrast of the dark Mahogany, enhanced by the oak highlights, with the painted white curved rails should be cool as hell!!!
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I'll definitely take pictures to show you. If all goes according to plan, we should see this masterpiece before the 4th of July when Mike comes home again.

Working in the Workout

High Tide tomorrow at Marblehead Harbor is 3:30 PM in the afternoon. I have meetings with Mike Rockett in the morning, and will be attending to Nanepashemet details until after lunch. Then I have to get the Bondo and fill in the railing gaps on the deck.
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Hopefully, I'll be ready to try to get in a rowing workout on the Tender by 3:45 PM or so.

A Great Place to Workout

Today, I was reminded that rowing is really good exercise based upon the overall soreness in my body.
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Since the Tender was so seaworthy, and fun to row, I'm planning on getting in the three mile loop of Marblehead Harbor at every chance when it is high tide.
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For the next two days, high tide is around 3:00 PM.
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It doesn't hurt that Marblehead Harbor is so beautiful. Even when I was a kid growing up in Lynn, I would ride my bike to the Harbor as much as possible.