The adventures of Adagio - A tempo having slow movement; restful at ease.

[Bob23]

JT:
   Great story...I always enjoy your writings. And you and Janet are always welcome on my boat anytime. September sailing is the best...crowds are down, the temperatures cool down a bit and the bay has a wonderful fall-is-coming dark blue look to it. Maybe the bay itself is happy that most of the yahoos are gone!
   Don't feel too bad about missing the 'Voo. It might just be me, my freind Dennis and his Morgan 30 and maybe PeterG aboard the Beagle 2. A full report will follow.
   See you soon and congratulations on your first season about Adagio!
Bob23
(Living in the past? Bet you don't have a rotary phone, do ya?)

Ciao!

[Bob23]

NEWS FLASH!
   Secret spy photos have been obtained at extremely high cost of the famous CP23 "Adagio".  Owned by recent convert JT and his ever-so-patient wife Janet, she sits quietly in her slip awaiting an early haulout due to JT's work schedule.
   Notice the contented look on her hull. JT has been sprucing up the ship and she looks even better closeup.


   Bob23

[jthatcher]

wow, that boat looks so lonely ,   no main sail, the bimini gone..   why on earth would a teacher leave the marina so early in the season and ask the management to pull his boat???  to visit his kids, of course!   No matter how crazy we might be about boats, I would like to think that the majority of us have our priorities in order, and the opportunity to take a trip to New England, and spend time with one's kids trumps spending one more week on the boat.  Of course, if I could have done that on the boat, that would have been even better!!   So, it was a busy trip and not entirely without the hint of salt air, but i will come to that later...
   
   First stop on the New England Tour was Johnson VT where my daughter and her boyfriend live.   She is always working on new projects ( wool and spinning related, typically)  and is well on her way toward getting ready for christmas with lots of items which will make the recipients happy!   And,  one can always count on good wholesome food when visiting there..  Most of our time was spent building a shed with her boyfriend.   He had the deck built when I got there...  we got the walls up, and covered with tar paper, and the roof on...  the rest is up to him! 

After a couple of days in Vt ( a possible cruising destination, by the way..  up the hudson, and then the canal into Lake Champlain)  it was off to Hebron NH where my son lives with  his mother..  He happened to work it out that he had the week off, and that was great, because there was so much to do!   There were chickens there the last time that we visited, and now there are turkeys and more chickens ( even though we ate some of them)  and now four sheep..   if you have sheep, you need a fence.. so we took a drive to southern NH, loaded the truck up as much as we could and came back and planted nine 8 foot posts  3 and a half feet in the ground which now represent the corners of the fence that he will complete..  we talked a lot about the construction of a barn which he and his mother are contemplating..   he took me on a 9 mile hike up Mount Lafayette  - roughly 3 miles up, 3 miles across the ridge, and then 3 miles down..   that was an experience.  unfortunately, we had clouds at the top - three layers and it was still rather chilly, especially my hands..   but, we met a bunch of other hearty souls up there, and everyone seemed to be in a good mood..   i guess that we will have to do that again sometime when we can see the view that we certainly earned!   So, in one day, we bagged two of New Hampshire's  4000 footers.   Lafayette is actually a little over 5200 feet..     when we got home we got out the 22's and did some target shooting in the backyard and then went to have dinner with some friends..       We  also cut a tree down with his new chain saw and split all of the wood..  and we spent time putting together an old motor cycle that I had dis-assembled  about 11 years ago.. most of the parts were there, and I am hoping that we don't need the ones that aren't     actually, he is going to have to place an order and I am going to have to take the engine up on the next trip.. can you imagine getting excited about putting a motor cycle back together again only to find that you left the engine in PA???  oh well..     and we cleaned up the garage and fixed the flashing around the plumbing vent on the roof and we joined the Pemigewassit fish and game club and went there to shoot clay pigeons..  broke nearly all of them..  some of them with shells...     we added an outside outlet to the garage  and, now for the boat stuff, we  took a trip to Rockland Maine where we visited the Maine Boats and Harbors boat show..   what a great show.. the town has come a long way over the last 20 years or so..  there are lots of attractive shops to visit and the show has all sorts of interesting things to look at.. home related as well as marine related..   

One might think that the highlight of the show was the 1.2 million dollar yacht that we boarded, but it wasn't.   Instead it was the New York 32 , a member of a fleet of boats that was designed for the new york yacht club in the 30's..    what a cool opportunity to go below in a boat that was 70 years old..   one can't duplicate the smell or the aura that a wooden boat that age brings to the senses..   and the history..   all the old fittings.. the heating stove the sinks.. the hardware...  it was really cool..     

And now I am home for a couple of days before heading back to New England on a school trip..  summer is officially over for me!    we plan on getting down to NJ  one weekend in September to help put the boat away for the winter..   and then we have the whole next 8 months or so to dream about adventures next summer..     While I was in Rockland, i checked with the harbor master and talked with some local sailors about the availability of moorings..  I learned that there are 500 moorings in the well protected harbor and that one can be had for 1000 for the season..   Rockland could become the new home for Adagio in a couple of years!   there is a lot to see and do up there, and the cruising is limitless..    and, i have to admit to a certain fondness for Maine as well..     all in due time!    In the mean time, there is work to be done on the boat, skills to be honed and fun to be had on Barnegat Bay...

[Bob23]

JT:
   I also fell in love with Maine during a visit to the Maine BoatBuilders Show in Portland. I have an good old friend in NJ who married a Maine girl whose family goes back generations. They have a small vacation home on a lake in Boothbay. Ayuh!
   A great report on a great trip..I always appreciate your writing. Let me know what weekend you'll be in NJ. It'd be great to get out for a sail together. If you have the time. I spent last weekend at Tice's Shoals. Had a great sail up, some much needed solitude with sunsets, sunrises, and moonrises as well as pre-dawn swims in the mightly Atlantic. I plan on posting a detailed report when I get around to it. Ayuh.
Bob23
   

[jthatcher]

just got back from my second trip to maine in two weeks..  wonder if they pulled the boat yet.. i sure hope so!  i guess that i should give them a call tomorrow     jt

[Bob23]

Yes, JT: Call 'em! It's not gonna be a good scene down here in NJ. I sailed mine up to Long Key today...gonna try to ride it out in a protected slip. I hope it's still there on Monday!
Praying for protection,
Bob23

[jthatcher]

Yesterday my wife and I took a trip down to jersey to check out Adagio.  I had received reports that she weathered the storm with no problems, but I still envisioned wind driven water in the cabin and wet blankets and such.  As it turned out,  we opened up the hatch and found nothing amiss.   What a relief that was.    I did hear that the floating docks were within half a foot of so from the tops of the pilings that hold them in place.   If the storm had fulfilled all of the dire predictions that we were hearing,  who knows where she would be right now!

  With no work to do, we decided to motor out in the river for a short cruise, and it dawned on me that, even though the main sail was home, already washed and stored for the winter, we could always unfurl the jib.   So we motored up river and then turned around and put out the jib and cut the motor for a nice quiet sail back.   We happened upon the start of a sailboat race in which the previous owner was crewing on a friend's boat  so it was interesting to watch them get started and through the first turn..  then they put out spinnakers and took off..   

  we made it back to the dock with an easy and soft final landing of the season.   the marina had a party scheduled  for labor day so we stuck around and had some food, listened to some good songs from the 70's  ( nice job DJ)  and talked with another couple who were finishing up their first season at the marina.   

   the final cruise with just the jib was a great quiet, uneventful way to bring the season to a close.   my wife handled the tiller like she had been doing it for years..  no heeling to get her overly nervous     -  a true adagio experience!

  so, i imagine that they will be taking the boat out sometime this week or next, and then we will have to go down to cover her up for the winter..    i wish that we were just a bit closer, but  we are fortunate to have found a solid boat and to have it at a marina with pleasant folks and nice surroundings.   that all makes it worth the drive!    jt

[jthatcher]

well, it seems like forever since I posted on this thread!  Last weekend we traveled to jersey to cover Adagio for the winter.   It did not take a whole lot to convince  my wife to join me for the day, but the promise of breakfast at Shut up and Eat in Tom's River sealed the deal    The guys at the marina did a good job of hauling and power washing the hull.   This is the first time that I got to see the bottom  since I opted not to haul the boat when we bought it back in March.   Things look pretty good..  maybe a little scraping in the spring before they put a new coat of bottom paint on.   I was contemplating doing a complete job of scraping and then having a new barrier coat added, but I may let that go for another season ..  only so much money in the sailing budget, and I think that a new jib is a much higher priority this time around. 

While the mast is down, I will add an antenna for a radio, and  an all around mast head light for anchoring..    the cove stripe needs to be redone as well..  so there are plenty of jobs to finish before we put the boat back in the water in the spring, but they will be fun .

Naturally, I thought that our sailing season was over when we left Tom's River last weekend, but no!   the weather has been too good to be true, and Marty from lower bucks county offered to try to meet at lake nockamixon one more time.. so yesterday,  my wife and I traveled down there, with a stop in Quakertown for breakfast    and met Marty at the appointed hour..   we had a great afternoon on  his compac 16  -  we were the only sailboat on the lake..     when we left in the morning, there wasn't a breath of air, and when we left the cafe in Quakertown,  I commented to my wife that we could be using the motor a lot..  but, 15 minutes later, when we arrived at the lake,  a fresh breeze was springing up,  and we had a great afternoon on the water..     

In addition to learning a lot about sailing and about compac sailboats through this site,  we have also had the opportunity to meet Bob and now Marty, two great guys who share a passion about boats and sailing.  We look forward to evolving friendships with them and to cruising Barnegat Bay with them next season!   jt

[jthatcher]

well,  it has been a while since I posted here, although I check the site a few times daily, and enjoy reading what others are up to.  I guess this is the time to dream about sailing seasons to come..   and one of my thoughts has to do with a trailer.   I love the marina situation that we are in right now, but there very well could come a time in the future that a trailer would be more economical.    I called  today to check on a new tandem trailer that would be appropriate for a compac 23 ,  and i got a price of  4500.    i guess that sounded a little high, but i was told that in PA i would need brakes on both axle and that this costs additional money..   i remember watching a hide away video on making a trailer, but i am not sure that i have the skills for that..   and i would still need to find a used trailer that would be appropriate.    any ideas ??   thanks,   jt.

[Bob23]

Hi JT:
   My 23 sits on a modified Load-Rite with brakes on 2 wheels only. It works fine although I do admit to only trailering a few miles from home to marina and back again. If I were to trailer any distance and at highway speeds, I might want brakes on all 4 wheels. I'm estimating the total weight to be between 4000 and 4500 lbs.
   I would not trust my 23 to a trailer that was less than adequate just to save a few clams. I'm sure you feel the same. Important also is the tow vehicle and there's been lots of discussions here about that, as you may well imagine. My Tundra seems to tow the rig just fine. The longest tow was when first brought her home from the adaption agency down the GSP from exit 109 at 70 mph...no problems but, being new to the larger 23, I felt like I was pulling the QE2!
Bob23

[jthatcher]

great to hear from you Bob,   I would tend to err on getting a trailer that is oversized.   I told that guy that i was talking to yesterday that the boat was 3000 pounds and he was suggesting a single axle  trailer rated for 3100 pounds..   i told him that i wanted to be able to pull the boat 500 miles with no worries..   as for a towing vehicle,  i might have to rely on my father in law for that.  he has a full size pickup that he rarely uses..    my ford ranger just would not do the job.    i will keep my eyes out for a possible used trailer that would fit the bill..   for the short term, we will keep the boat at shore point in jersey.   i am already looking forward to escaping down there in the spring!    jt

[brackish]

JT, when the 23IV came out, the displacement was changed to 3200#.  I called to ask what was changed to add 200# and Hutchins said nothing specific just catching up with reality, maybe little changes over the years.  So I suspect some of the older models weigh more than 3000#.  In addition to that when you start adding up the stuff that's on the boat you can easily get 6-800#.  I'd be talking a 4000# load on the trailer with any trailer manufacturers.  My performance is rated for a 4150# net load.

[jthatcher]

thanks Brack..  good point about all of the extras!   in fact, the one that i was looking at is rated at about 5500 lbs   jt

[Bob23]

JT:
   I'd never use a single axle trailer for my beloved 23. Generally, I tend to lean towards a bit of overkill in everythnig...it's just the way I think. If you have a trailer that's rated for more than you'll ever tow, you'll have no problems and it should be expected to last longer.
   I guess you'd call me a belt and suspenders kind of guy. When my 23 is moored, a concern is having the roller furler unfurl in a high wind which can result in a wrecked boat. I've seen pictures and it's not pretty. So I add not one additional line, but 3. It takes a few minutes longer but is cheap insurance. Same thought goes into my mooring tackle.  I can sleep at night of the wind howls to 50 mph...I know the boats gonna be there. (I hope!)
   Same thought about the trailer and don't forget the tires! I found my tires mounted on galvanized rims at Eastern in Neward, Delaware. They have all the goodies and parts in stock and have great prices.
   In other news, now that the end of the year is approaching, my thoughts are turning to spring and the famous 2012 Barnegat Bay Bash! Stay tuned...now back to our regularly scheduled program.
Bob23

[jthatcher]

well, it has been a little while since I have had anything to add to this thread, but I certainly have enjoyed keeping up with the  happenings posted by others on the site - particularly the pics from the past year!    I have had a little time to think about Adagio over the Christmas break, and  here is the first project that I tackled.   in an effort to get the mess in my basement under some kind of control, i built a stand for the 8 hp motor which normally lives on Adagio's transom.   I brought it home for the winter - new plugs  and lower unit oil  will be a priority before the new sailing season begins.   in the meantime,  i can push this stand into a corner and cover up the motor while I work on some other projects   and while my step-daughter makes a racket on her new drum set..   somehow, she thinks that my shop is now her music studio!!   maybe she is right    






by the way,  i can't take credit for the design of this stand - i downloaded it from the net, and  would be happy to give the designer credit, but i am not at home right now, and i can't seem to find the page that had the plan on it!     the tiller is next -   when i brought it home, i found that it had a crack in it, so i am tempted to build a new one..  should be fun!      happy new year to all!  jt