Cascaded blocks on the main sheet

Cascaded mainsheet on a Catalina 270

My crew and I were having great difficulty trimming the main sheet (red line)with fresh wind.

It just took too much force. the cam lock on the fiddle block was at a bad angle to lock and unlock the sheet.  I added an extra pair of blocks to give it a 5 to 1 advantage; but, that was not enough.

View from the starboard beam

After a suggestion from a smarter-than-average sailing friend and some though, I added a cascaded pair of blocks to the sheet,  It has a four to one advantage.  So the 4 to 1 pulls on the 5 to 1. The yield is a 20 to 1 advantage. 

Purchase on the red sheet gets the main close; but the final trim is made with the cascaded block.  This is Easy to do even is strong wind conditions. 

For anybody with a Catalina 270, to make this conversion, a block needs to be added to the padeye that secures the boom vang.  I then put a mid-line loop to fasten he cascaded double block.

The micro fiddle block with a cam-lock is fastened to the traveler.

The large blocks are Garnauer blocks, The small blocks on the cascade are Harken micro blocks,

The Catalina 270 has a double ended main sheet. the odd end leads back the starboard winch. Since the winch is not available when on a starboard tack, it is not a practical arrangement.

A closer look a the cascaded Harken block with jam cleat

S.S. John W. Brown to Visit Cambridge

S.S. John W. Brown to Visit Cambridge

During the evening, the Calhoon Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (MEBA) Training School, will host re-certification classes for marine engineers from across the East Coast. Its visit will coincide with the 39^th Annual Seafood Feast-I-Val, which will be held at Governor’s Hall on August 11 from 1-6 p.m.
“This is such an exciting opportunity to host a piece of living history here in Cambridge, work with one of the city’s showcase events to create a significant attraction for visitors, and to play a role in the continued development of marine engineers from around the country,” said Brandon Hesson, the Associate Director of Economic Development for the City of Cambridge.
The S.S. John W. Brown is maintained and operated in Baltimore by a corps of volunteers through Project Liberty Ship, which preserves the ship as an educational asset. The ship was originally one of 2,700 liberty ships manufactured as part of an emergency WWII shipbuilding program. After its tenure as an active cargo ship, the S.S. John W. Brown served as a maritime high school from 1946-1983. Now, it also acts as a venue for special events and weddings when it isn’t providing a regular slate of educational day cruises and docent-led tours.
 For more information about the S.S. John W. Brown or its day cruises, visit www.ssjohnwbrown.org.

The S.S. John W. Brown, one of only two remaining and operational World War II liberty ships, will dock at the port of Cambridge near Governor’s Hall from August 4-12. The ship will arrive with a few hundred visitors from its day cruise, originating in Baltimore, and will remain open to the public the rest of the week from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Baltimore May 2017

 

 

Sailing the chesaeake May, 2017

Some photos.

This was the best week ever for sailing.

Lucky was also in the mix.

On Saturday Night, I won $XXXX at the Cambridge Yacht Club’s 50/50 fund raiser.

Captain Stuckbottom
“Sometimes right, Sometimes lucky”

A few photo memories from England

Last October, we visited London & other places in England.

For 10 days , the weather was sunny and comfortably temperate.

No fog, No rain. Go figure.

Our new rock garden- we call it Stone Henge

Diane makes an adjustment

The Romans were here just before we came

Bath- The water is about 1900 year old

Before video games - People built Churches in their spare time

Where are we?  The ball marks the Greenwich Prime Meridian 

Buckingham Palace- a native takes a stroll - Nice hat!

Big wheel keeps on turning, The Eye keeps on------

People up high in a glass egg

Get it right.  This is the Tower Bridge not London Bridge

High and Happy on the Eye!

My other blog sites

Blog sites are a great way to keep your clubs, organizations, and friends up to date.

They're free, permanent, and offer email subscription services.

900 Marshy Cove Condo 

http://www.900marshycove.blogspot.com/

Deep Harbour Condo Community

http://deepharbourmd.blogspot.com/

Richardson Maritime Museum 

Cambridge Schooner Rendezvous

http://cambridgeschooner.blogspot.com/

Fleet 10 Cruise, June 2015

Baltimore Inner Harbor

Inner Harbor Marina

Tango 22 

Rafting at Gibson Island

Haeading out of Gibson Island

YES II making way

Sailing home from Annapolis under perfect conditions

Repair of Cockpit Drains aka Scuppers on a Tanzer 22

The cockpit drains in a Tanzer 22 are quite troublesome. After double wrapping the current drain pipes with fiberglass mat and epoxy resin (West System), both pipes still leaked.  Even if this method works, it is a difficult job to complete. 

I gave up on the wrapping technique to try lining the drain pipes. Luckily standard PVC pipe fit. 7/8 O.D.( ¾ I.D.) is a common hardware store item. The 7/8 outer diameter fits snugly into the pipes. I had to open up one of the holes on the cockpit deck with a hole saw to fit the PVC pipe. 

PVC at cockpit deck. snug fit

extra Length for handling during fitting

Here’s the process. Hopefully, the photos will fill in the blanks.

Starting with a 24 inch pipe, push the PVC pipe up the drain to check the fit.

24 inches will leave a few inches for handling. After you have fit it, mark it, and cut it with a pipe cutter.

After you are sure that it is right, overload the ends of the PVC pipe with a good marine grade adhesive caulk like 3M’s slow cure.  Let it cure per the instructions. 

With this method, the drains are a smaller diameter, but, it has worked well for two years. The bilge is dry and rainwater drains from the cockpit.

from the top side

topside

 Bottom view: trim excess caulk after curing

 To test for leaks on the hard, insert rubber stoppers in both drains. Be sure that the caulk is well cured.  Fill the cockpit with a few inches of water. After a few hours, check the bilge. If you see water, try again.

To keep the drains clean, push a dowel or a refrigerator brush through the pipe. A refrigerator brush looks like a 36 inch long bottle brush and can be purchased at most hardware stores in the cleaning supply section.

Good luck and take your time to get a tight seal.