Boom

After the rigging was in place the next job was to install the hardware on the boom. The boom was made last summer and it is solid sitka spruce as here we want the extra weight. Two halves glued up with the glue line vertically orientated.

The boom end casting. I made the pattern split with a 3" core. The PTF star was added on after casting.

Here the boom end is installed. One 1/2" bronze rod that also acts as an axle for the two sheaves holds the fitting on. The boom end was treated with the usual creosote varnish mix before the fitting was bedded on.

Black locust fairleads treated with linseed oil for the various lines. 

Anatomy of the reefing cheek blocks. I had the outer cheek cast, the inner plate is 1/8" bronze plate, the eye was cast and threaded onto the 1/2" rod and then TIG welded on for a seamless finish. The curved washer is 1/8" bronze cut out with a hole saw and hammered into shape. The #12 x 2" screw spacers I machined out of 3/8" bronze rod and the sheave was bought from R&W Rope. I had to drill the sheave out for 1/2" on the lathe. The acorn nut was bought from Port Townsend Foundry. So here you can see the number of steps and pieces all to make one piece of hardware. Now times that by how many bits on the boat.....?

The goose neck straps. I also made the pattern for these split and with a core so the inside faces would be flat and easier to fit to the boom. Four 1/2" flat head machine screws alternating fasten the straps to the boom. 

Dinghy

A step back in time as I finished this project last summer but never got around to posting it. The 7ft Cherub dinghy from Cape George Cutters was bought as a bare shell. I fitted out the gunwales, Seats and made the oars.

I used Silver Bali for the gunwales which had to be steamed into place. Cedar was used for the seats to keep the weight down. The dinghy is quite light, beamy and rows well. I added Dacron covered gunwale guard all around.

Douglas fir oars with sewn leather collars.

Thank You

With the main part of the work nearing completion on ASTRID I want to acknowledge the help I have had along the way. This was a huge project, it was satisfying to see a vision fulfilled, I learned a lot of new things and met a lot of new people many of whom are now very good friends. These boats seem to attract good people. The project was also at times all consuming, exhausting and required a large measure of determination to keep at it day after day. So without some help now and again it would have been that much harder and my deepest thanks goes to all.

My Father who helped out so may times with small and large scale jobs where a second hand was necessary. The deck, bulwarks and rudder to name a few where his skilled work made the job possible and easier. Without having grown up learning from him this boat would probably not have been.

Craig Johnson who is a very good friend and who's own Schooner MAGIC  was a huge inspiration for ASTRID. Craig's refined eye for detail  has left  finger prints all over this boat with so many details from MAGIC living on here. His work on the design drawings and his generous and continual support with technical questions and sage advice along the way were immensely important, and always a source for renewing my energy and focus.

Bryan Gittens (Channel Cutter Yachts). Bryan's experience, humour and philosophical outlook on life have been a continual source of inspiration. His help was far above generous and if I ever needed to gain inspiration and energy to keep going a visit with Bryan always made me feel ready to tackle the next bit.

Barry Hack. A number of times my friend Barry, who is a sailor, skilled machinist and fellow teacher helped me with metal machining and fabrication a number of times. His positive and generous nature is always uplifting.

Richard Belieze. Who I have known since my days of working at Waterline Yachts and who sprayed the Awlgrip hull and helped with the boot stripe.

John Stone. We have both gotten inspiration from each others projects and John's help in the last three weeks of the mast project was absolutely critical. It would not be an exaggeration to say the mast would probably not have gotten stepped this summer if not for his incredibly generous help. We worked non-stop for three weeks together, had a great time and John is responsible for splicing ASTRID's rigging. The rig looks amazing and he has my deepest thanks.

Others I say Thank You to are:
Achinback Foundry
Myle Thurlow Rigging
Port Townsend Foundry
Strait Metal Custom Metal Fabrication
Robert and Jean at Abernethy and Gaudin Boat Builders
No one truly works alone and those visitors and passerby's who gave encouragement and support all meant something.

Rigging

With the mast stepped we could start on the rigging. The schedule went as follows:

1. Four Lower Spreaders
2. Upper Intermediates
3. Cap Shrouds
4. Head Stay and Back Stay

I would go up the mast and pin the shroud or stay in place and with light tension John would mark the wire as it lines up with the top of the thimble. I would un-pin it and the shroud or stay would be brought back to the shop for splicing. Next day those spliced would be installed and the next ones would be measured. It took five days of up and down the mast and splicing and the head and back stay were installed on John's last day here. The rig was finally up minus the forestay which I plan on a synthetic removable stay. John has a system he uses on FAR REACH and can be seen here: FAR REACH Forestay release Design or explore a bronze pelican hook or hyfield lever. I have to figure it out.

John splicing. 

Lashing spreader tips

Upper Intermediates

Stepping the Mast

The mast was sitting where we built it at Abernethy and Gaudin Boat Builders. There was no way to step it there so the only option was to motor down and load it onto the deck of Astrid and bring it back up to Sidney. We also had a tight timeline to get everything done, collect the mast and get a crane. It had to be done by end of week. We headed down to Brentwood Tuesday afternoon. We got in late that day and rafted up to a big schooner being worked on by A&G.  Some nice rum finished off the day.

Lashing down saw horses onto fore deck. 

Next morning we lined the boat up to the dock with no time to spare with a falling tide and hand loaded the mast with help from everyone including recruited onlookers. 

We were underway by noon and back into Canoe Cove by late afternoon. The mast crane was booked for the high tide on Friday morning. It gave us one day to sort out halyards, fit spreaders, chop the mast step mortise and other details. We worked until 0200 and up again at 0600 to install the spreaders and head over to Tsehum Harbour.

We tied up to the public dock which gives a close reach for the crane. A study of opposites with the MacGregor next to Astrid. Serg from Blackline Marine managed the mast stepping expertly. 

The mast gets lifted off Astid

The mast was set back on the saw horses and we ran all the halyards and lines we planned on using to stay the mast until wire rigging was put up. The crane is about to lift the mast. Serge knew exactly how to sling the mast and how to direct the crane who's operator was very good. I just had to give the mast the slightest nudge and it dropped into the mortise.

Guiding the mast through the deck opening 

The mast step mortise. There is a drain hole of course and a copper English 2 pence piece (there is a story...)

Two tired guys.( L-R John, Kaj ). There had been a lot of hurdles to overcome and a lot of hard work. Getting the mast stepped was a really big milestone and a huge relief. Lunch and a nap was in order before heading out on a falling tide and getting back to work. 

Mast Part III

Mid Month July. I have a pile of hardware, most of the pieces I need, but basically it all has to come together. Easier said than done but I have help now with my good friend John who has flown out here to help. First haul out. Astrid needs to have a fresh coat of bottom paint, will varnish the transom and take care of lower rigging details. It's a quick round trip.

Fresh bottom paint

Double jaw toggle for bobstay. 3/4" pin. 

Transom with a fresh coat of varnish. 

The splicing thimbles needed drilling. 5/8" pin. Made a simple clamping jig for the drill press. De-burr with a countersink bit. 

The internal track needed drilling and countersinking. Drilled for a #10 screw every 4".

John started splicing the lower rigging, 'sprit shrouds and boomkin stays while work continued getting the hardware ready on the mast. Splices look awesome. 

Chopping the bowsprit mortise in the purple heart samson post. The bowsprit tenon and the mortise got a number of coats of creosote and thinned varnish. 

Bowsprit and anchor roller installed. 

The chain bobstay is temporary until a 1/2" 7x7 spliced wire one replaces it. 

The boomkin stays are installed. The first rigging is on the boat !

Deck light and upper turning block for spinnaker pole track

Upper spreader bases. A combination of tang work and castings. Steaming light above.

Through bolts are 5/8" Nickle Aluminum Bronze with wide base nuts from Port Townsend Foundry

Lower spreader bases and shroud tangs

The mast head is installed with delrin sheave in a silicon bronze sheave box. 

By now John has spliced all the upper end of the wires and the next task is to collect the mast from Brentwood Bay and bring it up to Sidney to step it. 

Mast Hardware Part II

The first half of July was full time 'round the clock work finishing the mast hardware, fitting hardware, shaping and sanding the boom, varnishing everything and making sure the myriad of details and pieces where all coming together.

An obstacle in making this happen had been the turnbuckles. I needed 14 x 5/8" Turnbuckles and new they would have been prohibitively expensive. It took three quarters of a year but I managed to find Merriman turnbuckles and toggles in good used or new-old-stock condition through trading, EBay and a used Marine Chandlery  in California. They ended costing a quarter of the new cost. I machined new clevis pins for all the connections.

Again, once I looked up the price for a 5/8" clevis pin and multiplied it by the number I needed (a lot!)  I had no choice but get some 316 stainless rod and make them on the metal lathe. I used aluminum- nickle-bronze clevis pins at the waterline for the boomkin stay and bobstay  toggles.

A big pile of bronze hardware. There are a ton of details and all the pieces have to come together. 

The goose neck assembly almost all together.

You might be able to see the black delrin bushings I machined between the pivoting points of the goose neck assembly.

The outhaul. A lot of machining here and some grateful help from my friend Barry who volunteered to machine the track. It turned out really well, .... perhaps perfect.

Fitting the anchor roller to the bowsprit. The roller assembly clamps around the bowsprit so there are no bolts drilled through the sprit. The axle for the rollers passes underneath the sprit. This also acts as the tang for the forestay.

The upper spreader tangs are fitted and ready for TIG welding together. The mast head got multiple coats of creosote and thinned varnish before final installation

Mast head welded and ready for installation

Shaping the spreaders out of Douglas Fir

Spreader tips in solid bronze through bolted with 10-24 machine screws tapped into a bottom plate.

 The Mast at Abernethy and Gaudin Boat Builders. The next weeks were a marathon of fitting the hardware and getting varnish on it.

The boom had been made last summer but was still rough shaped. It had to be sanded down, black locust risers glued on for the reefing cheek blocks, track riser glued on and ends fitted to the goose neck straps and boom end casting.

 I had to get the mast track, 7x7 316 stainless wire, fasteners and thimbles and other pieces from Port Townsend Foundry. The brass Davey 1" internal track came from R&W Rope. Sourcing the 7x7 wire was a worry but Myles Thurlow (Rigging) out of Vineyard Haven, MA  pulled through and 550 ft of 3/8" 7x7 wire was shipped to P.T on time. I had priced out other options including Sta-Lok but the wire and thimbles for spliced rigging was half the price and has other advantages including looking really good on a traditional boat. Pete Langley at Port Townsend Foundry really pulled through with some last minute work which I am very grateful for. Mid July I drove over with the Black Ball Ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles to bring it all back. Just in time for my friend John Stone to arrive who was to help me for the next three weeks getting the mast on the boat and rigged.