Passion X

We have been defending our first place on the progress score table at RANSA for the past two weeks while Alibi and Britannia have made big moves up and Allegro is lurking just behind.

Last week we had a bit of breeze and set the No 1 heavy genoa. Perhaps we should call this our No 2 genoa or is it a 1.5? From the running start we reached towards the top mark keeping pace with Agrovation and Love Byte but when the wind freed we tried to pole out the genoa without any success. In the process we lost a few boat lengths on these tow but managed to hold off the rest of the fleet. At the top mark Love Byte went deeper and perhaps deeper than allowed while we lifted well inside and stayed on Agrovations line. At Steele Point Love Byte took advantage of a knock to tack back on starboard and we were forced to go behind. Alibi was just on our shoulder and preventing us tacking but then she tacked away giving us options for our next move. On out tack back we had gained half a minute on Alibi.

The next move came around Shark Island when we gybed in a lull while Amante came through with the following gust. From there to home it was follow the leader with Agrovation a clear first and fastest leader from Amante and ourselves. Alibi did themselves a service with a fourth fastest and third on handicap. We managed 6th on handicap while Allegro had a drop and were caught on the leader board by Alibi. We were pleased with our third fastest and felt we managed the rig well in the conditions.

This week was a much lighter affair with a long work to windward for the first leg. We started on the pin and managed to keep ahead of the fleet for a few minutes until Britannia showed good boat speed and passed us to windward. Once clear to tack we waited for the first knock and found ourselves well clear of all the fleet except Britannia who were deeper into the lift. The shift put us up with the tail of the Division 1S where we found ourselves crossing tacks with Marloo. Looking behind we saw that Meridian had taken our stern and gone further North to takd advantage of the next shift and get a big gain on the fleet.

We made some good choices going to the mark but could not match the boat speed of Agrovation, Britannia, Foreign Affairs and Meridian. Crosshaven also caught us at the mark but we managed to get this back on the run to Steele Point.

The shortened course gave little chance for gains and we managed to hold onto our fifth fastest from Crosshaven, a fast finishing Allegro and Alibi. Amante was an uncharacteristic tenth. On handicap the front runners took the first four places, Crosshaven leapfrogged us into fifth while Alibi was seventh and Allegro eighth alloowing us to pull ahead one point but the big move was Britannia with a first place and dropping a 13th to be second on the leader board.

Now while we have not had any great places the handicapper has nevertheless seen fit to make life harder each week and it will be interesting to see how much harder he makes it this week.

Boatbuilding has been progressing at a steady rate with some assistance from the crew and Elaine. Ten days ago I had allmost all the deck sheets cut and trial fitted. Since then I have been busy cutting doublers for the fittings and for butt joins in the long sides of the 12 mm ply sheets. These are best done before the deck is fitted as the shapes can be marked off the stringers and the fits made very precisely. Almost all the 14 doublers have been cut and some fitted. The edges are chamfered at 45 degrees to make a neat fit to the single 12 mm thickness. I have to confess to getting the chamfers around the wrong way more than once but fortunately the two sides are mirror images so that has saved the doubler from the trash can more than once.

As of tonight all the 12 mm ply on the deck is glued in place as are a lot of the doublers. Tomorrow I will move to the 6 mm sheets on the foredeck and complete the doublers on the 12 mm section.

There is more to life than boatbuidling and so we enjoyed our time in Queensland with our family including a Christmas in July where all the families pitched in for a traditional Christmas feast. We had a surprise with the price of local prawns plummeting just in time for our contribution to the festivities. We are blessed that all the family are well and could get together for the event.
By coincidence the South Pacific Laser Masters were being held at Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron starting on the day we had planned to drive home so we trailed the Laser all the way to Queensland for the event. It was a great event with a good attendance of New South Welshmen. The highlight for me was a 6th place in the final race we sailed and the first over 75 year old for that race. So strong is the competition in our age group it was only good enough for a 4th but it was good to get some time on the water ahead of the Worlds in Adelaide this coming February.

We arrived back home in time for the Winter Wednesday race at RANSA aboard Passion X. The race was sailed into a 8 knot sea breeze which was a pleasant surprise for this early in the season. Our start was impeded by a competitor crossing our bow to get back behind the line and causing us to take avoiding action. This put us behind the eight ball right off the line. Our closest rival in the handicap series, Allegro had trouble of their own costing them time with an unscheduled tack so we maintained contact in the fleet.

Up the windward work there were wins and losses where we made up some ground on the last two tacks into the top mark but on rounding the wind died and let the likes of Meridian, Allegro, Crosshaven and Amante float away while the fleet caught us from behind. Eventually the wind came down the course and we recovered our position in time for the reach from Steele Point into Rose Bay. Around the point we went wide keeping a close tail on Allegro and to our surprise we ran up to Meridian. Foreign Affairs was having nothing to do with the fleet having disappeared into another dimension but the rest of us were having a great tussle.
Allegro was not going to let us get away and tailed us to Point Piper. On the work around Shark Island they pinched up so that we could not tack. Eventually I created some distance so we could tack behind them and as We tacked so did they. We had let the main right out to get behid them and so their tack was most difficult for us but we recovered and in our turn gained bit or width going in the mark. As the breeze tightened at the mark they pinched and slowed so that we rounded ahead again and held that lead all the way home.
Now we reached up to Meridian again and followed her home never more than two boat lenghts apart.
In the concentration on Allegro and Meridian we missed what happened to Amante and Crosshaven but we presume they went in too close to Steele Point again.
Our fifth place on handicap increased our lead by two points but it is still very tight and a lot of races still to go.

Now that we are home I can insert some photos of the progress since the hull was turned.

So after a good break from boatbuilding we returned to finish the deck structure at the bow and two solid days or planing the gunwales. The Makita power planer is not the quietest tool in the shed and it created a lot of sawdust in the process so by Saturday it was back to hand planing.

Fortunately Elaine put in many hours vacuuming the sawdust over the last two days and that let me get on with the task of cutting and fitting deck panels. Don came around on Saturday and helped to shift the larger 6 mm sheet into position for marking and cutting and Elaine helped today with the full size 12 mm sheets so that for the last four days the progress looks impressive.

The trial fit of the panels has identified the need for some temporary support in the anchor locker to get the two sides to match as the hatch side is missing a stringer by design. Thinking thinking! Also it is an opportunity to check all the stringer angles for some last minute planing.

Tomorrow all the large panels will be fitted but before gluing them in place I will mark and cut all the doubles as it is easier to mark and fit them from above.
In the meantime what plywood is temporarily screwed to the deck is providing good support for the tarpaulins as the rain has returned.

Where has all the time gone since the rollover party?
On the sailing front the next race at RANSA was frustrating as we sailed well n the drifting conditions only to miss the finish time cut off by less than 30 seconds. Only Foreign Affairs and Amante escaped the guillotine and Amante was just in front of Passion X.
The rest of the fleet was becalmed way off in the distance but we scored the same.

The following week we set the No1 heavy when the prestart conditions were brisk only to have the wind die. Despite the handicap we sailed well to keep in touch with Allegro and Amante but slipped one place on Allegro to be tied at the top of the ladder. In the drifting conditions a backstay flicker would be a great advantage but I am saving that expense fot the new yacht.

This week Kevin and I are at Brisbane for the SPLM at RQ and the crew is boing boat duty for a certain 4th place.

Back at the new project the list of jobs changes with the weather but in essence I am working from both ends to waterproof the exposed hull as the task of pulling tarpaulins on and off detracts from my building time.
At the stern the boarding platform has been glassed, the gas locker panels cut, fitted, bogged to the hull and glassed internally. The cockpit cross support 35 by 35 laminated beam has been finished in clear epoxy and glued to the underside of the deck and the cockpit toe rails have been cut and installed. After a good clean up the cockpit floor was glassed.

Along the way the exposed top shelves in the lockers have been filleted to the skin so that these are waterproof.

At the bow the anchor locker was similarly filleted to the skin and a protecting layer of 435 gsm double bias epoxied in place. The two 50 by 22 laminated beams were constructed and glued in place plus the 35 by 22 central stringer.

Inside the hull the V berth tops have been installed and had a single coat of epoxy. The saloon starboard floor has also been cut and epoxied so that movement inside the hull is less hazardous.

Yesterday we had a great celebration of the rollover of the new hull. Many crew and supporters came to help with the work and help Elaine and I celebrate this milestone in the build. Supporters started arriving from 10 am and we were straight into the process of putting some tension in the slings and then removing all the supports.

I had rigged the slings on Tuesday in preparation and while it took just 90 minutes of physical activity there had been a lot of mental preparation and reviewing of the photos from the last hull turn.

Wednesday was race day at RANSA where we won on handicap due to a crew of ten on the rail. Our ORCi default weight for crew was 750 kg which we have never achieved so it was a first for us to have so many crew in a fresh breeze. We missed out on fastest by 14 seconds and that made for an exciting race. The fresh westery breeze was in our favour for the run to the heads and with the No3 jib set we were well in control. Allegro with a larger headsail kept up with on the down wind leg but we managed to round first and give them dirty air on the work back to Steele Point. They made up ground on the work from Shark Island to the finish when they had clear air and once they were to windward and on starboard they ensured that we could not tack to take their stern. The handicap win took us to the top of the rankings for the season and we retain our third on fastest times too.

So the crew were still excited with out success when they arrived on Thursday for the hull turn. After a quick morning coffee we were under the hull removing coach bolts and screws. We worked from the stern to the bow and cut the last two supports at frame A as the screws were difficult to access. Immediately the hull was free from the building frame and we started the process of lifting one side.

By 1330 hours we had the hull on edge and paused to rig a restraining line so that we could control the descent. As Kevin controlled the descent I took pictures from the ladder. After all the work it was the first opportunity to view the lenght of the hull and appreciate all the primer that has already been applied.

With the hull around and level we called it a day and had afternoon tea to celebrate the milestone. Lunch had been a sandwich on the run or a hot pie with the supporters feeding us whenever we appeared from under the hull so it was time for a breather.

With the supporters sent on their way it was time to install the supports and let down the slings using the chain blocks.
The hull settled a metre too far back and the bow was too low but it was stable for the night so we called it a day.

Today’s task was to position the hull over the supports at the strong frames D and H and make sure it was level. The process of repositioning the slings on the hull and relifting was very effecient but getting it on the centreline of the building frame was more complex and required a bit more science rather than brute force.

With a bit of patience the hull was settled fore and aft and athwarthship. The Laser level confirmed the spirit level reading that the hull was as level as the instruments can measure.

Back on the boatbuilding I applied epoxy fillets to the transom as I want to get this area completed and epoxy coated while the weather is dry.

For the record a few of the boatbuilding tasks completed on the past two weeks.

Another ten days has slipped away with the seemingly endless task of sanding. On the 23rd May after a long sanding session I washed the hull down and took a few photos of the undercoat. The sides and the radius chine look very fair but I was still unhappy with the finish in the bottom particularly at the bow. After more sanding I rolled and brushed another coat of Interprotect over the bottom at the bow and was still not happy. In some areas I had overfilled with filler and more sanding was needed. Much of the problem was due to the light conditions so I applied sanding guide to the whole bow area and to selected patches on the bottom where I had previously applied filler. The sanding guide was a great aid to improving the bottom finish and after another coat of Interprotect sprayed over the whole bottom I am happy with the finish.

In the next few days I will sand any rough patches and apply another coat of Interprotect and leave the bottom until the hull goes to the dock for launching. There I will have a final two coats sprayed both for added protection and for the tie coat to the antifouling.

Inside there has been much sanding of the unpainted bottom from the bow to the stern. Working from the two ends towards the middle the bow to the mast step is primed as is the stern to the cabin top. The bow area has also had the primer sanded ready for the second coat so some progress is being made.

Between strenuous sanding and tedious painting I have been looking for less taxing tasks so little wood working tasks have been added to the job list. A little filleting of furniture to the hull here and there and a few doublers where hinges will be screwed all add to the progress in detail if not in visual impact.

This last ten days have been good for boatbuilding with dry conditions and mostly light winds and the forcast for the next few days look promising to complete the bottom painting.

On the sailing front we have had a couple of very light air races. Last Wednesday we worked the breeze up the middle and seemed to be working out from under the fleet when the breeze came across the course from the opposite side. We had to sit and wait for the breeze to get to us by which time seven yachts had passed us by from the windy side of the course. On the run home we made up some ground and negotiated a larger wind shadow to finish 7th fastest and 7th on handicap. This was a good result considering the ground we lost waiting for the wind to arrive.

Today I studied the tide charts and decided we needed to stay out of the incoming tide. Despite the boat end being to leeward of the fleet it was well out of the tide and had a hotter angle away from the line. Allegro started lowest but at the hottest angle and Joli seemed to follow suite but I wanted to lowest position on the course out of the tide.

Britannia and Monkey Magic had the same idea with Monkey Magic the most aggressive gybing back to the slow tide area. Unfortunately they zigged out of the wind when they should have zagged and waited for a very long time for the wind to return.
Ourselves and Britannia had the best selection of wind and tide and as a result ran away from the fleet. Britannia was first and fastest and we were second and second fastest.
Motoring home from the finish line we were able to see how much of a lead we had established over the field.

What little wind there was up near the heads soon died so we towed Britannia back to RANSA. After detour we could see the fleet in the distance still trying to finish.

Apart from picking a good line up the course we had the crew camped on the bow and to leeward, a very light line on the genoa clew and the backstay on tight to flatten the main and let the wind exhaust from the sail.

After today’s result we are back up to second in the series just one point behind Allegro.

In the ten days since the last post I have made steady progress helped by a few crew who devoted several hours to sanding both inside and outside the hull.

Before that the furniture in the galley and quarter berth ante room had been fitted and the filleting of the bulkheads to the skin completed.

An unexpected task was to extend the gussets on the rudder port out another 200 mm each side and fix in with four layers of 450 gram double bias epoxy glass. This was a change Dudley had advised back in September 2002 but which had slipped my mind until Dudly gently reminded me via a request for an updated photo. I promptly did the change and sent out the photo but it took the best part of two days to fit the gussets and then glass them in place in the upside down position. Once the hull is turned I will add more glass around the port and the strongback for appearance sake and to tidy up the finish on the glass.

Last Wednesday was another steady result on the water with Passion X. We won the race on the run to the top mark by an inside overlap on Allegro but an override on the mainsheet winch stopped us following the fleet inshore where they picked a big lift. Despite dropping a few positions we sailed well to make up ground and finish with a 4th place on handicap. It was another good result in strong winds with a reef in the main and the No 3 jib.

This coming week looks like a complete change to a drift but there is still a few days to go.

After the crew assistance with sanding I decided to get a little more aggressive with the torture board on the last four coats of epoxy primer to remove the remaining uneveness in the bottom panels. I had roller coated the bottom due to the wind conditions and that needed more sanding than the sprayed sides. Also I had overlapped the four sprayed coats from the sides with the four coats on the bottom around the radius chine so on the radius chine I had a lot of paint to help with the fairing.
On the bottom the design has three layers of 450 gram double bias glass along the centre line and each layer is wider than the next to achieve a taper from the glassed section to the unglassed section. Now the glass is 1.5 mm thick as a minimum and the taper was not over a wide enough area to remove the appearance of a hollow along the keel line. While this was by design I decided to use the opportunity of an aggressive torture boarding to take off the glass high spots and fill the long hollows. Three days later the bottom is bogged up ready for a final fairing and another two coats of epoxy primer hopefully in more favourable wind conditions.

We had a lovely time sailing to Newcastle and Port Stephens for Sail Port Stephens, a good regatta and a pleasant transit back home via an overnight stop in Pittwater. Along with preparing Passion X for the trip with an engine service and provisioning the event took up two weeks.
This year’s Newcastle to Port Stephens race was our best result on ORCi club since launch. I have removed the Code Zero from the rating and that helped a little and we were pleased to finish mid fleet. On Scratch we were tenth and just a few seconds behind the J111 Black Sheep and a couple of minutes in front of the Farr 30 Nocleks. The reaching leg suited Passion X and we were unable to repeat the performance in the regatta at Port Stephens. We were however mightly pleased with our fifth place.

One day back and the RANSA Winter Wednesday started. With a strong north westely breeze the course had two long reaching legs which again suited Passion X. Initally the two sports boats blasted away for a sizeable lead at the top mark while we rounded with Amante. The positions held up to the turn in Rose Bay when we started beating to windward. Amante leapt ahead but we performed well in the conditons with the No3 jib and a reef in the mainsail. Before long we had overtaken the over powered sports boats and maintained our break on the fleet. The second fastest to Amante and first on handicap was a pleasing result but the handicapper penalised us a full percentage which came into play this week.

This week the breeze was a more traditional West South West with a broader reach up and a work all the way back. After a good start we lost the wind out wide and never fully recovered . We did manage to round the top mark with Allegro, Crosshaven and Amante. Love Byte and Alibi were also in the mix making the rounding very tricky.

We worked back doggerdly picking up yachts as we could and were pleased to pass the Sydney 38 and the First 40 and make up ground on Monkey Magic but at the finish we were seventh fastest and last of a group of four who finished within one minute. Indeed we were on corrected time only a minute and two seconds off of third place.

Well done Foreign Affairs and Meridian for leading the fleet home.

Including today I have had only 8 working days in three weeks so it is no wonder progress seems slow sdo what have we done.

The transom boarding platform was closed off on 14th April. Then I started on the galley furniture completing the panels for the fridge and oven compartments and then started on the chart table. We then left the chart table skeleton while we enjoyed Sail Port Stephens.

On return I reworked the supports for the hull after the turnover. To accommodate the wider hull the supports had to be reshaped and the reworked support surface reglassed to the plywood frame. That is mostly done and sitting next to the building jig.

The skeleton of the chart table was causing me some headaches and I mean that literally as I hit my head on the sharp edges so I was highly motivated to complete the structure and round all the appropriate surfaces. That I did but not before destroying a router bit and taking a small nick out of the plywood. It is all repaired and complete except for the lid on the table and the top of the navigator’s seat.

A lot of painting later the components of the galley and quarter berth lockers are double coated and ready to install. That I am hoping to do tomorrow so that I will have something to show for my efforts.

Coating both sides of the locker fronts takes a minimum of three days as while I can do both sides in a day the coating is not hard enough to sand the following day so they have to be left the extra day to harden. Mix that up with wet weather and other obligations and it seems like time is standing still.

Not wanting to waste any mixed epoxy I have a large area of the V berth primed and sanded ready to take a second coat in the event any paint is unused but sadly the paint is running out on the jobs at hand and the V beths are still in their first coat state.

There are miriad tasks to complete before the hull can be turned. All the joins in the hull have been inspected and any gaps filled with thickened epoxy. All the ply joins have been double glassed and most of the hull to bulkhead joins have been filleted. Just the deck locker and transom area have to have the filleting completed. Once this is done I will finish priming the interior so that after turning it will be protected from any adverse weather events.

The weather has been kinder the last week and with sailing in recess for Easter I have made good progress on the internal fit out of Passion XI.

Over Easter Elaine and I spent a day on Passion X cleaning and preparing for the trip to Newcastle and Port Stephens. The water pump impeller was replaced just in time as a rubber blade on the impeller fell off as I extracted it from the housing. Otherwise it was a pleasant day with drinks in the afternoon with fellow sailors also doing post season cleaning on their adjacent yacht.

Back at the building site the head components have been painted and mostly installed. The partial bulkhead is bogged to the hull and secured with the vanity shelves and the hanging locker front. The vanity shelves are bogged to the hull skin and all that is needed is to paint the bare patches adjacent to the glue joins. But there is more. I still have to install the head pedestal platform which is a bit tricky as it is wider than the adjacent vanity wall so I need to install the vanity front across the base to have a place to land the pedestal platform.

Both the quarter berth locker fronts are installed as of today with just some painting needed to finish that area.

Forward in the quarter berth ante room a partial bulkhead has been installed separating the hanging locker from a set of shelves. These are all bogged to the hull and as solid as a rock with just some epoxy paint needed over the shelves to finish the job. I have a sheet of 6 mm plywood picked out from which I will cut the fronts for these two lockers possibly tomorrow.

Forward of the Quarter berths is the galley where the partial bulkhead has been cut and fitted. Cleats have been added to this and to the adjacent bulkheads to take the side and floor of the fridge compartment and the floor of the oven recess. I ran out of mixed epoxy primer today so did not get to prime this bulkhead so that is a few days away from completion. The same 6 mm ply sheet will give me the fridge base and the stove base.

There is just one more partial bulkhead to cut and that is the small chart table seat. I have cut template and am waiting for the right size offcut from the above 6 mm ply sheet to put that in train.

With all the bulkheads cut I sorted through my large array of cardboard templates and earmarked them for the rubbish bin.

An important task to complete before turning is the boarding platform and today I cut the platform and also the doublers for under the centre where the boarding ladder will be secured. The full thickness will be 36 mm so that should take 32 mm screws quite safely.

I will try to insert a few photos in a separate post.

Since the site was hacked I have had multiple problems with posts. One of the issues was that my phone started saving photos is a hjgh definition mode that was not recognised by WordPress. That has been fixed by setting the phone to JPEG only.

Another issue is the appearance of the photos on the site as they do not present as consistently as before. I am not sure if this is a WordPress issue or an update to the Photo app on the computer which rezises photos in a different way.

So this is an attempt to get some photos up and learn by doing.

After a glitch in the internet access to the blog has been restored. I still have some repair to do to the last two posts but hopefully this post will bring you up to date.
My last post was back on 18th February when the first coat of epoy primer had been applied. It took ten days to apply the next three coats with lost of torture boarding in between and a few patched of thin filler.

It took another seven days to mark the boot top and apply four coats of red Interprotect on top of two coats of undercoat.

While this was going on I pushed on with painting the interior of cupboards and the backs of the cupboard fronts.

One of the more time consuming tasks was cutting the holes in the bulkheads and shelves for the water tanks filler and breather and for the electrical circuits. Each hole had to be treated with two coats of epoxy and then a coat of paint to ensure that all the plywood end grain is thoroughly sealed. The hardest holes were the ones through the chainplate frames which had five layers of glass at the junction of the frame with the hull. Owing to the overlapping of layes of glass around the ring frame the glasss was 7 mm thick on the forward face and 3.5 mm thick on the aft face so a new ultra sharp hole cutter was needed.

Another three weeks passed because we extended the No 3 stringer from the bulkhead back to the frame in the mid saloon. That meant bonding the stringer elements to the above mentioned ultra strong epoxy glass coated chainplate frame. In the process all the paint had to be stripped from the line of the stringer, the stringer elements glued and the ends filleted to the frames with ultra strong fillets. Once that was done it was time to redo the two pack epoxy paint and also coat the chainplate frames for the first time.

Before fitting the settee backs I installed the water inlet and breather hoses for the two 450 litres water tanks. I tried using the same brand hose as on Passion x but in the intervening seven years I must have lost some strenght as I found the task impossible and purchased a slightly larger diameter and softer hose which was perfect for the task.

The settee backs have been in for a few days now and all the joins were back filled with structural adhesive while the glue joins were fresh. I masked the glue join lines to keep the plwood clean and the extra care was worth the effort.

Now I have left the saloon behind and moved to the head vanity and quarter beth lockers. There are many more cupboards on the new Didi 120 as the extra 200 mm with on both sides provides ample opportunity for more storage spaces. The downside is that this takes more time.

Of course every partial bulkhead for a furniture element is another bulkhead to drill for the electical and water services as well as the engine exhaust so it will take a while to finish the timber work, bog the shelves to the hull and paint the interiors before attaching more locker fronts with pre painted backs.

I will insert more photos when I can. At the time of writing WordPress will not let me access the latest photo uploads.

On the design front the yacht design has passed the structural review and the design is on the process of being listed with World Sailing. More about this good news with links when it is up on their web page.

Friday was a late finish as it was ideal weather for painting the epoxy primer. I still has a couple of patches to fill but rather than delay the primer I filled the patches and painted around the filled area.
I used a high volume low pressure spray to apply the Interprotect epoxy primer and this worked well until some hardened primer blocked the spray gun. My attempts to clear it were unsuccessful so I finished applying the last section of the flat bottom with a roller and by 6:15pm I had covered the hull and used up all of the eight litres of mixed paint.

Now that is just the first coat as I have three more to apply .

Inside the hull I have applied the first coat to the V beth lockers and started to paint the V berth themselves. This means hand sanding the stringers and the inside of the radius chine so I have been happy for the odd rainy day when the conditions under the hull are tolerable for sanding and for painting. Two coats of a satin finish high build epoxy primer will give a pleasant finish to the interior of the lockers and the underside or the VG berth bunks.

These shelves in the V berth lockers are so much deeper than on Passion X and the top side and underside of every shelf is getting the same two coats of epoxy treatment.

Back at Greenwich Flying squadron we had a handicap win last Wednesday. The breeze was at the top end of our No 1 light genoa range and with a crewmember holding the clew out to windward we sailed through the fleet on the first downwind leg. From there on it was concede as little ground as possible on the windward leg to Goat Island and hang on for the race back around Cockatoo and home.

The wind was definately in the sweet spot for Passion X, we had a clean bottom and applied maximum vang pressure to windward so we could drop the boom down and retain height with the tight leech. Lots of rig adjustment throught the variable wind strength kept us moving but it will take a mighty effort to match the J boats to windward. Well done to Jackpot for a fastest time.

I have been quiet with posts and with facebook because the current state of play is that the thin layer of fibreglass cladding is taking a lot longer to apply and fair than I had anticipated. Also the photos of the partially faired glass are unflattering.

As of today the whole of the hull has been machine sanded and checked for fariness with a torture board pass. There are several spots where filler will have to be applied and these are mostly where the very thin layer of tissue on top of the 265 gsm double bias either missed or overlaped. When I say very thin I mean 22 grams per square metre or less than one tenth of the base layer.

I will spend the next two days spot filling and using the torture board to check for any more imperfections before applying the first coat of white epoxy primer. The first coat will be sanded back hard to identify any high or low spots that I miss with the torture board on the raw fibreglass.

On Passion X, after turning the hull, the primer around the gunwhale had to be sanded back to get a fair finish so I am paying particular attention to sanding the fibreglass around the gunwhale so that the primer will be fair.

Inside the hull I have been making little progress because the weather has generally been fine enough for sanding but I have cut out the settee backs and starter fitting cleats to the shelves.

There is a possibility that the epoxy priming of the hull will line up with the epoxy priming of the V berth locker fronts and the settee backs. Time will tell.

On the sailing front we hung on for a win in the Summer series due to our attendance record. Now we are back to the Spring and Autumn series where we are hanging on to the lead by the slimmest of margins. Last night did not help when we were slow out of Humbug. We overtook Ausreo at Cockatoo Island and Fireball just before Goat Island. On the run back to Cockatoo we briefly caught sight of Jackpot, U topia, Joli and Meridian and for a short while the breeze carried us closer to this quartet. Unfortunately we sailed into the hole that they escaped from and were run down in turn by Fireball.
Around Cockatoo we streatched our from Fireball and Ausreo and made good progress on the tight reach to Humbug. Ausreo had a better run home than most and managed to catch up on handicap but we did take out Jackpot and Fireball to just retain our lead from Meridian who is having a real charge at the lead.

After a winter of too much rain and long delays to boatbuilding it is strange to be welcoming the rain back. The sanding of the hull is taking a toll on my body and the rain forces me to stop the sanding and tackle some other tasks.

Since the last post there has been two sessions of rain. In the first session I finished filleting the frames to the skin forward of the mast step and installed the V berth bearers and wing panels. There are four panels to the V berth with the outer ones fixed to the hull and the middle ones hinged to access the sail storage under. The outer wings are fixed to the bunk bearers and the hull skin forming a formidable U section and all that remains is to paint the bare plywood and wait for the hull to be turned.

During the same wet spell I retreived the V berth locker shelves from storage and fitted them to the cleats on the bulkheads. I had taken the opportunity to trim the shelves to the skin position before skinning the hull so it was just a matter of some final trimming with a hand plane and they are all ready to go. So that I can get better access to fillet the shelves to the skin I will do these one at a time.

last Friday I cut out the front panels for the two lockers between the V Berth and the mast step bulkhead. These intersect the hull across a tangent stringer so there was a lot of trial fits and trims to get a snug fit against the hull. Fortunately one of the grandsons turned up late in the day and did the lifting and holding for me to finish the fit.

With the fine weather returning I recommenced sanding the epoxy prime coat.

Elaine volunteered to do a bit of torture boarding rather than go to the gym and Don, one of our crew, also made it a social morning on two days to keep me motivated.

This outer layer of epoxy primer is reinforced with a very light double bias to form a base for the epoxy paint. Of the six 1.3 metre wide panels applied four went very smoothly but still needed a lot of machine sanding for the final finish. The final two were applied on a hot day and it was difficult to keep ahead of the resin curing curve. I settled for mixing many small batches and finishing each section before mixing the next and while it needed a little more sanding than the first four panels it has sanded up well.

Due to the temperature of the day I left the laminating till after 5pm so it was a late finish to a hot day. Tuesday was equally hot but I had to sand the laminate before the epoxy cured rock hard and with a bit of perseverence managed to tidy up all the already applied epoxy and prepare the hull for the next four panels. That will get me past half way when we next have a cool dry spell.

The wet and windy weather of today was a relief. For the morning I set myself up in the sunroom with the plywood locker fronts on the glass table and set out the locker openings. Not wanting to make a mess of another room in the house I moved the panels to the carport to cut out the locker access holes. This was less civilised than the sun room but was nevertheless a pleasant work station.

That went well so I moved on to the settee backs which will have six locker access holes cut in each face. I used a cardboard template to establish the angled cuts on the two ends and first side fitted the second side exactly so I could cut a matching mirror image.

So that is where I am up to. If it is wet I will finish cutting out the holes in the setee back and if it is still wet I will move to the quarter berth locker fronts. This is my minimum internal fit out target before turning the hull.

If it turns fine and cool then I will get back to the thin laminate on the hull where there is at least two full weeks of work before the four coats of epoxy paint can start.

Christmas was a time for a relaxing break from boatbuilding and to letting my muscles recover. A bonus was to go out on the Harbour and watch the start of the Sydney to Hobart. We positioned Passion X at the Heads near to the turning mark and were well placed to watch the action as four 100 ft maxis tussled to be first out of the Heads.
After two days of relaxation and with some fine boatbuilding weather I attacked the fairing of the hull with a vengance and over the next two days managed to complete the fairing and epoxy coat the aft end of the hull. Now at least the stern was protected from the weather.

New Years Eve, New Years Day and the 2nd were fully occupied with assisting at the ILCA (Laser) Oceania regatta at the Georges River Sailing Club where we were inspecting all the yachts for compliance with the ILCA rules. It was still good boatbuilding weather on the third and with a few days of rest behind me again attacked the fairing with a passion. In one long day I completed the middle of the hull leaving only the front 20% to be completed. Now the forecast turned for the worse but tempting fate I finished the last 20% on the Wednesday before the rain set in. It was very fine timing as the cost of epoxy was just touch dry when the drizzle started.

Wednesday is our twilight race day so it was an early finish and a quick trip to the club. With festive seasons absences and with a miserable forecast we fully expected a diminished fleet and the crowd huddled in the doorway at the club seemed to want to call the whole thing off and go home. Rumours of lightning and BOM warnings were circulating but the warning zone did not extend to the coast so it was all clear for the sailing.

A most unusual night of sailing ensued. I selected longish courses as out regular post race BBQ was no scheduled and if we took a little longer to finish the race it was not going to upset any plans. And the breeze was rising and falling ahead of stronger wind forecast for the Thursday. For our small crew I selected the No 3 jib and was prepared for the consequences if the wind died.

The race was conducted in two halves, not by plan but by chance. At the start Joli, Meridian and Irikundji got a good break from Utopia and ourselves on Passion X while Fireball and Ausreo struggled to get the phasing right to get out of Humbug. All the way to Goat Island and back we we chased Utopia and Irukandji while Ausreo chased us. Any chance of catching Joli and Meridian seemed to have escapes as they were already minutes ahead but strange things happen. Back at Longnose Irukandji and Utopia were stopped dead in the wind shadow. Here Utopia managed a mini break while we snuck through to leeward of Irukandji and Ausreo went even wider and made up time.

At Cockatoo Island the breeze died to less than five knots and we were soon overtaken by Ausreo who was sporting a large overlapping genoa compared to our tiny No 3 jib. Once out of the wind shadow of Cockatoo Island we went high and made ground on Ausreo while in the distance we could see Joli and Meridian becalmed in the wind shadow off of Balmain. The sat there motionless for a long time which encouraged us to go even wider than usual. By a bit of luck the breeze freshened as we approached the point so the wind shadow blew away for a few moments and let us pass Ausreo to windward and just hold them out for the rest of the journey.

Joli and Meridian were first into the hole and first out so they made up some of their lost ground but then lost it again going around Goat Island the second time. On rounding Goat we were surprised to see the three leaders not far ahead. Again with a bit of luck we held out the small jib to windward and went very wide of Snails Bay so that we could give Long Nose a wide berth on the way home. Ausreo liked what we were doing and followed so we both made up ground.

Into Humbug we took the wide berth and headed for the Onion Point shore and made up a little more ground and at Onion Point flipped the jib out to windward again and headed for the line.

On fastest time this was one of our better performances and a handicap win is always appreciated. Much appreciated was that the rain held off apart from a little drizzle.

I am at a loss to understand how we got so far behind at the start and how we made up so much ground at the finish but it was a most pleasing race.

That was the last of the fine weather as Thursday and Friday conditions were not suitable for any construction work. I did a tiny bit of filleting and setting out partial bulkhead positions using the laser level but a very lille big indeed. The weather was so inclement that sailing at the ILCA Oceania Championships was abandoned on both days and we hope for better weater for them for the final two day.

The title applies to both the sailing and the boatbuilding. The sailing can be attributed in part to a very dirty hull which for various reasons remains unscrubbed. Hopefully that will be righted over the Christmas break and we will be back to form.

Despite the poor performance the absence from the fleet of several competitors means the results don’t look too bad provided you do not look at the elapsed times.

Last week the winds were the strongest of the season and with a No 3 jib and full main we survived with a crew of four and had a very quick trip twice around Goat island.

This week with a lighter breeze the dirty bottom was more of a handicap but it was nevertheless a pleasant trip around the islands.

On the boatbuilding front I am busy patching all the holes from the temporary fasteners, doing more torture boarding as my muscles will permit and filling in the wet days with work inside the hull with filleting the bulkheads to the hull.

The weather has been frustrating as the covers have to go on with the slightest rain and that upsets the rythm of the boatbuilding.

As of tonight the temporary fastener holes on the starboard side are fully patched with thickened epoxy and both sides of the hull have had a good workout with the torture board. The centre line join and the bow have been fibreglassed with three layer of 420 gsm double bias and the bow has been sanded ready for fairing filler.

The next job is to finish the hole filling on the port side and do a light sanding of the hull prior to more fairing filler. After that I will be happy to coat all the plywood with a sealing layer of epoxy resin.