Feeling safer

After discovering that most of the harnesses made for kids use plastic snaps and buckles and are difficult to adjust and don, I decided to make my own for Jakob. The harness has worked so well (Jake even says it's comfortable and he prefers it over the life jacket) that I've decided to make the design available through this site.

This harness is more robust than any of the other child harnesses on the market, which makes sailing with children more enjoyable. Combined with a good tether and a solid anchor point, the harness keeps the child securely attached to the boat, with no worries about plastic snaps or buckles letting go in a fall.

The design uses 1" nylon webbing for the shoulder and crotch straps and 2" webbing for the chest strap. All hardware is stainless steel: 2" rings and a buckle for the chest strap, and 1" buckles for the shoulder and crotch straps. The webbing is doubled and sewn using v-92 thread. All stitches are tight, locked, and secure.

The stainless buckles allow easy adjustment without sacrificing security. Optional soft leather shoulder pads add comfort.

The harness can also be reversed to keep little hands from fidgeting with tether snap.








Contact me for more information if you'd like a harness for your child. Click here to send us email.

Daysail Aug. 2

A fresh wind out of the NW made for an invigorating afternoon sail.

Summer Cruise 2008

Dad and I returned from our summer cruise last night at about 8:30, 3.5 hours earlier than we'd promised.

Our northbound trip took us to Charlevoix and Beaver Island. Southbound included an all-nighter from Beaver Island to Arcadia. After that it was a relaxed cruise home. Approximate total distance = 550nm




Hopefully I'll be able to generate some cruise logs and update the site before school resumes.

I must down to the seas again

Beautiful day on the water yesterday. Wind 12-15. Blue sky. Sunshine. Temperature in the low 70s. Jake, Grandpa, and me.









Note Jake's new harness. Nice piece of work, if I do say so myself.

Dodger done

I wrapped up the dodger project this evening after finishing the contours of the leading edge and installing the fasteners. Things look good. I'm pleased. It feels great to have the project completed.










I'd like to get rid of the wrinkles just above the side windows. I thought I'd gotten rid of them when I attached the fasteners. Clearly something shifted when I installed the grab bars during the final step. Overall, though, I'm happy with the dodger.

Two days in a row

While Josh took a four hour nap, I finished sanding the interior of the CD10 - this time in the Tyvek suit.


Photo credit goes to Jake, who takes the hazardous material warning seriously and stays far away.

With the interior sanded, I propped the boat on its side and hosed it down to get rid of all the dust and debris.



Last night, before putting the boat away, Jake and I epoxied the drain hole in the bottom of the boat. We mixed up a batch of slightly thickened epoxy and topped up the hole. There's still some filling and fairing work to do when it's time to take care of the bottom.





I had noticed during sanding that the seat fillets were cracked and that the tabbing was a little loose, so once the hull had dried sufficiently I reinforced all four attachment points for each seat with fiberglass tabbing.



When work resumes, I'll give the tabbing a washdown and sanding before wiping down the interior of the hull with acetone in preparation for a layer of lightweight cloth. I happened to have a piece of cloth on hand that will cover the aft section.



Here's the original aft seat. I've decided to salvage most of the wood, partly to save money but also to preserve the boat's original character. Bits that are missing or too far gone will be replaced.

Jake's boat

The CD10, which I purchased almost four years ago, has been resurrected - if only temporarily.

With summer underway, I've been home with the boys for the past two weeks. Although I've managed to get a bit done, most of my time has been devoted to playing ladder golf, climbing trees, swinging, fishing, and riding bikes. Yesterday, at Jake's urging, we dragged the CD10 out of the garage and began work, stripping off the old, damaged gunwale and sanding the interior of the hull.

Between filling Jake's pool and keeping an eye on Josh, I sanded most of the interior in shorts and a t-shirt, generating a mess of dust in the process (I should have known better, but I was having so much fun I didn't give it a second thought - and I'm still itching).






Jake and Josh inspect the CD10, glad to be doing something with it.




Jake has made it clear that this is his boat, and he intends to do "whatever I want". He already seems to know that sailing means freedom and independence.

The plan at this point is to finish sanding the interior, give it a good cleaning, then lay in a lightweight fiberglass cloth. After fairing the surface, I'll turn my attention to the exterior, which is a mess of crazing, flaking paint and gel coat. I think the exterior will get about the same treatment as the interior: a lightweight fiberglass cloth and fairing.

Once the hull is sound, I'll turn my attention to converting the CD10, originally a rowing version, to a sailing dinghy, cutting a slot for the centerboard and building a trunk. Unless I can get some information from other CD10 owners, the centerboard size and location will involve a little guesswork. I've gleaned enough pictures off of the internet to make a pretty good guess, but it would be nice to have some detail shots of the centerboard trunk and a few measurements.

After all that's done, it will be time for paint. When will that happen? Jake asked basically the same question and I gave the project a one-year timetable. We'll see. For the moment, we're having fun.

And when it ceases to be fun, there will always be swinging, ladder golf, bike riding, fishing, relaxing in the hammock, swimming, climbing trees....

Ah, summer. Yes.

First sail of 2008

Father's day arrived a day early.

I managed to get Ariel's rig tuned and other items taken care of on Friday so she was ready for the first sail of 2008 on Saturday. The day couldn't have been nicer. A gentle 10-12 knot breeze blew from the south out of a clear blue sky, the temp was about 70, and the water flat.

What a way to start the season - and celebrate Father's day. (Dad, you should have been here!)