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CHAPTER 1
Houston, Texas
CHAPTER 2
Kemah, Texas
CHAPTER 3
Kemah, Texas
CHAPTER 4
Galveston, Texas
CHAPTER 5
Seabrook, Texas
CHAPTER 6
Seabrook, Texas
CHAPTER 7
At Sea - Gulf of Mexico
CHAPTER 8
At Sea - Gulf of Mexico
CHAPTER 9
At Sea - Gulf of Mexico
CHAPTER 10
At Sea - Gulf of Mexico
CHAPTER 11
Port Fourchon, Louisiana
CHAPTER 12
Cut Off, Louisiana
CHAPTER 13
Cut Off, Louisiana
CHAPTER 14
Cut Off, Louisiana
CHAPTER 15
Houma, Louisiana
CHAPTER 16
Houma, Louisiana
CHAPTER 17
Houma, Louisiana
SPINDRIFT - CHAPTER 2
Kemah, Texas
July 30, 2000
Well, we had our boat. But now would begin the long and arduous task of getting her ready to go to sea. Because most boats end up just sitting at the dock and never going anywhere except an occasional Sunday afternoon outing into the local bay, and to keep boat manufacturing costs down, they lack many things necessary for a safe and comfortable ocean passage or trip of any significance. Spinfrift was no exception.
Having owned two sailboats before, one a 43 foot catamaran in Costa Rica and the other a 27 foot monohull in France, we were well aware of the work and expense ahead of us. In fact it would take us the next three years to get Spindrift seaworthy and at a cost well over double what we initially paid for her. Boats are like that.
Because so many of us would be confined to such a small space, our initial challenge would be finding ways of taking making the most of her space below deck. Forward, in the V berth we built shelves out of marine plywood for Sally & Silvies' clothes. We also converted a space between the two berths into a locker for stowing gear.
The nav station was completely eliminated as we transformed it into the roomiest stowage area aboard, the pantry. This would also serve as a place to stow our nautical charts. In the head we built shelves below the sink for storage of toilet articles. Shelves were added to already existing port and starboard lockers to accomodate boat gear. A shelf was added just over the main salon seats and another below the galley sink. We built sliding drawers in the space where the oven would have gone under the alchohol Marine stove we bought. Spindrift would have no oven. No space for it.
Either side of the engine we built two "wells" for the eventual stowage of books thus keeping weight low and in the center of the boat. We tore out the two flimsy plexiglass windows that the manufacturer had put in and replaced them with 1/2' Lexan. This stuff is over 20 times stronger, will stop a bullet and is virtually indestructible! We replaced all nine cabin lights and built a compartment beneath the companionway steps for two more batteries bring Spindrift's total to four. We replaced the bilge pump and float switch.
Above deck, we re-seated all through-deck fittings. This in itself was a job that took many many weekends with all the multitude of things to be taken off, cleaned and reinstalled: stanchons, forward pulpit, aft rail, cleats, padeyes, deck plates, chain plates, 6 ports, 2 hatches, blocks, etc. At this time we also upgraded their washers and manufactured backing plates for the many things that had none. We had to deal with a big problem of water accumulating beneath the central air conditioner and which smelled very foul indeed. It turned out the raw water strainer was leaking and water was accumulating below the AC as well beneath as the salon seating. We did a thourough cleaning and replaced all hose clamps.
We were able to get a discount from a local boat store for being new boat owners. This discount would save us literally thousands of dollars over the next 6 months.
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"The cabin of a small yacht is truly a wonderful thing. Not only will it shelter you from the tempest, but from the other troubles of life. It is a safe retreat."
L. Francis Herreshoff