Dan Reich Cruises On

From Peter Reich:

Got a coat on the cap rail yesterday. Very special formula. 60% Epiphanes,40% Gleam, 1 teaspoon Dan's ashes.

Tug Spotting

Thistle 37VT46 and Victory 37VT02 get together at Bob Allnutt's dock in St Mary's, Maryland.

Hiaqua in Coffman Cove, AK

From Randy Miller, Hiaqua 37VT03:  

Amazing sunset at 9:30 in small, non-native fishing community, pop 200. We spent the evening in their tiny bar  the local favorite drink:  Duck Farts (a shot of Crown Royal, splash of Kahula & Baileys). Yum!

37' LNVT Bulwark thicknesses

Repairing the Caprail Trim Board

With the hawsepipe out and that caprail trim board removed I considered it a good time to grab my calipers and gather some data.

Measuring the Bulwark Thickness

[These numbers will help] if someone wants to use that caprail trim board for pad eyes to support fenders.

Hawsepipe and Bulwark Measurements

The tape on the left recorded the thickness of the hawsepipe insertion point.  The vertical center tape recorded those thicknesses where the inner bulwark is recessed.  The vertical tape on the left held the readings for the full thickness bulwark.

The hollow cavity behind the trim board is one inch deep.

There is little strength there and should one want to tap into the fiberglass it would provide the distance needed and with it should go a caution of not to go too deep as one will soon come out the inner edge of the bulwark.

That is the way Thistle Dew was set up and that is what lead to the breaks in that piece when fenders would get fouled around a piling, ladder, etc.

I intend to abandon that technique and go to a couple of fender clips. If they don't fall overboard and become completely lost, they should give me more flexibility in setting the fenders and also eliminate the possibility of another fracture.

Tom Blackwood
Thistle Dew, 37VT46

2018 East Coast Rendezvous

Fram 37VT71 just arrived in Burlington, VT to attend the 2018 Rendezvous.
Roger Lee and his crew may be a month early, but they'll be there. How
about you? Check out the planned events and all details for the 20-22 July
rendezvous at:
http://tugin-east.wikidot.com

Hope to see you there!

Tug spotting

Salty Paws 37VT66 is in Shelter Island NY on a Teddy Bear's 37VT15 mooring.
That's Bob Ewing being greeted by Peter Reich. It sure is a wonderful
thing to see Peter as he has been quite ill this past year.

Tug spotting

John William 37VT68 was recently seen in the Abacos. Looks pretty nice there!

Tug spotting

Hiaqua 37VT03 is enjoying their cruising in Alaska.

Lessons Learned--The Sinking of a Nordhaven

"Experience is a harsh teacher: She gives the test first and then teaches the lesson later." 

DNR Photo of Ghost Rider

Here's an excellent blog posting from Ghost Rider, a Nordhaven 47, recapping the incidents that led to the boat striking a jetty and subsequently sinking.