Terrific Work Weekend! April 20, 2008

What a terrific Work Weekend! April 18-20, 2008

Jack vanArsdale, Whitney Stewart and Warren "Guy" Stewart worked non-stop this Saturday and Sunday to accomplish many important tasks for preparing Kelly IV for the new Season. After a great breakfast at "The Better Half", our new breakfast standard in Sandusky, this great crew draped plastic sheeting around the entire boat, stem to stern, so the dust from sanding wouldn't foul the neighboring boats. Then they sanded the entire bottom below the water line and pressure washed the dust of the entire hull. Jack loaned his pressure washer to make this happen!

Once sanded, Warren filled in the cracks on the rudder and the entire crew painted the bottom with 3 coats of Petit Hydrocoat Ablative Paint. The first coat was blue, followed by 2 coats of black. The purpose of the different colors is that if/when we see the blue bottom paint, then we know we need more paint!

There is a ton of exposed wood on the outside of this beautiful sailboat. That didn't intimidate this terrific crew! Warren and Jack coated every square inch of wood surface with teak oil while Whitney followed to clean the area so no drips or spills could be seen. Please understand the work this involved:

Dirty Teak

Oiled Teak

A band of teak 3 to 6 inches wide surrounds the entire cockpit, the handrails across the cabin top from foredeck to cockpit are all teak, the cockpit stowage bins in the coamings have teak surrounds, there is a teak highlight about 1/2" high that surrounds the cabintop, the companionway drop boards are teak, the three cabintop hatches are all mounted on teak, the winches, rope clutches, anchor roller and cleats are all mounted on teak pads. I've probably missed several other exposed teak areas, but this crew coated all of it with teak oil! The good news is that the canvas covers do keep the sun and weather from damaging the wood after the great effort of Jack, Whitney and Warren.

As if this wasn't enough for a Saturday, this team also replaced a cracked portlight in the forward starboard cabin, lead by Whitney. The new portlight was tested immediately by a rainstorm and proved to be entirely weatherproof!

"Guy" models the new "Kelly IV Crew" T-shirt 

Once the crew cleaned up and showered, they donned the Inaugural Release of the Brand new "Kelly IV Crew" T-Shirts! With all four of us looking like Smurfs (the Original Blue Man Group - to help the younger crowd) we headed into town to pick up some hardware and tools for the Sunday work. After a fun and relaxing dinner at Max & Erma's with the most beautiful and attentive waitress, Jenna, we retired to Kelly IV for a well-deserved rest.

On Sunday we enjoyed our breakfast at "The Better Half" again and began our work for more preparation of Kelly IV. Warren applied the heat gun and removed the venerable and wonderful name of "Raconteur". It was the sad end of an era, but none of us is the "Raconteur" that Mr. Don Slessman, prior owner is. Kelly IV's new name will be added in a few weeks so she enters the water with her new appellation. While "Guy" prepped Kelly IV for her new moniker, Whitney and Jack completely cleaned and cleared the dust and cobwebs of 3 seasons on the hard.  "Raconteur" was last on the water (ignoring her delivery) in September 2005.  Jack, Whitney and Guy all pulled out the carpet, emptied the drawers, cleared out duplicate tools and hardware, and possibly most important: served as Kelly IV's conscious for keeping the boat clean and open. The new Lifesling and old boom were rigged, while the mainsail was wrapped in her sail cover and stored on deck, opening the cabin for further work. In fact, they even reorganized the entire tool bag and all the screws, blocks, bins, clevis and cotter pins, engine parts, emergency equipment, cabin carpet, every drawer, locker, and surface in our now-clean sloop! Warren lead a team effort to mount the old Loran, new GPS, and a small compass in a very cool cockpit mounting that enables the helmsman to steer from the side as well as the stern.

Close-up of Kelly IV T-shirt logo

After a relaxing dinner and farewell at Chili's, the Stewart's headed for Erie and St. Mary's while Jack & I drove off to Zelienople.

At this point, Kelly IV only needs her new handle on the transom and she can be splashed. There is much more work to be done, but almost all of it can be done after she is in her slip.

Here's a GREAT BIG THANK YOU to Jack, Warren, and Whitney for a superhuman effort to accomplish more than could ever be expected. You can be certain you more than earned your new Kelly IV T-Shirts this weekend!

Cruising World Recognizes Kelly III - February 20, 2008

Cruising World Recognizes Kelly III Cruising Lake Erie!

Cruising World magazine published a link to my online log posted on their website.  Unfortunately, they have rebuilt their website and their post about the log entry has gone missing.  A copy of the paper issue is Posted Here.

For the log post that caught the eye of Cruising World, Click Here.

Kelly IV - Delivery of New-to-Me Cruising Sailboat - September 23, 2007

My thanks to the hardworking crew of Bill Paviol, Sarah Paviol, Keith Otto, and Bob Zimmerman. And Especially the former Owner, Don Slessman! Don joined us for the sail and kept a positive attitude even though I tried to dunk him 5 miles off shore! I'll explain that in a minute.

The 5 of us from Pittsburgh all drove over Friday evening, Sept 14 in the van, so we arrived together, found a neat Czech restaurant for a late night snack in Vermilion, OH, then moved aboard Raconteur (soon to be Kelly IV), the 1979 Endeavour 32 cruising sloop to sleep for the evening.

Raconteur

At dawn we all visited Kathy's Kitchen for a great breakfast, then we got to work, moving sailing gear, reorganizing gear on board, replacing some old rigging lines, and finally getting underway for our delivery trip moving Raconteur from Vermilion to Sandusky. Unfortunately, the fuel line stopped delivering diesel about 30 minutes into the trip, but at least we were well out into the lake, so tight maneuvering was not necessary and sailing was a great option. We raised the main but had to jury rig the Genoa (Hood's furling dealer didn't ship the parts we needed so the furler couldn't be used. We had a terrific sail for almost 2 hours, but without the furler, we couldn't point upwind very well. That wouldn't have mattered, except that the wind was out of the northwest, yes, exactly the direction we were headed! Even though the forecast said the wind would gradually grow weaker, we experienced an escalating wind. In fact, we were heeled over so much at one point that Don, on the leeward side of the cockpit had an excellent view as the water completely washed the side deck and nearly dunked our new found friend and crew mate! Well, after a couple hours, the jury-rigged jib halyard failed by cutting itself off about 15 inches from the head of the jib. We assume it was rubbing on one of the shrouds near the masthead.

The solution was to call TowBoat/US and take advantage of my unlimited towing coverage. A terrific tow boat operator then towed us the last 15 miles into our slip at Sandusky Bay Harbor Marina. It was a lazy, comfortable ride. Bill and Sarah graciously took the van from Vermilion to Sandusky so we'd have a ride back home and met us at the slip, helping tie us into our new "home".

Bob, Bill, Keith with the "new" Endeavour 32

Don took us to the best pizza in Sandusky, Cameo's Family Pizza, not far from the marina. Afterward, Don drove home and we returned for our second night sleeping aboard the soon-to-be Kelly IV.

We awoke to a brilliant sunrise, checked out the facilities in our new marina (they have a pool! Closed after Labor Day, though). We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast at our soon to be favorite breakfast place, "Better Half". It is a fun place with one half designed for the wife's interests, the other for the hubby's interest. Next door they have a great ice cream bar, so we know we'll be back!

Murph with his new-to-him Endeavour 32

Although there are a number of jobs to be done, the boat is mostly in great shape so the work isn't nearly what would be required by a much lesser boat of this age (28 years).

Keep your eyes on the schedule coming out next spring! We'll be sailing the Erie Islands and Canada in western Lake Erie and I would very much like you to join us! Here is a link to learn a little about the islands: Click Here.

Exterior View of Kelly IV

Sloop Rigged 1979 Endeavour 32

Return to CaptMurph's Sailboat

 

Interior View

Foredeck

Aft Deck

Port Topside

Port Side Deck

Starboard Side Deck

Whisker Pole and Genoa

Mainsail and Jib

Helm Station, Cockpit

Foredeck

Starboard Topsides

Cabin Top

Drifter, genoa and mainsails all flying

Interior View of Kelly IV

1979 Endeavour 32 Sailboat

Return to CaptMurph's Sailboat

Exterior View

Galley

Starboard Cabin

V-Berth Forward

Head

Composting Toilet

Portside Cabin

Cabin Table

Portside Quarterberth

Endeavour 32 - “Kelly IV”

Sailing and Cruising 2007 to 2016

"Kelly IV", Captain Murph's full-time cruising boat, was an Endeavour 32.  He bought her in September 2007 when she was known as "Raconteur", as she was called by her owner of 18 years, Don Slessman. Captain Murph sailed the Erie Islands and western Lake Erie out of Sandusky Harbor Marina in Sandusky Bay, Ohio until 2010.  Erie, PA was home port for "Kelly IV".

Interior View

Exterior View

The Endeavour 32 "Kelly IV" was designed by Ted Irwin and Bob Johnson and built in 1979 by Endeavour Yachts, now out of business.  Kelly's length overall is 32'4" with a beam of  10' and draws 5' displacing over 11,700 pounds so she is a very stable, seaworthy small vessel capable of sleeping up to 6 people.  As "Kelly IV" is rigged, she typically sleeps 3 or 4 adults, all in single berths.  As a US Coast Guard Documented Vessel with a large roller furling Genoa, fully battened mainsail, and a very light drifter, "Kelly IV" is easy to sail, yet can avoid using the engine in lighter airs as little as 5 knots.  In a decent breeze of 12 knots, "Kelly IV" can easily make over 5 knots.  Her slender beam enables her to cut cleanly and quickly through the water.

Since buying "Kelly IV", Captain Murph has provided many significant equipment upgrades:

•2013: Added 75 feet of 1/4" HT Grade 40 galvinized chain, shackled to the existing 300 feet of 1/2" nylon rode.  Due to shallow anchoring depths in the Chesapeake, this amounts to an all-chain rode.  Replaced stern navigation light with an LED nav light mounted on the radar post well above the aftmost solar panel.  The old stern light was on the transom and not as visible when the dinghy was raised on the davits.  Replaced engine/starter battery with an AGM, now all batteries are AGM.  Installed new electronic gauge for the fresh water tank so level can be measured without opening the inspection port under the v-berth mattress.  Two additional 12 volt fans so now every bunk has it's own fan.  LinkPro battery monitor installed to enable closer tabs on battery status.

•2012: Two new AGM 105AH house batteries.  Seven new LED cabin lights including red lamps for maintaining night vision.  Three new 12v cabin fans to keep us cool at anchor, replacing the older, louder, less efficient fans.

•2011: New Solar Panels (2 panels x 130 watts each), MPPT Charge Controller, Garmin 740s radar & chartplotter w/mount, and depthsounder.  Zippers and window in Bimini to accomodate the solar panel mounted on the bimini and enable a view of the mainsail & masthead.  New storm anchor, 300 feet of new nylon anchor rode, 35 feet of 5/16" anchor chain, 4 new half inch nylon dock lines (75 feet long, each), new Torqeedo electric outboard motor, spare battery, and solar charger for battery, new dinghy davits, 2 new portlights and lee cloth in v-berth, new backup bilge pump, 2 new bilge pump hoses, new manual diesel pump for the jerry cans, 4 lengths of 1/4" galvanized chain (each 6 feet long) for chafe protection of docklines on steel or concrete sea walls.  During the 2011 Cruise through Canada, a new fender board of PVC pipe was added.

•2010: New portable electric fridge, added fire extinguisher port to engine compartment, new Portland Pudgy sailing & rowing dinghy & lifeboat, new Yanmar 3YM20 motor, new AM/FM/USB/SD Stereo system, new deck fill for water tank, new hot water heater, new electrical panels (AC & DC), new AC battery charger, new additional 30 amp shore power plug for separate air conditioning circuit, new faucet & shower, 3 new vents, new remote fuel gauge, whisker pole, drifter, foam luff sewn into genoa, new composting head.

•2009: New dodger, lazy jacks that raise and lower from the cockpit, new radar reflector, new lee cloths for cabin berths.

•2008: New water pump, new overhead stainless steel handrail running the length of the main cabin.
Important and useful equipment on board from 2005 or before includes a Gori 3-blade folding prop; rope clutches for 10 lines running to the cockpit; 35 pound CQR anchor on roller; all 10 cabin ports open; 2 large overhead hatches in addition to the companionway; 2 air conditioners; 2 burner propane stove & oven, rail mounted propane barbecue, pressure water, Windscoop.

Other items on board:
Life Jackets for 6 adults, 4 children
Emergency whistles for 4
Emergency personal lights for 4
Jacklines, 2 harnesses, 2 tethers
Dinghy  (lifeboat)
MOB Lifesling
Emergency Flares
Handheld VHF Radio
Handheld GPS
Space Blanket
Flashlights
Pots, pans, cooking utensils
Flatware for 4
Plates and bowls for 4
Cocktail table for the cockpit
Dining table in main cabin
Endeavour 32 Specifications:
Length - 32'  
Year - 1979
Type - Sloop
LOA - 32'4"
LWL - 25'6"
Beam - 10'0"
Draft - 5'
Displacement - 11,700#
Ballast - 5,300#
Sail area - 470 sq ft
Mast clearance (air draft) - 43 ft
I = 39'6" = mast height from deck
J = 13'0" = headstay base
P = 34'6" = mainsail luff
E = 12'0" = mainsail foot length
Headstay Length = 41.6' (calculated)
Genoa 155 = 397 sq ft
Main = 207 sq ft
Drifter = 360 sq ft
Roller Furler with 155 Genoa
Whisker Pole, 13 – 23 ft OAL
Headroom: 6'3"
Berths: 6 (2 singles, 2 doubles)
Fuel, diesel: 51 gallons, total; 2 tanks, 18 gallons each; 3 jerry cans, 5 gallons each
Water: 65 gallons
Head:  Composting – no pumpout required, no odors
Engine - new 2010, Yanmar 3YM20, 3 cylinder, 20 hp
Starting Battery:  1, AGM deep cycle, 12v, Group 27, 92 Amp Hours
House Batteries:  2, AGM deep cycle, 12v, Group 31, 105 Amp Hours (210 AH total)
D/L Ratio: 315
SA/D Ratio: 14.59
BAL/D Ratio: 42.73%
L/B - 3.23:1
LWL/Beam 2.55
Capsize Ratio: 1.76
Motion Comfort: 30.38
Theoretical Hull Speed: 6.8 knots
Angle of vanishing stability: 114°

Kelly III's Final Sail - June 8-10, 2007

Bill and daughter Sarah Paviol brought Nino Forlini with them for the final sail of Kelly III under my ownership! The new owner takes possession June 16.

Bill, Nino and Sarah (9 years old) took their respective bunks aboard and settled in on Friday night. Sarah got first choice (since she was queen for the weekend) and selected the v-berth. Nino was left with the quarter berth after Bill took the starboard berth in the main cabin.

Murph, Brig Niagara, Nino sailing Lake Erie

We all went to breakfast in Erie, then slipped the dock lines and sailed eastward toward Barcelona, NY. It was a quiet sail with a bit of motoring, but finally enough wind came to our aid so we had some episodes of nice sailing. Nino is quickly becoming an experienced sailor, even though this was only his second trip on a sailboat. Last year he joined Kelly III for a sail to Conneaut, OH. Nino seems to have a knack for quickly understanding and doing what is needed at the right time . . . he's a natural!

We sailed into Barcelona harbor recalling the very shallow depths and carefully staying within the green buoys and going very, very slowly (less than 1.5 knots). Regardless, the mud pulled us to a stop until the skipper on a moored sailboat gave us the local knowledge we needed to stay in deeper water and settle into a berth at the gas dock. It was the first time Kelly III stayed on the east side of the harbor, in the small marina where we once met the owner/builder of a Tahiti Ketch. After we had tied up and settled the boat for the evening, the marina owner came by to collect his fees and give us a key to the head and showers. He's an 80-year old salt who knew everything about all the people he had met in this harbor over the years. It was a real treat to spend some time with him. He had recently lost a friend to cancer, but his friend's boat was left to him to cover the costs owed as the marina owner had provided slip, storage and other services without pay for some years. We were given the chance to climb around the older 33 footer, but it was difficult to determine what shape she was in. The gear was definitely circa 1960, so it would be an expensive refit, if someone bought her.

Bill and Nino then put on their Chef's hats and cooked up a terrific dinner on Kelly III's propane grill and alcohol stove. The steaks were excellent and the fresh bread dipped in virgin olive oil and vinegar was superb. Bill's attempt at painkiller's was less than notable without Jim's expert guidance, but all the other drinks filled the gap. As always, Sarah was the penultimate sailor and crew as she did whatever she was called upon to do. And always with good cheer, just like Nino and Bill!

NOAA Chart of Barcelona Harbor, NY

We also met the skipper who shared his local knowledge with us. It turns out he's originally from Titusville, sold his fledgling cable business, bought the hull and built his boat in 1978. From his humble beginnings in Barcelona Harbor, he sailed around the world on the boat he was working on when he spoke up about where the deep water was. He has sailed 3 times around the world, met his wife in the South Pacific and continued sailing with her. It is truly amazing the terrific people we have met on our humble adventures around Lake Erie.

Our sail back the next morning was wonderful as our motoring was soon replaced by a building breeze until we were sailing along at 4 to 6 knots with a reefed jib! Again, we got some nice photos of the brig Niagara as she was out sailing in the lake waters off Erie, PA.

Nino certainly enjoys sailing!