Starting to Build a Rig

Now that we are settled in and the four-foot grass is mostly mowed down etc, the next thing to do is to start putting a rig on Corncake. We started by cutting out 2x4s into 1.5” strips for battens, then extra half inch thick strips to add to the other side of the polytarp sail as retaining battens. My theory was that if the retaining battens were firmly bound to the main batten, as well as fastened so that they were not free to move against each other in shear, they would have most of the strength of 2” thick battens. This very well may be too light scantlings and prove unsatisfactory. Time will tell.

We stained them a handsome red with some left over stain. If it looks blotchy and somebody says my stain job looks like a four-year-old did it, I can heartily agree.

Here you see yard on the right, with battens and the noodle-like retaining battens on the left

 With all the wood bits made, it was time to lay out the sail on a 15x30 white polytarp. The material isn't ideal, but I get the feeling this is not the final sail for Corncake, and if she sees enough use for the sun to bother it, that good for us! 

 Arne Kvernland drew this sail for me, for which I am very grateful. 

 Here you see the general idea. I slid the main batten under the sail, then lined up the fabric on top, laid on the skinny batten, and screwed through all with the supposedly high-quailty coated deck screws that resist corrosion bla bla bla. We'll see. 

I love a man with knobbly knees!

Then I tied double constrictor knots on nylon seine twine, poking through the sail cloth to bind the battens powerfully together.  I tied marlinspike hitches onto two spikes, stepping on one (on a wooden pad) and hauling on the other. I think this compresses the two together really nice, judging from the way the twine mashes the wood as it tightened. I only broke the twine once, whipping the living crap out of my right hand. 

When the parts are assembled, I find the result rather smart looking, if I do say so myself.  If anyone has an opinion about this, please let fly. My only doubt is when the retaining batten is on the weather side of the sail and it gets really windy. Will it hold up? 

When it was all done, I took the boat out to the yard and hauled up the naked sail, which immediately assumed its natural cocked position.  The sail weighed 70 lbs and the 3 part halyard allowed the kids to haul the sail up most of the way themselves. I would have no problem going four parts, but the friction would make the sail hard to get down, I think. 

Here the sail is restrained aft by a tack parrell. Lots of work remains to be done. Setting up batten parrells, proper topping lifts, and other running rigging. 

Full Circle

  After almost eight months out of the country we are back in town. Here's a recap of what we've been up to.

Outside Nanasca Hostel in Nazca, Peru

We tried out the backpacker's life in Peru. As you can see, its hard to pack light with two small kids. 

We tried to do as much couchsurfing as we could. 

Outside the city of Ica

 I absolutely fell in love with the desert.  The mountains were nice, too, but we didn't do any really intrepid backpacking there.

Uros Floating Islands

 We took one of those motor launch tours of lake Titicaca.  Here we stopped on the well known floating islands made of totora reeds.

They also use the reeds to make boats such as this real boat...

and this fake one, which they use to carry tourists from island to island. I believe they stuff them with soda bottles, so the ancient ones wouldn't have floated so nice. It was fun.  Very tourist-oriented, but still fun. they row these things pretty well between two. 

Here I am taking my trick at the oar.


We finally made it to my wife's home country of Uruguay, where we spent over six months.

Suzuki Maruti Alto 800

 We bought a car.

We explored the wide open spaces of Uruguay. It really is a wonderful place to explore. 

 
We did some car camping.

And installed ourselves on her family's orange farm.

We even got to do some sailing on a friend's boat on El Lago de Salto Grande.
It was six of the best months of my life. 

Now we are back home, getting settled, and getting ready for the next phase of life. Stay tuned for news about CORNCAKE and her sailing rig...