Snow finally gave in and let our early spring temperatures melt the banks and piles left in the woods and on the north sides of any structure.
The floats are in, the crew with duffel bags in hand have climbed aboard eager to get Angelique ready for the season. Hours of sanding, painting and varnishing will occupy their time for the next few weeks. Those that step aboard Angelique when they finish will be rewarded with a shiny new coat of paint and varnish.
Soon, the crew will be in the rig, hanging blocks, running halyards, stepping topmasts and bending sails, all in preparation of heading “out there” where vessels belong. Our first trip will be to the shipyard in a couple of weeks to haul out, clean and paint the bottom and have our yearly Coast Guard inspection.
Last year, Rick and Scott who enjoy sailing with us during the season came up and gave us a hand in laying the new deck for a couple of days. We were quite delighted when they wanted to come up again this year and lend a hand with spring outfitting. We let them loose on the windless which was showing signs of ware, what better project for two engineers? A few sketches later they came up with a solution to fix our wandering hydraulic motor that drives the 130 year old windless put to task to haul the anchor and chain. We are happy to report that their work was done in jig time and with outstanding results. I have said all along, one of the best things about the windjamming business is the people we get to meet. Thanks Scott and Rick for your efforts and enthusiasm!
Crew members, Andrew, Shelly, Chad, Chris, Rick and Scott getting Angelique ready for the 2008 season.
