Spring commissioning

As is clear from the dates of the previous entries I lost my enthusiasm for contemporaneous narration. The frames and planking were completed, and the boat was launched late in August 2009. Its launching was marred by one seam from which the caulking fell out before the hull swelled. The leak was pretty dramatic, but she made it safely back to the Frank Hall Boat Yard, to be hauled, recaulked and relaunched.

The boat was tight and dry that fall when at the dock, but as soon as it got underway, there was a substantial leak near the stem. In December 2009, I brought the boat to Dodson's Boatyard, because it was the only yard still operating, to be hauled and transported back to Taylor and Snediker's shop. They found a joint between the stem and gripe in which the stopwater had not been correctly placed, when she was built. It just so happened that the joint was above the actual waterline when she was moored, but below it when she sailed. At first, the mating parts shut out the sea, but over the years, the two butting planks slowly developed enough checks so the stopwater was needed, and it proved insufficient to the task. The joint was reworked by Scott Gifford, and the boat saw a reasonably full season in 2010.

Overall, this year's commissioning has been really easy. Rune was launched on 4/10/11, and the hull swelled quickly to eliminate the minor leaking. Her masts were stepped on 4/19, and she has moved to her summer dock. I am finishing the Spring Checklist, and the varnish team from T&S is waiting for enough sequential sunshine to finish the topsides and brightwork.