First great sail of the season

On Saturday my brother and I had a great day sailing on Lake Michigan.

Skies were partly cloudy, winds 15-20 mph with waves 2-4 feet.

The waves were pretty choppy and had the occasional 6 footer with white caps as we motored out of the harbor. We considered turning back, but once we got the sails up and away from the harbor things settled down a lot and the sailing was great.

Before heading out we took care of a few tasks.

We installed the new stainless steel counter/back splash in the new galley.

To get the new counter going I took a lot of measurements, drew it up in AutoCAD, printed it full size and brought the full size print to the boat to make sure it fit properly. After a couple iterations to insure the CAD file was perfect, it was laser cut from 16 gauge, #4 finish, 304 stainless steel. The counter/backsplash and tray were cut in the flat and the sides were formed.


Laser cut, but the back-splashes not yet formed.


Installed. (Still need to finish trim the galley.)

We also reinstalled the original shelf that was just inside companionway that my brother refinished and slightly redesigned. Now we have a convenient spot for the binoculars and hand held wing speed gauge.

We installed the self adhesive 1/8″ rubber neoprene to replace the non slip that was on the companionway steps that I bought on eBay.

My brother had oiled and varnished the cabin sole and cabinetry over the past several weeks. It looks great.

We now have plenty of cup holders on board. We added one each to the stern seats and friends gave me some really nice clamp-on ones for Christmas.