Category: From Dream to Reality

Relaunch Day dawned, and almost 100 family members and friends came to share this special event.

Hugh said a few words: “Four and a half years ago I came home from the Maine Boatbuilders Show and asked Pam if we could sell the alpacas, house and farm, quit our jobs, and go live on a boat.

She said, “I could do that!”

So this is a big day for us.  While we didn’t do the heavy lifting, we have worked on our new home almost every day we weren’t at work or on vacation.  It has been an absolute delight to have worked with Chip and Scott of Six River Marine.

As you can see their workmanship is extraordinary.  They are highly skilled, and easily tackled many challenges to transform a tired old boat into a sturdy and safe work of art.

They replaced every plank and frame, rebuilt the transom, stem, and part of the keel.  Almost everything inside was hauled out and reinstalled.

KATIE MACK was built in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1932.  She has a fascinating history, from running Canadian whisky during Prohibition, making fishing trips to Alaska, and entertaining Hollywood celebrities.  A detailed history can be found on the tables, along with coffee, pastries,  and other snacks. Please help yourselves.

Because she is not a new boat and we didn’t change her name, this is not a traditional christening, so there will be no champagne bottle smashing!  Seafaring tradition requires some libation to the gods of the sea, so we will be pouring some Harwood Canadian whisky over the bow and into the water over the stern.

Our original plan was to sail off into the sunset to tropical isles, but things change and we will be spending the winter in Martha’s Vineyard, then back to Maine for a summer of exploring!

Thanks again for coming.  It means a lot to Pam and me to share this celebration with you all.”

While standing on the bow, I said the blessing: “Bless this ship and all who sail on her.  May you have fair winds and following seas.

Almost 40 years ago, Hugh introduced me to Ratty’s belief that, “There is nothing, absolutely nothing, half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats!”

The four-sling travel lift lowered her into the water, and KM floated off!  She was moved over to the dock so guests could climb aboard for a good look.  Seams swelled nicely, but water came in around the stuffing box (where the propeller shaft goes from inside to outside the boat),  sounding like a babbling brook!  Bilge pumps all got a good workout, but she remained afloat.

See the two little wood screws perched on the trim in the photo below?  At some point before the transport from Six River Marine, someone left two screws sitting on the shelf in the utility room. They made the whole trip from the boatyard, onto the travel lift, and into the water — a fine testament to the care that went into transporting and relaunching our new home.

We spent much of the rest of the day finding a place for everything, and putting everything in its place. For example, the saloon went from this:

To this:

Soon, the rest of our living space was shaping up.

After nearly four years on the hard at Six River Marine, KATIE MACK was finally ready for transport to Yankee Marina on the Royal River in Yarmouth.

Bucky Wooster and his team from DaytonMarine arrived, backed the trailer into the shed,  and set to work loading her.

Bucky drove sloooowly down the middle — or over to either side — of the roads, depending on low-hanging branches or wires.  Royal Road to Route 9, through the centers of North Yarmouth and Cumberland, down Tuttle Road to Rt 88.  Pam drove ahead to Yankee Marina to watch KATIE MACK, with heart pounding, make her way down the hill.  Finally, she was settled onto jackstands.

There was still a lot of work to be done — we were at the yard until 10:30 before spending our last night on the dirt for a while.

Scott and Chip jokingly tell us that KATIE MACK left the building twice: once on Bucky’s trailer, and the rest of her in this dumpster.

Through Spring 2017, Hugh and I continued to work 2-4 days each week, and all other days were spent at the boatyard.  At the end of June, I decided to work on KATIE MACK full time — 7 days/week, while Hugh worked 2-3 days/week until the beginning of September.  When not at work, he, too, was at the boatyard. It has been not only exhausting but also exhilarating to see the progress!

We are using George Kirby, Jr Paints — a family-run company in New Bedford, MA since 1846. Their semi-gloss vintage colors are fantastic and their service is unparalleled — when we call for more paint, it is delivered the next day!

All interior painted and varnished pieces that could be removed were brought up to the prep, varnish, and paint rooms. Cupboards and doors, screens, stairs, hatches, shelves, and lots and lots of trim were prepped and painted “Sand”, “Maynard Bray Off White”, “Mist”, or “Reddish”, or varnished with Interlux “Satin”, then prepped and painted or varnished again.  At least two coats on everything.  I’ve built up eight coats of Awlgrip M3131 high gloss varnish on the handrails, as well as masts and booms for both KATIE MACK and our sailing dinghy, SAMARIA.  The dinghy needed two coats of “Red” paint on her hull , and two coats of “Grayling Gray” on her interior, daggerboard, and rudder, and multiple coats of high gloss varnish on her rails and seats.  This is all so much easier to do in a good workspace, and we cannot thank Chip and Scott enough for encouraging us to do as much of the interior work as we have.  We feel so much more “invested” in this labor of love than if EVERYTHING were being done for us.

Meanwhile, Hugh got all the electrical pieces ready for Tim Carolan, the marine electrician, to connect to the AC and DC breaker panels.  We are trying to keep “the look” as original as possible, but there are newer navigation and safety features and alarms that we are adding, as well as a one-drawer refrigerator, a cooler-sized freezer, a water heater, and a microwave.  Hugh also installed the electric windlass to make hauling up to 300 feet of anchor chain and a 45 lb. CQR anchor a LOT easier!

Next up was to prep and paint/varnish all the interior bulkheads and trim in the galley, saloon, passageway, head, and stateroom,  while trying to stay out from underfoot as Chip, Scott, Matt, and Brandon affixed the cap-, toe-, whale- and quarter-rails, then taped, sanded, and varnished the pilothouse and cap and toe rails.  Multiple coats, of course!

The hull was ready to be watered down, so a plastic sheet was taped just below the rails,  sawdust was swept in piles underneath, and watered down, and the wood swelled nicely.  The stem had dried out enough that it had a “saline drip” running from a jug.  Once the seams were tight, the hull was primed and then

 

 

 

the topsides received three coats of white semi-gloss paint.  The bottom paint is two coats of dark red signal coat covered with two coats of black ablative paint by Sea Hawk.  As the black wears off  we’ll know it’s time to repaint when we start seeing the red undercoat.  The running gear is painted with orange anti-fouling ePaint, designed especially for protecting underwater metal.

Mark, the diesel mechanic, began readying the engine: he replaced the fuel hoses, installed a crankcase air ventilation filter, plumbed the water heater, replaced the fuel pump impeller, hooked up the raw water intake and telltale . . .  until it was time for him to go moose hunting.   Good news is he and his niece each got their moose — over 1,300 lbs of good eating — and he will be back this week to finish up.

The crew painted the pilot house- and cabin-top “Mist”, the exterior deck trim “Pearl Gray”, and the decks “Slate Gray”.  System Three polycarbonate grit was added to the second coat of “Slate” to provide a safer, non-skid surface, with smooth “channels” around the edges to allow for better water runoff.

 

 

 

 

Since the visor was delaminating, a new one has been made of Alaskan yellow cedar.  It has been painted “Bronze Green”, along with some trim around the pilot house and cabin top.  The visor will be installed “soon”, along with whatever remains on the punch list, as Bucky is scheduled to pick up KATIE MACK on Friday afternoon and transport her to Yankee Marina for Saturday’s relaunching at 10 AM.  If you are reading this, consider yourself invited!

 

Oh, what a feeling it was to walk out of the closing on our house on April 8, 2017, knowing we were a major step closer to realizing our dream of moving aboard KATIE MACK.  Anyone who has sold a family home knows what a “chafe” it is to list it, clear out as much clutter as possible, and clean it for every showing.  Thank goodness for Tom Kruzshak and his team at Sotheby’s International Realty.

Once the offer came in and was accepted, the real nailbiting began as contracts, appointments for inspections, reports, and negotiations flew back and forth. Since the closing was in April, and the boat wasn’t near completion, we had to find a short term/month-to-month furnished rental in the area,

secure a climate-controlled storage space,

and hire a moving company.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

We moved into the rental in a freak slushy snowstorm with the help of a U-haul van with bald tires.  Thank goodness for good neighbors, as Brian pulled the van up the hill to the end of the driveway.

Whatever hadn’t gone into storage two days earlier, went to the rental, Goodwill, or the dumpster.  And finally, we cleaned, and cleaned and cleaned the house some more, right up to a few hours before the closing.

SOLD!

In June 2016, Hugh decided to retire in order to devote all his time to KATIE MACK. He reinstalled the foredeck hardware (windlass), started painting the galley, fabricated and installed the soapstone base for the Shipmate wood/cookstove, added new insulation around the Shipmate, prepped the cabinets for countertop installation, painted the inside of the galley cabinets, back-painted the planks of the hull in the saloon, installed stovepipe, cut the hole for the new copper sink, back-painted the lazarette, painted the first coat of the master stateroom bunk, backpainted the storage area along the passageway, built the support for the batteries, cleaned up and back-painted the engine room and started the reinstall of the bunk in the utility room. Son Bobby was East from Tahoe for a few weeks and helped Hugh with the plumbing.

In addition to Hugh’s work, Chip and Scott, with the help of Ryan, Kevin, Brandon, Mark the diesel mechanic and Tim, the marine electrician, finished fairing the hull, installed through-hull fittings, reinstalled the cap rail and the handrail, installed an iroko countertop, replaced the aft bulkhead in the saloon, installed the propeller shaft and stainless steel rudder, framed in the refrigerator and microwave (adding a door, so we don’t have to look at it), put in the fittings and tank for the fuel polisher, installed a manual shift, installed the alternator, rebuilt the berths in the saloon for easier access to storage underneath, primed and caulked the entire hull, squished in seam compound below the waterline, and got half of the wiring properly installed.

As we got closer to to July 1st and then August 1st, things were humming right along, but we realized there was still enough to be done that we wouldn’t have time for sea trials to safely head South into unknown waters in the fall.  It didn’t even make sense to continue to push the guys just to get KATIE MACK in the water for a couple of weeks in September or October before hauling her out for the winter.

“The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men/ Gang aft agley” — or so wrote Robert Burns in his 1786 poem, To a Mouse.  In our case, finish-work, including painting the hull, slowed once we passed our “go/no go” date of August 1.  Not only was there more to be done to finish KATIE MACK, but also our house had not yet sold. We really didn’t want to leave it unoccupied through the winter.  Instead, we took time off for family —

hiking, sailing, and enjoying our niece’s wedding, among other things, and are readjusting our “plans”, such as they are. For now, I continue to enjoy working at L L Bean’s flagship store in Freeport. Hugh is back to working per diem several days a week for his previous employer, while at the same time exploring the possibilities offered by companies which specialize in locum tenens opportunities for Family Physicians.  He is in the process of credentialing with a couple of them, so that when we ARE under way, and find a place we’d like to stay for a while, he can also fill the “cruising kitty” by filling in for a vacationing family doctor.

So we have spent another winter in Maine, not the worst place to be, that’s for sure!  The alpacas were all sold by July, the house is fairly empty since the estate sale, and we have started to get into a “simplify” lifestyle that we will be bringing to KATIE MACK next spring/summer. Delayed perhaps, but no less excited at the prospect!

Part of “Let’s sell everything and move aboard a boat” involves selling everything — well perhaps not everything, as someday we expect to move back  on the dirt, but ‘most everything.  Our biggest quandary was what do we do with the house?  Yes, the alpacas and all the farm equipment need to go, but the house?

We built this house in 1989, and it is where we raised our two sons.  We have put our hearts and souls into it, but 2,400 square feet and 25 acres are simply more than we need, and a lot to take care of.  Personally, I couldn’t imagine renting our home to people who would not care for it and love it as we have, and the thought of coming home to find it in disrepair was unbearable.  I also didn’t want to be a landlord, dealing with crises while we are cruising.  Eventually we agreed we would put the house on the market in January and hope that it didn’t sell before KATIE MACK was ready.  Hugh has this feeling we are going to end up with 16 alpacas in a Motel 6.  They take pets, don’t they?

Selling the house means deciding what to bring aboard, what to put into storage, and what to sell, give away, or toss.  It means going through every drawer, cupboard, box, closet, and shelf — every nook and cranny.  I had hoped our sons would want some of our things, but other than a couple of prints, some books, the KitchenAid mixer (!) and stuff from their old rooms that was already in boxes, they are all set.  We rented a 22 yard dumpster and filled it — what a relief to clear out all that useless junk!

Hugh has sold quite a few things on eBay, but we have acquired so much STUFF over the past 35 years, that we realized we needed help.  At a boat show we met a dealer in old tools and made an appointment for him to come to the house.  When he left, I added $400 to the cruising kitty!  A marine consignment shop in Rockport sold an old windlass, an anchor, and some other equipment for us — unfortunately he closed the business before he was able to sell everything, but Hugh has since found buyers for the diesel stove and other gear.  I contacted a local auctioneer and antiques dealer who has grown up in the antiques business.  He came over one day and left with a pile of things that he thinks will have a market, but he readily admits the allure of antiques and collectibles is waning.  Someday prices may rebound as demand returns, but the reality right now is there isn’t much of a market except in the very high end.  We have to content ourselves with the thought that these “things” have given us their value in our enjoyment and use, and now it is time for them to do the same for someone else, while we add more funds to the cruising kitty.

One day Hugh was surfing the net as we were talking about continuing to “destash” — the thought of holding multiple yard sales didn’t sit well with him, and we were trying to figure out our next step.  He ran across a business in Biddeford, ME that specializes in holding estate sales, either to help folks like us looking to downsize or to liquidate complete estates.  Ellen Heath and Sandy Gnidziejko of Little River Antiques and Estate Sales met with us and explained how things could work.  In addition to their 35% of the gross, they charge a fee based on hours needed to set up and staff the actual 3-day sale.  Once we signed the contract and agreed on the dates, they came back and went over with us what we planned to keep and what we planned to sell in each room.

Next, they dropped off tables and cloths, and began setting up for the sale.

When the big weekend came, Hugh, Annie (our lab), and I drove over to the White Mountains in New Hampshire for some hiking.  Trust me, you do not want to be at a sale like this and watch your worldly possessions be driven off!  Sandy, Ellen, and their staff were terrific.  They priced, they negotiated, they haggled, and they sold a ton of stuff.  What remained was mostly the kind of thing that if a house burned down would never make it onto the insurance inventory.  A few things we decided to keep back, a few things will go on eBay, and the rest has been hauled away by a guy . . . .

It feels GREAT!

Although the original plan and budget were set to replace the floor timbers, several frames (many of which had already been sistered), and all planks below the waterline, Hugh’s father always said, “A job worth doing is worth doing right.” That goes along with a friend’s father’s telling her, “If you don’t have the time to do it right the first time, when are you going to have the time to fix it?”  This is the time to do it right.  KATIE MACK will be our home for who knows how long — we may as well start off knowing she is as sound as she can be.

The extra time needed to “do it right” has allowed Hugh to search high and low across the internet for period-appropriate “bits and bobs” (as I call them) of brass and bronze: a showerhead with curtain ring, 8″ portholes, searchlight, fastenings, gauges, hinges, latches, etc.  We are upgrading the electronics — all wiring is being re-done.  It’s amazing what has been cobbled together over the years, but we will be able to sleep well, knowing the wiring is all ABYC-compliant.  New safety features are being added after a great deal of research: automatic engine room fire extinguishing system; smoke, fire, CO, and propane fume detectors; engine coolant water flow alarm; high water alarm in bilge; GPS/AIS multifunction display (MFD) — no radar yet; PFD’s for dog and humans with alarm sensors in case one of us falls overboard, InReach Explorer by DeLorme, and much more.

Hugh found a teak hatch cover from a Canadian minesweeper that will serve as the sole (floor) of the head.  Underneath is a copper pan for the shower drainage. The head now reminds us of the W.C.’s in London’s B & B’s which have a drain in the center of the tile floor, with no separate shower stall.  All plumbing will be new.

A new-in-box Shipmate wood-fired cookstove from the 50’s is replacing the diesel stove in the galley, and the stainless steel surround has new insulation behind it.

We will be spending plenty of time in New England waters which get chilly, even in summer.  We are hoping scrap hardwood will be readily available in boatyards, as we’ve been advised the salt in driftwood will corrode the stove. When we find ourselves in warmer climates, we have  a small 12-volt electric oven and propane stovetop options.

It’s these little things that will help make KATIE MACK a very special home.

June – September 2014

Having had so much fun blasting around Casco Bay aboard KATIE MACK the previous summer, we couldn’t imagine not getting out on the water while she was on the hard undergoing her restoration.  The solution was to transport our 21′ wooden cutter, RESOLUTE, from Southwest Harbor.  Hey, after KATIE MACK’s 3,300 mile cross-country transport, this was nuthin’!

We had talked about doing this for years, and once RESOLUTE was back in the water at Falmouth Town Landing, we sailed every chance we got.  At the end of August, we talked about how to transport her back to Southwest Harbor, and I said I thought we should sail to Bass Harbor over the course of 2-3 weekends.  We had always dreamed of sailing RESOLUTE downeast — this was our chance!  Hugh jokingly (sort of) asked if he could remind me that this was my idea.  In addition to fulfilling a dream, this would be a good opportunity to try out some of the gear and clothing we had purchased for KATIE MACK.

The night before we departed, we drove both vehicles to Port Clyde, left the truck there, and drove home in a WICKED thunderstorm.  So glad we postponed our departure by a day!  The next morning, Sunday, September 7th dawned bright and clear.  We slipped the mooring by 8 and off we sailed.

When the wind died, we fired up the Minn-Kota 2.5 hp electric motor, but soon realized it was not up to the task of getting us very far very fast.  Hugh lashed the dingy to the portside and it pushed RESOLUTE along like a tug.

We hadn’t spent ALL DAY together on a boat since our honeymoon aboard TUKEY in 1981, but oh, we had such fun on this trip.  I was the navigator, and Hugh taught me dead reckoning — we were exactly where we were supposed to be when we checked with the GPS.

The auto-inflate PFD’s proved to be terrific.  Easy to add and shed layers while wearing them — good to know!

For the first weekend leg, I had made reservations at B & B’s.  We spent our first night at Edgewater Farm B & B, after enjoying dinner at Sebasco Estates, where we moored RESOLUTE.  The next day we had very light winds in the morning and again at sunset, and needed the help of the dinghy-tug to get to New Harbor.  We didn’t arrive at the Gosnold Arms until well after dark, with the innkeeper flashing his light at the end of his dock. Luckily, Hugh had prepared for all eventualities, and we had portable running lights, even though we never expected to be sailing after dark!  Lesson learned: you can set a place, or you can set a time, but you cannot set both a place and a time, because the weather doesn’t always cooperate!

The seas were mostly 1-3 feet and the wind was 5-15 knots the next day.  We put a reef in and still we blasted along!  Glad I had my new-to-me Helly Hansen sailing coat and alpaca hat, gloves, vest, and socks!

The coast of Maine is well-known for the number and variety of its lighthouses which mark the jagged rocks — I can’t imagine sailing these waters without good charts, bouys and lighthouses in good weather, let alone in a gale!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our first weekend ended as we came into Port Clyde and arranged with the PC Market to leave RESOLUTE on one of their moorings until the next weekend.

Because of our experience with arriving after dark to make our reservation at the Gosnold Arms, we decided to forgo reservations on the second leg.  As we were heading to Camden from Port Clyde, we reasoned that there would be PLENTY of places to stay this time of year.  What we didn’t anticipate was the wind direction — after beating up the Muscle Ridge Channel, where we passed the J & E Riggin under full sail, we realized we’d NEVER make it to Camden before dark, so we turned hard to starboard and made for North Haven.

While North Haven IS a year round community, there isn’t much open by mid-September.  We were lucky to find a room at the Nebo Lodge.  We called the number at the desk and spoke to the innkeeper.  She was having dinner at her in-laws but offered to come over to show us to our room.  Or, she said, we could go upstairs to Room 3 and we’d settle up in the morning.  THIS is Maine, the way life should be!

Our last day was our best day.  The wind and seas were perfect, and we arrived in Bass Harbor in time for a late lunch.  Richard Stanley, who did most of the building of RESOLUTE, runs his own yard now with his wife, Lorraine. Richard Stanley Custom Boats is gearing up to build commercial or pleasure craft that feature wooden hulls, for their seakindliness, with fiberglass tops, for weather resistance and ease of maintenance.  We think he is on to something!

What did we learn from this adventure?  First and foremost, we have a great time together, even spending hours in cramped quarters!  It confirmed our desire to take this major step of spending our summers cruising the Maine coast. Having back-ups for back up plans and systems takes a lot of angst out of any situation.

October 2013 

After a fantastic cruising season on Casco Bay, it was time to return KATIE MACK to Yankee Marina to be hauled out and transported to Six River Marine in North Yarmouth.

Six River Marine, owned by Scott Conrad and Chip Miller, is in an old 15,000 s.f. chicken barn. We considered three bids to do the restoration, but agreed that Chip and Scott’s set-up and expertise most closely fit our budget and expectations.  What sealed the deal for me was seeing CHAUTAUQUA, a 38′ Lawley standard cruiser, originally built in 1926, which they restored in the late 90’s.  When we met her owners, the Lees, they were still as enthusiastic as ever about the work Chip and Scott had done: an extensive rebuild of the structural

framework below the waterline, the decks, trunk top, and canopy top — which they covered with Dynel cloth set in epoxy to retain the appearance of traditional canvas. They also put in new cabin and cockpit soles, and all new exterior mahogany rails, hatches, and trim, reusing all original hardware throughout the restoration.

Initially, we expected to rebuild the keel, replace several frames and many   planks above and below the waterline, and rebuild the transom.  Scott and Chip estimated it would take 18 months, and offered to split the job in half so we could enjoy the 2014 cruising season.  We decided not to split the job.

And so the serious work began:  part of the keel needed rebuilding.  In the process, it was discovered that it had been altered at some point.

With advice from Paul Haley, a marine surveyor, and Al Spalding, a marine architect, Hugh, Chip and Scott made the decision to bring the keel back to its original, more open, design.

All floor timbers, except those under the engine, needed to be replaced.  At one point, Hugh poked his finger through a plugged spot where a through-hull fitting had been.  It’s scary to think what could have happened if it had let go while we were out on the bay.  This hull restoration is definitely the right thing to do if we are thinking about extended cruising.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The transom knee had far more rot than we expected, and in fact there was more rot to be found once tanks were removed and everything was opened up.

 

As soon as KATIE MACK was shipshape following her long haul from Everett, WA, we moved her to her mooring off the town landing in Falmouth.  I was off doing something with the alpacas, so our neighbor, Brian, agreed to help Hugh “thread the needle” of the very narrow Royal River,

out past Littlejohn and Cousins Islands to the mooring field.  Hugh had already arranged to have a much heavier mooring set to replace the one where we used to keep our 14′ North Haven sailing dinghy.

Every chance we got, we spent aboard KATIE MACK, cruising around Casco Bay, joined by friends and family.

With all the lobster pots to avoid, this is harder than it looks, but I am determined to learn how to safely handle KATIE MACK in all conditions and eventually earn my captain’s license.

Casco Bay is so different from the water! This is Fort Gorges, a former US military fort built on Hog Island Ledge in Casco Bay. A bit of history: it was built from 1858 to 1864.  No battles were fought and no troops were stationed there. Advancing military technology, including iron clad ships and long range guns, made the fort obsolete before it could be used. The fort is now a park, accessible only by boat.

Our first dinner aboard.

And our first overnight.  Hugh is washing up the dinner dishes, while Annie looks on hopefully.  The next morning, Hugh caught (and released) a mackerel on his fourth cast.

Later that morning we joined several friends for lunch at the Chebeague Inn.

On many different occasions, we enjoyed the view from the deck of the Cockeyed Gull, a restaurant on Peak’s Island,

as well as trips out to Eagle Island, the former home of Admiral Peary.  It is now a park, and well worth a trip out.