Flicka Friends — Winter 2013 (Vol 15, #7)

Flicka Trips

Exploring Santa Cruz Island

Flicka Friends · page 12 · Winter 2013

The day before we left, we motored over to the fuel doc and filled the 3.1 and 6 gallon plastic fuel tanks. I only had a SWAG of what our fuel Flying between Colorado and California, after consumption was going to be. I didn't expect four too short visits I had prepared MOTU as the 3-gallon to last both over and back if we best I could and felt she was ready to brave the had to motor the entire way, so I obtained the trip between the Santa Barbara Marina and 6-gallon as a backup. My motor is an extra Santa Cruz Island. Though MOTU had sailed long shaft Tohatsu 6 with a prop pitched for a twice from Morro Bay to Mexico prior to 2005 heavy boat. I'd heard it sipped fuel. under the command of Bill Barnes, she needed a lot of TLC when I purchased her in Final provisioning included buying a couple September 2012 (see Flicka Friends, March lobster tails from the fisherman next door, packing all the perishables with 4 blocks of ice, 2013). and stocking up on water. The shopping was Santa Cruz lies roughly 20 nautical miles all done via bicycle, so several trips were south of the marina. Small craft warnings are a required. regular affair and the local Coast Guard stays plenty busy. A shipping lane, "windy alley", The weather forecast looked good for the large seas, and whale migrations can make the three-day trip. The local wisdom for leaving the marina is to get out early to avoid an channel crossing an exciting affair. afternoon in windy lane. Windy lane is an area October is often the best time to visit the close to Santa Cruz where the predominantly Channel Islands as the weather is usually mild w e s t e r n w i n d v o r t e x e s a r o u n d P o i n t and the heavy summer boating season is over. Conception to the North. Afternoon winds in As it was our 30th year wedding anniversary, the lane can easily hit 35 knots or more on a my wife decided to come along for the trip. breezy day. s/y MOTU

We motored out at daybreak into a flat sea and no wind. While Santa Cruz lies almost directly south, another local trick is to head southwest from the mainland toward the west end of the island so that in the event the wind does pick up, you can get on a broad rather than beam reach as you enter windy alley. I figured about 5 to 6 hours across if we had to motor, and that is what happened. When we approached the shipping lane, sure enough, there was a large freighter headed our way at 12 knots. I paralleled the edge of the lane and then resumed course once the ship was abeam. Each lane, northbound and southbound is a mile wide, with a couple mile separation zone. At our steaming speed of 4 knots, that's 15 minutes to cross a lane. An abundance of caution is wise. After encountering many schools of dolphins, we approached the western end of Santa Cruz around 2 PM and headed east down the coast just as the following wind picked up. I was surprised we had only burned less than half the 3-gallon tank in 5 hours of motoring. Flicka Friends F

Between my two tanks, I should have enough fuel to cross the channel, circle the 20-mile long island, and return to the marina under motor alone. We pulled close to shore and motored slowly near Painted Cave, one of the largest and deepest sea caves in the world, named due to it's colorful rocks, lichen, and algae. It's also a popular home to sea lions. We set anchor at Cueva Valdez anchorage, but after a bit decided to move out due to excessive swell and wind. Further east, we anchored for the night at Frys Anchorage, which offered much better shelter. We were the only boat in the anchorage, a great reason to travel in October. Many years ago, the location provided all the rock used in the Santa Barbara Marina breakwater. To this day one can see old train rails, steel cable, and timber used during the excavation.

The biggest danger at Frys and most anchorages on Santa Cruz come from Santa Ana winds. These easterly winds blow mostly in fall and winter. They don't happen all that often but can exceed 40 knots and will put you on a lee shore when they do. The local cruising guide advises immediately heading out into the channel should they arise. The next day, we dingied ashore. To do this requires a permit from the Nature Conservancy as they own the western two thirds of the island and strictly control landings. I had obtained the permit several months earlier online. The permit provides a one month window to complete your ashore visit. After a refreshing hike ashore we packed up and sailed east down the coast to Prisoner’s Harbor. This harbor is run by the National Park Service, who control the eastern end of the island with its many hiking trails. The harbor provides the only pier on the island and is visited by supply and tourist boats, though we saw neither during our stay. For small boat anchorage at Prisoner’s, there is a large protected area on the west side of the harbor. If caught in windy alley, this harbor is a good one to head for, even at night, due to its protection and wide maneuvering area. Only one other boat kept us company. A few campers from the Del Norte campground kayaked out and along the coastline at dusk.

In the morning we headed back toward Santa Barbara. The wind picked up within the half hour. We were able to sail the entire way back to the marina at over 5 knots, almost having to reef as we approached the mainland. Now that I have confidence in MOTU and her anchors, fuel consumption, and sea worthiness, I'm looking forward to longer future trips to Santa Cruz and the other Channel Islands. 13 F

In the spring, there is always a bit of grunge (mold and mildew) in the tank that has accumulated over the winter months; and the I acquired BALLO LISCIO, my 1997 Pacific antifreeze makes an excellent breeding Seacraft Flicka, in the spring of 2007. She was ground, and another reason to sanitize the ten years of age at that time and had mainly tanks! been day sailed on Long Island Sound. As with any sailboat, even one that is built to the Pacific Seacraft did a real nice job of quality of the Pacific Seacraft Flicka’s, there engineering the tank. The top is a about an are always a few things that during ownership inch thick, a double layer of a composite and sailing for several seasons one soon finds plastic material that does not flex and has are either unsafe or are annoying enough to proven to be up to the task of keeping the warrant engineering a better solution! water in the tank. The tank top also serves as a firm support for the quarter berth cushion, One of the standard tasks on BALLO providing a comfortable space to sleep at LISCIO’s spring commissioning list is to anchor or underway. clean and sanitize the 20 gallon water tank under the quarter berth on the port side. As Where the installation of the water tanks falls part of the previous winters decommissioning, short are the inspection ports: I had pumped the tank dry and added potable antifreeze to the tanks and then used the hand 1. The inspection ports are too small to really get in and clean the tank thoroughly. pump to winterize the water lines. s/y BALLO LISCIO

2. The plastic covers are screwed into the top; require removing old sealant each time you open the inspection ports; cleaning of the covers and resealing. 3. To make matters worse, the screw holes are not symmetrical, so you have to get the holes lined up perfectly before re- applying the sealant - a real mess the first time you figure this out! 4. The sealant tends to spread and cloud the inspection port! Searching through the marine catalogs online, I found a solution to the problem: a pair of 8inch Beckson inspection port frames with clear center screw-in inserts with O-Rings. I choose the 8 inch inspection ports because: 1. I wanted the combination of the frame and the screw out port to cover the existing Flicka Friends F

mounting holes used by the standard plastic covers. 2. I wanted the largest opening possible to facilitate cleaning. 3. Note: at the time, I found the best price at the time online and ordered them from Defender Industries, cost $28.00 each – for total cost of $56.00. The installation process is pretty straight forward: 1. Measure the current inspection portholes, including the screw holes used to secure existing port. 2. Make a template of the hole required for new inspection port frame. 3. Trace the outside diameter of the hole required to make the template, not the inside diameter. 4. Check your measurements: make sure the area to be cut out is not over the tank baffles. 5. Enlarge the diameter of each inspection porthole. Flicka Friends

6. Temporarily mount the inspection port and 3. The hole was a tad on the rough side and had to be filed by hand using a bastard file create pilot holes for the mounting screws. with a convex shape. 7. Drill and tap the mounting screw holes or 4. Make certain that you cut on the outside of use self-taping screws. the line you traced with the template; 8. Verify the screw in port does not bind - if otherwise you may be in for a lot more so, you are ready to permanently mount the hand filing to keep the frame from binding frame. with the clear port screw-in insert. 9. Remove the inspection port frame; apply 5. Make sure you wear hearing protection, as 3M 4200 fast cure adhesive sealant to the the noise level is almost painful as the frame; and mount the frame in the hole. quarter berth acts like an amplifier of the sound. 10. Apply 3M 4200 fast cure sealant to each screw and fasten frame. 6. I was able to re-use the original fasteners to NOTES:

7. You will also need a vacuum to clean out all 1. The inspection port frames have a bit of a the debris from cutting and shaping the camber to them, so you need to make sure hole. you make the mounting hole large enough so the frame sits level on the top and does COST: not cause any binding or off the center, Beckson Ports: $28.00 each = $56.00 screw in port - otherwise the screw in ports Two Eight-Inch Plastic Ports - 2 will bind on the frame. 2. I used a portable saber saw to enlarge the existing inspection portholes. I would have preferred to use a hole cutter, but none were available that large.

3M 4200 Fast cure sealant – 3 oz = $18.00 One Three-Ounce Tube

between the mast and tiller while trying not to get washed over overboard.

Leaving Key West, Florida in June of 2007 was the chance to make the big trip I’ve always wanted to do: sail to Rockland, Maine in Penobscot Bay with a stop in Newport, Rhode Island to see friends. After waiting three weeks for the wind to stop blowing twenty to thirty miles per hour on the nose, I was finally away on June 3rd. The wind fell away to next to nothing for the next couple of days.

I was flying along in a steady twenty-five to thirty knots of wind with higher gusts. It was late at night, of course, and I’d had six hours of sleep (on and off) in the last forty-eight hours. The wind was out of the northwest, which is the winter weather pattern, something that plagued me the whole trip. Considering that I was just east of the axis of the Gulf Stream, Northwest was ok.

On the first day, I only made ten miles and anchored by a reef that evening. Next, I headed out into the Gulf Stream and the wind returned, sometimes too much. After dodging one or two tankers at two in the morning, I was off of Fort Lauderdale. It was still rough out in the narrow straits.

I covered a lot of ground in the following ten hours. Occasional seas were washing over the port side in the dark. I have to admit that I was waiting for the rig to come down in the higher gusts. It was rough to leave the helm and take more sail off her. I was happy to see the dawn!

It stayed pretty rough until Cape Canaveral where it became quite nice with summer like weather for a change. Just north of Canaveral, I watched the space shuttle launch at sunset. Of course all the nice weather had to be paid for, and just south of Jacksonville, Florida, I had my first full gale. It’s hard to imagine that it could take forty-five minutes to triple reef the mainsail on a twenty-foot boat. A storm that was not forecast on the evening weather arrived in the middle of the night. Time passes when you are working or even crawling 20

The wind died off early in the morning but the sea was still running. I hove to and went to sleep. I had started talking to my friend in the cockpit with me and realized that I was overtired. When I got up, I was at the Georgia line or a little north. The Gulf Stream was moving! From that day until I was just south of a parallel with Charleston, South Carolina it was pretty much routine. The exception was seeing a lot of dolphins. I was still in the axis when the radio report came through that a front was

coming through from the northwest. This was something that caused a very unsettled Gulf Stream. I’ve always had good luck! I triplereefed the main, got the big jib in and the storm staysail. Everything was secured as best I could and I got the foul weather gear out and waited. It came around nine in the morning. The wind was blowing five to ten knots and the sky was blue. A black squall line was running across the whole horizon and bearing down on me from the north. I looked like I was going to slip through. Silly me! I think what hit me was a down draft. I was almost out of the other side when, faster than you can think, it went from five knots to TYCHE lying on her beam, mast in the water, and me hanging onto a stanchion, half in the water. I pulled myself aboard, released the main and stays’l sheets, and that good boat came back up. I turned and ran off to the south-southwest. I’ve never seen a sea like that. Big swells building and the sea surface was solid streaks of foam. Looking up, I saw that the main was shredded at the third reef cringle and a section of the leach torn to the head. The sail was flogging. I think the initial wind was forty to forty-five miles an hour. It soon eased off, but I ran off until nearly five that evening. After heaving to Flicka Friends F

under the storm stays’l, I managed to get the main down. There were still strong winds and a big sea running. Especially for a twenty-foot boat and an old man who was quite scared that morning. I stayed hove-to for the next two and one-half days and went through nine more line squalls of varying intensity. Most with rain so hard that I couldn’t see the mast six feet away. This was good; rain like that knocks the waves down during the squalls. By the time the sea had come down enough to look at the mainsail, I was opposite a line with Savannah, Georgia. When the seas were down enough, I spread the mainsail on the cabin top and got out the new “Miracle Sail Repair Tape” and started sticking the sail back together. I almost got seasick rolling around trying to concentrate on the sail. The seas weren’t down a whole lot and I was being driven too far in the wrong direction. Well, it wasn’t pretty, but the mainsail got me slowly sailing in the right direction. The sail shape looked like something the cat dragged in. It wasn’t working very efficiently. Besides the sail, the VHF was lost in the knock down. Also, I hit the compass on my way over the side. The retaining ring on the dome was cracked. It was leaking fluid. A big leak had developed in the big seas where I hit the stanchion. It was at the hull joint. All in all, it was not a day to write home about.

good. Still, it was better than the sail “repair” change, the next stop was Europe. This was especially true if another storm finished my tape that I’d wasted my money on. mainsail off. I was heading for the sea buoy off of Montauk Point, Long Island, New York. According to the After long thought, I got out my Mini B EPIRB G.P.S., the heading was northeast. This was and turned it on. I can’t believe how upset I good as the wind was still out of the west- was. The job a sailor has, above all others is to northwest to north-northwest. I can’t believe take care of the vessel, his boat. To abandon your boat is to fail in your most important task how many days it blew out of this direction. and to give up. That was the problem! I was making two to two an d one-half knots toward Montauk. To make a long story short, about three in the With the wind behind it, the Gulf Stream was afternoon, a huge cruise ship steamed over the carrying me east-northeast at four to four and horizon, came to a stop, and launched her one-half knots. I slowly watched the G.P.S. rescue boat. They pulled along side to find out heading go from northeast to north-northeast what the emergency was and to take me off. to north-northwest. And, I’d only made northing to a latitude even with the entrance to I asked the officer to wait a minute while I disconnected a hose and scuttled TYCHE. He the Chesapeake Bay. asked me to leave her floating. As I barely had I had one more bad night with big wind and the heart to sink my faithful little boat anyway, big seas out of the northwest. Dropping the I listened to him. I hopped in the launch with main and jib, I raised and backed the storm jib some clothes, my new foul weather gear, and went to sleep until morning. The wind was papers, and log book. light in the morning. We ran over to the ship, the CROWN When I figured my position again, I had been PRINCESS. She’s barely a year old and very carried by the Gulf Stream to a longitude near big. There were several thousand people at the the end of Cape Cod. Since the wind was still rails and balconies watching the whole out of the west-northwest and lighter, I altered operation and I sat with my back to them all course to the southwest in an attempt to work the way up the side of the ship. I did not my way back west. Thinking that I was still in consider this one of my finer moments. The the eastern, southern part of the Gulf Stream, crew was very efficient. I was placed in a wheel I’d work my way out of the east-northeast chair and whisked off to the ship’s doctor for flowing current. examination.

This went on for almost two days, getting the sail up, reefing, and shaking the sail out again Working my way up the coast again, I depending on the changing wind speed. I was eventually closed on Cape Hatteras. I was back trying to nurse every bit of speed out of her to out in the axis of the stream and this is where I make my way west. Even so, when I plotted the made my critical mistake. I should have taken next fix, I was still losing ground to the east. To into consideration the size of my boat, the add injury to insult, the wind went out of the condition of the main sail, and started working southwest, so I altered to the northwest. The my way toward shore and the inside of the Gulf results were the same. Stream. I didn’t because of an overly healthy respect of Hatteras, and a healthy fear of big Shortly after, the wind died all together. For two days and nights, I was becalmed. But, ships cutting the corner of the cape. according to the G.P.S., I was still going to the Anyway, as I came up with the Cape, in the northeast quadrant at just over two and onemiddle of the night, it started blowing out of quarter knots. This was over fifty miles every the west-northwest. Of course! The repair on twenty-four hours! the main immediately went by the board and I was back to getting nowhere under a storm At nine the next morning, I fixed my position staysail. It was blowing pretty good with six to on a longitude just east of Halifax, Nova Scotia and a latitude with the southern end of the eight foot seas. DelMarVa Peninsula, I believe that’s Cape Did I mention after I was knocked down, the Charles. I don’t have a chart in front of me. seas appeared to be eight to ten feet with a This put me roughly two hundred miles to the short period, and on the second day of twelve northeast of Bermuda and drifting towards to fourteen feet. All very stimulating! Things Northern Ireland. finally calmed down and I got the main spread on the cabin top again. This time the repair I checked to provision: food was getting low, would be done the old fashion way, with but you don’t need a lot of food. The water was needle and thread. It took five hours of sewing. good for another two weeks. If I was careful, it The material around the reef cringle had been might last longer. The problem was that once shredded and the repair was still not very past Bermuda and if the situation didn’t Flicka Friends

The doctor was very nice, as were all the crew, they were all wonderful. The doctor wanted to put me on an I.V. for dehydration at first. But, since I had no trouble downing a liter of water, she decided I’d be alright. It turned out that in the three and one-half weeks at sea, I’d lost more than sixteen pounds, which is a tough way to go on a diet. The CROWN PRINCESS was out of Hamilton, Bermuda and bound for New York City where we arrived the next morning. In October, I received a call from Canadian Coast Guard that the boat had been towed into Newfoundland. I called my insurer and the insurance company called their man in Newfoundland. He arranged to have the boat put on a trailer, ferried to Nova Scotia, and towed to Halifax. After survey, the insurance company wrote the boat off as a total loss and offered hull value. By that time, Ian Williams had been in touch with me. To make a long story short, the insurance company agreed to a deal where Ian paid me part of the value, the insurance company paid the difference, and Ian kept the “hull.” 21 F

In 2008, I heard about a Flicka in Halifax, Nova Scotia by the following grapevine. I had crewed for years for my Danish friend, Knud Jensen, and his son Christian who is currently a Naval Architect. I had chatted with Knud about downsizing to a Flicka, which he passed on to Chris who was now working in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

After viewing TYCHE and despite the problems, a purchase price was negotiated. This would be the Flicka for me. Cradle & Trailer - The Flicka was located in Halifax, Nova Scotia and I live in Moorefield, Ontario, a distance of over 1,100 miles. I would need a means to get my new sailboat home.

The first step was to modify a cradle for my Flicka, one that would be placed on a flatbed Shortly after, Chris called to report that trailer for the trip home. The cradle selected TYCHE had been surveyed by his office. The had been used to support an O’Day 23. It was three-page survey summarized the condition modified based on the measurements from of this Flicka. Maybe the most telling Rick Sanberg’s article in the Fall 2005 issue of statement is found under the purpose of Flicka Friends. The welding was done by my survey. It said that the vessel was “Recovered generous friend, Mike Vanderhart. after being abandoned at sea.” The survey was to establish the condition of the Flicka. The list The flatbed trailer used for the 2,300-mile of repairs included the need to replace the round-trip to Nova Scotia was a 20’ model forestay, an unserviceable main sail, a with a 10,000 pound rating. It towed replacement compass, a damaged forward extremely well with a Chevy HD 2500 crew stanchion, and many more concerns. It was a cab truck. Flicka in need of some TLC. Road Trip - My co-driver, Rob Redden, and I I flew out to Halifax to view TYCHE in a drove east to Halifax to retrieve my Flicka. We shipyard. She was coated in black dust from team drove, stopping every four hours for gas, nearby metal fabrication, her gear piled on the a meal, and to change drivers. Highways were floor in wet piles, and recently soaked by the mostly four-lane divided expressways, and we sprinklers during a fire, which destroyed a matched the traffic speed of close to 70 mph nearby 60-foot vessel nearing completion. each way. The distance on Map Quest’s TYCHE was far enough from the heat to website was 1,174 miles and the estimated driving time just under twenty hours. escape any damage, but she was a sorry sight. 22

Our route took us through Toronto, Montreal, skirting Quebec City on the South Shore of the St.Lawrence to Riviere-du-Loup before heading southwest through Edmundston, Fredericton, Moncton to Halifax, Nova Scotia. We were in Halifax for less than 24 hours. The loading process was easy since the Flicka fit the cradle perfectly. During the lift, the crane recorded a weight of 5,500 pounds. During the short stay, the gear was quickly sorted. Junk like electronics filled with water went to the dumpster, potentially useful stuff to the truck, and we were on the highway again. Driving Home - The trailer had a weightdistributing hitch with sway control and handled perfectly. The load returning would have been over 8,000 pounds, serious work for the Chevrolet 2500 with Duramax diesel. I did not engage the tow-haul transmission mode as the engine RPM stayed high regardless of inclines. A half-ton truck may be OK for shorter Flicka tows, but the diesel was working earnestly on this journey. On the way east with an empty trailer, mileage with just the trailer was 19 MPG. This dropped t0 12 MPG with the Flicka on the trailer during the return trip. Cost - Overall cost of the trip to pick up the Flicka was just over $2,250. The yard costs were very reasonable at $200. Flicka Friends F

2008 - Very little progress made before winter set in in 2008. The initial focus was the bottom paint and it was something that resisted 24-grit sandpaper. This was quite discouraging progress! A rough cover was made to protect the Flicka from the Ontario winter weather. 2009 - During the spring and summer, work continued on the removal of the bottom paint. Slow progress continued with 24-grit sanding disks. This was futile and I looked for another method. Switching to paint stripper brought progress, but care was required to limit wet time to avoid gelcoat softening. This approach allowed removal of the antifouling paint with only a light sanding.

Once the bottom paint was removed, a previous osmosis repair was evident. There was some new osmosis blistering too. More than two hundred new blisters were repaired. After the previous blister repairs, the work had not been protected with a series of barrier coats. This time, the barrier coats would be done correctly. 2009 - During Fall, the Flicka was towed to a nearby diesel mechanic to attempt repairing the Westerbeke 10-2 diesel inboard engine. It turned out that repair was not possible. There was zero compression making the engine unusable. The old, dead engine was removed from the Flicka. And plans were made for another engine to be installed.

2010 - In May, the Flicka was towed to Montreal for a new engine. The distributor for Nanni Diesel installed a new 14 hp twocylinder engine. Along with the new power plant, new hoses, a Racor water strainer, coupling anti-vibration disc, P.S.S. dripless seal, cutlass bearing, single lever control, exhaust, and muffler were installed. Total cost $12,000. The Nanni engine is designed to fit on engine mounts in the exact same place as the Yanmar 1GM diesel engine. Rather than raw-water cooling, this engine has an intercooler. While the freshwater from the Great Lakes isn’t a problem, this engine would limit the problems associated with the raw water cooling of the Yanmar while sailing in salt water.

In June, the final fairing of osmosis repair was completed. VC Watertite used for filling and fairing. To protect the hull from future blistering, seven coats of Interprotect 2000 white rolled on. Continued on Page 26

With the barrier completed, the topsides were next with some great help!

The first step was applying a gray primer coat to the topsides.

My Flicka emerging from the paint shop with new Imron Paint.

Topsides - With the hull repaired below the waterline, in July and August my attention shifted to the topsides. There was plenty of work here as well. There were nicks and scratches, and gouges that needed repair. New paint was deemed the only solution for the Flicka. It was time to prep for paint. All of the fittings were removed from the hull: cleats, rails, chain plates; everything except the exhaust. There were fittings for the cockpit drains at the waterline on the transom which were used in earlier hulls. Since my Flicka also had the crossed drains and seacocks under the companionway, I filled these stern openings as well as another near the exhaust outlet. Hull Damage - In preparation for the topsides paint, a deep gouge at the hull-deck flange was filled with VC Watertite. To my dismay, the blue epoxy filler was visible from inside when I removed the carpet hull liner. A base repair had been attempted with the port mast support bulkhead in place. I built up the epoxy repair inside the flange.

Filling & Fairing - The topsides repair was tedious, but necessary job. In different sun angles, new gelcoat scratches would become visible. My biggest chore was finding, filling, and fairing the gouges, as seen in the photos with green masking tape beside each scratch. One by one, all of the areas were located and filled with VC Watertite and faired. While working on the topsides, I received some much-appreciated help with the cove stripe and the scrollwork. Topsides Paint - By August, my Flicka was ready for fresh topsides paint. The paint shop took about three days with masking, primer coat, and one topcoat. The painter was pleased with my preparation.

The boat then sat in the shop three days to allow thorough drying (over Labour weekend). My invoice did not state hours, but the costs were $579 for paint and material, $142 for primer and shop supplies, and $935 Labor. Total with tax was $1,871. After the holiday, my sailboat emerged from the paint shop with new Imron Paint. My Flicka had been transformed. I believe the color is the same as Randy Richardson’s Flicka s/y ZANZIBAR. New Projects - Once the Flicka was back home, it was time to begin work on putting things back together. The list was very long and included about every system from bow to stern. While the new Imron paint was 26

encouraging, the amount of work remaining was considerable. The marine survey noted many problems and missed a few as well. The rotten wood in the interior and the engine area were two of them. Some of the projects on the list included the bowsprit, battery storage relocation, engine room walls, cockpit sole repair, carpeting, galley rebuild, rigging replacement, new compass, masthead light, vhf antenna & cable, and an enclosed head. The enclosed head was a huge project since my Flicka didn’t already have one. Various modifications were made to make this upgrade possible. A detailed story about this infrequent change will appear in a future issue of Flicka Friends. Very few Flicka owners have taken on this project.

Bowsprit - The bowsprit was sound, but gouged. These gouges were filled with VC Watertite and multiple epoxy coats applied plus Interlux One Part Polyurethane paint coat. Hatteras Off-White is a good match to the deck and interior hull liner. New wings were made and are shown in the photo during construction. Chain Locker - The lower section was a poor fit, quite undersized and rotten. A new section was made. In addition, a rise was installed in the fuel vent line to impede water entry. The bulkhead at the cabin locker was also rebuilt. Battery Support - Because I wanted to move the batteries from the starboard locker to the aft end of the quarter berth, a support was needed for the battery boxes. The location is critical, just high enough to give room for two batteries while retaining some space below the shelf. This meant building a support along the hull, transom, and the back of the cockpit wall. I build up the hull side using epoxied laminations to follow the hull curvature. This was a one strip per day project. Together, the three supports and a small bulkhead provide the means to hold the shelf for the batteries. An opening was left facing forward to allow using the space beneath the batteries for storage. The two batteries were rewired with new tinned wire of the correct size. Blue Sea Systems fuses added to each battery before they were connected to the Xantrex Charger.

Engine Room Walls - All of the engine room plywood sections were completely ruined. The sections crumbled and could not be used as templates. This required building Continued on Page 30 27 F

The vinyl headliner was replaced with teak.

The new battery shelf, charger, and fresh wiring.

The new Nanni diesel engine and a custom step.

replacements individual sections for the port and starboard sides. The starboard side required three segments. Also, the port side of the cockpit had a large opening that contained a port. Sliding Hatch - The original hatch was the victim of numerous hasp locations and severe weathering. It also had the infamous Flicka gap at each end. The first line of defense was a new trim piece closely fitted to the fiberglass companionway edges. Closing the end gaps required an inner teak strip made as close as possible to the fiberglass sides. This is a base for attaching a “sleeve” to block those end holes. A felt pad area was placed under the sleeve wall. This is because the hatch sides are NOT parallel! They narrow one-eighth inch going forward. The felt pads reduce this one-eight inch gap at the aft end. View of the Flicka Gap closed in the sleeve. A stainless steel strip was added on each side for the hatch to slide on and prevent further gelcoat on gelcoat wear. New hatch side planks were added as well.

Companionway Trim - This trim, although severely weathered, was ok to varnish after a deep sanding. Cockpit Sole - There was a dreadful butchering of the sole. Presumably, this was done to access some engine part. This empty space was filled with teak pieces that were bedded in VC Watertite. After fairing the area, it was painted. Sink Drain - Since there was no functional sink drain, a drain hose was run to a “Y” fitting that connected with the port cockpit drain. A separate seacock was added between the sink and the port cockpit drain through hull. This was done to avoid any additional through-hull openings.

Water Tank - Another modification was the construction of a water tank underneath the vberth and aft of the factory installed fuel tank. This required cutting out the center bridge between the two locker lids. A stout teak fence was constructed and the tank was test fitted with a recess to surround the depth finder, which is also located here. The capacity of the water tank is 18.2 U.S. Gallons. Wiring - All of the wiring was suspect and it was completely replaced. Fresh tinned wire was used throughout the Flicka for AC and DC circuits. Obviously, this was a big job, one that needed to be done properly. Since wiring isn’t my strength, assistance was required to insure that everything was correct. 30

A new teak housing was built for the electrical panel. It contained the AC panel and DC switches, wiring, and breakers. The housing for the panel is hinged at the base and can be opened to access to the back of the various panels and connections. A folding teak arm limits the angle of the panel. A barrel bolt keeps the panel secure. Cabin Headliner - After removing the vinyl cabin headliner, teak strips were installed on framing strips epoxied on tabs on the bare fiberglass. Each one of the teak strips was cut to fit. This was another tedious project, one that turned out very well.

Galley Rebuilt - The galley was redesigned with an upper shelf that follows the contour of the cabin side. This shelf cantilevers out two inches at the aft end and five inches at the forward end. The eleven inch depth of the shelf runs the fifty-three inch length of the galley. It allows flat storage of plates, glasses, mugs, etc. The galley also needed bracing from icebox to aft and beside the sink. Other Projects - There are many little projects that have not been mentioned. Anyone who has refitted a sailboat or built one from plans knows this very well. You could easily count a thousand little things that need to be done to achieve the quality needed for a fine yacht such as the Flicka. A Few More Things - While most of the projects have been completed, the cushions, rigging, lifelines, and new sails remain. Once these last items have been taken care of, it is splash time! Launch - Ninety minutes north of my home is Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. My plan is to tow my Flicka to Wiarton, Ontario. This small town is located at the base of the Bruce Peninsula. Wiarton is on Colpoys Bay, which opens up into Georgian Bay. The planned launch is in the summer of 2014, hopefully around mid-June. After working on this refit for many years, it will be especially gratifying to hoist the sails of s/y ELSA after christening. The summer of 2014 will be spent on an extended shakedown cruise in Georgian Bay. Georgian Bay is roughly one hundred and twenty miles long and fifty miles wide. With five thousand eight hundred square miles of water to explore, s/y ELSA, there are countless places to cruise.

A planned destination will be the North Channel of Lake Huron, a perfect place to get a number of Flickas together. There is discussion on the Flicka 20 Yahoo website about such a gathering. Hopefully, I might see you there in the summer of 2015. 31 F

Winter 2013

In this issue

Adding Your Boat Name

Exploring Santa Cruz Island

Also in this issue