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And thus the work proceeds;
the two tackles hoisting and lowering simultaneously;
both whale and windlass heaving, the heavers singing,
the blubber-room gentlemen coiling, the mates scarfing,
the ship straining, and all hands swearing occasionally,
by way of assuaging the general friction. —Herman Melville

Ahoy,

We flipped today and the turn went exceptionally fine. Not even a scratch on the hull as far as I can tell. Phil Woolbright, a good friend of mine, had suggested using tires to cushion the hull. Paul Riccelli later said that he does something similar.

"Where are the photos?" you ask. Actually, in the excitement I laid the camera down and don't know where I put it. Others took a few photos, and maybe I can post those in a day or two. For the moment I am exhausted and happy. We flipped today, and magically the boat became a boat. It was a good day today.

Well it's about time. I've been checking to see if you'd posted, but nothing until after 11:00. Did you pull out Miss Pat's good blankets to protect that hull from those nasty tires? Likely not, or you'd have been posting from the emergency room.

Congratulations Jim, a big day. You'll sleep good tonight, I'll bet.

wow Jim, i did not even know you were that close to flipping. i am flipping out. why didnt you call me so i could come watch, or at least attempt to help.

i will have to come by and see it now that you are almost done.

did you get a trailer for her yet?

Ahoy,

Thanks folks for the encouraging words. I am really sore today with muscles I did not even know I had. In a few minutes, I'll be inspecting the boat again, this time much more closely.



Bill,
Sorry for the oversight. We'll just have to have a boatshed this fall when the weather is a bit more decent and respectable. We did not know for certain that the weather would allow us to turn yesterday. I didn't even know if I could be ready, but everything went better than we had planned, and the afternoon clouds and storm threat helped us further, sending some cooler temperatures our way. I'll be working on cleaning up this and that today. There are a number of cobwebs in the cabin, and a whole lot of dust. Hopefully, before week's end, we'll be able to start working on the boat, most likely sealing the deck with epoxy and preparing the cabin for fiberglass.

Paul,
You'll be pleased to know that the keel looks impressive, much more so that when the hull was inverted. A lot of folks commented yesterday about the keel. She's looking like a real seaworthy boat. I'm glad, very glad that we modified the keel. Thanks so much!

Now, if I can just find that camera . . .

I found the camera! It had fallen on the ground behind some objects. At any rate, here is how the boat now looks—




The fabric underneath the boat is a canvas tarp which we will remove later. Unfortunately, the keel shows up a shadow. That is the best the camera can do, given the lighting. Even so, the general size and shape of the keel can easily be seen—



However, if we take a took at the transom, the keel is somewhat clearer. Several commented on the massive size of the keel. The next photo displays the carriage we built for the boat.



Here is a close-up of the keel.



We still have a lot of cleaning to do, a lot of spider webs to remove, but we are on our way to working once again with wood. I am looking forward to finishing the deck and cockpit.

that is just great!!!! you must be very ready for it! It is about time i mean! tee hee!!! i can't wait to sail with you when you decide to put that boat in the water (where boats go) -- ima razzin ya! Good JOB !!!!

a.

Good job skipper! Isn't it great to have her sitting on her keel again. It won't be long now....

Keith

Ahoy,

Mr. Vern was present when we turned our boat over, and even took some photos. I would like to share some of those photos with you. We had a crew of people who came to help: Phil Woolbright, Jim Bridges, Dusty Traves, Ryan Mayes, David Kreus, Greg Ryznar, and Scott Stowe. We had more than enough friends. Phil even brought his family with him.

You might say that the mood was much like an old fashioned picnic. Phil's good wife, Miss April played with the children. Miss Pat and Miss Sherry Wray visited and served drinks. People laughed, and bantered me about the boat. It was a good afternoon in every way.

Here are some photos, then, taken by Mr. Vern—

A little effort, and the boat rolled over onto the tires. If we had any doubts about the cradle, we shouldn't have. Everything held just fine.




In this next photo Ryan and David help slow the momentum of the turn. At no point did we ever lose control of the boat.



Of course, we had strapped the boat to the cradle, and that, too, was more than sufficient. Here Dusty and Greg remove the strap.



What at first may have seemed like an daunting task turned out to be easy and quite successful. The tires cushioned the turn and made the job even easier.

In this photo, Scott, Phil, and Jim all take a long look at the boat. The turn, of course, had made the boat appear larger. The stem now rather than being low to the ground was higher, and the cabin itself now was in full view.



Others soon joined in and looked at the boat, removing the temporary superstructure that had once supported the inverted boat—



It was a good day, an afternoon and evening shared with friends. Phil took a final look at the boat, and the finished task. Just hope sailing with these same friends will go as easy as the turn. Oh yes, one other point— Sheba, our dog, was present, and Phil brought a rabbit with him. I don't know why.



I could not have done it without these good friends. By the time the sun was setting, the high temperatures and long hours of preparation had left me exhausted. The boat, though, left me excited. Thanks, folks— thanks so very much.

A plywood box, pointy on one end, that may for a time, have to some, been an eye sore, has risen up to show her glory and fine craftsmanship, of a clearly quite loving owner/builder. Without the ground interrupting the flow of her sheer, no one is guessing what that old plywood box is going to be now. From this point on, good seamanship dictates she be kept in a fashion befitting what she is. As you finish her up, you'll get to practice a maintenance routine to insure she's kept Bristol. As if you didn't have enough to do already, you will need be extra attentive around the finish coatings with tools and harsh soled shoes, the ravages of UV, rain, bugs and dust. Keeping fine wood work out in the weather is a test of wills. The demonstration of your level of care, shown in the vessel's appointments so far, suggest she'll fair well. Keep plugging, you're rounding third now.

Bravo Jim.... very shippy, very shippy indeed. Looks like an Alberg .

Look at the line drawing in this link.........
http://www.alberg30.org/collaborate/AlbergBoatsForSale

Congratulations to a very god and nice work 8)

Best Regards Lars