Thanks to all the current and former Electra owners who left comments.  I’ll leave this blog up for a while in case the photos will be helpful to anyone.  

-Rick

For two springs in a row, the motor started in my yard and successfully got me out to the mooring after launch.  But I took advantage of her good nature and didn’t keep her clean, or give her fresh gas to drink.  So when the wind died while I was in the middle of the bay, guess who wouldn’t start for me?  ”Serves you right” you say, and you’d be correct.

I’ll be starting fresh with a new Honda outboard – something lighter that I can keep below.  I vow to keep it healthy.  As for the 15hp Johnson, I’ll fix it up and try to sell it to someone who will threat it well.

The story is that the weather in 2009 was terrible.  I didn’t get Dragonfly into the water until almost the middle of summer, and then managed to get only four or five sailing trips in before hauling out in October.  Meanwhile, I have been crewing on a J/24 in Newport every week so I do take care of the sailing itch, but it makes taking Dragonfly out seem a little less pressing.

One casualty of this attitude occurred last fall, when I rowed out after several storms to find rainwater in the cabin – two inches above the cabin floor!  I have always tried to be good about going down the boat to pump out the bilge after getting rain, but I clearly got a little lazy.

Well, I’ll try to be a better boater this year.  The spring maintenance has begun!  This year’s projects are:

• Apply Cetal to all exterior wood trim
• Two (2) decent coats of anti-fouling to the hull
• Re-caulk all fittings on port side.

And I really, really do vow to take more pictures!

However, the end is in sight. The following projects have been completed:

Clean and re-caulk the portside chainplates.
Caulk the portside hatch rail.
Paint the cabin floor and bilge hatches.
Apply anti-fouling paint to the hull.

I vow to take more pictures this year!!

Now, Dragonfly is snuggled under her tarp for the winter. I hope to be adding more pics and posts in the spring.

Happy New Year!

Towing dinghy

Originally uploaded by rick_barr

Dragonfly was launched on July 3rd. Once again, this was about four weeks later than I would have liked, but I had let poor weather discourage me from getting the boat ready in the spring.

Today I rowed out to Dragonfly to set up the running rigging and attach the mainsail. I also installed the boom attachment for the new vang. Then I motored down the Warren River and around Rumstick Point to my mooring. I have included photographic evidence of an outboard that is actually working (!) and my new dinghy.

Here is the vang mast attachment ready to be secured to the base of the mast. I’ll attach the boom bail once the boat is rigged after launch.

Vang attachment parts

Originally uploaded by rick_barr

One thing my boat needs is a boom vang to prevent the boom from rising when sailing downwind. Rig-Rite Spars in Rhode Island still makes hardware for Pearson Electras and I ordered this boom bail and mast vang attachment from them. The screws are from West Marine.

The 2008 season is starting out well. Here is a photo of my new dinghy! No more paddling out to the mooring in a raft. (Yay.) I do have to find some oars for it.

My other spring projects are to install a boom vang and a wind vane.

Summer is almost here!

1004071253a.jpg

Originally uploaded by rick_barr

Here I am two months ago during my last recreational sail of 2007 – a beautiful October day in Rhode Island. How quickly time goes by! Now there is snow in the ground and Dragonfly is on boat stands in my side yard.

Thank you to everyone who left comments on this blog during my first year of boat ownership. I’ve exchanged emails with a number of Electra owners as a result of this little web exercise. It’s been a great year and I’ve learned a lot.

Now it’s time to start planning the spring projects!