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Seayanika Update Progress on Seayanika, our custom Cal-Vader 49-foot sailboat, continues steadily. Also steady, is the stream of cash that flies out of our checkbook on a daily basis. Marine plywood, mahogany and teak take their financial toll, along with costly epoxies, stainless portlights, hatches and fittings. And yet, many of the big-ticket items are still to come. But the escaping dollars don’t seem to matter so much as we watch our dream shaping itself ever closer to a reality. The toil is constant, but every now and again we take time out for a little 'guilty pleasure'. Such was the case last month when we took our first cruise on a Cal 46, which is the bare hull type we began with. I was recently nominated (lassoed) as the Secretary/Treasurer of the Cal 46 Cruising Association, a great group of sailors from around the U.S. who gather several times a year to have informative meetings, cruises and boat tours. (Lucky for us they allowed us to join despite our “mutated” Cal.) Since I was the official organizer of this year’s cruise at Shoreline Marine in Long Beach, it was essential that I attend. But how does one attend a cruise when one's boat is firmly docked at “On-the-Hard Marina”? One crews! We were invited by a lovely couple, John Crial and Rita Archer to join them on Sonrisa, their beautifully maintained Cal 2-46 berthed in Chula Vista. Aside from the great weather and ideal sailing conditions, never was crew treated so well and fed so royally. We’re talking homemade cinnamon rolls, constant snacks and munchies, scrumptious casseroles, and even artistic salads -- all accomplished at 30 degrees of heel. John and Erik were having a high time "seeing what the boat could do" before shortening sail. I was busy hanging on with all four appendages on the aft deck, mouth frozen into an astonished “O”. And Rita was efficiently carving radish rosettes as she calmly caught airborne photos, books and momentos in mid-flight as they pitched across her floating home.
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Once in Long Beach, we were joined by seven other Cals, each unique in their variations and modifications. Erik and I were able to tour all of the boats and came away with some good ideas. An idea we have been toying with was to install stainless steel rigid lifelines instead of the plastic- coated wire types, but we had only seen this done on powerboats. One of the Cals at the cruise did have these stainless rails, and we both decided they didn’t unduly detract from the overall look. Form should follow function, and we liked the security they provide. They went on the "to do" list. After two nights at Shoreline Marina, a couple of us continued on to Avalon, the reluctant end to the cruise. Trite as it may sound, a grand time was had by all. At present Erik is busily working on our cockpit and companionway stairs. We will finally be able to enter and exit the interior without contorting over coamings and climbing down precariously placed ladders. The entire coachroof is now complete, with the exception of the area over the salon, where cabinetry can still be passed through after fabrication in our shop. Seayanika is unmistakably a boat now and if all goes as planned, she should be complete and in the water in eleven months. I can't quite decide if that seems like a long time or short time. But I know as soon as he puts the first bunk in, I’m going to grab a mattress and spend the night in our soon-to-be home. Readers -- This is the latest in a series of short articles that we requested the Vaders to write about their boatbuilding adventure. They started on the bare hull and deck, which is located on a lot across the street from their home in Vista, exactly a year ago. To put the proper perspective on this unusual on-schedule project, we remind you that Erik is a retired general contractor who has been able to devote almost full-time to working on the boat. |
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