Rick R.
Contributing Partner
Last week I helped a friend sail his Tartan 37 enroute to the Bahamas. As we were motoring out of the bayou we heard a weird noise that caused us to stop and consider all possible problems. Was it a crab pot, a line around the shaft, a bad cutlass bearing? The captain anchored and dove in. The prop, shaft, bearing and zincs were all good. As he climbed aboard, we began removing items from the starboard cockpit lazerete to gain access to his stuffing box. One of the items he handed me was a piece of vanished driftwood with two small cleats attached. He said it was his pulpit seat he made last year while in the Bahamas. Very interesting.
If anyone has made one for their Ericson I'd like to see it. I am going to make one myself. His is lashed with three holes per side finished at the cleats so as to be removable when anchoring.
BTW, the noise turned out to be a loose refrigerator compressor belt. We tightened it and were sailing at 7 knots on a close reach with the 8 ' centerboard down. Delightful! If we only would have put our foulies on before the two waves broke over the bow and doused us with cold water in air temps in the 40's, it wouldhave been a perfectly wonderful offshore experience. Lol!:0
If anyone has made one for their Ericson I'd like to see it. I am going to make one myself. His is lashed with three holes per side finished at the cleats so as to be removable when anchoring.
BTW, the noise turned out to be a loose refrigerator compressor belt. We tightened it and were sailing at 7 knots on a close reach with the 8 ' centerboard down. Delightful! If we only would have put our foulies on before the two waves broke over the bow and doused us with cold water in air temps in the 40's, it wouldhave been a perfectly wonderful offshore experience. Lol!:0
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