Yes, last week we had two of those days that Seattlites brag about. The kind of day that brings out crowds of bicyclists, joggers, shoppers crowding Market Street and boaters swarming the docks. As soon as the temperature edges above fifty degrees they are out in shorts and tee shirts with dreamy smiles on their faces. It was a startlingly beautiful day...by Seattle standards; the kind of day that would have my Hawaiian friends huddled around electric heaters and wrapped in blankets. But here the locals were frantically flocking to the beach parks and stripping off their clothes to absorb as much sunlight as possible before the cold rains returned.
When the happy coincidence of Laura's day off, temperatures warm enough for sealant to cure and no rain coincided we installed two of the four polycarbonate portlights I had fabricated in Dave's workshop on San Juan Island back in November. We are hoping that the stars and sun align again and give us another day like that before the Vega Rendezvous in July so we can install the other two.
That will complete the replacement of the original glass windows held by rubber gaskets, automotive style, with through-bolted three-eighths inch polycarbonate. The replacement of the windows was the last major upgrade we had planned. Vega owners are aware of the weakness of the large main cabin windows that can be knocked in by the force of a sea striking the side of the boat. This solution makes the windows stronger than the cabin itself and eliminates the annoying black smudges that come from the oxidized rubber gaskets. We had replaced the two large main cabin windows in Port Townsend with the help of the Shipwright's Co-Op. After going through it with them, I had the confidence to make the small ones for the forward cabin myself.
Port Townsend: Completed installation of the large windows.
Fabricating the large windows at the Shipwright's Co-Op in Port Townsend
Shipwright Bene Hoffman and me making holes in the boat.
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