Well the boat is home for the winter. She's in good shape but lots of work needs to be done. I'm planning on a Simpson style shed instead of the usual canvas cover so I can work in the winter.(in theory).
I rebuilt my old skiff this fall. A fun project. I also modified another skiff for my brother in law. Another fun project. The dingy is in the barn for a refit also.
We had a good cruise this summer. Made it to the Cape for some shoal water work, Waquoit Bay and into Cotuit, Fun anchoring in three feet. Due to a faulty eye bolt we almost lost the rig of the East Chop on the Vineyard. Thanks to our friends on the Island, repairs were made but our confidence shaken a bit. All the more reason to push ahead with the unstayed rig plan.
In the ongoing puzzle of too much weather helm, I'm thinking of shifting some ballast further aft, to raise the bow a bit. We also noticed better boat speed and balance with the boards raised half way although there's more lee way. With flatter sails and less mast rake, things should be better but who knows. The old rig worked but was very difficult to tune and didn't have enough area and that's too high.
Some pictures:

We've had an interesting season so far on Neena. She went overboard in early June at the nice state ramp in Bristol. Bob and I put up the rig at the ramp dock and I motored over to the mooring. Earlier in the spring I shortened the boards back to the designed length, so I was interested to see if the performance would be different. If anything, she went to windward better than before.. I never could get the long boards all the way down. Now they drop right down with no problem. The bronze bushings and pins work well. The four part tackles with new line, pull the boards up with no problems, although they both jam in the full position, but release with a little vibration. I think I need to lead them more fairly off of the boards.

Potter's Cove in late June

I took a nice little four day cruise around the bay towards the end of June. On the way to Newport, one leg of the split headstay pulled out of the bowsprit! I rigged a tackle and went on my way to Clingstone where Josh gave me some epoxy, bolts and clamps and I cobbled together a repair.

Hazel and Martin visited aboard at Clingstone. They liked the chocolate we had aboard.

The next day I sailed around out front to Third beach on the Sakonnet river with a little fog on the way in to make it interesting. A nice quiet night with lots of stars, awaking to a beautiful light north wind.

Sunset at anchor off of Third beach, Newport.

Later, in August, Phoebe and I cruised down the Sakonnet, out to Cuttyhunk, the Vineyard and the Cape where we sailed in some skinny water. Lot's of fun but on the way back to Martha's Vineyard, the rig almost came down after an eye bolt let go under the bowsprit. Luckily, I'd rigged a tackle on the bowsprit before we left the Cape. I guess my bowsprit rebuild was a complete failure. Our friend Roxy in Vineyard Haven helped me stabilize the rig and Nat at the boatyard sold me an eyebolt and we sorted it all out after we motored around to Lake Tashmoo. My buddy Dennis gave me some bolts and more repairs were made. I wouldn't have blamed Phoebe if she got on the ferry after all that trouble. Neena behaved her self one night in a squall that sent some boats dragging. She doesn't give the wind much to grab.

We eventually sailed back to Narragansett Bay and spent a delightful week anchoring around various quiet spots like Hog Island, Church's cove, Rome point and Potter's Cove not to mention the Kicky.

Sakonnet Light on the way out to Cuttyhunk

Nina, a Pete Culler scow schonner in Cuttyhunk

Kathaleen in Cuttyhunk 

Vineyard Haven

Neena anchored in three feet in Waquoit Bay

Beans!

Pretty yawl in Cuttyhunk

Church's Cove

what it's all about

Fall so soon?

We made a haul out date, mid October. The summer just flew by. We don't seem to be as hearty as we used to be about cool weather sailing.
I sat down below this morning and made a list of repairs and improvements for the winter lay up. Among other things, continue painting as needed, reinforce the sole bearers as needed, get rid of old thru hull transducers, install a new sea cock for the engine intake, organize the pot lkr. with some shelves, install a new sink spigot, add a thru hull sea cock up in the head for the sink, add a battery monitor to the panel, change out the engine mounts, replace a few hoses, install some new turning blocks in the trunks along with new pivot pins and bushings. I may tackle the spongy cockpit sole too.
We are really becoming fond of "Neena". Phoebe figured out that we've sailed her 33 days this season. Our cruise was about 18 days so quite a few day sails this year, learning all the time about her ways. We had an idyllic cruise with beautiful weather and no real challenges, following familiar courses and still anchoring like we drew five feet. Old habits die hard. It's going to take awhile to get used to the fact that we can go into skinny water and or dry out. I finally added a small jib I had and what an improvement. She balances much better and we added some boat speed too. She will steer her self up wind now under fairly wide conditions. It's wonderful to watch and feel her reacting to wind shifts. I guess I used the wrong bottom paint this year, as it was a bad year for fouling. I washed the bottom several times and in mid August discovered the prop completely covered in barnacles. With every thing clean her speeds improved although she's not as quick as I had hoped, averaging around five knots on 28 feet of waterline. Off the wind in a breeze she;s in the high sixes with a high of 7.4. We both love being down below on this boat. We love sitting at the waterline and looking out at the water. Her interior is open and light with great ventilation in the hot weather. Neena behaves at anchor and being low and skinny, she doesn't roam around her anchor much. The light helm, the small and light sails all make her easy to sail and deal with. The Yanmar is very reliable and we cruise up to 7 knots under power although, vibration wise, I like her at about 1600 rpm which gives around five knots.

 comfortable cockpit

 Our mooring in Mt. Hope Bay

 New ash tiller

 Double ended fore sheet, I'm thinking of a "towel" bar or traveler

 Mooring line to port. I use the center cleat for anchoring.

 Entrance to Cuttyhunk

 Messy but comfortable

 Down the Sakonnet with a fair tide

 The mate reading

 Foggy morning in Vineyard Sound

Fantastic week for sailing around here. Light to moderate winds from mostly the north west. Comfortable temperatures too. I don't usually care for land breezes, they're so shifty but this lovely weather has been so sweet. In the morning I've been doing some varnishing in Bristol Harbor followed by some sailing in Mt. Hope Bay on Neena, tough life, I tell you what. A couple of lovely boats in Bristol harbor, an early Hinckley Pilot in fiberglass and a Concordia yawl.
Any way, here's some pictures of Neena sailing herself with a tiller line with surgical tubing at each end attached to snap hooks attached to strap eyes on the coamings. I have carry some luff in the main for balance but who cares.