New Ports Installed

Here is a picture of my new ports. I hope they don’t break free with out any fasteners. The only thing that im not satisfied with is the filling of cracks around the ports with gelcote that i could not color match to make the repair invisible. But its not noticeable from a distance. I guess ill just end up painting the nonskid once all the other deficiencies in the gelcote are repaired.

Welcome Post

Welcome to the Egstasea Sailing Blog. I'm the proud new owner of Egstasea, a 1981 C&C 34' Yacht. This being my first sailboat means that I'm now also part of the active sailing community. My hope is to share with you my joys and pitfalls sailing on the waters and the upkeep required at the dock to keep it that way indefinitely. I have many upgrades in mind for this yacht as well. Your suggestions and comments are going to be a welcome contribution on this journey. I look forward to you joining me along the way to experience the joys and sorrows of sailing Lake Ontario and the surrounding regions.

Over the next couple days I will attempt to start posting the backlog of events since the purchase of the yacht. These will include the selection and purchasing of the yacht. Sailing it from Buffalo to Port Colborne for a stop over before continuing through the Welland Canal and across Lake Ontario where we were met by 10' waves and strong East winds. Winter storage and the bottom work that had grown larger then expected. I had also replaced the ports, solar vents, begun a flooring project, and some electrical upgrades. One of which is a micro computer that can run charting software with a gps, serve as an entertainment centre for storing and playing movies, games, music, pictures and could even access Internet with the help of wifi or cell phone tethering.

First Sight

It was a murky grey day when we arrived in Buffalo to have our first glimpse of Egstasea. I had brought along my friend and teacher Mr. Jan Zamorski who has been for the past year exchanging his knowledge and sailing experience with me. We met up with my broker Mr. Mark Kirby of Kirby Yacht Sales at RCR Marina in Buffalo where Egstasea was docked.

Looking at her aggressively sleek exterior it was clear this was a yacht that enjoys the thrill of speed. She has SS rod rigging, a hydraulic back stay, boomvang, and traveller mounted at the bridge deck directly aft of the companion way. The deck did have its share of wear and tear represented by some spider cracks mainly under the stanchions. The ports also needed replacing but it all looked cosmetic more than anything else. Inside I found plenty of headroom with four sleeping areas able to accommodate four to six people. The gas oven looked suspiciously clean for a 30 year old yacht. I was enlightened by the broker that the owners being dye hard racers probably took it out to save on weight. Overall the interior was very well kept, even the original cushions didnt look bad.

Upon leaving we were faced with determining the next steps to be taken.