All safe on the post tropical cyclone Irene front

SE 24 gusting to 37mph (20 gusting to 32knots)

Force 7: (31-38mph, 27-33kn) Sea heaps up. Some foam from breaking waves is blown into streaks along wind directiong. Moderate amounts of airborne spray.

East 19 gusting to 26 knots per NOAA

Being a nautically minded individual I think in knots - you know nautical miles per hour. For full disclosure one nautical mile = 1.15 statute miles - but more importantly 1 nautical mile is equal to 1 minute of latitude - which makes it a very handy tool when plotting on a chart. So - my rant -  why does NOAA list wind speed in mph and km/h ? why not knots? Many (most? all?) of the people listening to NOAA weather broadcasts are on the seas - and so thinking in knots... but instead start saying to themselves...well this wind speed looks like Force 5 - let me convert Beaufort to mph to see if my estimate agrees with NOAA...  wouldn't everyone just be happier thinking in knots? So - the wind speed in the title has been converted to knots - but I would propose that NOAA was under-estimating the wind speed as witnessed in this video. 

Watching and Waiting

E 20 gusting to 23mph per NOAA.

Good morning Irene

Occasional heavy showers overnight. 

Currently: 

Wind: East 12mph 

Barometer: 29.74"

We took Ballantine for a walk between showers - now everyone is ready for a quiet day of reading and warm beverages aboard Kairos! 

Light Southerlies ahead of Irene

Tropical storm warning currently in effect for the tidal Potomac to Eastport, Maine.

Our proposed location during Irene

Test for Irene mobile coverage

Hurricane Irene is rapidly descending upon us wary souls in Midcoast Maine. We are beginning preparation and preparedness actions. To this end I am setting up a mobile link so I can send frequent updates from aboard Kairos during the storm. This is a test run.
We postponed stepping the mast... again... And after much research (into depth and bottom type) will be riding out Irene tied to a floating dock in the St. George River, Thomaston, Maine. Stay tuned!

Bottom Paint

Here's the thing about being "involved" in boatyard life - you acquire many items. For example when a boat is bottom painted it takes more than one can. But the number of cans it requires is never an even amount, perhaps 2 and 3/4 cans or 3 1/2 ... see what I'm getting at? Who wants to carry around 1/4 of a can of bottom paint? This isn't a little varnish can but a whole gallon can with drippy thick paint on the sides. So when you spend a lot of time around boatyards one is able to save these sad cans with their remaining treasure from the inevitable trip to the dumpster. If you rescue enough cans you are able to then bottom paint your own boat for free! (Best choice is to only salvage or liberate one color.. otherwise the bottom of your boat will look like a happy rainbow.) So today I bottom painted in preparation for tomorrow's launch. 5 cans of black bottom paint. Do to my crafty application I have also created a test worthy of Practical Sailor's labs. On the starboard side I predominately used Pettit's Vivid Color in the not so vivid black. On the port side I used Pettit's Trinidad SR. So I'm sure those of you who know their bottom paint, are placing bets on the Trinidad (as I am), but time will tell and I will report back! (For full disclosure the forward starboard side has a combo of AwlGrip bottom paint, and a quart can of undisclosed origin.)

Sand...Varnish...Repeat

The proposed launch date is 13 days away. What must be done before she hits the water. What else must be ordered?

The bootstripe has been painted. The lifelines are almost complete. The new chainplate installation will be finished once SS shapes the toe rail around them. In the foreground of the photo you can see the new laminated and shaped mizzen boom.

The plan this week - sand, varnish, repeat.