It has been a month since my last post and honestly almost as long since I made any real progress. A 40 hour work week coupled with a few side projects to earn some refit cash and before I knew it a month had passed. Some good news is that the weather has cooled down and humidity has moved out for the most part. However, I cannot be totally blamed for the lack of progress: As many of you know we were hit with a blast of rain and wind from a couple of major storms.The inclement weather lasted for nearly a week, and finally cleared out of here just a few days ago.
Today I was able to get most of the lazarette balsa core cut and into place for a test fit.
About 3 weeks ago I was able to get all the old, wet rotten core removed.
Once all the old core was removed I beveled the edges of the decks to prepare them for the new layers of fiberglass that will be added after new core is laid down.
I was able to score some additional G10 3/8 fiberglass board at a very reasonable cost. This board is the same thickness as the new balsa core. It will be used wherever the deck is penetrated by a bolt hole or chainplate slot to keep water from getting to the new balsa core.
In this picture you can see where I cut a piece of the G10 board to surround the chainplate hole in the lazarette.
After I cleaned the area I started making templates so I could accurately cut the new balsa core pieces. I used heavy rosin paper to make the template.
I have all the new core for the lazarette in place. You'll notice at the top I cut the core around the G10 fiberglass board. I still have to cut a few more pieces of G10 for hatch hinge bolts but for the most part I am about ready to start epoxying in the new balsa.
Lazarette nearly ready to have a new core glued in.
It has been a bit slow going, and while I get frustrated with the lack of progress I am happy that it is starting to come together. Once the lazarette area is finished I will continue around the entire deck as needed.
Now to the major flooding!
We dodged a pretty serious storm last week. Hurricane Joaquin was forecasted to head right for us. Luckily the weather peeps were wrong again and the storm moved out to sea. However, the Hampton Roads area was pounded with several days of gale force winds and heavy rain. This caused some fairly major surge and tidal flooding.
This is what my ferry passengers had to deal with at Waterside in Norfolk. The pier and boardwalk were eventually under about 2.5 ft of water at high tide. This photo was taken 3 hours before high tide.
The heavy wind and surf tore up Virginia Beach's oceanfront. The beach suffered some major erosion and to top it off, a navigational channel marker washed up onto the beach, This Green #5 buoy was 100-150 ft from the normal waterline, a good indication of how bad the flooding and surge were during the height of the storm.
In Portsmouth, VA the water was coming over the sea wall and onto the promenade.
Here is the first mate chilling at Rudy Inlet. We took a walk along the beach the day after the storm. Winds and surf had subsided some but not completely as you can see.
Stay tuned for more Alberg 30 refit work!
