February 04, 2016
Sincerely submitted by Chuck DeWitt, Restoration Coordinator for The VFP Golden Rule Project.
To All:
To hear the weather man tell it we are in a terrible drought. But, if you check the current record we are actually way above normal for rain. The rivers are at or close to flood stage and all the nearby reservoirs are full to the top and it's also been cold, well it is winter..
After the voyage of The Golden Rule to San Diego and back to Humboldt the crew presented me with a long list of things that needed attention or replacing or added to the boat. The galley was on the top of the list so we've concentrated efforts to it. Mike has redesigned the galley to make it easier to work in and is nearly finished with a custom built ice chest that is down and out of sight. The ice box itself is made of Hydrotech, fiber glass and Styrofoam. I've had to help with the glassing as the toxic fumes are too much for Mikes sensitive old guy nose.
Before starting on the galley Mike rebuilt the Navigation light boxes so we could, if necessary, sail at night. He also at the same time changed the pin rails, they're now much sturdier and can be used as rat lines for climbing up the main mast. David Sangiovanni rewired the light boxes and changed the routing of wires a tad. David also moved the bilge pump forward two frames and installed a new float switch, which required adding longer hoses to expel bilge water.
I have rebuilt the navigation binnacle making it a bit larger and about a foot taller. This will enable the helms man to see the G.P.S. and radar screen more clearly with out having to bend over while at the tiller.
The really big accomplishment this winter was done by Ed Fracker, actually that's Captain Fracker. He redesigned and sewed new sail cradles for all three sails using the red Tan Bark material that our sails are made of. His design makes it easier to raise and lower the sails. Not only is it faster but it may even require one less sail handler. If you can when the boat is in your port you should come and visit, the new covers really add to the over all beauty of the vessel.
There's still several jobs to tackle before the boat can leave later this spring. Captain Zerlang wants to pull the Rule out of the water perhaps as early as March. We want to clean the bottom, repaint the entire hull, and the sonar dome and rudder hardware need minor attention.
Captain Fracker has designed a set of spreaders for the Mizzen mast, that and moving the back stays aft one frame should solve the bucking problem we experienced in heavy seas.
Helen Jaccard has been on the phone almost non stop in the past month organizing a sailing agenda for this summer. When we leave out of here we'll sail north along the coast up to as far as Vancouver B.C. and then back to Humboldt Bay. Helen is arranging many stops both up and back in as many ports as possible. We are even contemplating a voyage up the Columbia River towards the Hanford Nuclear site.
Starting with this report I'm adding dozens of new addresses to our mailing list that we've collected at our many ports of call. Interest in our mission is expanding greatly and Veterans For Peace National has been a huge help.
The U.S. Nuclear Weapons industry is evolving and a large percent of our tax monies are going into this evolution and no one seems to be aware of the changes. This is one of the reasons we exist. We can and should be considered a weapon of mass education.