Wisp - A West Wight Potter

Wisp is undergoing the beginning of her renovations. New sails and cushions were made for her. The mahogany trim has been replaced and varnished and she has a new coat of paint. She has a darker red (mahogany) hull and white decks. Parts of the deck and cabin were made non-skid by applying sand to wet paint, removing the excess sand after the paint dried, and covering it with a second coat of paint. It works well, but can be very hard on bare feet.

The fiberglass around the hole for the mast had cracked. I built up and reinforced the hole with two layers of mahogany mounted in bedding compound. These were painted white. Since the mast is mounted semi-permanently, I sealed off the small gap between the hole and the mast with white mast boot tape. The result is a sturdy, non-leaking mast hole. (Note the non-skid areas in the picture.)

June 4 - The restoration so far included: hull paint (dark mahogany stanchion enamel), CSC black bottom paint, beige urethane paint for the lower part of the interior, white boot stripe, non-skid sanded surfaces on the deck, revarnished/refinished boom, mast, gunter-spar, sails (cream), mahogany companion-way boards, reinforced transom (removed dry-rot), mahogany rub rails, Plexiglas portlights, mahogany frames for the portlights, and a Porti-Potti. It has been a real learning experience to say the least. My wallet is empty and I've gotten to know the names of people in several boating stores and hardware stores quite well.

I could keep going with the rebuild, but it is time to sail! Even though there is work to do, it can wait until next year. Wisp is ready, seaworthy, and looks good. I put the Porti-Potti in the lazerette in the back of the boat, put the new cushions inside, loaded up the essentials, tossed in a few non-essentials, and drove to Spicer's Marina. It was a beautiful day, but I got off to a later start than expected. Wisp was launched and moored without a single problem. Next time, I'll go sailing.

June 20 - I've been sailing several times and love it. The mooring is working out well and I am getting spoiled not having to launch her from a trailer.

June 26 - Another wonderful weekend sailing! The accommodations may be small, but they are more than sufficient. I am especially pleased with Wisp after this weekend too.

I set sail about 6:00 AM. The weather was clear with a little haze. The winds were light or less. I sailed across West Cove, where Wisp lives, waved to a lovely wooden sloop from New Jersey. They assured me that there would be some wind in the afternoon as they motored toward home. The winds started increasing about 8:30. I head east to take advantage of the current of the ebbing tide. By 9:00, the winds had increased so much that I was able to sail against the almost 2 knot easterly current - until the direction and intensity of the wind changed from south to southeast. The winds were about 20 knots. It was time to reduce the sail, so I lowered jib, then the main and I tried motoring. Because of the direction of the winds and tide, I could not go toward either shore. (I was about a half-mile from a cove on Fishers Island.) I raised the jib, thinking that it might provide enough power, but that was unsuccessful. This was the first time that my 3 hp motor did not have enough power to get the boat home against wind and current. Normally, it is more than adequate. I dropped my anchor and put on my life jacket. It caught and held fast. I listened to the weather reports of small craft warnings and conversations with the Coast Guard about a 35 footer who was motoring west with no pilot and the hatches closed. For the next two hours, I waited until the flood tide started. and the current slowed. I raised the mainsail and returned to Spicer's Marina in record time. On just the main, Wisp was sailing at speeds over 4 mph - quite fast for this little boat.

Even though the seas were rough and the winds high, I felt safe under a reasonable amount of sail and cautious sailing. Wisp is a very small boat and must be sailed with a due amount of care. I was very glad that I had a full-power marine radio onboard.