Wind on the Water

Today was a boat day......... I had great plans to move the boat off of the dock and back out to the mooring buoy, but the gods were a bit uncooperative........... Wind, whitecaps and no crew. I got some great work done on board, buttoned things up, shored up the mooring lines and headed home.
Wild weather is always dramatic when you're out on the water. There's nothing like a boat moving on the water, even if it is on the dock.


I changed out the compasses. The new Wilcox Crittenden looks great and it fits in the binnacle perfectly.


Here's a comparison shot of the old Ritchie next the the new Wilcox Crittenden.

I fired up the Newport wood stove for the first time today. Lit quick and burned hot. This little stove will put off all the heat we will ever need in the pilot house.


Here's the boat on the dock, snugged up tight and dreaming of sunnier days............

1971 Schwinn Racer

Had a great day yard "sailing" today! First sale of the day and I scored this vintage beauty......
A Schwinn Racer built in December 1971. I'll bet this baby looked great under the Christmas tree, all brand new and shiny, on Christmas morning!


Fun bike and it's all original, even has the original Schwinn tires, seat, pedals and grips.

The Perfect Compass!

Well the search is finally over........ I found the perfect compass for the boat! The original compass that came with the boat was an E.S. Ritchie compass from the late 1930's. It was in need of service and in the course of having the work done on it, the repair shop ruined the original card. It was replaced with a USN card of "OK" quality............... I bought a second compass that matched the first and tried to service it myself. I made a bit of a a "technical error" in my choice of repair paint, and let's just say that that compass is shelved until a later time.
This NEW compass is what I have wanted all along! It is a Wilcox Crittenden compass that is in perfect shape and condition, like-new! It is date stamped on the bottom with the year 1943. The guy I bought it from said that it was dry, but I bought it anyway (the only bid on eBay, and a GREAT price!). I figured I'd have to have it serviced, but when it arrived, the compass was actually still full of liquid, with no bubbles, and PERFECT!
This compass will drop right in as a replacement for the original E.S. Ritchie.
It's going to look great in the binnacle!

Wilcox Crittenden Bronze Head

On Sunday, after getting back from Seattle, I headed out to the boat to do a little work. As I headed out, at about 2:30 pm, I passed a pile of "stuff" with an old road bike propped up against it by the road in Port Hadlock. It looked like a pile of post-yard sale "free stuff". I made a u-turn and stopped in to check it out. It turned out that it was an impromptu yard sale and the guy who was selling it all wanted "at least $90.00" for the bike (worth maybe $25.00 tops). I visited with him a bit, passed on the bike, but then spotted an old marine head in another pile of his stuff for sale. I asked him how much and he made me the "deal of deals" :) I left with a vintage Wilcox Crittenden marine head with perfect porcelain bowl, beautiful bronze plumbing, uncracked wood seat and lid and and to top it all off, it seems to pump and work just fine. This is an old one, and I'm not sure on the exact age, but I would put it back around WWII era, just a guess for now. The new version in bronze goes for around $900 plus! Rebuild kits are still available for these as well...... another project!

Sweet Pea's Trek New & Improved!

Here's the update on the two Trek 400's.......... The red Trek is over in Seattle getting set to go through the single-speed conversion and Sweet Pea's Trek has just been updated.

I headed over to Seattle to see N8 over the weekend to see his gallery opening and to do a little visiting and "bike wrenching". His sculpture was AMAZING!!!!!!! That was worth the trip in and of itself! After we left the gallery, we hit the bike shop and picked up some parts, grabbed some fantastic (and HOT!) Tai food at Tai Tom's on University Way, and then back to his apartment to do a little bike work.Here's N8 by his sculpture............. fantastic piece!





N8 did the bike work and the pugs and I relaxed and kept him company :)


Sweet Pea's Trek has been updated with a new Truvative Rouleur crankset and external bearing bottom bracket, Salsa Cross brake levers (these are the small cyclo-cross levers on the flat part of the drop bars), a Blackburn frame pump, a little black bell, and a Sette Ryde air shock seat post, and to finish it all out, a set of Michelin Pro race tires. This bike is definitely one sweet ride now and in all actuality, it's a modern, new bike built on a quality "vintage" frame. The best of both worlds.

It sounds like the red Trek 400 may end up as N8's new single speed commuter. He traded his Bianchi Cross frame for a Cinelli-Campagnollo frame and group-set and now has a bike that's too valuable and sweet to leave locked up on the street! The red Trek would make a great commuter frame.................. stay tuned.


N8's new Cinelli frame. An original, mid-'90's LOOK Cycles team frame with Campy components.