The new owner of Averisera is seen racing on Narragansett Bay in the Around Connanicut Island Race 2021. They finished 4th which is credible for a new crew on a new-to-them boat. Good on you, Toby.
Sort of like a grandkid. My daughter, Laura, has bought a new-to-her Sabre 30 Mk 1, built in 1981. Her prior boat (and still for a while longer) is an O'Day 240. It served the family well and now is time for an upgrade.
![Sabre30Laura[1].jpg](http://www.averisera.com/assets_c/2021/08/Sabre30Laura[1]-thumb-490x880-3654.jpg)
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The Sabre 30 is a well respected design from the early days of Sabre Yachts. They are well built and sail well. Kept in nice condition they will turn heads in any harbor.
Laura on her new ride, August 2021
![Sabre30Laura[1].jpg](http://www.averisera.com/2021/08/29/Sabre30Laura%5B1%5D.jpg)
Darn good condition for a 40 year old boat. Gramps can't wait to help make the boat special for Laura.
More detail about the boat at: https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/sabre-30-1
Blink is in the water, rigged, and getting more Blink-Bling. For example, a new solar powered cabin vent has been installed. The cockpit cover now has newly purchased and installed cover snaps. The engine is mounted and runs.
Some pictures:
Grandma can hold the dinghy along side, handle the drill motor while holding the fitting and smile. Our little pram is just big enough for the two of us and small enough for the dinghy dock. It is a good little work boat.
And now... a boarding ladder so we may swim off the boat.
Thanks Zachary! The graphics look super.
Bling for Blink from Sensible Yacht Cordage of Jamestown, RI.
Quick update to show installed teak. Also a thank you to Zachary for hooking up the electrical and testing the lights. Soon we will have the bow numbers, outboard, and name installed. Norm is going to make a run to pick up safety gear, anchor rode, and a better cabin vent. We prefer the solar powered type. There will be other things but we are pretty close to launch ready.
Zachary also found the parts supplier, Ensign Spars, on line. This is great for getting the little fiddly-bits. https://shop.ensignspars.com/
Norm has been in touch with the fleet commodore and is working through the forum on some technical stuff.
The project is coming together.
The Ensign project is moving along. The name was picked: BLINK. Zach painted the hull. Norm and Elizabeth did the teak. Next up is installation of the cockpit seats and coaming, the teak. Zack can cut vinyl letters and will make the name and sail numbers to be put onto the hull.
Meanwhile, Norm is wondering about the headsails. The boat came with a working jib, really a #4, and a genoa, probably a 150% #1. We sail on Nantucket sound and prefer a 100% to 105% blade. Blink is not fitted with a suitable track for sheeting such a sail. The Ensign Class Association has a forum which describes where the track must be located. Below is a sketch in blue tape.
The front of the blue tape at the mast partner is the required 7'-6" aft of the forestay fitting. The thwart ships tape is the 14" offset to the track. The tape aligned with the black string and tape measure is the 16" track location.
I think that's right?
Another view. I think a couple of sheet winches on the cabin top will be added.
Averisera had two 102% headsails from Doug Pope's loft. We called them light or heavy #3 headsails. The heavy 3 was dacron with a hollow roach. The light 3 was made of black unobtainium and had a positive roach with battens. We had no genoa sized sails on Averisera.
We will see what the Ensign Class allows.
So... where did the name come from? Not really certain. I know I was working on Averisera one day last year and the yard guys asked, "Hey, Norm, want an Ensign?" I blinked and it was mine.
Everyone is pretty excited.
Somewhere on the list is the interior.
A decorator's dream?
And smaller smallest, Z's beach pram but I don't have a picture of it.
Anyway. We are working on the new-to-us-Ensign so work on the skerry and nutshell is on hold. The nutshell is in the red and grey livery of Averisera. Maybe a change to the gun smoke blue and white of Blink?
Skerry is still in the rafters as the basement is under construction. Things once in the basement are now in the garage or shed. I predict the basement will be reloaded with less than was unloaded!
On Mother's Day, we drove to Marion to see a friend, take a sea side walk, talk boats, and have lunch. Returning to Harwich we visited the Ensign (as yet unnamed) and were bowled over by the beautiful job son Zachary had done painting the new family sailboat.
Thank you, Zachary!
Next job is to finish oiling the teak, cleaning the winches and waxing the deck. Then we can go for a sail!
Plantation Key, Florida Keys in 1965 or maybe 1966. I think. Dad, mom, Muffie, Patience, Bobby, and Norm aboard the Columbia Contender "Sea Bird." The cove is at my grandparent's home on Plantation Key. We lived at St Andrew's in Boca Raton and went down as often as we could to sail out to the Cowpens and other distant mangrove keys. Mom grew up in there during her pre-teen years when she and her mom and dad lived aboard a boat before the house was built.
Way in the distance is where the fabulous Plantation Yacht Harbor was built. At this time there wasn't much going on though we liked the pool a lot.
A recollection is that dad offered me a boat of my own (my Comet, #1986) if he bought the Columbia or we could get an Ensign and sail out of Coconut Grove SC and race. The choice we made is obvious! Now, how many years later, I have an Ensign. Both the Columbia and my Comet are long gone.
Drove past the Queen Anne yard today and saw that Averisera was missing. The new owner has moved her to Karl's Boat Shop for some spring commissioning work. The empty spot reminds me of the empty place in my heart that used to be filled with her. Oh well... we have a newish Ensign.
The big white shape behind the blue Ensign is Averisera.
Probably spring prep from 2019. Such a long time ago since she sailed last.
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