The Boat

Dasein:

“Dasein for Heidegger can be a way of being involved with and caring for the immediate world in which one lives, while always remaining aware of the contingent element of that involvement, of the priority of the world to the self, and of the evolving nature of the self itself…Heidegger considered that language, everyday curiosity, logical systems, and common beliefs obscure Dasein’s nature from itself.^[8] Authentic choice means turning away from the collective world of Them, to face Dasein, one’s individuality, one’s own limited life-span, one’s own being.^[9] Heidegger thus intended the concept of Dasein to provide a stepping stone in the questioning of what it means to be—to have one’s own being, one’s own death, one’s own truth” (“Dasein”, wikipedia)

 

Den: den/ noun

 

I had no idea I was being so obscure when I renamed the boat. Given that Being and Time is perhaps the philosophical opus of the last century, it did not seem like I was going so far out on a limb, if anything I thought the name and alliteration was a little “on the nose” given that she is damn cute. Maybe even if I had known that only one out of a hundred people would recognize the reference I would have named her that anyway because I’ve always enjoyed a good long shot. I’ll admit thought, I get a little embarrassed when people scrunch up their faces and ask me what dasein means and I am again reminded that boat people are more likely to find “Reel Good Hooker” or “The Sea-Word” (you may have to say this one out loud to get it) clever and there is nothing unusual at all, let alone radical to them about living in one hundred square feet and perhaps a perpetual stench of dead fish (how anyone can stand to live next to the fishing boats I will never understand). Secretly, VERY secretly as I think the crossover of sailors and philosophers has become unconscionably small, I think it is the best name ever and haven’t come up with anything I like more since, except perhaps epsilon, which is even more obscure and so if I want to keep up some loose gauze of normalcy I will reserve that for my dinghy.

 

Dasein’s Den is a 1988 Pacific Seacraft Dana 24. I got her in reasonably good shape, which means that there was nothing actively wrong with her. A sailing instructor, fellow Dana owner, and friend went through her with a fine toothed comb and declared that, “though you don’t need to get this boat, you won’t find one any better”. He was right, as he has been on most boat-related matters, and she was in good enough shape to go sailing right away with reasonable confidence. Of course, as a boat in “good shape”  she needed everything replaced and had a few small leaks, but I got her at a good price and after re-bedding the scuppers  the cabinets are now dry, though rid of the interior carpeting that was put against the hull most places in the interior. (Who wants carpet, let alone in a moist environment? Impossible to clean and a perfect habitat for mold, yuck!) I have gone about replacing, re-bedding, re-rigging and otherwise getting her up to fighting shape and I will chronicle some of those improvements here and why I made the choices I did. I have found other bloggers accounts invaluable in this regard and hope to offer that to anyone else with the time and lack of sense to get into boats.

I sometimes think about other boats, but haven’t seen or sailed one yet where I thought, “oh, this is a much better boat for me.” I don’t love that her top speed is that of an excited toddler and I sometimes covet her bigger sisters and don’t love an “open” floor plan (read: sleeping next to your wet sails) but these thoughts come to a halt any time I do any work on her and am so grateful that everything is the smallest, least amount and least expensive to replace and repair and I would have to so much larger just to get one more knot and have to sacrifice almost everything I love to get faster than that (let’s beh honest, I am not getting a Macgregor 26, even if they are perfect on paper). Even a few years in, she is a continuous discovery to me, as I spend so much time sailing her that I will go long stretches before I work on her again and then think of all kinds of improvements until I have to take a break and go play again. I love that she came with no gadgets to speak of, save the autopilot and an ancient Data Marine depth sounder that stopped working a week after she went in the water (thank goodness for that 3’10” keel!).

I have all her boat work written down, nice and proper, somewhere… and when I find the notebook I will add here.

 

She’s got a new Capehorn Self Steering Windvane on the way, and Webasco Diesel Heater ready to be installed. I have finally come around to getting new oil lamps after the first pair, used (I learned a valuable, if expensive, lesson) turned out to be cracked and leaked all over the place. New ultraleather (not leather! but salt water safe-ish)!) coming to update her otherwise reasonable-but-dated cushions, as I am planning to spend more time on her and dogs and fabric upholstery to do not mix. I FINALLY got the new running backstays up and am sailing her as the cutter she was meant to be. And though I would rather not, the roller fuller jams often enough that when I find a good rigger, replacing the furler is right there at the top.

July 2015 New Bottom Paint 

July 2015 Replaced the lifelines

July 2015 Installed Airhead composting toilet and pulled out gross plumbing lines

2015 Replaced the jib sheets 

May 2016 Replaced all the standing rigging

August 2016 Replaced the Sea Eagle Water Filter

January 2016 Replaced the sacrificial sail covers with Dacron (lighter!)

January 2016 Replaced and resealed hatch (no more waking up to water dripping on my head!) 

May 2016 Replaced mast light with tricolor LED

September 2016 Installed new oil lamps in cabin

January 2017 Replaced the batteries (don’t let them go dead, doh!)

January 2017 Replaced the Battery Charger 

February 2017 Replaced mast wiring – (so nice and neat now!)

February 2017 boom vang lines replaced

April 2017 Replaced DSC with AIS and GPS DSC unit

April 2017 All electrical inspected

May 2017 Annual Engine inspection

May 2017 Replaced 12v with USB

June 2017 New Drifter made from Sailrite and sewn by moi

June 2017 Brightwork- sanded down to wood and varnished 11 coats

June 2017 New staysl running backstays (I can finally sail her as the cutter she was meant to be)

June 2017 Rebedded port scuppers thinking that was where she was leaking

July 2017 Port jib rails rebedded (no more leaks into the cabinet, she’s dry as a bone now!)

August 2017 Replaced Sea Eagle water filter

August 2017 New Tiller Installed and new back up tiller (after the original snapped like a twig during the Farrallones race)

September 2017 Boomvang retapped and new screws (after it fell apart on the sail home from an SSS Half Moon Bay Race)

February 2018 Holding Tank Cleaned

March 2018 New Bottom Paint 

March 2018 Replaced the knotmeter and depth sounder with new Garmin transducer and glassed the old hole

March 2018 New Axios navigation system and wireless Garmin GNX 20/21 windex 

March 2018 New teak Instrument Panel and Garmin Instruments on deck installed

March 2018 Garmin low radiation sonar installed

March 2018 Cape Horn wind vane installed

March 2018 pulled out the cracked water tank from the bow

April 2018 Replaced plumbing lines from sink to port lazaretto 30 gallon tank

May 2018 Replaced cabin lights with tricolored LED

June 2018 Webasto Airtop 2000 Diesel Heater Installed

June 2018 Reupholstered cabin and Vberth cushions with Perennial Fabrics Ultraleather