Whitehall Newsletter April 2011 By Harold Aune

ThereÕs nothing finer than to head off in your rowboat and do a little exploring. Marie and I have a favorite spot out in the Chatham Island Group just a couple of miles off Oak Bay. Our sailing home afloat, ÒPhysisÓ, can easily carry a Tango 17 on deck so with our mother ship safely at anchor we can explore to our heartsÕ content and then retreat at will to our comfortable salon onboard. These uninhabited islands are a photographerÕs delight so when out exploring I always love to take along my camera. It seems to help me to notice many more details that would otherwise go unspotted. Of course Marie has a knack for noticing all things large and small and often cues them up for me to shoot.

Recently while visiting the islands we rowed away from ÒPhysisÓ and headed up a channel between Big Chatham and Little Chatham rowing against about a three knot tidal current. It felt great as the power from all our muscles driving our 9Õ6Ó carbon fiber sculling oars propelled us upstream with ease. Looking back I noticed a fellow in what looked like a boatÕs tender, perhaps a Minto, rowing up the channel behind us. He was picking his way carefully along the beach and taking advantage of the back eddies.

We pulled the Tango out on a handy gravel beach, tied the bowline to a heavy rock and beachcombed our way off along the shoreline. When we returned an hour or so later our fellow rower had left a very cool message for us written in the sand. You can read it below. And I know all you Whitehall owners enjoy similar complementary treatments when you are out exploring as well É thanks for the emails.

Whitehall Spirit¨ Rowing Club Franchise in California

The last of the legal hurdles have been jumped and the WSRC franchise is now only days away from being available for qualified purchasers in the state of California. The state reviewer said the WSRC was one of the most attractive franchise opportunities she had seen and hoped that soon one would be established close by in Marina Del Ray so she could join.

The new info landing page for the WSRC franchise is at: wsrcfranchise.com ThereÕs a 2 minute video clip that can be viewed. We know the WSRC franchise will reward a broad spectrum of people and existing businesses.

Also over in Sausalito Doug Gilmour with the Either Oar Rowing Club has a Tango 17 double slide and three Solo 14s singles set up on his club dock right next to the Open Water Rowing Center. Seasoned open water rowers are discovering the fun of getting out rowing in quite nasty conditions in these super seaworthy boats. Also if you would like connect with the EORC to see or to try out one of boats call us at 250 361 2621 or email info@whitehallrow.com re: EORC Boats

Oiling a Classic Whitehall SpiritÕs Teak Woodwork, by Marie Hutchinson

Oiling the teak on your boat is something you might consider doing soon, before the sunshine and the water droplets get a chance to work their ways. Another fresh coat of oil will make the boat look great too. Later on in the season, you can apply one more coat if you feel the teak is looking dry and thirsty. Tip No 1: always oil the boat under cover or in shade and not in direct sunlight to avoid a sticky mess.

Pulling the cover off a boat thatÕs been stored for the winter sometimes results in surprises though, and weÕve heard about many of them. Any stories or tips that you might like to share with our readers on this topic are always welcome too, so feel free to send them

If the boatÕs stored in a garage, then you might find that a few critters have snuck in and made their home. Not a pleasant prospect, though easily handled as long as the sails or other canvas items were not where the nest was made because sometime holes are chewed and stains are hard to remove from the Sunbrella or worse, the Dacron sailcloth, without damage. If the boatÕs been stored outside, depending on the humidity level you may find some mildew on the teak, which produces small black spots that can be difficult to remove without stripping the oil finish and starting over. I will be writing on the topic of stripping your oil finish in another issue.

Oiling your teak is pretty simple, but there are steps you need to take before applying the oil and have the boat look as good as new. One is to make sure the surfaces are nice and clean. If there is any dirt, dust or watermarks you need to get them cleaned up first. A pail of water with some dish detergent or gentle cleaning product works best for grime on the wood. The watermarks will need to be sanded out by using a 100 grit sandpaper. You can do the same on any scratches that might have shown up to blend them in before oiling.

If your boat has teak floorboards or other removable parts like sliding seats or rowing thwarts, remove them first and oil them outside of the boat. ItÕs much easier and youÕll avoid the inevitable oil splatters on the interior gelcoat.

Next, make sure your oil is fresh. The one we use is ÔGeneral Finishes Outdoor OilÕ It likely will need to have been purchased within the past year. If itÕs much older then the oil gets thick and sticky and becomes more difficult to wipe dry on the teak, leaving a sticky sheen. This sheen might look nice for a little while, however as soon as some dust or grit lands on top it sticks to it and your surface looks more like sandpaper than nice smooth rich colored teak. The oil should be light and runny and wipe dry off the teak easily with a clean dry rag.

Have plenty of rags on hand both for oiling and for cleaning up and a bottle of methyl hydrate for wiping off any oil splatters or spills. Tip No 2: wipe up the small traces or drips of oil that make their way onto the interior gelcoat of the hull right away, to avoid the zebra stripe effect that will come a month or two later when the oil dribbles you ÒdidnÕt noticeÓ have turned gummy and filled up with gritty black dirt. The time it takes wiping it off while fresh is miniscule compared to what it takes to remove the gummy black baked on oil stripes later.

Some prefer oiling with a foam brush, other like a rag. ItÕs your preference. Foam brushes in three sizes are good; the 1Ó for in between the teak blocks on the gunnels, the 2Ó for the outer sides of the gunnels and the 3Ó for the seats and floorboards are great. Tip No 3: oily rags whether used for oiling or for wiping off the oil, can be combustible so dispose of them by spreading them out flat to dry out first. Do not ball up and throw them into your garbage container as they could heat up and burst into flames.

Apply the oil to a section of the teak, working one area at a time, then wiping to dry the excess oil on that section with your rag before moving on to the next area. Tip No 4: do not oil the whole boatÕs teak woodwork before going back and wiping off the excess oil as the oil will become sticky and be harder to wipe dry.

Once finished oiling use the methyl hydrate on a clean dry rag to go over the interior gelcoat surfaces and make sure there are not oil runs and spatters you might have missed.

Your boatÕs teak will be pristine now. Keeping it looking good is as simple as having a fresh water cloth available after using the boat to wipe off any water drops that have landed on the teak plus the dayÕs dirt and grime. Keep the boat covered when not in use throughout the summer and your teak finish will continue looking good for quite a while.

We are available by phone Monday to Friday between 9:30am and 4:30 pm PDT Call toll free1 800 663 7481 in NA and from Europe or elsewhere call 00+1 250 361 2628.

We would love to assist in any way to help you enjoy your boat more or to assist you to purchase one of your own for this summer.

Email to info@whitehallrow.com