C'est la Vie is a 1966 Charlie Morgan 34.

Her home port is Everglades City, FL. Our typical cruising area is Southwest Florida, the Florida Keys, the Southeastern Atlantic Seaboard, and the Bahamas. We are C'est la Vie's third owners and purchased her in 2005. We continue to maintain and update this classic vessel. Please post any questions or comments about C'est la Vie or our travels via the comment links below.


Thursday, September 6, 2012

Paddle Board Bag - Alterations and Completion

Unhappy with the loose fit of the paddle board bag I engaged in some alterations.
Working in sections - rail, nose, rail, tail -  I separated the panel with the fin slot from the narrow side panel.  I then reduce the side panel by 1 1/2" from the tail to the mid point of the board.  From the mid point to the nose of the board the material removed from the side panel increased incrementally to a maximum of 5" at the nose.  The process more smoothly than I expected and I am now pleased with the fit of the bag on the board.
The entire project is documented in the album - Paddle Board Bag Project - summer 2012.  On to the next project, or perhaps it is time for a paddle?

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Beaufort afternoon aboard SV Blue Goose

Four of our friends and co-workers from Outward Bound visited us in Beaufort. After their sea kayak expedition they elected to spend an afternoon enjoying SV-Blue Goose. Myself, Anne, and our local friend Allison rounded out the six person crew.
Justinn at th helm inside Schackleford Banks - T Haitz photo credit.
Constructed in the late 1920's in the Cape Cod area, Blue Goose is a 29' on of a kind wooden cat boat.  Her unstayed mast carries a large single gaff rigged mainsail.
SV Blue Goose mainsail underway - photo credit: T Haitz

Her owner, a local retired US Navy Captain, maintains the vessel in a Bristol condition.   After a summer of crewing with the captain and of assisting with repairs/maintenance (Blue Goose Boom Repairs), he graciously offered me use of the vessel.
 
Blue Goose and her bow totem plying the waters off Beaufort, NC - photo credit: T Haitz
She is a gorgeous sailing vessel that never fails to turn heads.  She is also impressively seaworthy and surefooted even offshore in larger seas.   Along with her fine sailing qualities she is a great platform of an afternoon swim off Carrot Island...
Jeff airborne off Blue Goose Bow - photo credit T Haitz
Trish jumping off Blue Goose bow - photo credit: J Lovett
 

Monday, September 3, 2012

Paddle board bag - some assembly required

When we transport the paddle board on C'est la Vie it will need to have the fin removed to avoid catching legs or lines thus I added a interior pocket opposite the fin slot in which to store fin(s).
The fin pocket seals with velcro across  the top flap.

Time to assemble the three flat components into a three dimensional bag. Being careful to layout the pieces inside out,  I used basting tape to adhere the initial section of the side panel to the top.
Once the initial section was secured with a couple feet of stitching, I lined up the pieces on the fly as they fed into the machine.

To hide the seams and provide a clean finish the bag was assembled inside out. Once the pieces were joined I flipped the bag right side out via the zipper opening and rushed home for a test fit.


If anything the bag to too big - better than too small. 


I plan to use the bag for a few days before deciding whether or not to disassemble on panel and trim down the dimensions of the bag.