Mary suggested a name for the boat and I concurred. We had this long list of possible names, many related to the Navy but her suggestion was inspired. The new name of our Helms 25 is:
It is named for my mother who passed away this year and we feel it is a tribute to her as she was the last of our parents still living during the past 13 years.

So, now I can refer to the boat with a name and have to work at getting the name on the boat -

Fair winds and following seas to the Hattie L.

Forward Looking Plans for Helms 25

I have created my to-do list - some of this can be completed during the winter, others must wait until Spring and later. Here is what I have so far (in no particular order but items that I feel must be done prior to launching in the spring are in blue font - those completed in a green font):

Purchase marine battery
Name Boat - "Hattie L"
Purchase boat hook
Pickup renovated outboard motor
Purchase gas tank & fuel line
Install shelves rather than hanger in locker
Dye or replace V-Berth covers
Repair one dinette cushion with open seams
Replace weather stripping on hatches and cockpit access
Standing rigging replacement - ordered
Contact Merrill Sproul - ABC Course (needed to become a member of local Sail and Power Squadron - now need to take the class and exam on 4/18/2009))
Get trailer weighed (currently licensed at 6,000 pounds empty, can't be true!)
Get trailer brakes serviced
Purchase new Porta-Potti
Create mounting for porta-potti
Replace cabin lights with LEDs
Get compass (either bulkhead or pedestal
Anchor chain
Inside/outside carpet for cabin sole with non-skid rug underlayment
Refinish interior woodwork (brightwork) - pulled and in house for winter project
Refinish exterior wood (brightwork)
Shore power - need power line, connection, battery charger, timer (so regulate charging) and inverter as well as wiring and outlets, etc.
Purchase GPS
Get Seneca Lake Charts
Patch little holes on deck and in cabin
Rebed deck hardware
Purchase handheld marine VHF radio
We have a slip at the Village Marina in Watkins Glen - Slip 411
Purchase PFDs - 2 Adult type III and I throwable Type IV
Consider drawer under sink
Insulate icebox
Bed battery box stand
Move centerboard mechanism back to cabin from cockpit

This is definitely an ambitious list, but I have lots of time - sailability is first concern, then the livability items and finally cosmetic items.

Getting ready to layup totally for winter

Here in New York, cold weather comes soon. So, it is time to take the Helms 25 to my sister's farm where it will languish under tarp until spring brings warmer weather (at least it always has).

I have removed almost all of the wooden trim from inside the cabin and will refinish it over the winter. Had I had more time, I would have removed the topside teak and done the same, but Mother Nature is not to be fooled with up here.


Here is Mary standing beside the boat for the first major attempt to tow with the Jeep - some folks say the Jeep won't tow this approximately 5000 lb. load, but it is rated for that weight and we found out that it does a good job towing to the top of one of the higher hills in the Chemung County, New York.

Just can't wait until next spring.

A 1975 Helms 25, hull number JAH004280275 is reborn

Well, we finally did it!

Mary had mentioned, in the spring, that we should begin looking for a sailboat in the fall and it was to be my "pre-retirement" present. Not too long after that we saw a 25-foot sailboat with a For Sale sign on it along side the main road from the Elmira area to Watkins Glen in the Finger Lakes. We called the owner and we met at the boat on a rainy day and chatted for a while. He was the third owner of the boat, his father the second, so we feel that we know a little about its history.

A couple of months later, we got a call and he had an offer. Well, to make a long story short, we are the proud owners of a 1975 Helms 25, hull number 428!

We have a lot of work to do on the boat and limited time. Since winter comes early and we have no place to keep the boat, we will be taking it to my sister's farm where it will sit under a tarp until the spring. I have pulled the interior wood that will be refinished over the winter. There are hatch seals that need replacing, bilges that should be painted, some standing rigging needs replacing (and I probably should replace all the running rigging lines), the porta-potty may be toast, the battery for interior lighting is missing and it looks like most of the interior lighting needs replacing. Don't know about the running lights, but they will be dealt with also. There are lots of little topside leaks where stuff needs to be rebedded.

There are a couple of modifications from the original design - it has a wheel rather than a tiller and the centerboard mechanism is forward in the cockpit rather than in the cabin. Other than that, it looks like the 33-year old fiberglass hull and topsides have held up extremely well.

But, as Mary says, most of that can be done with the boat in the water next spring. Now we just hope that we can get a slip in Watkins Glen.

We have yet to name the boat, but "She Who Must Be Obeyed" is one of my first choices!

If you want to see a blog on another Helms 25, check out Kevin Walters' blog at:

http://www.sailblogs.com/member/dreambegins/?xjMsgID=34729

This is the first photo I took of the fine craft.

And here it is from the side: