Northern Lights

We were blessed with an evening of glorious Aurora Borealis this month. It wasn't the first time we'd witnessed this amazing natural phenomena, but it sure was the best we'd seen this far south in central Minnesota. The incredible light show was visible in Connecticut, Florida, and all over the southern United States. It was spectacular!

My first encounter with a glowing sky was in the 1990s. I was working nights and saw a red light in the distance on my drive home. I thought it was a police event and woke Dave to tell him all about it. From my description, he was certain that I had seen Northern lights. 

We were lucky to witness the Aurora when we had a slip at Knife River Marina, north of Duluth, MN. That viewing was very active with green and white colors that pulsed and danced across the northern sky. We sat on the rocks at the beach and watched, unable to take our eyes away. 

We happened to be in White Bear Lake visiting our friends Scott and Mary, during the most recent explosion! Mary received a bunch of notifications on her phone. Her daughter was sending cell phone images of the sky at her home nearby; glorious images of Northern Lights that streamed from one end to the other. We went outside and were rewarded with vibrant colors of red, purple, green and white. The streets were dotted with neighbors all holding their phones up and whispering in excitement as the colors and movement constantly changed! 

On our way home, we stopped at Otto Berg Park, on the north end of Stillwater, where it was dark with very little ambient light. The parking lot was buzzing with cars and folks were walking into the pitch black park to get a better view. It seemed like the entire town woke up and came out to share in nature's beautiful gift. Dave and I laid down in the grass and enjoyed the show until the wind and chill chased us back to the warmth of our car.

Northern Lights are magnetic, in origin as well as in attraction. They rate up there with meteor showers and phosphorescents. We never tire of viewing the natural expressions of beauty that they deliver. This particular show was special because it was visible with the naked eye all over the United States.

Canvas Waterproofing Project

A few years back, we purchased a heavy duty Sailrite sewing machine. It has been incredibly useful in creating an assortment of items for our Alberg 35, s/v Mystic. Among the projects we've completed are storage bags, winch covers, dinghy chaps, rain and sun tarps, and a winter cover.

The cover was our biggest project, taking a total of 50 yards of SurLast water repellent fabric. We got a great deal purchasing it from Rochford Supply's seconds bin for $5.00 per yard. The project took six weeks to put together but has proven to be well worth the work. It has protected our boat for the last five years, keeping her dry and shading her teak from the sun. Each spring, we inspect, clean and make repairs where needed. In spite of the exposure to the elements, it has held up nicely with only minor chaffing damage.

Last year, we decided to re-waterproof the canvas in the hope of extending the life of the cover. Over the counter spray products are easy to find but proved to be expensive. Dave researched making our own and found a recipe on one of the boat forums he follows. We decided to take it on as a DIY project.

There are only two ingredients in the waterproofing solution, silicone caulk and mineral spirits. We combined them in a large bucket then blended the mixture until the silicone completely dissolved into the mineral spirits. The amount of fabric we were working with required tripling the recipe. After cleaning the cover, we laid it on a poly tarp face up and rolled the waterproofing mixture over the entire cover, making sure to saturate every inch, then hung it outside until it was dry.

The fabric felt a little stiffer than before the treatment although it didn't feel heavier and it didn't smell like chemicals. Last fall, we installed the cover and crossed our fingers. When we returned in the spring, we found that a pocket of snow had accumulated over winter. As it melted it created a deep sag in the fabric, bulging downward with about 5 gallons of water. We were amazed to see that not a drop of water seeped through. The waterproofing did it's job!

I have to admit that I was a nervous about using a home-made recipe instead of purchasing a commercial product. I didn't want to ruin our cover. Not all fabrics can handle these chemicals, including Sunbrella. We researched SurLast and felt confident about the compatibility before beginning this project. We experienced a successful outcome and plan to use this method on our other boat canvas. 

 Waterproofing recipe:

10 oz tube of 100% clear silicone caulking 

1 gallon of odorless mineral spirits