The weather finally turned cold and we had a heavy coat of frost on the decks yesterday. It didn't burn off until after 1000, and I haven't had a chance to paint on the non-skid yet, so we had a bit of a problem when we went out for our walk first thing in the morning. I have a teak grate in the sole of the cockpit, so I had good footing there, but the bench that goes all the way around was slick and slippery, and that's where Zoe normally jumps and walks.
It was so slick that I attached Zoe's tether right away, and just held it in my hand as I gingerly stepped over the coaming onto the side deck next to the dock. I had the lifelines up, so I figured I could just lean against them as I made my way to the shrouds where I'd climb over the them and onto the dock. However, Zoe was in a hurry and tried to hop over the coaming and jump directly onto the dock.
She would have made it too, except that I had her tethered and hadn't let out much slack. She ended up with her front paws firmly on the dock, one rear paw on the toerail, and the other deperately trying to get a hold on the dock. She's not very big and the space between the boat and the dock at that point was over a foot, so with the tether holding her back, she didn't have a chance.
I tried to give her more slack, but since she'd gone under the lifeline, it took me a few seconds to turn, see what she was doing, and pass the tether under to try to help her. That's when she lost her grip on the dock and headed for the water. Luckily, I had her securely tethered, so I picked her up and pulled her back on board before she could make a splash.
I don't think she hurt herself, but she's slipped a few other times and seems to be walking a little more slowly than usual, so I'm betting she'll be sore for the next few days. She hasn't gotten used to the slick decks yet, but hopefully I'll get better at keeping her in safer situations in the future. I need to make sure she's settled and not prepared to jump before I turn my back on her. (and get the non-skid on as soon as possible)
I also finished putting the netting around the boat yesterday, which should help keep her on board and discourage her from trying to jump off. I laced it to the lifeline at the top and to a taunt line at the bottom attached to the stanchion bases. It needs a bit of adjusting, but should be good enough to keep both of us, and our gear, on board.
Sail watch:
I bought a tap and die kit yesterday, and will use it today to tap holes in the mast for a clutch for the jib halyard, and whatever blocks I need to route the main halyard. I also need to mount the deck organizer on the coach roof and a gang clutch to feed the coach roof winch. Once that's all done, or mostly done, I can bend the sails. I'd like to get them up before it starts raining later today. I still need to fix the mounting bracket for the radar, but figure I can still get the sail on, just not actually put it all the way up and sail.
Engine watch:
I took off the bad exhaust hose going from the mixer elbow to the vetus waterlock and discovered why they added the bogus PVC elbow in the first place. The male end coming off the mixer is 2", while the male end coming off the waterlock is 1 3/4". The PVC elbow was a custom kludge to reduce it and make the connection, which is one of the most dangerous things you can do on a boat. And to make matters worse, it never worked anyway. The large end was only 1 7/8", so that leaked, and the other end was held onto the muffler with seizing wire. No wonder he added a leaky deck vent next to the cockpit -- the engine compartment was probably full of carbon monoxide all the time.
I'll fix it correctly, but neither of the places I've checked so far have the right combination of pipe fittings to do the job. I'll try to get down to Home Depot this afternoon once it starts to rain, but will check with Gill first. He might be able to get me what I need, and he normally has it the next day.
Although I want to avoid replacing the entire exhaust system if I can help it, I might end up having to anyway. I'm going to call Bill this morning and see what he thinks. He's a diesel mechanic and does all the engine work for Coneys. I'm running out of time, but loosing the engine isn't an option, and from what I've read, the muffler is undersized for my engine and might cause engine damage due to excess back pressure (of course that hasn't been a problem since it didn't seal anyway).
30 November 2010
28 November 2010
Broken Toenail Removed
I finally had to remove Zoe's broken toenail last night before our walk. It had come completely loose due to her constant attention, and was only held on the inside by some super glue and perhaps a bit of unbroken toenail. I was able to use a pair of scissors to snip the last little bit holding it on and remove it.
She was great and let me take care of it -- I tried to be very gentle and only upset her once. I put some polysporin on it and took her for a walk. She did pretty well and only limped a little once, and on the walk this morning, you couldn't even tell she had an issue. She's a tough girl.
Boat watch:
I'm going to finish installing the wind vane control lines today. I got it mostly installed yesterday, but had trouble attaching the blocks to the stern pulpit. I had to give up for the evening once it got cold. I still have to attach the second one, then install an eye bolt on the starboard coaming even with the wheel for the double block that will turn both lines to the wheel. I'll take photos later, but if you're interested in what I'm talking about, search for Windpilot and take a look at the WindPilot Pacific model connected to a wheel, and you'll see what I'm talking about.
I was able to fix the diesel leak yesterday, and found and fixed a small leak in one of my cockpit drain hoses. I thought I was done, but when I started the engine and climbed down into the starboard cockpit locker, I could see that the hose coming off the heat exchanger was still leaking badly where it connected to the muffler. It looks pretty old, so I'm going to try to take it off today and replace it. I think I can use the excess hose I cut off the exhaust hose the other day.
If I have time, I'm going to try to go up the mast to add some anti chaffing to the radar reflector mounting bracket. I'm going to try to use c-clamps to squeeze it together closer to the mast, then wrap it with plastic hose and line to keep the halyard from rubbing up against the metal edge. I think I would have had to do this anyway, but by mounting it so high, I exacerbated the problem. I've got a tri-lense, and you can see how the mounting bracket could chafe a line running along side.
I also need to add a cheek block to the base of the mast on the starboard side to help turn the halyard back to the deck block. I might also want to add a bullet block higher up to help feed it and keep it away from the radar reflector bracket, but will wait to see if that's really needed first. I'm going to use duct tape to temporarily mount the check block to see if it'll work the way I want it. Alternatively, I could mount another winch on the mast on the starboard side where the old wire halyard winch used to be. However, I'd prefer to run everything to the cockpit.
I also need to get down to the hardware store to buy a set of taps so I can mount this stuff on the aluminum mast. I'm also thinking of adding a clutch on the port side of the mast to hold the jib halyard, which normally doesn't need to be touched after it's up, since I use roller furling, but that's a would be nice thing, and not in the critical path for departure.
She was great and let me take care of it -- I tried to be very gentle and only upset her once. I put some polysporin on it and took her for a walk. She did pretty well and only limped a little once, and on the walk this morning, you couldn't even tell she had an issue. She's a tough girl.
Boat watch:
I'm going to finish installing the wind vane control lines today. I got it mostly installed yesterday, but had trouble attaching the blocks to the stern pulpit. I had to give up for the evening once it got cold. I still have to attach the second one, then install an eye bolt on the starboard coaming even with the wheel for the double block that will turn both lines to the wheel. I'll take photos later, but if you're interested in what I'm talking about, search for Windpilot and take a look at the WindPilot Pacific model connected to a wheel, and you'll see what I'm talking about.
I was able to fix the diesel leak yesterday, and found and fixed a small leak in one of my cockpit drain hoses. I thought I was done, but when I started the engine and climbed down into the starboard cockpit locker, I could see that the hose coming off the heat exchanger was still leaking badly where it connected to the muffler. It looks pretty old, so I'm going to try to take it off today and replace it. I think I can use the excess hose I cut off the exhaust hose the other day.
If I have time, I'm going to try to go up the mast to add some anti chaffing to the radar reflector mounting bracket. I'm going to try to use c-clamps to squeeze it together closer to the mast, then wrap it with plastic hose and line to keep the halyard from rubbing up against the metal edge. I think I would have had to do this anyway, but by mounting it so high, I exacerbated the problem. I've got a tri-lense, and you can see how the mounting bracket could chafe a line running along side.
I also need to add a cheek block to the base of the mast on the starboard side to help turn the halyard back to the deck block. I might also want to add a bullet block higher up to help feed it and keep it away from the radar reflector bracket, but will wait to see if that's really needed first. I'm going to use duct tape to temporarily mount the check block to see if it'll work the way I want it. Alternatively, I could mount another winch on the mast on the starboard side where the old wire halyard winch used to be. However, I'd prefer to run everything to the cockpit.
I also need to get down to the hardware store to buy a set of taps so I can mount this stuff on the aluminum mast. I'm also thinking of adding a clutch on the port side of the mast to hold the jib halyard, which normally doesn't need to be touched after it's up, since I use roller furling, but that's a would be nice thing, and not in the critical path for departure.
27 November 2010
Super Glue
I ended up using super glue to temporarily fix Zoe's toenail. It's better, but I still think I need a more permanent solution. I wanted to get clear nail polish and use that to build it up -- sorta like epoxy -- but couldn't find any at the little store across the street. I'll walk down to the super market later today and pick up some. CVS is across the street, so I'll drop by there also. I think I'll get some dramamine too, just in case.
Boat watch:
I got the winches mounted yesterday after it stopped raining, but when I tried to route the main halyard, I realized that I had a few problems. First, since I switched from wire to rope, I can't use the wire halyard winch on the mast -- I finally took it off yesterday -- and need to route it back to a winch on the coach roof in the cockpit. The previous owner had mounted one on the starboard side, which is the side the main halyard comes down, but that's not a good hard spot on the deck, so I removed it -- I'll just use the new one on the port side with a set of clutches.
The problem is that I need to route the halyard around the mast over 180 degrees, from the starboard side to the port side, and to a deck organizer about half way between the mast and the winch. I have a couple eyes mounted on the deck just abaft the mast on each side where I can mount blocks, but they aren't enough to keep the halyard from rubbing on other stuff on the mast which will eventually chafe through.
I'm thinking of adding a check block to the lower mast to help turn it to the block on the deck, but will need to play with it a bit to make sure it'll work. However, that's not the only problem. I also noticed that the radar reflector I added high on the mast will also cause a lot of chafe to the halyard -- it rubs directly against the aluminum mounting bracket. That means I need to go up the mast and add some sort of anti chafing.
I'm planning to use some old hose to pad the edges and wrap the whole thing with line, which is a good idea in any case. I just need to figure out how to get up there by myself, i.e., without someone on deck to winch me up -- it's about 30' above the deck. I'll need to be able to do that when I'm out at sea anyway, so again, it's a good thing, but I think I'll wait till the wind dies down a bit. It's really blowing again this morning.
Boat watch:
I got the winches mounted yesterday after it stopped raining, but when I tried to route the main halyard, I realized that I had a few problems. First, since I switched from wire to rope, I can't use the wire halyard winch on the mast -- I finally took it off yesterday -- and need to route it back to a winch on the coach roof in the cockpit. The previous owner had mounted one on the starboard side, which is the side the main halyard comes down, but that's not a good hard spot on the deck, so I removed it -- I'll just use the new one on the port side with a set of clutches.
The problem is that I need to route the halyard around the mast over 180 degrees, from the starboard side to the port side, and to a deck organizer about half way between the mast and the winch. I have a couple eyes mounted on the deck just abaft the mast on each side where I can mount blocks, but they aren't enough to keep the halyard from rubbing on other stuff on the mast which will eventually chafe through.
I'm thinking of adding a check block to the lower mast to help turn it to the block on the deck, but will need to play with it a bit to make sure it'll work. However, that's not the only problem. I also noticed that the radar reflector I added high on the mast will also cause a lot of chafe to the halyard -- it rubs directly against the aluminum mounting bracket. That means I need to go up the mast and add some sort of anti chafing.
I'm planning to use some old hose to pad the edges and wrap the whole thing with line, which is a good idea in any case. I just need to figure out how to get up there by myself, i.e., without someone on deck to winch me up -- it's about 30' above the deck. I'll need to be able to do that when I'm out at sea anyway, so again, it's a good thing, but I think I'll wait till the wind dies down a bit. It's really blowing again this morning.
26 November 2010
Broken Toenail
Not me, Zoe. I looked online for what to do -- can't really afford a vet -- but they say I should cut it off, etc... It's painful to even think about it. Sure, I could do my own, but not Zoe.
Perhaps it's best it happened now -- I need to be able to handle this sort of thing, perhaps even for myself, and the vet is across the street in case I need them. However, I don't really have the right sort of supplies for this kind of thing. I could fix it with epoxy, but that's probably not the right solution. I guess I'll try to immobilize it tonight and try to take care of it tomorrow. I have no idea what should go in a first aid kit, but know enough to know that the ones you can buy are a waste of money. Suggestions?
I just can't figure out how she did it. We were on the foredeck watching the parade of boats -- which was great -- and she must have caught it on something. All the sudden, she was limping and kept licking her right, rear paw.
Perhaps it's best it happened now -- I need to be able to handle this sort of thing, perhaps even for myself, and the vet is across the street in case I need them. However, I don't really have the right sort of supplies for this kind of thing. I could fix it with epoxy, but that's probably not the right solution. I guess I'll try to immobilize it tonight and try to take care of it tomorrow. I have no idea what should go in a first aid kit, but know enough to know that the ones you can buy are a waste of money. Suggestions?
I just can't figure out how she did it. We were on the foredeck watching the parade of boats -- which was great -- and she must have caught it on something. All the sudden, she was limping and kept licking her right, rear paw.
25 November 2010
Leaks
It finally started to rain this afternoon, so I went ahead and cleaned off the decks and washed them down. Luckily, I only found 3 leaks, 2 of which were expected. They were due to bad seals on the corroded portholes that haven't been fixed yet. I had to caulk one of them shut to stop the leak, but the other seems to have stopped after I dogged it down tighter.
The other leak looked like it might be the toerail, but after I examined it from the outside and didn't find any problems, I noticed that the dorade box was directly over it, so I think that's what leaked. It had a bunch of garbage that had collected over the summer, and I had sprayed water in both of them for several minutes to clean them out when I washed down the decks. They drain on deck, but some water evidently splashed down the vent pipe inside. I verified this when I checked it from inside and found it was wet.
It's going to rain for a while, so I'll keep an eye on everything and see if anything else leaks. However, I still have some mysterious leaks under the cockpit. I'm not sure, but I think they're from one of the drains. The oil catch tray under the engine is full of water, so it's either a drain or a leak in the fresh water cooling system. I ran the engine for about an hour today, so there's really no way to tell which one caused the problem. I'll drain it tonight and see if it refills before I run the engine again.
I did find two other leaks when I ran the engine, but neither one should be a big deal. One was due to what appears to be a loose hose clamp going into the muffler, and the other was a drip off the fuel filter mounted on the engine. I think it just needs to be tightened as well. I'll take care off both of them before I run the engine again.
I also finished mounting all the cockpit hatches today. I got most of them in yesterday, but the wind was blowing so hard it made it difficult to work. The boat was jumping all around and after a few hours with my head down in the lockers, I got a little queasy. I took a break for lunch, but it took a really long time to eat -- I kept thinking I might not keep it down. I'm still at the dock, but with the wind blowing in at 25-30 mph, the water got pretty choppy, and the boat bobbed like a cork.
Things have calmed down now, but it's good to have a few nasty days before I leave. I can function when it's rough, but it still takes a few days to get used to it. Once I'm used to it, I can do almost anything, but the first few days can be a bit dicey.
I still have to mount my winches and glaze the large portlights. I might try to do the winches tomorrow, at least drill the holes, but will need to wait for a nice sunny day to glaze the portlights. After the winches and deck organizer are in, the only other thing I need to do before I can bend the sails is fix one of the turning blocks and put them both back together -- a couple of stainless steel flanges are bent and need to be straightened first.
At that point, I'll be ready to take her for a test sail. However, I'll probably wait until I've got my radios, lights, and wind vane working. I could probably have all that ready this weekend, but I think I'll wait until Monday so there will be someone around in case I have a problem. Coneys stopped working weekends a couple weeks ago, and other than fishermen across the bay, there's really no one around. There are only a few more boats left on the moorings, and they'll all be gone soon too.
So, assuming I don't run into any issues this weekend or when I take her for a sail, I plan to leave sometime next week. I just need to time my trip down the East River so I can go through Hell Gate at slack tide and ride it down to New York Harbor. I'm also planning on entering the ICW at Manasquan Inlet, so I may have to hang out at Sandy Hook for a while if the winds aren't favorable.
If I'm hung up for too long, I might put down the non-skid, but would rather get down to warmer weather sooner than later. I'm a day or two away from making all my decisions based on the winds and tides -- I can't wait.
The other leak looked like it might be the toerail, but after I examined it from the outside and didn't find any problems, I noticed that the dorade box was directly over it, so I think that's what leaked. It had a bunch of garbage that had collected over the summer, and I had sprayed water in both of them for several minutes to clean them out when I washed down the decks. They drain on deck, but some water evidently splashed down the vent pipe inside. I verified this when I checked it from inside and found it was wet.
It's going to rain for a while, so I'll keep an eye on everything and see if anything else leaks. However, I still have some mysterious leaks under the cockpit. I'm not sure, but I think they're from one of the drains. The oil catch tray under the engine is full of water, so it's either a drain or a leak in the fresh water cooling system. I ran the engine for about an hour today, so there's really no way to tell which one caused the problem. I'll drain it tonight and see if it refills before I run the engine again.
I did find two other leaks when I ran the engine, but neither one should be a big deal. One was due to what appears to be a loose hose clamp going into the muffler, and the other was a drip off the fuel filter mounted on the engine. I think it just needs to be tightened as well. I'll take care off both of them before I run the engine again.
I also finished mounting all the cockpit hatches today. I got most of them in yesterday, but the wind was blowing so hard it made it difficult to work. The boat was jumping all around and after a few hours with my head down in the lockers, I got a little queasy. I took a break for lunch, but it took a really long time to eat -- I kept thinking I might not keep it down. I'm still at the dock, but with the wind blowing in at 25-30 mph, the water got pretty choppy, and the boat bobbed like a cork.
Things have calmed down now, but it's good to have a few nasty days before I leave. I can function when it's rough, but it still takes a few days to get used to it. Once I'm used to it, I can do almost anything, but the first few days can be a bit dicey.
I still have to mount my winches and glaze the large portlights. I might try to do the winches tomorrow, at least drill the holes, but will need to wait for a nice sunny day to glaze the portlights. After the winches and deck organizer are in, the only other thing I need to do before I can bend the sails is fix one of the turning blocks and put them both back together -- a couple of stainless steel flanges are bent and need to be straightened first.
At that point, I'll be ready to take her for a test sail. However, I'll probably wait until I've got my radios, lights, and wind vane working. I could probably have all that ready this weekend, but I think I'll wait until Monday so there will be someone around in case I have a problem. Coneys stopped working weekends a couple weeks ago, and other than fishermen across the bay, there's really no one around. There are only a few more boats left on the moorings, and they'll all be gone soon too.
So, assuming I don't run into any issues this weekend or when I take her for a sail, I plan to leave sometime next week. I just need to time my trip down the East River so I can go through Hell Gate at slack tide and ride it down to New York Harbor. I'm also planning on entering the ICW at Manasquan Inlet, so I may have to hang out at Sandy Hook for a while if the winds aren't favorable.
If I'm hung up for too long, I might put down the non-skid, but would rather get down to warmer weather sooner than later. I'm a day or two away from making all my decisions based on the winds and tides -- I can't wait.
22 November 2010
Dockside
They stepped the mast today, so as soon as I get the winches mounted, I'll put on the boom and bend the sails. They also told me that I can stay on the dock until I'm ready to head south. That's great news, because I've still got a lot to do, and it's a heck of a lot easier to work on a boat tied up to the dock than one swinging on a mooring or anchor.
The biggest problem I've got right now are my bilge pumps. I'm taking on a little water through the stuffing box for the propeller shaft, but it's only a trickle -- about an inch a day. I'm going to take out the manual pump in the cockpit and clean it out. It must have sucked something up earlier this summer. The other pump is electric, and works, but I haven't had a chance to hook it up yet.
I'll try to fix the manual one tonight after we walk and eat. I don't think It'll be a big deal, but getting it apart was a little more trouble than I'd imagined. I may end up taking it back out completely, but I've got plenty of time. At this rate, it would take weeks to sink.
The biggest problem I've got right now are my bilge pumps. I'm taking on a little water through the stuffing box for the propeller shaft, but it's only a trickle -- about an inch a day. I'm going to take out the manual pump in the cockpit and clean it out. It must have sucked something up earlier this summer. The other pump is electric, and works, but I haven't had a chance to hook it up yet.
I'll try to fix the manual one tonight after we walk and eat. I don't think It'll be a big deal, but getting it apart was a little more trouble than I'd imagined. I may end up taking it back out completely, but I've got plenty of time. At this rate, it would take weeks to sink.
20 November 2010
In the Water
Well, I'm in the water, but they didn't have time to step the mast yesterday, so I'll have to wait until Monday. Which is fine, since it gives me time to clean up the turnbuckles and setup the mast the way I want it. Of course, the best part is that they left me on the dock for the weekend, so I've got power, water, head, and hot showers, and can do the dirty work on shore instead of on my "sorta" clean boat. Maybe I'll even get to a chance to walk across the street and do my laundry before I go.
Here are a couple photos. It was overcast, so they didn't turn out too well, but I'll take more once they step the mast.
The first is of the boat sitting at the dock with the sails and other gear stacked on the coach roof, and the second is a shot of my forward hatch, which should give you an idea of what the deck looked like before I started.
Here are a couple photos. It was overcast, so they didn't turn out too well, but I'll take more once they step the mast.
The first is of the boat sitting at the dock with the sails and other gear stacked on the coach roof, and the second is a shot of my forward hatch, which should give you an idea of what the deck looked like before I started.
19 November 2010
Splash Day
Today's the day. She should go in sometime this afternoon, so this will be my final post here in the yard. As soon as we get back from our walk this morning, I'll remove the cover, bring the rest of my stuff on board, and secure everything. It's just a short trip, but I want to make sure nothing falls or rubs while they move her.
I also need to make sure all the thru-hulls are accessible (and currently closed) so I can check them as soon as she hits the water. Luckily, there's no rain in the forecast for the next few days, so I can leave some stuff on deck and won't worry about the last few things that haven't yet been remounted.
Once the boat's ready to go, I'll start working on the mast. I need to reeve all the halyards, mount the new radar reflector, and put the lights and other instruments back on. I also need to make up my new antenna out of an old wire halyard. That might seem like a lot, but I shouldn't take more than about an hour or so.
My next post will be from Huntington Harbor, but you may have till wait until next week.
I also need to make sure all the thru-hulls are accessible (and currently closed) so I can check them as soon as she hits the water. Luckily, there's no rain in the forecast for the next few days, so I can leave some stuff on deck and won't worry about the last few things that haven't yet been remounted.
Once the boat's ready to go, I'll start working on the mast. I need to reeve all the halyards, mount the new radar reflector, and put the lights and other instruments back on. I also need to make up my new antenna out of an old wire halyard. That might seem like a lot, but I shouldn't take more than about an hour or so.
My next post will be from Huntington Harbor, but you may have till wait until next week.
18 November 2010
Last Night on Land
Well, it looks like this will be my last night on land, or as sailors like to say, on the hard. I got the plexiglass in today, as well as mounting a few other things, so there's really nothing else holding me back. I'll buy provisions tonight, and pull the cover tomorrow morning. After that, I'll start working on the mast. There's only a few more things to do, but all in all, I feel pretty good about it. Hopefully, they'll put me in tomorrow afternoon, and I'll head south early next week.
The plexiglass didn't go in as cleanly as I'd hoped, but after jury rigging some clamps out of paint stirrers, I was able to get them in. I was only able to glue in the panels today, so I'll have to wait until later to do the glazing. However, I think I'll need to find or make some sort of clips to hold the plexiglass panels in place. They're 40 years old, so I wasn't able to find right kind of weather stripping and they're currently only held in place by the caulk, which isn't really the best idea.
I haven't had a chance to stow all my tools yet, but will go ahead and buy the provisions anyway. I'll stack them in the cockpit for the time being, and stow both the tools and provisions at the same time. It's a little after 1830 now, so we'll take our walk first, and I'll head over to the supermarket later.
Bread watch:
I don't know how to cook -- at all -- but I'm about to take a crash course. Sure, I can make simple stuff, but, for example, I have no idea how to make bread, except that it requires yeast. Hopefully, there will be someone around to ask once I get to that aisle -- assuming I can even find it.
The plexiglass didn't go in as cleanly as I'd hoped, but after jury rigging some clamps out of paint stirrers, I was able to get them in. I was only able to glue in the panels today, so I'll have to wait until later to do the glazing. However, I think I'll need to find or make some sort of clips to hold the plexiglass panels in place. They're 40 years old, so I wasn't able to find right kind of weather stripping and they're currently only held in place by the caulk, which isn't really the best idea.
I haven't had a chance to stow all my tools yet, but will go ahead and buy the provisions anyway. I'll stack them in the cockpit for the time being, and stow both the tools and provisions at the same time. It's a little after 1830 now, so we'll take our walk first, and I'll head over to the supermarket later.
Bread watch:
I don't know how to cook -- at all -- but I'm about to take a crash course. Sure, I can make simple stuff, but, for example, I have no idea how to make bread, except that it requires yeast. Hopefully, there will be someone around to ask once I get to that aisle -- assuming I can even find it.
17 November 2010
Strong Winds
We had a lot of wind and rain last night which turned into a really nice partly cloudy day. However, the winds picked up again after dark and are gusting to over 50 mph. I've got the cover tied down fairly well, but it still makes a lot of noise. I didn't sleep much last night, but hope I can catch up tonight -- the wind's supposed to die down sometime after 0100.
Boat watch:
I got all 4 large portlights mounted today. They went in pretty well and look great, so I hope they won't leak. I still have to put in the plexiglass, but will do that tomorrow. I need to use a different type of caulk for that, so when I switch over and I'll also do the cockpit bilge pump and solar vent, both of which are plastic.
I don't have too much left, but still don't think I can get it all done before I go in. I think Tommy will put me in on Friday. I'll have to spend most of that day getting the mast ready and everything on board, so all I've got left is tomorrow. I still need to buy provisions, but will try to keep busy and get as much done as possible before dark, then go over to the supermarket after we take our walk.
Leak watch:
Before I covered the boat about 20 months ago, it had several deck leaks, mainly along the starboard side toerail and portholes. Now that I've done all this work, I'll be really curious to see if I was able to fix them all. I know it'll be much better, but I really hope I got'em all. I guess I'll find out in a few days.
Boat watch:
I got all 4 large portlights mounted today. They went in pretty well and look great, so I hope they won't leak. I still have to put in the plexiglass, but will do that tomorrow. I need to use a different type of caulk for that, so when I switch over and I'll also do the cockpit bilge pump and solar vent, both of which are plastic.
I don't have too much left, but still don't think I can get it all done before I go in. I think Tommy will put me in on Friday. I'll have to spend most of that day getting the mast ready and everything on board, so all I've got left is tomorrow. I still need to buy provisions, but will try to keep busy and get as much done as possible before dark, then go over to the supermarket after we take our walk.
Leak watch:
Before I covered the boat about 20 months ago, it had several deck leaks, mainly along the starboard side toerail and portholes. Now that I've done all this work, I'll be really curious to see if I was able to fix them all. I know it'll be much better, but I really hope I got'em all. I guess I'll find out in a few days.
Portlights and Stove
I got the portlights ready, and dry fitted the 2 forward ones. However, I had to epoxy in 4 small slivers of teak into the corroded channel so the screws would hold. They should be ready today.
The only remaining problem is that the frame leaves a 1/2" channel for the bulkhead when assembled, but the combined thickness of the outer deck and inner liner is only around 3/8" - 7/16". This leaves a small void for caulk, but it's really impossible to keep the void filled, especially a few inches out, which will cause the seal to break over time as the deck flexes.
To solve that, I'm going to get some closed foam and insert it into the void around the cutout before I put in the frame. While the portlights were dry fitted, I could press on the deck around them and open the edge around the frame. I'm sure this is why they always leaked. I've got some foam I can cut up, but might need to buy something more or less made for this purpose.
Stove watch:
I finally got the stove installed last night. It's functional, and looks okay, even with the plywood spacer, but the gimbal frame bumps into the ledge on the forward side -- she's mounted fore-and-aft on gimbals to keep her level when the boat's heeled -- when she swings more than about 15 degrees. The ledge holds a cutting board that hides the stove when not in use, so when I remount it, I'll fair it out 1/4" to clear the ledge, and replace the spacer on the other side with a panel that goes all the way down. This will make it look more professional and give me another storage area. I think I can bend the gimbal frame temporarily if necessary, but don't plan to touch it unless it becomes a problem.
Splash watch:
I hope I can go in Friday, but just in case, I'm going to buy all my provisions tonight. I think I can get the portlights in today, but may have to switch gears a bit and take care of a few things on the mast. I have to mount a bracket for my new radar reflector, and clean the kerosene off the turnbuckles. I'll wait to reeve the halyards until right before they step her, but I do need to modify one of my blocks. Hopefully, it won't take too long and I can get it done this evening.
The only remaining problem is that the frame leaves a 1/2" channel for the bulkhead when assembled, but the combined thickness of the outer deck and inner liner is only around 3/8" - 7/16". This leaves a small void for caulk, but it's really impossible to keep the void filled, especially a few inches out, which will cause the seal to break over time as the deck flexes.
To solve that, I'm going to get some closed foam and insert it into the void around the cutout before I put in the frame. While the portlights were dry fitted, I could press on the deck around them and open the edge around the frame. I'm sure this is why they always leaked. I've got some foam I can cut up, but might need to buy something more or less made for this purpose.
Stove watch:
I finally got the stove installed last night. It's functional, and looks okay, even with the plywood spacer, but the gimbal frame bumps into the ledge on the forward side -- she's mounted fore-and-aft on gimbals to keep her level when the boat's heeled -- when she swings more than about 15 degrees. The ledge holds a cutting board that hides the stove when not in use, so when I remount it, I'll fair it out 1/4" to clear the ledge, and replace the spacer on the other side with a panel that goes all the way down. This will make it look more professional and give me another storage area. I think I can bend the gimbal frame temporarily if necessary, but don't plan to touch it unless it becomes a problem.
Splash watch:
I hope I can go in Friday, but just in case, I'm going to buy all my provisions tonight. I think I can get the portlights in today, but may have to switch gears a bit and take care of a few things on the mast. I have to mount a bracket for my new radar reflector, and clean the kerosene off the turnbuckles. I'll wait to reeve the halyards until right before they step her, but I do need to modify one of my blocks. Hopefully, it won't take too long and I can get it done this evening.
15 November 2010
Portholes
I finished the other five opening portholes yesterday. It was still really messy, but I decided not to worry about it; I can clean them up later after the caulk cures. I did one in the morning, but it was too humid and the caulk skinned over too quickly, so spent the next couple hours cutting off and sanding down the bungs in the handrails. They look pretty good, but I'll still have to hit them again with some thickened epoxy before they can be refinished.
I wanted to get a few more things done on the deck, but it gets dark early, and as it does, it gets really cold too. So right after I finished the last porthole, about 1630, I stopped, cleaned up, buttoned up the the cover, moved inside. There are several things I still need to do in the cabin, but the biggest two are putting the head back together and installing the new stove.
Since the stove is a safety issue -- you don't want a big piece of gear like that sitting around unsecured -- I decided to tackle it first. The new one is about 3" narrower than the old one, so I had to cut some plywood blocks to use as a spacer. Gill let me have an old piece of 3/4" marine plywood, and I cut it up Friday night.
I got to use my worm drive for the first time in years, and was happy to see I could still cut a straight line. I wouldn't call it cheating, but I did it like a carpenter would, i.e., held the plywood on edge and cut straight down at my feet, letting the weight of the saw push it through the wood. Doing it like that makes cutting straight lines easy. It also helps that worm drives are much heavier than skill saws and since the motor turns on an axis parallel to cut, you get a nice gyroscope effect.
I bought some 4 1/2" bolts on Sunday, so with the blocks, I had everything I needed. First, I cleared out and cleaned the space. Then I blocked up the stove and got it into position and rechecked the dimensions. It turned out the the 4 layers of 3/4 plywood was about an 1/8" thicker than I needed. However, hangers are thin stainless steel ears that are meant to flex, so when I dry fitted the whole thing, it seemed to work okay. I can make an adjustment later if there's a problem, but I think it will be okay.
I ended up gluing the 4 plywood blocks together, clamped them with my 4 c-clamps, and putting it out in the cockpit to dry. I left the stove in place and put back all the gear I'd removed to make it lighter. That's when I noticed that the lower door didn't have enough clearance to open fully.
The stove uses what look like large refillable sterno cans filled with alcohol for fuel, and the door at the bottom allows you to access the one used for the oven. It must be removed to refill, so I may need to raise the stove another 1/4" so I can still access it once she's mounted. I think I've got plenty of space on top, but test everything again before I mark it and start drilling. But depending on how she's heeled, I wouldn't be able to access it anyway without tilting it, so it might be a non-issue.
For today, I plan to start remounting the large port lights. I'm not sure I can get them all in, but hopefully, I can at least get them dry fitted. I need to tap the 2 holes I filled with epoxy first, but that shouldn't take too long. There's also a few more small things to mount on the deck, along with the winches, so I'll try to get as much done as possible before I'm forced to retreat to the cabin to finish the oven.
Zoe watch:
Zoe is getting used to staying on the boat full time. We still take our long walks every morning and evening, but she spends most of her time either in the saloon or on the foredeck. The foredeck is a great place, but I don't think it's safe to have her up there whenever we're sailing, so I'll need to make sure she's got a good spot in the cockpit where she feels safe. She likes it on the cockpit sole, but since that can fill with water, I'm going to try to fix up a spot on the cockpit benches or on widest part of the deck at the aft end of the coach roof -- obviously the high side when heeled, and always tethered.
I wanted to get a few more things done on the deck, but it gets dark early, and as it does, it gets really cold too. So right after I finished the last porthole, about 1630, I stopped, cleaned up, buttoned up the the cover, moved inside. There are several things I still need to do in the cabin, but the biggest two are putting the head back together and installing the new stove.
Since the stove is a safety issue -- you don't want a big piece of gear like that sitting around unsecured -- I decided to tackle it first. The new one is about 3" narrower than the old one, so I had to cut some plywood blocks to use as a spacer. Gill let me have an old piece of 3/4" marine plywood, and I cut it up Friday night.
I got to use my worm drive for the first time in years, and was happy to see I could still cut a straight line. I wouldn't call it cheating, but I did it like a carpenter would, i.e., held the plywood on edge and cut straight down at my feet, letting the weight of the saw push it through the wood. Doing it like that makes cutting straight lines easy. It also helps that worm drives are much heavier than skill saws and since the motor turns on an axis parallel to cut, you get a nice gyroscope effect.
I bought some 4 1/2" bolts on Sunday, so with the blocks, I had everything I needed. First, I cleared out and cleaned the space. Then I blocked up the stove and got it into position and rechecked the dimensions. It turned out the the 4 layers of 3/4 plywood was about an 1/8" thicker than I needed. However, hangers are thin stainless steel ears that are meant to flex, so when I dry fitted the whole thing, it seemed to work okay. I can make an adjustment later if there's a problem, but I think it will be okay.
I ended up gluing the 4 plywood blocks together, clamped them with my 4 c-clamps, and putting it out in the cockpit to dry. I left the stove in place and put back all the gear I'd removed to make it lighter. That's when I noticed that the lower door didn't have enough clearance to open fully.
The stove uses what look like large refillable sterno cans filled with alcohol for fuel, and the door at the bottom allows you to access the one used for the oven. It must be removed to refill, so I may need to raise the stove another 1/4" so I can still access it once she's mounted. I think I've got plenty of space on top, but test everything again before I mark it and start drilling. But depending on how she's heeled, I wouldn't be able to access it anyway without tilting it, so it might be a non-issue.
For today, I plan to start remounting the large port lights. I'm not sure I can get them all in, but hopefully, I can at least get them dry fitted. I need to tap the 2 holes I filled with epoxy first, but that shouldn't take too long. There's also a few more small things to mount on the deck, along with the winches, so I'll try to get as much done as possible before I'm forced to retreat to the cabin to finish the oven.
Zoe watch:
Zoe is getting used to staying on the boat full time. We still take our long walks every morning and evening, but she spends most of her time either in the saloon or on the foredeck. The foredeck is a great place, but I don't think it's safe to have her up there whenever we're sailing, so I'll need to make sure she's got a good spot in the cockpit where she feels safe. She likes it on the cockpit sole, but since that can fill with water, I'm going to try to fix up a spot on the cockpit benches or on widest part of the deck at the aft end of the coach roof -- obviously the high side when heeled, and always tethered.
14 November 2010
Pirates
I just read about the British couple who'd been held for over a year by Somali pirates. Evidently, they were finally ransomed this weekend. I guess there are dangers all over they place, and you shouldn't let fear of the unknown stop you from pursuing your dreams. However, sailing anywhere near Somalia just isn't prudent.
For the record, if by chance I'm ever taken by pirates, do not, under any circumstances, pay a ransom or risk anyone's life to save me. But of course, I don't plan to go anywhere near Somalia. If I ever do attempt a circumnavigation, I'll take the five capes route, similar to the Vendée Globe -- the canals are cheating.
Again, don't worry about me. I don't plan on doing anything stupid, and if I do get into trouble, I'll find my own way out.
Boat watch:
Today should be another beautiful day, so I hope I can make a lot of progress. It got up to almost 70 under the cover yesterday, which was perfect. I worked in bare feet and a t-shirt all afternoon.
I was able to get the traveler in place, but didn't have enough light left to attempt to tape and caulk it. I had to clean and straighten a bunch of the bolts, so that took a little longer. I also mixed up some epoxy and filled the 2 holes I'd drilled out in 2 of the large aluminum porthole frames. I'll let them set for a couple days before I try to put them back together. They are hanging up in the cabin right now to keep them warm while the epoxy cures.
I scrapped the keel on a pile of rocks off the Barden's dock while I was in Marion, so I'd planned to use the extra epoxy to fill them. However, after cleaning off the flaked bottom paint, I realized it wasn't really very bad, and decided that touching up the bottom paint was sufficient, so that's what I did. I also attached the servo rudder to the wind vane and gave it a coat of bottom paint too.
With the traveler ready to remount, I hope I can completely finish the cockpit today -- or at least get it close. In addition to the traveler, I have my main aft cleat, a few small covers, the cockpit locker hinges, bilge pump, shore power plug, and winches left. I'll install the wind vane hardware needed to control the wheel later, but I'm not sure if I'll reinstall the cleats that went with the winches.
I replaced the original winches with self tailers, so the cleats are no longer needed. Additional cleats are always good to have, so I may add them later, but will wait to see how things go first. I know that once I've sailed her a bit, I'll start making changes anyway, so I don't want to get ahead of myself.
Once the cockpit's done, I'll only have the portholes, coach roof winch and deck organizer, and the vents left to do. The vents are plastic, as is the bilge pump, so I'll probably do those all at once since I have to use a different type of caulk -- the regular stuff will eat up the plastic.
I still need to fix the opening portholes, but since that may take a long time, I'm not going to worry about it too much right now. Basically, there's a 'u' shaped groove that contains a gasket which is pressed against a rim that pushes into the gasket to make a seal. The problem is that they are aluminum and the rim has been eaten away in a few places on several of them due to corrosion. I have new gasket material, but don't want to use it until I can fix the rims. I'm planning on using gray epoxy putty to build them up. How long will that take? Who's John Galt? (okay, couldn't resist...)
Zoe watch:
She's such a social girl, that I feel a little bad about isolating her on board a boat for long periods of time, so I've been thinking about getting her a friend. Although she loves people, that might not be practical, so I was thinking of a kitten. I don't really like cats that much, but they are better on boats, and if it's raised by Zoe, maybe it will turn out to be more like a dog. After all, kitty is her second favorite word, preceded only by bunny, and followed closely by puppy and pony, in that order.
For the record, if by chance I'm ever taken by pirates, do not, under any circumstances, pay a ransom or risk anyone's life to save me. But of course, I don't plan to go anywhere near Somalia. If I ever do attempt a circumnavigation, I'll take the five capes route, similar to the Vendée Globe -- the canals are cheating.
Again, don't worry about me. I don't plan on doing anything stupid, and if I do get into trouble, I'll find my own way out.
Boat watch:
Today should be another beautiful day, so I hope I can make a lot of progress. It got up to almost 70 under the cover yesterday, which was perfect. I worked in bare feet and a t-shirt all afternoon.
I was able to get the traveler in place, but didn't have enough light left to attempt to tape and caulk it. I had to clean and straighten a bunch of the bolts, so that took a little longer. I also mixed up some epoxy and filled the 2 holes I'd drilled out in 2 of the large aluminum porthole frames. I'll let them set for a couple days before I try to put them back together. They are hanging up in the cabin right now to keep them warm while the epoxy cures.
I scrapped the keel on a pile of rocks off the Barden's dock while I was in Marion, so I'd planned to use the extra epoxy to fill them. However, after cleaning off the flaked bottom paint, I realized it wasn't really very bad, and decided that touching up the bottom paint was sufficient, so that's what I did. I also attached the servo rudder to the wind vane and gave it a coat of bottom paint too.
With the traveler ready to remount, I hope I can completely finish the cockpit today -- or at least get it close. In addition to the traveler, I have my main aft cleat, a few small covers, the cockpit locker hinges, bilge pump, shore power plug, and winches left. I'll install the wind vane hardware needed to control the wheel later, but I'm not sure if I'll reinstall the cleats that went with the winches.
I replaced the original winches with self tailers, so the cleats are no longer needed. Additional cleats are always good to have, so I may add them later, but will wait to see how things go first. I know that once I've sailed her a bit, I'll start making changes anyway, so I don't want to get ahead of myself.
Once the cockpit's done, I'll only have the portholes, coach roof winch and deck organizer, and the vents left to do. The vents are plastic, as is the bilge pump, so I'll probably do those all at once since I have to use a different type of caulk -- the regular stuff will eat up the plastic.
I still need to fix the opening portholes, but since that may take a long time, I'm not going to worry about it too much right now. Basically, there's a 'u' shaped groove that contains a gasket which is pressed against a rim that pushes into the gasket to make a seal. The problem is that they are aluminum and the rim has been eaten away in a few places on several of them due to corrosion. I have new gasket material, but don't want to use it until I can fix the rims. I'm planning on using gray epoxy putty to build them up. How long will that take? Who's John Galt? (okay, couldn't resist...)
Zoe watch:
She's such a social girl, that I feel a little bad about isolating her on board a boat for long periods of time, so I've been thinking about getting her a friend. Although she loves people, that might not be practical, so I was thinking of a kitten. I don't really like cats that much, but they are better on boats, and if it's raised by Zoe, maybe it will turn out to be more like a dog. After all, kitty is her second favorite word, preceded only by bunny, and followed closely by puppy and pony, in that order.
13 November 2010
She Is a Boat
Well, I finally got the other coaming on yesterday. I still have to finish mounting the portholes, traveler, winches, cockpit hatches, stove, etc., but at least she looks like a boat again. The teak also needs a lot of work, but I'm sure I'll have plenty of time for that when we get to warmer waters.
Also, once I'm in the water and off the grid, I'll have to be a lot more careful about power consumption. Among other things, that means I probably won't have much time for blogging -- this laptop is a power hog. I currently compose on the fly, but will need to start writing out my blogs on paper so I can reduce my connection times.
To be truthful, the laptop's not the problem, it's the internet connection; I use a mobile broadband connection, and if I'm not plugged in, I can literally watch the battery drain while I'm connected. I'll need to figure out a better system once I get to Houston, because I don't think it's feasible to use an inverter for charging long term -- too much waste.
Crew watch:
It looks like I'll be sailing singlehanded, but if anyone has a few days and wants to sail through New York, that would be great. I'd even be willing to linger a bit and give you a tour of the city, or at least the waterways.
Weather watch:
We've had a few cold nights, but other than some frost the other morning, it hasn't even come close to freezing. However, when I refilled my water tanks yesterday, I noticed ice in the bottom of my bilge. I guess that's not too surprising. There's only about a 1/4" of water down there -- left over from running the engine the other day -- so it doesn't take much to freeze it, and with all the other boats crowded around me and the sun so low in the sky, the hull is constantly shaded, so it just keeps getting colder. Also, note that the bilge sits directly above the lead keel, which gets really cold.
Zoe watch:
With our splash imminent, I've been thinking about how Zoe will handle it. She's spent a lot of time on the boat, but has always been able to get off during the day. Pretty soon, that won't be the case. The mooring field I'll be in as soon as she's rigged, is a long way from the dock, but it is close to a dog park, so we might have to use the dinghy to go over once or twice a day. However, I need to get her used to taking care of business on the boat. I won't go into detail, but it typically involves astro turf (with my apologies to the Astros).
Also, once I'm in the water and off the grid, I'll have to be a lot more careful about power consumption. Among other things, that means I probably won't have much time for blogging -- this laptop is a power hog. I currently compose on the fly, but will need to start writing out my blogs on paper so I can reduce my connection times.
To be truthful, the laptop's not the problem, it's the internet connection; I use a mobile broadband connection, and if I'm not plugged in, I can literally watch the battery drain while I'm connected. I'll need to figure out a better system once I get to Houston, because I don't think it's feasible to use an inverter for charging long term -- too much waste.
Crew watch:
It looks like I'll be sailing singlehanded, but if anyone has a few days and wants to sail through New York, that would be great. I'd even be willing to linger a bit and give you a tour of the city, or at least the waterways.
Weather watch:
We've had a few cold nights, but other than some frost the other morning, it hasn't even come close to freezing. However, when I refilled my water tanks yesterday, I noticed ice in the bottom of my bilge. I guess that's not too surprising. There's only about a 1/4" of water down there -- left over from running the engine the other day -- so it doesn't take much to freeze it, and with all the other boats crowded around me and the sun so low in the sky, the hull is constantly shaded, so it just keeps getting colder. Also, note that the bilge sits directly above the lead keel, which gets really cold.
Zoe watch:
With our splash imminent, I've been thinking about how Zoe will handle it. She's spent a lot of time on the boat, but has always been able to get off during the day. Pretty soon, that won't be the case. The mooring field I'll be in as soon as she's rigged, is a long way from the dock, but it is close to a dog park, so we might have to use the dinghy to go over once or twice a day. However, I need to get her used to taking care of business on the boat. I won't go into detail, but it typically involves astro turf (with my apologies to the Astros).
11 November 2010
Splash Postponed Until Next Week
When I settled my bill this afternoon, I told Ed what I had left to do, and he suggested I go ahead and finish up while I'm in the yard and launch next week instead of tomorrow. They're going to be pulling boats all next week anyway, so it's not really a big deal to them. They won't start pulling moorings until the following week, so that'll give me a little time to get the sails bent and check her out before I take off.
I also discussed the route with him, and he strongly urged me to go through New York and stay away from the New Jersey coast -- there aren't any good places to go in until you get around Cape May, especially at night. He also said that it only takes about 7 hours to get from here to South Street Seaport, and another hour or two to get to an anchorage.
He even said it's pretty easy to transit at night, i.e., the city's lit up like a Christmas tree. If I had another hand, I'd do it at night, break out of New York Harbor early in the morning, and head down the Jersey coast during the day. However, since I'm going by myself, I don't think I can safely pull more than one allnighter, and I'll need to do that on the 140 mile, non-stop trip down to Cape May.
Boat watch:
I got one of the coamings put back on today, and all the bungs glued in. That's less than I'd planned, but since I've got a few more days, it shouldn't matter. I'll also postpone the provisioning until next week, though I did buy a new water hose, safety gear, and fuel this morning, so I'm all set there.
I also discussed the route with him, and he strongly urged me to go through New York and stay away from the New Jersey coast -- there aren't any good places to go in until you get around Cape May, especially at night. He also said that it only takes about 7 hours to get from here to South Street Seaport, and another hour or two to get to an anchorage.
He even said it's pretty easy to transit at night, i.e., the city's lit up like a Christmas tree. If I had another hand, I'd do it at night, break out of New York Harbor early in the morning, and head down the Jersey coast during the day. However, since I'm going by myself, I don't think I can safely pull more than one allnighter, and I'll need to do that on the 140 mile, non-stop trip down to Cape May.
Boat watch:
I got one of the coamings put back on today, and all the bungs glued in. That's less than I'd planned, but since I've got a few more days, it shouldn't matter. I'll also postpone the provisioning until next week, though I did buy a new water hose, safety gear, and fuel this morning, so I'm all set there.
10 November 2010
Float Plan
I've been looking at the route and trying to plan my trip over the last few days. As I mentioned before, I was planning on taking the inter coastal waterway (ICW) because I didn't think I'd have the boat ready to go off-shore. However, after looking at the route and figuring how far I could travel each day by myself, I don't think that's really feasible. The problem is New Jersey. It's some 140 nautical miles from New York Harbor to Cape May and the Delaware River.
If I only travel during daylight, that's about 50 miles a day, and I'd have to either anchor or find a dock somewhere along the way. Once I got into the inter-coastal, that's not a problem, but since I have to go outside all the way to Cape May, and as far as I can tell, there really aren't any good anchorages along the coast, I'd have to find, and pay for, marinas. When I spoke to people about it before, the rule of thumb was that it only took a day to get to the Delaware, but that's obviously only applicable if you sail 24 hours a day, which I can't really do if I stay close to shore.
So, that means I still need to be able to go off-shore, even if I want to take the ICW once I get further south. That's not a big deal, but it does mean I need to put down the non-skid, and get my radios up and running. The non-skid should take a few days, during which, I should be able to get the radios installed and working. And, if I've got the boat ready to go off-shore anyway, there's no reason to go through New York and down the New Jersey coast.
New York Harbor is extremely crowded, and I don't think the New Jersey coast, or even the Delaware is that much better. An alternative, would be to go East to Montauk, and head out from there. There's still a lot of traffic there, e.g., Boston to New York, but it's still a lot less than into and out of New York Harbor. If I leave from there, I'd just head South and tuck in when and if necessary.
If I only travel during daylight, that's about 50 miles a day, and I'd have to either anchor or find a dock somewhere along the way. Once I got into the inter-coastal, that's not a problem, but since I have to go outside all the way to Cape May, and as far as I can tell, there really aren't any good anchorages along the coast, I'd have to find, and pay for, marinas. When I spoke to people about it before, the rule of thumb was that it only took a day to get to the Delaware, but that's obviously only applicable if you sail 24 hours a day, which I can't really do if I stay close to shore.
So, that means I still need to be able to go off-shore, even if I want to take the ICW once I get further south. That's not a big deal, but it does mean I need to put down the non-skid, and get my radios up and running. The non-skid should take a few days, during which, I should be able to get the radios installed and working. And, if I've got the boat ready to go off-shore anyway, there's no reason to go through New York and down the New Jersey coast.
New York Harbor is extremely crowded, and I don't think the New Jersey coast, or even the Delaware is that much better. An alternative, would be to go East to Montauk, and head out from there. There's still a lot of traffic there, e.g., Boston to New York, but it's still a lot less than into and out of New York Harbor. If I leave from there, I'd just head South and tuck in when and if necessary.
Happy Birthday Marines
I almost forgot, but after spending most of the morning un-fouling my anchor, I realized today was the Marine Corps Birthday, 235 years. For those of you who might not know, the Marine Corps Emblem includes a fouled anchor, i.e., we're fighters, not sailors. Even though I've mellowed with the years, I still have trouble with fouled anchors.
I guess I'll have to see if I can find any other Marines in the area and drink a toast tonight.
Semper fi...
I guess I'll have to see if I can find any other Marines in the area and drink a toast tonight.
Semper fi...
Fires at Sea
There's a cruise liner off the coast of Mexico just south of California that had a fire on board. She's dead in the water and being towed to Ensenada. I've been in or around several fires and have developed a healthy fear of them. Luckily, no one was hurt in any of the fires, some big and some small, that I've been around, but I did loose most of my possessions in one of them. I drove up to a warehouse, saw smoke, called 911, and watched while my stuff burned. Other than some half burned clothes, I'm not even sure what went up. Guess I didn't really need any of it in the long run.
Anyway, back to fires at sea. I've made a concerted effort to remove as many fire hazards as possible on board my boat. I do have a small outboard, and a small gas container, but that'll stay on deck. The only other fuels I'll be carrying will be diesel, kerosene, and alcohol. They'll all burn, but aren't super flammable like gas and won't build up in the bilge like propane. I do have a bunch of paints and solvents, but I'll try to store them in a safe manner.
Boat watch:
Several of the long bolts used to mount the turning blocks are badly rusted and need to be replaced. Hopefully, I'll be able to get them from Gill this morning, and mount the turning blocks today as planned. It should be a really good day.
Zoe watch:
It warmed up enough to take off her fleece last night. And this morning, after I opened up the forecastle -- there's a privacy partition I can close to block it off so I don't have to heat it at night -- she went up there and curled up on the cold sole, so I think she likes the cold more than I. We'll go for a walk as soon as I finish my coffee, sans fleece.
Anyway, back to fires at sea. I've made a concerted effort to remove as many fire hazards as possible on board my boat. I do have a small outboard, and a small gas container, but that'll stay on deck. The only other fuels I'll be carrying will be diesel, kerosene, and alcohol. They'll all burn, but aren't super flammable like gas and won't build up in the bilge like propane. I do have a bunch of paints and solvents, but I'll try to store them in a safe manner.
Boat watch:
Several of the long bolts used to mount the turning blocks are badly rusted and need to be replaced. Hopefully, I'll be able to get them from Gill this morning, and mount the turning blocks today as planned. It should be a really good day.
Zoe watch:
It warmed up enough to take off her fleece last night. And this morning, after I opened up the forecastle -- there's a privacy partition I can close to block it off so I don't have to heat it at night -- she went up there and curled up on the cold sole, so I think she likes the cold more than I. We'll go for a walk as soon as I finish my coffee, sans fleece.
09 November 2010
Working Late
I got a lot done today, but with Friday looming, I'm going to try to finish up a few more things this evening. We just got back from our walk, so I'm going to take a short break first, then try to do a few things in the cockpit with the shop light.
I'd hoped to get the mast step, forward hatch hinges, chainplate covers, and stanchions done today, but fell a little short -- I never got to the stanchion bases. So this evening, I'm going to tape them along with the turning blocks, which sit on top of the 3" high teak blocks I glued the other day. I won't try to mount them, since that would involve removing the cockpit locker hatches and crawling inside, but at least they'll be ready first thing in the morning. Once they're on, I can reinstall the coamings.
If I can get all that done tomorrow, along with gluing bungs into the handrails and mast step, I'll be in really good shape. I've decided the portholes can wait until last since I could even do them after she's in the water. I'll probably leave the traveler for last as well, but still plan to get as much done as possible before Thursday night. It would be great if I could get it all done by them.
After I walk Zoe on Thursday, I'm going to go next door, buy provisions, and stow them on the boat. I imagine that will be another long night, but it's better than trying to get them on the boat after she's in the water. I'm right next door to the supermarket here, but once I'm in the water, I'll be on a mooring, and over a quarter mile away.
There are a few other little things I might do tonight, but mainly I want to make sure I don't have to waste any time tomorrow and can get the coamings in. Other things I could do tonight include remounting the instruments in the companionway bulkhead, hooking the anchor to the anchor chain and winching it onto the bow roller, and drilling back out various holes that got filled in when I was repairing the deck, e.g., 1 or 2 for the turning blocks, 2 for the traveler, 3 for the deck organizer, and all 5 for both jib winches and the coach roof winch. I have a cordless drill, but would still prefer to have all that done before she goes in -- recharging will be in issue.
Zoe watch:
She slept up in the peak most of the day today on some old canvas I'd been using to block the wind where the cover comes together at the bow. It was so nice, I pulled it back so she could see out if she wanted, and she curled up on it and went to sleep. It should be even nicer tomorrow, so I try to get a photo.
I'd hoped to get the mast step, forward hatch hinges, chainplate covers, and stanchions done today, but fell a little short -- I never got to the stanchion bases. So this evening, I'm going to tape them along with the turning blocks, which sit on top of the 3" high teak blocks I glued the other day. I won't try to mount them, since that would involve removing the cockpit locker hatches and crawling inside, but at least they'll be ready first thing in the morning. Once they're on, I can reinstall the coamings.
If I can get all that done tomorrow, along with gluing bungs into the handrails and mast step, I'll be in really good shape. I've decided the portholes can wait until last since I could even do them after she's in the water. I'll probably leave the traveler for last as well, but still plan to get as much done as possible before Thursday night. It would be great if I could get it all done by them.
After I walk Zoe on Thursday, I'm going to go next door, buy provisions, and stow them on the boat. I imagine that will be another long night, but it's better than trying to get them on the boat after she's in the water. I'm right next door to the supermarket here, but once I'm in the water, I'll be on a mooring, and over a quarter mile away.
There are a few other little things I might do tonight, but mainly I want to make sure I don't have to waste any time tomorrow and can get the coamings in. Other things I could do tonight include remounting the instruments in the companionway bulkhead, hooking the anchor to the anchor chain and winching it onto the bow roller, and drilling back out various holes that got filled in when I was repairing the deck, e.g., 1 or 2 for the turning blocks, 2 for the traveler, 3 for the deck organizer, and all 5 for both jib winches and the coach roof winch. I have a cordless drill, but would still prefer to have all that done before she goes in -- recharging will be in issue.
Zoe watch:
She slept up in the peak most of the day today on some old canvas I'd been using to block the wind where the cover comes together at the bow. It was so nice, I pulled it back so she could see out if she wanted, and she curled up on it and went to sleep. It should be even nicer tomorrow, so I try to get a photo.
08 November 2010
Splash Friday
I spoke to Grant and Ed this morning, and they're going to put me in the water on Friday. Grant said that they'll let me stay on a courtesy mooring for a week or two, so that should be plenty of time to make the final preparations. With the weather getting colder by the day, I don't want to stay any longer than necessary.
I spent all day today preparing the rest of the hardware for remounting. It stopped raining some time after lunch, but has been pretty cold all day with the wind has been gusting to over 30 mph. I had to adjust the cover a couple times, but other making a lot of noise, and scaring Zoe, it hasn't been a problem.
I have a few more things to clean up, but got almost everything ready today, including the damaged turning blocks. Someone must have dropped something heavy on one of them, because the upper flange is bent and the edged of one of the sheaves is broken off. I took them apart and cleaned them up, but still need to straighten the flange. I can't replace the broken sheave right now, but since it's a double, I can still use the lower one for the jib sheets. I guess the upper one was normally used for the spinnaker, but I don't plan to deploy mine any time soon, so that's not an issue.
I also got my two small yacht lamps, thread, and canvas today. I'll store the thread and canvas for later, but went ahead and broke out the lamps and lit them in the cabin this afternoon. They don't put out a lot of light, but all in all work very well. I might get some bigger lamps for the saloon and use the two small ones for the forecastle, but I'll wait till I get to Houston before I buy anything else. Maybe I can find some second hand ones that work well and put out a little more light.
Zoe watch:
She's been really good all day, but it's time for our evening walk, so I better wake her up. Although the rain stopped, it's still cold and windy, so she's still wearing her fleece. In fact, I switched to my Gill rain gear top this morning due to the wind, and will probably wear it from now on. I'd been wearing a North Face jacket with liner, but it doesn't cut the wind and rain nearly as well as the rain gear.
I may need to get, or make, something similar for Zoe, however, the fleece has been working really well so far -- it stays warm even when it's wet. Maybe I can use the canvas to make her a little rain jacket to help keep her dry. But let's hope it doesn't come to that -- my sewing skills aren't that good yet.
I spent all day today preparing the rest of the hardware for remounting. It stopped raining some time after lunch, but has been pretty cold all day with the wind has been gusting to over 30 mph. I had to adjust the cover a couple times, but other making a lot of noise, and scaring Zoe, it hasn't been a problem.
I have a few more things to clean up, but got almost everything ready today, including the damaged turning blocks. Someone must have dropped something heavy on one of them, because the upper flange is bent and the edged of one of the sheaves is broken off. I took them apart and cleaned them up, but still need to straighten the flange. I can't replace the broken sheave right now, but since it's a double, I can still use the lower one for the jib sheets. I guess the upper one was normally used for the spinnaker, but I don't plan to deploy mine any time soon, so that's not an issue.
I also got my two small yacht lamps, thread, and canvas today. I'll store the thread and canvas for later, but went ahead and broke out the lamps and lit them in the cabin this afternoon. They don't put out a lot of light, but all in all work very well. I might get some bigger lamps for the saloon and use the two small ones for the forecastle, but I'll wait till I get to Houston before I buy anything else. Maybe I can find some second hand ones that work well and put out a little more light.
Zoe watch:
She's been really good all day, but it's time for our evening walk, so I better wake her up. Although the rain stopped, it's still cold and windy, so she's still wearing her fleece. In fact, I switched to my Gill rain gear top this morning due to the wind, and will probably wear it from now on. I'd been wearing a North Face jacket with liner, but it doesn't cut the wind and rain nearly as well as the rain gear.
I may need to get, or make, something similar for Zoe, however, the fleece has been working really well so far -- it stays warm even when it's wet. Maybe I can use the canvas to make her a little rain jacket to help keep her dry. But let's hope it doesn't come to that -- my sewing skills aren't that good yet.
Sleet and Snow
Whenever you think about sailboats, you normally envision warm sunny days and white sandy beaches, not sleet and snow. But that's what we've got today. It reminds me of the winter I spent aboard Aurora in Marion, Massachusetts, back in 2007-2008. I wasn't able to get her ready in time and didn't even go into the water until late December.
By early January, I gave up all hope of making it out, as the weather had already turned too cold and nasty, so I spent the winter on the boat on Barden's dock. We had several snow storms and lots of wind, but thankfully the harbor never actually froze completely over. I was there until late April when I moved to Manhattan and took a job with Bloomberg -- great job, but not quite the same as living on a boat.
I have no intention of repeating that, but I've still got a lot to do and very little time in which to do it. There won't be much light today, but I should be able to get a bunch of small things mounted. I may even work on the engine if I get a chance, but the focus now is getting the deck dry. I'll save the portholes for tomorrow.
Zoe watch:
She's back in her fleece, and didn't seem to like the sleet very much. We took a long walk, and she stayed hidden behind me most of the way. She also stays on the boat all the time now. It's just too cold to leave her outside for long periods of time. I'm sure she'd be okay, but since there's no shelter down there, she can't get out of the wind. And we've got a lot of wind this time of year.
By early January, I gave up all hope of making it out, as the weather had already turned too cold and nasty, so I spent the winter on the boat on Barden's dock. We had several snow storms and lots of wind, but thankfully the harbor never actually froze completely over. I was there until late April when I moved to Manhattan and took a job with Bloomberg -- great job, but not quite the same as living on a boat.
I have no intention of repeating that, but I've still got a lot to do and very little time in which to do it. There won't be much light today, but I should be able to get a bunch of small things mounted. I may even work on the engine if I get a chance, but the focus now is getting the deck dry. I'll save the portholes for tomorrow.
Zoe watch:
She's back in her fleece, and didn't seem to like the sleet very much. We took a long walk, and she stayed hidden behind me most of the way. She also stays on the boat all the time now. It's just too cold to leave her outside for long periods of time. I'm sure she'd be okay, but since there's no shelter down there, she can't get out of the wind. And we've got a lot of wind this time of year.
07 November 2010
Keeping Covered
It's going to get cold tonight and rain tomorrow, so I decided not to take the cover off yet, at least not until after tomorrow. I cleaned up the teak I glued yesterday, but didn't make too much progress on the portholes. I only got one mounted before I started getting dark.
I started off by putting all the screws in and making sure they fit correctly. As I mentioned in an earlier post, they varied in length by up to almost 1/4 inch, but as luck would have it, one was missing, so I spent a lot of time looking for it. I ended up walking up to the office and buying another one. It was a little too long, so I had to cut it off, but after that, I thought I was ready to go.
I'd taped the deck around the frame, but hadn't bothered to tape the frame itself. The hole was a little big, so I had to use a lot of caulk, and when I finally put the flange on, caulk got all over everything. I cleaned it off, but it was really messy and took way too much time. I'll try to do a better job of taping the rest of them, but it's not easy because of the way it's put together. I think I can tape the flange okay, but it fits tightly over the oval lip that sticks through the hole, so it may scrap off the tape as I reassemble it, which is why I tried to get away with not taping it in the first place.
Time is getting short, so I made a list this evening of what still needs to be done, and I'm getting worried I won't make it. I'm going to concentrate on the stuff that absolutely has to be done before she can go in the water and step the mast. However, I may need a few more days to get the rest of the hardware mounted and get her ready to sail.
I started off by putting all the screws in and making sure they fit correctly. As I mentioned in an earlier post, they varied in length by up to almost 1/4 inch, but as luck would have it, one was missing, so I spent a lot of time looking for it. I ended up walking up to the office and buying another one. It was a little too long, so I had to cut it off, but after that, I thought I was ready to go.
I'd taped the deck around the frame, but hadn't bothered to tape the frame itself. The hole was a little big, so I had to use a lot of caulk, and when I finally put the flange on, caulk got all over everything. I cleaned it off, but it was really messy and took way too much time. I'll try to do a better job of taping the rest of them, but it's not easy because of the way it's put together. I think I can tape the flange okay, but it fits tightly over the oval lip that sticks through the hole, so it may scrap off the tape as I reassemble it, which is why I tried to get away with not taping it in the first place.
Time is getting short, so I made a list this evening of what still needs to be done, and I'm getting worried I won't make it. I'm going to concentrate on the stuff that absolutely has to be done before she can go in the water and step the mast. However, I may need a few more days to get the rest of the hardware mounted and get her ready to sail.
06 November 2010
Teak Repair
I ended up fixing all the teak today. I had several pieces, mainly blocks used to keep hardware off the deck, that had some sort of damage, mostly splits, that needed to be glued back together before I could remount them. I spent the morning getting them ready and had them all done by about 1500.
At that point, I took a break and walked Zoe up to the office to talk to Gill for a little while. By the time I got back, it was overcast and had started to turn cold again, so I decided not to try to do any caulking. Instead, I put a coat of paint on the cockpit locker dividers. They are made of compressed cardboard and have started to deteriorate, especially along the edges.
I'm planning on replacing them, but am out of time, so that will have to wait until I get to Houston. I don't think the paint will really protect them much, but if it will keep them from falling apart and filling the bilge with garbage, that's all I need for right now. I hope I don't have to touch them again, except for putting them back in the boat, but will take another look tomorrow before I decide. If they look good, I'll put them back in right away.
Cover watch:
I'm going to take the cover off tomorrow afternoon as soon as it warms up and dries out. With any luck, I'll also get the portholes and chainplate covers mounted, which will mean the entire cabin should be dry. We shouldn't get any rain for a few days, but might get some dew, so I want to make sure I don't get anything wet. It'll take a few more days to get everything in the cockpit mounted.
Deck watch:
The deck is done except for the non-skid areas and a final non-glossy coat over everything. I got some sand for the non-skid today while I was walking Zoe. Someone had dumped a bunch beside the road to fill in some ruts from a municipal vehicle during one of the recent rains. They'd overfilled the holes, so there was big pile, and I scooped up a few handfuls off the top. It looks pretty clean, but I'll wash and strain it before using it. It won't take much to do the deck, so I hope this is enough.
Zoe watch:
Zoe was hanging out on the foredeck today while I was fixing the teak in the cockpit, but when I went into the cabin to get something to eat, she heard the paper rattle and came aft to the companionway to check it out. Here's a photo of her just before I gave her some of my baguette:
At that point, I took a break and walked Zoe up to the office to talk to Gill for a little while. By the time I got back, it was overcast and had started to turn cold again, so I decided not to try to do any caulking. Instead, I put a coat of paint on the cockpit locker dividers. They are made of compressed cardboard and have started to deteriorate, especially along the edges.
I'm planning on replacing them, but am out of time, so that will have to wait until I get to Houston. I don't think the paint will really protect them much, but if it will keep them from falling apart and filling the bilge with garbage, that's all I need for right now. I hope I don't have to touch them again, except for putting them back in the boat, but will take another look tomorrow before I decide. If they look good, I'll put them back in right away.
Cover watch:
I'm going to take the cover off tomorrow afternoon as soon as it warms up and dries out. With any luck, I'll also get the portholes and chainplate covers mounted, which will mean the entire cabin should be dry. We shouldn't get any rain for a few days, but might get some dew, so I want to make sure I don't get anything wet. It'll take a few more days to get everything in the cockpit mounted.
Deck watch:
The deck is done except for the non-skid areas and a final non-glossy coat over everything. I got some sand for the non-skid today while I was walking Zoe. Someone had dumped a bunch beside the road to fill in some ruts from a municipal vehicle during one of the recent rains. They'd overfilled the holes, so there was big pile, and I scooped up a few handfuls off the top. It looks pretty clean, but I'll wash and strain it before using it. It won't take much to do the deck, so I hope this is enough.
Zoe watch:
Zoe was hanging out on the foredeck today while I was fixing the teak in the cockpit, but when I went into the cabin to get something to eat, she heard the paper rattle and came aft to the companionway to check it out. Here's a photo of her just before I gave her some of my baguette:
05 November 2010
Too Dark to See
The sun didn't come out until almost 1700, so it was really too dark under the cover to get much done. I was able to get all the forward portholes taped, but didn't try to do any caulking since I couldn't see well enough to do a good job. We shouldn't get any more rain for several days, so I'll pull the cover off this weekend, maybe tomorrow.
I ended up doing some cleaning, straightening up, and picking up more caulk, paint rollers, and blue painter's tape. I also ordered several yards of charcoal sunbrella canvas, black thread, and two kerosene yacht lamps from Defender. It should come in early next week, and will probably be the last stuff I order before I leave. Once I start getting her ready to sail, there may be a few other odds and ends, but I don't expect I'll need too much.
However, I will need to stock up on provisions. I'll start doing that as soon as I've got all the hardware remounted, which should be this weekend or early next week. I'm running out of time, so it can't be much later than that, or they won't put me in the water. While I was picking up the caulk and rollers, Kevin saw me and asked, "next week, right?"
I don't know if that's a hard deadline, but I think they shutdown their crane at some point. After that, I'd have to get someone else to put me in. Since that would cost several hundred dollars extra, I'll be going into the water next week no matter what.
Even though the looming deadline is adding a lot of unwelcome stress, the visible progress, including a beautiful deck and portholes back in their holes, feels really good. And while I can't remount or caulk any hardware in the dark, I can make progress on other tasks in the evenings, e.g., breaking out the rigging and ground tackle, adding strips of clothe to the anchor chain to mark the length, and stowing paint and other tools no longer needed.
I'll see how I can get done tonight, but first, I need to take Zoe for a walk.
Book watch:
I keep forgetting to mention that I bought a copy of "The Ashley Book of Knots" the other day and have been reading it at night. It's a great book and the illustrations are terrific. I haven't tried to tie anything yet, but it's still fun to just read about the knots -- I'm only on page 50, so I've got a long way to go yet.
I ended up doing some cleaning, straightening up, and picking up more caulk, paint rollers, and blue painter's tape. I also ordered several yards of charcoal sunbrella canvas, black thread, and two kerosene yacht lamps from Defender. It should come in early next week, and will probably be the last stuff I order before I leave. Once I start getting her ready to sail, there may be a few other odds and ends, but I don't expect I'll need too much.
However, I will need to stock up on provisions. I'll start doing that as soon as I've got all the hardware remounted, which should be this weekend or early next week. I'm running out of time, so it can't be much later than that, or they won't put me in the water. While I was picking up the caulk and rollers, Kevin saw me and asked, "next week, right?"
I don't know if that's a hard deadline, but I think they shutdown their crane at some point. After that, I'd have to get someone else to put me in. Since that would cost several hundred dollars extra, I'll be going into the water next week no matter what.
Even though the looming deadline is adding a lot of unwelcome stress, the visible progress, including a beautiful deck and portholes back in their holes, feels really good. And while I can't remount or caulk any hardware in the dark, I can make progress on other tasks in the evenings, e.g., breaking out the rigging and ground tackle, adding strips of clothe to the anchor chain to mark the length, and stowing paint and other tools no longer needed.
I'll see how I can get done tonight, but first, I need to take Zoe for a walk.
Book watch:
I keep forgetting to mention that I bought a copy of "The Ashley Book of Knots" the other day and have been reading it at night. It's a great book and the illustrations are terrific. I haven't tried to tie anything yet, but it's still fun to just read about the knots -- I'm only on page 50, so I've got a long way to go yet.
Clearing Up
It looks like it should clear up this afternoon, so hopefully I can finish the portholes. It's also a lot warmer, which certainly helps. I'm running the heater with the companionway boards out and the hatch open, so I hope that will warm up and dry the deck. The cover's still soaked, so I may have to wait until the sun comes out this afternoon for the humidity to go down below 70%.
Due to high humidity, the caulking didn't go very well yesterday, so I only did the last handrail. I think it will be okay, but if not, I can always redo it. It's the forward one on the starboard side, so I can reach both sides through the opening portholes. I'll tighten them down this weekend and see how it goes. Though I don't think they'll leak, I wasn't happy with the seams.
I was also able to dry-fit the six forward portholes, the ones that open, but haven't taped them yet -- I'll do that this morning while I'm waiting for the sun. However, I did discover that the six dozen bolts vary in length, so I'm going to have to go through the same drill I did with the handrails and try to figure out where each one goes. If it's too short, that's easy, just grab a longer one -- they vary by about 1/8 - 1/4" -- but I also have to make sure they aren't too long since they use cap nuts. If it's too long, you can't tighten it.
Zoe watch:
With the warmer weather, she shed her fleece, but the rain and dampness have her confined to her bunk. She doesn't mind walking in the rain and loves to swim, but doesn't much like being cold and wet.
Due to high humidity, the caulking didn't go very well yesterday, so I only did the last handrail. I think it will be okay, but if not, I can always redo it. It's the forward one on the starboard side, so I can reach both sides through the opening portholes. I'll tighten them down this weekend and see how it goes. Though I don't think they'll leak, I wasn't happy with the seams.
I was also able to dry-fit the six forward portholes, the ones that open, but haven't taped them yet -- I'll do that this morning while I'm waiting for the sun. However, I did discover that the six dozen bolts vary in length, so I'm going to have to go through the same drill I did with the handrails and try to figure out where each one goes. If it's too short, that's easy, just grab a longer one -- they vary by about 1/8 - 1/4" -- but I also have to make sure they aren't too long since they use cap nuts. If it's too long, you can't tighten it.
Zoe watch:
With the warmer weather, she shed her fleece, but the rain and dampness have her confined to her bunk. She doesn't mind walking in the rain and loves to swim, but doesn't much like being cold and wet.
04 November 2010
Rain, Lots of Rain
It started raining sometime after midnight and hasn't stopped. It's under 50 with high humidity, but I don't think it will affect the the caulking. Although I got the porthole openings cleaned and ready -- I had to clean off the glue from the months old tape holding the plastic covering -- and all the handrails taped, I was only able the get 2 of the 3 caulked (the doubles, inside and outside, in the saloon). Also, I had to cut off one of the longer bolts this morning to make it fit, but will caulk the last one as soon as I finish lunch.
Then I'll start on the six small, opening portholes. I need to dry-fit and tape them first, then I can remove them one at a time, caulk, and remount. I don't foresee any problems, but I still need to do a little more prep work on the larger non-openings ones in the main saloon.
I have to remove two screws that were corroded and broke off when I took them apart, mainly because the leaked badly over the years and got wet every time it rained. Other than that, I think they're ready to go. I'm planning to mount them without the plexiglass and add that later. The only potential problem is that the headliner doesn't fit tightly, so the frame must squeeze the deck and liner together, about an inch in some places, but very flexible. I hope that just makes for a better seal, but since it will be so tight, it may also squeeze out too much caulk and not give a good seal. I may end up redoing these once I get to Houston, but right now, I just the get everything on and get out of here. I may try to use my clamps and only do one at a time, but I'm not sure if I have enough time to let the cure -- it's too cold to leave it open at night.
I cut a drain channel in the bottom of the mast step yesterday, but still need to glue some splinters back together. The teak blocks for the turning blocks in cockpit also need to be glued, but I haven't gotten them ready yet. Maybe I'll get to that this afternoon. However, I may need to wait until the next sunny day, Saturday, when it's warm under the cover to actually glue them. With any luck, those will be the last things still needing to be remounted, and I can remount them on Sunday.
Assuming all goes well, I should be able to finally remove the cover on either Sunday or Monday. That would mean going in the water next week. Not yet sure when I'll actually leave, but late next weeks is looking good.
Then I'll start on the six small, opening portholes. I need to dry-fit and tape them first, then I can remove them one at a time, caulk, and remount. I don't foresee any problems, but I still need to do a little more prep work on the larger non-openings ones in the main saloon.
I have to remove two screws that were corroded and broke off when I took them apart, mainly because the leaked badly over the years and got wet every time it rained. Other than that, I think they're ready to go. I'm planning to mount them without the plexiglass and add that later. The only potential problem is that the headliner doesn't fit tightly, so the frame must squeeze the deck and liner together, about an inch in some places, but very flexible. I hope that just makes for a better seal, but since it will be so tight, it may also squeeze out too much caulk and not give a good seal. I may end up redoing these once I get to Houston, but right now, I just the get everything on and get out of here. I may try to use my clamps and only do one at a time, but I'm not sure if I have enough time to let the cure -- it's too cold to leave it open at night.
I cut a drain channel in the bottom of the mast step yesterday, but still need to glue some splinters back together. The teak blocks for the turning blocks in cockpit also need to be glued, but I haven't gotten them ready yet. Maybe I'll get to that this afternoon. However, I may need to wait until the next sunny day, Saturday, when it's warm under the cover to actually glue them. With any luck, those will be the last things still needing to be remounted, and I can remount them on Sunday.
Assuming all goes well, I should be able to finally remove the cover on either Sunday or Monday. That would mean going in the water next week. Not yet sure when I'll actually leave, but late next weeks is looking good.
03 November 2010
First Frost
We woke up to our first frost this morning. Zoe loved it, but I can't say I share her enthusiasm. We've had freeze warnings for the last couple of days, and the forecast calls for a low of 33 Saturday night, so I hope I'm in the water by then -- it's officially only gotten down to 36 so far. Otherwise, I may need to re-winterize the engine, but hopefully it won't come to that.
Boat watch:
I finished most of the toerail yesterday. All that's left is the port half of the transom. I didn't have enough clamps, or time, to fix that split when I fixed the one on the starboard side, so I've left that section for later. I'll work on it as soon as I get a chance, but it'll probably have to wait until I take off the cover. It's supposed to rain on Thursday, so I may leave the cover on and let the rain wash it, then take it off on Friday after it dries. (of course, this is all predicated on getting all/most of the hardware mounted, at least over the cabin)
I'm going to concentrate on the handrails (3 -- 2 of which are doubles), portholes (10), stanchion bases (2), mast step, and chainplate covers (7) today. I found the old bolts from the broken port side handrail, and will use 2 of the longer ones to replace the short ones on the starboard side. I have to make a new one for the port side anyway, so I'll just make it so that the shorter, by 1/2", bolts work. I'll do that once I get to Houston.
Zoe watch:
She's wearing her fleece pretty much all the time now. I kept her out in the sun most of the day yesterday, but since it's so cold today, I'll wait until this afternoon before deciding if she can go down there. She's sleeping now, so I don't think she really cares -- as long as she's warm.
Boat watch:
I finished most of the toerail yesterday. All that's left is the port half of the transom. I didn't have enough clamps, or time, to fix that split when I fixed the one on the starboard side, so I've left that section for later. I'll work on it as soon as I get a chance, but it'll probably have to wait until I take off the cover. It's supposed to rain on Thursday, so I may leave the cover on and let the rain wash it, then take it off on Friday after it dries. (of course, this is all predicated on getting all/most of the hardware mounted, at least over the cabin)
I'm going to concentrate on the handrails (3 -- 2 of which are doubles), portholes (10), stanchion bases (2), mast step, and chainplate covers (7) today. I found the old bolts from the broken port side handrail, and will use 2 of the longer ones to replace the short ones on the starboard side. I have to make a new one for the port side anyway, so I'll just make it so that the shorter, by 1/2", bolts work. I'll do that once I get to Houston.
Zoe watch:
She's wearing her fleece pretty much all the time now. I kept her out in the sun most of the day yesterday, but since it's so cold today, I'll wait until this afternoon before deciding if she can go down there. She's sleeping now, so I don't think she really cares -- as long as she's warm.
02 November 2010
Ran Engine
It was too cold this morning to start taping and caulking -- I'll do the at this afternoon -- so I decided to check out the engine. I hadn't run it since I winterized it back in the fall of 2008, so I wanted to make sure she still ran okay. It's water cooled, so running it on land involves disconnecting the salt water intake hose and putting it in a bucket you continuously fill with a hose.
On my boat, that means I had to run the water hose into the cabin, remove the ladder and engine cover and stick both the water hose and intake hose in a bucket on the cabin sole next to the engine. With this arrangement, I had to leave Zoe out in the sun in front of the boat.
She started okay, but used so much water, I had trouble getting enough into the bucket and had to climb down twice and increase the water flow. I wanted to make sure the hoses I reinstalled didn't leak, so I ended up running her for about half an hour, and didn't see any leaks. However, the tachometer didn't work. I check the wires and didn't see anything hanging, so I'm not sure why it wasn't working. I spoke to Matt later and he said they normally read pulses off the alternator, and suggested I check those wires. Unfortunately, I didn't even check to see if she was charging at the time, so I'll have to run her again, probably tomorrow. The good thing about running the engine is that it warms the cabin up nicely, so I don't mind running it early in the day.
I sure hope it's just a loose wire and nothing more serious, but installing a new alternator isn't the end of the world. And since I'll probably want to do that eventually anyway, this might end up being the best opportunity. Better now than later, especially at sea. A lot of people suggest adding a high output one to recharge the batteries quicker, especially if you're out cruising a lot. Those sometimes have issues, but I've got a 27 hp Yanmar, so I've got plenty of power to spare.
On my boat, that means I had to run the water hose into the cabin, remove the ladder and engine cover and stick both the water hose and intake hose in a bucket on the cabin sole next to the engine. With this arrangement, I had to leave Zoe out in the sun in front of the boat.
She started okay, but used so much water, I had trouble getting enough into the bucket and had to climb down twice and increase the water flow. I wanted to make sure the hoses I reinstalled didn't leak, so I ended up running her for about half an hour, and didn't see any leaks. However, the tachometer didn't work. I check the wires and didn't see anything hanging, so I'm not sure why it wasn't working. I spoke to Matt later and he said they normally read pulses off the alternator, and suggested I check those wires. Unfortunately, I didn't even check to see if she was charging at the time, so I'll have to run her again, probably tomorrow. The good thing about running the engine is that it warms the cabin up nicely, so I don't mind running it early in the day.
I sure hope it's just a loose wire and nothing more serious, but installing a new alternator isn't the end of the world. And since I'll probably want to do that eventually anyway, this might end up being the best opportunity. Better now than later, especially at sea. A lot of people suggest adding a high output one to recharge the batteries quicker, especially if you're out cruising a lot. Those sometimes have issues, but I've got a 27 hp Yanmar, so I've got plenty of power to spare.
01 November 2010
Zoe Pics
Here are a couple of photos of Zoe I took while making lunch today. They turned out so well, I decided to post them. It's cold out, so she's got on her fleece, and the cover's pulled up in the background where I'm working on the toe rail.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)