SHIP'S LOG:
Well, she floats! ABISHAG went into the water this past Tuesday and is floating at last in her element! I get the impression that a thru-hull, with no hose connected, was left open during the launching. This impression came from the rather large amount of water in the bilge I found on Wednesday! Normally this wouldn't be a cause for concern except for the fact that there is no electricity in the boat to run the automatic bilge pump. This is actually a good thing in that the hose connecting the automatic bilge pump to its thru- hull is not attached so pumping would have just circulated the water through the boat. Then again, the float for the automatic bilge pump (the automatic part) is disconnected. We did this to jury rig the pump for the trip up and it hasn't been reconnected. Then again, there is the manual bilge pump which I just installed (new) but since it feeds into the the same hose and thru-hull as the automatic bilge pump, pumping it was not going to do anything. In the end, I used a small hand pump to fill a bunch of buckets and empty them into the sink and so overboard. There is still a tiny bit of water coming in from somewhere (I am betting on the stuffing box) but that will be handled this week.
The Wind-steering System is now in place and functioning. Sitting at the dock, it will maneuver the boat in its slip. It really looks like a great piece of modern art affixed to the stern and it just screams "BLUEWATER CRUISING BOAT!!"
Hurricane-tropical storm NOEL clearly indicated which of the ports still leak. Actually just one in the forward cabin and in its case, it is the gasket around the lexan. A little silicon should seal it up just fine.
What remains to be done:
1.) Finish installing the new wiring;
2.) Wiring a new battery switch, battery bank and a new dockside power switch;
3.) Installing a Galvanic Isolator (very technical);
4.) Installing the watermaker (next Monday for sure!)
Basically, when these things are done, ABISHAG will be ready to go. The refrigeration is problematic as I can't check it until we can crank the engine. If it works great. If not, well it is a big ice box and I can use it as such until I can afford to replace the refrigeration system. As I have written before, the list of repairs and maintenance items is really never ending. If I waited until everything was perfect, I would never leave. So it is a matter of getting the boat ready enough to begin the trip. Hopefully that will be within the next 10 days or so and then comes the stocking up and then departing.
MASTER"S PERSONAL LOG:
The day isn't here yet but it sure seems that it is very close. The time of year and the weather will probably mean that I will have to do the day-hop trip down the Connecticut Coast and New Jersey Coast to Cape May. Day-hopping is not fast but I don't really have to be anywhere at any particular time, besides as someone once noted, the most inefficient way to get anywhere is by boat and the most inefficient boat is a sailboat. I start when I can and get there when I get there. Weather will probably slow down the trip some as if the weather is not conducive to sailing, I won't go anywhere. The farther south I get, the less the weather should be the problem, but north of Norfolk, VA. and the start of the ICW, it can mess up my timing.
I had expected to spend about $15,000 more to get the boat ready for departure. I had planned on money from the sale of the condo to cover that amount. Well, I have exceeded expectations and the condo remains unsold. Needless to say, the Bank of America has a hitman looking for me, though I keep getting mail from them offering loans at great rates. Who knows, perhaps I will win the lottery though buying a ticket would be necessary for that to happen.
I have to start sorting through my remaining stuff to determine what I need to take, what I want to take, and what what has to go away. My books are all gone and most of the close are headed to Project Northeast. I'll be taking both laptops with me and one print, but the desk top and the other printer remain, though where I am not sure. I sold a couple of things on E-BAY but didn't realize all that much but it may be the way to go.
It is an interesting experience unloading stuff like this. It is amazing how much stuff I have accumulated over the last 30 years, all of which I thought was important at one time and which i have been loathed to get rid of ... until now. I have had to be very careful not to replace old stuff with new stuff though my financial situation has helped a great deal in that regard, as has the fact that everything has to have a place on ABISHAG and even at 39 feet, there is not all that much space, at least not for file cabinets and rocking chairs and the like. I am certain, from all that I have read, that I will also be disposing of even more stuff along the way as I find it is completely useless to me, nice to have but useless. It is already a rather extensive life-style change and dealing with it can, at time, be difficult. I am not quite use to it yet, but i am getting there. I keep thinking of that biblical image of God as the potter fashioning the clay. I wonder what kind of "pot" I will turn out to be?
