SHIP'S LOG:
I have started looking for other forms of financing. It is amazing how crazy that world is. And do they lie! When you call for a loan, you get handed to somebody whose job is evidently to say "YES" to all of your questions. Once you commit, you get handed on to an underwriter who will actually do the real work on the loan and then the questions get answered truthfully and accurately. Thankfully, I have "some people" who check these things out for me so I do not get shafted. Hopefully, the money will be there and the loan not too expensive. I am still planning to go South on the 15th.
Good friend "Tony-the-Plumber" stopped by to install the watermaker. It took him most of the day and he was not able to finish. Setting up the various components was actually the easy part. The tough part is routing the seawater to the unit. One cannot just drill a hole anywhere. that could sink the boat! This exercise will consume the day on Thursday and hopefully by the end of the day it will simply be a case of turning it on to get fresh water!
While Tony was having fun, I was having fun of my own. I painted the propane locker . . . love those fumes! I discovered that I had to move the solenoid of I would be unable to extract one of the tanks. It was a total pain the the but. Even with all the measuring and planning, the solenoid was off by one stinking inch. I could just scream! And it was one of those project that required my being in two places at the same time, one place to hold the nut still and the other to tighten down the bolt. I was able to use vice grips but with Tony there, having him help was even simpler.
I also had to put a cleat in place in the anchor locker. This cleat is used to attach the very end of the anchor line to the boat so that it will not disappear into the depths. Again this was a case of having to be in two places at the same time and this time, Tony was too enmeshed in his own project to help out. It was a simple project but the trip from the bow outside to the forepeak inside, back and forth a dozen times just took a little time to accomplish. I got it done and that was one more project done.
I removed the C.A.R.D. system from the boat. It is a system that detects radar signals and indicate which direction they are coming from. Unfortunately, the system didn't work. It looks as though when it stopped working, the previous owner just left it in place and let it rust to further death.It left me with a nice selection of wire for later us at come time in the future should the need arise. It went into the trash along with the old water pump( rust into inactivity) and some type of solenoid which went to something but the is no indication of what. There is something very freeing about chucking stuff . . . .even though I fear that at some time in the future I might have a need of it.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
Having gotten over (sort of) the impact of the loan problem, I have refocused on still leaving on the 15th! Talk with "Chuck-the-Launch-Driver." He will be heading south next week, taking the route I have planned out. He has offered a whole bunch on suggestions and advice on making the trip. I gave him a ICW book I have and he is going to annotate it for me. We'll trade cell phone numbers and keep in touch on the journey. One thing, he doesn't wait for the end of the Hurricane Season, but simply pushes on south down the ICW. That little piece of info is interesting and will require a little/a lot of rumination.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
ICE BERG DEAD AHEAD! ! ! ! ! ! !
SHIP'S LOG:
Now I know what Edward Smith was feeling. Edward Smith was the Captain of the TITANIC and he had a "sinking feeling." Nothings wrong with ABISHAG. She is doing just fine. The problem is with the finances!
To recap: My original plan was to buy the boat with a chunk of change (a damn BIG chunk!) and then sell my condo to cover the cost of the boat and the upgrading necessary for the trip. This was the plan but then, as we all know, Custer had a plan. With the bad economy, the condo didn't sell and I had to put the cost of the repairs/upgrades/storage on credit cards. When the credit card debt got to $30,000!, I decided to refinance the condo, fold the credit card debt into the mortgage, and get out from under. I got the word today from the finance company that they couldn't come up with the money as 1.) there were too many condos for sale in the condo complex and they were not selling; 2.) my condo was/is an investment property; 3.) they won't make a loan where one entity owns over 10% of the condos and the Spa owns 15% of the condos in the complex. Not being a finance person, I am not sure if I am going to be able to swing it and go. While there are things I would like to have on the boat, I can go now without buy anything more and still work it out. I am not missing anything absolutely necessary. So if I have to I can go, but it would really be on a wing and a prayer. Hopefully, things will work out financially. I guess I am going to have to buy a Lottery ticket or something.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I wasn't expecting this to happen. Everything seemed to be going well. It wasn't easy and it did require a lot of trust in God, but still it was all working out. Now I am just confused. Before the phone call, everything seemed to be falling in place and I was getting very excited about departing on the 15th of September. Now, I am uncertain which way to go and really what to do. It seems crazy that having made the decision to go, having picked a date, having planned out the route, that suddenly a major, and I mean MAJOR, barrier has reared its head and it has dealt me heck of shot. I am off the tracks and, path which looked so clear yesterday, now couldn't be more indistinct and hard to follow. I am sure, that is I hope, things will work out, but right now I feel like I have been in a car wreak and am not sure how badly I got hurt.
True, other people have real problems to deal with, still this is mine, and it is real to me, and it's no fun.
Now I know what Edward Smith was feeling. Edward Smith was the Captain of the TITANIC and he had a "sinking feeling." Nothings wrong with ABISHAG. She is doing just fine. The problem is with the finances!
To recap: My original plan was to buy the boat with a chunk of change (a damn BIG chunk!) and then sell my condo to cover the cost of the boat and the upgrading necessary for the trip. This was the plan but then, as we all know, Custer had a plan. With the bad economy, the condo didn't sell and I had to put the cost of the repairs/upgrades/storage on credit cards. When the credit card debt got to $30,000!, I decided to refinance the condo, fold the credit card debt into the mortgage, and get out from under. I got the word today from the finance company that they couldn't come up with the money as 1.) there were too many condos for sale in the condo complex and they were not selling; 2.) my condo was/is an investment property; 3.) they won't make a loan where one entity owns over 10% of the condos and the Spa owns 15% of the condos in the complex. Not being a finance person, I am not sure if I am going to be able to swing it and go. While there are things I would like to have on the boat, I can go now without buy anything more and still work it out. I am not missing anything absolutely necessary. So if I have to I can go, but it would really be on a wing and a prayer. Hopefully, things will work out financially. I guess I am going to have to buy a Lottery ticket or something.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I wasn't expecting this to happen. Everything seemed to be going well. It wasn't easy and it did require a lot of trust in God, but still it was all working out. Now I am just confused. Before the phone call, everything seemed to be falling in place and I was getting very excited about departing on the 15th of September. Now, I am uncertain which way to go and really what to do. It seems crazy that having made the decision to go, having picked a date, having planned out the route, that suddenly a major, and I mean MAJOR, barrier has reared its head and it has dealt me heck of shot. I am off the tracks and, path which looked so clear yesterday, now couldn't be more indistinct and hard to follow. I am sure, that is I hope, things will work out, but right now I feel like I have been in a car wreak and am not sure how badly I got hurt.
True, other people have real problems to deal with, still this is mine, and it is real to me, and it's no fun.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
IT'S MORE FUN THAN I CAN STAND!!!!!!
SHIP'S LOG:
It is amazing how long it can take to do one little project! There is a spotlight that illuminates the cockpit and the the deck when it is on. A helpful thing when one is working on deck at night or simply when one is moving about the deck in the dark. I know that the light works as the bulb was just replaced and one of the guys at the MYSTIC Shipyard tested it with his own battery. However,(boy, there's a word I am using a lot)the wire to the light has ripped out of the deck connector and had to be replaced. I purchased a water proof connection and went to work. Removing the old deck connector was no big deal, three simple screws and clipped off the wires. This is where the fun begins as the wires from the boat were red & black and the wires coming from the light were brown and blue! Thankfully, the yard guy stated that the blue wire was the negative(attaches to the black) and the brown is the positive. I connected the wires from the mast to the plug and the ones from the boat to the deck connector. That is I did, after cleaning the wires that were corroded. The wires were connected with screw attachments which are rather simple. Then I inserted the deck connection into the deck. Well that was my intent. I had forgotten to measure the hole to see if the deck connector would fit. I assumed that it would and you know what happens when you assume! You know, of course, that it did not. The hole was too small and had to be enlarged. This meant dis-assembling the deck connector. Then I had to go to the aft cabin and remove the ceiling panel and pull the wires out of the hole so that I would not cut them when I opened up the hole. Then back up on deck and bored out the hole to the proper size. Then back into the aft cabin to feed the wires back into the hole. I connected the wires to the deck connector, caulked it and screwed it into the hole. Then down to the nav station and the power panel. On with the power. On with the "Deck Light Switch" and . . . . nada. No light! ARRGH! It took two hours of work for no result! It was only after I got home that I realized that there is a special fuse for part of the power panel (where the Deck Light Switch is located) and I hadn't check to see if it was good. So maybe, it is just a fuse problem . . . I hope, I Hope, I hope! ! ! !!
While I had the ceiling down in the aft cabin, I took a shot at getting the ceiling light to work. The reading lights over the bunks work, as does the deck light, but the ceiling light doesn't. The wiring from the light was connected to power wires with wire nut ties. This is a no-no on a boat so I removed them and connected them properly with crimp connectors. That didn't solve the problem so I went to the next step, was there power in the wires. Out came the multi-meter and I checked the wire. No juice. The proper procedure to locate the problem is to move back along the line until you get to a place(connector, joint, fixture, switch) where there is power so that you can identify the problem and correct it. Sound simple but the wires supplying this light run into a dime-size hole in the overhead and there is no way to trace them. I can understand why it would be simpler to just leave the old wires in place and run another set, but I have had to deal with such an approach on the boat before. I am not sure how to go about the trace but since I have light already in the aft cabin, it isn't an immediate priority.
I got the propane system up and running but without the owner's manual, I am not sure what I am doing or if it is working correctly. I went to the XINTEX website to down load the manual for the system I have and found that it wasn't on the site. I called them and they were amazed that I still had a working system When I asked about the manual, they said that it was too only for inclusion on the website. They said that they would scan it and email it to me, so again I am waiting on someone else to progress.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I have laid out the first day's course on the laptop. From New London to Morris Cove in New Haven Harbor. Having laid it out, I now have a destination as well as a departure date. It is starting to get very real.
It is amazing how long it can take to do one little project! There is a spotlight that illuminates the cockpit and the the deck when it is on. A helpful thing when one is working on deck at night or simply when one is moving about the deck in the dark. I know that the light works as the bulb was just replaced and one of the guys at the MYSTIC Shipyard tested it with his own battery. However,(boy, there's a word I am using a lot)the wire to the light has ripped out of the deck connector and had to be replaced. I purchased a water proof connection and went to work. Removing the old deck connector was no big deal, three simple screws and clipped off the wires. This is where the fun begins as the wires from the boat were red & black and the wires coming from the light were brown and blue! Thankfully, the yard guy stated that the blue wire was the negative(attaches to the black) and the brown is the positive. I connected the wires from the mast to the plug and the ones from the boat to the deck connector. That is I did, after cleaning the wires that were corroded. The wires were connected with screw attachments which are rather simple. Then I inserted the deck connection into the deck. Well that was my intent. I had forgotten to measure the hole to see if the deck connector would fit. I assumed that it would and you know what happens when you assume! You know, of course, that it did not. The hole was too small and had to be enlarged. This meant dis-assembling the deck connector. Then I had to go to the aft cabin and remove the ceiling panel and pull the wires out of the hole so that I would not cut them when I opened up the hole. Then back up on deck and bored out the hole to the proper size. Then back into the aft cabin to feed the wires back into the hole. I connected the wires to the deck connector, caulked it and screwed it into the hole. Then down to the nav station and the power panel. On with the power. On with the "Deck Light Switch" and . . . . nada. No light! ARRGH! It took two hours of work for no result! It was only after I got home that I realized that there is a special fuse for part of the power panel (where the Deck Light Switch is located) and I hadn't check to see if it was good. So maybe, it is just a fuse problem . . . I hope, I Hope, I hope! ! ! !!
While I had the ceiling down in the aft cabin, I took a shot at getting the ceiling light to work. The reading lights over the bunks work, as does the deck light, but the ceiling light doesn't. The wiring from the light was connected to power wires with wire nut ties. This is a no-no on a boat so I removed them and connected them properly with crimp connectors. That didn't solve the problem so I went to the next step, was there power in the wires. Out came the multi-meter and I checked the wire. No juice. The proper procedure to locate the problem is to move back along the line until you get to a place(connector, joint, fixture, switch) where there is power so that you can identify the problem and correct it. Sound simple but the wires supplying this light run into a dime-size hole in the overhead and there is no way to trace them. I can understand why it would be simpler to just leave the old wires in place and run another set, but I have had to deal with such an approach on the boat before. I am not sure how to go about the trace but since I have light already in the aft cabin, it isn't an immediate priority.
I got the propane system up and running but without the owner's manual, I am not sure what I am doing or if it is working correctly. I went to the XINTEX website to down load the manual for the system I have and found that it wasn't on the site. I called them and they were amazed that I still had a working system When I asked about the manual, they said that it was too only for inclusion on the website. They said that they would scan it and email it to me, so again I am waiting on someone else to progress.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I have laid out the first day's course on the laptop. From New London to Morris Cove in New Haven Harbor. Having laid it out, I now have a destination as well as a departure date. It is starting to get very real.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
THE COUNTDOWN HAS BEGUN!!!!!!
SHIP'S LOG:
Well, the Count-Down Has begun. I have chosen Monday, September 15th as D-Day, Departure Day. By that time the refi of the condo should be done and I will be able to purchase the last few items necessary for my departure. The major purchase will be two(2) 80 watts Solar panels and their installation should be rather straight forward, as well as problem free. Aside from that installation, there remains only cutting into that never-ending projects list, none of the items on which should be preventive of my departure.
Friends stopping by to the boat do slow down the the process but it is good to have visitors. Even while they have visited, I have still be able to re-glue the slats of the the cockpit grating (the first attempt didn't take), install turning blocks for the jib, hang the radar reflector, store the linens and blankets, and locate the dipstick for the engine( which was no mean feet!). You might be thinking, "How difficult can it be to find the engine dipstick?" but it was not as easy as it sound. First of all, the engine was repainted (Robin Egg Blue) some time in the recent past and the handle to the dipstick got sprayed as well. Usually, the dipstick handle is of a contrasting color so you can spot it. In addition, it is usually shaped in a circle so you can pull it, just as it is on your car and just as it is depicted in the engine manual. This one wasn't. It appears to be an after market item (someone evidently lost the original) and is "T" shaped. The tube into which it is inserted is not fixed. It is movable, quite movable in fact, and the arc through which it swings is rather large and so moves its location around. One last wrinkle, it is located behind several wires, hiding it even further. But after crawling all over the engine, I was able to locate it. Huzzah! Next will be to find the dipstick to the transmission.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
September 15th! D-Day! The Countdown has begun! GULP! Checking out the charts and the cruising guide, I think that I will go down the inside, down Long Island Sound. The simple reason is that there are numerous harbors and anchorages and it will make the trip basically a series of day cruises.It may take as much as two weeks to get to the Chesapeake, but there is really no rush as I can't go south of Norfolk, VA. before November 1st. The plus is that should anything untoward happens, help will be close at hand. I will be paranoid about break downs until a.) they happen, b.) I get further experience with ABISHAG. In one sense, I can't wait to start and in another, I nervous about going. The day sailing will make the journeying a lot easier and more comfortable. The fact that I am at last counting down creates a feeling that is tough to explain, a mish-mash of fear, excitement, anticipation, concern, freedom, a whole bunch of different feelings that are bouncing me back and forth between the two extremes.If there are real reasons to delay, I can do that but setting a date helps getting things ready. With the weather, it can be too easy to spend more time sailing that getting ready. The sailing is great but to keep sailing, the work has to be done. D-Day will come, is coming and truth be told, I can't wait!!!!!!!!!
Well, the Count-Down Has begun. I have chosen Monday, September 15th as D-Day, Departure Day. By that time the refi of the condo should be done and I will be able to purchase the last few items necessary for my departure. The major purchase will be two(2) 80 watts Solar panels and their installation should be rather straight forward, as well as problem free. Aside from that installation, there remains only cutting into that never-ending projects list, none of the items on which should be preventive of my departure.
Friends stopping by to the boat do slow down the the process but it is good to have visitors. Even while they have visited, I have still be able to re-glue the slats of the the cockpit grating (the first attempt didn't take), install turning blocks for the jib, hang the radar reflector, store the linens and blankets, and locate the dipstick for the engine( which was no mean feet!). You might be thinking, "How difficult can it be to find the engine dipstick?" but it was not as easy as it sound. First of all, the engine was repainted (Robin Egg Blue) some time in the recent past and the handle to the dipstick got sprayed as well. Usually, the dipstick handle is of a contrasting color so you can spot it. In addition, it is usually shaped in a circle so you can pull it, just as it is on your car and just as it is depicted in the engine manual. This one wasn't. It appears to be an after market item (someone evidently lost the original) and is "T" shaped. The tube into which it is inserted is not fixed. It is movable, quite movable in fact, and the arc through which it swings is rather large and so moves its location around. One last wrinkle, it is located behind several wires, hiding it even further. But after crawling all over the engine, I was able to locate it. Huzzah! Next will be to find the dipstick to the transmission.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
September 15th! D-Day! The Countdown has begun! GULP! Checking out the charts and the cruising guide, I think that I will go down the inside, down Long Island Sound. The simple reason is that there are numerous harbors and anchorages and it will make the trip basically a series of day cruises.It may take as much as two weeks to get to the Chesapeake, but there is really no rush as I can't go south of Norfolk, VA. before November 1st. The plus is that should anything untoward happens, help will be close at hand. I will be paranoid about break downs until a.) they happen, b.) I get further experience with ABISHAG. In one sense, I can't wait to start and in another, I nervous about going. The day sailing will make the journeying a lot easier and more comfortable. The fact that I am at last counting down creates a feeling that is tough to explain, a mish-mash of fear, excitement, anticipation, concern, freedom, a whole bunch of different feelings that are bouncing me back and forth between the two extremes.If there are real reasons to delay, I can do that but setting a date helps getting things ready. With the weather, it can be too easy to spend more time sailing that getting ready. The sailing is great but to keep sailing, the work has to be done. D-Day will come, is coming and truth be told, I can't wait!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
HOW TO STUFF A BOAT!
SHIP'S LOG:
It took longer than I expected, to rid myself of all the "stuff" I no longer needed, or which could not go on the boat. The next step in this fun process is hauling what remains down to ABISHAG and finding a proper place for each item. Heavy stuff low in the boat, lighter stuff higher up - all to keep the boat in trim. Of course, such a wise plan doesn't always work itself out as one envisions it in real life. Like all things in boating, it will be a compromise and I have a funny feeling that some of the items will be "deep-sixed" somewhere along the line.
Tools got stored today. Wrenches, files, screwdrivers and the like. I have got them all stored in a set of plastic shelves. It works pretty well and the only problem is that its location, right next to the cabin ladder makes transiting to the galley and the stern a bit difficult unless you are rail thin. Suffice it to say that I am not but it seems to be the perfect location. I imagine though that it will get moved as this ready access to this tool chest was necessitated by the need to get the boat ready. Once we are up and sailing, I would suspect that it will not longer be such a priority. Experience will dictate if a move is necessary or not.
I have started sealing things. Linens, towels, clothes and the like are going into "Space Saver" Bags. These are great. Fill 'em up, attach a vacuum hose, suck out the air and they are reduced to about 1/3 of their former size. They are sealed and can be store in even the wettest bilge location! I am also using Rubber Maid tubs with lips for all the little things that formerly got stored in resalable plastic bags. Hard and sharp items just ripped through the bags with all the rocking of the boat, scattering stuff everywhere, and since Murphy's Law (Any dropped item will always end up in the most inaccessible place and/or a place where it can do the most damage) really applies in boating, a new system of storage was needed. These tubs seem to work just fine though I am sure that they have their own little idiosyncrasies that will have to be dealt with some day.
I had to clean and paint the rudder to the Wind Steering System For some reason, I never took care of this little item while the boat was out of the water. Now doing it "at sea" was going to be a bit of a task. First of all, the rudder, despite being made of a rubber/plastic compound of some type, doesn't float, so before disconnecting it I had to rig a pulley system and line to secure it to the boat, while being able to maneuver it onto the boat for cleaning. Not cleaning the rudder while it was still in the water was probably not a really smart move. It had a serious coating of marine crustaceans and it probably would have been easier(and cleaner) to scrape them off while the whole thing was still in the water. Still, the task was not that bad on deck though I had to stop every few minutes to get a bucket of water to wash it, and the boat deck, clear of the detritus. Once the scraping and clean was done, I rubbed it down with mineral spirits and then hung it off davit to dry. It didn't take long in the sun and then on with a coat of bottom paint. . . . . . . and I didn't even get much on myself or the boat. Most of it actually ended up where I intended to be, which was amazing considering how much the boat was rolling. I let it dry for about an hour and then returned it to its proper place.
It's proper place was at the end of a stainless steel pipe hanging off the transom. The pipe was to slide into a hole in the top of the rudder and then a stainless steel pin was slid through the rudder and through the pipe, securing the rudder to the pipe. Visions of loosing the rudder and/or the securing pin led to lines running everywhere, securing both to the boat more securely than the boat was secured to the mooring ball. Hopefully I won't have to do this project again . . at least not while the boat is in the water! The bright, clean bottom paint also made it abundantly clear that it is time again to clean ABISHAG's bottom. O Joy!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
While working on the boat, I had a visitor . . . a mortgage broker who is working out a refi for my condo. This will pay off the credit card bill I've run up getting ABISHAG ready. I really felt uncomfortable doing it but it had to be done. If it wasn't done, there would be no way i could really head south. . . . .and I am heading south. Strangely, it also felt good because it means, if it all goes through, that I will be financially free enough to head south . . .and I am heading south!!!!!
It took longer than I expected, to rid myself of all the "stuff" I no longer needed, or which could not go on the boat. The next step in this fun process is hauling what remains down to ABISHAG and finding a proper place for each item. Heavy stuff low in the boat, lighter stuff higher up - all to keep the boat in trim. Of course, such a wise plan doesn't always work itself out as one envisions it in real life. Like all things in boating, it will be a compromise and I have a funny feeling that some of the items will be "deep-sixed" somewhere along the line.
Tools got stored today. Wrenches, files, screwdrivers and the like. I have got them all stored in a set of plastic shelves. It works pretty well and the only problem is that its location, right next to the cabin ladder makes transiting to the galley and the stern a bit difficult unless you are rail thin. Suffice it to say that I am not but it seems to be the perfect location. I imagine though that it will get moved as this ready access to this tool chest was necessitated by the need to get the boat ready. Once we are up and sailing, I would suspect that it will not longer be such a priority. Experience will dictate if a move is necessary or not.
I have started sealing things. Linens, towels, clothes and the like are going into "Space Saver" Bags. These are great. Fill 'em up, attach a vacuum hose, suck out the air and they are reduced to about 1/3 of their former size. They are sealed and can be store in even the wettest bilge location! I am also using Rubber Maid tubs with lips for all the little things that formerly got stored in resalable plastic bags. Hard and sharp items just ripped through the bags with all the rocking of the boat, scattering stuff everywhere, and since Murphy's Law (Any dropped item will always end up in the most inaccessible place and/or a place where it can do the most damage) really applies in boating, a new system of storage was needed. These tubs seem to work just fine though I am sure that they have their own little idiosyncrasies that will have to be dealt with some day.
I had to clean and paint the rudder to the Wind Steering System For some reason, I never took care of this little item while the boat was out of the water. Now doing it "at sea" was going to be a bit of a task. First of all, the rudder, despite being made of a rubber/plastic compound of some type, doesn't float, so before disconnecting it I had to rig a pulley system and line to secure it to the boat, while being able to maneuver it onto the boat for cleaning. Not cleaning the rudder while it was still in the water was probably not a really smart move. It had a serious coating of marine crustaceans and it probably would have been easier(and cleaner) to scrape them off while the whole thing was still in the water. Still, the task was not that bad on deck though I had to stop every few minutes to get a bucket of water to wash it, and the boat deck, clear of the detritus. Once the scraping and clean was done, I rubbed it down with mineral spirits and then hung it off davit to dry. It didn't take long in the sun and then on with a coat of bottom paint. . . . . . . and I didn't even get much on myself or the boat. Most of it actually ended up where I intended to be, which was amazing considering how much the boat was rolling. I let it dry for about an hour and then returned it to its proper place.
It's proper place was at the end of a stainless steel pipe hanging off the transom. The pipe was to slide into a hole in the top of the rudder and then a stainless steel pin was slid through the rudder and through the pipe, securing the rudder to the pipe. Visions of loosing the rudder and/or the securing pin led to lines running everywhere, securing both to the boat more securely than the boat was secured to the mooring ball. Hopefully I won't have to do this project again . . at least not while the boat is in the water! The bright, clean bottom paint also made it abundantly clear that it is time again to clean ABISHAG's bottom. O Joy!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
While working on the boat, I had a visitor . . . a mortgage broker who is working out a refi for my condo. This will pay off the credit card bill I've run up getting ABISHAG ready. I really felt uncomfortable doing it but it had to be done. If it wasn't done, there would be no way i could really head south. . . . .and I am heading south. Strangely, it also felt good because it means, if it all goes through, that I will be financially free enough to head south . . .and I am heading south!!!!!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
PACKING AND UNPACKING
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG SUPPLEMENTAL:
The last several days I have not been down to ABISHAG. I am sure that she is just fine. What has consumed my time has been sorting through my remaining "stuff." Back in the fall, I did the first sort through of my "stuff" and I got rid of a good 75% of it. As all of you know, or at least those of you who have had to move in recent history, one always has a lot more "stuff'" that one realizes. Even having gotten rid of as much as I did, I still have a lot to sort through before I move onto the boat full-time. I have "trashed" a dozen trash bags full of stuff and am just starting on the clothes. I have discovered that the best way to do it is to just not look at things and stuff it into the trash bags, tie them off and heave-ho! If you stop to look at everything or even most things, it will take an eternity to even make a dent in the pile.
It is a rather freeing experience. It is a bit disturbing at how much stuff I have and have to get rid of. Just thinking of all the money I have spent on all the stuff in the trash bags is distressing. I am sure that there will be a certain amount of stuff that I won't be taking and won't be getting rid of and that will need to be stored, so I am not going completely ascetical. However, anything I save to take with me I have to find a place for on the boat and 39' x 11' isn't a lot of space. And just finding a place for it all is not the least of it. How one stores the stuff on the boat affects the boat trim and performance. There may be, probably will be, an even further "winnowing of the chaff" before departure and perhaps even after.
Well, back to the "sorting" . . . . . . and I haven't even begun on the stuff that is stored in the garage!
The last several days I have not been down to ABISHAG. I am sure that she is just fine. What has consumed my time has been sorting through my remaining "stuff." Back in the fall, I did the first sort through of my "stuff" and I got rid of a good 75% of it. As all of you know, or at least those of you who have had to move in recent history, one always has a lot more "stuff'" that one realizes. Even having gotten rid of as much as I did, I still have a lot to sort through before I move onto the boat full-time. I have "trashed" a dozen trash bags full of stuff and am just starting on the clothes. I have discovered that the best way to do it is to just not look at things and stuff it into the trash bags, tie them off and heave-ho! If you stop to look at everything or even most things, it will take an eternity to even make a dent in the pile.
It is a rather freeing experience. It is a bit disturbing at how much stuff I have and have to get rid of. Just thinking of all the money I have spent on all the stuff in the trash bags is distressing. I am sure that there will be a certain amount of stuff that I won't be taking and won't be getting rid of and that will need to be stored, so I am not going completely ascetical. However, anything I save to take with me I have to find a place for on the boat and 39' x 11' isn't a lot of space. And just finding a place for it all is not the least of it. How one stores the stuff on the boat affects the boat trim and performance. There may be, probably will be, an even further "winnowing of the chaff" before departure and perhaps even after.
Well, back to the "sorting" . . . . . . and I haven't even begun on the stuff that is stored in the garage!
Monday, July 28, 2008
GETTING TO KNOW YOU
SHIP'S LOG:
Saturday was a great sailing day and I took ABISHAG out to get to know her just a little bit better. I am still amazed at how well she handles in light air. In the very light air, I was surprised
that she wouldn't stall in a tack. Once she starts over she completes the tack and indeed it is necessary to center the rudder once she gets half way or her displacement will give her the momentum to turn farther than I want. Learning how to handle her in the light air is really important, actually more so than heavy air, for I am going to sail a lot more in light air along the coast that in heavy air. In heavy air, coastal sailing, I can always drop a hook and wait for it to pass if I want, but ghosting around a harbor, to a dock, to a mooring, is a skill that I will use a lot more, especially when I am by myself. Aside from the first attempts to get on the mooring, she has handled wonderfully and predictably, and there have been no problems. Still it is a learning process.
And speaking about learning, I have discovered a new aspect to ABISHAG. She has visions of being a "lobsta boat." Ghosting down the Pine Island Channel toward New London, I got into a field of lobster pots and hooked one. If it had been a simple float it probably would have slipped off. However, these floats had a stick at the top which probably makes them easier to pick up, but they also make it tougher for them to slide off a prop or rudder of a passing boat.
Moving at about one knot, it took a few moments for me to realize that I wasn't moving. Turning the wheel made it clear that I wasn't hooked by the rudder. Leaving the wheel and going to the stern, I could see that the float wasn't hooked around the rudder on the wind steering vane. That mean that it was hooked around the prop. It also meant that I was going swimming. Great!
I lowered the dinghy and then the ladder. Tied a line to the stern cleat and heaved it astern so that once I got the boat free it didn't sail away from me. Put on the mask and went over the side.
One breathe and down to the prop and there was the float, its line wrapped around the prop and the stick on top wedged against the hull holding it in place. A hard tug and it was off the prop . . . . . . .and then wrapped itself around the rudder. Another tug and it slipped off the rudder . . . . . only to wrap itself around the rudder of the wind steering vane. One more tug and it was disconnected completely from ABISHAG which literally leaped forward now that she was free. trailing the line behind the boat was a very, very good idea. My grab for the boarding ladder was a miss! and who knows if I would have caught up without the safety line.
I am going to have to clean and paint the rudder on the wind steering system. The "sea growth" has been particularly vigorous in its growth rate and while it comes off rather easily from the bottom painted surfaces, the "bare naked" rudder on the wind steering system gets a quick coating and unfortunately barnacles to go with it. I say unfortunately as when I went over the stern, I scraped my leg and it didn't feel very good at all. The nasty thing about "barnacle rash' is that it heals very, very slowly. A little Witch Hazel, a little Hydrogen peroxide, some Bactine and Neosporen and it will still look "new" for the next month. I am going to have to pull that rudder, scrape it down and paint it. I am not sure why I didn't do that before. For some reason I "thought" that it wasn't necessary but it surely is.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
It was strangely quiet Saturday . . . . on the Marine radio. I monitor Channel 16 (you are supposed to) when I am sailing and usually on weekends, there is constant chatter on 16. This Saturday, it was strangely quiet. A few calls for radio checks, a few calls for towing help, a few Coast Guard updates and advisories, and one "SECURITE" call, and that was it. There just aren't the boats out there this year. I should say that there are not the "powerboats" out there. There numbers are really down and even those out there are motoring at very un-powerboat-like speeds. There are fewer sailboats than in years past, but still a lot more of them than there are powerboats. I suspect that the cost of fuel is really having an impact.
Still about 20 or so big powerboat racers came zipping into New London from Manhattan, went around the Goldstar Bridge and headed back to Manhattan at full bore. The noise they produced was incredible. The close passing to other boats was unnerving. The amount of fuel any one of the boats used in this race probably exceeded to total amount of fuel I have used since I have owned boats! It's nice to see people waste money like that!
Saturday was a great sailing day and I took ABISHAG out to get to know her just a little bit better. I am still amazed at how well she handles in light air. In the very light air, I was surprised
that she wouldn't stall in a tack. Once she starts over she completes the tack and indeed it is necessary to center the rudder once she gets half way or her displacement will give her the momentum to turn farther than I want. Learning how to handle her in the light air is really important, actually more so than heavy air, for I am going to sail a lot more in light air along the coast that in heavy air. In heavy air, coastal sailing, I can always drop a hook and wait for it to pass if I want, but ghosting around a harbor, to a dock, to a mooring, is a skill that I will use a lot more, especially when I am by myself. Aside from the first attempts to get on the mooring, she has handled wonderfully and predictably, and there have been no problems. Still it is a learning process.
And speaking about learning, I have discovered a new aspect to ABISHAG. She has visions of being a "lobsta boat." Ghosting down the Pine Island Channel toward New London, I got into a field of lobster pots and hooked one. If it had been a simple float it probably would have slipped off. However, these floats had a stick at the top which probably makes them easier to pick up, but they also make it tougher for them to slide off a prop or rudder of a passing boat.
Moving at about one knot, it took a few moments for me to realize that I wasn't moving. Turning the wheel made it clear that I wasn't hooked by the rudder. Leaving the wheel and going to the stern, I could see that the float wasn't hooked around the rudder on the wind steering vane. That mean that it was hooked around the prop. It also meant that I was going swimming. Great!
I lowered the dinghy and then the ladder. Tied a line to the stern cleat and heaved it astern so that once I got the boat free it didn't sail away from me. Put on the mask and went over the side.
One breathe and down to the prop and there was the float, its line wrapped around the prop and the stick on top wedged against the hull holding it in place. A hard tug and it was off the prop . . . . . . .and then wrapped itself around the rudder. Another tug and it slipped off the rudder . . . . . only to wrap itself around the rudder of the wind steering vane. One more tug and it was disconnected completely from ABISHAG which literally leaped forward now that she was free. trailing the line behind the boat was a very, very good idea. My grab for the boarding ladder was a miss! and who knows if I would have caught up without the safety line.
I am going to have to clean and paint the rudder on the wind steering system. The "sea growth" has been particularly vigorous in its growth rate and while it comes off rather easily from the bottom painted surfaces, the "bare naked" rudder on the wind steering system gets a quick coating and unfortunately barnacles to go with it. I say unfortunately as when I went over the stern, I scraped my leg and it didn't feel very good at all. The nasty thing about "barnacle rash' is that it heals very, very slowly. A little Witch Hazel, a little Hydrogen peroxide, some Bactine and Neosporen and it will still look "new" for the next month. I am going to have to pull that rudder, scrape it down and paint it. I am not sure why I didn't do that before. For some reason I "thought" that it wasn't necessary but it surely is.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
It was strangely quiet Saturday . . . . on the Marine radio. I monitor Channel 16 (you are supposed to) when I am sailing and usually on weekends, there is constant chatter on 16. This Saturday, it was strangely quiet. A few calls for radio checks, a few calls for towing help, a few Coast Guard updates and advisories, and one "SECURITE" call, and that was it. There just aren't the boats out there this year. I should say that there are not the "powerboats" out there. There numbers are really down and even those out there are motoring at very un-powerboat-like speeds. There are fewer sailboats than in years past, but still a lot more of them than there are powerboats. I suspect that the cost of fuel is really having an impact.
Still about 20 or so big powerboat racers came zipping into New London from Manhattan, went around the Goldstar Bridge and headed back to Manhattan at full bore. The noise they produced was incredible. The close passing to other boats was unnerving. The amount of fuel any one of the boats used in this race probably exceeded to total amount of fuel I have used since I have owned boats! It's nice to see people waste money like that!
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