SHIP'S LOG:
Yesterday (Wednesday), we had a real street cleaner of a storm. The storm drains popped and washed away part of the beach next to the club and almost half of the only "free beach" in New London! I was having dinner with Russ and got back on ABISHAG just as the rain was just beginning to fall. I got all the awnings down and tied and sat in the cockpit having a beer and reading a book while the rain came down so hard, I could barely, and I mean BARELY make out the clubhouse 200 yards away.I could not see the other side of the river nor the ferries that went up and down blowing their horns like they were in a fog. On top of the rain was the wind, the topped out at 40 knots plus in the gusts. It was a serious storm with lots of thunder and enough lightning to make one consider the appropriateness of sitting on a boat with two, count'em, two lightning rods . . .I mean masts. But there were no strikes on any of the boat, mine in particular, but the heavy rain did uncork a mystery.
There has been a leak that seeming comes through the main salon hatch and another by the main cockpit hatch. I have run a fat highlighter around the inside of both hatches and thrown water over the hatches to try and track down from where comes the water. But nothings shows up, yet when it rains, leaks appear in both places except .. . . . . .. and this is new, except when I have the awning up. Obviously, the awning are protecting the entrance point of the water for the leaks yet I can not figure out where it is. Every possible candidate, is lower than the leaks themselves and water, even on a boat doesn't run up hill. I am sure I'll find it some day, but for now, I will be happy with putting up the awnings and getting rid of the leaks.
The awning were evidently intended to be joined in the middle where the is Velcro on the edges of the awning. There is a gap however, and they don't quite meet. Vinyl doesn't shrink, so it was either a bad measuring job by whoever build the awnings or there was a closure piece for each side which is no AWOL. In the wind we had the last two storms, some rain did get through and into the enclosure, so I am going to have to construct and over lap of some kind with the old vinyl sailcover of the Mizzen.
I still haven't found the missing two volts to the propane solenoid. For the life of me, I can't figure out how the bus-bar to which it is connected is getting power. It is but I can't see how. Several disbelievers in this miracle have promised to com e by and see it, but so far no one has. I am still 2 volts short. It is probably a bad ground.
In the access hatch over the windlass, I cut and fitted a piece of PCV pipe so that the rope rode can run and used without the hatch being opened. I had to cut a hole in the hatch, cut the PVC Pipe at an angle so it receded into the hatch, and epoxy the whole mess in place. And It actually went off without a major "whoopsie" and works just fine.
Next Tuesday, the refeer gets its check over and at last I will be able to keep cold things cold.
I had to empty the "in-law apartment" locker to access the batteries for their monthly check and also to find out just how many amp hours I have in the boat. Each battery is rated at 105 amp hours which gives me 315. I have to find out as the monitoring device, the LINK 2000 does its thing based on battery capacity and that hadn't been adjusted since the installation of the new batteries . . . 3 years ago. There is absolutely no ventilation the that lockers and it was brutal working in there, but now the monitor is all synced and things are fine, though electricity is still all voodoo to me.
I don't like it but I am having to run the engine for 30-60 minutes a day to keep the batteries topped up. Living on the boat constantly uses more juice and as spare as I am, I do use it up. I am going to have to try another ways of generating power besides the engine and the wind turbine.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
The sailing has been wonderful and even the storms have been great. The last one had thunder so loud it shook the boat. The thunder sound waves hit the water and rush through the air and you feel it not only from above and below as well. It was exhilarating to say the least . . .and no leaks which was great.
I am definitely getting more and more comfortable living on the boat. I am knocking off lots of little project, though more are always presenting themselves. It is nice however, just to shut it all down, raise the sails and go, 't ain't something you can do with a cottage.
I am consuming reading material at an alarming rate. Thank goodness there is a small library at the club but I will be through that before too much longer, as I have read and/or own most the books. There are also some magazines. There was a copy of YACHTING and in a special section on powerboat, there was one huge YACHT that could cruise cruise at 28 knots and only burn 280 gallons of fuel per hour. And you wonder why I have a sailboat?
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
And Then There Was Rain!!!!!!
SHIP LOG:
IT IS NOT LIKE IT HAS BEEN RAINING ALL THE TIME . . . truth be told, we actually do need the rain. But as I write this, New London just got hit with a major thunderstorm. It is raining so hard, you can not see across the river from the Club. Even seeing my boat is a bit of a stretch. good thing is that as intense as it is, it will not last long.
I have still not found the 2 missing volts. I have been endeavouring to trace the power for the propane solenoid from the solenoid switch back to battery and I am having a problem in that I can't shrink myself to tiny size to get to the places where the wire goes. And so far where I have been able to reach is showing only 10 volts instead of the magical 12! And until I can get 12 volts to the solenoid, the stove will the get gas and I'll continue to eat cold food!
There were actually a couple of days of very good sailing when it paid dividends to get off the mooring and out under sail. The humidity "out there" is so much less than on shore or even at the mooring and the breeze is always cool coming off the water. Plus it is just great getting out there sailing!
There is a constant drop in the innumerable small projects that need doing but there is a constant addition to the project list as well. It is sort of a trade off . You get something done and it inspires another project. Or as I am sitting down relaxing, I look a something and try to decide if it could be made to work better, look better or just be better. The end result is more projects. The definition of an artist is one who knows when to stop. I am not artist!
IT IS NOT LIKE IT HAS BEEN RAINING ALL THE TIME . . . truth be told, we actually do need the rain. But as I write this, New London just got hit with a major thunderstorm. It is raining so hard, you can not see across the river from the Club. Even seeing my boat is a bit of a stretch. good thing is that as intense as it is, it will not last long.
I have still not found the 2 missing volts. I have been endeavouring to trace the power for the propane solenoid from the solenoid switch back to battery and I am having a problem in that I can't shrink myself to tiny size to get to the places where the wire goes. And so far where I have been able to reach is showing only 10 volts instead of the magical 12! And until I can get 12 volts to the solenoid, the stove will the get gas and I'll continue to eat cold food!
There were actually a couple of days of very good sailing when it paid dividends to get off the mooring and out under sail. The humidity "out there" is so much less than on shore or even at the mooring and the breeze is always cool coming off the water. Plus it is just great getting out there sailing!
There is a constant drop in the innumerable small projects that need doing but there is a constant addition to the project list as well. It is sort of a trade off . You get something done and it inspires another project. Or as I am sitting down relaxing, I look a something and try to decide if it could be made to work better, look better or just be better. The end result is more projects. The definition of an artist is one who knows when to stop. I am not artist!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Yeah, But We Need the Rain . . . .
SHIP'S LOG:
It was not a great day yesterday, not a lot of wind and sort of gray and overcast pretty much. But I took to opportunity to go for a sail to work out again using the Hydro-vane Win d steering System. It is not a particularly complicated item to use, but like pretty much anything that you haven't used in awhile, it took some re-acquainting to remember exactly how it worked.
I set it up at the mooring and then motored out to the mouth of the river. The wind was light and out of the south west so I had a half a mile run to get to where that sails would draw and I could shut down the engine. I got on a southwest reach and engaged the steering vane. As I was adjusting it, the Coast Guard came on channel 16 and announced a special weather bulletin in channel 22 - their working channel. Now there are marine weather channels and channel 16 is not one of them. Channel 16 is a hailing and emergency channel. The Coast Guard rarely uses the channel except to announce a problem, so when they get on and say the have a weather announcement, I pay attention!
Moments later, I was listening to a weather warning couched in apocalyptic terms and dooms day adjectives. Being a little over a mile from the mooring, I headed back. I got to the mooring and tied up and sat down with a book and lunch. The sky went from broken clouds and blue sky to complete gray overcast to dark gray overcast to a curtain of rain. After an initial downpour, it settled into a nice gentle rain - good for lawns which did not to remove any of the humidity. It continued up to the ALL-Star Game at 8pm.
I did learn two things: 1.) the leak I have been tracking down in the aft cabin has evidently been correctly identified and fixed: 2.) I have to find a better way to ventilate the boat. Closing down all the hatches and ports keep the rain out - mostly - but can make the boat an oven.
The awning which I found the other day and put up worked great against the intrusion rain into the cockpit. A good thing too as it was to muggy and warm to stay below with all the hatches closed.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
It is getting more and more comfortable on the boat. I suppose when you really have no place to go it gets easier. I have established an "in port" routine. Next will be to establish a "cruising routine" and star cruising .
It was not a great day yesterday, not a lot of wind and sort of gray and overcast pretty much. But I took to opportunity to go for a sail to work out again using the Hydro-vane Win d steering System. It is not a particularly complicated item to use, but like pretty much anything that you haven't used in awhile, it took some re-acquainting to remember exactly how it worked.
I set it up at the mooring and then motored out to the mouth of the river. The wind was light and out of the south west so I had a half a mile run to get to where that sails would draw and I could shut down the engine. I got on a southwest reach and engaged the steering vane. As I was adjusting it, the Coast Guard came on channel 16 and announced a special weather bulletin in channel 22 - their working channel. Now there are marine weather channels and channel 16 is not one of them. Channel 16 is a hailing and emergency channel. The Coast Guard rarely uses the channel except to announce a problem, so when they get on and say the have a weather announcement, I pay attention!
Moments later, I was listening to a weather warning couched in apocalyptic terms and dooms day adjectives. Being a little over a mile from the mooring, I headed back. I got to the mooring and tied up and sat down with a book and lunch. The sky went from broken clouds and blue sky to complete gray overcast to dark gray overcast to a curtain of rain. After an initial downpour, it settled into a nice gentle rain - good for lawns which did not to remove any of the humidity. It continued up to the ALL-Star Game at 8pm.
I did learn two things: 1.) the leak I have been tracking down in the aft cabin has evidently been correctly identified and fixed: 2.) I have to find a better way to ventilate the boat. Closing down all the hatches and ports keep the rain out - mostly - but can make the boat an oven.
The awning which I found the other day and put up worked great against the intrusion rain into the cockpit. A good thing too as it was to muggy and warm to stay below with all the hatches closed.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
It is getting more and more comfortable on the boat. I suppose when you really have no place to go it gets easier. I have established an "in port" routine. Next will be to establish a "cruising routine" and star cruising .
Sunday, July 11, 2010
The Never- Ending Project List! ! ! !
SHIP'S LOG:
The stove still doesn't work! Gas doesn't seem to be getting to the burners. I, and several others I have consulted, think that no juice is getting to the solenoid that operates the vale that lest the gas flow. It means more time with the multimeter and dealing with the voodoo that is electricity. I hate electricity!
The deck leak in the after cabin shows itself at the chain place(anchoring base) for the backstay for the mainmast. With the help of Roger Greene, I disconnected the port backstay (it is a split backstay, one going port and the other starboard), unbolted the chainplate, thoroughly cleaned the area, spread on copious amounts of caulking, re-bedded the chainplate and then let it sit for a couple of hours for the caulking to set up. The I tested it out with a couple of buckets of water and the leak was still there. Obviously, the chainplate wasn't the culprit. Well, at least I know that it is secure. I sounded the deck in that area with a hammer and found two "soft spots", places on deck where it sound as if the teak was lifting. Before I could do anything about it, I had to reconnect the port backstay which now seemed 2 inches short than it was. Roger and I couldn't get it into the turnbuckle which attaches to the chainplate. I had to round up a couple of guys from the beach to come out to the boat and add their heft pulling on the backstay. It was just what the doctor ordered.
Once that was done, I gouged out the caulking in the seams on both sides of these two "planks," cleaned them out, and put in some of "Capt. Tolly's Creeping Crack Cure" to seal any cracks in the fiber glass beneath. Later this morning, I will re-caulk the seams and hopefully that will do the trick. Then I am going sailing.
MASTER"S PERSONAL LOG:
Great time last night. It was the fireworks show for the ending of SAILFEST in New London. The weather had been very threatening while it was awful seemingly every place else, things were great here and the show went on as planned. There was a good turn out of the club and everyone had a great time. It was just one of those wonderful evening that is all but impossible to put into words, but so great to be a part of.
The stove still doesn't work! Gas doesn't seem to be getting to the burners. I, and several others I have consulted, think that no juice is getting to the solenoid that operates the vale that lest the gas flow. It means more time with the multimeter and dealing with the voodoo that is electricity. I hate electricity!
The deck leak in the after cabin shows itself at the chain place(anchoring base) for the backstay for the mainmast. With the help of Roger Greene, I disconnected the port backstay (it is a split backstay, one going port and the other starboard), unbolted the chainplate, thoroughly cleaned the area, spread on copious amounts of caulking, re-bedded the chainplate and then let it sit for a couple of hours for the caulking to set up. The I tested it out with a couple of buckets of water and the leak was still there. Obviously, the chainplate wasn't the culprit. Well, at least I know that it is secure. I sounded the deck in that area with a hammer and found two "soft spots", places on deck where it sound as if the teak was lifting. Before I could do anything about it, I had to reconnect the port backstay which now seemed 2 inches short than it was. Roger and I couldn't get it into the turnbuckle which attaches to the chainplate. I had to round up a couple of guys from the beach to come out to the boat and add their heft pulling on the backstay. It was just what the doctor ordered.
Once that was done, I gouged out the caulking in the seams on both sides of these two "planks," cleaned them out, and put in some of "Capt. Tolly's Creeping Crack Cure" to seal any cracks in the fiber glass beneath. Later this morning, I will re-caulk the seams and hopefully that will do the trick. Then I am going sailing.
MASTER"S PERSONAL LOG:
Great time last night. It was the fireworks show for the ending of SAILFEST in New London. The weather had been very threatening while it was awful seemingly every place else, things were great here and the show went on as planned. There was a good turn out of the club and everyone had a great time. It was just one of those wonderful evening that is all but impossible to put into words, but so great to be a part of.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Time Flys When You're Having Fun . . .& Even When You Are Not!!!
SHIP'S LOG:
The 4th of July was brutally "HOT!" The 5th of July could best be described as "being like an oven!" The 6th of July was "purgatorial" with it's heat and humidity! The 7th of July was "hellish!" All I can say was thank God I was on the boat. But even ABISHAG was not full safety from the heat and humidity. Wednesday night I had to sleep on deck until after mid-night before there was enough of a cool breeze to sleep below. Now that's hot & humid!
Monday was a great day for sailing. Great wind, clear skies and,once out in the Sound, cool temps. I didn't go any place in particular but since it is the going rather than the getting, it was a wonderful sail. I got into an "impromptu" race with several other boat - nothing serious - just one of those things that happen when a couple of sailboats going in the same direction notice each other. The tweaking starts, trying to unobtrusively adjusting sheets and sail shape to get a little more speed out of your boat. If asked, none would admit there was any racing going on but there was. Once the "faster" boat is determined, an acknowledgement is made by all the other boats and break off on other points of sail. I wasn't the fastest boat, not by a long shot, but then, who cares?
Each morning there has been no wind. It became the perfect time to do one project on ABISHAG, which was usually complete as the wind came up about noon. I sanded down some fiberglass repairs, rigged a new system for holding the awnings in place, glued down the loose slats in the cockpit grating, replaced the broken cowling forward, got the stove working and paid my bills (well at least some of them).
On the cockpit bulkhead there were several small holes where various wire and screws had past through to secure and operate long gone equipment. Last year . . .LAST YEAR!!!! I removed the wires and the screws and filled the holes with epoxy. I never got around to sanding it flat and making it "Pretty!" They were all in positions where they had to be sanded by hand in the hot sun!!!!! They are done and now only need to be painted.
I found awnings for the cockpit enclosure. I could figure what they were at first but after a little trial and error, figured out their purpose. They attach to the Bimini (roof) over the cockpit and can either hang straight down and be attached to the cockpit side to keep out rain, snow, sun and the like, or extended out ward to keep off the tropical sun and rain. Rather than going through the hassle of taking them down and putting them up for every use, I left them attached to the Bimini and tried to roll them up in place. They rolled but unrolled. I tried affixing them with Velcro but didn't have enough and the wind unrolled them. Also the Velcro doesn't seem to adhere well to the awning material(it's sort of a vinyl) so I just tied them in place. It works but is not even close to perfect. It will require more thought and imagination.
The slats of the teak cockpit grating keep coming loose. And I keep gluing them down. Some of the slats have just deteriorated into dust and itzy-bitzy pieces of teak. Teak ain't cheap so I visit paint and hardware stores, buy some little thing, take a couple of "free courtesy" paint stick and go back to the boat. I sand off the stores name, cut them to fit the grating and glue them in. After awhile, they weather and look almost like the teak!
Originally, there was a fan in the forward head. To supply fresh air, a 3.5 inch hole was drilled in front of the mast and a deck plate (a plastic collar around the hole) set in place. Into the deck place was set a cowl or dorade, through which the fan sucked fresh air. It must have been a very efficient system and a previous owner put an overhead hatch in the forward head. The fan turned into a pile of rust which I removed but the dorade remain. Or it did until this past Wednesday. During a tack, one of the sheets neatly wrapped itself around the dorade and yanked it out of the deck plate. Both broke and it necessitated repairs. There was no need for the dorade anymore really, so I brought a new deck plate with a cover. It was 4" in diameter so that if, at some future time, I wanted to put in some type of vent, it would be the right size to accept it.
I was scared to death to try the stove. Technically it should work fine but everything you read about propane stoves in boat magazines make you feel they are fraught with danger if used. But the one on ABISHAG look almost new. Surely the oven had never been used. There were new propane tanks (in a special locker outside the boat), a new solenoid to control the flow of gas, a "sniffer to detect leaks and two, count'em two, emergency shut offs. I spent an hour reading and re-reading the manual for the stove and the propane system. I could quote them verbatim if I had to. But with great trepidation I began:
- make sure the burners on the stove are off; - they're OFF;
- test the propane flow system - it checks out OK so I leave it on;
- check to see there is gas in both tanks; - the valves on each tank indicate gas;
- turn on one tank
- open the manual safety valve;
- open the solenoid safety valve from the panel of the propane flow system;
- open the valve on the stove for one of the burners and set it to light;
- hit the ignition switch and NADA! Again, and again NADA!
I undo everything and then do it all over again, step by step and still NADA! I shut everything off, sit down and reread the manuals. Do it all again and again. . . .NADA!!!!!
In desperation, I call Cliff and explain the situation. He listens carefully and then begins, " There must be another such off valve somewhere. Start at the tanks . . . " and then it hits me. On the solenoid which controls the flow of gas from the tanks into the line to the stove, there is a valve which allows for the drawing of gas from one tank or the other. There is also a central position which means that your get now gas flow. I had forgotten to open that valve. Cliff is so knowledgeable about all thing boating, he fixed my problem by phone with a dozen words!
Stupid move of the Day: It's been so hot that I have been swimming to stay cool. To get back on board after swimming, I have to lower the boarding ladder at the stern which means I have to lower the dingy from the davitts into the water as well. It is always a good thing to remember to raise the dinghy back in place when you go sailing, that ways people don't go by you pointing and laughing!!!
MASTER' PERSONAL LOG:
What can I say but "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"
The 4th of July was brutally "HOT!" The 5th of July could best be described as "being like an oven!" The 6th of July was "purgatorial" with it's heat and humidity! The 7th of July was "hellish!" All I can say was thank God I was on the boat. But even ABISHAG was not full safety from the heat and humidity. Wednesday night I had to sleep on deck until after mid-night before there was enough of a cool breeze to sleep below. Now that's hot & humid!
Monday was a great day for sailing. Great wind, clear skies and,once out in the Sound, cool temps. I didn't go any place in particular but since it is the going rather than the getting, it was a wonderful sail. I got into an "impromptu" race with several other boat - nothing serious - just one of those things that happen when a couple of sailboats going in the same direction notice each other. The tweaking starts, trying to unobtrusively adjusting sheets and sail shape to get a little more speed out of your boat. If asked, none would admit there was any racing going on but there was. Once the "faster" boat is determined, an acknowledgement is made by all the other boats and break off on other points of sail. I wasn't the fastest boat, not by a long shot, but then, who cares?
Each morning there has been no wind. It became the perfect time to do one project on ABISHAG, which was usually complete as the wind came up about noon. I sanded down some fiberglass repairs, rigged a new system for holding the awnings in place, glued down the loose slats in the cockpit grating, replaced the broken cowling forward, got the stove working and paid my bills (well at least some of them).
On the cockpit bulkhead there were several small holes where various wire and screws had past through to secure and operate long gone equipment. Last year . . .LAST YEAR!!!! I removed the wires and the screws and filled the holes with epoxy. I never got around to sanding it flat and making it "Pretty!" They were all in positions where they had to be sanded by hand in the hot sun!!!!! They are done and now only need to be painted.
I found awnings for the cockpit enclosure. I could figure what they were at first but after a little trial and error, figured out their purpose. They attach to the Bimini (roof) over the cockpit and can either hang straight down and be attached to the cockpit side to keep out rain, snow, sun and the like, or extended out ward to keep off the tropical sun and rain. Rather than going through the hassle of taking them down and putting them up for every use, I left them attached to the Bimini and tried to roll them up in place. They rolled but unrolled. I tried affixing them with Velcro but didn't have enough and the wind unrolled them. Also the Velcro doesn't seem to adhere well to the awning material(it's sort of a vinyl) so I just tied them in place. It works but is not even close to perfect. It will require more thought and imagination.
The slats of the teak cockpit grating keep coming loose. And I keep gluing them down. Some of the slats have just deteriorated into dust and itzy-bitzy pieces of teak. Teak ain't cheap so I visit paint and hardware stores, buy some little thing, take a couple of "free courtesy" paint stick and go back to the boat. I sand off the stores name, cut them to fit the grating and glue them in. After awhile, they weather and look almost like the teak!
Originally, there was a fan in the forward head. To supply fresh air, a 3.5 inch hole was drilled in front of the mast and a deck plate (a plastic collar around the hole) set in place. Into the deck place was set a cowl or dorade, through which the fan sucked fresh air. It must have been a very efficient system and a previous owner put an overhead hatch in the forward head. The fan turned into a pile of rust which I removed but the dorade remain. Or it did until this past Wednesday. During a tack, one of the sheets neatly wrapped itself around the dorade and yanked it out of the deck plate. Both broke and it necessitated repairs. There was no need for the dorade anymore really, so I brought a new deck plate with a cover. It was 4" in diameter so that if, at some future time, I wanted to put in some type of vent, it would be the right size to accept it.
I was scared to death to try the stove. Technically it should work fine but everything you read about propane stoves in boat magazines make you feel they are fraught with danger if used. But the one on ABISHAG look almost new. Surely the oven had never been used. There were new propane tanks (in a special locker outside the boat), a new solenoid to control the flow of gas, a "sniffer to detect leaks and two, count'em two, emergency shut offs. I spent an hour reading and re-reading the manual for the stove and the propane system. I could quote them verbatim if I had to. But with great trepidation I began:
- make sure the burners on the stove are off; - they're OFF;
- test the propane flow system - it checks out OK so I leave it on;
- check to see there is gas in both tanks; - the valves on each tank indicate gas;
- turn on one tank
- open the manual safety valve;
- open the solenoid safety valve from the panel of the propane flow system;
- open the valve on the stove for one of the burners and set it to light;
- hit the ignition switch and NADA! Again, and again NADA!
I undo everything and then do it all over again, step by step and still NADA! I shut everything off, sit down and reread the manuals. Do it all again and again. . . .NADA!!!!!
In desperation, I call Cliff and explain the situation. He listens carefully and then begins, " There must be another such off valve somewhere. Start at the tanks . . . " and then it hits me. On the solenoid which controls the flow of gas from the tanks into the line to the stove, there is a valve which allows for the drawing of gas from one tank or the other. There is also a central position which means that your get now gas flow. I had forgotten to open that valve. Cliff is so knowledgeable about all thing boating, he fixed my problem by phone with a dozen words!
Stupid move of the Day: It's been so hot that I have been swimming to stay cool. To get back on board after swimming, I have to lower the boarding ladder at the stern which means I have to lower the dingy from the davitts into the water as well. It is always a good thing to remember to raise the dinghy back in place when you go sailing, that ways people don't go by you pointing and laughing!!!
MASTER' PERSONAL LOG:
What can I say but "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"
Sunday, July 4, 2010
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY ! ! ! !
SHIP'S LOG:
A glorious fourth! Hot,humid & lots of wind. A great day for a sail. There was a race at TYC but I have no crew. Then again, I don't race anymore. But I did get out on the course and did most of it and was doing quite well, considering that ABISHAG's sails have all been recut more for cruising than for racing. The wind was out of the west at somewhere between 12 - 15 knots, honking quite nicely.She was moving at about 5.5 knots and topped out at 6.5! Went out toward Vixen Ledge, then to Silver Eel then across to Sarah Ledge and back to the Queen Merry. About 12 miles and a little over 2hours to run. It was a wonderful sail. The stuffing box and the packing gland stay and it appears that that problem is now solved! Thank goodness. Now, what will be the next little problem to show up?
I wet down the port aft deck several times with buckets of water and have narrowed down the leaking the aft cabin to that spot. Now all I have to discover whether the Mizzen chainplate, the thru-deck connection for the SSB, or the deck itself is leaking. Once that is discovered, then all I have to do is plug it. Simple! RIGHT!
Yesterday, I pulled all of the chain out of the chain locker and marked it every 25feet so that I can tell how much chain is played out when I anchor. I used colored wire ties to mark the appropriate links. I am going to have to come up with a way to move the chain farther into the center of the boat. Right now, as it is being retrieved, it tends to "pyramid" under hawser pipe and gets stuck there, keeping the rest of the chain from going into the chain locker. It will be a pain retrieving the anchor by myself if I don't come up with some solution.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
Things are very relaxing right now. I am still learning the idiosyncrasies of ABISHAG, such as turning the wheel very little to get her to tack, rather than really turning the wheel and putting her in irons. Every day will be a sailing day, at least for a couple of hours to try things out, developing routines and strategies. I'll head over to Little Narraganset Bay an practice anchoring this week.
A glorious fourth! Hot,humid & lots of wind. A great day for a sail. There was a race at TYC but I have no crew. Then again, I don't race anymore. But I did get out on the course and did most of it and was doing quite well, considering that ABISHAG's sails have all been recut more for cruising than for racing. The wind was out of the west at somewhere between 12 - 15 knots, honking quite nicely.She was moving at about 5.5 knots and topped out at 6.5! Went out toward Vixen Ledge, then to Silver Eel then across to Sarah Ledge and back to the Queen Merry. About 12 miles and a little over 2hours to run. It was a wonderful sail. The stuffing box and the packing gland stay and it appears that that problem is now solved! Thank goodness. Now, what will be the next little problem to show up?
I wet down the port aft deck several times with buckets of water and have narrowed down the leaking the aft cabin to that spot. Now all I have to discover whether the Mizzen chainplate, the thru-deck connection for the SSB, or the deck itself is leaking. Once that is discovered, then all I have to do is plug it. Simple! RIGHT!
Yesterday, I pulled all of the chain out of the chain locker and marked it every 25feet so that I can tell how much chain is played out when I anchor. I used colored wire ties to mark the appropriate links. I am going to have to come up with a way to move the chain farther into the center of the boat. Right now, as it is being retrieved, it tends to "pyramid" under hawser pipe and gets stuck there, keeping the rest of the chain from going into the chain locker. It will be a pain retrieving the anchor by myself if I don't come up with some solution.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
Things are very relaxing right now. I am still learning the idiosyncrasies of ABISHAG, such as turning the wheel very little to get her to tack, rather than really turning the wheel and putting her in irons. Every day will be a sailing day, at least for a couple of hours to try things out, developing routines and strategies. I'll head over to Little Narraganset Bay an practice anchoring this week.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
SUMMER IS DEFINITELY HERE! ! ! ! !
SHIP'S LOG:
There is a lot to be said for living aboard. For one thing there is almost always a cool breeze and you can funnel it and direct it as you wish . . .as long as there is one. When there isn't, it can be hell! Though salvation can be as simple stepping one step over the rail into the cool briny! Of course, it is difficult when it rains as most hatches open straight up and the rain is coming straight down. The choice is hot or wet. Or take a shower!
The sailing has been great! Aside from almost running down a SEAWOLF sub and incurring the wrath of the Navy by getting too close,the sailing has been as uneventful as it has been enjoyable. I have gotten up to 6.5knots which almost puts the rail in the water. That, according to the manual, is an indicator that it is time to short sail and get her back up on her feet. The furling allows that to be done by one. It is great to go speeding along without a care in the world. Though there can be scares at times. Yesterday, some sea creature, or a piece of nautical flora or fauna, affixed itself to the transducer or the depth sounder and for a few moments it was reading 2 feet or so. With my history, I almost panicked until I realized that I have sailed that a particular stretch of water many times and it is 40ft deep at it shallowest!
Have found more deck leaks, old and new. The packing gland on the stufifng box keeps loosening itself. Haven't quite gotten to the reefer yet, though it should function beautifully. And so to the stove. Have some painting, staining and varnishing to do. As well as cleaning of bilges, making an access hatch for some through hulls, etc,etc, etc!!!!!! Anyone who thinks this is just a vacation is out of their minds!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
It took almost no time to settle into a routine and get accustomed to living aboard. I am doing a lot more reading now which is a good thing but I am going through books in a day. It is very relaxing and peaceful. God and I spend a lot of time talking, well I talk and God listens. The I try to be quiet and get a sense of some answer. Right now the answer seems to be that line from the movie "O God", "TRUST ME, LIKE IT SAYS ON THE MONEY!"
There is a lot to be said for living aboard. For one thing there is almost always a cool breeze and you can funnel it and direct it as you wish . . .as long as there is one. When there isn't, it can be hell! Though salvation can be as simple stepping one step over the rail into the cool briny! Of course, it is difficult when it rains as most hatches open straight up and the rain is coming straight down. The choice is hot or wet. Or take a shower!
The sailing has been great! Aside from almost running down a SEAWOLF sub and incurring the wrath of the Navy by getting too close,the sailing has been as uneventful as it has been enjoyable. I have gotten up to 6.5knots which almost puts the rail in the water. That, according to the manual, is an indicator that it is time to short sail and get her back up on her feet. The furling allows that to be done by one. It is great to go speeding along without a care in the world. Though there can be scares at times. Yesterday, some sea creature, or a piece of nautical flora or fauna, affixed itself to the transducer or the depth sounder and for a few moments it was reading 2 feet or so. With my history, I almost panicked until I realized that I have sailed that a particular stretch of water many times and it is 40ft deep at it shallowest!
Have found more deck leaks, old and new. The packing gland on the stufifng box keeps loosening itself. Haven't quite gotten to the reefer yet, though it should function beautifully. And so to the stove. Have some painting, staining and varnishing to do. As well as cleaning of bilges, making an access hatch for some through hulls, etc,etc, etc!!!!!! Anyone who thinks this is just a vacation is out of their minds!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
It took almost no time to settle into a routine and get accustomed to living aboard. I am doing a lot more reading now which is a good thing but I am going through books in a day. It is very relaxing and peaceful. God and I spend a lot of time talking, well I talk and God listens. The I try to be quiet and get a sense of some answer. Right now the answer seems to be that line from the movie "O God", "TRUST ME, LIKE IT SAYS ON THE MONEY!"
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