SHIP'S LOG:
I have really been rooted here in Fort Pierce and I have had no reason to move. But a reason showed up today - I had to get the holding tank pumped out. It didn't entail all that much and the municipal marina is about a mile away but it was an interesting trip.
First of all, I had to get the boat ready to move. All of those things I have been doing almost every morning for the last three moments I suddenly had to think about and make sure they all got down. Nice to be sure for instance that there is lube oil in the engine and the raw water seacock is open. things like that.
Next I had to haul up the anchor which was really fixed in the sand/clay/mud bottom. Not the easiest pull out of the trip by a long shot but after about 15 minutes, she came up. At least it didn't have the "malodorous fragrance" of that mud up in North Carolina!
Next I had to wend my way out from Faber Creek to the ICW. Sounds a simply thing but the channel and the depth sounder were at odds with one another. Luckily, I still had the track I used to get in here on the GPS and so I simply followed it out, even though the soundings made me nervous.
Next was crossing the ICW Channel into the Municipal Marina. I hailed them and found that the channel on the chart was no longer usable. It was a victim of the winter of 2004 and is shoaled badly. They didn't dredge it because it is now loaded with sea grass the favorite munchie of the Manatee and so is as protected as they are. There is a new channel to the marina but according to the GPS/ Chartplotter, it is only between 2 - 4 foot deep. It creates a rather uncomfortable feeling going down a channel where the cart says there is no channel and not a hell of a lot of water either. I took that one really slow but there was really plenty of water.
Got to the marina and got pumped out - free! Bought 25 gallons of diesel - $90.38! and then went right back to Faber Creek and anchored petty much where I have been for the last few days.
It really was strange moving after all this time. I didn't quite feel comfortable or all that confident and yet I only went about a mile and docked( and un-docked) like an old pro. I also have to say that I feel more comfortable on the boat now than I ever have before. Actually, when I am off too long, I feel antsy to get back. Part of it is nautical paranoia - worrying about the boat and whether it is still there and OK, and part is just that it is home now. Perhaps it is just "The Rapture of the Deep!!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Sunday, A Day Of Rest
SHIP'S LOG:
It is not as though I have been extremely busy recently but Sunday is a day of rest and so, after moving the boat a hundred yards or so to a slightly better spot to anchor, I went to Jerry's and we watched football. following the game, Jerry took me to the Yacht Club where he is a member for a prime rib dinner. It was quite the place, two banquet halls, a dinning room and bar, waiters, bartender, fitness facilities, a real blue blazer, Breton Red Pants place. It is moire social that really boating with over three hundred members and only 90 or so boat owners. It is a beautiful spot and the food was fantastic, but it is not like home. And afterwards, I rowed back to ABISHAG for the night. Like I said a day of rest.
One slightly disturbing thing: last night a couple of guys in a run-about cruised by after dark. They were a couple of hundred yards away, heading toward Thumb Point but made a sharp and unnecessary turn toward the three boats in the anchorage. I was in the cockpit as they approached and was heading out to check the anchor setting. When I switched on the flashlight they veered off and did a slow cruise by the other two boats. They didn't stop but continued on in the direction that were originally headed in. They could have been coimplketely innocent and they probably were, but they also could have been casing the boats for some future criminal activity. Dinghy theft is epidemic in some places in Florida and you are warned not to leave your dinghy in the water at niught and to always lock it up when you go ashore. It wasn't a pleasant experience for what it could have been, but nothing really happened. Paradise isn't always paradise.
It is not as though I have been extremely busy recently but Sunday is a day of rest and so, after moving the boat a hundred yards or so to a slightly better spot to anchor, I went to Jerry's and we watched football. following the game, Jerry took me to the Yacht Club where he is a member for a prime rib dinner. It was quite the place, two banquet halls, a dinning room and bar, waiters, bartender, fitness facilities, a real blue blazer, Breton Red Pants place. It is moire social that really boating with over three hundred members and only 90 or so boat owners. It is a beautiful spot and the food was fantastic, but it is not like home. And afterwards, I rowed back to ABISHAG for the night. Like I said a day of rest.
One slightly disturbing thing: last night a couple of guys in a run-about cruised by after dark. They were a couple of hundred yards away, heading toward Thumb Point but made a sharp and unnecessary turn toward the three boats in the anchorage. I was in the cockpit as they approached and was heading out to check the anchor setting. When I switched on the flashlight they veered off and did a slow cruise by the other two boats. They didn't stop but continued on in the direction that were originally headed in. They could have been coimplketely innocent and they probably were, but they also could have been casing the boats for some future criminal activity. Dinghy theft is epidemic in some places in Florida and you are warned not to leave your dinghy in the water at niught and to always lock it up when you go ashore. It wasn't a pleasant experience for what it could have been, but nothing really happened. Paradise isn't always paradise.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Wind, Wind, Wind
SHIP'S LOG:
When you want wind, it never seems to be around. when you don't want it, you get more than you need or want. Today, it is the latter with winds 15 to 20m gusting to 25 to 30. It made going to get the batteries in Jerry's boat a rather "wet" procedure, as his boat doesn't have a lot of freeboard and wave, stirred up by the wind, kept climbing aboard. And this after I had just dried out from a couple of days before.
The batteries are all in place an working just find. It took a bit for me to figure out how to reboot the battery monitor, but Chuck, who knows seemingly everything, put me on the right path and BINGO, all is right with the world . . .except for the wind.
It is in the 70's and that's fine with me, except for the wind, and it will be so for the next few days . . . .and the wind is supposed to died down tonight.
Tomorrow Jerry and I will overdose on football at his place, no wind there, and hit a dive called "ARCHIE's" which supposedly sells more Bub than any other place around. Reported to have the greatest burgers and fries, and no wind to speak of. It is something like "The Seahorse" in Noank and "Hughie's" in New London used to be. Evidently the lady who owns it has an ongoing war with the City of Ft. Pierce over something, probably zoning or some such nonsense, especially since it is right in the beach, but hopefully it will survive intact and unchanged, at least until tomorrow.
It is great to be electrically back together. Before the new batteries were installed, I literally had to run the engine to run anything electrical that was part of the boat, like the propane system for cooking, or had to hook things up to my portable generator, like my laptop and charges for the phone and the handheld radio. It was a royal pain and noisy as well, and that meant I had to select the proper time to run stuff so as not to"dist rub the neighbors." Well, no more of that, the new batteries stay charged up and topped off by the wind generator and no one new has dropped a hook where I am. That will probably change before too long as it is getting to the time when people start looking for a place to spend the night at anchor. Of course, the wind may discourage most as it is right out of the West and that is the most exposed direction in this anchorage. It is fairly well protected on all sides except the West and when the wind dies down tonight, it will be a comfortable spot as it was last night. The wind is supposed to shift to the North/ North West over night and drop to 5-10 and be from the East tomorrow, again 5 to 10.
I'll be sticking for awhile, probably another week and then head off south, at least to Stuart and/or Port St. Lucie. I wonder what the wind will be like there?
When you want wind, it never seems to be around. when you don't want it, you get more than you need or want. Today, it is the latter with winds 15 to 20m gusting to 25 to 30. It made going to get the batteries in Jerry's boat a rather "wet" procedure, as his boat doesn't have a lot of freeboard and wave, stirred up by the wind, kept climbing aboard. And this after I had just dried out from a couple of days before.
The batteries are all in place an working just find. It took a bit for me to figure out how to reboot the battery monitor, but Chuck, who knows seemingly everything, put me on the right path and BINGO, all is right with the world . . .except for the wind.
It is in the 70's and that's fine with me, except for the wind, and it will be so for the next few days . . . .and the wind is supposed to died down tonight.
Tomorrow Jerry and I will overdose on football at his place, no wind there, and hit a dive called "ARCHIE's" which supposedly sells more Bub than any other place around. Reported to have the greatest burgers and fries, and no wind to speak of. It is something like "The Seahorse" in Noank and "Hughie's" in New London used to be. Evidently the lady who owns it has an ongoing war with the City of Ft. Pierce over something, probably zoning or some such nonsense, especially since it is right in the beach, but hopefully it will survive intact and unchanged, at least until tomorrow.
It is great to be electrically back together. Before the new batteries were installed, I literally had to run the engine to run anything electrical that was part of the boat, like the propane system for cooking, or had to hook things up to my portable generator, like my laptop and charges for the phone and the handheld radio. It was a royal pain and noisy as well, and that meant I had to select the proper time to run stuff so as not to"dist rub the neighbors." Well, no more of that, the new batteries stay charged up and topped off by the wind generator and no one new has dropped a hook where I am. That will probably change before too long as it is getting to the time when people start looking for a place to spend the night at anchor. Of course, the wind may discourage most as it is right out of the West and that is the most exposed direction in this anchorage. It is fairly well protected on all sides except the West and when the wind dies down tonight, it will be a comfortable spot as it was last night. The wind is supposed to shift to the North/ North West over night and drop to 5-10 and be from the East tomorrow, again 5 to 10.
I'll be sticking for awhile, probably another week and then head off south, at least to Stuart and/or Port St. Lucie. I wonder what the wind will be like there?
Friday, January 7, 2011
Is It Supposed To Be This Cold In Florida?
SHIP'S LOG:
Actually, it wasn't that cold, I just wanted to be in solidarity with those of you who really are freezing. But after several days of weather in the 70's, having the night time low in the 40's and the high today in the mid 60's, well . . .it does seem rather cold.
ABISHAG held tight last night in the midst of some rather nasty gusts. I did get up a couple of times just to make sure that we hadn't moved and we hadn't. As I am sure that I have mentioned before, the sounds and motions on your boat at night seem different and more ominous than they do in the daytime.
Two boats left this morning and three came in a Valiant 42, a Caliber 44+ and an Admiral 40 Catamaran. It was interesting to watch each of them 1.) find the pocket; 2.) scope out what they thought was the best spot; 3.) maneuver into position; & 4.) set their anchor. In a nice steady 15 with gusts to 25, no one did it on the first go round. The Valiant crew took the longest, actually setting and retrieving 4 times until they got it exactly right. I think the guy(girl?) on the bow handling the anchor was not happy with the person on the helm. In that they were using a chain rode, they also had to attach the snubber to the chain and slack it each time, and then retrieve the whole ball of wax for each reset.
The woman on the bow of the Caliber handled it better and they only reset twice. And the guy at the helm, once the anchor went down, came forward to help out. They really did it nicely but reset a second time because they didn't like the way the Nauticat 44, which has been here before I got here, was swinging.
The Admiral 40 did the circular drive by a half a dozen times, stopping here, stopping there, checking depth and wind and spacing, before dropping their hook. They have an advantage because they have less draft than anyone else so they can go a little bit further into the thin water, but in the wind they really swing and never the same way as monohullls which is which cats tend to anchor next to cats. As there are none here, they anchored a little farther away from the rest of us . . . . . just off my bow.
I was having breakfast at sunrise in the cockpit at 7am when I heard this incredible roar in the distance. It sounded like a whole bunch of motorcycle but then I recalled that the fishing tourney is on and that it was the 30 or so Sportfishers headed out after sailfish. They are staying at the Ft. Pierce Yacht Club on the Ft. Pierce Inlet and have to maintain a slow speed as they depart. Once clear of the Inlet they put the hammer down and boy to they make some noise.
Still didn't get the batteries, so ABISHAG is still not whole. I am sure that it will be tomorrow. Doing such things as shopping while living on a boat can be an exercise in planning and logistics and luck, not just for you but for everyone involved. Such things are often better done in a marina that offers free courtesy car use. Then again, who can afford to stay at a marina. In the last month, weather and circumstances have made that possibility something of a future choice, way in the future. The only reason I will visit a marina any time soon is to fuel up and unload - garbage, recyclables and pump out the infamous "black water" from the holding tank . . . . or unless something else goes BOOM!
Actually, it wasn't that cold, I just wanted to be in solidarity with those of you who really are freezing. But after several days of weather in the 70's, having the night time low in the 40's and the high today in the mid 60's, well . . .it does seem rather cold.
ABISHAG held tight last night in the midst of some rather nasty gusts. I did get up a couple of times just to make sure that we hadn't moved and we hadn't. As I am sure that I have mentioned before, the sounds and motions on your boat at night seem different and more ominous than they do in the daytime.
Two boats left this morning and three came in a Valiant 42, a Caliber 44+ and an Admiral 40 Catamaran. It was interesting to watch each of them 1.) find the pocket; 2.) scope out what they thought was the best spot; 3.) maneuver into position; & 4.) set their anchor. In a nice steady 15 with gusts to 25, no one did it on the first go round. The Valiant crew took the longest, actually setting and retrieving 4 times until they got it exactly right. I think the guy(girl?) on the bow handling the anchor was not happy with the person on the helm. In that they were using a chain rode, they also had to attach the snubber to the chain and slack it each time, and then retrieve the whole ball of wax for each reset.
The woman on the bow of the Caliber handled it better and they only reset twice. And the guy at the helm, once the anchor went down, came forward to help out. They really did it nicely but reset a second time because they didn't like the way the Nauticat 44, which has been here before I got here, was swinging.
The Admiral 40 did the circular drive by a half a dozen times, stopping here, stopping there, checking depth and wind and spacing, before dropping their hook. They have an advantage because they have less draft than anyone else so they can go a little bit further into the thin water, but in the wind they really swing and never the same way as monohullls which is which cats tend to anchor next to cats. As there are none here, they anchored a little farther away from the rest of us . . . . . just off my bow.
I was having breakfast at sunrise in the cockpit at 7am when I heard this incredible roar in the distance. It sounded like a whole bunch of motorcycle but then I recalled that the fishing tourney is on and that it was the 30 or so Sportfishers headed out after sailfish. They are staying at the Ft. Pierce Yacht Club on the Ft. Pierce Inlet and have to maintain a slow speed as they depart. Once clear of the Inlet they put the hammer down and boy to they make some noise.
Still didn't get the batteries, so ABISHAG is still not whole. I am sure that it will be tomorrow. Doing such things as shopping while living on a boat can be an exercise in planning and logistics and luck, not just for you but for everyone involved. Such things are often better done in a marina that offers free courtesy car use. Then again, who can afford to stay at a marina. In the last month, weather and circumstances have made that possibility something of a future choice, way in the future. The only reason I will visit a marina any time soon is to fuel up and unload - garbage, recyclables and pump out the infamous "black water" from the holding tank . . . . or unless something else goes BOOM!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Let's Sing Along, "What A Drag It Is . . . . ."
SHIP'S LOG:
I got up this morning around 6:30, made morning coffee, and sat up in the cockpit listening to NOAA and watching the dawn. Unfortunately, just after dawn, all hell broke loose. Some cold front that had been forecast, by you know who, came through like I am not quite sure what, but it wasn't weak. The rain fell(almost an inch in an hour) and the winds blew and I mean seriously blowing. Later weather reports pegged the gust between 55 - 60 mph. It was "blowing stink" as they say up in God's country.
I threw one a rain jacket and turned on the engine because it was clear that ABISHAG was dragging. She hadn't broken loose but it was clear that she was moving a little with every gust. I checked the anchor rode and it was taut and the anchor weight rode was taut as well. There was no way I could reset them right then. I let out some more rode but it really didn't correct the situation. I was still moving toward BRIGADOON.
I put the engine in gear and moved to take the strain off the anchor rode. That stopped the backward drag but it really didn't alleviate the situation. I also had no way to know how long this particular "non-forecasted" storm would last, a few minutes or a few hours or all day. By now I was soaking wet on top of all the rest, the blown rain and spray having found every point of access in the rain gear. In between the gusts, I worked the anchor out. I first brought in the anchor weight and then in small steps the anchor itself and motored around the other boats in the anchorage, trying to find a good spot. As I passed by one boat, the owner commented "Looks like you had a bad time of it there, but you did good getting out."
After a few circuits of the anchorage, which was a small pocket of deep water surrounded by shallows, I headed back to where I had been, knowing that if I could get the anchor to bite, I would have swing room in the wind. I made the mistake of dropping the anchor where I wanted the boat to be rather than dropping it where, after the rode played out and the boat settled in place, it would be where I wanted it to be. The anchor bit and held but playing out the scope left me too close to BRIGADOON and another boat in too much wind. ABISHAG "sails" a lot at anchor, even with the anchor weight, and in all this wind , she was really dancing.
After about 45 minutes, I knew I would have to haul the anchor move and reset. The rain had stopped at this point and I couldn't get any wetter, so I hauled up and move and dropped the anchor. Got a good bite and played out the scope and ABISHAG settled in place just about where I had wanted her to be. It was then a question of taking bearings and making sure that she was staying in place. I did and she was and once that was confirmed, the wind gust stopped and the the wind settled to a reasonable 20-25 and gust to 30. By evening, it was down to 5-10. Whatever this front was, it produced one of the greatest sunsets I have ever seen. I tried to get pictures and if they come out I will upload them.
The weather tomorrow is supposed to be breezy but after this morning, it will have to really be breezy to be of much concern. Jerry was unable to kick free and the batteries will have to wait until tomorrow. I got to meet t5he owner of BRIGADOON, a Fryda(?) 41, who lives in an apartment ashore while he readies his boat to got to Panama. His name is Brad Smith and he has a Pyrenees Dog named "POO" who is as big as a horse and is still a puppy. He lives a shore and comes out to the boat to work.
Despite the "exciting adventure" of this morning, I think I would rather be on the hook in a storm than at a dock. My caprails are scared and stripped of finish from the days spent on docks before and during this trip. Having the boat bang against the dock and fight the docklines holding her in place can't be a good thing. On the hook, sure you may drag but at least the boat gets to react naturally to the weather and so is under less strain. Hey, it's just my opinion.
Tomorrow, I will help Brad install an ARIES Wind Vane he bought and I will pick up my batteries so that ABISHAG will be well again. Supposed to be back in the mid 70's again and no rain.
I got up this morning around 6:30, made morning coffee, and sat up in the cockpit listening to NOAA and watching the dawn. Unfortunately, just after dawn, all hell broke loose. Some cold front that had been forecast, by you know who, came through like I am not quite sure what, but it wasn't weak. The rain fell(almost an inch in an hour) and the winds blew and I mean seriously blowing. Later weather reports pegged the gust between 55 - 60 mph. It was "blowing stink" as they say up in God's country.
I threw one a rain jacket and turned on the engine because it was clear that ABISHAG was dragging. She hadn't broken loose but it was clear that she was moving a little with every gust. I checked the anchor rode and it was taut and the anchor weight rode was taut as well. There was no way I could reset them right then. I let out some more rode but it really didn't correct the situation. I was still moving toward BRIGADOON.
I put the engine in gear and moved to take the strain off the anchor rode. That stopped the backward drag but it really didn't alleviate the situation. I also had no way to know how long this particular "non-forecasted" storm would last, a few minutes or a few hours or all day. By now I was soaking wet on top of all the rest, the blown rain and spray having found every point of access in the rain gear. In between the gusts, I worked the anchor out. I first brought in the anchor weight and then in small steps the anchor itself and motored around the other boats in the anchorage, trying to find a good spot. As I passed by one boat, the owner commented "Looks like you had a bad time of it there, but you did good getting out."
After a few circuits of the anchorage, which was a small pocket of deep water surrounded by shallows, I headed back to where I had been, knowing that if I could get the anchor to bite, I would have swing room in the wind. I made the mistake of dropping the anchor where I wanted the boat to be rather than dropping it where, after the rode played out and the boat settled in place, it would be where I wanted it to be. The anchor bit and held but playing out the scope left me too close to BRIGADOON and another boat in too much wind. ABISHAG "sails" a lot at anchor, even with the anchor weight, and in all this wind , she was really dancing.
After about 45 minutes, I knew I would have to haul the anchor move and reset. The rain had stopped at this point and I couldn't get any wetter, so I hauled up and move and dropped the anchor. Got a good bite and played out the scope and ABISHAG settled in place just about where I had wanted her to be. It was then a question of taking bearings and making sure that she was staying in place. I did and she was and once that was confirmed, the wind gust stopped and the the wind settled to a reasonable 20-25 and gust to 30. By evening, it was down to 5-10. Whatever this front was, it produced one of the greatest sunsets I have ever seen. I tried to get pictures and if they come out I will upload them.
The weather tomorrow is supposed to be breezy but after this morning, it will have to really be breezy to be of much concern. Jerry was unable to kick free and the batteries will have to wait until tomorrow. I got to meet t5he owner of BRIGADOON, a Fryda(?) 41, who lives in an apartment ashore while he readies his boat to got to Panama. His name is Brad Smith and he has a Pyrenees Dog named "POO" who is as big as a horse and is still a puppy. He lives a shore and comes out to the boat to work.
Despite the "exciting adventure" of this morning, I think I would rather be on the hook in a storm than at a dock. My caprails are scared and stripped of finish from the days spent on docks before and during this trip. Having the boat bang against the dock and fight the docklines holding her in place can't be a good thing. On the hook, sure you may drag but at least the boat gets to react naturally to the weather and so is under less strain. Hey, it's just my opinion.
Tomorrow, I will help Brad install an ARIES Wind Vane he bought and I will pick up my batteries so that ABISHAG will be well again. Supposed to be back in the mid 70's again and no rain.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Just Another Day . . . . .
SHIP'S LOG:
Got up before dawn this morning, but then I do most days. I had coffee, listened to the weather and watched the sun come up. A great way to start the day.
I spent an hour watching the pelicans and terns(?) feeding around the boat. They slim along the surface, raise up to 10 or 15feet and then dive into the water. I don't know how often then connect with their meal target but on occasion you can see one of the smaller birds(terns?) with a fish in its beak, flying away pursued by several others squawking. The little birds are delicate in their fishing, often making a catch without hitting the water but the pelicans literally crash in head first and make a heck of a racket. Every now and then, one will do so right next to the boat. You sort of catch it out of the corner of your eye and then there is a big splash. When they come up empty, I seem to get a look from them that it is somehow all my fault they missed.
Today I had to re-rig the dinghy davit lines. They were wearing at one end and so I had to reverse them. This meant a little marlinespike seamanship activity, creating a a loop in one end and undoing it at the other. It was a nice exercise, done in sunny mid-70's and high humidity. It was almost like summer back home, August-like. Truth be told, it was almost too much. Yesterday, I got a "summer headache" from not drinking enough water and the humidity and temp today forced me to guzzle water to keep from getting a second. I have to get back into the summer mode of thinking. I also had to lash up the port half of the rear edge of the Bimini. Usually, the back edge is held in place with a zipper closure, but they have split and the zippers won't hold. Bob & Fred lashed the starboard side way back in Cape May and I finally got around to the port side in Ft. Pierce. I may be slow but it gets done . . . . eventually.
All the ports on ABISHAG are open, keeping her will aired out and comfortable down below. There has been little wind to speak of but that is supposed to change tonight. There will be "a cold front passing through" which will bring the possibility of rain and thunderstorms(mostly north of Ft. Pierce) and some more wind(15-20) out of the southwest. Unfortunately, the road-stead where I am is open to the south west which means short,choppy waves and rocking and rolling.
Jerry & I will be picking up the batteries tomorrow afternoon and ABISHAG should be all better soon after that. Having spent over 90 days aboard on this trip, I have worked out a way to do things, when and how. It is uncomfortable to have to change things around and do this differently like this. I am, as they say, out of my comfort zone. But as with the same situation ashore, there ain't much you can do but learn to enjoy it.
Got up before dawn this morning, but then I do most days. I had coffee, listened to the weather and watched the sun come up. A great way to start the day.
I spent an hour watching the pelicans and terns(?) feeding around the boat. They slim along the surface, raise up to 10 or 15feet and then dive into the water. I don't know how often then connect with their meal target but on occasion you can see one of the smaller birds(terns?) with a fish in its beak, flying away pursued by several others squawking. The little birds are delicate in their fishing, often making a catch without hitting the water but the pelicans literally crash in head first and make a heck of a racket. Every now and then, one will do so right next to the boat. You sort of catch it out of the corner of your eye and then there is a big splash. When they come up empty, I seem to get a look from them that it is somehow all my fault they missed.
Today I had to re-rig the dinghy davit lines. They were wearing at one end and so I had to reverse them. This meant a little marlinespike seamanship activity, creating a a loop in one end and undoing it at the other. It was a nice exercise, done in sunny mid-70's and high humidity. It was almost like summer back home, August-like. Truth be told, it was almost too much. Yesterday, I got a "summer headache" from not drinking enough water and the humidity and temp today forced me to guzzle water to keep from getting a second. I have to get back into the summer mode of thinking. I also had to lash up the port half of the rear edge of the Bimini. Usually, the back edge is held in place with a zipper closure, but they have split and the zippers won't hold. Bob & Fred lashed the starboard side way back in Cape May and I finally got around to the port side in Ft. Pierce. I may be slow but it gets done . . . . eventually.
All the ports on ABISHAG are open, keeping her will aired out and comfortable down below. There has been little wind to speak of but that is supposed to change tonight. There will be "a cold front passing through" which will bring the possibility of rain and thunderstorms(mostly north of Ft. Pierce) and some more wind(15-20) out of the southwest. Unfortunately, the road-stead where I am is open to the south west which means short,choppy waves and rocking and rolling.
Jerry & I will be picking up the batteries tomorrow afternoon and ABISHAG should be all better soon after that. Having spent over 90 days aboard on this trip, I have worked out a way to do things, when and how. It is uncomfortable to have to change things around and do this differently like this. I am, as they say, out of my comfort zone. But as with the same situation ashore, there ain't much you can do but learn to enjoy it.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Death Onboard!
SHIP'S LOG:
It is with a heavy heart that I must announce the "death" aboard ABISHAG of House Battery #1 and even more tragically, House Battery #2, unable or unwilling to go it alone, has decided to join its compatriot Deep-Cycle heaven. Truth be told, neither has been all that well recently, though House Battery #1 has had the worse time of it. With all the charging that has been done while the engine was running, it gassed off lots of electrolytes and had to have them replaced with increasing regularity only to finally succumb this morning at about 10am. In that House Batteries were link in parallel as the House Battery Bank, #1 drew down #2 to the point that it just couldn't stand on its own. The funeral will be Thursday when they will be returned to the West Marine Store (Ft. Pierce) and replaced with younger, healthier Batteries.
I was hoping that they would have lasted a little bit longer, say until I got back to Connecticut but it just wasn't in the cards. Such is life I guess and it could have been worse. I could have been at sea. I could have been in Georgia. At least I am in a place where the transfer and replacement can be done with a minimum of fuss and bother. Still, it is a royal pain in the butt and a financial kick in the head. Thank goodness the isolated Started Battery did not join the other two in their betrayal.
Other than that little bit of nonsense, it has been a pleasant day, a little over cast but hot and humid nonetheless. I have a few more projects to take care of and do a little more reading, but on the whole it is still a pleasant day. The prospects for tomorrow appear to be more of the same. Ah, the travails of winter in Florida!
It is with a heavy heart that I must announce the "death" aboard ABISHAG of House Battery #1 and even more tragically, House Battery #2, unable or unwilling to go it alone, has decided to join its compatriot Deep-Cycle heaven. Truth be told, neither has been all that well recently, though House Battery #1 has had the worse time of it. With all the charging that has been done while the engine was running, it gassed off lots of electrolytes and had to have them replaced with increasing regularity only to finally succumb this morning at about 10am. In that House Batteries were link in parallel as the House Battery Bank, #1 drew down #2 to the point that it just couldn't stand on its own. The funeral will be Thursday when they will be returned to the West Marine Store (Ft. Pierce) and replaced with younger, healthier Batteries.
I was hoping that they would have lasted a little bit longer, say until I got back to Connecticut but it just wasn't in the cards. Such is life I guess and it could have been worse. I could have been at sea. I could have been in Georgia. At least I am in a place where the transfer and replacement can be done with a minimum of fuss and bother. Still, it is a royal pain in the butt and a financial kick in the head. Thank goodness the isolated Started Battery did not join the other two in their betrayal.
Other than that little bit of nonsense, it has been a pleasant day, a little over cast but hot and humid nonetheless. I have a few more projects to take care of and do a little more reading, but on the whole it is still a pleasant day. The prospects for tomorrow appear to be more of the same. Ah, the travails of winter in Florida!
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