Quickie again

I just installed the Blogger App on my Android. It seems to work OK and I am using it write this as a trial. Reviews of the app are mixed and it works or not.

One thing I do not like is that if you save a draft in Blogger and publish it some days later, the publish date prevails not the chronological date of the writing.

I tried to add a picture but app crashed so I am adding again now.

Week 1 2016 update

Week 1 has been characterized by wet, windy and cool and week 2 has been downright cold. The temperatures for Sunday week two were in the 30's at night and 50's daytime, Monday was even colder and today, Tuesday the 12th, dawned with a temperature of 31°F.  When I went up to the car at 0830 there was about 1/8" of ice on the windshield - ice not frost. The reverse cycle air handlers are working great and keep us warm and toasty at night in thee temperatures we have been experiencing.

I went down to the clubhouse to fix my oatmeal and coffee.  A few guys came in so we yaked for a while and then I took a shower.  SAM joined me some time later with Abby and we went back to the boat about 1100.  I had an appointment at First Assembly at 1500 hrs to start the characterization of the network and internet ( nothing is documented so it is up to the team to figure it out).  I also made a quick trip to Home Depot to get some white and black liquid tape and some self-sealing electrical tape that I will need very soon to do some of the jobs mentioned in the Punchlis for this year - and I have already found a few minor items TBD over the next few days.

After the meeting I went over to Monkey Fist to find a terminal strip to use for the helm electronics enclosure +12VDC and ground buss.  He had one for a decent price that was new so I bought it so I can get started tomorrow.

Now it is getting close to bed time as I finish writing this blogline.  All-in-all it has been a good day that started cold but became a sunny, lo 60's day with near calm winds.  Cheers & Night.

Punchlist 2016 & Companionway Repair

The Punchlist for 2016 has a few holdovers from 2015 and several new items.  This may be a long process since we seem to be moving slower and our budget is being reached sooner than expected. Any here is the list to this date but I am sure more will be added:

• Re-bed companionway cover and re-seal the hold down screws. DONE
• Straighten dingy davit arm. DONE
• replace LPG tank with new. DONE
• replace seatalk line from helm to controller
• install terminal strip power buss in helm instrument enclosure to clean up wiring.
• install new RG-213/U coax from masthead to nav station and install new whip antenna.
• replace existing windex with new 15" at masthead
• replace Steaming Light with new LED type
• replace Stern Light with new LED type.

The companionway repair was one of the first big items to be completed in 2016.  The job was much more simple than envisioned and took about 3 hours.  We used 3M5200, in spite of all the horror stories we hear on almost every website, blog and infonet, and will probably hate ourselves when we have to repair it again in a few years.  Hopefully this blog will serve to keep us from forgetting.  The pictures snapped are below. During the re-bedding process we found a hole that had been drilled by someone and hole  that could have caused a leak if water remained in the grooves beside the companionway sliders.

 This is a picture of the companionway hatch cover.  I would estimate it took 15-20 minutes to remove. Then another 45-60 minutes to clean up all the groves and nooks and crannies.
  
It was very windy the day this was done and it is a mistake because when we applied the sealant the chucks of debris became embedded into the product.  This was hard to clean up after the sealant solidified about 3 days later. To clean it up we used lacquer thinner many days later. Trying to clean up while the sealant is soft would be a disaster and this is to be avoided at ll costs.

Applying the sealant was straight forward and a thin coat applied to the hood and the thicker part to the groves.

Be sure to put some product on the screws and into the screw holes.

Punchlist 2015 & GCS area

We are back on the boat in Green Cove Springs and have been here about a month so far.  December saw record heat and very nice temperatures with little rain.  Our arrival was characterized by lots of energy and this has been slowly slowed down as we get in the groove.  Our big plans have been scaled back and new items for the punchlist have appeared so we have thrown the script to the wind and sill just go with the flow of work to be done and enjoy the weather we have. The people staying our house while we are gone have said the weather is pretty brutal up North.  So, with the old 2015 punchlist of items below that are completed we will generate a new punchlist for Winter 2016.

The 2015 punchlist of items has been whittled down and are generally listed below:

• rebuild the fwd/aft head single handle sink faucets with Delta parts.  DONE
• rebuild the fwd head single handle shower faucet.  DONE
• install new aft shower single handle faucet and adjust water temperature valve to 105 deg F.  DONE
• replace all aft head lines with new white no smell ones and clean holding tank. DONE
• replace fwd/aft head overboard through hulls with new brass ball valves. DONE
• install new lines on fwd/aft head overboard lines.  DONE
• Install new lens in aft cabin large hatch ( both are done now aft).
• Inspect and replace spreader bolts in mast

The 2016 Punclist will be the topic of another blog post since I want to eat dinner and do some other important stuff.  BFN.  Pictures will come later.

SEA FEVER by John Masefield

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,

And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;

And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking,

And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking.

 

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide

Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;

And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,

And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

 

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,

To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife;

And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,

And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over.

Share this text ...?

•  Twitter
•  Pinterest

Active Captain and eBoatcards

I have been putz'g around with the dingy motor all summer.  I runs pretty good right now and starts about the second pull when cold and first pull when warm.  The motor is a four stroke 2.5HP Mercury.  After I replaced the carburetor that was totally rotted out inside the machine has run well. It vibrates too much but I will take that since no lon trips are anticipated.  Just back and forth from boat to shore and back. 

I have been playing this evening with http://www.eboatcards.com/ and after some weeks after setup I actually have a friend - one single friend.  I cannot seem to find any of the people I know via the search.  I know at least a few are Active Captain members and it is obligatory to have an eboacard account.  If you read this and want to friend me that would be great and interesting.  AC is a real blessing to Cruisers who want to stay in touch in a nautical way.  All my last seasons boat cards have disappeared.  This is too bad since a couple of guys are people I want to keep track of and eboatcards is an easy way to do it - no more lost cards.  Last winter we met 4 couples fro South Africa, several from Canada and many from the USA.  These are people we will probably see again when we get back to the boat in a couple of months. 

I have been considering an non-name brand dingy from Amazon with decent reviews but not real great ones.  It is called Bestway Hydro-Force Caspian 7-Feet 6-Inch RIB Inflatable Boat.  Pretty cheap for about $450.  If it holds air and lasts 4 or 5 years then I can throw it away and get another.  Forget Hypalon and the extreme prices.  Since it will be out of the sun 6 months a year that should help the life.  What do you think?  Comments?

GCS: Big Wind

Lew  PM'd me to say a big wind came through GCS last night and there was sailboat damage down at the pier.  His boat and some others sails and sun shields were destroyed. I think Inspiration II, on the hard, did not have observable damage.  I would hate to make a trip down to fix any damage. Counting down the weeks until we go back down.  About 12 to go.