Thursday - July 29

It is still dreadfully hot and humid in Atlanta. I went out to the boat to fix the chair that Beth broke on Sunday night and figure out the AIS mounting and wiring. I think I can mount it above the starboard aft cabin light with it facing out next to the SSB. I will finish it over the weekend but it looks like a plan. There was still a little water in the port hull but much less than before. I have figured out where it isn't coming from but have not quite nailed down where it is coming from. I have a feeling it is AC related.

Currently the plan is to head out to the dock tomorrow with the intention of spending the weekend on the boat. We will see how that works out.

J

Sunday July 25 - Full Moon

Sunday was another really hot day. Heat index around 104. I cleaned the interior of the boat and put away and organized all the tools. Beth joined me on the boat about 5pm with the fixings for hamburgers. Sunset Cove was having the Full Moon Extravaganza so we headed over there on the boat to cook out and watch the fireworks.
It wasn't too crowded and the fireworks were very good. The boat performed exactly as it was supposed to. I doubt I will make it out to the boat much this week as it is supposed to be another overbearingly hot week so will concentrate on getting the house ready.

J

Saturday July 24

Another hot day in Atlanta with no breeze. This heat makes it very hard to get much accomplished. I started early and managed to get the deck washed so the boat looks good and I worked on the mystery leak that has appeared in the port hull. I checked all the connections and cleaned the AC intake filter as well as put Vaseline on the O-rings. I used the shopvac to get all the water out and when I left, it didn't appear that more was leaking in anywhere but that is 1st on my list of things to check this morning. Beth is starting to feel better and maybe she will join me on the boat today. Its supposed to be another hot day so any work that gets done will be inside.

Saturday 7/17

Beth is still not feeling well. She made the trip to the Chiropractor this morning and will be seeing them again on Monday. Not sure what the issue is but she is in alot of pain.

Spent most of the day at home working on a theater. I went out to the boat about 10pm to work on the mast lights and found a crossed wire. Now the masthead and running lights work but the deck light doesn't. I believe its a burned out bulb. If its calm today, I may climb the mast to check it out. I am really down to the little things on the list now.

J

Friday 7/16

Went out to the boat to just check on things and sat through a bad thunderstorm. I checked for leaks and figured out the mast light issue. Apparently there are 3 hot circuits and 1 ground. I will get all the lights working the next time its dark. I did install a new red led light for the breaker panel so we can see them at night.
The new AIS arrived and I will start installing tomorrow. I know it needs a new antenna which will not be put on until its on the hard. So once Second Chance splashes in Savannah, you can check this website to locate us. http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/
Second Chance's MMSI # is 367440330

J

Thursday - July 15

Not much of a boat day as Beth got sick last night and we visited the Northside Hospital. They suspected a kidney infection but after examination they decided it was a muscular pain. They loaded her up on muscle relaxers and pain killers which did nothing until they topped it off with Dilaudid. That took the edge off and they released her. We got home about 2 am and Beth slept until about 1 pm.

I ran errands and finished the master berth tv installation and then came back to fix dinner for Beth. She is feeling better but not great. I will give her some more drugs shortly and she will be out for the night.

J

June 12 -Monday

Monday was a rainy day and we needed the rain. No boat work today but we rode out after dinner to check the windows to make sure we didn't have any unexpected leaks. The windows showed no leaks which was very good.

Now the major attention will turn to getting the house ready to sell.

J

Weekend - July 10~11

Saturday was forecast to be cooler and overcast so I decided it was the day to get one of the last major jobs done, one I have been dreading and putting off for months. The job, cleaning the main windows and putting in new screws. I started early and it was cooler and overcast. The job was going well and the windows were coming up great. Then the clouds parted, the sun came out and it turned into another hot day. The job had been started and I was determined to finish. I called Beth and asked her to bring lunch after stopping by Ace Hardware to get me some additional screws for the windows. While I was waiting for her, I helped Lyle fix the head on his boat and helped Lucky with his bilge pump. Beth arrived and we finished the window job. After which, we took the boat out for a spin and the day turned out great, especially knowing that the window job was done. The list is getting shorter.

Sunday was a lazier day. I installed the 150' of High Tensile chain for the anchor, followed by 200' of nylon. The windlass worked perfectly and that another item off the list. I also managed to get the new piranha prop installed as well as cleaning up the basement. It was another 90+ degree day so Beth stayed home organizing things to move to Ellijay and declutter the house in case anyone wants to come see it. I took the boat out and the new prop gave me a 4000 top rpm and still 7 knots. Cruising speed of 6 knots at 3200 RPM and considering how dirty the bottom is, that pretty good. I believe that 3000 RPM will give me 6 knots in smooth seas with a clean bottom.


J

July 8, 2010

Today had to be the hottest day so far this year. While the news and weather reports are saying 98, I am pretty sure it passed 100. Its really hard to do anything when its this hot. We have both been avoiding the boat this week with the high temps but today Beth ventured out early to get things cleaned up and hopefully some of her list items taken care of. She has been busy making the boat into a home with nice touches and I like what she has done so far. My only rule is that things are functional. She has also been reading a lot lately about cruising, dogs on a boat, and other helpful topics. She is really starting to get excited about our trip.

While today was really hot, I finished the anti-siphon device for the head. This hasn't been an issue on the lake but in my reading, it was a necessity for being in the ocean. One more thing I got to cross off my list. It was a short work day as I took lunch to Beth on the boat and had other things I had to attend to.

The working definition of an "adventure" is a journey or an undertaking with an uncertain ending.

I came across this today and thought of the past adventures Beth and I have been on. The trip, which will be an adventure, will be our biggest and most exciting.

July 6, 2010

The 5th on the boat was a good day. Got the water system hooked up to the 12v system and it is operating perfectly. Beth straightened up and cleaned so the dogs could start coming out with us.
They need to get acclimated to the boat as much as we do. I got the anti siphon valve installed in the head but didn't put all the panels back yet as I want to give it a few days to make sure there are no leaks but initial tests showed everything working well.

It was kind of a lazy day and the heat is back upon us. The weather forecast calls for the next 5 days to be over 90 degrees. I might not make it out at all today as it is time to cut the grass and get things tidied up around the house so it might sell.

J&B

July 5, 2010

Wow, The 4th on the boat was a great day. I managed to get the new water filter/sterilizer installed but not hooked up to the 12v system. The good thing is the install fit perfectly and no leaks. Managed to get the boat cleaned up and Beth came out and joined me in the afternoon.
We partied with our dock mates and Lucky took us over to Sunset Cove to Party on John & Barb's boat. We left about 6:30 to come back to the dock to share a great feast. About 8 we all piled into Rainey's boat Hellacious which in a floating motor. It is painted with flames and screams across the lake. We went back to John & Barb's boat to watch the fireworks and we had the greatest front row seats. Lake Lanier really put on a great show. I got to drive Hellacious back at about 11 pm and while the lake was dark, it was a great ride at about 40 mph.

Today should be a pretty lazy day with no major projects, just tidying up a few loose ends and putting all the tools back where they go.

Each day we get closer to being ready to go.

J

July 4, 2010

Happy 4th of July !!

Yesterday was a pretty good day. Managed to finish the Radar wiring and the new electrical connections in the mast. Something else crossed off the list. I started on the installation of the water purification but some dock mates needed a sober driver for a boat ride.
We left the dock about 3:30 and went to Sunset Cove on Jerry's houseboat. Great trip and people.
We hit a huge wake and took out a railing on the front of the boat but still a great trip.

Today is going to be a clean up and relax day. Beth has been sick all weekend so I will let her sleep most of the day.

J

July 3, 2010

Worked in the office most of the day today so didn't get much done on the boat.
I made it out about 4 pm and managed to get the older Garmin GPS working again.
the ground on the battery backup was loose so it couldn't retain any data. Fixed the
ground and put a new battery in. That should last a few years.

Finally, the Bimini project is done. The horn has been reinstalled and works.

Today I hope to finalize a few other list items which brings it closer to being ready
to go to Savannah.

J&B

July 1, 2010

Today was forecast to be overcast all day. Sounded like a perfect day to finish the bimini. I got to the boat about 8 am and got all the windows sealed and the hardware reattached. I could finally take off that ugly gray tarp that has been on the boat since I had the bright idea to get the headliner redone and replace the windows about 3 months ago. I still have to reattach the horn but other than that, that project is done.

The new water purifier arrived yesterday. I looked over the installation instructions and decided where it would mount to be most effective plus being out of the way but able to get to so the filter can be changed. This is a great unit with micron filtering and UV sterilization. It was made by the SafH2O company and I got one of the first 12V units. They can be found here. http://www.safh2ouv.com/

I planned on taking pictures of the new bimini and bulkhead reinforcements but the camera battery had different ideas. I have a new battery on my list and will post those pictures soon.



John