Feb 24 ~ 27 - Working on the boat

After our trip to Cancun, MX, we were energized to get things going so we could go back on Second Chance. Beth wanted to get the lifeline netting up and I had a few projects I needed to work on.
We got to Savannah around mid-day and got right into it.
I worked on installing the new pantry shelf which fit perfectly and matched the interior to seem if it had always been there, and belonged there. This takes advantage of previously unused space and gives us room for about 60 cans.

I got the clutches installed on the Genoa halyard and the Mainsheet halyard which frees up the winches for the spinnaker or other halyard. The install went much better that I had imagined and they look great!

The Wind Generator issue turned into a non issue as it was never re-connected after the arch was reinstalled. A simple hook up of two wires to the regulator and that adds 400 watts of power to the battery bank !
Beth got the port lifeline netting up and secured. She took the time to burn the ends so there wouldn't be any unraveling and she intertwined it with the lifelines so it isn't going anywhere.
I installed an additional line between the bottom of the stanchions to attach the bottom of the netting to. It looks very good and is quite solid.
Sunday we both spent cleaning out the various storage areas to remove duplicates, take inventory and get crap off the boat. No sense hauling what isn't needed.
I would guess we removed over 150 lbs of "stuff" and that was just the aft port berth. We will work on the dinghy and aft starboard cabin on our next trip.
We have a few errands to run in Atlanta and Ellijay as well as attend our Spanish Classes.

Getting excited as we are now projecting departure on April 20th, 2011.

John

Cancun Vacation - by air 2/12 ~ 2/19

For Beth's Birthday and Valentines day I decided a trip to Cancun Mexico would be a great thing.  We had not taken a vacation since the honeymoon and a great deal came along.  We stayed at the Royal Islander which was a perfect resort, highly recommended.

Over the week we ate some of the best food Mexico has to offer and did a few tours of the local attractions.  This is NOT a destination for cruisers. Cancun is the most expensive place in all of Mexico.

We did the Chichen Itza tour and learned about the Mayans. Very interesting but alot of it appears to be theory because the records were lost.  It will still be interesting to see what happens on 12/21/12.  The Xplor tour is a nice "waterpark" in caves but I didn't feel it was worth the cost.  We took a 15' Hobie cat out on the lagoon for about 2 hours and Beth really enjoyed sailing as she had control the entire time.  We took a 75' catamaran over to Isla Majures to snorkel and explore the island.  It was a commercial trip but the Captain allowed me to steer while motoring and it was a nice trip.  The reef was kinda disappointing but a great boat trip.  I think this was the first time I was on someone elses boat and didn't find something I needed to put on Second Chance.

The trip did re-emphasize the need to get Second Chance moving.  We are headed to Savannah next week as Beth wants to get the lifeline net up for the dogs and I need to work on the wind generator and mount our new pantry shelf.  If the forecast holds, I am sure we will take a day sail.

J

Sunday - January 30

The boat is back at Sail Harbor and will be staying there.  The new marina was further up river and required the use of a power converter that I didn't have.  They were quite happy to sell me one for $165 which was
a ripoff since I could get one on the internet for $50.  The nicer docks would have been nice but where we are is fine for now.
We spent the day cleaning and organizing. I worked on the antenna connections for the GPS splitter which seems to be working fine.  I have to check on the wind generator connections as when I engaged it on our sail on Saturday, I didn't see the incoming charge.  I am sure it is a loose wire from the re-installation of the arch and generator.  One thing I am sure of is that water and power are precious and the idea of pulling into a marina every night will get really expensive.

The great news is that we put 25 gallons of actual regular gas on the boat, NO ETHANOL !!  It was $4.48 per gallon but I felt the engine running better and producing more power.
We headed back to Atlanta by 5 and its still a long boring ride ( Beth drove ).

J

Saturday - January 29 - OCEAN

The weather forecast has held true and we decided to make our first trek to the ocean.  We departed at 1:15pm motoring the entire way, through the channel, by all the no wake zones, finally into Wassau Sound at 2:45 and entered the ocean at 3:20.  There was a bit of chop where the Wilmington River met the ocean but after that it was quite smooth with a nice easterly 15 knot wind.  We put the genoa up and sailed for an hour while beginning out turn back. While sailing, Beth whipped up a nice hot dog lunch complete with fries. We didn't want to have to dock after dark so we headed back.  The wind was with us and so was the current so the trip back didn't take as long.  All the instruments worked flawlessly and the chart plotter ( Raymarine C70 ) was an invaluable tool to stay in the channel.
We went to Tubby's Tank House to celebrate our first foray into the ocean and then back to the boat for a quiet evening.

J

Friday January 28

The forecast weather for the weekend is for calm seas and highs in the high 60's so we headed for the boat just after noon.  Long boring drive!  Upon arrival, I checked the starboard bilge and it was as dry as a bone, it looks like I have finally solved that issue.  I worked on the bypass propane valve and after a bit of elbow grease, it now works without leaks.  Dinner grilled on the boat and relaxation.



J

Saturday January 14 - Atlanta Boat Show

One of the reasons for coming back was to attend the Atlanta Boat Show.  We already had tickets and headed over there about noon.  Traffic was light but parking was absurd as the Falcons were playing in the dome next door.  We finally managed to park and enjoyed walking around the boat show.  Didn't really see anything that was a need, and only a few wants crossed my mind.  It was an enjoyable afternoon followed by a late lunch at the Varsity.

J

Atlanta Snow January 8 - 14

It was forecast to snow pretty heavy in Atlanta so we decided to head to the boat.  We arrived Saturday afternoon and did the usual grocery shopping and settling in.  The major projects were to replace the "questionable" gas line going to the water heater and install the new valve on the head.  The gas line should have been a really easy job but required a trip to ACE hardware for an additional fitting.  The tools Leon lent me worked like a charm and by Saturday night, the new gas line was in place.

Sunday I installed a new joker valve and an electric valve on the output of the head.  Worked perfectly the first time and no more backflow into the toilet.  Whilst working on the head, I discovered a leak in the output line of the air conditioner water pump.  This is very important as the AC is also a heat pump and it was supposed to be really cold.  I made repairs and it appeared to be working and not leaking.

Monday Morning I checked the fixed leak and there was still water in the bilge so I tightened the fitting more and started working on installing the new toys I got for Christmas.  The LinkLite battery monitor would take some time but I got the face plate installed on the panel and installed the panel backlights while I had everything apart.

After working with that for awhile, I rechecked the "leak" issue and found that it was a lot worse.  The heat was turned off, the thru-hull closed and off we went to find the necessary parts.  Home Depot, Lowes, and West Marine were all necessary, not to mention that this trip took about 3 hours.  Upon returning to the boat, it was quite cool, about 60 degrees inside.  I started working on the new adapter configuration and maybe an hour later, it was back together and running with no visible signs of leaks.  I used the shop vac to get all the excess water out of the bilge and kept checking for leaks.


Tuesday, the bilge was dry, the toilet did not have excess water in it, the battery monitor was working perfectly but needed to be synchronized.  This meant that the 500AH main battery bank had to be fully charged so we left all the 12V stuff off and let it charge.  The battery monitor is a must have and I don't know
how I did without it before.  I finished neating up all the wiring to the batteries and accessories and started
closing up panels.

Wednesday and Thursday were kind of lazy days, a little shopping, cleaning around the boat. 
Returned to Atlanta on Friday and its still a long boring drive although the snow did make it more interesting.
We started seeing snow on the ground before we go to Macon and it got heavier the closer we got to Atlanta.
Traffic was bad so we avoided the bad roads and headed to the apartment.

It was a great week spent on the boat and I am looking forward to heading back soon.

J

Saturday - December 11

Well the NOAA weather forecasters were wrong on Friday.  Again woke up to cold overcast weather but this time it was also raining.  Discovered a loose fitting on the starboard hatch, devised a solution to the head back flow issue.  The NOAA weather site showed the small craft advisory had been extended and with the cold and rain, we decided to pack up and head for Atlanta.  We left about noon and the drive was boring as usual but uneventful.  As the boat is ready to go, the only tasks left are either deck work or little things, we will wait for a better forecast before heading back to Savannah.

J

Friday - December 10

Woke up to a cold overcast morning.  Beth and I spent the day relaxing on the boat getting little done.  The plan was to take it out, get fuel and head up to Hilton Head.  The NOAA had a small craft advisory posted for the area so we decided against it for the better forecast weather on Saturday.  We finished the little details of getting the boat ready to go and relaxed the day away.

J

Thursday - December 9

Finally a productive day.  Things just seemed to fall into place as I finished the AIS antenna's and finally put the covers back on the mast wiring.  It was still quite cold but I managed to get the main starter battery replaced and get the genoa sheets put on.  The battery was 2004 vintage and was showing its age.  I think 6 years out of a marine battery is pretty good.  I also got the new switches for the deck lights installed as well as connecting all of the deck lights, a project left over from moving the boat.  I believe the boat is back to the condition or better than when it left Lake Lanier.  It is again ready to sail.  Beth and the dogs joined me about 8 and we went to Carey Hillards for dinner.  The food was good although the selection was a bit interesting. 
I can't think of any reason not to take her out sailing tomorrow other than the small craft advisory that is forecast.
I guess we wait and see.

J

Wednesday - December 8

A cold day at the dock.  It did warm up later in the day to a whopping 50 but still chilly with the wind.  I felt like I was taking one step forward and two back for everything I tried to get fixed.  The battery monitor did not work correctly so that got sent back to the company for a refund.  Still have to find one that works right.  My attempt at fixing the antennas was a failure.  The connectors seem to be a bad bunch as they don't work quite right so off to West Marine for some new connectors.  Went grocery shopping for necessities and spent a quiet night on the boat.  Will work on the antenna's and other projects tomorrow.  Beth will be joining me and I am looking forward to that .

J

Tuesday - December 7

The drive down to Savannah from Atlanta is a long boring drive.  Got a late start taking care of finances for the upcoming journey and with that done, we are one step closer to departure.  The temperatures in Georgia have been below freezing at night for about a week and that made for a very cold boat when I arrived.  The heat on the boat works but it took it awhile to warm up.  By the time it did, it was time for bed.  The main berth is forward and between the hulls so the bottom of the bed is just  a couple of inches away from the outside air so even with the interior temperature reasonable, the bed was quite cold. 

Tomorrow I hope to get the new battery monitoring system installed as well as replace the baby stay turnbuckle and AIS antennas.

Cheers,

J

Tuesday - November 30

Its so nice waking up on the boat, I do miss the usual company though.  Easy day today, put things away, straighten and clean up.  Then the long boring drive back to Atlanta.  Its raining and am I not looking forward to the drive.  I will be glad to be back with Beth.

Have a small laundry list of things to bring back to get the boat ready to sail which I hope happens on the next trip down.

J

Monday - November 29

Well Hurricane season ends in two days and Second Chance will be sitting at the dock.  She isn't quite ready to tackle the high seas just yet.  Progress was made today toward that goal but still, not quite ready.  The AIS is up and working but I will replace the upper antenna's when i get a chance. I am just not happy with the performance I am seeing.  The SSB installation or re-installation as it were, went very well.  The GEM antenna is up and apparently working well. I have received several weather broadcasts but have not actually talked with anyone.  I managed to get the generator mount fixed without any great drama.  I tested the generator for about 15 minutes today just to check that all was in working condition.  I also ran the main motor for about 15 min to keep it from gumming up and keep everything lubricated.

I have been putting things away, trying to find space for all the crap, and organizing all day.  I will continue "cleaning" this evening and head home in the morning.  The new tempering valve on the shower works great, the temperature stayed constant and I had a good shower this morning.  For the most part, we are about ready to take her out of the slip for a test run, maybe next weekend.

J

Sunday - November 28

A decent nights sleep on the boat and woke up to a beautiful sunrise.  It was quite cold and very windy.  The plan for the day was to get the AIS working which entailed running 2 antenna cables from the mast to the starboard aft berth.  That part went better than expected although I had to take apart 1/3 of the boat to get it done.  Once I made the connections I turned it on and of course, it didn't work.  Tracing it back, there was an issue with one of the connectors on the wire coming down the mast.  Replaced that and 5 boats popped up on the AIS and I even watch one go by.  While very cool, it didn't report to the AIS reporting station that would show our position on the web.  I played with it most of the evening but made no progress.  I looked up the issue and it may be an actual antenna issue so I ordered a tester.  Tomorrow will be further organization and clean up.


Still enjoying life on the boat but I miss Beth, if things go well tomorrow, I might head home.

J

Saturday - November 27

Ah, Life on the boat.  Its a great escape from the real world.  Managed to get the genoa back up and continued to get some things tidied up on the boat.  The baby stay needs a new turnbuckle and a new clutch is needed on the mast. I started on the mast wiring and will finish on Sunday.  Island time makes everything different.  Things that should take an hour takes two or three.  Its easy to get used to.


J

Friday - November 26

Drove down to Savannah today. Its a long drive but even more boring alone.  Beth stayed home because she wasn't feeling well and we both realize I can get more done without her and the dogs aboard.  I closed the storage account and brought everything down so I spent most of the afternoon unloading the car and now the boat is so stuffed, its hard to walk around.  I worked on the fishing gear and will mount it out of the way tomorrow as well as work on the electronics.

It is supposed to get below 40 degrees tonight so I have made sure the heat is working.  A nice dinner, some TV and off to bed.

J

Sunday - Nov 7

Nothing like a good nights sleep on the boat.  Woke up and checked the port hull for signs of the leak and very little water was there, most likely seepage from where we were not able to get it all out.  It looks like the head was the culprit and it needed rebuilding anyway.  I tackled the shower sump pump as the manual overide wasn't working.  Unfortunately its in a very difficult place to get at but the culprit was a splice in the wire that had broken.  I replaced the entire wire with a new one but the problem was getting it back up to where the switch was.  A job that should have taken 1 1/2 hours turned in to a 3 hour job but I tightened all the hose connections, cleaned the pump and all is working well.

By the time that was done it was time to pack up and head back to Atlanta.  A three day trip is right on the edge of not being worth a 9~10 hour drive. 

Upon getting back, we had a light dinner and were cleaning up when I found myself in excruciating pain.  This started about 8 pm, by 1 am we were in the ER waiting to be diagnosed with what I was quite sure was a kidney stone.  The cat scan proved me correct and I have a kidney stone that hasn't passed.  So, many drugs later we returned home.  The pain subsided now its just a matter of time waiting for it to pass.  I didn't realize the amount of pain such a little thing could cause but that was the worst pain I have ever experienced and hope, with the drugs, it passes without another episode like that.

J

Saturday - Nov 6

After a pretty good nights sleep, quite warm and toasty with outside temps in the mid 30's, we started the day with Beth preparing a nice pancake breakfast.  I started on the tool room but only got about 1/2 way done when I found the wrench I needed to fix the head.  Needless to say, refurbishing the head is a pretty shitty job.  I am pretty sure I found the leak and believe it to be fixed.  It will be tomorrow morning to see if there is additional water in the port bilge.  Beth got as much as she could out with the shop vac so we will see in the morning.

I managed to also get the arch GPS unit hooked back up and actually powered on the Raymarine C70 unit.  It took it quite a while to get a fix but once it did, the chart plotter function showed us everything around us and the Radar unit was very cool.  This was the first time it had ever been turned on and worked perfectly.  While we will both have to read the book on the fine art of reading radar, it will be a most useful tool aboard the boat.

It has remained quite chilly all day so most of the work was done inside.  Beth keeps complaining that its too cold and as night falls, it gets chilly quick.  We had a nice hotdog lunch and will have BBQ chicken for dinner then retire to a dvd movie.  The dogs seem to be enjoying the boat fine.  We take them on frequent walks, about as often as we do at the apartment, and they seem to snuggle up in their little doggy beds and not have a care in the world.

It looks like my cold symptoms have abated for the most part. I am a bit achy but enjoying the boat too much to let it get me down.  Only a few new scrapes on my hands from the days labor.

Life is good on the boat !!

J

 

Friday - November 5

Well this is our first trip back to the boat since we splashed it in salt water.  The road trip took about 4 1/2 hours with stops for the dogs, gas, and lunch.  Its also a dreadfully boring ride.


We arrived at Sail Harbor at about 3 pm and the first order of business was getting the boat ready to sleep on. That was my job to put stuff away, organize while Beth went shopping for dinner and essentials that we forgot to pick up before we left Atlanta.  The temps were set to dip into the mid 30's overnight so making sure the heat was working was essential.  No problems there but a leak in the port hull apparently still exists and will be the job on Saturday.  We did get the mast lights hooked up and tested , the radar wiring as well as the anemometer.

It looks like I am coming down with a cold so I don't know how ambitious I will be on Saturday.


J