Wednesday 9/29 - Preperations

Went out to the dock today to meet with Bud of Bud's Canvas who is making my raincatcher for the boat. He needed to fit it to the boat and get a better visual on what my drawing represented. He had made an oversize version of my drawing to allow for errors but it looked really good on a test fit. He will trim it and finish it so it will be ready to travel with the boat. He is the best canvas guy I have ever known.
I took the opportunity to unpack the dock box which won't be making the trip with us. Apparently I had been using it to store a lot of crap most of which wound up in the big dumpster. With the dock box empty, it was quickly taken by one of the dock residents. I still have the battery issue to solve but steps are being made toward the goal.

J

Time to move

Decisions have been made ! Second Chance leaves 6 dock forever on October 1, 2010.
Most of the weekend will be spent removing the arch and preparing for departure.
The mast will be stepped sometime early next week and all hopes are to have it moving by 10/15. This is a huge step toward our goal. Our sail date remains at 12/1 but we still have a few hurdles to cross.

Will keep you posted.

J

Saturday 9/18

A quick trip out to the boat to get a measurement for Bud from Bud's Canvas was all I could manage this week. We have been busy packing, organizing and looking for a new place to live. We will make the final decision next week on when and where we move in the interim before we move on the boat full time in Savannah.

Projects still need to be done before it is pulled out of the lake, several projects to get it ready to be trucked to Savannah and then the reinstallation of everything once in Savannah. At the current rate, we will be lucky to make a 12/1 sail date.

But, we are working toward that.

J

Saturday, 9/11 Friends from Sweden

Another record setting day for heat in Atlanta. The high was 96 degrees but also a great day to be on the lake. My friend from Sweden, Jan Sjosten and his children came to visit this week and we all spent the day on the boat. Beth had volunteered earlier to ride along on a charity poker run so we took the boat out to meet her at the finish line. We left the dock around noon and met up with her at Sunset Cove about 2. Beached the boat and the kids had a great time swimming around. We returned around 6.
As usual, the winds were very light so we motored the entire day.

J

Saturday Sept 4 - PARTY with drag queens

What a great weekend. The weather was so nice this weekend it was amazing. I went out to the boat on Sat afternoon to get the new battery charger installed. My intentions were to get things cleaned up but that didn't happen. The new battery charger is installed and working well, just need to clean up all the wiring and start on the new 12V bus for the starboard side.


Beth was scheduled to be in the Peaches Christ show Saturday night and everyone on the dock was talking about it and excited to be going. Since Beth had to be in the show, she didn't get to ride and party with everyone and met us there. Our friends on 6 dock arranged for a limo to take us to the show and it was the best mobile party I have experienced. We left the marina about 10, with everyone already about 1/2 drunk and continued the party until we got to the theatre in downtown Atlanta. What a show, fantastic drag queens and "movie" stars. Beth was one of the twins and was such a dead ringer for the actual cast member in the movie, a lot of people thought it was actually her. We all got to meet Peaches, Mink Stole, and everyone involved with the event. After the show we piled back into the limo and hit the Waffle House back on Friendship road. We got back to the marina about 5:30 am. Long night but was such a great time with the greatest people. 6 dock rocks !

J

September 1 - House Deal !

Wow, things change quickly. While the house has been for sale for the past couple of months, there had been little activity. Last night we met with a couple that were interested and by the end of the evening, we had a deal. Mutually beneficial to all parties. We will start getting things in order and get all the t's crossed and the i's dotted but it looks like a done deal. The reality of going cruising full time just got a lot more real. Things are going to be busy for the next month as I want to get the boat hauled and moved to Savannah by the middle of Oct.

Lots of things to do, have to get a whole new list !

J

Sunday August 29

Short day on the boat but managed to get the generator pump assembly apart and it was the impeller that was the issue. I found all the pieces and cleaned it out. The replacement wasn't in stock at West Marine ( no real surprise there ) but they ordered it and it will be in on Tuesday. Ordered a spare for the trip. I serviced all the batteries with distilled water and they were thirsty. Over 1/2 gallon for 5 batteries, I guess the overly hot temps this summer took their toll. Hopefully they will charge back up and not be a problem. The battery charger for the mains seems to have just died. It has power going to it but no lights and no output so ordered a new one off of ebay. The next trip will be when all the parts are in.
None of these things were on the "list" but still have to be done.

J

Saturday August 28

Finally a great day for sailing on the lake. Wind was steady for the lake. It was about 4 to 17 knots so I left the dock around 1pm and went for a sail. It was very peaceful and the lake was filled with blow boats. Returned to the dock about 5 and Beth joined me for dinner. Dinner was great as Lucky brought a pork roast that Bill Waller was cooking all day. Beth stopped by the store on the way to the dock and brought cupcakes. After dinner, a game of pong ball got started and Beth played until about 10. It was a very good day on the dock.

A few maintenance items popped up but nothing major. The generator impeller needs servicing and I still have to work on the batteries and wiring which will be the project today.

J

Thursday August 26

Went out to the boat with the intention of setting sail today. Left the dock and everything was working perfectly. Out of the no wake zone and unfurled the genoa but kept motor-sailing as the wind was very light. A little research enlightened me to the issue with the Raymarine DSM and will probably be worked on this weekend. Overall, things went very well and the boat is ready for cruising full time.

J

Saturday - August 21

It continues to be be very hot in Atlanta. The only reprieve is the occasional rain.
Went out to the boat around noon and worked on a fix for the hole in the ceiling from the AIS installation and "gutters" for the windows. Need more material to finish the repair on the hole but got the starboard windows outfitted with my custom gutters.
They don't look bad and seem functional. I will test them for a few weeks before installing them on the port side.

The A1A concert was Saturday night at the Sunset Cove pavilion. Several of us took a car and others went by boat. It was a very good concert and I enjoyed dancing with my wife. The concert started at 8 and lasted till about 10:30 and other that it still being hot, it was a very good concert. Made it back home around midnight.

The decision to delay moving the boat to Savannah is final. I will wait until we have a contract on the house to move the boat. Unfortunately with the housing market the way it is, we could be in Atlanta for awhile.

J

Thursday - August 12 - Perseid Meteor Shower

I went out to the boat in the late afternoon to mount the new bait / fish cleaning table and get things ready to go out. The mounts stated they were the correct size for mounting to the rail but as with everything else, the mount needed to be modified.
Beth joined me about 6 pm with the dogs and subway sandwiches. After dinner we motored out to a nice cove away from the lights of the area in order what was promised to be a great sunset. The clouds rolled in and we were robbed of the sunset so we settled in to watch some TV. We suited up and took the dogs for a swim to shore which they enjoyed. On the way back to the boat, thunder could be heard in the background so we prepared for a shower. The wind picked up and the rains came but Second Chance sat securely on her anchor about 50 ft from shore in 12 ft of water. The rain stopped about 11 and the clouds began to break. By midnight the sky was pretty clear so we sat on deck watching the meteor shower. It wasn't as eventful as either of us had hoped and there was still a lot of light pollution from Gainesville. We headed back about 12:30, navigating in the dark with no problems. Back at home we once again looked skyward from the pool apron only to see a couple meteors before calling it a night.

J

Sunday - August 8 - Savannah

Went to Savannah today with Beth, Leon and Brenda. Very nice flight over but was really getting warm by the time we landed. We went out to Sail Harbor Marina to look things over and it was as it was before, pretty quiet. We went downtown to River Street and walked through the shops and looked at all the sights. It was another day over 90 degrees and by 4 pm it was getting pretty miserable to be outside. We left downtown about 6 and got back home around 9. Even with the heat, it was a very good day spent with the family.

The decision to move the boat to Savannah in mid September is being discussed as it could become quite the burden if the house doesn't sell. - - more to come.

J


Sail Harbor Marina, Savannah GA
Second Chances home in Savannah, eventually.

Saturday - August 7

Finally made it out to the boat, actually went early simply because I woke up early, about 6 am. The dock was quiet and the sky was overcast. I decided that before it got too hot I would fix the leak in the air conditioner filter. After that success, I changed a leaking hose on the starboard water tank and filled the tanks. Again success and no more leaks. I got the AIS connected and tested as well as hooking up the Raymarine C-70 to the autopilot so now everything talks to everything else. Electronically, Everything is connected. I just have to mount the two VHF antennas and the gps antenna for the AIS and it is done. That will not happen until I pull the boat out next month and can work on the arch. I also learned the correct lighting for the mast light and discovered that is was never correct. The next time I am on the boat at night, I will get the lights working correctly.
Off to Savannah tomorrow to visit Sail Harbor and enjoy the day with family as it is Leon's Birthday.

J

Weekend ! July 29~Aug 1

We went to the boat on Friday and spent the weekend on the boat with the dogs. We had a great weekend except it was soooo hot ! Friday evening we relaxed with the gang on the dock, Saturday I worked on the AIS, Saturday evening we had steaks after a leisurely swim then after cocktail hour, spent a little time playing "cornhole" with friends up on the Y. It was a late night but a very good night. Sunday I finally figured out the AIS which apparently is published in tiny print in an unrelated document from the AIS. BUT, the good news it that it has been installed and tested. Just have to run the final install wires and its all done. At least it has been tested and I know it works. We came home on Sunday and hit the pool as it was much more refreshing than the lake. After a visit from Pizza Hut, we relaxed watching a movie. The remaining projects are all little ones and I think that they may wait until its cooler or the boat is out of the water which is only 31 days away.

Each day is a day closer to departure.

j

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