10/26/2009, Deltaville, VA
So much has happened since we returned to Deltaville just over a week ago. Maxwell's parents threw us an awesome "Bon Voyage" party on the 18th. We were so excited to see all of our family and friends that showed up to support us! It was a happening that we will never forget. I hope to have some photos to post on SmugMug soon.
Monday morning came as expected with a long list of "to dos." It is hard to believe that in one week's time we have completed: installation of the life raft, repair of the galley stove, installation of refrigeration, mounting the jerry can rails, upgrading the roller furling blocks, more provisioning and general organization!!
The life raft started as most projects usually do: We thought it wouldn't take too long...and then we always realize, it will. After we decided on placement, the moment of drilling four 3/4" HOLES in our boat was at hand. I let Maxwell do the honors. We then filled the holes with epoxy filler and waited 24hrs to re-drill. We did it this way to make sure that the deck's core would be completely sealed against moisture. Thanks for that tip Ben & Pam on Cricket!! Anastasia has a nice headliner that we took down for this project. After bolting the life raft mounting bracket to the deck house it was time to reinstall the headliner. We found that holding a cordless drill above your head constantly for an excess of 45 minutes makes it exponentially heavier!
This is what lies behind the headliner. The bolts for the bracket were well hidden once we replaced the panel.
Finally, we have a brand new Avon 4 person offshore life raft complete with a hydrostatic release! So, in the event that the boat were to sink so quickly we could not deploy the life raft, it will automatically release once submerged by a few feet. Nice feature that I hope to never use! Maxwell made the comment that somehow Anastasia looks more "hard core" now we have fitted the life raft. I said, "heck yeah she does, rock and roll!"
To see the rest of the life raft installation photos check out the SmugMug gallery "New Life Raft."
I think that I mentioned in a previous blog entry that our galley oven has never worked for us. I love to cook so this just would not do! On this job we rallied my Dad for the fix. It took him an afternoon to diagnose the bum thermostat and another week for the part to arrive. Armed with the right tools and replacement parts he fixed the stove in a few days. Not only does my oven ignite and maintain temperature, the burners on the stove top now self-ignite where they didn't before. He did a top notch job! Thanks Daddy!
Another project we had my Dad help with was the refrigeration installation. It went so smoothly in only a day and a half! Once we chose a location for the condenser, we ran the copper lines, mounted the evaporator inside the box, and ran the wiring. We went with the Adler Barbour Cold Machine unit. As far as boat projects go, this was pretty easy and simple. I now have ice!! Cocktail time!!
Here is the converted ice box. We now have almost 4 cubic feet of refrigeration bliss! Bring on the cold stuff!
Here is the condensing unit. We chose to put it under the galley counter. I gave up two drawers so that it would have a well ventilated spot. Fellow Cruisers know that this is a big sacrifice. To see the rest of the refrigeration photos check out our SmugMug gallery "Installing Refrigeration."
We had planned on adding boards on the forward deck, mounted to the stanchions to serve as a securing place for the jerry jugs, one on each side. Most cruising boats have this setup in one way or another. We happened to see a Tayana 37 with a great idea for these boards. They used the recycled plastic decking boards that you can get at any home improvement store. We went to Lowes and found a nice brown one, 16' in length, 8' for each side. This product will do well in this application because these boards endure a lot of wear and tear. No sanding or varnish needed! Definitely a plus!
We haven't been totally happy with the roller furling. It has been really hard to furl the sail. We decided to upgrade to stanchion mounted blocks for the line. This will make pulling in the sail much easier as we have almost eliminated all friction. When Maxwell was installing one of the new blocks on the pullpit he somehow dropped the block. It disappeared instantly into the cold water and sank to the bottom of the creek-bed below our slip. In an effort to save $30 he went for a swim. He donned his bathing suit that had been packed away for warmer waters and a snorkel mask. I was impressed, he found it on his second try! Funnier is that neighbors a few boats down dropped their keys into the water a few hours later and Maxwell volunteered to go back in! He found them on about the eighth try, and as a thank you they gave him a bottle of rum!! Woo Hoo!! Needless to say, a wetsuit is now on the list.
One thing that we have noticed upon our return to Deltaville is the cruiser population out in Jackson Creek. It is such a great place to anchor and we have even run into a few boats we met in Annapolis. One night we were invited to visit Wendy & Dave on Elysium, a Westsail 42. They gave us some great pointers on the Bahamas. Right about now they are waiting for a weather window to make the jump from Norfolk to Bermuda. The following night we entertained Steve & Kirsten and their two little ones, Emma and Maddie from Hook, a Morris 30. They left Maine in July and are heading for the Bahamas like us. I love cruising! Everyone is an instant friend...it is a great group from which to belong!
This week we are trying to finish up the last of the equipment installations. Saturday, the 31st is our last day here at Deltaville Marina. It has been a great summer here but it is time to move out! We are going to spend about a week in the area swinging on the hook after we leave the marina and then start our journey South. This is a week or two late by our original plans but, considering the obstacles we have overcome this summer, we are pleased with our progress.
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10/18/2009, Annapolis, MD
It has finally happened. Our mast has been repaired, repainted and reinstalled!! Also, while the mast was out we elected to go ahead with all new standing rigging. What we had was assumed to be 10-15 years old and could possibly fail so it was a necessary upgrade.
We arrived in Annapolis on a Monday and the mast was pulled on the next day. Chesapeake Rigging Annapolis Spars is who we chose to do the needed work. They got started right away removing the old stays and shrouds and prepping the mast for repair. The engineer who designed our mast 27 years ago is the same person who designed and performed the repair. We are extremely pleased with his work.
Next came the painting crew...Maxwell and I! Check out our SmugMug gallery Painting the Mast. We removed all of the hardware, sanded the old paint off, and began the 5 step process. First is Zinc Chromate, next two coats of primer and then two coats of paint. Each layer took about 2 1/2 hours each to coat the 56 1/2 foot spar. It sounds like it was no sweat but somehow this took us days and days to accomplish.
Once we were finished painting we began reinstalling the hardware and rewiring the instruments and lights. Two weeks from the date it was pulled, the mast was reinstalled. Happy Day! Check out the gallery Re-Stepping the Mast.
We had a long trip back home to VA testing our new spar. Anastasia endured 25-30 knot winds and 5 foot seas flawlessly in our treck south on the Chesapeake Bay. It was her crew who was shivering in the rain and wind.
The departure date is coming into clear sight as we are wrapping up the last few jobs on our list. Of course there will always be things to work on...it is a boat for Pete's sake! But there are just a few more tasks we want to have finished prior to push off.
Time to get excited!!!!
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10/11/2009
We are steadily working to get the mast ready for re-stepping tomorrow morning. Today we plan to install the rest of her chainplates and finish up the new wiring of the mast. I have updated the SmugMug page with a new gallery: Painting The Mast. Check it out!
Annapolis is great! We have nicknamed her "Good Luck Town." It seemed that we were going through such a string of bad luck in Deltaville last month. But here in Annapolis, everything is going extremely well! I don't want to jinks the last few days here, so that is all I will say about that for now. Once we are home again, I will elaborate on how great it has been!
The shot above is my view this morning as the sun is rising to warm Anastasia's quite chilly cockpit. I am wrapped up in Maxwell's Gran-daddy's wool blanket, loving every minute!
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10/04/2009
This photo was taken of our beautiful Chesapeake Bay. There is a small rainbow peeking out on the left side of the horizon.
Check out our two new galleries on SmugMug, "Haul Out at Mobjack Bay Marina" & "Pulling The Mast."
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09/11/2009, Deltaville, VA
Ok. I know...we live on a boat. And yes, that is a great and wonderful thing. However, it is our experience that EVERYTHING on a boat is TEN times more complicated and harder to reach. We are proudly Do-It-Yourselfers!! But I think that they should call it Do-Youreself-In-ers!! Each task seems to try our patience, strength, and my contortion-ism more and more. Our goal of leaving the Chesapeake Bay at the end of October still stands and is faintly coming into sight.
The list of projects is still long enough to consider it a steady work load for the coming weeks. The unexpected mast predicament has obviously put a bump in the road that we cannot ignore before we depart. We plan to head to Annapolis at the end of this month for it's repair and installation of all new standing rigging.
We had briefly entertained the idea of having the mast and boom repainted in Annapolis while the rigging work is performed. I said briefly. The quote was over FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS! The cost is not the paint, it is the labor. No thank you! I have done the research and I feel completely comfortable in our ability to paint both pieces ourselves. In fact, we have already taken the boom off of the boat and started sanding. I will be sure to update with photos of the project.
Next week we are being hauled out at Mobjack Bay Marina in Mathews for a new bottom job. What is that you say dear faithful reader? Why yes, you did read correctly in a previous entry that we had painted the bottom just before putting Anastasia in the water in May. Unfortunately, the paint we used was faulty and we have dime sized barnacles growing on our bottom. But not to worry! The incredibly nice Petit Paint representative paid us a visit to confirm the fouling bottom and GAVE us two gallons of premium bottom paint and picked up the haul out bill. Of course we will be the work crew to remove the old paint but that is a given for a Do-It-Yourself crew!!
So many other little projects are going on each day. As I write Maxwell is hooking up the replacement faucets for our galley foot pumps. I wired a reading light over the starboard settee, we re-bed some of the port side portholes and on and on.
We love our new Seagull water filtration system! Thanks for the insight on that Team Prudence! I highly pass on this recommendation to anyone.
Hopefully next week we will also have the new bimini and dodger installed. They will really transform her look. I cannot wait!
I'll leave you with some progress shots.
New fuel filter.
Engine compartment storage before.
Engine compartment storage after.
Old faucet removal.
Original plumbing. This boat was built in Taiwan 27 years ago.
Finished faucets!
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09/01/2009, Deltaville, VA
Recently, I have been up the mast twice. Check out our SmugMug page to see the beautiful photos I caught.
I promise to update on what we have been up to for the past two weeks very soon! We are just so busy and have a shotty wireless connection!
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