Tom, cool clear 15 to 25 knots on the Bay
Wednesday, 08 April 2009, Bert Jabin's

I need to be out there, finding out how she reacts to 25 knot gusts with the 2 to 3 foot waves. Which sails and in what combination for various headings. I need to swing the compass. I need to practice anchoring. Or maybe i just need to relax, have some patience. I was telling Annie the other night that the true essence of seamanship is to approach the daily catastrophes calmly, asses the options and act upon the course that you feel is best with confidence and deliberation. My goal is to become a seaman, the best i can, and i feel confident that given some experience i will be good. I wouldn't consider taking my lover and my little ship out to sea if i wasn't confident in my ability to get her safely to her destination. Of course, only one thing makes a seaman, you have to go to sea. So until the fuel tank comes (maybe next Wed) i will practice seamanship. I will resist the urge to sail out of a slip that i'm not confident that i can either leave or return to successfully without an engine. I will watch the sky and the barometer to try to understand the signs that show a sailor what weather to look out for. We'll ride our little bikes all over town and try to avoid getting run over. And we'll meet more people and make new friends around the yard as the people that mess with boats seem to be invariably friendly. I've got my whole life ahead to sail the oceans, no need to hurry.

Comments [2]

Tom, fog and dead calm
Thursday, 02 April 2009, Bert Jabin's C dock

The day before yesterday, maybe a Tuesday. Sean came over as promised and finished installing the running backstays. We got the reefing lines installed on the main and we were all set to sail. I pulled open the engine access hatch and found diesel in the bilge. The culprit was the aluminum fuel tank that had previously shown no signs of leaking or corrosion. I never liked the design with the outlets above the bottom of the tank. Water and gunk collect down below the outlets and caused the corrosion from inside, plus any time the boat starts pitching in the sea, all the crap at the bottom of the tank comes up to mix with the previously clean fuel. I tried to put epoxy putty on it like gum under a desk, as i suspected, epoxy doesn't stick to diesel. So i said what the hell, if the engine craps out, we've got Tad on deck and we went out sailing. Light and fluky winds all day, sunshine and blue sky. We started out with main, staysail and working jib, moved on to the genoa jib and wound up flying the asymmetrical spinnaker. It was our first spinnaker experience, we've never seen one used before, and it was great. From a close reach to a run, she stayed full of air with only a couple knots of wind, and moved the boat effortlessly through the water. We doused it by heading into the wind and letting it come down on the side deck. The whole day was just perfect. Not that we did everything perfect, or even close, but the calm, sunny, uncrowded Bay is the perfect place to start to get a feel for jib hanks, self-steering gears, sail stowage and line leads. I didn't get the Navik wind vane to work properly, no surprise, i'll probably dedicate whole blogs to it's complexity.
Wednesday, my back is pretty damn sore from tank removal still, but i won. It took all damn day but eventually i pulled that leaky piece of shit out along with a fairly sizable portion of the boat that used to be a locker for the inflatable raft. I hope i can find a fairly cheap and generic plastic tank to fit somewhere back there and hope i can get it inside a week. It's so tempting to pull the diesel out right behind the tank and have a kick ass tool locker. Not yet Tom, maybe someday.

Comments [4]

Tom, light rain, mid 40's
Thursday, 26 March 2009, Annapolis

We remain tied to the dock at Bert Jabin's waiting for the rig to be installed. Last night Brian from Southbound Cruising, my rigger, showed me how to splice eyes in double braid rope, I managed 2 pretty decent splices. Sean is installing the lower shrouds on the mast right now and we are anxiously awaiting five new Sta-lock ends for the upper shrouds and fore and backstays. The bronze turnbuckles are beautiful, can't wait to see them installed.
The boat is certainly less cheery without a cabin heater and that is where we are. I installed a clean burner on Taylor the other day to allow me to clean the one we had been using. Fired it up, no problems. That evening, (maybe Friday?) I fired it up and went out for a smoke. When i came back in, 20 minutes later, i noticed the reflection of a yellow flame coming from under the heater. There was a small leak at the base of the burner and i assumed the nut needed tightened up a fuzz. I shut off the fuel at the tank and left the burner run while i looked for my wrenches. Within about 45 seconds as i rummaged in the locker, the leak grew until all of the remaining pressurized Kerosene in the short line from the tank to the stove blew out the bottom of the burner causing flames to pour out of the stove and up the walls and woodwork. Annie very thoughtfully pulled the cushion out of the way. I just sat back and monitored the fire to make sure it didn't get out of control. It was over quickly as i had already cut off the fuel and left only a few blisters on the varnish under our table. I don't know what failed and let so much liquid kerosene out. Maybe the aluminum gasket in the line, maybe something else. I don't care. I'm totally done with the idea that i can safely vaporize kerosene and burn it in order to heat the cabin. I can't imagine being able to sleep at night with it running after the troubles it has given me. I don't think i have ever managed to get it to run consistently for more than a few hours. I think it's very likely that Sea Sure fucked up the delicate balance of the original Primus burner in order to save on the cost of the brass casting but i don't really know. I can't imagine how anyone could be successful using this heater, yet they are. I hate giving up. I am going to look into installing a propane burner in the taylors housing because a boat without vented heat just doesn't seem comfortable to me.
Enough bitching about the heater, we stay pretty warm curled up in our little berth at night and have plenty of wool long johns.
I installed the life-lines the other day and though they aren't very stiff, as i complained about before, once the the stanchions are all tied together, they seem adequately strong. They also are completely outside the rails and so don't confine our movements down the side decks as the old ones did.
Annie finished Tad's tubes and they work beautifully. I can stand right on the gunwales without falling into the drink.

Comments [3]

Posted by: Annie
Wednesday, 25 March 2009, Chesapeake Bay, Jabin's Yacht Yard

We're living on the water in the boatyard.... waiting for some new rigging for Emma and her mast hopefully this week yet; getting to know the boat in the water and just living, simply, on the boat. Taylor the heater is not living up to expectations, but we've been plenty warm anyway, the cook (Tom) making sure we get plenty of hot sauce and the baker (me) put cayenne pepper and cinnamon in the brownies today. Oooh, yum. Went for a sail in the dink (Tad) and it's lots of fun and great rowing too when not sailing. I just finished making some flotation tubes for Tad although not shown in this picture and maybe I'll blog about that later if they work out well. We went for a sail on the bay Monday afternoon with a new friend in his boat, actually a friend of a friend of a friend - a seaman - who is graciously sharing his local knowledge and his experience with us, he's a natural teacher as well as a seaman. Quizzed me on "what's a topping lift?" and whatnot. Awesome.

Comments [0]

Posted by: Annie
Thursday, 19 March 2009, Bert Jabin's Yacht Yard, Annapolis, MD

Emma was safely delivered to Bert Jabin's Yacht Yard in Annapolis, MD by Mark of Christine's Transport; Tom and I and everything we own delivered safely too thanks to Tom's buddies Travis and Mike. We spent one night on the hard and then she went into the water. The Captain doused her with Moet & Chandon and called on the favor of Poseidon. She's happy to be home again, you can just feel her spirit.

Comments [7]

Annie
Monday, 16 March 2009, Newcomerstown, Ohio

We're on our way. First destination - Chesapeake Bay.

Comments [5]

Tom, overcast and calm
Saturday, 14 March 2009, The driveway

Just as my arm was starting to ache from congratulatory pats on my own back, i was put soundly in my place again. The Optimus burner that is the heart of Taylor, the faithful heater, no longer holds much mystery for me. I can almost always light it with the minimum of fuss and yellowish flames, no sooty smoke, no embarrassing spills of flaming kerosene. I use MAPP gas to preheat (don't ask me what it stands for) as it burns much hotter than propane, it's what i've used for years to solder copper pipe fittings. It only takes 20 seconds of playing the flame over the right parts of the burner now. Luke, from Seasure told me to remove the inner jet and throw it in the bin and what a difference it makes. Now i'm able to achieve consistently high burner settings with no fading or tearing apart the burner every other day to clean the inner jet. As night fell on Wednesday we snuggled up in our warm cabin, a full tank of Kerosene and no worries about the mid 20's and wind surrounding our home. As i came back in from the shop after my last smoke of the day, i noticed the atmosphere inside was a little thick and made my eyes water, probably just this shitty cold. but the CO sensor noticed the same thing and kicked us out at 1 am to go play in the shop until the air cleared up. We plugged in the electric heater again and shivered through the rest of the night after the cabin had been thoroughly aired. My first hypothesis was a chimney full of soot but it didn't stand the scrutiny of the scientific method, it's clean as a whistle. Second hypothesis, the chimney doesn't protrude through the cabin-top far enough to provide a good consistent draw. I fired Taylor back up again just now and it's easy to tell the level at which flue gases start venting into the cabin, about half way to full fire. I think we can run it safely at this level, but of course it will plug the main jet with carbon sooner and won't really heat the boat on the hard below about 30 degrees. I'm going to run it all day and see what the CO thingy thinks about it. When we get out east i'll try to test my second hypothesis by having a small section of chimney made to raise it off the deck a bit. Should help with the discoloration of the paint due to heat and carbon so close to the cabin-top too.
We've been reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, or rather i've been reading it out load to Annie in the evenings. It's always been a favorite of mine though i've never managed to slog all the way through it. The early parts are a nice mixture of traveling and theory and Annie usually starts out disagreeing with some of the wilder flights of theory but is soon lulled asleep by the dense prose. (and maybe my sonorous voice, or soothing delivery) Soon we will start talking philosophy and start the ascent of the mountains of intellect and she will once again disagree with Hume, maybe tonight. Maybe this time we'll make it through.
The crane comes Monday at 8 am, a different crane since the one i had set up had a schedule conflict. Good thing i found that out on Thursday instead of Monday. Maybe my next post will be in Annapolis, probably something about where the hell do all these ropes go?

Comments [1]

Annie
Friday, 13 March 2009, Home

What are you leaving behind? This was the question someone asked me at a dinner party this week with Tom's friends and former clients. My hand instinctively touched my heart and I said "my grandbabies." Leaving the house (mine still on the market in Peoria, what a bad time to sell) and my career (20 years in IT) and all of my stuff -- none of it matters. But my grandbabies... some days this makes me sad and other days I realize that my voyaging the oceans will expand their universe in a way not otherwise possible. I gave each of them a globe and told them that Nana is moving onto a boat. Blake says "Go to China where all the cool people are!" In this photo - Blake and Taylor. See Ian also in these photos: Photo Gallery

Comments [2]

Tom, calm and cool and cloudy
Wednesday, 11 March 2009, Home

I'm not really generating enough electricity today to justify constant tea and hot toddies, or playing on the web all morning, but i seem to have come down with my yearly illness. Just a cold, but if possible it always helps me to relax and drink hot whiskey instead of fighting it. All the lifeline stanchions are installed and i'm not crazy about them. I feel like the perfect design was out there and maybe within reach but i failed to find it. What we have is neither as strong nor as graceful as i intended. They don't look bad though, to me at least, and they are strong enough to serve their purpose and they don't obstruct the side decks like the horrible old stanchions did. Mike is going to make the lines themselves for us when we arrive in Annapolis. I packed stuff up yesterday for a while then Annie and i finished the cloth headliner installation just in time to have dinner with some dear old friends at John's house (which i built about 7 years ago). There were some other folks there i've worked for over the years and delicious wine and John turned 70, a feat to be celebrated since he certainly had never believed such things were possible. Pamela and i talked for a while about the timing of our adventure. With the construction industry in the dumps and Cat laying off people by the bucket-load, it seems well timed. It's hard to find interesting jobs in this market, especially compared to the houses i've been able to build over the last decade. And for Emma, it's not a moment too soon to be heading back to the sea.

Comments [1]

Tom, Calm, clear and warm, at least 50
Wednesday, 04 March 2009, The driveway

We've been very lucky to have this chance to live in the driveway for a few weeks on the boat. Finding out what works (the solar panels for sure) and what doesn't (Annie's silk bathrobe for example). The Taylors heater that i've been having a love hate relationship with has relented and is now working steadily. I hope i'm not jinxing this by mentioning it. I sent an e-mail to England to ask for guidance and was dismayed by a lack of reply but when i talked to the folks at St. Brendan's about my replacement burners today, the said that my e-mail had come through and Blakes-Lavac-Taylors requested that i be sent new burners post haste. What a relief. I seem to be one of the few people left on earth trying to heat with pressurized Kerosene and have been very worried that i made a terrible mistake choosing it over propane. The prompt response to my dilemma is a real load off and i think the burner that i had given up on is ok after all. Vaporizing kerosene gas is certainly not everone's cup of tea. It takes some getting used to but Taylors and Optimus make such a high quality product that i think in the long run, i won't regret the choice. The stove is awesome, the water finally thawed out ( 8 degrees here the last couple nights) the electric system is perfect and the bed is comfy. We may have to add some memory foam, we'll see how Annie's back feels after she is finished sitting on the floor stitching sails all day. The punch list is shrinking slowly but has definitely got to the point where i feel comfortable finishing the rest of the items after we float. Money will be tight as neither of us managed to sell anything we own for much but that is as it should be. Retirement doesn't interest either of us much. The trepidation i felt as 3 weeks til launch crept up on us has been replaced by a longing to feel the living heave of the ocean under her deck, a longing Emma has felt all along.

Comments [1]