Kaimusailing

Another camera came in, this one a little point and shoot, it was hard to keep it steady, it was so small and light. The software package that came with it wouldn’t load onto the navigatrix computer I am using.
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The new deck plate in the pilothouse got primed with epoxy along with its oak planking, then another deck plate was used to clamp the planks firmly onto the deck plate, separating with wax paper to prevent unwanted gluing of the two deck plates together.
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The next day was a brutal awakening to raw blustery weather. It was time to work indoors and try to heat the interior of the boat with the little propane space heater. It could only heat one compartment, so I moved it from the galley to the pilothouse where I did some edge trimming on the new deck plate.
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I had been having a problem with OpenCPN, the navigation software that is included in navigatrix. I also have it loaded on the windows machine. The problem is that it won’t connect with the USB GPS antenna. In navigatrix there are other apps that show the GPS is working. After experimenting with several of the antennas I found that some of them had corroded USB connectors, so they would have to be replaced, and there was just one that was working, a microsoft pharos. After poring over the navigatrix and opencpn help documentation, I tried several of their helpful hints. What actually worked was going into the connections tab on opencpn and highlighting the previously entered connections and removing them, then hit apply, then go to the gps satellite app which is found in the navigatrix navigation tab in the menu and look in the information listed under the satellite map display, look for something like /dev/ttyUSB0. If you get “proto” listed in that line, your gps isn’t communicating. Now in opencpn you can put ttyUSB0 or whatever is in the /dev/ listing and enable it as a connection. It looks like opencpn will recognize the port and it will show up when you click on the down arrow next to the box. To be more specific, click on the tools tab which has an icon that looks like a wrench, then the connections tab at the top of that menu. When you click on “add a connection”, additional entry boxes appear at the bottom of the menu and when you click on the down arrow next to the dataport entry box, your gps port should be prompted. If it is working.
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Even the microsoft pharos antenna that did work has some corrosion on it, so it is time to shop for new gps’s.
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I found a replacement Tiger Claw pure sine wave inverter on eBay and ordered it. There is some apprehension about chinese electrical devices, so if you find one that is reliable, stick with it. Also a direct replacement of the microwave oven was ordered from Walmart, free pick up at store.
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This cold weather, working indoors, and ordering things online is getting expensive.
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I made coffee and an omelet in the galley in the morning. It was 28 degrees, but I can’t complain, back up in Maryland they were getting plastered with over 2 feet of snow, 50 knot winds, and single digit wind chills. While I was preparing the omelet I heard a tapping on the hull and found out there was a communal car ride to the local stores, if I could get ready in time. I ate quickly and changed out of my pajamas. Off we went. I didn’t have a lot to buy, but one must take advantage of the opportunity when it presents itself. I had plenty of time in the store to window shop and looked at tablet computers. I almost bought one. They are so inexpensive now. I took pictures of them to research later.
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The weather began to improve, mornings still cold. The new deck plate got a coat of epoxy with 10 percent graphite, sort of like black paint. The idea was to fill in the cracks between the planks with black. The plate will be sanded to reveal the natural wood color, leaving just the imperfections with the black.
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The broken portlight in the forward bunk was cut up with the multitool and removed by hammering it with a pry bar and large hammer. The multitool had been on the blink and I thought I would have to buy a new one. First I found replacement brushes for the motor and replaced them. No go. Then I ohmed the power cord and power switch. It was the tool end of the cord that was faulty, so it was cut back, tinned, and reattached. The tool ran properly after that.
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The young Russian was finally launched. He broke out a bottle of wine and everyone in the boatyard came and had a toast to the relaunching. When he pulled out of the slip, going the wrong way, the crowd was yelling and pointing for him to turn around. There was no channel the way he was going.
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The picture is of the launch. Salut!