Capt Chris
04/28/2007, Newport RI

I know these mundane details may not seem all that thrilling to the vast majority of the population. But to me getting a new cordless drill.....well it just pleases me!

So Big Don from the local Home Depot suckered me right into a Bosch drill. She's made in Switzerland and is supposed to be as powerful as my 14.4 volt drill which....as you know is no longer with us. I like it because it is considerably smaller than the old drill making for more efficient storage. Anyway, at least it will match my Swiss Army watch, which is important.

More Later
Capt Chris

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Capt Chris, Cloudy Calm
04/28/2007, Newport RI

Hello All,

I added a guest book link that can be accessed on the top right of the page under My Favorites. Click on My Guest Book and it should link you right to the page. Please take the time and let me know that you stopped by! I do appreciate it.

It's great fun knowing folks are skulking on my blog!

Capt Chris

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Capt Chris/Partly Cloudy, mid 60's
04/25/2007, PJ

I'm at CG Station Point Judith this week conducting another Ready for Operations inspection. This inspection is kind of special in that I used to be stationed at Point Judith.

I reported aboard Station Point Judith on a very bitterly cold January night in 1990. I remember it well as I had driven my ragtop Jeep across the northern rockies and plains in the winter. Not smart. I also had an engine block melt down and spent two weeks in Miles City Montana. But that is an entirely different story.

Point Judith is a really beautiful piece of land that sticks out into the Atlantic. I lived for about a year on the third deck of the Coast Guard Station and had the wonderful view of the lighthouse.

So anyway, I spent a portion of the day drilling with the crew offshore. Can't wait to pass this stretch of water and leave it astern. How soon? Check out my "Freedom Counter" linked to the right.

More later

Capt Chris

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Capt Chris
04/23/2007, Newport RI

I had a very strange and potentially dangerous event occur yesterday. For reasons I can't explain my 14.4 volt cordless Ryobi drill caught on fire!

Someone loves me because this event took place by happenstance that I was aboard. Here is the sitch.

I had put the battery in the charger the day before and charged it up fully. I used the drill, stuck it back into its container and then failed to put it back in its designated storage spot. This turned out to be a blessing. 24 hours later I was stretched out on my new green cushion merrily reading a book when......"what's that smell." Something was burning and I couldn't figure out what it was and then......smoke starts billowing out of the grey case. I subsequently leaped into action! Steppin and fetchin as Charlie Daniels would say and piled out the hatch onto the dock.

Once I got out on the dock and opened the case.....it was pretty much engulfed. I tied it off and deep sixed it. Of course this was big news on the dock and every rubber necker on the dock came out of the wood work for instant analysis and commentary followed by several sea stories.

While I joke about it, I was and am fairly rattled. If I had not been onboard or had stowed it like normal a very different post would be uploaded to the blog. I have no idea what the lesson is other than leave the battery disconnected from the cordless drill?

Fire Marshall Bill

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Capt Chris/Sunny 70's, calm
04/22/2007, Newport RI

I made the transit yesterday from Woods Hole to Newport. I departed about 0930 and arrived in my new slip at 530pm.

The trip was wonderful. I motor sailed the entire trip with light south westerlies a point or so off the port bow. No matter as I really wanted to exercise the Yanmar and shake off the winter cold. Engine ran great....not a hiccup.

In fact all my gizmo's worked like a champ. This was the first time I've used the boat with the Navman chart plotter. Man what a great invention. I run two Nav programs when power is not an issue. I run the Navman and GPSNavX on my Mac.

I also was able to test the C.A.R.D system. Which is a collision avoidance unit. It works just like the radar detectors folks use to avoid the fuzz. It will pick up ships radar and provide a bearing to the contact while "chirpping" a very irritating...well chirp. It works but not as well as I had hoped. I think I need to play around with it to get it sqealched correctly.

The picture is entering East Passage of Narragansett Bay. This move constitutes one more major step toward taking off for the big trip. Next big move comes in September when I move Christa to the Rappahhanock River.

All wells in my world! And yours?

Capt Chris

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