06/18/2009, Gulf of Aqaba
There is an old joke that asks "How do you make God laugh?" the response being "Make a plan." Aboard Yofy we've heard God's chuckle for a couple of years and we've finally got smart. We're not making plans anymore. No siree. Oh, we have a general goal that has not changed and we have dreams but we are also learning to accept that some things are not in our control.
Take the world economy for example. All around us people are loosing jobs and savings are slowly dwindling. Cruisers are thinking twice about spending big money for canal passages such as the Panama and the Suez. Passage planning takes into careful consideration marina fees in costly places such as the Mediterranean.
One of the big projects left to do on Yofy is haulout. In most marinas around the world sailors haul their boats out every one to two years for general maintenance on the hull. In Canada our marina fees included the option to haulout and mast de-step once a year. Here in Eilat, two years after we bought Yofy, our marina cancelled the possibility to haulout on site.
In the intermitting time different options were explored until the city opened a space of shoreline next to Eilat's commercial harbour and accepted bids on haulout management and facilities. With the finesse reminicient of a banana republic, the bid went to a family that had no experience in the field and they proceeded to make a small fortune. Prices at this facility were set at over $2000 dollars for a small boat Yofy's size. Yard facilities included a square of sandy ground, an extension cable to an electrical hookup and use of a hose for water. Yard hands were handy to weld, scrape and paint. Quality of work was dicey at best, but the real terror was the ways car.
Lacking a travel lift or even a hefty crane, this facilty chose to use the most basic ways car method to haul boats from the water to land. Additionally as most of the boats using the haulout facility were large commercial boats in the chicken charter trade, the ways car they built was meant for large vessels. On the spot adaptations were made by welding steel wedges in place to accommodate smaller boats. The approach to the ways car is open to the sea and in a blow onshore waves can make hauling out dangerous indeed.
This yard operated for several years holding fast to their monopoly. Damages to boats were not uncommon and boat owners always held their breath before the final bill. This winter, sailboat owners got fed up and began to pester city hall for another option. After several meetings and stalled decisions last week the word was out that the yard had been closed. What boatowners will do now is up in the air.
Fortunately the first year we owned Yofy we had the chance to do one major haulout including an osmosis job on the hull. However that was six years ago and to say our hull is foul is an understatement. Every few months Manny dives on the hull and scrapes her as clean as he can, but we cannot replace seacocks and inspect our rudder or shaft.
Last Saturday we went out sailing with Doron and as luck would have it we caught some shots of the family having one last barbeque on their business premisis. It was a calm day with almost no wind and Yofy barely moved in the water sluggish with her foul bottom. We didn't really care because it was a hot sultry day and all we really wanted to do was to get off shore and jump in for a swim.
Around four in the afternoon we dropped our sails and drifted in the middle of the Bay of Aqaba. As I made lunch, I heard Manny pointing out some clouds to Doron and saying "It looks like rain." We all smiled. "Rain? In June? No way." Manny grabbed his mask and snorkel and slipped over Yofy's transom for a quick inspection of her hull. Moments later I looked out the companion way and saw a line of sharp waves heading our way. As I headed for the cockpit, Manny raised his head and clamberd on board. Within less than a minute a southerly squall passed over Yofy, letting loose a few sprinkles of rain and whipping the sea into a foaming temper. Spumes blew off the tops of waves around us and Yofy leaned on her side against the gusts. We all watched in awe as wind speeds leapt from 8 knots to 35 or 40.
Manny and I moved into heavy weather procedures. He pulled up the swim ladder, started the engine and kept it in idle. I added extra ties to our sun awning and made sure everything on deck was secure. We both eyed our searoom, ready to head further out to sea if we had to. And then the wind died and in fifteen minutes it was all over.
This is so typical of sailing conditions on the Red Sea. The day's weather forecast had been for benign conditions. Sailors who headed out that day were more concerned with sun protection than sea condtions. The only warning was that odd line of clouds that could just as easily blow over- that and one day before full moon. I always take the weather seriously close to a full moon.
So, just as any day on the sea can call for a change of plans, we are rethinking our summer choices. These economic times and Eilat's limited facilities for cruisers are calling for some creative thinking.
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05/07/2009, Gulf of Aqaba
Childhood memories of spring cleaning in my Canadian home don't hold a candle to Passover cleaning in Israel. Women in this country begin their cleaning a good month before the holiday. Every inch of the home gets a thorough cleaning. Walls are scrubbed or painted, windows shined, and kitchens scoured till they glisten. This spring cleaning is no small chore and it takes on the importance of national pride.
Understand then, the frustration everyone feels at this time of the year, when a Sharav blows in and dumps a carload of sand in each persons sparkling clean home. This years' Passover Sharav blew in mid week just as we were enjoying a BBQ with friends.
The next day I arose bright and early to face some serious cleaning and caught the crew of one of the charter boats sweeping the decks. Chuckling to myself, I got out the hose and began rinsing inches of sand off of Yofy's deck and rigging. Once the decks were dry, I turned to the interior and used my special dust - buster combo. This is an invention that works a charm when you don't have a vacuum cleaner. Oh, did I mention that our shop vac broke down one day before the Sharav blew in?
My dust - buster consists of one carpet beater, one large soft, thick rag (half an old bath towel works well) a bucket of clean water and a dab of dish washing soap. I use it to clean all of Yofy's upholstery. Sailboat interiors sport a proportionally large number of upholstered cushions that even without a Sharav are prone to collecting dust and mold. While I do machine wash the covers once a year, I use this technique between washes to keep the fabric bright and sweet smelling. In damp environments I add a couple of drops of tea tree oil to the water or alternately a splash of vinegar to deter mold.
I immerse the rag in the bucket of slightly soapy water and ring it out well. Then I lay the extended rag on the cushion and bang the bejeezes out of it with the carpet beater. After a few whacks I rinse the rag and continue till I've banged the entire surface of the cushion. It is truly amazing just how much dirt this method will release. Of course, Manny likes to make sexual innuendos whenever he sees me getting out the carpet beater and neighbours get a good laugh when they see me whacking away, but who am I to let a little ribbing get in the way of a good thing?
This year I have discovered a new cleaning product that has many uses aboard Yofy. It is an environmentally friendly degreaser. While I normally keep my cleaning supplies down to a few basics, this spray degreaser has really come in handy. The brand that I use is called "Ecofriend" but I am sure there are other equally good products out there on the market. We have used this degreaser to not only clean the oven, but our bilges, vinyl cockpit cushions, fenders, vinyl coated lifelines and even to remove cetol dribbles from our fiberglass hull. The last use was clearly a grab in an emergency and it did cross my mind that I wouldn't want to be spraying the gelcoat at random with this stuff. Better to spay some on a cloth and to swipe the dribble itself, but it did work a charm.
Years ago, just after we had invested in our lovely pale green upholstery, I knocked over a full glass of red wine straight on to one of the salon cushions. As the red stain spread, I let loose a few explicatives, thought about how much it would cost us to replace that cushion and dove for the salt. Unfortunately no amount of salt would remove the stain and by the next morning there was quite a large ugly mark. I mixed hydrogen peroxide straight with a teaspoon of dishwashing soap and dribbled it all over the stain rubbing the detergent in well. Then I took the cover off the cushion and went to a Laundromat. The cover came out of the washing machine good as new with no signs of red wine at all. Since then we've kept a good supply of hydrogen peroxide aboard and use it regularly for spot stains on the upholstery.
When I am cooking with lemons, I save the skins after juicing and use them to give our brass a quick rub. If the brass has been neglected for some time I will use half a fresh lemon and allow the juice to sit awhile. Later I can sprinkle on coarse salt and give the brass a rub with the lemon skin. Lemons are also a good cleaner for untreated teak and they cut grease well. You can rub the interior of a lemon skin over your varnished bulkheads and cabinets to degrease. Then wipe clean with using a bucket of water and a clean rag and you will have a sweet smelling cabin with glowing woodwork.
We like to keep a gallon jug of simple vinegar on board Yofy. Vinegar is an excellent cleaning substance and has many uses on board a cruising sailboat. Every few months, we dump about 2 cups of vinegar in the head, pump it into the hoses and let it stand for a few hours. Then we pump the vinegar out and rinse with sea water. Manny also runs vinegar in much the same way through Yofy's engine about once a year. Vinegar will help prevent the salt water scale that builds up in hoses without damaging rubber seals and valves. Fiberglass head compartments will smell sweet and remain mildew free if you regularly wipe them down with a vinegar water solution and vinegar makes a wonderful hair rinse.
Meanwhile, yet another Sharav is on the horizon and my sinuses are having a party. - Nothing to do but batten down the hatches and prepare for another round of spring cleaning.
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03/31/2009, Gulf of Aqaba
Our friend Derek wrote us recently about an Arab expression that he learned from his father who spent some time in Egypt. Derek's father roughly translated Sham El-Nessim as meaning "the smell of the breeze". He remembers his father telling him that this was the name of spring breezes that were the "signal" for those with money to move to their seaside homes near Alexandria to escape the heat of the summer in Cairo. I did a little research on the internet and found out that Sham El-Nessim is in fact a festival signifying the arrival of spring and is a uniquely Egyptian tradition practiced since the days of the Pharaohs.
Since Derek's email, the expression has been on my mind. For lately there has been the scent of something warm and sultry in the air. Of course the real proof of spring came at the beginning of March with our first Shirav. While I go on about smelling the breeze many of you are asking "What about that new engine?" Rest assured that we've made good progress.
Throughout February Manny did last minute adjustments to the new engine and worked on the alignment. Then one evening when I arrived at the boat I found him ready to start the engine. The nanni diesel turned over at the click of the switch. Manny looked at me and said "Is there less noise?" Our old Ruggerini engine shook like a Parkinson patient and was so loud conversation was impossible. I called up to Manny from my place in the galley and said "What do you think? We're talking!" And then a huge smile broke out on his face as he also realized the difference.
Later that week we asked our friend Pedro to join us as we set out for a trial sail. After six months at the dock Yofy's bottom sported more than her usual marine growth, but we managed to make way. It was a day of light winds and we were happy to motor down the Gulf. Manny eagerly read off knots from our GPS readings and both of us kept exclaiming about the speed we were making - "even with a foul bottom!" Although I'm sure Pedro grew a little tired of our fixation on speed over ground, I do have to say that we are delighted with the extra push this new engine is giving us.
Midway through our day we found ourselves well away from land. We turned off the engine and lay adrift while I served some lunch. The sun shone and a
light breeze played over the water as we ate. Off in the distance, the outline of Egypt's Sinai coast beckoned. We raised a glass to toast the end of one long project.
Over the next few weeks we did several more day sails, checking the engine against stronger winds and waves. Each time we returned dockside, Manny climbed in the engine room to check for leaks or tweak the alignment. After years of sailing with a questionable engine, we needed more than just a little assurance that this new diesel was in good running condition.
While Manny focused on the engine, I gave a light sand and three coats of cetol to all of Yofy's brightwork. In the beginning we kept a close eye on the durability of varnish, teak oil and other recommended products and soon found that in this climate cetol stands the test. So, a few years ago, I sanded all the brightwork down to wood and applied five coats of cetol. In any other climate, I would only need to reapply one new coat each year, but Eilat's strong sun, sandy winds and salty air eat through several coats a year.
As our hours of daylight slowly lengthened, Manny became determined to clean Yofy's bottom. He dug through our lockers unearthing his scuba gear and waited for the next mild day. Last Saturday he filled his air tank, took a long exhale and zipped into his wetsuit. Grabbing a plastic scrapper, he stepped overboard and set to work. Half an hour later he surfaced covered in bits of barnacle, looked at me and said "You know, we really do have to haul out soon."
After a good wash and a chance to warm up in the sun, Manny was ready to do a test sail. There is something about guys and performance. He just had to see if Yofy would make another half a knot under power with a clean bottom. Within half an hour we were back out on the water glued to the GPS. Excitement mounting we watched the numbers climb until Yofy was making 5.9 knots under power. Manny looked at me and grinned. "Just imagine what she'll do after haul out!"
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