Gaining skills and confidence
28 May 2018
We completed ASA 104 Coastal Cruising, a course designed to teach skills needed to competently handle a bareboat charter sailboat. We reviewed docking skills, aids to navigation, chart reading, rules of the road, and learned new techniques. We did more practice docking and anchoring, and anchored out for three nights, living aboard, cooking meals, using boat systems without being hooked up to shore power and marina water.
Sailing was great! We spent some time in class aboard our instructor Kevin's catamaran, anchored near Lollygagger in the Ashley River across from City Marina, but we also sailed quite a bit in the harbor. We refueled the boat and successfully docked under varying conditions of wind and current. Each time we gained more confidence, and some moves became second nature. As we continue sailing the boat more of the moves will become more instinctive, but we feel like we are much improved by what we learned and put into practice in these classes. The instructors from Charleston Sailing School were great.
As much as we'd like to get out sailing again right away, we still have some things we want to finish with the boat. New LectraSan heads fore and aft, tracing down some gremlins in some systems, and having all the teak on the deck stripped and revarnished. That alone is a five week project, and while it is being done we can't sail the boat. We are also having all the interior seating and the v-berth reupholstered with new foam and fabric.
When all that is finished, probably the end of June, we will take the boat to NC. We will probably have Kevin or Sterling accompany us for the first leg, an offshore run to Beaufort, where we will enter the inlet and anchor or dock the boat. From there Debby and I will continue on by ourselves, following the Intracoastal Waterway to Columbia, NC.
Meanwhile, we will stay on the boat at St. John's, and also spend some time at our cottage in Buxton, on Hatteras Island.
Starting to sail
12 May 2018
Lat/ weather was sunny with SW winds at 5 kts , becoming S at 15 kts in the afternoon
We finally got Lollygagger away from the dock as we began taking some sailing courses with Charleston Sailing School. The first two days we stayed at the dock as Captain Dave went through basic sailing terms, points of sail, and some work with charts in ASA 101. We were supposed to go out on the boat and perform some sailing maneuvers, but an issue with the bow thruster thwarted that. We both passed the written test with flying colors, but were disappointed that we didn't get out sailing.
The next two days were with Captain Sterling in ASA 103, and he was great. We covered chart reading, planning and setting course for passage, and we headed out pretty quickly. We motored through Wappoo Creek, passing through the drawbridge and into Charleston Harbor, where we learned to anchor the boat using the windlass.
After a break for lunch we unfurled the sails, learning how to use the in-mast furling mainsail and the electric furling equipment on the Genoa headsail. We sailed all around the harbor, tacking and learning how to use the various winches to trim the sails, and how to operate the autopilot. We soon realized the value of using autopilot, as it allows a crew of two to handle all the lines while the boat sails on the proper course.
We spent a lot of time practicing docking techniques, learning to go VERY slowly, using the throttle more than the wheel to maneuver the boat to a soft landing. We learned how to secure the dock lines, and how to use them to point the bow away from the dock when departing. With several multi-million dollar yachts around us, the first couple approaches were a little nerve-wracking, but Captain Sterling gave us great directions and showed us that we can successfully handle docking with a take-it-slowly approach.
We spent that night at the dock at City Marina, and the next morning we re-rigged some of the running rigging, since we will not be using a running backstay anytime soon (if ever), and the line on the outhaul had been jamming in the fairleads, so we swapped it out with the mainsheet line, which worked better.
Leaving the dock was a little tight, but we got turned around and headed out, setting course to go outside the harbor, and into the Atlantic. Debby was at the helm almost all day, getting the hang of using the autopilot to make minor course corrections while I handled trimming and easing the sails. We put the centerboard down, which increases our draft from 4'11" to 11' and really helps the boat's performance under sail.
Debby was nervous, especially when we had some big commercial ships coming out behind us, but with calm words from Sterling and assurance that we were fine, she handled the boat well. We were heeled over and doing better than 7 knots in a 15-knot wind, but the boat sailed really well, and was solid and stable, even when we had to handle a 4-foot high wake from a passing sportfishing boat.
At the end of the day we took the boat back into the harbor, and into Wappoo Creek. We had to wait for 30 minutes at the drawbridge, so we filled the time practicing slow close approaches on nearby docks with a strong current. Once through the bridge we headed back to our slip at St. John's Yacht Harbor, where Sterling did a masterful job of coaching me through docking the boat by "crabbing" sideways down the fairway to our slip, using the current, wind and prop walk.
That was a really fun day, and we learned a lot about handling the boat under sail, our own capabilities, and what we still don't know (which is a lot). Looking forward to doing more of this in ASA 104 in two weeks, which includes an overnight offshore trip that we plan and execute.
Updating our progress
18 April 2018
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We have been living aboard at the marina for several weeks, with just a brief visit back to Mooresville a couple weeks ago, and a trip to The Abacos with our friends who go there with us every year.
Sadly, upon our return we found that Buddy's liver disease had reached a serious level, and he had lost a lot of weight. He wasn't eating well, was depressed and listless much of the time, so we stayed in Mooresville a little longer than planned, to love on him and try to get some weight and strength back on him. Instead, he continued to lose weight and was clearly very sick. We finally had to do the thing we dreaded, but knew was the right thing, and Buddy made one last visit to Dr. Todd. We miss him on the boat, and at our side wherever we are.
We have made a good bit of progress getting systems and some upgrades done on the boat. We have installed most of the Clozure sliding window and hatch blinds, replaced a propane tank, a mirror, and some LED light fixtures. We also changed the oil in the engine and generator, a gauge on the Racor filters and fixed an annoying alarm that was sounding whenever the engine was running. It was simply wired wrong, and once we fixed that we replaced the oil pressure switch that was giving a faulty signal. We also had the manifold for the onboard fresh water tanks replaced, and have new upholstery being made for the settees, the nav station and the v-berth.
Charleston Race Week was last weekend, and we attended the festivities last Thursday night. Sunday's final races of the event were cancelled because of a storm system that swept through the area, bringing lightning, heavy rains and wind gusts over 50 mph. Boats were rocking and rolling at the dock, but no damage here.
We are now scheduled to take ASA 101, 103 and 104 in May, which should leave us confident in our ability to handle the boat sailing, docking, anchoring, etc. we are looking forward to that, and then we will head north on the ICW to take Lollygagger to her summer home, a small marina just off the Albemarle Sound in Columbia, NC. That is only a 1 1/2 hour drive from our summer home in Buxton on Hatteras Island.
Getting a taste of living aboard
24 February 2018 | Johns Island, SC
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We have been living aboard for almost a week at St. John's Yacht Harbor on Johns Island, SC. Our goal was to clean the interior woodwork (pretty much all the interior is wood cabinetry, floors, etc.), to get rid of the mildew that has grown since the boat has been largely unused for over two years. We also wanted to start getting familiar with all the equipment on board. There is a lot, with radar, two HVAC units, pressurized hot and cold water, two heads, solar and wind chargers for the batteries, a watermaker, refrigerator and freezer units, and the radios and navigation equipment.
We weren't able to get as much cleaning as we wanted to, because one of the first discoveries was the low water pressure. We got some help from Tommy Penninger in tracking down the problems, which included replacing a burst water hose and finding a broken baffle manifold, the bronze tank that all three water tanks feed into for distribution to the galley and head fixtures. Tommy was a great help, and we now have good water pressure, while we are using the water from the marina. The manifold is out for repair, and once we get it back we will be able to fill and use our own water tanks.
We also had a technician from Atlantic ACR check out the HVAC and refrigerator & freezer. He said everything looks good, and showed me how to check and clean the strainers, etc. to keep them working efficiently. It's a good feeling to start checking off some of the items on the list of our learning curve. Still lots to learn, but yesterday seemed like a good start.
We've also gotten to know some of our neighbors on C dock, Rick and Christine aboard Echoes, who are getting ready to depart for the Virgin Islands, Tommy and Marsha aboard Cock Tales, and some others. Buddy seems to have settled in some to the new environment, and is doing well.
Back in the water again
10 February 2018 | St. John's Yacht Harbor, Johns Island, SC
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We finally got the work at the boatyard finished, and relaunched the boat this week. We had the MaxProp overhauled, new bottom paint, heads and through hull valves serviced and a bow thruster installed. We also had the old boat name and hailing port removed from the transom, and installed the Lollygagger name and hailing port. A couple of winter storms (rare in Charleston) delayed the work some, but we are happy to be back in the water, and renamed.
When we got to the boatyard dock Wednesday it was very windy, with a cold front moving through and rain squalls expected. We talked to Greg, who was going to help us move to the marina, just a few miles downriver. We decided to wait until the front passed, and move the boat on Thursday.
We loaded some gear, mostly galleyware, some bigger fenders and new fleece fender covers, and bedding, etc for the stateroom, and picked up some groceries. Buddy, our 12 year old pointer, hopped right aboard and explored the deck and cockpit. We had to lift him, squirming, to get him in and out of the cabin, because the companionway steps are more like a ladder, too steep for Buddy to go down. Other than that he seemed to like everything.
We slept aboard for the first time Wednesday night, and the berth was very comfortable. We did get a brief heavy rain just after we got aboard, and had to roll down the cockpit enclosure, but it passed and the winds calmed within about an hour. Overnight the bilge pump was cycling every 2-5 minutes, which was a little concerning, but it seemed to be managing whatever water was in the bilge.
In the morning I quickly found the source of at least most of the water intrusion. A raw water intake hose under the galley sink was missing a hose clamp, and a steady trickle of water was streaming in from that connection. It was not a line we needed to use, probably the air conditioner cooling line, so I closed the seacock, stopping the water flow. We ate breakfast and got some things stowed away, and took Buddy for a walk while we waited for Greg and his fiancé Katie to arrive. We did find a small leak around a toilet gasket, which the boatyard mechanic came and fixed. It was caused by some stripped threads on the bolts.
We got underway about 1:30, just motoring this trip. The bow thruster worked very well, and the MaxProp was much more efficient. Weather was good, and I took the helm for the first time, basically just aiming the boat, and monitoring depth, engine temp and oil pressure, and learning how to operate the autopilot.
When we arrived at St. John's Yacht Harbor, I handed the helm over to Greg. My docking experience has been on a 27' boat on an inland lake, with an outboard motor. I will develop those skills to handle a 47' boat in a strong wind and current, but for the first time, we were all more comfortable with an experienced Captain backing into the slip. Greg said the bow thruster was a big help, and we got tied up after a little maneuvering. This will be home for Lollygagger for the next couple months, while we take some ASA courses and get familiar with living aboard, and all the systems on the boat.
Almost ready to splash
13 January 2018
We met with Tom at Ross Marine this week, and went aboard Lollygagger to check on the progress of work. The bow thruster was installed and bottom painted this week. Heads have been rebuilt, and they are exploring locations to install a holding tank in the forward head. The MaxProp needed a major overhaul, but should be shipped back in about a week, we think. Wind vane and changing the name of the boat on the transom are just about all that is left to do.
Tom thinks we will be able to launch the boat in a week or so, at which time we will probably move her to St. John's Yacht Harbor, a short distance away on the Stono River. That will be our base for the next couple months, as we take some ASA courses and get some experience with the boat.
The bow thruster had to be installed a few feet aft of the normal location, because our water maker and water tank are under the V berth, where they would normally put the thruster. It will be a little less efficient there, but should still be a big help when maneuvering in a wind or strong current.
We are looking forward to beginning to actually sail our boat, after delays from hurricanes and Deep South snowstorms.