The Short Strokes
01 August 2009 | Semiahmoo, but not for much longer
Andrew
Conceptually I understand a blog is a regular online rant. So far we can only confess to the rant aspect. With our aggressive timelines, getting prepared has been a higher priority than talking about getting prepared.
A self imposed deadline of completing all installations on Mulan by July 31 was more or less met. The last few days of July were rather frantic putting everything back together after significant dismantling required to install wiring, radio ground planes and other 'stuff'. For the past few weeks Andrew has been effectively living in a workshop, with the only available cushions still in place and available for sleeping on were in the V-berth, and those were shared by numerous other pieces of floor panels and other big items!
An interim challenge was the haul-out for painting. Upon changing the oil in the saildrive unit, it became apparent that there was salt water in the unit (not good). While a internet search found the website of the Danish manufacturer sand a few phone calls around North America found someone who could provide the required parts (actually a Kingston, Ontario company did a special order), nailing down someone to do the labour was the big challenge. Finally got a local marine mechanic to spend some time on it, and watched over his shoulder and determined that I could probably do it myself next time. To add insult to injury, I later found another set of the seals in the spare parts locker of Mulan, although as they were not labeled, I would not have had a clue what they were for had I not ordered a set! After a mere 17 days on dry land, with Andrew doing a daily commute to Blaine, Mulan was back in her element.
Now installed are the Ham radio (we can pick up WWV time info, so something must be working), the AIS system (but cannot yet verify that it is working!), a water maker (not yet tested), a shut-off valve for the exhaust (to prevent water being pushed into the engine in big seas), ports to close off the cowl vents on the transom (which first required some 'donuts' of plywood in order to give me something to put a screw into), and sundry other projects, which require parts prefixed by "marine" and therefore include an additional digit in the price tag. Working on a sailboat is ideally suited to a midget contortionist, not something I can claim on either count. Had some help from Rob and Chester (aspiring crew for the San Diego leg) in installing the inner forestay and halyard. Having extra bodies to help me up the mast was greatly appreciated.
On the home front, 5675 Marine has been a major stop for bargain hunters, as the "Free" sign has been a regular feature at out front gate. An amazing array of useful and some useless stuff has been carted off to a new life. Currently holding out for a new home are a pair of leather boots from Andrew's youth, last used for painting Tahi Too and other work chores. Maybe the splatters of blue anti-fouling paint lessen the appeal of free shoes.
The front room is the staging area for items to be stored. While it helps that we are renting the house fully furnished, there is still a pile of personal stuff to be dispatched. We sold Susan's Toyota RAV4 (Craigslist strikes again), with the proceeds going directly to the Mastercard bill! Fortunately most major purchases have now been made, with most items shipped directly to Blaine, and aided by the strengthening of the Canadian dollar. One frustration is that in ordering laptop computers from Toshiba, they won't accept Canadian credit cards - something to do with preventing the export of sensitive technology, although any aspiring techno-napper can show up at Best Buy and go crazy. While Toshiba have good computers, whatever you do, don't get sucked into their mail-in rebate deals. It is a quagmire seemingly designed to never have to actually send the applicant the money. In my case it was because the invoice was illegible - even though I was required to mail in the original copy. Duh.
Only three weeks to go to D-date. While installation panic is over, we now need to focus on administration (lists for Steph & Jon and the new tenants), provisioning, and figuring out how to actually use all the fancy technology on the boat. Fortunately they are all tools, not requirements, and we can set sail using the tried and true methods sailors have been used for yonks.