Boat Projects – Page 9 – Have Wind Will Travel

April 3, 2014 – Shoving Off!

April 14, 2014April 11, 2014anniedike

Well folks, this is it. April 3rd. Shove-off day. Departure day. THE day. And, we were ready. Beyond ready. All the trips to the stores, the packing and inventorying of the boat, the freezer meals, everything was ready. All we needed to do now was fill the water tanks and check the weather. We had been watching the weather for weeks now trying to plan our departure date. Every time Phillip would click his phone to life and start scrolling through the NOAA reports, that song would pop into my head “I can gather all the news I need … “ And, yes, I do sing that every time Phillip checks the weather. And, yes, he still puts up with me. I’m kind of the only first mate he’s got, so …

The weather still looked pretty good on Thursday to make the jump to Clearwater. We were expecting some potential storms on Friday night and Saturday but the highest sea state prediction was 3-5 feet:

Assuming that was more THREE than FIVE, it would make good weather for the trip. So, we made the decision. We were leaving today.

The weekend before we had taken the boat out for a test sail to make sure the Jenny un-furled fine (remember, we had taken it down the week before to have the UV cover on it re-stitched) and, while we were making our way out, we topped off the fuel tank on the boat (it holds 30 gallons, but we tend to sail a LOT so we only had to put in about six gallons this go round – whew!). We filled two 5 gallon jerry cans of diesel to strap down on the deck (just as back-up), filled two 1.5 gallon cans for the outboard on the dinghy, pumped out (very important) and filled the water tanks. So, everything on the boat that needed to emptied was emptied and everything that needed to be filled was, well, you get it.

But, speaking of filling, let me talk a bit about the water on our boat. I get a TON of questions about water: “How much water can you take on the boat?” “Can you make water on the boat?” “Do you have enough water?” The answers, respectively, are plenty, no and yes. We have two forty-gallon water tanks on the boat, on one each side, that we fill from the hose. But, the previous owner of our boat did a great job building a water shelf in one of the large lockers under the vberth:

We have 8 large gallon jugs of water and a flat (24 bottles) of bottled water stored in there as well as another flat of bottles scattered in various cubbies throughout the boat. Phillip also had a great idea to fill the solar shower (which holds 5 gallons) with water just as a back-up for the initial passage. And, that way the first time we used the solar shower, it would already be full. Kudos Cap’n.

So, with plenty of food, fuel, water and WINE, we were fully-stocked and ready to go. We both spent some time the last day calling loved ones to give them a hearty farewell and tell them, re-assure them, and tell them again, our departure date, travel plans and the status of our safety gear and rations. I can’t tell you how many times friends and family asked me about our life-vest situation – hence the reason for my last post. But, this fun, feeble attempt still failed to reassure the masses. So, we provided friends and family with a detailed sail plan and made them all promise that they could only worry, panic or – most importantly – contact the Coast Guard if and ONLY IF they did not hear from us by Sunday evening. We planned to make it to Clearwater early Sunday morning, so if no one had heard from us by Sunday night, it was likely time to fret. But, not a second before!

Despite this harsh mandate and strictly enforced ‘cross-your-heart-and-hope-to-die’ NO rescue efforts until Monday, I still received many of the like in the mail from concerned loved ones:

Note the entry at the bottom:

You see? It was Clearwater by Sunday or at least some kind of heroic, satellite phone, mid-Gulf check-in or they would be calling in the dogs! The concern, though, was well-intended and heart-warming. (I heart you Dottie!).

But, we weren’t worried, or afraid. We were cautious, sure, and hopeful that we would be greeted with fair winds and forgiving weather and that nothing bad would happen to the boat or to either of us, but there was always going to be the possibility that it could. That’s a given. Something bad can happen at any time, whether you’re crossing the Gulf on a sailboat or crossing the street. Crossing anyway is the adventure, and that’s what we were after. We were excited to get to the Keys, but the destination was not the real goal; it was the journey. We had both worked really hard to get to this point. To get out there. To cross over.

We tossed the lines and sailed out into the Gulf.

That’s really us! Thanks to our good friend Kevin who was anchored nearby and took the shot! Plaintiff’s Rest is headed south, baby!

April 2, 2014 – We Need to Buy Stock in Publix

April 11, 2014April 9, 2014anniedike

Now that we had all of the NON-perishables packed on the boat, it was time to make the last final run to Publix for the perishables.

And, I say “final” because we took quite a beating at Publix in the week before our trip. We had made about three trips already for non-perishables and our freezer food, but this last one was a mighty trip. I thought we might perish! The receipt was almost as long as my legs.

Yes, legs. Plural. One stacked on top of the other.

Ouch! We need to buy stock in Publix. But, we got all of those goodies packed on the boat, so our boat was finally provisioned. We had even stocked up on our ‘specialty’ items. I say that because while we knew we would be stopping often during the trip to re-stock and re-provision, there are some things that you can’t find just anywhere. Take that Publix! We had a few of these, mostly special spices, sauces, novel ingredients and, of course, certain types of liquor and wine. So those we had to plan to pack enough for a month. And, as much as we try to avoid glass on the boat, unfortunately, most of these items are glass because, well, they’re not really sailboat items – hence the term, “specialty.” Which means they get special treatment. Every glass item on the ole’ Rest was lovingly wrapped in bubble wrap for stowage:

A particularly supple specialty item on our list was, of course, none other than WINE. I can tell you many a-cabinet and cubby on the Plaintiff’s Rest are chalk full of wine. Our bottles had over-flowed the liquor cabinet and spilled into the cubbies in the table. We had also sampled many boxed wines to try and find a good one that we liked for cruising, but I’ll tell you – we struggled. I don’t really think we’re wine snobs in any sense of the term, we love a good $8.99 value wine just as much as the next bloke, but it just seemed the particular $8.99’s we liked came in glass bottles. Until … we tried this boxed granache – Vina Borgia from the Aragon Wine Market. It’s a great table red that pairs well with food but is easy for sipping on its own. Just a versatile, filling wine that has worked really well for us. So, three it was, and we shoved them under the sink.

If any of you all have come across a great boxed wine, please, by all means, let us hear about it!

So, the ever-dreaded perishables trip to Publix was done. That was the last item on the list. We were on the eve of the trip. Now it was just watching the weather and making sure tomorrow, Thursday, was still a good day to jump out into the Gulf. We saw a storm brewing in Arkansas that we had been keeping an eye on. It was heading east and set to hit Pensacola on Saturday. We knew if we were going to head out tomorrow, we had to make way east fast. The easter the faster the better! Every time Phillip checked the weather, I would squinch my eyes tight in my best ‘make a wish’ face and hope he wouldn’t say we were going to have to push the trip back a week. I knew it was a stupid wish. We wanted to be careful. We wanted to leave when it was safe. But, we also wanted to GO! I opened one eye just a crack as he checked it one last time before we went to bed that night and hoped for the best.

April 1, 2014 – Freezer Food

April 8, 2014anniedike

Yep. Still April 1st. Fooled you! We were doing a lot those last few days. 5-6 trips to the boat a day. 5-6 trips to various stores – pharmacy, grocery, the dreaded West Marine. Revising the inventory. Last-minute follow-ups with the rigger, the canvas guy, fellow cruisers to talk about routes, anchorages and lessons learned in the Keys. We were burning through every hour of daylight trying to get every last thing done. One of which was the freezer food. Several fellow cruisers had recommended we make some hearty meals before leaving that could be frozen and easily re-heated for the passage. We were told to put them in gallon-size freezer bags, that way, all we had to do while underway was re-heat them in boiling water inside the bag (sort of a sailboat microwave if you will) and – voila! – a hearty meal while underway! Thankfully, this lucky gal has quite the gourmet chef for a Captain, so he whipped up some of his famous beef and pork bolognase and chicken and sausage gumbo for freezing.

Recipes here: Beef and pork bolognese and chicken and sausage gumbo. But, I’ll tell you – I don’t know what kind of witch voodoo magic Phillip works in the kitchen, but his just turn out amazing every time. I follow the recipes and even add a dash of this or that to try and give it my own personal touch, but whereas Phillip’s “touch” is a gentle stroke of the hair and a light cupping of the cheek, my “touch” is like a swift knock to the chin and a “here’s looking at ya!” Just not quite the same. But, give it a try all the same. And, if any of you have other recipes you’ve made or different ways to pack and stow hearty meals for passage, we’re all ears! We’re going to give this gallon freezer bag method a go and see how it works. (Although between you, me and the fencepost, I’m a little concerned about boiling water while under way – we shall see … ).

And, there they sit. Two servings lovingly packed in freezer bags for the passage. We, of course, then had to stick up two or three notes around the condo demanding we “Don’t forget the freezer food!” Those sticky notes were helpful, though, because we quickly started adding other items to it: “Pack the knives” “Clean out the fridge” “Take out the trash” “Set the AC” Anything that popped into our heads immediately went on the sticky notes that were tacked up all over. The most important of which was on the door so we’d see it right on our way out. There was just SO much to think about. But, we were one day out. Tomorrow was the last Publix run – the perishables – and then Thursday was the day. Just one more day now!

April 1, 2014 – Provisioning the Boat’s No Joke!

April 6, 2014anniedike

No April Fools about it. Provisioning is one serious chore! We’re planning a 30-day trip on the boat. That’s a good long while. So, let’s talk about packing. Before we started stuffing the boat full of supplies for the trip, we decided to inventory it first. Get all of the old, obsolete items off before cramming it chalk full of new, needed items for the trip. So began our Inventory Initiative. We started with a detailed diagram of the boat.

Yes, I got a little graphic design-ey with it, but you have to make it fun somehow. We then went threw each cabinet and locker on the boat, removed any unnecessary items and took note of the remaining space left for storage of the new items. Then, when we started packing the non-perishables.

As we stuffed and filled each cubby, we decided to make a detailed inventory list (word-searchable) so we could easily find these items on the boat during the trip. If you’re remotely interested – our detailed boat inventory here.

I imagined our highly-organized system playing out like this:

“Annie, where’s that little can of diced jalapenos we packed?”

“Let me check the inventory. Aha. Locker number 15. The fore portside cabinet. Let me get it for you.”

After our first few attempts, however, it actually played out more like this:

“Annie, where’s that little can of diced jalapenos?”

“Uhhh …. Hmmm … Let’s see. Where’s the inventory? Did we say on the inventory where we keep the inventory? Oh, wait, there it is. Let me check. [scroll, scroll] There it is, it’s in locker number 15.”

“Which one is that?”

“The … fore portside cabinet.”

” … Which one is that?”

[shuffle, head scratch, point]

“Aha. There it is. Thanks.”

So, not perfect, but we’re getting there, and at least there is a system. That is – a WAY – to find everything on the boat, and as we use things that need to be replaced, we can jot them down on the “need” column of the inventory which will make re-provisioning during the trip fairly easy. Or so I’m hoping – I’m sure we’ll have a few kinks to work out, but we’ve at least got a system in place. I welcome any other methods you fellow cruisers have come up with. How do you all make your list and check it twice?

I’m sure we’ll be hunting around on occasion for those damn diced jalapenos, but I’d rather be on a boat, in the Gulf, doing that than, well, just about anything else. As long as we’re out there. And, out there we will be. Shove-off date is April 3, 2014. We are two days and counting folks!

March 28, 2014 – Safety Gear: “It’s Like a Biscuit Can – I’m Scared!”

April 2, 2014April 2, 2014anniedike

This is it. The final countdown. We are about a week out, finishing up last-minute projects, finalizing the rigging and doing a double-check of the safety gear. If you recall, when the rigger came, he certainly added to our project list, but I’m proud to say we’ve been diligently working through it (and bleeding out in the process) but we are finally done! It’s been a working couple of weeks, but we have accomplished a lot. Let’s run through it, shall we? [Deep breath in … and on the exhale:] Weeeeee ….

1) Dropped the Jenny and took it to a local canvas guy to restitch the UV cover on it:

Our boat-broker turned boat-buddy, Kevin, did have us over for a Sew Party last summer to restitch some parts of the UV cover, but we knew it was only a temporary fix. Our rigger popped some of the stitches on it and recommended we get it fully re-sewn, with a zig-zag stitch, using Gore-tex thread. So, off it went.

(And this time we didn’t let go of the halyard!!)

2) Had a new inner forestay put in for the stay sail:

The inner fore-stay is used to raise the storm/stay sail in case we need to put up a smaller sail in high winds. If you recall, ours blew out during the Gulf Crossing in April of last year so we knew we were going to have to have a new one put in for this trip.

We took some documented measurements of the turnbuckle so we could replicate the same tension when we attached the inner forestay ourselves.

3) Re-tied the attachment points for the lifelines:

The lifelines on the boat are kind of like guard rails that keep you on deck (hence the name):

Two wires running the length of the boat attach at four points at the bow and stern on both the port and starboard side:

A gratuitous action shot of Phillip at the helm? Sure, why not. It’s my blog.

Each lifeline is attached in the same manner to both the stern rail and pulpit with Amsteel, low-stretch line:

Our attachments points, as you can see, had faded from the classic Amsteel grey to white due to sun damage. So, we bought a spool of Amsteel, cut off the old attachment points, and – after a few creative mishaps with the knot-tying and wrapping – finally came up with a reasonably simple knot-and-wrap method (patent pending) to hold the lines secure:

Good as new.

5) Had the rigger install turnbuckles to fill the hydraulic adjuster gap on the backstay:

After some debate as to whether to have our broken hydraulic adjuster re-built or have it removed and the gap filled with a series of turnbuckles OR have a whole new back stay put in, we decided (as is often the case) to go with the most economic, yet still suitable, solution – have a series of turnbuckles put in to fill the gap where the hydraulic adjuster once was:

Our rigger fitted a PVC pipe to slide over the turnbuckles for cover and chafe protection. We’re still debating whether we like it covered or exposed, but this trip, I’m sure, will resolve that debate.

And, lastly, we 6) Changed the oil:

The owner’s manual for the old Westerbeke recommends we change the oil approximately every 50 hours. This was our second go-round with the self oil-change and the old pump canister. It’s hard to estimate how much oil to put back in knowing the oil filter is filled with about 1/3 quart and the dipstick measuring extremely low readings initially, but I have to say we’re getting better at it.

And, finally, on to the safety gear. Yeah – the biscuit can – this is the real treat! When we bought our boat, it had two inflatable life jackets on it, but, as you can imagine, they were a bit old and looked pretty worn.

Last summer, we decided to break them out one day and see if they still worked. I mean, you shouldn’t wait till you’re about to jump off the boat into the raging sea to check and make sure your life jacket inflates. Soooo … we slipped them on and pulled the chord. And, I give you — “It’s like a biscuit can — I’m scared!”

Video here.

Yes, I was (still am?) afraid to open biscuit cans. But, it’s a documented phobia … (Amathophobia) … I think.

Well, turns out we were wise to check the old life jackets because they both leaked air at the manual blow-up valve. They wouldn’t hold our heads above water for more than two minutes. So, we splurged (I guess it doesn’t really count as a splurge if your life depends on it … ) and got some new ones.

We also got some new jack lines (long nylon straps that run the length of the boat for clip-in when we have to go up on the deck during foul weather):

Those puppies are important. Think Robert Redford All is Lost if the boat goes one way and you go another. Remember when he fell overboard? And, why is it he remained securely fashioned to the boat (albeit dragging along underwater, but trust me you would prefer that as opposed to the boat leaving you behind in it’s wake!).

Richard Foreman/Roadside Attractions/Lionsgate

Because he was clipped on – see?!?

So, with all of our last minute projects completed, our safety gear (and biscuit phobias) in check, all we had to do now was inventory the boat, pack it up and watch the weather. Not long now!

March 8, 2014 – A Good Hearty Winch!

March 23, 2014anniedike

Yeah, that’s right. I did it. How else do you think I paid for my world-class college education? The work was hard but the tips were good. Ok, I’m teasing, but I did do a stint at the ole’ Cracker Barrel that was probably just one notch above ‘wench-dom.’ And, unfortunately, the work was hard and the tips were bad. But enough about those wenches, let’s get down to these winches!

Our port side Jenny winch.

If you recall, when our rigger came out to inspect the rigging, he spun each of our winches and told us the shrill bell sound they made was not a good sign. We also knew the starboard Jenny winch was in need of a little TLC as the winch handle would occasionally spin as we pulled the Jenny sheet through (meaning the shaft inside was sticking). It was time to do some maintenance on our winches – disassemble, clean, oil and grease their innards and put them back together.

We’ve got 6 winches total on our boat – 5 in the cockpit, one on the portside and starboard coamings that we use primarily for trimming the Jenny, and three on the coach roof, which we use to raise and lower the main sail, reef the main, and for the spinnaker and cunningham. We also have another winch on the mast for raising and lowering the Jenny or the spinnaker or, basically, anything we want to raise at the mast. Much like the bar maids at an old German tavern, the winches are the real workhorses on our boat. We use them to raise and lower all the sails, trim the sails, raise and lower other heavy items on the boat (the dinghy, for example, as well as raising the first mate (me!) up the mast). The winches are incredibly useful and vital to the boat. We definitely wanted, needed them to be in sound working order for our trip to the Keys. We started with the Jenny winches as they are the largest and strongest on our boat, self-tailing and capable of offering two speeds for cranking and holding the incredible forces exerted by the Jenny. We disassembled each:

Cleaned the old gunk and grease off of the base and the gears.

Cleaned the old gunk and grease off of the cover and all the gear teeth.

And made real good use of a $3.99 Summer Fun! pitcher from Wal-Mart and some old dental tools.

Umm … I don’t think you’ve been brushing in the back there Bob. I’m seeing a lot of plaque here.

We cleaned and inspected all of the inner workings, and replaced a few pawl springs that appeared a little bent (or that popped out and went flying about never to be seen again during the cleaning process – always good to have spares!). We then GREASED the gears with a little Lewmar grease, OILED the pawls and put them all back together again.

Good as new. Just a few hours and not too bad a project to knock out on a sunny Saturday afternoon. We finished up the winches right around sunset and called it a day, finding ourselves suddenly craving dark, hoppy beer and bratwurst for dinner.

And, as an interesting aside, the lovely blonde wench above, while a striking competitor in Germany’s famous ‘Bar Maid’ Oktoberfest contest, did not win the grand prize. This little sprite did.

http://beerattitude.blogspot.com/2011/03/champion-beer-wench.html

She hauled 6 beers in each hand, with 7 stacked on top, for a total of 19 STEINS, weighing approximately 95 pounds total. Now that’s what I call a good hearty wench!

Keep ’em coming Hilda! We’ll all have another round!

March 5, 2014 – Rigs & Ribs

March 19, 2014anniedike

Isn’t that just the way it always happens? You let your guard down. Go out and have some fun. And, it comes back to bite ya! We thought we had made it through the worst of the projects. Crossed everything off the list pretty much. Hence, the Mardi Gras lollapalooza – which was awesome! But, then the rigger came and blew the lid off everything …

Alright, it really wasn’t that bad, but he certainly had us whipping out our pads and starting a NEW list. Errgghhh. But, let me start by saying he was amazing. It was DJ with Zern Rigging, and he laid his hands on every inch of our standing rigging, explaining every turnbuckle, every shackle, every tarnish and all the tackle.

He was incredibly patient and informative. He really took his time educating us on rigging maintenance, repair and replacement. Let’s overlook the slight fact that they charge by the hour (I kid) and commend him on an exceptional inspection and instruction session. DJ was incredibly complimentary of the Niagara, though. Said it was in the best shape he had seen any vessel in quite some time, particularly considering its age (28 years). He said several times what a great job we had done maintaining this, that and the other. While it was heart-warming, we knew it was Jack, the boat’s previous owner, that deserved all the credit. He handed over a quality vessel to us, and DJ could see it. He also had another chap with him whom he referred to only as “Apprentice” (seriously – as if it were his one and only name – like Madonna) and whom he sent straight up the mast to inspect the rigging up top.

While the inspection was worthwhile and highly educational, DJ did find some issues. He told us we needed to replace our main halyard. He believed it had swollen from 7/16 to 1/2 over time and he showed us the dust that came off of it as it was pulled around the winch – a sure sign of age. He recommended we get a new, VPC hybrid performance braid to replace it. Okay. Apprentice also reported the snap shackle on our Jenny halyard was corroded and needed to be replaced, which, if they couldn’t re-splice it, would require a new Jenny halyard as well. Okay … He also spun our winches and let us hear the high-pitched ringing-bell sound that came out of them. I thought it was a glorious sound. Like a cheery little school bell releasing the kids to recess. Yippee! Apparently it was not. DJ said they all needed to be disassembled, cleaned and re-greased. All of them. Sheesh! Give us some good news, would you? Nope. You need to replace the lifeline attachment points, he said. Like it was no big deal, he said. Okay, it’s really not – and I’ll spare you the details for when we actually do it. Trust me, you’ll be there. We like to spread the wealth (and the work) on the ole’ Rest!

Then we talked about the hydraulic back stay.

If you recall from the previous post, it was a high-performance feature our previous owner had installed for racing and it had been out of commission for quite some time and leaked hydraulic fluid upon use. Upon further inspection, DJ discovered the seal inside had failed over time so we could either replace it with a new one (approximately $4,000 depending on the type) or have it rebuilt (for a few hundred bucks). But, in order to have it rebuilt we would apparently have to ship it in some super airtight, military secure tanker because it had secret NASA fluid (aka hydraulic fluid) in it. Apparently the postal people get kind of postal when you try to ship things filled with hydraulic fluid. The problem was, the shipping was going to be expensive. DJ discussed some other options with us, though. Doing away with the hydraulic adjuster sounded like an easy solution, but that still left us with two options. We could either: 1) put in a completely new rod back stay, from stern to the top of the mast (doing away with the hydraulic adjuster option entirely) for about the same price as the rebuild; or 2) replace that section of the stay with a Frankenstein ensemble of turnbuckles (to allow insertion of a new hydraulic adjuster down the road if we wanted) for a few hundred dollars. Winch maintenance? Hydraulic rebuild? Turnbuckles? A whole new back stay? Yeah, that’s the shoulder-drop moment I’m talking about. You finish one list, crumple it up and throw it out, and then the rigger comes … Phoeey!

But, there was a bright side to this day. Ribs!

Long story short (because they’re “short” ribs – get it? Man, I’m on fire today!). Braised short ribs have kind of been Phillip’s arch nemesis for quite some time. We’ve had them at restaurants where they were incredibly succulent, moist and fell right off the bone, but we hadn’t been able to replicate that at home … yet. We had tried a couple of different tacks. Braising them according to the recipe for an hour and a half or so, then going rogue and braising them for two hours, almost three. But they still wouldn’t FALL off the bone like we wanted. We had made it our personal mission to achieve this supreme ‘fallness.’ Make those ribs our bi@tch! We started them that day around noon, knowing we would be spending a few hours with the rigger that day, and we were prepared to cook them all afternoon – even through the night if we needed. I’m serious. We bought a back-up dinner just in case it came to that. We were not eating those ribs until they FELL into our mouths.

So, we started with the essentials. I prepared the Creole holy trinity – diced carrots, onions and celery –

while Phillip browned the meat.

Then we threw the trinity in with the good meat fond,

Added some red wine, of course! (Not the good stuff – thank you Bota!).

Gave it all a good stir and added the meat!

Then we let it bake. And bake. And bake. And then bake some more. We kept checking it on it but refused to call it done until it was done. Until it F-E-L-L off the bone. Seven hours, kids. It was a true testament to our patience. We let that goodness cook for SEVEN hours. We knew it was time when I finally reached in to pull out a rib and I pulled out ONLY a bone.

Oh yeah. We knew it was ready then. Take that ribs! Whoo-peessh!

It was quite the hearty meal, and much-needed after the slightly disheartening news we had got from the rigger that day. We had a few more chores to complete and some serious decisions to make regarding the back stay. It was time to get to cracking on the NEW list and get it completed so we could start provisioning the boat and making our sail plan for the Keys. We were officially 30 days out from the Keys!

March 1, 2014 – Toss the List – It’s Time to Roll!

March 15, 2014March 17, 2014anniedike

Work, work and more work. It had been one chore after another for weeks. You’re probably sick of it, too. I know we were. But I’m thrilled to say we finally made our way through that damn list. Just one item left, and it was scheduled. Who needs a list? We chunked it and planned a three-day Mardi Gras Lollapalooza. We were going to catch the parades in downtown Pensacola on Friday night, then sail over on Saturday to Pensacola Beach and anchor out behind Paradise Inn to catch the parade on the beach Sunday. It was time for some beads, people. Time for some beads!!

Yeeeaahhhhh!

So, the list. Let me walk you through it and you can marvel in the vast breadth of our accomplishments. I say that because these last few items weren’t really much work on our part at all. But you can marvel, nonetheless, if you’d like.

The canvas and isinglass. We wanted to have a canvas guy come and take a look at the dodger and bimini to assess how much life we had in them and estimate replacing the canvas. We guessed our canvas was about ten years old and, unfortunately, the glass in the dodger was getting a little foggy and cracked in places. Sometimes we would come to the boat and find two new cracks had popped up overnight. They couldn’t be stopped. We knew something was going to have to be replaced soon.

Based on recommendation from our Broker-turned-Buddy, Kevin, we decided to give Tony with Coastal Canvas a call, and he was top-notch. Came out when he said he would and even saved us a few bucks. Told us we only needed to replace the isinglass in the dodger, but that the canvas was still in good shape. So, we had him swap out the glass, and it was like putting on glasses for the first time and you’re overwhelmed at the sight of all the leaves! Everything was so crisp and clear.

You may notice the missing bimini in this photo. Tony did such a good job on the glass that we followed his recommendation for the bimini. He believed the canvas needed to be redone, and we worked with him on rearranging the bimini frame to give us a bigger window in it for the helmsman to see the wind vane at the top of the mast. Even during our blistery winter, Tony came out several times to take measurements, make adjustments and install our new bimini.

Cross that off.

The gasket on the coolant system, luckily, was an easy chore. Just the removal of one hose on the coolant system, a bucket to catch the coolant that drained out, then scrape off the old gasket and glue, slap on a new gasket and glue and she was good as new.

Done and done. What’s next?

The dorade box. That damn thing.

Yeah, there she is. She had been loose for a while and several months back, she unfortunately took a tumble when the Jenny sheet somehow wedged itself up under the loose corner and ripped her right up off the deck when we tacked.

See? No box. Luckily, when she took the tumble, we saw it and were able to catch her before she made her way overboard. But, until we got her remounted properly, we had been taking her off every time we sailed (so the Jenny sheet wouldn’t knock her overboard again) and putting her back on once we were at anchor. A bit of a chore and a burdensome box to keep up with. So it was time to re-mount her. Now, I’ll say, we tried, the first time, to do it right. Waited for a good weather window. Pulled her up and cleaned off all of the old sealant and re-bedded her with some 4,000. A couple of the screws had a little trouble biting, but we figured the 4,000 would hold her. I’m sure I’m going to get some commentary from the Peanut Gallery here about butyl. Well, just wait. Unfortunately, she wiggled her way loose, again, and Jenny threatened her once again. She gets real territorial up there at the foredeck. So, the second time we didn’t fool around. It was 5,200 or bust. Now, we know what they say: “That stuff is permanent. You’ll never get it off.” Well, we don’t want her to come off. A shot of some 5,200 around the screws and we stuck her down. She’s not going anywhere. Take that Jenny!

With that little project done, we only had one more item left on the list.

The hydraulic back stay. Our previous owner had installed a hydraulic adjuster on the back stay to make fine-tune adjustments to the mast when racing. He sailed our Niagara in the single-handed Mackinac race and had really pimped the boat out with some serious racing capabilities, the hydraulic back stay being one.

As you know, we’re not racers; we’re cruisers. More sunsets and cocktails than buried rails and big victories. So, the hydraulic adjuster hadn’t been used in years. She no longer worked and would occasionally leak a little fluid at the base. Wanting the boat to be primed for the Keys, we scheduled the riggers to come check it out the following week to see if she could be repaired or whatever options might be available. So, in our eyes, the list was done. It had been about a solid month of boat chores, and it was time for some boat fun. Our Mardi Gras Palooza began.

On Friday night, we caught up with some marina neighbors-turned-friends — Dick and Cindy on Forever Young — and, after a hearty fill of fine wining and dining at Carmen’s Lunch Bar al fresco, we were seated like royalty for the parade to roll through. We didn’t even have to get out of our chairs if we wanted. But, we of course wanted! Beads is what we wanted!

And, any other grungy, recycled Mardi Gras throws they wanted to toss at us. I think – in addition to all the beads – I caught a kids-size Mardi Gras 2008 shirt, a busted-up Nerf football, a moonpie, and a tomahawk. Yes, a tomahawk. It was a wild night. But, we got up early, stocked the boat, enjoyed a great sail over to Pensacola Beach and dropped the hook right around sunset.

We cooked up another feast on the boat, gorged and called it a night. We had a big day ahead. Lollapalooza Day 3 started with mimosas on the foredeck.

Followed by hurricanes and a little uking in the cockpit.

And then two tickets to crazy town. I can’t even begin to express to you the … quality … of people we encountered at the beach. There were tailgaters, hipsters, Krewe members, kids on leashes, gangsters, bikers, trannies, questionable trannies, Navy boys, you name it. While the parades were fun, the people were the real entertainment!

We caught another neck-full of beads and useless stuffed animals and loved every minute of it. The Mardi Gras mini-vacay was just what we needed. The next time we drop that anchor it will be on the first stop to the Keys. Only a few weeks now kids. Stay tuned!!

February 24, 2014 – That Girl is Stacked!

March 12, 2014anniedike

She certainly is … Stack-packed to be exact!

We finally got the stack pack installed for the new main sail. As with everything on the boat, the decision of whether to ditch the old, removable sail cover and go with a stack pack was a tough one. Finding the right equipment for the boat is somewhat like finding the right woman. There’s always going to be a compromise. Some are flashy and beautiful – sure – but they’re also high maintenance (teak decks, for example). Some are smart, but they “talk” too much (instruments that beep, buzz — or worse — are overly-sensitive: press one too many buttons, and she just shuts down). There will always be pros and cons. Take the old sail cover. I like to akin her to … an old 1950’s housewife.

I mean, you sit her down and she’s got good coverage,

but it takes some work to get her up and out of the house. Also, when we used to drop the sail, we had to tie three tie-downs on her after flaking before putting the cover on.

We did, however, only have two lazy jack points that the battens in the old sail would occasionally catch on when raising. We always had to have one deck-hand at the boom when raising to wrestle and shake the battens loose in order to get the sail up. The stack pack, on the other hand, has six.

And, a much narrower ‘shoot’ for the sail to raise through. I was worried, at first, that this would cause real issues when raising the sail. But I will say, the battens in the new main sail are far less obtrusive than the old and we’ve raised her now several times in and out of the stack pack with even less issue than before.

Unfortunately, though, the new stack pack is a little skimpier than the old sail cover. More Sarah Jessica Parker than prude housewife.

Her ‘dress’ doesn’t come around the mast like the old sail cover used to, so she doesn’t cover the spinnaker halyard, the inner forestay and other lines we keep tied on the mast like the old cover did for UV protection.

The stack pack also stays on the boom at all times so we cannot see the foot of the sail when sailing.

So far, however, we have enjoyed the ease of dropping the sail into the stack pack (although we still try to flake it down into the pack) and zipping her up and calling it a day. Much less work than dragging the sail cover up from the galley and fastening her in place. And, I mean – c’mon … it’s SJP. Who did you think we were going to choose?

So – new stack pack. Installed and operating. Done and done. On to the next!

February 20, 2014 – A Hole in the Boat?!?

March 9, 2014anniedike

Yeah. Two, actually. One on the starboard deck and another on the portside. And they were big, too. About 2 feet x 2 feet.

Okay, so we created them. Sort of. I guess you can more accurately say we cracked them open. We’ve been chasing leaks on the boat, my friends. For some time now. Like any other boat that has been cruised offshore and subjected, at times, to high winds and waves, our 1985 Niagara had flexed enough to develop a few hatches and tracks that drip and trickle in the rain. We particularly think the sea state we encountered during the Gulf Crossing, heavy heeling right and left, pushed the older seals to their limits. Think of it like an old re-fillable ice tray that you bend and stretch to break the cubes loose. We used to have a pretty steady drip in the vberth from the vberth hatch. A good strong rain, and we would usually find a puddle the size of a small kitchen rug on the bed. Only on one side, though. Phillip’s of course. Anytime we were anchored out in rain, it was another round of Chinese water torture for him. I don’t know what the big darn deal was. Everything was dry on my side – I was sleeping like a baby. “What’s your problem? Stop fidgeting around over there and go to sleep!”

So, we rebedded the vberth hatch a while back to stop the insomnia drip. That fixed the leak in the vberth, but we still had several that were trickling down from the starboard and portside hatches in the saloon. A little annoying, and not good for our recently re-covered settee cushions. So, it was time to re-bed the starboard and port hatches, too. Thankfully, the vberth re-bedding had gone well, so I wasn’t too nervous about it. But, I mean, we are creating two whopping holes in the deck of the boat and then sealing them back up again. Let’s do be careful.

Often, how hard a seal is to break is a good indicator of the kind of shape the seal was in. I hate to say the starboard hatch popped clean off with minimal effort – a good sign that the seal had deteriorated, causing water intrusion.

The portside hatch was a bit tougher, but still not too much trouble to crack open. But, that was not the real bear of this project. Phillip has told me time and again, the key to a good seal is in the prep. You want to make sure you get every bit of the old sealant off.

Yeah, that stuff. The gunk. The goop. You have to get in there with some real high-tech scraping equipment. I personally like to go with an old flat-head screwdriver.

The goop on the deck actually wasn’t much of a problem. With a little gumption and elbow grease, we had the hatch bases clean in no time.

The gunk on the hatch itself, however … not so much.

I went with another fancy gunk-removal product. One of Phillip’s old toothbrushes. Figured he wasn’t using it anymore.

And, that did the trick. Then came the messy job of squeezing some 4,000 on both the outer ring of the hatch, around the screw-holes, and then on the deck where the hatch would lie and in the screw holes. We made the big mistake, when re-bedding the vberth hatch, of just using the squirt tube 4,000.

By the time we finished the job, both of our forearms were shaking and quivering so much, we couldn’t even hold forks for dinner. I think we slurped porridge that night or something.

“Please sir, may I have some more?”

This time we got one of those caulk guns and did it trigger style. Much easier on the arms, and much easier to guide and apply the 4,000. We also decided to go with the 4,000 (as opposed to 5,200) to allow a little flex and movement. After some research and asking around, it seemed the 4,000 was a better choice to allow some slight movement when the boat is under stress, rather than a crack in the seal. We did go a little crazy with the new goop, however, and had a time wiping and swiping it clean. I feel sorry for the trees that were felled just for our project. We went through gobs of wet paper towels trying to get the goop that oozed out down to a nice bead. But, it was worth it. I mean, it’s our boat. Anything’s worth it.

Ahhh … look at that perfectly-bedded hatch. I particularly like to admire it on a sunny day – mimosa(s) in hand – but that’s just me.

And, us? Eat porridge?? Not with this Captain’s primo cooking skills. It was filet mignon, seared to perfection and drizzled with red wine sauce, coupled with creamy lobster mac and sauteed spinach to celebrate the big achievement.

Cross that one off the list. What’s next?