Well, it's been a very long time coming, but the rehab, repairs and
refit are finished on Flying Pig. Those interested in the gory
details are encouraged to go to the log sites, the photo galleries,
and perhaps prior emails, but it suffices to say that we've come from
a wreck to a gem.

New hardware, fittings and other niceties following the structural and
hull repairs make our seatrialed vessel seaworthy, comfortable and
otherwise a joy to be aboard. Despite the blistering hot temps here,
we've survived with fans and a night-time shower. Unfortunately for us
in those areas where we may be shortly, if it's 95 out, the fan we
have in the aft cabin, where we sleep, won't be used, as it's 110V,
and a high drain on our electrical system.

That said, we do have household current aboard, and will use it to
charge our computers, power some of our internet and entertainment
stuff, and, even (luxuries are found, even aboard), grind our coffee
in the morning, saving me the 75 strokes on the manual grinder I had
used for about a year, until we were given a very high quality
electric unit which not only does a great job in grinding, but is so
quick as to be nearly meaningless in load on our batteries which
supply the unit which translates 12V to 110V.

I'll spare you the details on what we have done, but it's enough to
say that it's been staggering, and regularly, on the telling of the
umpteen acquaintances we've made as a result of our notoriety, goggled
and jaw-dropped over and about both the amount and speed of our
recovery. In the meantime, lots of new stuff (replacing old) was
added, so we should be very good to go for a long time, ordinary
maintenance aside.

A few days ago, we passed along (to a fellow cruiser) the vehicle
which had, right after our wreck been given us by another cruiser,
and, as I type this, will return the rental we had, later today. As
always with departures, there are last minute runnings-around to
attend to, but they're minor and will be accomplished quickly.

We've acquired so many new and helpful friends that it's difficult to
try to enumerate them, but the significant ones of the moment are
Erkki Taada and Phillip Savill.

Erkki used to build satellites for the Canadian government, and had a
payload on one of the shuttles, among other things. Thus, he's pretty
good at electronics, and has been working tirelessly to get us up and
running in areas we've not yet had success in achieving. He's also
very fully equipped, or has friends who are, where he's not, as a
machinist and other very useful skills, and has helped immensely in
the accomplishment of many mechanical areas.

Phillip is an accomplished power boat captain and master fisherman
(delete questionable joke about baiting skills) who just happens to
also be a master craftsman in wood, having built his own boat to look
like a victorian salon inside, and having done many restorations of
Tampa historic buildings. In the meantime, he used to build boats for
a living, so knows more than enough to have been very valuable in many
other areas aboard.

These two are joining us in our initial leg. We'll anchor overnight
at Egmont Key, the location of our recent sea trials overnight stays,
and head out at first light direct to Key West (nearly a straight shot
south), going around there and continuing direct to Fort Lauderdale.
In FTL we'll stop at the Seven Seas Cruising Association offices for
more charts, attend to any issues which have arisen in our dash
(anticipated time minimum 3, more likely 5-6, days from our expected
Thursday AM departure) there, fuel and water the boat, and head out
again.

From there we'll jump into the Gulf Stream, gaining 2-4 knots (half
again our boat speed, perhaps), and barring any oddities in distress
or weather, not get off until we either get to the NYC area, or, if
it's *really* fast, perhaps even Cumberland/Portland Maine. The Gulf
Stream, in opposing wind directions, is really nasty. However, this
time of year, that's a very minimal percentage of the time, and the
prevailing winds are favorable for a very fast passage.

The more time we spend aboard, and the more time spent sailing her,
the better we love Flying Pig. We'll be out of touch by both internet
and phone for the periods of our being at sea, but we're hopeful of
being able to do radio-based email in the short-term future. Whether
we get it done before we leave FTL is subject to reality, but when we
have it, we'll identify how to find us that way, too.

We've just had a mini-storm here, washing the decks which are
currently in total disarray, as we've not yet stowed all that we took
off in our rehab. We also are currently (as I type this) without
internet connection, so I'm hopeful I'm able to get it out before we
actually leave. If you see this on Wednesday, July 11, you'll know I
succeeded :{))

Finally, though I know you've heard it many times before, endless
thanks to all who have lent support, work, love, aid and otherwise
helped us turn our wreck around into something more positive than we
can effectively communicate. We're very blessed, and continue to pay
it forward. Obviously, what goes around comes around.

Stay tuned for further developments. As we regain connectivity, we'll
post new pix in the new gallery "Away We Go - - AGAIN" in the Flying
Pig is Aloft gallery - the first one in the link below.

L8R

Love from Skip and Lydia

Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig KI4MPC
See our galleries at www.justpickone.org/skip/gallery !
Follow us at http://groups.google.com/group/flyingpiglog and/or
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheFlyingPigLog

"You are never given a wish without also being given the power to
make it come true. You may have to work for it however."
(and)
"There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in its
hands. You seek problems because you need their gifts."
(Richard Bach, in The Reluctant Messiah)

Best of luck to you and Lydia, Skip. :-)

"Skip Gundlach" wrote in message
oups.com...
Well, it's been a very long time coming, but the rehab, repairs and
refit are finished on Flying Pig. Those interested in the gory
details are encouraged to go to the log sites, the photo galleries,
and perhaps prior emails, but it suffices to say that we've come from
a wreck to a gem.

New hardware, fittings and other niceties following the structural and
hull repairs make our seatrialed vessel seaworthy, comfortable and
otherwise a joy to be aboard. Despite the blistering hot temps here,
we've survived with fans and a night-time shower. Unfortunately for us
in those areas where we may be shortly, if it's 95 out, the fan we
have in the aft cabin, where we sleep, won't be used, as it's 110V,
and a high drain on our electrical system.

That said, we do have household current aboard, and will use it to
charge our computers, power some of our internet and entertainment
stuff, and, even (luxuries are found, even aboard), grind our coffee
in the morning, saving me the 75 strokes on the manual grinder I had
used for about a year, until we were given a very high quality
electric unit which not only does a great job in grinding, but is so
quick as to be nearly meaningless in load on our batteries which
supply the unit which translates 12V to 110V.

I'll spare you the details on what we have done, but it's enough to
say that it's been staggering, and regularly, on the telling of the
umpteen acquaintances we've made as a result of our notoriety, goggled
and jaw-dropped over and about both the amount and speed of our
recovery. In the meantime, lots of new stuff (replacing old) was
added, so we should be very good to go for a long time, ordinary
maintenance aside.

A few days ago, we passed along (to a fellow cruiser) the vehicle
which had, right after our wreck been given us by another cruiser,
and, as I type this, will return the rental we had, later today. As
always with departures, there are last minute runnings-around to
attend to, but they're minor and will be accomplished quickly.

We've acquired so many new and helpful friends that it's difficult to
try to enumerate them, but the significant ones of the moment are
Erkki Taada and Phillip Savill.

Erkki used to build satellites for the Canadian government, and had a
payload on one of the shuttles, among other things. Thus, he's pretty
good at electronics, and has been working tirelessly to get us up and
running in areas we've not yet had success in achieving. He's also
very fully equipped, or has friends who are, where he's not, as a
machinist and other very useful skills, and has helped immensely in
the accomplishment of many mechanical areas.

Phillip is an accomplished power boat captain and master fisherman
(delete questionable joke about baiting skills) who just happens to
also be a master craftsman in wood, having built his own boat to look
like a victorian salon inside, and having done many restorations of
Tampa historic buildings. In the meantime, he used to build boats for
a living, so knows more than enough to have been very valuable in many
other areas aboard.

These two are joining us in our initial leg. We'll anchor overnight
at Egmont Key, the location of our recent sea trials overnight stays,
and head out at first light direct to Key West (nearly a straight shot
south), going around there and continuing direct to Fort Lauderdale.
In FTL we'll stop at the Seven Seas Cruising Association offices for
more charts, attend to any issues which have arisen in our dash
(anticipated time minimum 3, more likely 5-6, days from our expected
Thursday AM departure) there, fuel and water the boat, and head out
again.

From there we'll jump into the Gulf Stream, gaining 2-4 knots (half
again our boat speed, perhaps), and barring any oddities in distress
or weather, not get off until we either get to the NYC area, or, if
it's *really* fast, perhaps even Cumberland/Portland Maine. The Gulf
Stream, in opposing wind directions, is really nasty. However, this
time of year, that's a very minimal percentage of the time, and the
prevailing winds are favorable for a very fast passage.

The more time we spend aboard, and the more time spent sailing her,
the better we love Flying Pig. We'll be out of touch by both internet
and phone for the periods of our being at sea, but we're hopeful of
being able to do radio-based email in the short-term future. Whether
we get it done before we leave FTL is subject to reality, but when we
have it, we'll identify how to find us that way, too.

We've just had a mini-storm here, washing the decks which are
currently in total disarray, as we've not yet stowed all that we took
off in our rehab. We also are currently (as I type this) without
internet connection, so I'm hopeful I'm able to get it out before we
actually leave. If you see this on Wednesday, July 11, you'll know I
succeeded :{))

Finally, though I know you've heard it many times before, endless
thanks to all who have lent support, work, love, aid and otherwise
helped us turn our wreck around into something more positive than we
can effectively communicate. We're very blessed, and continue to pay
it forward. Obviously, what goes around comes around.

Stay tuned for further developments. As we regain connectivity, we'll
post new pix in the new gallery "Away We Go - - AGAIN" in the Flying
Pig is Aloft gallery - the first one in the link below.

L8R

Love from Skip and Lydia

Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig KI4MPC
See our galleries at www.justpickone.org/skip/gallery !
Follow us at http://groups.google.com/group/flyingpiglog and/or
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheFlyingPigLog

"You are never given a wish without also being given the power to
make it come true. You may have to work for it however."
(and)
"There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in its
hands. You seek problems because you need their gifts."
(Richard Bach, in The Reluctant Messiah)

The Walrus and the Carpenter

The sun was shining on the sea,
Shining with all his might:
He did his very best to make
The billows smooth and bright --
And this was odd, because it was
The middle of the night.

The moon was shining sulkily,
Because she thought the sun
Had got no business to be there
After the day was done --
'It's very rude of him.' she said,
'To come and spoil the fun!'

The sea was wet as wet could be,
The sands were dry as dry.
You could not see a cloud, because
No cloud was in the sky:
No birds were flying overhead --
There were no birds to fly.

The Walrus and the Carpenter
Were walking close at hand:
They wept like anything to see
Such quantities of sand:
'If this were only cleared away,'
They said, 'it would be grand.'

'If seven maids with seven mops
Swept it for half a year,
Do you suppose,' the Walrus said,
'That they could get it clear?'
'I doubt it,' said the Carpenter,
And shed a bitter tear.

'O Oysters, come and walk with us!
The Walrus did beseech.
'A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk,
Along the briny beach:
We cannot do with more than four,
To give a hand to each.'

The eldest Oyster looked at him,
But never a word he said:
The eldest Oyster winked his eye,
And shook his heavy head --
Meaning to say he did not choose
To leave the oyster-bed.

Out four young Oysters hurried up.
All eager for the treat:
Their coats were brushed, their faces washed,
Their shoes were clean and neat --
And this was odd, because, you know,
They hadn't any feet.

Four other Oysters followed them,
And yet another four;
And thick and fast they came at last,
And more, and more, and more --
All hopping through the frothy waves,
And scrambling to the shore.

The Walrus and the Carpenter
Walked on a mile or so,
And then they rested on a rock
Conveniently low:
And all the little Oysters stood
And waited in a row.

'The time has come,' the Walrus said,
'To talk of many things:
Of shoes -- and ships -- and sealing wax --
Of cabbages -- and kings --
And why the sea is boiling hot --
And whether pigs have wings.'

On Wed, 11 Jul 2007 20:23:38 -0000, Skip Gundlach
wrote:

Well, it's been a very long time coming, but the rehab, repairs and
refit are finished on Flying Pig.

Good luck, and be safe out there.

Slow and steady wins the race.

Keep a good weather eye peeled for those low pressure systems coming
up from the tropics, and from off the coast. I don't want to be
reading any more news articles about you guys.

Wayne B
(currently in Long Island Sound awaiting passage of a mid-western cold
front)

Yes, Skip,

And stay away from errant drifting WWII mines, or whatever!

G'Luck!

Have you ever sailed the reversing falls, Billy?

Please show your free laundry ticket to the commissionaire.

Be careful, my wife might recruit you. Wanna watch a parking lot for
8 bucks an hour?

Terry K

4PM Friday, July 13th - a great Friday the 13th it is, too!

We left our slip at about 10:30 yesterday and went up the creek to
fuel. I'd
estimated we'd take 50 gallons, but it was only 48, instead. We
executed a
close-quarters turnaround, and headed out on the rest of our lives -
again! - at a little after 11AM.

The wind was right on our nose heading south, so we motored our way
under
the Skyway Bridge, perhaps for the last time. A few squalls caused
multiple
openings and closings of our hatches and ports, in blistering St.
Pete
summer with 95 degree heat.

Once under the bridge, we set sail on a perfect close reach, and once
past
the shallows at the end of the Southwest Channel, headed direct to Key
West
on a lovely beam reach. We set all the sails (well, the genny, the
staysail
and the main - we'd been told that there would be more wind than would
make
the spinnaker prudent) and pulled confidently forward in all of 5
knots of
wind, making about 5 knots.

Unfortunately for us, the wind was light, then died altogether, so we
pulled
in the furling genny and motored slowly at about 4 knots with the
staysail
and main pulled blade tight to minimize rolling. In truth, though,
the
entire night and most of the next day was nearly flat water. We slowed
the
boat down in order to not arrive in Key West before daylight, and as
I
write, we're again at 4 knots, which will put us at a fishing spot
right at
dawn.

We set up our watch schedules as 8 on/ 8 off, with a pair splitting
each 8
hour shift. So far, that has worked very well, indeed. We were all up
and at
'em in the beginning, of course, so we didn't start our shifts for the
first
few hours. Lydia went immediately for a nap, having stayed up until
3:30,
again, so, needed the rest. Phil and she took the first watch at 4,
and
Erkki and I puttered around with electronics and took naps, coming
back on
duty at midnight in relief. After a wonderful breakfast of French
toast and
eggs, he and I were entertained by not only the Milky Way, but also
light
shows of lightning off in the distance, and even a few meteorites
blazing
across the sky.

As I write, I'm waiting for the third of the satellite passes which
are
giving us real-time pictures of the weather around us - for thousands
of
miles. The most recent showed us the Gulf of Mexico and west of
Central
America as well as down to about Guatemala and north about to
Arkansas. The
next one showed us the Atlantic at about the same latitudes as the
first,
nearly out to the western coast of Africa. When the satellite goes
directly
over us, in about another half-hour, we get a view of an area from
well into
South America and up to Hudson Bay. Overall, we have real-time
information
on weather.

Last night, we got our first real test of the SSB - Single Side Band
High
Frequency radio. I participated in the Mobile Maritime Net - the only
boat
to check in, with the others being mobile (auto or truck mounted) or
fixed,
land-based stations. We had been very concerned over our apparent
inability
to communicate over our radio, but it turned out to be a hazard of
marina
life - metal buildings, metal roofs, and a forest of masts. While we
could
not hear the control (the guy who directs traffic, so to speak), I
was
getting through loud and clear.

Today we started fishing in earnest. We put out our trolls, and
quickly
caught a Bonita (sort of like a tuna, but extremely bloody - we cut
him up
for bait for when we're in the Gulf Stream), two barracuda (which we
tossed
back), and then a mackerel. A lovely fish, we filleted him
immediately,
hoping to catch another for dinner.

In between, we believe we must have attracted a shark, as not only was
the
lure gone, but the leader was much abraded quite a bit up the line
from the
lure. Ever optimistic, we set again (all this while doodling along at
about
4 knots). Interrupting the electronics project we had, as well as just
as we
were going to stop the boat and take a swim, a very large fish hit our
port
side line. After long time of reeling, as she'd pulled off a lot of
line
before we got to the rod, we successfully boated a 48" king mackerel.
I said
she because there was also a huge egg sac. We decided we'd better put
away
the rods for a while, as we have something on the order of 20 pounds
of fish
from that single catch. We've just finished a huge meal, immediately
roasted
on the grill, which was more than awesome, not to mention filling.
There's
still a gargantuan amount of fish left from the first half, which is
all we
had room to cook. The second half is being saved for other delicacies
-
sushi, sashimi, ceviche, a salad, and sandwiches, among others.

In 77 feet of water currently, the color is stunning, and while we
can't see
(or, at least, know what we're seeing) the bottom, crystal clear. Our
delayed swim was tempered by the reality of sharks, so we waited until
we'd
moved well away from the area over which we cleaned the King Mackerel.
No
sharks showed up for the remains we were throwing over, but there was
a
small crab which stood by and then latched on to one of the smaller
bits,
immediately heading into deeper water. It was amusing to see him swim
sideways to keep up with the drifting boat until we tossed over his
treat.
Once clear of the area, we put the boat into a hard turn, so that its
motion
would be minimized, and jumped in, hanging on to mooring lines we'd
put in
the water to wash. While the water was very warm, it was still
refreshing,
and we took advantage of our stop to do a "Joy Shower" - Joy dish
detergent
makes a great salt-water wash. So, we stood on the platform one at a
time -
it's not that large! - and jumped in to rinse off. After getting off
the
soap, we climbed out for our fresh water rinse with the shower on the
stern.

That platform got a lot of work today, cleaning three fish, and
washing down
with the pressure-fed salt-water washdown on the stern (with Joy, of
course!), so it looks great. We have taken to doing our entire
exterior teak
with the lightest grade of olive oil available, so we thought we'd do
the
platform as well. However, if this pattern continues, there won't be
any way
we'll have any olive oil left on it! Our exterior teak looks marvelous
doing
this - and there's no sanding, either!

Well, I'm now on watch, so I'll stop here. More to follow.







L8R

Skip

Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig KI4MPC
See our galleries at www.justpickone.org/skip/gallery !
Follow us at http://groups.google.com/group/flyingpiglog and/or
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheFlyingPigLog

"You are never given a wish without also being given the power to
make it
come true. You may have to work for it however."
(and)
"There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in its
hands.
You seek problems because you need their gifts."
(Richard Bach, in The Reluctant Messiah)

July 15th - Oops - we missed Ft. Lauderdale

Erkki and I had the dawn patrol today. Our shift included looking at
lots of
shipping, as well as distant thunderstorms, on our radar, as we
tracked the
Gulf Stream in search of a lift north. All the light shows resulted in
nothing, however, as they were too far away to affect us. One
(additional -
after all the rest so far) problem which surfaced early on, however,
was
that apparently our mast-top navigation light has no red light. That
means
vessels approaching us from our port side can't see us. That's meant
that we
have to run our deck level navigation lights, as well as our masthead,
or
steaming, lights. As those lights are of the heat-generating type,
they use
a lot of electricity. So, we'll have to attend to that rather quickly,
as we
won't want to run our deck level lights any more than necessary - not
to
mention that the mast-top light is new, and high-tech, so we want to
get it
replaced immediately.

Fortunately for this set of circumstances, however, the wind continues
to be
nonexistent - or so low as to require running the engine. Running the
engine
generates more electricity than we use, so it's been ok about the
lights. As
I write this, we're again under motor, with sails furled other than
the
main, which is up to minimize rolling in the light waves which are
present
tonight.

Earlier today, the wind was entirely dead, starting shortly after
first
light. As sunlight is the biggest age component of sails, we stowed
them
all, and motored on. Fortunately, the Gulf Stream added speed to our
travels, as expected, and we continued to make good time with light
use of
the "Iron Genny" - so nicknamed for replacing the genoa (the big sail
up
front) - similar to the "Iron Horse" of pioneer times.

However, it was so hot that we also took a swim and bath break around
noon.
It was very refreshing, and lowered our body temperatures, despite the
Gulf
Stream being in the upper 80s. We renewed our vigor and continued to
motor.
As I was off shift, I went down to nap, again, and when I came up, the
wind
had picked up to a wonderful 4 knots, in a direction suitable for
putting
out the spinnaker. So, of course, we did.

Another phantasmagorical sail under that marvelous piece of rainbow
cloth.
We were making 5 and 6 knots in the water, but with the Gulf Stream
lift, we
were making 9 or more knots over ground. We'd been making such good
time
since we entered the stream that we took a meeting and the crew
decided we'd
go to Daytona Beach, instead. There, it will take less time to drive
home,
and, as a bonus, there may be a ride available from one of Erkki's
friends.
As I write, we're off North Palm Beach, making over 8 knots with a 4
knot
lift from the Gulf Stream. As it's such a boost, even though it goes
offshore rather much by the time we get to Daytona Beach, we'll ride
it
until nearly 30 miles to go, then triangulate into the entry. This
will
duplicate the entry I made all these years ago, on our proving cruise
with
my second ex-wife's father. He'd been taking on crew as he did a
single-handed circumnavigation, and we were one of the last legs; it's
what
convinced Lydia that it's what she wanted to do for the rest of our
lives.

Tonight on the SSB was better, in that I could hear the traffic, and,
while
the control in mid-Florida couldn't hear me, a guy in Texas could, and
relayed our information for us. We're now in the winlink.com tracking
section, so those interested could go to the web site and look for our
call
sign, seen in the sig line, but KI4MPC (Kilo India Four Mike Poppa
Charlie).
However, this time around also exposed a weakness, said to be a well
known
difficulty in our particular radio. At high power, we get voice
clipping.
Practically speaking, that means people can hear us but not understand
us.
The good news is that it amounts to a product defect, and should be
remedied
at no cost - albeit not only a delay, and probably at least the
shipping
costs to return it to the factory or some authorized service center.

So, there are some things we'd like to get repaired or corrected, as
soon as
possible. If there's a service center in Daytona Beach, it's worth
spending
some time there to have that defect remedied. Of course, if there are
service centers, likely NYC would have one, which would be OK, too, as
we at
least are able to check in with the Mobile Maritime Net. Likewise, if
my
supplier can send me a replacement mast light overnight, I could get
that
installed while we're in Daytona. Given the level of security that
represents in shipping lanes, that's a high priority. Fortunately for
the
nuisance factor, there are also several other things I need to do up
the
mast, so I can attend to them at the same time.

Overall, we're doing much better than hoped, and the breakages and
difficulties are part and parcel of cruising. The saying goes that
"Cruising
is boat repair in exotic locations!" I'm not certain how exotic
Daytona
Beach, and New York City environs is, but at least it fits with the
usual
epectations of having to fix something after every voyage. Fortunately
for
us, those things so far are minimal.

Erkki and I have the midnight shift tonight (ends at midnight) so I
should
get another full night's sleep, and be ready to go at it again. So
far, so
good, and we're thrilled to find that it's meeting our expectations.

L8R

Skip

Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig KI4MPC
See our galleries at www.justpickone.org/skip/gallery !
Follow us at http://groups.google.com/group/flyingpiglog and/or
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheFlyingPigLog

"You are never given a wish without also being given the power to
make it
come true. You may have to work for it however."
(and)
"There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in its
hands.
You seek problems because you need their gifts."
(Richard Bach, in The Reluctant Messiah)

My apologies for the out-of-sequence posting. I was totally blasted
from
the heat and sleep deprivation (why that was in later posts). The
last one
will make more sense after this:

Saturday, July 14. Happy Bastille Day!

Last night was a litany of electronic difficulties. The mobile
maritime net,
which, albeit with a relay, had worked so well before, this time was
nearly
unintelligible to the folks on the other side. While I could hear very
well,
I wasn't well heard. Tonight, I am unable to understand any of the
traffic -
so I'm back to not knowing whether I have a problem, or it's just the
nature
of the solar cycle or some other global difficulties.

Then, after we'd redone a wiring-problem installation of a depth
sounder and
speed log, upgrading to being able to independently switch on the
lights, we
found that the depth sounder wasn't reading the depth, and the speed
log
wasn't working, either. Fast forward to the next day and the impeller
(the
thing that gets pushed around by the water running by it) became
loose,
again, apparently, rotating and providing electronic input to the
display
unit and now we have a speed indicator that works. Another of our
instruments has the same difficulty, but I will pull it out (making a
small
amount of water in the boat) and free it up. We concluded that our
last week
in the marina slip,, with extremely high and low tides, as well as a
case of
the red tide (which killed a lot of small fish and made for a very
nasty
water environment), had gunked up our impellers so that they didn't
work I
have one other minor check point to do in order to see about the depth
sounder - new right before we left! - and hope that it's a simple fix.

We're on 8-hour doubles shifts, which is to say that each pair can get
an
entire 8 hours of rest. Before our expected changeover at midnight,
Erkki
and I elected to let our relief sleep an extra hour, in order to allow
them
more rest. After they arrived, and we had briefed them on what was
happening
with our course, speed, and location, I went to bed. I got a great
night's
sleep, but it wasn't so restful topsides.

Adding to our list of things to investigate or take care of is the
refrigeration. We believe that we are just stressing it immensely,
with all
the constant opening and closing, insertion of warm water and newly-
caught
fish, and the huge amount of heat added each time we trade out one
slightly
colder bottle of water for another, newly poured, 90 degree gallon.
However,
where we used to be able to easily maintain single-digit temperatures
in the
freezer, and 35 degrees in the refrigerator, we're struggling to get
to 20
in the freezer, and are over 50 in the reefer. Back to last night.

There were miscellaneous squalls to be avoided, but, primarily, there
were
issues with each and every one of the instruments in our helm area.
The
speed and depth logs mentioned earlier were already known inoperative,
but
at various times overnight the chartplotter failed, the GPS integrated
to
the chartplotter lost its fix (repeatedly), the other helm-mounted GPS
either wouldn't light, wouldn't acquire the satellites, or wouldn't
even
come on. The speed indicator lost its light (apparently - it's
connected
with the autopilot, which controls the light level), entirely. The
fish
finder, which integrates speed, depth and temperature, is so old that
the
display is difficult to read. Adding insult to injury, the speed
portion is
the other impeller mentioned, which I will have to pull out (opening a
hole
in the boat) in order to free up. Disappointingly, it's also the trip
log,
so our distance traveled will have to be recorded based on the
distances
between waypoints.

And, finally, the lashing securing the boom to the point of the
staysail
where it attaches to the sheet (which controls how tightly it's
pulled)
opened, creating momentary flogging and banging. The killer was,
however,
that it required heading into the wind, in order to take the strain
off the
sail, to repair it. While that job was pretty straightforward and
simple,
the autopilot chose that occasion to hiccup, and the speed, autopilot,
chartplotter and GPS (both of them - the one below which controls the
autopilot, and the one at the helm) all took dumps at the same time.
The end
result was lots of hand-driving to keep the boat pointed correctly
while
repairing the sail, and, in the end, a lack of knowledge of where the
boat
was, and how to get to where we were going, other than by compass.

While driving by compass is ok if you are confident of where you are
and
where you're going, if you know neither, and are in the area of very
shallow
water, as the end of that particular leg of the trip was, it gets a
bit
nerve wracking. In the end, the instruments were persuaded to return
to
duty, and the sailing resumed.

That's the good news - the wind had finally picked up enough to sail,
without having to run the engine. All through the night, Flying Pig
proceeded at a stately pace, timed to get us to our earlier-defined
fishing
hole. Well, as might be expected under the circumstances, with all
that fish
aboard, Phillip - the fisherman aboard - elected to pass on that
exercise
and proceed directly into Key West's Northwest Channel.

Our trip through Key West was uneventful, if also boring (if you
disregard
all the potentials for going aground!), and we set sail on a very
close
reach in order to get to the Gulf Stream once in the channel. Well,
wouldn't
you know, despite being able to tack from our exit directly into our
track
for finding the Gulf Stream, the wind was again light, and,
eventually,
died. Again, we struck the genoa (the big jib on a roller), and
started the
engine.

The engine and all the related stuff has worked flawlessly - except
for, you
guessed it, an instrument. The temperature gauge is flaky at best. It
was an
electronic instrument I got, new in the box, at the first Seven Seas
Cruising Association convention I attended, in the Saturday morning
flea
market. It's worked exactly as I'd hoped in its first few trials, but,
on
this trip, it's totally unreliable. Fortunately, I have an electronic,
infrared, thermostat, and checking the engine temperatures at several
locations along the way have assured me that all is well - even though
I'd
much rather receive real-time info about our coolant temperatures!

Lest you think this last day has been all bad news, last evening,
before
being relieved by the others, Erkki and I were joined, as we
frequently are,
by the off-watch crew (you can't sleep all the time, and nobody's
seemed to
want to read all that much, either!) for conversation and dinner.
Right
after dinner, we noticed a dolphin (well, a porpoise; dolphins are
what we
hope to catch for dinner) jumping beside the boat. We figured he
wanted to
play, and sure enough, he came alongside, did rolls and swoops, and
then
raced ahead of the boat for about a minute before diving deeply. In
between,
I managed to get a few good shots of him, including some of the ones
where
he was looking back up at us, to see if we were watching him!

Our crew arrangements are working out marvelously. Erkki and Phillip
are
great company as well as competent watch standers. As I write this, it
appears we'll make Ft. Lauderdale by mid-day tomorrow. Our entry to
the Gulf
Stream was gentle and gradual. We could see the different color of the
water, but the expected temperature differential never materialized -
perhaps, because it's July, and the water all around is also very
warm.
Initially we got some help with the usual slide that a sailboat does
as it's
being pushed sideways by the sails. However, once we were on our
course at
the edge of the Gulf Stream, we got about a knot of lift to begin
with. Now
that we're fully in the stream, however, we're seeing a 3.5 knot
(nautical
miles per hour) improvement in our speed. We'll stop in Ft. Lauderdale
for
more charts, fuel, water, perhaps deal with some of the equipment
challenges
we've found, and then head back out. If we can get a better wind, our
trip
north should be a great deal faster!

Stay tuned...

L8R


Skip

Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig KI4MPC
See our galleries at www.justpickone.org/skip/gallery !
Follow us at http://groups.google.com/group/flyingpiglog and/or
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheFlyingPigLog

"You are never given a wish without also being given the power to
make it
come true. You may have to work for it however."
(and)
"There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in its
hands.
You seek problems because you need their gifts."
(Richard Bach, in The Reluctant Messiah)

Wow, I am surprised you are still posting. If I had a run like that, I
am afraid my laptop would be the first to get smashed on the
console... I have been following this for a looooong time. All the
distractors now wish they were you, even with the troubles I bet!
Better luck and fair seas to you and your crew.

July 16th - Hey!! Wasn't that Daytona Beach??

After an extraordinarily short sail last night in very light wind, we
again
gave up and fired up the Iron Genny. We continued to get a great lift
from
the Gulf Stream,. 4 knots of lift, in fact, most of the time. In the
times
we've had a decent wind, we're making 10 knots over ground. Lydia and
Phillip had the dawn patrol, and it was a very good one at that.
Lydia's
been rather gun-shy of night watches after the wreck, but this one was
very
productive. Thunderstorms and squalls were skirted after spotting on
the
radar, her understanding of the operation of the chartplotter and GPS
was
enhanced, and in general she felt much better about night operations.

As it was my turn off-watch, I had another good night's sleep, other
than
that Erkki and I elected to allow the relief watch to sleep until
1:30, so I
got a late start. When I arose, I found that the crew had mutinied and
demanded to go to Savannah. We'd been making such great time, and the
route
looked feasible, that - I think - they didn't want it to end quite so
soon,
and so wanted to press on.

That sounded good to me, other than that I was concerned for our fuel
and
water. Fortunately, upon investigation, we found that our smaller
water tank
was the one which we had exhausted, and so the larger, nearly half
again the
size of the original, was the one we were working from now. In
addition,
we'd
already resolved to do salt water showers or swims, again, using the
fresh
water shower at the stern, or the regular cabin showers, for (just)
rinsing.
As it turns out, that won't be necessary, but it's good practice,
anyway, as
Lydia and I expect to be enroute to New York in a few days, and not
come off
the water except for emergency or disastrous weather.

However, there were several complications to the plan to go to
Savannah,
having to do with transportation, scheduling, and others. In the end,
the
problem which cinched my desire to go to Jacksonville (even though
we'll
have to go to Savannah, anyway, in order to mail off our proof-of-
export to
the tax people in FL) was that after detailed calculations, Erkki and
I (who
very much wanted to go to Savannah) determined that we would be out of
fuel
well before our arrival. On the other hand, we could comfortably make
Jacksonville, in the early morning hours, at the rate we expected to
go.

In my absence (while I was asleep), the fuel tank had been sounded
with a
stick they'd found. I had a chart of the tanks aboard as well as an
indicator of the depth as related to percentages of volume. The
dipstick
which came with the boat had ¼ tank markings on it, and we had
slightly more
than ¼ tank available. That was informative in that we could now
extrapolate
our fuel usage, and how much more we had available.

In their enthusiasm for all the lift we'd obtained from the Gulf
Stream, and
neglect of the impact of the fuel we'd have to burn while coming
ashore from
the great distance we were out, the fact that we'd nearly certainly
run out
of fuel before our arrival had escaped them. So, Erkki and I did a
more
detailed analysis, and determined that we could safely - but with only
a
small reserve - make Jacksonville. So, that's where we headed.

As usual, there's no wind today, so at about 5 we got ready to take
our
swim. Oops. There's no wind because we're motoring in the direction of
the
wind, at the same speed as the wind. Stop the boat, and there's a
small
breeze. Boats tend to blow around when there's a breeze, and this was
no
exception. Flying Pig is such a sailor that she doesn't want to stop.
No
luck whatsoever in putting her in irons - heaving to - which makes her
sidle
sideways with small jogs. So, we dumped all the sails, lay a-hull
(sideways
to the waves and wind), and jumped in.

Because we headed in toward Jacksonville, we were now out of the Gulf
Stream, and the water was a few degrees colder. More, it was a very
different color - not nearly as pretty as in the Gulf Stream. However,
it
was refreshing, and that was really the point. Notably, though, the
wind
continued, and it was sufficient to allow us to put up the sails
again. This
time, as it was nearly dead astern, we put out the spinnaker and set
the
main sail in a wing-and-wing configuration. As I write this, we're
making
more than 6 knots through the water, in dead silence - other than the
splashing of the waves from the bow. When the boat stands up, as it
does
under spinnaker sailing (vs heeled over under standard sails), the
water
flies off the bow, very impressively and entertainingly for those
sitting in
the bow seat over the anchors.

Depending on our winds, we expect to be at the Jacksonville inlet
shortly
before dawn. We'll make our way up the St. John's River and make
arrangements for our crew's car to go home, try to get connected to
the
internet, post all the log notes and collect our email, and even more
importantly, attend to some of the repairs we need doing. It's been a
great
run. We'll have done over 700 miles in about 5 days, and everyone's
still
talking to each other!

My attempts to check in on the Maritime Net tonight were again
frustrated.
As was the case a couple of days before, I learned that the difficulty
was
some inconsiderate HAM using a digital form of communication. With
thousands
of frequencies available, and this being a very long-standing net, an
experienced hobbyist (one who would use this type of communication
would be
very experienced) should surely know that this frequency had a
significant
purpose, and should have avoided it.

On the whole, however, if that's the only thing I can find to complain
about, I guess it's doing pretty well. I'll take another nap in a
while and
then take the dawn shift with Erkki. We'll bring her home.

L8R


Skip

Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig KI4MPC
See our galleries at www.justpickone.org/skip/gallery !
Follow us at http://groups.google.com/group/flyingpiglog and/or
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheFlyingPigLog

"You are never given a wish without also being given the power to
make it
come true. You may have to work for it however."
(and)
"There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in its
hands.
You seek problems because you need their gifts."
(Richard Bach, in