Georgetown Passage – Day 2, Part IV, 01-01-09

We left you early on New Year’s Day, sleeping soundly.

We slept in a bit (for us – about 8:30) and woke, expecting to go
exploring again. The weather turned out to be pretty nasty – very
cloudy and windy, and threatening rain, so despite my having fetched
the conch anchor, successfully, as it appeared we’d be rained on,
rather than commence with the cleaning, I lowered the bag again, after
retying the line to the chain. OH NO!! The light line making the
grocery bag cinch broke!

So, I had Lydia keep an eye on the very visible bag, and dug out the
dive gear. I took another light nylon mooring line we had down with
me and wrapped it up like a package, simulating, I’m sure, the early
Greek’s method of anchoring, except this was conch, not a rock!
However, in the meantime, the boat had moved, and I had to hoist the
package, swing it forward (it was far too heavy for me to swim it) and
chase the boat, as my line was getting too short, and, in one case, it
kinked, shutting off my air.

Fortunately, it was close enough for me to see and unwind, restoring
the supply, and because I knew what had happened, it didn’t panic me,
but it did get my attention, because my first (reflexive) impulse was,
as would have been the case if I’d been snorkeling and got the end
under water (making a non-clear airflow), to blow out forcefully.
Snorkeling, that would have cleared the snorkel. With delivered air,
it just meant that I had nothing to work with in my lungs!

Anyway, I eventually caught up with the boat and handed up the bowline
loop I’d put around my waist to Lydia for her to hoist with the
boathook. Connected to our side cleat, they rested comfortably on the
bottom until I got to them the next day. As I was already in the
water, I decided I might as well do my under-the-boat chores I’d been
meaning to do, and got my scraper and went to work.

I was able to carefully clean around all the speed sensors, and to
clean around the depth sensors, and the housing around one of the
depth sensors, in case it interrupted the water flow to the speed
sensor – the one which hasn’t yet revived, despite the little paddle
wheel turning freely - near it. I also got the very few places the
barnacles had managed to attach on the boat, and confirmed that the
last bits of rope remaining in the prop had dissipated. The ears
turned freely, and I removed the extremely few and small barnacles
that had managed to survive the spinning of the PropSpeed-coated prop
(it’s slippery, and slings anything which tries to adhere as the prop
turns).

While I was under, I also marveled at the Bahamian water’s effect on
the bottom, as there was only the slightest bit of slime on one side –
which, if conditions hold, will come right off as we make our port-
tack run to Georgetown in a couple of days. Our dinghy’s been in the
water for a week or so, and the bottom just shines – not the first
hint of a line or anything worse…

So, I came out and got warm in the sun. We’d decided that the more
sensible place to store our snorkeling gear would be in the dinghy,
which has a seat with a bag under it, currently holding only the foot
pump for the dinghy tubes. The two flipper sets and mask and snorkel
bag all fit neatly in there, so we have it in the dinghy, now,
whenever we see a snorkeling opportunity present itself. In the
Bahamas, it’s illegal (unless you’re a native) to take anything from
the sea using compressed air, so the majority of the time, other than
sightseeing, we’d be snorkeling, anyway. Having accomplished all I
could see needed under the boat, I put away the dive gear and restowed
the remainder of the lazarette, cleaning up that part of the deck.

Lydia and her mom had been cleaning the stainless steel, dressing up
Flying Pig, which hadn’t had a good stainless polish since the last
time her mother was aboard. All the stuff which had been on the arch
was now on the deck, allowing access to all the stainless which needed
polishing. As I was still chilled and the weather was still very
blustery, I delayed commencing with the conch, instead putting out the
London Broil we’d been carrying in the freezer since Miami – YUM! – to
thaw,

With all the stuff being removed, and the prospect of still water
coming, with Lydia’s mom still being a bit incapacitated but showing
signs of wanting to get in the water, finally, I decided to tackle our
side ladder…

We rigged the over-the-side ladder for the first time, and it will
work a treat. It may even be possible to leave it in position
permanently, as I’d originally intended. This ladder is the subject
of one of the photo essays during our refit in the gallery in my
signature line below, for those who may be interested.

It was no bargain, in the end, over one that can be bought already
made up, but those require putting on the slide rail for the genoa
turning block, and thus wouldn’t work for us. The over-a-boatbuck
price turned us against it, but in the end, I expect ours cost us more
than that. We started with the standard aft ladder that attached to
the stern and, when raised, made a gate for the center-entry stern.

As the backstay was in the middle of that, when I designed the arch
and platform, I had the entry to port, making it clearer (the backstay
is now just inside the center stanchion of the pushpit, now integrated
to the arch). Since the platform had its own ladder, this was a
surplus part. However, it had an angle welded into it from the
brackets on which it pivoted, allowing the ladder to lay against the
stern and then go straight up for the gate. In the down position, it
lay against the bottom of the transom, making the balance of it
straight down. That angle would later allow us to clear our rub rail
in its new position.

Literally everything we took off the boat found new homes, and in
every instance other than one air conditioning unit and one LectraSan,
which an internet buddy who came to help me uninstall those took in
trade for our satellite receiver system, they all went to Morgan
owners. Waste not, want not :{)) Anyway, I saw the possibility for
this to work for the side, and figured out how we could modify it.

It had no steps, so my primary contractor and I designed, cut and
installed teak steps over the stainless tubing. It wasn’t long enough
to provide the depth needed for comfortable mounting from the sea, as
the pivot point for it to be the gate in the stern had lowered it a
full foot from where I’d have to mount it on the side, so my
electrical contractor welded in a new section, adding a step. We used
the original mounting bracket for one side, and salvage parts from one
of the salvage houses for the other. The ladder could, with new
hinges and extensions (some of the leftover being what I used for my
“monster screwdriver in the scupper repair), not only stand up at the
side gate, but flop over the genoa slide rail. The final touch was to
make the standoff legs short enough to match the side, and to make it
possible to swing them in when not in use.

All that was very well, but we calculated in all the hours and
materials that we probably spent well over the boatbuck (BOAT – break
out another thousand) the ready-made, classy looking, boarding ladder
would have cost us. But, frankly, this one is classier, sturdier, and
can be moved from one side to the other, not to mention, stowed, if
needed.

By the time we were finished with the various boat chores, combined
with our late rising, it was time to have dinner, early, again. We
cooked up the London Broil, saving half of it for another dinner, or,
perhaps, sandwiches. Tomorrow I’ll tackle the conch, hoping to use
some of the knowledge, gained in yet another of our books, to make the
chore a bit less tedious…

So, we’ll leave you again, but, in the famous words of the now-
governor of California, “I’ll be back!” :{))

As always, those on our log lists will receive real-time reports, but
those seeing these in the forums will have to wait until we have good
internet connectivity. There’s no internet service here, and we don’t
know when the next will be, but you can see our progress on our SPOT
page, http://tinyurl.com/FlyingPigSpotTracking …

Stay tuned :{))

L8R

Skip and Crew

Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig KI4MPC
See our galleries at www.justpickone.org/skip/gallery !
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"And then again, when you sit at the helm of your little ship on a
clear
night, and gaze at the countless stars overhead, and realize that you
are
quite alone on a wide, wide sea, it is apt to occur to you that in the
general scheme of things you are merely an insignificant speck on the
surface of the ocean; and are not nearly so important or as self-
sufficient
as you thought you were. Which is an exceedingly wholesome thought,
and one
that may effect a permanent change in your deportment that will be
greatly
appreciated by your friends."- James S. Pitkin