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August 15 - Taking a Bath, and other travels
August 15 - Taking a Bath, and other travels
Those of you on our log lists, or in the various forums where I'm posting our adventures in the form of our log list postings, would not be aware unless you also read it, but in a usenet newsgroup, rec.boats.cruising, our adventures are getting a huge amount of press, much of it acidic or worse. That's due to my candor (Lydia sez I have no boundaries), not masochism. I expose our foibles and challenges in the hopes that, first, I might learn something from someone who's been there, done that, and have suggestions (other than that I get off the water before I kill everyone in a 20-mile radius) which might be helpful, and, more importantly, to allow others to benefit from our experiences. Those responding to those posts assume the worst, not that we're just working through all the hundreds of things which need shaking out from our massive refit, and, in some cases, the rehab from our wreck. Some of them aren't friendly, to put it kindly, but in most cases, I believe, they're motivated to make the posts they do to expose potentials not just to us, but to others who may follow our footsteps/wake. Once you remove the venom, usually there's valid information underneath, and we've already done whatever's being suggested. So, I don't relate all our various issues to alarm, but just to show how we're progressing through stuff. For example, our electrical system seems now well in hand. The batteries are behaving entirely normally, and the multi-faceted charging system is doing its job. So, now, I only occasionally look at our meters area, that which shows what's happening, in battery state and charging systems. Our boat came with some fan belts which were neither new nor the correct length, and in one case, not high quality, to boot. So, when installed, there wasn't enough room to take up slack more than once. As a belt gets slack, it slips when the high-output alternator exerts its pressure, for example, and you tighten it. Except, if it's too long, you only get one of those tightenings until it has no more room, and then slips as it wears. What then looks like a worn out belt is really just a too-long belt in the case of the one we just changed, a cheapie lawnmower-belt equivalent. That, of course, isn't adequate for the loads imposed by a high-power alternator, compounding the length issue. Based on someone else' length, that's what we bought in the high-quality replacement - but it's too long, too, so we're going to get the proper length in a high quality belt. We assume that will make a huge difference in the life of our belts. So, anyway, the most exciting thing we can talk about right now is our upcoming fueling... In the meantime, sitting here at anchor in front of Belhaven NC, I type while I also look at the screen, a luxury (see prior discussions on touch typing in the dark), and don't have to maintain a 360 scan every minute or two, nor look at the instruments or gauges (more on why the trimetric [the guage which tells me all about the battery condition and charging] isn't among my get-up-and-look-every-couple-minutes any more, in a future post). I don't enjoy the ditch (the derisive nickname for the Intra-Coastal Waterway, the inside passage from the middle of Florida to NY and beyond, only a few places of the route being on open water), at all, other than the neat places and people we get to see, so look forward to getting outside again. Until then, we'll continue to motor a lot, putting more time on the engine than I'd normally (recall "normal" isn't, until it's happened a lot, so that remains to be seen) do in a year, each week, sailing being a rarity forced either by environment (canal, e.g.) or weather (dead calm, as has been the case mostly, other than yesterday afternoon in the Pungo River, where we had a lovely sail here). Second oil change approaches, e.g., on this trip alone. So, stay tuned. Things are coming into place nicely, and, amazing to me, we've not yet even cleaned the slime off the bottom, let alone polished the keel ("keel polishing", and bottom sounding exercises, are what cruisers humorously refer to when they've managed to power through touching the ground under their boat), something we'd expected based on the other horror stories of the ICW. Perhaps my dual redundancy of hard charts (a chartbook, and individual area detail charts) and a working chartplotter and radar contribute - I don't know - but staying between the reds and greens has been all that's been required so far. I'm sure our maintenance and other challenges aren't over (no boat's life ever gets to say that, let alone a 30-year old one which hasn't had every possible electrical, plumbing, engine-and-drivetrain and safety item removed and replaced), but it's starting to get boring. Not that I crave crisis - but I do enjoy troubleshooting, and problem resolution. However, boring is nice, currently :{)) On which subject, you'll recall the captain who didn't get to ride with us to his home town, Beaufort NC, after his getting off another boat he was going to deliver to Annapolis. A 30 year captain, he gave me what I considered high praise after our rudder excitment when he said, "Most boats, I'd have spoken up, saying something about how the owner should deal with this. I felt no urge to speak up here. Well done." He'd also gotten a couple of days' view of us from the stern of the boat he was to deliver, watching how I puttered around, constantly attending to stuff, and when he was invited aboard, saw how we'd done things and what we were attending to while in Charleston. He also invited (well, nearly commanded) us to visit us in his home. Which is how we got to Bath, NC. We'd arranged to have the wayward part delivered to his home, it not having been delivered to either the marina where we were previously, nor any other prior-agreed place. That it didn't even leave the warehouse to his home is just another example of the challenges we've faced; we had the option to stay another day (which would have been a nice stop; see the following), or head on. We elected to press onward, having it delivered to a restaurant up the ICW, for our pickup in a couple of days. Back to Bath... What a lovely community that is - a part of the historical society's protected places, it's the oldest town in NC. We got to see the dolphins mating off his dock on the Pamlico River, he gave us a truck to do some running around in, and so on. For what it's worth, that's a truck which he gave to another cruiser/Captain. When he was finished with the projects he was doing there, he left it with Joe (our Captain friend), paying the insurance, and asking him to make it available to those who need it. Joe will replace the truck when it dies, and continue, until told that the owner isn't coming back, in which case he'll continue to pass it along. When he buys the replacement, he'll title it in the other's name, and it will continue... Back to Joe, he provided us with a marvelous evening with him and his wife, and the new band teacher in town. He met his wife as an experienced sailor, and they've been blissfully married for a long while. That they're both sailors makes for a great relationship as they race and otherwise, but he'd not told her of us, wanting to wait and have her hear the story directly. So, over dinner, we gave the Reader's Digest version of our adventures, including all that we'd done to our home, along the way. They were amazed that we'd stuck with it; anyone else would have tucked tail and run. He also commented that he'd sail with us anywhere, another example of reinforcement of how we're approaching our tasks from long-time, high-experience, direct (being with us, aboard, rather than inferring our realities from a distance) observers. They're among the ones we've extended an "anytime we're not already occupied with guests" invitation to do just that, with the proviso that you can choose your date or your place, but not necessarily both :{)) He's yet another example, his being a Captain aside, of the marvelous people we meet as we go through our trip. I'll let Lydia tell about all the neat animals and history and architecture and the like, but it's enough to say that we liked it. Oh, and lest I forget... The state, in its wisdom, has provided a free public docking facility. No services, but you can tie up free there. There's also a free ferry across the river, and they maintain the various public places in the town, giving tours, video shows and so on, all free. Like most really small towns, you can walk all of it in an hour or so, or take an entire day to explore. So, my carping about the ICW aside, this is the sort of experience which drives (pardon the expression - it's what we call our motoring) folks to never leave the ditch. If you're not in a hurry, you can just putter along, and stop and smell the roses. That's exactly what we'll do when Lydia's mom joins us, and we work our way south, again, chasing the warm weather. For now, we're impatient to get to NY, because, as seen so far, there's always something which can delay us, and hurrying isn't a good word in cruising. And, we'd far rather be a sailboat than a trawler with sticks, which is the best face you can put on motoring a sailboat... Back to the hospitality of our host, and their truck loan, I tried to find the place which could give us the quality alternator belt we need, exchanging/replacing the mistaken-dimensioned one we'd bought in our Beaufort dash, but they'd closed last year and the closest one was well over an hour away. A tiny town in the middle of nowhere makes for some challenges; another stop along the way will have to suffice, but I'd also tried to find the bolts which Lewmar didn't have in stock, keeping the order from going the first time. That led me to a True Value hardware store which could only come close, the ones I had being 10 millimeters longer (remember the cigarette ads for the silly millimeter longer brand? If it had been one millimeter, I'd have been all right!) than the longest correct size one they had, but it did have a UPS shipping point. So, yesterday, I got to ship out our old fish finder head end (the one with the pictures, not the part under the boat) to see if it can be resurrected. In the meantime, we have a similarly old looking unit which we bought on eBay, and it's ok for the moment. We only keep what we have due to the very accurate info presented by the sensors at the front of the boat, ones which would be a very expensive replacement should we change to a new unit. Along the way, I'd also pulled up the three different speed sensors we have (that involves pulling out a 1 1/4" stick with the sensor on the end), which lets an impressive spout of water into the boat if you're not ready for it, but we had our plugs ready and the usual cup or so of water went into the bilge. As expected, the paddlewheels were encrusted with marine life, but once that encrustation was removed, they (after the reverse process of pulling the plug and reinserting these) performed as expected. So, now, one of the features of a couple of these is that we have a distance log. It shows how far we've come on this leg of our journey, from Beaufort. Unfortunately, unlike our at-sea travels, where we knocked off triple digit mile days, these days, taken up with anchoring, sleeping in, and up-anchoring, combined with the slower pace of motoring, we're lucky to get in 50 miles a day. We had our first meaningful measurement of our fuel usage after this fueling, in that we'd been running at cruising speed - enough so that we made significant progress, but not full throttle which would use a disproportionately high amount of fuel compared to the amount of speed gained. At cruise, we use right at .8 gallons of fuel per hour. Our BoatUS membership has gotten us a dime's reduction in the price of fuel at each stop so far, so we've managed to save a little bit each time. And, we continue to be pleased with our engine's performance. All the specs have been well within tolerances, and our oil pressure system must like the oil I put in this time, as it remains consistently higher than it was any time before in our use of the motor. So, we continue our way up the road, and will anchor tonight before heading on to our pickup point for the new part. That is a restaurant and full service marina. It's famous for its 2-pound rib eye. We expect to be there just in time for dinner so I'm looking forward to it. Perhaps dinner (and fueling) includes the right to tie alongside (no services) overnight. Unless there's some excitement to relate, this will have to hold you until our next internet access. We're having fun - are you :{)) 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) |
August 15 - Taking a Bath, and other travels
( Those of you on our log lists, or in the various forums where I'm posting our adventures in the form of our log list postings, would not be aware unless you also read it, but in a usenet newsgroup, rec.boats.cruising, our adventures are getting a huge amount of press, much of it acidic or worse.) A huge amount of press? Are you totally out of your mind? Most of the "press" is by you, about you. And the postings I read are mostly supportive of your efforts. I am beginning to think that you may have some mental problems. |
August 15 - Taking a Bath, and other travels
On Thu, 16 Aug 2007 20:34:00 -0000, Skip Gundlach
wrote: Our BoatUS membership has gotten us a dime's reduction in the price of fuel at each stop One of the cheapest fuel stops on the east coast is the Alligator River Marina just north of the bridge. They can tell you on the phone or radio what their channel depth is. Further north, Coinjock Marina also has reasonable fuel prices, and the restaurant there has some of the best prime ribs that I've ever had. Do not order the "Captains Cut" unless you are *really* hungry. Coming into New York Harbor, Atlantic Highlands Municipal Marina has good fuel prices by NY standards. There is room to anchor there along the shore near the east end of the breakwater. |
August 15 - Taking a Bath, and other travels
On Aug 16, 6:43 pm, "NE Sailboat" wrote:
( Those of you on our log lists, or in the various forums where I'm posting our adventures in the form of our log list postings, would not be aware unless you also read it, but in a usenet newsgroup, rec.boats.cruising, our adventures are getting a huge amount of press, much of it acidic or worse.) A huge amount of press? Are you totally out of your mind? Most of the "press" is by you, about you. And the postings I read are mostly supportive of your efforts. I am beginning to think that you may have some mental problems. Heh. No doubt. Most have noted that before now... However, I note that some of the threads occasioned by our commentaries have gone over 70 posts; most seem to make it to a half dozen almost without notice and many get into double digits. I call that a lot of press. And, I agree, many are supportive. There are, however, those which are not. Yet, as noted, in most cases where there's information included, rather than just ad hominem, I look and learn. Most times I've already done it, but in the interest of trying to limit my already rampant logorhhea, have not mentioned it, and to respond to them doesn't further the discussion, particularly when my access is limited. Thus, before I even saw the suggestion that I post about a boring trip, this (the subject line above) went up. I think that prolly qualified... L8R Skip, the nutcase... |
August 15 - Taking a Bath, and other travels
On Aug 16, 7:18 pm, Wayne.B wrote:
On Thu, 16 Aug 2007 20:34:00 -0000, Skip Gundlach wrote: Our BoatUS membership has gotten us a dime's reduction in the price of fuel at each stop One of the cheapest fuel stops on the east coast is the Alligator River Marina just north of the bridge. They can tell you on the phone or radio what their channel depth is. Further north, Coinjock Marina also has reasonable fuel prices, and the restaurant there has some of the best prime ribs that I've ever had. Do not order the "Captains Cut" unless you are *really* hungry. Coming into New York Harbor, Atlantic Highlands Municipal Marina has good fuel prices by NY standards. There is room to anchor there along the shore near the east end of the breakwater. Hi, Wayne, As it happens, I'm writing this alongside Coinjock Marina where I just finished the biggie. I passed on dessert only because there were none which caught my interest. That followed our fueling, and tomorrow morning I'll go off to the local NAPA to get the right sized belts in their Gates Green equivalent; I have one which is too long which I''ll return. Based on the results I'm getting from my realignment of the alternator on crap belts, this may put the replacement issues to bed. In any case, our electricals are doing very nicely; I'll post on the audit and scenarios of AH usage and supply once I have some real-world experience to add to it. Alligator closed about half an hour before we went through the bridge - we actually called them at 7, thinking they'd be open later. We're actually planning on centering our NY stay in the AH/Sandy Hook area as that's where my brother lives. See you along the way... L8R Skip, sated, and wondering at all the people we have met (the reason we're here) who said they couldn't possibly finish it - but agreeing with the universal reviews of "awesome"... |
August 15 - Taking a Bath, and other travels
On Aug 16, 4:49 pm, Skip Gundlach wrote:
HEy Skip................ Keep those stories coming. ALso, I think youre doing the rigt thing loging inland time. The more the better. Once ya get that so routeen, rote, and boaring youll be ready for some NC stuff. And remember ur LIving your dream so have fun! Bob |
August 15 - Taking a Bath, and other travels
"Skip Gundlach" wrote in message oups.com... However, I note that some of the threads occasioned by our commentaries have gone over 70 posts; most seem to make it to a half dozen almost without notice and many get into double digits. I call that a lot of press. And, I agree, many are supportive. There are, however, those which are not. Yet, as noted, in most cases where there's information included, rather than just ad hominem, I look and learn. Most times I've already done it, but in the interest of trying to limit my already rampant logorhhea, have not mentioned it, and to respond to them doesn't further the discussion, particularly when my access is limited. Thus, before I even saw the suggestion that I post about a boring trip, this (the subject line above) went up. I think that prolly qualified... L8R Skip, the nutcase... Skip, have you worked out an emergency steering plan, and do you know how to steer by sails alone? Two suggestions I made which may or may not have been taken as an "attack" (they were not submitted as such). Karin |
Emergency steering and blizzards August 15 - Taking a Bath, and other travels
On Aug 16, 9:05 pm, "KLC Lewis" wrote:
"Skip Gundlach" wrote in message oups.com... However, I note that some of the threads occasioned by our commentaries have gone over 70 posts; most seem to make it to a half dozen almost without notice and many get into double digits. I call that a lot of press. Not to beat a dead horse, but I had no idea. Cleaning up my mailbox, I see the digests (I get my rbc in 25post digests or daily, whichever is smaller), and happened to look at the group on googlegroups. A staggering number of the threads are over 30, let alone a dozen, posts.. Check the new posts since a month ago when I started on this trip. Count the number of posts where either we originated or someone else started a thread about us. What's the percentage of total in that time? OY! I forget the promoter in the early last century who said it doesn't matter whether it's bad publicity, or good publicity, so long as it's out there. That's not at all my intent - but I am still bemused by by the blizzard... Skip, have you worked out an emergency steering plan, and do you know how to steer by sails alone? Two suggestions I made which may or may not have been taken as an "attack" (they were not submitted as such). Karin Hi, Karin, and thanks for the note - and I knew the intent and tone : {)) Yes, we have. We know how to steer by sails alone - being a prior windsurfer helped - and do that, sometimes, when we're out in the open, with the rudder centered. We also have an emergency tiller. The Captain with us in our recent failure asked if I had one and if I knew where it was. I do, and did, and while it's a real pain in the butt to do, if it were warranted (not where other remedies were at hand), we'd use it. It would require one in the aft cabin steering and another atop relaying info, so it's not the best setup. FWIW in another thread, I advised the oncoming containership that I was not under command, but would work out how to get out of his way. They were grateful for the info and my success at doing so. My bad for not having the two black balls to hand, but I was excused, being quickly out of a navigation channel. Warps, buckets, and other drag devices can work as well. Depending on where we were in the failure, my going under with a brace and bit (I have a full selection aboard) with the hookah, and holing all that lovely repair work I did on the rudder, passing a line through same, with double stops on the immediate exteriors, with the lines led up to winches would be another. Quite frankly, as the hydraulics would have to be disconnected for the ET to work, anyway, this would be considerably preferable to me as a means of steering, as it would be considerably more powerful than arms on a tiller, and would not compromise vision for the helmsperson. The dink aside on a hip-tow would be adequate for close maneuvering in light wind or current, but not otherwise. Its 15HP is prolly about a quarter or so of the aux, but not really suited to moving 20 tons around with any authority. As an aside, I need to send you and Roger a picture of the new running rigging on our genny and furler :{)) Thanks for the concern... L8R Skip - off to the showers so I can get back on the road, first to the new alternator belt, and then up the ICW. |
August 15 - Taking a Bath, and other travels
On Thu, 16 Aug 2007 20:05:05 -0500, "KLC Lewis"
wrote: "Skip Gundlach" wrote in message roups.com... However, I note that some of the threads occasioned by our commentaries have gone over 70 posts; most seem to make it to a half dozen almost without notice and many get into double digits. I call that a lot of press. And, I agree, many are supportive. There are, however, those which are not. Yet, as noted, in most cases where there's information included, rather than just ad hominem, I look and learn. Most times I've already done it, but in the interest of trying to limit my already rampant logorhhea, have not mentioned it, and to respond to them doesn't further the discussion, particularly when my access is limited. Thus, before I even saw the suggestion that I post about a boring trip, this (the subject line above) went up. I think that prolly qualified... L8R Skip, the nutcase... Skip, have you worked out an emergency steering plan, and do you know how to steer by sails alone? Two suggestions I made which may or may not have been taken as an "attack" (they were not submitted as such). Karin Skip, with the possible efforts of one individual I don' read responses to your posts as slanging you., but rather (I admit sometimes strongly put) words of advise. You have had steering troubles. Do you have an emergency steering device" apparently not - you should have. Your generator belt problems have been discussed ad nauseam. I still can't figure out whether you have an accurate volt meter or are depending on black boxes to tell you the state of your batteries but I'd suggest logging onto Trojan, or other battery sites and getting as much knowledge of how a battery actually charges - or ask Larry. Because it is, in reality, a rather long drawn out chemical process. Not just dumping a bunch of amps into the system for a while. The only thing I've read where you have really made a bad decision is when you ran aground. You went into a narrow channel. Don't do it. If the weather is bad then get into the deepest water you can it really is safer. I rode out the Thai tsunami in 100 ft. of water and didn;t even know anything had happened until people started calling on channel 16. You'll probably run aground again - anyone who says that they haven't is either a liar or will run aground tomorrow. You'll probably screw up again, we all have done it. Just keep shuffling along and in a while you'll be as competent as any of us and probably more competent then some individuals I can name. Bruce in Bangkok (brucepaigeATgmailDOTcom) |
August 15 - Taking a Bath, and other travels
On Aug 17, 8:05 am, wrote:
Skip, with the possible efforts of one individual I don' read responses to your posts as slanging you., but rather (I admit sometimes strongly put) words of advise. You have had steering troubles. Do you have an emergency steering device" apparently not - you should have. As seen about contemporary to your posting - is that informative and/ or sufficient? Your generator belt problems have been discussed ad nauseam. Heh. LOL. No kidding :{)) I still can't figure out whether you have an accurate volt meter or are depending on black boxes to tell you the state of your batteries but I'd suggest logging onto Trojan, or other battery sites and getting as much knowledge of how a battery actually charges - or ask Larry. Because it is, in reality, a rather long drawn out chemical process. Not just dumping a bunch of amps into the system for a while. The only thing I've read where you have really made a bad decision is when you ran aground. You went into a narrow channel. Don't do it. If the weather is bad then get into the deepest water you can it really is safer. I rode out the Thai tsunami in 100 ft. of water and didn;t even know anything had happened until people started calling on channel 16. You'll probably run aground again - anyone who says that they haven't is either a liar or will run aground tomorrow. You'll probably screw up again, we all have done it. Just keep shuffling along and in a while you'll be as competent as any of us and probably more competent then some individuals I can name. Bruce in Bangkok (brucepaigeATgmailDOTcom) Hi, Bruce, and thanks for the kind comments. I think I have reasonably good voltage reading stuff, and Larry has been a tremendous resource, including visits to the boat as we were sorting it all out. It's how we discovered the dead charger herein elsewhere maligned :{)) The "black box" reads to the tenth of a volt and amp, and my multimeter goes to hundredths. On my next SG reading (only 5 of them in the last month), I'm also going to do a load test (I have one of those in the tools inventory, too) - all prior ones were positive; perhaps this one will show some weakness? I expect find the bottom again, but I hope it's soft and kedgeable, or responsive to tides, but I'd rather it not be any time soon. And, we're still shuffling along... Meanwhile, with the exception that I am about to, now, go out and procure the right belt (and replacement) for our charging system, everything else is performing as to spec. I believe new batteries are in our future (well, aren't they always, eventually?), but that aside it looks very much like things are in order. I'll also laser-align the alternator in my next change, having recently brute-force eye- measure aligned it from the 30 or so years of distortion of belt tightening prior. Meanwhile, don't dis Wilbur. He's very entertaining, and whether or not it's Neal in disguise, it's plenty easy to filter if you don't want to deal with it. However, the lengthy interchange suggests you get as much out of it as he :{)) L8R Skip, off to fan belts and then back on the ICW |
August 15 - Taking a Bath, and other travels
Too bad you missed Alligator River Marina. If you can't get what you
need in Coinjock, Atlantic is the next best bet (right before the Great Bridge Bridge). Although at the rate you are moving now, it's probably too late for that. When I read your last post to Bob, we were both taken aback by the fuel usage - our boat which I think is a similar size to yours uses only about 1 g/h We have two ways to measure the fuel (one tank tender, and one a stick) and two ways to measure the water (one a tank tender and one sight tubes in the engine room0 grandma Rosalie S/V RosalieAnn, Leonardtown, MD CSY 44 WO #156 http://home.mindspring.com/~gmbeasley/id1.html |
August 15 - Taking a Bath, and other travels
Does this make Lydia the wife of Bath?
Frank (with apologies to Chaucer - and Lydia!) |
August 15 - Taking a Bath, and other travels
Rosalie B. wrote in
: [clip] When I read your last post to Bob, we were both taken aback by the fuel usage - our boat which I think is a similar size to yours uses only about 1 g/h [clip] grandma Rosalie He said that he uses ".8" (0.8) GPH. Methinks you missed the period. -- Geoff www.GeoffSchultz.org |
A question.
Hello,
I have been reading your posts and always manage to get entertained by them although how you find the time is a mystery to me. Anyway I saw you make reference to some weather pictures being downloaded in the background. Can you elaborate on this setup?. Thanks, Jeannette SV Con Te Partiro, Mazatlan Skip Gundlach wrote: On Aug 16, 7:18 pm, Wayne.B wrote: On Thu, 16 Aug 2007 20:34:00 -0000, Skip Gundlach |
August 15 - Taking a Bath, and other travels
Geoff Schultz wrote:
Rosalie B. wrote in : [clip] When I read your last post to Bob, we were both taken aback by the fuel usage - our boat which I think is a similar size to yours uses only about 1 g/h [clip] grandma Rosalie He said that he uses ".8" (0.8) GPH. Methinks you missed the period. -- Geoff www.GeoffSchultz.org Oops You are right. It did not occur to me that anyone would write eight tenths without putting the zero in front as you did (0.8) to alert the reader that it wasn't 8.0. The dot is so tiny that it is easy to miss. And that's about the fuel usage that we get depending on how much current or wind we are bucking. We use the 1.0 gph as a ballpark figure to estimate how much we will need and when we need to get it again. I also wanted to say that 50 miles a day is good progress in the ICW. I try not to schedule that much. When we go south, we try to stop by 2 or 3 pm because otherwise (since we are usually going south in November) the sun is in our eyes. That's something to remember for next fall. |
August 15 - Taking a Bath, and other travels
On Fri, 17 Aug 2007 18:04:27 -0400, Rosalie B.
wrote: I also wanted to say that 50 miles a day is good progress in the ICW. I try not to schedule that much. When we go south, we try to stop by 2 or 3 pm because otherwise (since we are usually going south in November) the sun is in our eyes. That's something to remember for next fall. On our yearly road trips to Florida, never pushing hard, I used to stop early at motels, maybe 1-2 PM. The kids would spend hours playing in the pool, and the wife and I would unwind with local newspapers and TV. Our driving started at daybreak. I never made reservations, and had my pick the rooms. Is there a marina equivalent to that while cruising the ICW? Or do you always have to reserve a mooring/berth? --Vic |
August 15 - Taking a Bath, and other travels
On Fri, 17 Aug 2007 20:02:41 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote: Is there a marina equivalent to that while cruising the ICW? Or do you always have to reserve a mooring/berth? It depends on the time of year and how big your boat is. Spring and fall (May and October) are very busy on the ICW and reservations at least a day in advance are a good idea, especially for larger boats. |
A question.
Jeannette wrote in news:EMnxi.49875$YL5.30303
@newssvr29.news.prodigy.net: Hello, I have been reading your posts and always manage to get entertained by them although how you find the time is a mystery to me. Anyway I saw you make reference to some weather pictures being downloaded in the background. Can you elaborate on this setup?. Thanks, Jeannette SV Con Te Partiro, Mazatlan Skip Gundlach wrote: On Aug 16, 7:18 pm, Wayne.B wrote: On Thu, 16 Aug 2007 20:34:00 -0000, Skip Gundlach I think Skip and Lydia are back at sea, but I've been aboard their boat here in Charleston so know what he has: http://hamtronics.com/r139.htm Flying Pig has a different kind of antenna, but this is their direct satellite 137 Mhz Weatherfax receiver. You simply leave it running, attached to your laptop with the weatherfax software running in background. When the satellite transmits its current picture to the ground, you pick it up in a wide footprint across North America. The receiver automatically scans all the satellite channels so whatever bird is in range of you, you'll get the pictures, which are not transmitted continuously. http://www.dxzone.com/cgi-bin/dir/jump2.cgi?ID=14606 Flying Pig has this antenna mounted up on its aft arch on the starboard side of the solar array. I doubt it works any better than the turnstile antenna from Hamtronics, which would be much easier to keep aloft than this monster. I must admit it does make an impressive picture. I'm not sure whether Skip's is a commercial or homebrew model. Hope this helps. The pictures are very detailed. It's like having access to the same pictures on the internet. Here's the picture it produces from my favorite weather site: http://vortex.plymouth.edu/gE_ir.gif The Plymouth State College (NH) weather site is completely operated by meteorology students and free for all without all the SPAM nonsense. (c; These *******s keep calling me so I'm feeding them to the spambots. -- Sunrise Communications 1374 E. Republic Rd. Springfield, MO 65804 866-483-1228 417-886-7091 http://www.sunrisecommunicationsinc.com/ 877-842-3210 866-842-3278 United Healthcare http://www.unitedhealthcareonline.com/ |
August 15 - Taking a Bath, and other travels
Vic Smith wrote:
On Fri, 17 Aug 2007 18:04:27 -0400, Rosalie B. wrote: I also wanted to say that 50 miles a day is good progress in the ICW. I try not to schedule that much. When we go south, we try to stop by 2 or 3 pm because otherwise (since we are usually going south in November) the sun is in our eyes. That's something to remember for next fall. On our yearly road trips to Florida, never pushing hard, I used to stop early at motels, maybe 1-2 PM. The kids would spend hours playing in the pool, and the wife and I would unwind with local newspapers and TV. Our driving started at daybreak. Back in the old days when we were traveling across country to a new duty station with the kids, that's what we did. Started as early as any nearby place had breakfast, got on the road ASAP, stopped for gas and bathroom break at 10, lunched in the car, stopped for gas etc at 2, and stopped early for the kids to work off some steam in the pool or by going to some local attraction or playground. [The last time we did that it was in Oct '66 and we were driving two cars.] We had a rough schedule in mind, but didn't generally make reservations in advance except maybe at the National Parks (like the Grand Canyon or Mesa Verde). I never made reservations, and had my pick the rooms. Is there a marina equivalent to that while cruising the ICW? Or do you always have to reserve a mooring/berth? You don't have to make a reservation if you just anchor, and if you can't get a slip, anchoring is always an option. In that case you just have to know where appropriate spots to anchor are using charts and/or guides. We normally travel in what would be called the shoulder season on land. That is, normal traffic goes south in October leaving the Chesapeake after the Annapolis Boat Show on Columbus Day weekend, and we almost always wait until at least Halloween. Normal traffic comes north in May, and we are usually back by late March. So that's less crowded and most of the time we have no problem getting slips. Each night, I would call my son (who at that time worked nights and the cell phone rates were cheaper at that time of day) and file a kind of float plan - that is I would tell him where we were and where we expected to be the next day. He followed our progress on a map. After the first trip, I knew where we'd been before and would like to go again and how likely they were to have a place. (Because it isn't just driving along the highway and spotting a vacancy sign, you need some kind of cruising guide so that you know where the places ARE. I usually have three or four to help me make a decision.) Most of the time I would call the next day.. Sometimes on the radio an hour or so before we get there and sometimes on the cell phone. Some places don't take reservations but take the first to get there, which is another reason to stop early. I still call just to find out whether they will probably have space and also to find out whether they will still be open when we get there. I haven't had much luck making reservations very far in advance because even when they take reservations, the weather may intervene making our trip slower or faster than I expected. I do sometimes try to make reservations in Charleston or Miami where we usually stay for a week visiting grandchildren. |
August 15 - Taking a Bath, and other travels
On Sat, 18 Aug 2007 10:15:18 -0400, Rosalie B.
wrote: (Because it isn't just driving along the highway and spotting a vacancy sign, you need some kind of cruising guide so that you know where the places ARE. I usually have three or four to help me make a decision.) I've noticed guides are essential for cruisers. Much more complicated than driving a car down the road. We did a 23 day road trip once and all I needed was the Rand McNally campsite guide to find every state, local and national park campsite and KOA in the country. It was darn accurate on amenities and prices too. --Vic |
Emergency steering and blizzards August 15 - Taking a Bath, and other travels
"Skip Gundlach" wrote in message ups.com... [about emergency rudder/steering] Depending on where we were in the failure, my going under with a brace and bit (I have a full selection aboard) with the hookah, and holing all that lovely repair work I did on the rudder, passing a line through same, with double stops on the immediate exteriors, with the lines led up to winches would be another. Skip, if you are serious about this particular solution (and it isn't a bad one), I have read about people who pre-drilled the hole through the rudder, then filled it with putty, or something else that would be easy to punch out at sea. It could make a difference -- I once tried to remove a line from my prop while at sea in moderate swells, and finally decided that the danger wasn't worth it. We ended up sailing a couple of days until we reached land and could tuck into a sheltered spot to do the job. I couldn't imagine trying to drill through the rudder in similar conditions. Whatever emergency system you have, you ought to try it in easy conditions to make sure that all the pieces fit. Of course this isn't always practical, but do test what you can. - Paul - S/V VALIS |
August 15 - Taking a Bath, and other travels
* Vic Smith wrote, On 8/18/2007 11:20 PM:
On Sat, 18 Aug 2007 10:15:18 -0400, Rosalie B. wrote: (Because it isn't just driving along the highway and spotting a vacancy sign, you need some kind of cruising guide so that you know where the places ARE. I usually have three or four to help me make a decision.) I've noticed guides are essential for cruisers. Much more complicated than driving a car down the road. We did a 23 day road trip once and all I needed was the Rand McNally campsite guide to find every state, local and national park campsite and KOA in the country. It was darn accurate on amenities and prices too. --Vic I think I had cruised for several years before I realized that all charts were not made by Texaco. |
Emergency steering and blizzards August 15 - Taking a Bath, and other travels
On Aug 18, 9:29 pm, "Paul" wrote:
"Skip Gundlach" wrote in message ups.com... [about emergency rudder/steering] Depending on where we were in the failure, my going under with a brace and bit (I have a full selection aboard) with the hookah, and holing all that lovely repair work I did on the rudder, passing a line through same, with double stops on the immediate exteriors, with the lines led up to winches would be another. Skip, if you are serious about this particular solution (and it isn't a bad one), - Paul - S/V VALIS Hello Paul: Please do not encourage this type of behavior of a 60+ yo retired banker who is a cardiac patient. I did underwater work for years. My last job was an emergency stern tube patch on the Gae Chug Ho, a 600' Korean fish processor. They needed to repack the stuffing box. They had a small leak: only 10 mt/ hr. This was just south of the Pribilof Islands (Bering Sea) many Novembers ago. It kicked my ass and I was a very fit 32. Please don't encourage Skip to jump over the side and expect him to drill a hole using both hands. Do you really expect him to wrap his legs around the rudder while doing the equivalent of a 20 minute sit- up (crunch) and make that happen ??!?! I don't think he has the abdominals to pull it off. I agree with you. The time for such rudder mods is IN THE YARD! Bob (Divers Institute of Technology 107/80) |
Emergency steering and blizzards August 15 - Taking a Bath, and other travels
"Bob" wrote in message ups.com... On Aug 18, 9:29 pm, "Paul" wrote: "Skip Gundlach" wrote in message ups.com... [about emergency rudder/steering] Depending on where we were in the failure, my going under with a brace and bit (I have a full selection aboard) with the hookah, and holing all that lovely repair work I did on the rudder, passing a line through same, with double stops on the immediate exteriors, with the lines led up to winches would be another. Skip, if you are serious about this particular solution (and it isn't a bad one), - Paul - S/V VALIS Hello Paul: Please do not encourage this type of behavior of a 60+ yo retired banker who is a cardiac patient. I did underwater work for years. My last job was an emergency stern tube patch on the Gae Chug Ho, a 600' Korean fish processor. They needed to repack the stuffing box. They had a small leak: only 10 mt/ hr. This was just south of the Pribilof Islands (Bering Sea) many Novembers ago. It kicked my ass and I was a very fit 32. Please don't encourage Skip to jump over the side and expect him to drill a hole using both hands. Do you really expect him to wrap his legs around the rudder while doing the equivalent of a 20 minute sit- up (crunch) and make that happen ??!?! I don't think he has the abdominals to pull it off. I agree with you. The time for such rudder mods is IN THE YARD! Bob (Divers Institute of Technology 107/80) Bob, I will let Skip make his own decisions about his ability. It sounds like you and I are in agreement, though, and I was trying to point out the difficulty of drilling a hole in the rudder at sea. The "putty trick" will make the job slightly less impossible, but in reality this is something you would only attempt in calm conditions, or in extremis. For what it's worth, my emergency steering options a 1) An emergency tiller which drops through the cockpit sole onto the rudderpost. I have blocks and lines ready to connect to help control the tiller. 2) An "MRUD" emergency rudder for my Monitor windvane. I have a tiller attachment for the windvane. These have both been tested, admittedly not during difficult conditions. -Paul -S/V VALIS |
Emergency steering and blizzards August 15 - Taking a Bath, and other travels
Bob, I will let Skip make his own decisions about his ability.
Of course. :) It sounds like you and I are in agreement, Absolutly..! though, and I was trying to point out the difficulty of drilling a hole in the rudder at sea. Id say near impossible even for those who dive for dollars. but in reality this is something you would only attempt in calm conditions, or in extremis. Again, with no fear of making an ass of my self I'll make a blanket statment: extemis is an absolute NO time. Assuming not fun weather. For what it's worth, my emergency steering options a Wise, prudent, and solid judgment. Yes, there are ample methods to make a boat go the way ya want. Those you mentioned are great!. Ever toss a warp/drogue/tire/3'd bouy-bumper off the side while tied to a bow cleat? Chris -Paul -S/V VALIS- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - |
A question.
On Sat, 18 Aug 2007 12:27:15 +0000, Larry wrote:
Jeannette wrote in news:EMnxi.49875$YL5.30303 : Hello, Flying Pig has a different kind of antenna, but this is their direct satellite 137 Mhz Weatherfax receiver. You simply leave it running, attached to your laptop with the weatherfax software running in background. When the satellite transmits its current picture to the ground, you pick it up in a wide footprint across North America. The receiver automatically scans all the satellite channels so whatever bird is in range of you, you'll get the pictures, which are not transmitted continuously. http://www.dxzone.com/cgi-bin/dir/jump2.cgi?ID=14606 Flying Pig has this antenna mounted up on its aft arch on the starboard side of the solar array. I doubt it works any better than the turnstile antenna from Hamtronics, which would be much easier to keep aloft than this monster. I must admit it does make an impressive picture. I'm not sure whether Skip's is a commercial or homebrew model. Hope this helps. The pictures are very detailed. It's like having access to the same pictures on the internet. Here's the picture it produces from my favorite weather site: http://vortex.plymouth.edu/gE_ir.gif The Plymouth State College (NH) weather site is completely operated by meteorology students and free for all without all the SPAM nonsense. (c; These *******s keep calling me so I'm feeding them to the spambots. Larry, I have looked at these links and have spent the last few hours wandering about the web. What I cannot find out is whether I can receive these photos south of the equator. Seems like a great system at a reasonable cost. Can you advise please. cheers Peter N.Z. yacht Herodotus |
A question.
On Mon, 20 Aug 2007 22:02:33 +1000, Herodotus
wrote: I have looked at these links and have spent the last few hours wandering about the web. What I cannot find out is whether I can receive these photos south of the equator. Seems like a great system at a reasonable cost. Can you advise please. That's really a two part question. I'm reasonably certain that you could receive the pictures but I don't know if the satellites are set up to capture southern hemisphere images. |
A question.
On Mon, 20 Aug 2007 09:40:34 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote: On Mon, 20 Aug 2007 22:02:33 +1000, Herodotus wrote: I have looked at these links and have spent the last few hours wandering about the web. What I cannot find out is whether I can receive these photos south of the equator. Seems like a great system at a reasonable cost. Can you advise please. That's really a two part question. I'm reasonably certain that you could receive the pictures but I don't know if the satellites are set up to capture southern hemisphere images. Is it worth noting that CRTs need to be aligned properly, according to the local version of the earths magnetic field?It is different according to the latitude, especially which hemisphere you are in. Flat screens don't care. Casady |
A question.
* Richard Casady wrote, On 8/20/2007 10:57 AM:
On Mon, 20 Aug 2007 09:40:34 -0400, Wayne.B wrote: On Mon, 20 Aug 2007 22:02:33 +1000, Herodotus wrote: I have looked at these links and have spent the last few hours wandering about the web. What I cannot find out is whether I can receive these photos south of the equator. Seems like a great system at a reasonable cost. Can you advise please. That's really a two part question. I'm reasonably certain that you could receive the pictures but I don't know if the satellites are set up to capture southern hemisphere images. Is it worth noting that CRTs need to be aligned properly, according to the local version of the earths magnetic field?It is different according to the latitude, especially which hemisphere you are in. Flat screens don't care. You just turn the tube up-side-down for the Southern hemisphere. Really. When I worked on an orbiting telescope we discovered that the star trackers had insufficient magnetic shielding. I had to create an ephemeris database for the magnetic field in orbit, and apply the corrections to the nav solution. I doubt there are many using CRTs for computers on boats. A bigger issue is compass corrections. |
A question.
Herodotus wrote in
: Larry, I have looked at these links and have spent the last few hours wandering about the web. What I cannot find out is whether I can receive these photos south of the equator. Seems like a great system at a reasonable cost. Can you advise please. cheers Peter N.Z. yacht Herodotus Peter, the Satellite Services Division of NOAA, our weather bureaucrats, is on : http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/ with full access to all weather products that come down from the birds. The birds do an extensive tropical zone picture set every few hours that come down on 137 Mhz. They also take a "full disk" picture of the whole hemisphere you may find useful. However, their sector scans appear to be limited to the northern edge of South America up to Canada...the Caribbean and USA. If there is some particular weather of interest to the US Military or commercial interests, they make special arrangements to photograph it in IR/Visible/Water Vapor if it's over the bird's horizon, including South America. Of course, Geostationary Equatorial satellites, even so high up, cannot see the very high latitudes in either direction. The website also contains MITSAT pictures from the Antarctic, south of NZ to Siberia. These satellites are over your horizon for direct contact, making it impossible. Full disk images from Meteosat: http://www.goes.noaa.gov/FULLDISK/GMIR.JPG are also from this website, which covers the whole South Atlantic in its full disk pictures. I'm not sure what frequency Meteosat operates on for direct download of its pictures. Search Google for Meteosat schedules and you should be able to find them with the transmission times. South America is on the western edge of Meteosat's view from over Africa. This bird's pictures are fantastic as they show the spawning grounds of the hurricanes headed for me. A massive gallery of GOES pictures from the two 137 Mhz birds is stored, forever I think, on: http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/misc...ng_images.html which will show you what kind of pictures it takes, including the Southern region. Here's a tropical cyclone off the Brazilian Coast: http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/misc/040326/040326.html Those pictures would be available on the 137 Mhz receiver from Hamtronics. However, I do not see a "regular schedule" of South Atlantic pictures, probably as it would require too much precious fuel to spin the bird around all the while to take them. Larry -- |
A question.
On Mon, 20 Aug 2007 11:54:37 -0400, Jeff wrote:
I doubt there are many using CRTs for computers on boats. A bigger issue is compass corrections. You want the radar close to the compass so you can see both easily, unfortunately. The compass is an issue. Perhaps not for computers, but there are both radar and sonar in use, many with a CRT all you could get,and on some very small boats. Many prefered CRT for the good visibility in direct sunlight. I do believe that CRT are brighter. I know they used to be, by a non trivial ammount. Might e-mail a merchant marine officer school and see what the big boys use. Furano radar a good brand, and is popular for both boats and big ships. Someone sells a radar that works with a PC for a display. All the radar electronics are up by the antenna. Radar can be had for less than two grand, and so I plan to put it on my 22 foot runabout. The depth finder is nearly useless, except for spotting fish, the entire lake is the same depth. Maybe that is one reason so many of them are simply called 'fishfinders.' They make remote mounted compasses that have no moving parts except the indicater needle. Had one like that on a 1944 built biplane. You can make a six foot [folding?] mast for it if you have to. The compass is always the important issue. It and the clock are the most important instruments on any boat. People even set their clocks with short wave radio signals. I suppose you could check a compass with a GPS. Casady |
August 15 - Taking a Bath, and other travels
Skip, I agree with another poster, keep the reports coming. As for
the negative responses, rest assure that many of their authors have "never been there". I am reminded of a particular thread when a poster exclaimed "what were they doing there at that time, anyway?" Had he ever been there, he'd know! My only complaint is that on this board the entire thread is displayed each time there is a new post and therefore, it is not easy to read, having to scroll through pages and pages of posts that may be a month old. Peter s/v Now or Never! |
August 15 - Taking a Bath, and other travels
On Tue, 21 Aug 2007 05:32:34 -0700, Peter wrote:
Skip, I agree with another poster, keep the reports coming. As for the negative responses, rest assure that many of their authors have "never been there". I am reminded of a particular thread when a poster exclaimed "what were they doing there at that time, anyway?" Had he ever been there, he'd know! My only complaint is that on this board the entire thread is displayed each time there is a new post and therefore, it is not easy to read, having to scroll through pages and pages of posts that may be a month old. Check out newsreaders, which are much more efficient for reading newsgroups. You must be able to connect to a news server, however. My ISP provides a news server, as I think most do. The one I have used for many years, though I have an older version: http://www.forteinc.com/main/homepage.php --Vic |
August 15 - Taking a Bath, and other travels
Peter wrote:
My only complaint is that on this board the entire thread is displayed each time there is a new post and therefore, it is not easy to read, having to scroll through pages and pages of posts that may be a month old. Peter s/v Now or Never! You need a better news reader then. I can set mine to show only the posts I have not read. (I use Forte Agent and I also get my email that way, but there are other ways to do it. |
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