Monday, July 28, 2008
After a very long road....We own a sailboat !!!
Danielle and I first decided to buy a boat back in April. The first step in the process was fund raising....I cashed out some stock, sold my Mariners season tickets (that hurt), my Bill Stewart surf board (even more), two cars, and everything else that I could get my hands on.
With our bank account flush with cash, We started boat shopping locally in May. After looking at a number of different types, We decided on a Catalina 36. We did a walk through on a 1984 Catalina and loved the layout. However the asking price was high and the boat wasn't in the best of shape...but, we knew what we wanted at that point.
The problem was that there were only 4 on the market here in the Northwest and two of them were in Canada. I expanded my search and found that there was over 20 available in California....all of them newer, and priced lower than the anything we could find locally.
I found a boat broker in San Diego and we selected 7 boats to view. Six of the boats were in San Diego and one in Long Beach (110 Miles from San Diego). I flew down there on June 21st for a marathon boat shopping expedition. It was 100 degrees on Saturday and we spent the day driving from marina to marina in the San Diego area. Two of them were dogs and we walked away from them after 2 minutes on board. Of the four remaining boats I viewed that day, I found one that I was inclined to buy.
Come Sunday, I wasn't sure that I wanted to make the 110 mile journey to Long Beach knowing that there was a 1 in 3 chance the remaining one would be a dog and most likely not any better than the one I already found. I decided to go just to be sure that I looked at all the options...and that is how I found my boat....Her name was 'Aw Geez and she was obviously well cared for and meticulously maintained. This one was leagues above anything I had previously seen. The asking price was a bit out of my range, however my broker thought we would be able to negotiate the price down...bad economy and such.
I told my broker to put out an offer on the drive back to San Diego and that is when the real fun started. It was a full scale barrage of insurance agents, mortgage brokers, surveyors, USCG pilots, title/escrow agents, freight carriers...etc.
After we settled on a price, Danielle and I returned to San Diego for Sea Trials (That means "Test Drive" in boat talk) on July 12th. The sea trials went flawlessly, and after the brokers left, we hung out with the owner and he went over every detail of the boat....he is a super nice guy.
The survey was completed on July 21 and the boat was found to be in excellent condition...no surprise there. We closed the deal on July 23rd
A happy ending...not quite, the boat was still in Long Beach
Note: You can double click on the photos to view in full scale. Use your "Browser Back" button to return to the blog
With our bank account flush with cash, We started boat shopping locally in May. After looking at a number of different types, We decided on a Catalina 36. We did a walk through on a 1984 Catalina and loved the layout. However the asking price was high and the boat wasn't in the best of shape...but, we knew what we wanted at that point.
The problem was that there were only 4 on the market here in the Northwest and two of them were in Canada. I expanded my search and found that there was over 20 available in California....all of them newer, and priced lower than the anything we could find locally.
I found a boat broker in San Diego and we selected 7 boats to view. Six of the boats were in San Diego and one in Long Beach (110 Miles from San Diego). I flew down there on June 21st for a marathon boat shopping expedition. It was 100 degrees on Saturday and we spent the day driving from marina to marina in the San Diego area. Two of them were dogs and we walked away from them after 2 minutes on board. Of the four remaining boats I viewed that day, I found one that I was inclined to buy.
Come Sunday, I wasn't sure that I wanted to make the 110 mile journey to Long Beach knowing that there was a 1 in 3 chance the remaining one would be a dog and most likely not any better than the one I already found. I decided to go just to be sure that I looked at all the options...and that is how I found my boat....Her name was 'Aw Geez and she was obviously well cared for and meticulously maintained. This one was leagues above anything I had previously seen. The asking price was a bit out of my range, however my broker thought we would be able to negotiate the price down...bad economy and such.
I told my broker to put out an offer on the drive back to San Diego and that is when the real fun started. It was a full scale barrage of insurance agents, mortgage brokers, surveyors, USCG pilots, title/escrow agents, freight carriers...etc.
After we settled on a price, Danielle and I returned to San Diego for Sea Trials (That means "Test Drive" in boat talk) on July 12th. The sea trials went flawlessly, and after the brokers left, we hung out with the owner and he went over every detail of the boat....he is a super nice guy.
The survey was completed on July 21 and the boat was found to be in excellent condition...no surprise there. We closed the deal on July 23rd
A happy ending...not quite, the boat was still in Long Beach
Note: You can double click on the photos to view in full scale. Use your "Browser Back" button to return to the blog
Sea Trials
After our offer was accepted, Danielle and I returned to Long Beach for Sea Trials. This is a photo of 'Aw Geeze at her slip in the Long Beach Marina (The same marina where Dennis Connor keeps his America's Cup boat). She had the first slip off the gang way. This coveted spot is usually reserved for "Show Boats", well connected owners, and skilled sailers due to the level of difficulty required to get in and out of the slip. The boat and the owner were all of the above.
This is the one and only photo I have of us on the boat. We spent the entire day on the boat and only managed to get a hand full of photos from the sea trial and none under sail. I was too busy driving and Dani was too busy looking like a movie star. If it wasn't for Paul, the owner of the boat, we wouldn't have this one either....thanks Paul.
About our boat – Amnesty
As much as I would like to say that the boat is named in the spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation...and there is a touch of that in the name. The boat is actually named after an inspirational album “Amnesty”, by a Seattle band that I have followed for quite a few years...The Whole Bolivian Army (www.twba.com).
Bringing Amnesty Home - Part 1
If you ever want a month long migraine, buy a sailboat
If you ever want to drag it out to three months, buy one in California
Getting the boat to the Nothwest turned out to be a sizable project of it's own. The boat needed to be delivered to a boat yard where they would haul it out of the water, a rigger would take down the mast and rigging, and the boat would then be loaded onto a specialized truck with a very expensive piece of equipment called a Travelift (www.marinetravelift.com). Once over here, it will need to be off loaded at a local boat yard (Yup, another travellift), another rigger will re-step the mast, a graphics company has to come out to rename the boat, and then it gets dropped into the water.
Two days before the boat closed (Sometime around July 21st) I started making arrangements for the boat's transportation. The move will need to be precisely coordinated, because once the work starts, the meter is running. I spent the entire week locking down schedules, writing checks, and going to the FedEx office (Everyone wants to be paid in advance with a cashiers check).
The owner dropped the boat off on Sunday morning (July 27th) at the Marina Ship Yard in Long Beach (Paul, I owe you a bottle of scotch). The rigger started on Monday and completed his work on Tuesday (Right on Schedule). The truck driver arrived at the boat yard on Wednesday morning...and I received the following voice mail message from him. Authors Note: I am in Grand Forks, ND on my way to the air port for my return flight to Seattle.
"Ralph, the boat is not here. I went to the office and they don't know anything about it"
Keep in mind that this is a 36 foot sailboat that weighs 7 tons....I don't know how hard it is to loose something like that, but I am sure it is not easy. After a number of frantic phone calls while trying to return the rental call, check bags, get through the security check point, they were able to find it.
Disaster averted....not quite.
The boat yard did not have us on the schedule for the Travelift !!!! I am about to loose my window.... locating the boat took 3 hours and if the boat doesn't get rolling soon, we are not going to make our Friday delivery / off-load slot. Another round of phone calls while I was laid over in Minneapolis Mn. and I was able to get the boat yard to give us the noon slot (over time). The boat was secured and rolling by 2:30pm.
I got a phone call from my driver at 7 pm (I am in Seattle now)....Amnesty is in Sacramento
If you ever want to drag it out to three months, buy one in California
Getting the boat to the Nothwest turned out to be a sizable project of it's own. The boat needed to be delivered to a boat yard where they would haul it out of the water, a rigger would take down the mast and rigging, and the boat would then be loaded onto a specialized truck with a very expensive piece of equipment called a Travelift (www.marinetravelift.com). Once over here, it will need to be off loaded at a local boat yard (Yup, another travellift), another rigger will re-step the mast, a graphics company has to come out to rename the boat, and then it gets dropped into the water.
Two days before the boat closed (Sometime around July 21st) I started making arrangements for the boat's transportation. The move will need to be precisely coordinated, because once the work starts, the meter is running. I spent the entire week locking down schedules, writing checks, and going to the FedEx office (Everyone wants to be paid in advance with a cashiers check).
The owner dropped the boat off on Sunday morning (July 27th) at the Marina Ship Yard in Long Beach (Paul, I owe you a bottle of scotch). The rigger started on Monday and completed his work on Tuesday (Right on Schedule). The truck driver arrived at the boat yard on Wednesday morning...and I received the following voice mail message from him. Authors Note: I am in Grand Forks, ND on my way to the air port for my return flight to Seattle.
"Ralph, the boat is not here. I went to the office and they don't know anything about it"
Keep in mind that this is a 36 foot sailboat that weighs 7 tons....I don't know how hard it is to loose something like that, but I am sure it is not easy. After a number of frantic phone calls while trying to return the rental call, check bags, get through the security check point, they were able to find it.
Disaster averted....not quite.
The boat yard did not have us on the schedule for the Travelift !!!! I am about to loose my window.... locating the boat took 3 hours and if the boat doesn't get rolling soon, we are not going to make our Friday delivery / off-load slot. Another round of phone calls while I was laid over in Minneapolis Mn. and I was able to get the boat yard to give us the noon slot (over time). The boat was secured and rolling by 2:30pm.
I got a phone call from my driver at 7 pm (I am in Seattle now)....Amnesty is in Sacramento
Bringing Amnesty Home - Part 2
The light at the end of the tunnel...is an oncoming sailboat !!!
After a 3 day overland voyage, Amnesty finally arrived. My transporter was one of the best people I had the opportunity to work with so far. He is a boat owner himself and knew that this was my first boat, I received regular updates on progress and he provided me with a pretty accurate ETA.
I knew the route he was taking from the freeway to the boat yard where it would be recommissioned. I found a good vantage point and waited as patiently as I could. My good friend Peter waited with me and even provided some beers that we drank out of paper sacks to calm my nerves.
It wasn't very long before I saw the un-mistakable shape of a large sailboat on a big rig. I was able to snap these photos as she went by.
When Amnesty finally arrived at the boat yard, I handed the driver a bottle of single malt scotch.
After three months of work, countless phone calls, emails, and $7,500 dollars...Amnesty was home.
After a 3 day overland voyage, Amnesty finally arrived. My transporter was one of the best people I had the opportunity to work with so far. He is a boat owner himself and knew that this was my first boat, I received regular updates on progress and he provided me with a pretty accurate ETA.
I knew the route he was taking from the freeway to the boat yard where it would be recommissioned. I found a good vantage point and waited as patiently as I could. My good friend Peter waited with me and even provided some beers that we drank out of paper sacks to calm my nerves.
It wasn't very long before I saw the un-mistakable shape of a large sailboat on a big rig. I was able to snap these photos as she went by.
When Amnesty finally arrived at the boat yard, I handed the driver a bottle of single malt scotch.
After three months of work, countless phone calls, emails, and $7,500 dollars...Amnesty was home.
Like nails on a chalkboard
The recommissioning of Amnesty took nearly 8 days (It should have been done in 3) . It dragged on longer than I expected due to some problems in getting some parts replaced / upgraded while I had her out of the water. It was excruciating, I had waited 20 years to buy a boat....and there she was sitting high and dry 90 feet from the water. There were times during the recommission that I wanted to push her the last 90 feet.
This first photo is the boat being lifted off the truck by a Travelift. A very expensive piece of equipment run by some highly paid yard workers.....$$$$$ Cha Ching
The final photo in this set is Amnesty sitting "On the hard".
This first photo is the boat being lifted off the truck by a Travelift. A very expensive piece of equipment run by some highly paid yard workers.....$$$$$ Cha Ching
The final photo in this set is Amnesty sitting "On the hard".
The maiden voyage of Amnesty.
Actually this is my 4th time out on the boat. Although I have done quite a bit of sailing, my insurance company insisted that I get certified by a USCG Certified Captain before they will allow me to take her out on my own. I spent 20 hours on the boat with him and I learned a ton of stuff.
This series of photos is the first trip out under my command. I went out with a bunch of guys that I work with at Amazon and we had a most excellent time.
Jeto, who is at the helm has quite a bit of sailing experience and has proven to be top notch crew. When you are still learning your way around a boat, having experienced crew aboard is absolutely priceless.
Amnesty on the water
I would like to close this out with some random photos and a final thought....
I had drinks after work recently with a long time friend and mentor. Sometime during the course of the evening he had asked how things were going with the boat. In a gin influenced moment of honesty and clarity, I said.....
"I was in a bit of a funk after I returned from my sabbatical in Costa Rica. At the time I thought I would never in my life do anything as exciting. I was wrong"
Friday, June 27, 2008
Prolonging the inevitable
I put off winterizing the boat for as long as I possibly could. In my mind, winterizing meant that I had conceded that sailing season was over.
I finally got the motivation I needed when I came across a weather report that predicted snow and sub-freezing weather. On Saturday December 13th, I reluctantly pulled the sails off the boat, drained the water tanks, and took care of all the other things that would ensure that Amnesty would "breeze" through the winter
It turns out that I completed the job in the nick of time. On Sunday December 14th the cold front hit and the snow followed shortly thereafter.
In reality, the onset of winter is a blessing in disguise. I now have 4 months to take care of the projects that I need to get done for the extended voyages we have planned for the summer. Through "trial and error", I figured out what things would need to be changed/added in order to make a 2+ week trip safe, feasible, and comfortable.
The first thing I need to do is come up with complete add/move/change list and then determine the priority and sequence. There are some obvious tasks...the bottom needs to be repainted, I have to install a water heater and shower (Danielle won't go otherwise). Then there are the important but not absolutely essential...I would like to expand the battery banks (On a recent three day trip we depleted the house batteries in 2.5 days), install an integrated navigation system, and I would like to have a windlass installed to make retrieving the anchor easier.
The photos above were taken during the lull between the winter storms that blew through Seattle in mid December. You can see that the sails are off the boat and safely stowed below. I managed to clear the accumulation just in time for the next storm. Down below she was an even 45 degrees and dry in spite of sub freezing temperatures outside. I have to keep the interior temperature safely above freezing, but not so warm that it causes condensation...a delicate balance.
Besides the portable ceramic heater, I also have two dehumidifiers running constantly, and some 75 watt light bulbs in the crawl spaces because the heat from the heater wont reach them.
Authors note: I small item of pride that I wanted to point out....the registration plate mounted on the bow pulpit. I didn't want to put the registration numbers on the hull and borrowed the idea of making a "license plate" from my neighbor....it took me a half day and I think it came out quite nice.
The Retro Fit
The first casualty of war is the plan.
I finally completed the task list...62 items. I went to the boat on Sunday December 28th to get the part numbers/sizes/lengths of everything that needs to be replaced. Unlike an auto parts store, you can't go to a marine supply store and say "I need a fuel filter for a 1988 Catalina 36". You can't rely on the service manuals either...boat owners are notorious for changing things. For instance, the boat has a custom (and very expensive fuel cell) and most likely the fuel filter was changed in the process. You have to know exactly what you need and that means crawling through to boat to get the part numbers.
I arrived at the boat at the crack of noon with my lap top and a vente quad shot raspberry mocha...I can't do any serious work without my coffee. I set up the lap top and was just about to pull the engine cover off when I noticed that the wood work looked a tad bit dull.
In that instant, the plan was null and void. I pulled everything off the shelves, dug out the teak oil and some rags and went to work on the wood. It took a full day, but holy geeze it was worth it...you should see the luster on the woodwork now.
I have come to realize that owning a boat is a labor of love...and I love working on my boat. I have found that there are some things that you do simply because it is damn good therapy. Now that I have had my little indulgence, Saturday is the first weekend of '09...Time to get back to "The Plan"
Retro Fit - January and February
It is now the end of February and I have completed 6 projects and have 9 others already in progress. The biggest and most challenging so far was the electrical system upgrade and modifications....are you in the mood for a riddle?
How many amps does a 60 amp alternator produce?
How many amp hours can you get out of a 300 amp hour battery?
I found that boat electrical systems are extremely complex. Unlike your car where the battery is only used very briefly to start the engine and then the alternator drives the electrical systems while the car is running. A sail boat battery starts the engine, the alternator runs for a few minutes until you clear the marina, raise the sails and shut the motor down. From that point on, your electrical devices draw from the batteries, and boats have far more electrical devices than cars. To exasperate the situation, if you are at anchor (that means no shore power) you are running off batteries for days at a time. You can start the motor to spin the alternator to recharge the batteries. However deep cycle batteries take many hours to recharge....get the picture?
My first task was to expand the amount of battery capacity and to improve the charging system to get a quicker re-charge at anchor. I started off by asking for advise from other sailors. Which turned out to be "Get a Balmar Multi Stage Regulator, you can charge you batteries in 1/3 the time"
Well this seemed like good advise and I went directly to Second Wave and picked one up for $154.00. When I tried to install it, I found out that my alternator was not externally regulated and the device was useless.....lesson learned.
I figured out that if I wanted to do this, I would have to do my own research and lots of it. There are entire volumes of information on the subject and I spent a horrendous amount of time getting myself up to speed. Along the way I made some very interesting discoveries:
Although the standard flooded lead acid battery is over 100 years old, it is still widely mis understood.
There are tons of new (and expensive) high tech devices to help you run and monitor your batteries and charging systems, but they are rife with trade-offs. For example, external electronic regulators charge your batteries faster but they are more prone to failure than the simple internal regulators built into the alternator.
Battery isolators designed to prevent one weak battery from drawing down another also introduce a voltage drop on the input side of the circuit. If you do not account for this, you can get incorrect measurements and over charge your batteries.
...it goes on from there.
I ended up designing a system that suited my needs, was pretty close to idiot proof, and provided a some level of redundancy (Just in case). I went "off the page" of conventional wisdom and came up with a pretty unique solution...here it is.
I changed out the stock 60 amp internally regulated alternator for a 90 amp internally regulated alternator. There are 120, 150, and 200 amp alternators, but they require a major reconfiguration of the engine pulley system and mounts to support them. Also, for every 30 amps of power they generate, they draw 1 horse power from the engine. With a 23 HP engine, I would not have enough power left over to spin the propeller.
I stuck with an internally regulated alternator and traded shorter charge times for reliability.
I dropped in a single marine grade start battery in the engine compartment. It is physically isolated from the remainder of the batteries / electrical systems. With this configuration, you can't accidentally drain down the engine start battery because a selector switch was left in the wrong position. The trade off is that the battery is also isolated from the alternator and will not be charged by the engine. I should be able to get 20 starts before it needs to be recharged and I have a back up battery.
By installing a dedicated start battery, I can now use both large deep cycle batteries to run the house electrical systems. Prior, I used only one battery to start the engine and run the house systems and kept the other in reserve....so I essentially doubled my house capacity.
The boat came with a three circuit charging unit that is capable of monitoring and charging three battery banks when the boat is connected to shore power. I rewired it to charge all three battery banks.
I stuck with "Old school" flooded batteries. Gel Cells, AGM (Advanced Glass Mat), and the hot new spiral wound batteries are pretty expensive. And it turns out the only true way to measure the charge of a battery is with a hydrometer, which can not be used on any of the high tech batteries.
Answers to the questions above....
A 60 amp alternator will produce 60 amps only when it is spinning at it's maximum of 6000 RPM. The output falls off sharply at lower RPMs and heat reduces it further. With a normal cruising engine RPM of 1200 - 1500 RPM and a ratio 1 - 2, the alternator is spinning at about 2400 to 3000 RPM...when heat is factored in, you are getting 8 to 10 amps if you are lucky.
A 300 Amp Hour battery should be capable of powering a 1 amp device for 300 hours, or a 10 amp device for 30 hours. However, completely draining a battery can shorten it's life. Deep Cycle batteries are built to take a deep discharge, but it is recommended that you do not run down a deep cycle battery beyond 50% (some say 70%) of its capacity. Conservatively, you can get 100 amp hours out of a 300 amp hour battery.
How many amps does a 60 amp alternator produce?
How many amp hours can you get out of a 300 amp hour battery?
I found that boat electrical systems are extremely complex. Unlike your car where the battery is only used very briefly to start the engine and then the alternator drives the electrical systems while the car is running. A sail boat battery starts the engine, the alternator runs for a few minutes until you clear the marina, raise the sails and shut the motor down. From that point on, your electrical devices draw from the batteries, and boats have far more electrical devices than cars. To exasperate the situation, if you are at anchor (that means no shore power) you are running off batteries for days at a time. You can start the motor to spin the alternator to recharge the batteries. However deep cycle batteries take many hours to recharge....get the picture?
My first task was to expand the amount of battery capacity and to improve the charging system to get a quicker re-charge at anchor. I started off by asking for advise from other sailors. Which turned out to be "Get a Balmar Multi Stage Regulator, you can charge you batteries in 1/3 the time"
Well this seemed like good advise and I went directly to Second Wave and picked one up for $154.00. When I tried to install it, I found out that my alternator was not externally regulated and the device was useless.....lesson learned.
I figured out that if I wanted to do this, I would have to do my own research and lots of it. There are entire volumes of information on the subject and I spent a horrendous amount of time getting myself up to speed. Along the way I made some very interesting discoveries:
Although the standard flooded lead acid battery is over 100 years old, it is still widely mis understood.
There are tons of new (and expensive) high tech devices to help you run and monitor your batteries and charging systems, but they are rife with trade-offs. For example, external electronic regulators charge your batteries faster but they are more prone to failure than the simple internal regulators built into the alternator.
Battery isolators designed to prevent one weak battery from drawing down another also introduce a voltage drop on the input side of the circuit. If you do not account for this, you can get incorrect measurements and over charge your batteries.
...it goes on from there.
I ended up designing a system that suited my needs, was pretty close to idiot proof, and provided a some level of redundancy (Just in case). I went "off the page" of conventional wisdom and came up with a pretty unique solution...here it is.
I changed out the stock 60 amp internally regulated alternator for a 90 amp internally regulated alternator. There are 120, 150, and 200 amp alternators, but they require a major reconfiguration of the engine pulley system and mounts to support them. Also, for every 30 amps of power they generate, they draw 1 horse power from the engine. With a 23 HP engine, I would not have enough power left over to spin the propeller.
I stuck with an internally regulated alternator and traded shorter charge times for reliability.
I dropped in a single marine grade start battery in the engine compartment. It is physically isolated from the remainder of the batteries / electrical systems. With this configuration, you can't accidentally drain down the engine start battery because a selector switch was left in the wrong position. The trade off is that the battery is also isolated from the alternator and will not be charged by the engine. I should be able to get 20 starts before it needs to be recharged and I have a back up battery.
By installing a dedicated start battery, I can now use both large deep cycle batteries to run the house electrical systems. Prior, I used only one battery to start the engine and run the house systems and kept the other in reserve....so I essentially doubled my house capacity.
The boat came with a three circuit charging unit that is capable of monitoring and charging three battery banks when the boat is connected to shore power. I rewired it to charge all three battery banks.
I stuck with "Old school" flooded batteries. Gel Cells, AGM (Advanced Glass Mat), and the hot new spiral wound batteries are pretty expensive. And it turns out the only true way to measure the charge of a battery is with a hydrometer, which can not be used on any of the high tech batteries.
Answers to the questions above....
A 60 amp alternator will produce 60 amps only when it is spinning at it's maximum of 6000 RPM. The output falls off sharply at lower RPMs and heat reduces it further. With a normal cruising engine RPM of 1200 - 1500 RPM and a ratio 1 - 2, the alternator is spinning at about 2400 to 3000 RPM...when heat is factored in, you are getting 8 to 10 amps if you are lucky.
A 300 Amp Hour battery should be capable of powering a 1 amp device for 300 hours, or a 10 amp device for 30 hours. However, completely draining a battery can shorten it's life. Deep Cycle batteries are built to take a deep discharge, but it is recommended that you do not run down a deep cycle battery beyond 50% (some say 70%) of its capacity. Conservatively, you can get 100 amp hours out of a 300 amp hour battery.
Retro Fit - March and April
It is now the end of April and out of the original list of 62 projects, I have 16 completed and 10 in progress. Although I am no where near the original number, I feel pretty good about the progress. Once I wrap up the 10 I am working on, Amnesty will be ready for the summer. I will either knock out a few of the remaining during boating season, or put them off till next year.
Here is everything I a have finished so far:
Change Oil & Filter
Change Transmission Oil
Pull Alternator & Test Output (Note: Alternator replaced with 90amp Leece Neville)
Rewire Charging System
Replace Battery Bank 1 with Large Flooded Deep Cycle
Install 3rd Battery Bank
Test Battery Isolators (Note: battery Isolators pulled)
Fix cockpit instrumentation (Fuel Gauge and engine hour meter)
Replace Fuel Filter
Replace cooling impeller (Note: Entire raw water pump replaced)
Install Rail Mounted Roller Furling Lead Blocks
Re-stitch Jib UV Cover
Replace mainsheet rope
Test and patch old mainsail
Test and patch 150 Genoa
Find out why there is so much tension on the roller furler
Here are the projects in progress:
Bottom Paint
Patch Gel Coat Chips - Bow and Stern
Replace Zincs
Replace Anchor Light
Install Integrated Navigation System - Chart plotter / Radar / GPS / Depth Gauge
Install Hot Water Heater
Install Bathroom Shower Head
Replace Galley Faucet
Fix folding table leg
Repair refrigerator
Install outboard Motor and Mount
As you can see, it is quite a list....but that's not all. Over the course of the winter, I managed to do 7 "Winter Sails" with a few pleasure cruises mixed in (Author's Note: A "Winter Sail" was scheduled outing with the best crew I could find and we went out rain or shine unless it was too dangerous). During the "winter sails" we saw some nice days and we also saw conditions that would make the more timid sailors run for cover.
Why ????
In the open water, you can get jumped by a squall in a matter of moments (It happened to me last Tuesday) miles from a safe harbor. I went out in the big nasty to build my heavy weather experience and learn how far I can push the boat. There were times when the wind was howling at 30+ Knots (36 MPH)....We were under full sail and hauling the mail at 12.5 knots and showing Amnesty's ass to the world.
If I ever get jumped again, I will most likely reef the sails or pull them down and motor to a safe harbor instead of going full throttle. At full throttle you are one mistake away from a "May-Day, May-Day" call and being pulled out of the water by a coast guard helicopter. However, I now know more about the boat's capabilities and my own.
I am not posting any project photos. I have quite a few, but the are pretty boring. Instead, here is a photo of my dock neighbor "Ed". In becoming a boat owner, I have had quite a few pleasant surprises. One of them was that you meet a lot of fascinating people....and Ed tops the charts. He is a "Salty Dog" and one of the best sailors I know (He has been to the Caribbean and back twice). He looks like he can chew nails, however he has a kind and generous soul. Just ask his best friend "Yogi" his toy poodle who lives like a prince aboard their Catalina 30.
Retro Fit - May
Done - Finished - Complete
After five full months the Retro-Fit is complete. The final phase took two full weeks and was the most challenging (and expensive) work yet. The navigation system is in and the hot water heater as well. I had the boat yard install them for me...it was one of those things that seemed best left to the pros. Researching and deciding which systems to go with was the a sizable task on it's own.
While the boat was out of the water, I put a fresh coat of bottom paint on (Two full days) and buffed & polished the hull (Three full days). Rolling the paint was pretty easy and I had some help (Thanks Petar) . Buffing & polishing the hull was an absolutely exhausting task and I invented a new kind of muscle ache in the process. Imagine holding a 6 1/2 lb power buffer at arms length for two days. I finished the buff & polish nearly a week ago and my arms still hurt.
Here if the end result.
After five full months the Retro-Fit is complete. The final phase took two full weeks and was the most challenging (and expensive) work yet. The navigation system is in and the hot water heater as well. I had the boat yard install them for me...it was one of those things that seemed best left to the pros. Researching and deciding which systems to go with was the a sizable task on it's own.
While the boat was out of the water, I put a fresh coat of bottom paint on (Two full days) and buffed & polished the hull (Three full days). Rolling the paint was pretty easy and I had some help (Thanks Petar) . Buffing & polishing the hull was an absolutely exhausting task and I invented a new kind of muscle ache in the process. Imagine holding a 6 1/2 lb power buffer at arms length for two days. I finished the buff & polish nearly a week ago and my arms still hurt.
Here if the end result.
Retro Fit - Epilogue
The Retro Fit was completed and Amnesty was splashed on May 28, 2009.
My friend Petar and Ed (my dock neighbor) helped me bring her home. Here are some photos from our short voyage.
Petar at the helm of Amnesty.
Petar owns a power boat and hasn't sailed much. He drove nearly the whole way home...another power boater successfully converted.
My "Other Wife" as he is affectionately called. Danielle says I spend more time with Ed than I do with her.
Amnesty baring down on Alki point, West Seattle
My friend Petar and Ed (my dock neighbor) helped me bring her home. Here are some photos from our short voyage.
Petar at the helm of Amnesty.
Petar owns a power boat and hasn't sailed much. He drove nearly the whole way home...another power boater successfully converted.
My "Other Wife" as he is affectionately called. Danielle says I spend more time with Ed than I do with her.
Amnesty baring down on Alki point, West Seattle
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