Nov 9
I have one "major" task to complete before the boat is inspected, and that is to replace the anchor light on top of the mast. Since the LED technology seems to not be reliable yet, I am not going to wait for a warrantee replacement. I will just replace it with a standard incandescent type. Using Wayne's ropefall again, Barb hoisted me up the mast. I hoped I had all the tools necessary to do the job in one trip, but once up there, I realized that I would need to add some wiring to the new fixture. So, I removed the plate on top of the mast the holds the light and the wind indicator and brought it down to the deck. I replaced the fixture, added the wires, and now when I go up, all I need to do is bolt the plate back on and connect the wires. After a small rest, up I went again. At the top, I had to rig a rope stirrup arrangement so that I could stand up and actually reach the very top of the mast. While standing, one hand is occupied holding onto something, leaving only one hand to work with. If you would like a challenge sometime, try to connect two wires with a butt splice, which is already a three-handed job, and do it with one hand. You can try using one or two fingers from the other hand as long as you keep the hand in an uncomfortable position.
GPS N 27-28.104 W 80-19.649 Miles made good this leg 0. Total miles covered 3589.
Nov 10
Today, we are preparing for the survey. Barb is cleaning, so as the surveyor crawls around looking in and under nooks and crannies, he doesn't get quite as much cat hair on him. I spent most if the day compiling a complete equipment list. The list will help the surveyor understand all the equipment we have, as well as give me a single place to go for serial numbers or model numbers if I need them. If we should ever loose the boat, having this list would help substantiate what equipment was present. Or, if we were ever trying to sell the boat, again, having all the info together would keep us from forgetting any details.
GPS N 27-28.104 W 80-19.649 Miles made good this leg 0. Total miles covered 3589.
Nov 11
I called the surveyor yesterday to confirm that he was just going to do the out of water part today and the rest Monday, and he said his schedule had freed up some, so if it worked for us, he could do the whole thing today. So, at 08:00 he arrived. We spent the morning going over everything. At 11:00, we moved the boat over to the haulout slip and took her out of the water. The bottom looked good except for a couple of small places where the bottom paint we had put on in New Orleans seems to have not adhered well. There is a noticeable scar in the paint on the leading edge of the keel, probably from our encounter with the submerged tree in the Dismal Swamp Canal, but there is no real damage to the keel.
Overall, the surveyor was very impressed with the condition of boat. The hull and rudder are sound, with no evidence of blisters. Inside, the only things he found that need attention were a few hoses in the engine compartment that were showing signs of cracking, and one of the thru-hulls for the bilge pump output is cracked and should be replaced. This thru-hull is above the waterline, so it can be replaced with the boat in the water.
In the afternoon, I started the work of replacing hoses. The hoses are the two from the cockpit drains that run through the engine compartment and out the bottom, the drain from the kitchen sink that goes out the bottom, and the intake for the raw water that cools the engine. These are all special hose that is very strong, since they are all below the waterline. I looked in the manual that came with the boat to see if it listed the hose diameter. It did, but I didn't believe it. The book said the size was 1 1/4", and just eyeballing the hose, I could tell they were larger than that. So, I removed an end of each one a measured them. It looked to me like two of them were 1 3/4" and two were 1 5/8". So, thinking I knew what I needed, I headed to West Marine which is just a short walk from the marina. Well, they don't carry much of this type of hose in stock, since it is pretty high-dollar stuff, and they would have to order it. They did have the high quality clamps I wanted though, so I bought them. On a boat you don't, or at least shouldn't, use standard automotive quality hose clamps. But, there are several different quality levels available, even at marine stores. The ones I bought are the top of the line ones, made out of 316 stainless steel (the best grade) and the serration that the screw engages does not go all the way through the band, making them stronger. Of course, this means they cost about $5.00 a piece, instead of under a dollar each. Since once I start a project, I want to complete it, I declined to order the hose from West Marine and looked elsewhere.
Turned out the parts room at the boat yard next to the marina had one size of the hose in stock, and could get a piece of the other size by morning. So I bought it. I put the ends I had removed back together and will complete the job tomorrow.
Late in the afternoon, a group of people were gathering on the dock just past our boat. We joined them and enjoyed a couple hours of chatting and meeting our neighbors. One couple, Tom and PJ, are island bound also. They went to the Bahamas last year, but had a problem with their mast and came back here to replace it. During the conversation, we found out they were originally from Arizona. After quite awhile, my mind put the pieces together, and I realized that they were the couple who some other friends from the Arizona Parrothead Club had told me about back in April when we went to Phoenix for the Buffett concert. It turns out that we have many friends and acquaintances in common, especially our musician friends. It's truly a small world.
GPS N 27-28.104 W 80-19.649 Miles made good this leg 0. Total miles covered 3589.
Nov 12
I went up to the boat yard and got the hoses I had ordered. I removed the old ones, and immediately found that the new ones seemed to be too large. I re-measured the old ones, and was stumped. My measurements seemed correct. However, the 1 5/8" hose fit the fittings that I thought needed 1 3/4", and the other appeared to need 1 1/2". To be sure, I went up to the yard and got a scrap of 1 1/2" to test. That appeared correct, so I bought a section of the 1 1/2". Unfortunately, since hose is something they cut to your needs, the hose I had that's the wrong size is not returnable, so it was an expensive mistake. In hindsight, I guess the ends of the hose had flared some with age, so when I measured I came up too large. To further confuse the issue, I found that on two of the hoses, they had 1 5/8" fittings on one end and 1 1/2" on the other. So I had to use the 1 5/8" hose and really tightly clamp it on the smaller fittings. Another amazing thing done by the factory.
The hose job took a good part of the day, and I was tired from all the squatting, standing, climbing up and down the companionway, walking back and forth to the boat yard and West Marine, etc. So, we joined a gathering on the dock again and visited until after dark. We learned that there will be a large fishing tournament based here this coming weekend. This tournament is big enough that they are adding temporary floating docks in the turning basin and every empty slip will be full. We have a friend from TX coming to visit Thursday through Sunday, and he'll have a car, so we can get away if it's too crazy.
GPS N 27-28.104 W 80-19.649 Miles made good this leg 0. Total miles covered 3589.
Nov 13
Today I'm taking a day off. Don't plan to do anything except maybe read or watch some football. We have told the marina that we will stay here through Thanksgiving. That gives us time to get the insurance sorted out and the repairs done. This decision was an easy one, since after being here two weeks at the transient rate, switching to a full-month rate comes out to about the same amount. So, the next two weeks are basically free. Can't beat that.
GPS N 27-28.104 W 80-19.649 Miles made good this leg 0. Total miles covered 3589.