|
|
|
Daily Log April 25 I'm no longer homeless! "Aria" is now all mine. I've spent the first two days trying to get things organized and put away. And though there is plenty of storage space, the trick is finding the right spot for everything. There will be a period of trial and error I'm sure, as I determine what needs to be most accessible, as compared to what seems to be. But I have most of the cabin set up now. Next comes the lazzerette and the cockpit lockers, so I can start doing some of the major work I need to do. I'm replacing the entire propane system. The present stove lacks thermocouples and has a pilot light, so I'm putting in a new one. Also the propane locker itself is not up to snuff and needs some work. There is also a propane cabin heater that is tied into the stove in a very scary way (to me), so I'm taking it out and trading it for some stuff. That's project number one. Of course, as I take these things apart, there will also be some major clean up of those parts of the boat. While in pretty good shape for a 22 yr old boat, accumulation does take a toll. So far, the worst thing to deal with is the heat and humidity here. It's been in the 80's since I got here, and doesn't cool off a lot at night. If it wasn't for the work to be done, I'd be heading for Maine, pronto!!! Now that I'm settled in, I can hopefully keep this updated daily. April 28 Finally started on some of the upgrading yesterday. Added a valve and new hose to the icebox drain. PO had a hose to a hand pump installed that wasn't functioning, and was inefficent for stopping leakage of the cold air inside the box. Second project of the day was installing the XM satellite reciever for the new stereo that I'll put in today. Also adding a speaker selector switch between the cockpit and cabin speakers. Hardest part has been routing the wires. Not so much that there isn't good places to run them, but the A/C and refrig compressor are in the way. Still have the head to clean out yet. Then I'll replace the hoses to the holding tank. Have one mystery hose attached to a pump that I haven't figured out yet. May 18 Hadn't realized it had been so long so I made an entry. Figured out the mystery pump.....another example of the PO's "creativeness". He had put a shower sump in the bilge, then routed it back to the pump to be pumped into the head, then into the holding tank. That's coming out, to be replaced by a small pump and check valve, then tee'd into the bilge hose. Once the sump is out of there, I can relocate and increase the size of the house bank down there. That should get me up to 300 amp hours, which is about all the alternator will handle. And the alternator is as big as the engine will handle. We took off the anchor locker lid and old windlass last Saturday. As well as the steel plate the PO had put under the windlass because of the delamination of he anchor locker lid. Have spent the past few days getting the old silicone sealant off. Monday, I went to West Marine with my broker, who let me use his Port Supply card to buy the new windlass, stove, and wind generator. Saved enough with his card to pay for the stove!!!!! Also ordered the new StackPack mainsail, and some running rigging for the traveler and vang. Still waiting on Raymarine to get their new wheel pilot in stock though. If all goes well, I should be making my shakedown cruise in mid June. If it goes well, I may go down to Galveston for the night. I'll probably ask Ed (my broker) if he wants to go. He's been very helpful, not just during the sale, but afterwards as well. I'll try to keep this updated better, for those of you who are following it, but hey.....I'm retired! December 4 Well, the docklines didn't come off till the 12th of November, and they're back on now until April, though I will be doing some short cruises till then. To read why, click here. March 18, 2007 Talked to my brother Clint today about crewing with me. Though he has the time, he may not have the money to make the trip. Would be nice to have him as crew, since I know how he reacts in bad situations, as well as his offshore experience. If he can't make though, haven't really decided how I'm going. I could advertise for crew, but then you're dealing with unknown people. I've also thought about skirting the coast over to Mississippi, or possibly to the Bataria Waterway, then through New Orleans. Plenty of options, including heading back on the Ditch. For now though, I'll just have to wait and see. Heading down to Galveston for a few days Monday or Tuesday. Want to see how the dinghy works on the davits, and check electrical usage, now that I have the Link monitor installed. Also, need to see if the portable inverter I got for the laptop is going to be up to the task. That's pretty much what the next 30 days will be about. Shaking down all the changes, and seeing if I've got things done right. As well as get some more experience for myself. March 23, 2007 Looks like I have crew. My brother Clint and his friend Kevin, who I know as well, will be coming down mid-April for the Gulf crossing. If we get winds like we've had this week, it should prove to be a very quick trip. Southeast trades have blown all week at a fairly steady 10-15. The plan at this point is to take a day to the end of the Bay. Then the first offshore and overnight leg down to Port Aransas for a boat and crew shakedown. If that goes well, then it's across along the 28th parallel. If we have time, we'll stop in at the Dry Tortugas or Key West, then up to Tampa/St Pete for them to catch a plane. If things go really well, Brian from Sailnet will have his boat ready, and we'll buddy boat across. I'm getting anxious to be out cruising. Staying at a dock certainly has it's advantages, but it's not what I want to be doing. I wouldn't mind finding a place in North Carolina to use as a base, as it's half-way up the Coast and would give me a central base, but don't know if that will happen. Of course, once again, they're predicting an active hurricane season, and that makes the Tennessee River a good possibility this year instead of the East Coast, but we'll just have to wait and see. May 8, 2007
|