tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37090087617146398512024-03-13T23:44:00.279-07:00Erick's Wanderlust BlogErickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16388956002547599421noreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709008761714639851.post-41336569179986242962011-02-15T08:38:00.000-08:002011-02-15T08:42:32.338-08:00NEW WEBSITE!Erick's Wanderlust Blog has moved!!!!!<br /><br />It is now The Quest for Wind and Waves: <a href="http://www.thequestforwindandwaves.com">www.thequestforwindandwaves.com</a><br /><br />Please change your bookmark/reader/whatever so you can get updates from the new site instead of this one. I have moved over from Blogspot to Wordpress and am in the process of upgrading features and appearance. I will expand the site from just a blog to contain a lot more information about my journey so far and the journey to be.<br /><br />I apologize for lack of updates in the last month or so. I've had some issues to deal with in my personal life which has taken its toll on my motivation to write. Fear not though, I am back and the blog will be better than ever. Once I have finished with bringing the Facebook page and this new site up to speed, I will update my recent progress on the rebuild. I have still been working diligently on Windsong so at least the project has continued.<br /><br />Please help me spread the word about this new site and continue to check for updates!<br /><br />-ErickErickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16388956002547599421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709008761714639851.post-50879790754185702402010-12-23T07:18:00.001-08:002010-12-23T07:25:13.523-08:00Some great videosI've been searching around Vimeo for sailing documentaries and stumbled across a few good ones I'd like to share. These offer a great glimpse on what it is like to cross oceans on a small sailboat, all of the good and bad things. <div><br /></div><div>This one starts off a little slow and disjointed, but eventually follows a couple crossing the Atlantic from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean.</div><br /><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/2794889?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&color=737778" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/2794889">Blue Water (part one)</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user387084">Richard Gooderick</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p><br /><br /><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/2927803?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&color=737778" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/2927803">Blue Water (part two)</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user387084">Richard Gooderick</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p><br />These are segments from what will be a full length documentary about a guy near my age who buys a small boat (26 foot Contessa) and sails from Holland all the way back to his home in Australia. While my inspiration to fix up and sail a boat is a bit different than his, I can relate a lot to him. <br /><br />Trailer for the full length:<br /><br /><div><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/10342133" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/10342133">Between Home (documentary trailer 2010)</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/bigoceans">nickj</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p><br /><br />Segments from the movie:<br /><br /></div><div><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/394049" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/394049">Getting your Bearings / Sea Fever</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/bigoceans">nickj</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p></div><div><br /></div><div><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/394091" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/394091">Monnikendam to Willemstad; The beginning</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/bigoceans">nickj</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p></div><div><br /></div><div><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/653312" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/653312">Lisbon to the Canary Islands</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/bigoceans">nickj</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p></div><div><br /></div><div><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/1582112" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/1582112">Sailing alone across the Atlantic in 30 days</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/bigoceans">nickj</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p></div><div><br /></div><div><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/1815171" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/1815171">Solo from the Caribbean to New York in 28 days</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/bigoceans">nickj</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p></div><div><br /></div><div><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/5999952" width="400" height="230" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/5999952">Singlehanded from San Francisco to Hawaii in 27 days</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/bigoceans">nickj</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p><br /><br /></div>Erickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16388956002547599421noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709008761714639851.post-15393678724413213122010-12-21T05:54:00.000-08:002010-12-21T05:55:32.924-08:00What to do with some old equipment?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; ">In the process of rebuilding Windsong I am uncertain if I should ditch some old equipment or try to keep it going. At this time none of these pieces of equipment are functional, and I had not bothered troubleshooting since I figured I'd try to salvage what value I could out of them by selling and upgrading. However, as the list of things I need to buy grows, I am further seeking to save a buck. Please tell me if I should keep it or ditch it.<br /><br />1. 1993 Seafrost SA-III (134A) Series engine driven & 120 volt refrigeration & freezer system. I would like a DC system, but have given the current one some thought. It is already set up, though I would like to give the boxes more insulation before cruising. I plan on cruising in the tropics, and I know that matters when choosing a fridge system. I am curious if this old system is worth keeping though.<br /><br />I don't really like the idea of an engine driven system, I'd rather keep my batteries topped with solar and an good alternator and have a constant cycle DC system. Is that a good idea or should I seek to get this one working? Would this old system have any value to sell? Any particular units I should look at to buy? Since the system uses chill-plates, and they are already installed, would it be worth ditching the engine driven compressor and just buy a DC run unit to use with the existing set-up? If I have a DC unit, I question keeping the AC unit since if I were to be tied to shore-power I would be charging my batteries regardless.<br /><br />2. 1983 Alpha 4404 Autopilot. I would like a windvane for my self-steering, but want some sort of back-up and for motoring. I figure I would get a wheel pilot, but this old beast is attached to the boat. There is a mechanical control arm, a cockpit control unit, and a compass unit. I wouldn't know where to begin to start troubleshooting this, but would be willing to give it a shot. If just one of the three parts needed replacing, would these old things be worth trying to get going? </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; ">Any opinions from my wise readers would be appreciated!</span></div>Erickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16388956002547599421noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709008761714639851.post-49476693427600431832010-12-09T17:59:00.000-08:002010-12-09T18:04:48.408-08:00<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; ">This is a documentary (1 hour 15 min) about a group of crust punk/hippie kids who scrap together and buy a cheap sailboat, fix it up, sail to the Carribean, live off the land/ocean, and have a kick ass time. They have barely any money, but live out a dream.<br /><br />This is what I'm trying to do with Windsong, though I am taking a bit more time with the rebuild. I have a lot of respect for what they did, but have a few gripes on how they went about it. I love that they sail everywhere without using the engine, catch their own food, and that they did all of this on such a budget that skill was needed to overcome easy technology. They squatted, stole materials and did some other things that I don't condone...but it's their spirit I love.<br /><br />Hold Fast: Stories of maniac sailors, anarchist castaways, and the voyage of the S/V Pestilence...</span></div><div><br /></div><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/15351476" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/15351476">Hold Fast</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4773372">Moxie Marlinspike</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p>Erickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16388956002547599421noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709008761714639851.post-7207612884313188132010-12-03T06:44:00.001-08:002010-12-03T07:03:30.301-08:00Out comes the Engine!!In the last post I had gotten the shaft coupling separated from the transmission. Since then I had disconnected everything from the engine and had it pulled out yesterday. It was pretty exhilarating to get it out and begin the engine room project. <div><br /></div><div>The following was done to prepare for the engine pull:</div><div><br /></div><div>-Remove refrigerator compressor and its mount</div><div>-Disconnect all hoses - water feed, fuel feed, fuel return, exhaust</div><div>-Disconnect wiring harnesses, starter battery wire, grounding wires </div><div>-Remove alternator (want to replace it, and it gave some extra room to get to wiring and mounts)</div><div>-Disconnect coolant water expansion tank and hose</div><div>-Remove belt</div><div>-Remove air silencer/intake (needs to be replaced, flimsy and always falls off anyways)</div><div>-Separate shaft coupings</div><div>-Remove engine room side insulation (for a little more room to work with)</div><div>-Remove motor mount nuts. The rear motor mount nuts were so rusted and frozen, I needed to use a combo of drilling through them and a dremel cutoff wheel to get them off. They were easily the biggest pain of this whole process.</div><div>-Disconnect the transmission control wire</div><div>-Disconnect throttle control wire</div><div>-Disconnect tachometer wire</div><div><br /></div><div>Picture time!</div><div><br /></div><div>Engine and Engine room before anything was removed:</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs733.ash1/162720_10100136838596202_5102717_54347729_8040439_n.jpg" width="540" height="720" id="myphoto" /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1234.snc4/156662_10100136837927542_5102717_54347720_1256411_n.jpg" style="" id="myphoto" /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1131.snc4/149334_10100136839269852_5102717_54347748_314837_n.jpg" style="" id="myphoto" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Removing the coolant water expansion tank hose:</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPXSUyKCTLI/AAAAAAAAGng/2tDpjTwGaMk/s512/P1010483.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPXSVHDGLtI/AAAAAAAAGnk/MfDnx3DdRZM/s512/P1010484.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Side panel insulation before removal. In poor shape</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPXSWuMRegI/AAAAAAAAGog/4hdD6U3Zm7Y/s512/P1010485.JPG" style="width: 384px; height: 512px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPXSXj8JmVI/AAAAAAAAGoo/eY0XapQIwlA/s512/P1010486.JPG" style="width: 384px; height: 512px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Front stbd mount. This one was easy</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPXSYXy3O8I/AAAAAAAAGnw/kerJ7a079Ho/s512/P1010488.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Front port mount. Needed to remove the fuel tank hoses to get to it. Post alternator removal as well.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPXSZafHbZI/AAAAAAAAGoA/9GRravlzyY8/s512/P1010492.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Mostly disassembled</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPXSbVOiHWI/AAAAAAAAGo0/xrf7gWW0ZZE/s512/P1010494.JPG" style="width: 384px; height: 512px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPXSbnRCwMI/AAAAAAAAGo8/JRaiuPpjtFw/s512/P1010495.JPG" style="width: 384px; height: 512px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPXSccfJ5vI/AAAAAAAAGoQ/LKm-Mh0I6zM/s512/P1010496.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Engine room</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPXSdI7SYFI/AAAAAAAAGoY/9noahtpRb0M/s512/P1010498.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Things that have come off</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPXSdRNCUfI/AAAAAAAAGoc/_d_E9k_hhR8/s512/P1010499.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>View from above after removing companionway stairs</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPg4mdBuPDI/AAAAAAAAGpc/SL8OznkIOkY/s512/P1010505.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Up comes the engine!</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPg4micMLII/AAAAAAAAGpg/Kgd1SzZfJEI/s512/P1010506.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Will it fit!?</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPg4nYvZ2iI/AAAAAAAAGpo/sj3UAr4dfQs/s512/P1010507.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPg4nk5kmHI/AAAAAAAAGps/jEjht8vRBKY/s512/P1010508.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Piece of cake</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPg4oV1ww9I/AAAAAAAAGpw/az3jR-Mqprk/s512/P1010509.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Beautiful!</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPg4ogUaJqI/AAAAAAAAGp0/AfpDcB6r1Jk/s512/P1010510.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPg4o3j-yTI/AAAAAAAAGp4/GV6ETvml0go/s512/P1010511.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPg4rukdnAI/AAAAAAAAGp8/Os1KTdPIeKo/s512/P1010512.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Engine room post removal. Cleaning this place up is one of the big reasons I wanted it out of there.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPg4rzJjUOI/AAAAAAAAGqA/BgZ2IrZiVDM/s512/P1010513.JPG" style="width: 384px; height: 512px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Notice the piece of motor mount lying there. The aft, port mount rusted in half!</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPg4sm9fLKI/AAAAAAAAGqI/8o8AXvUfSBw/s512/P1010515.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>The Abyss (aka, the bilge). Cant wait to clean that out</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPg4sxRmIII/AAAAAAAAGqM/sEtRhbyEiQQ/s512/P1010516.JPG" style="width: 384px; height: 512px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>The shaft</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPg4taUeEcI/AAAAAAAAGqQ/K8tMTqQ9tK8/s512/P1010517.JPG" style="width: 384px; height: 512px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Packing nut with loose flax packing. This is what allowed water to spray all over the engine room. Can't blame it for failing after seeing the poor condition of the mounts.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPg4t0sBSFI/AAAAAAAAGqU/eZ7tc029-AQ/s512/P1010518.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPg4uEpBsjI/AAAAAAAAGqY/fmK3wFTmMAY/s512/P1010519.JPG" style="width: 384px; height: 512px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Engine all cosy on the ground, ready for work.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPg4u7UioCI/AAAAAAAAGqc/7Ph6b6Bas4E/s512/P1010520.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPg4vVXH9EI/AAAAAAAAGqg/-miQXHMePDk/s512/P1010521.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPg4v_qsW6I/AAAAAAAAGqk/BzRoysZm798/s512/P1010522.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPg4wqTUBeI/AAAAAAAAGqo/k1XZMVQ5RTI/s512/P1010523.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Cant wait to clean and paint the beast.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPg4wxiWd9I/AAAAAAAAGqs/CI36xUk8S04/s512/P1010524.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPg4xOCuTBI/AAAAAAAAGqw/aajg2ddH2kg/s512/P1010525.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TPg4xoG3rPI/AAAAAAAAGq4/2kp0bxMfbw4/s512/P1010526.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Now the work begins!</div><div><br /></div>Erickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16388956002547599421noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709008761714639851.post-59981128132070957472010-11-17T08:02:00.000-08:002010-11-17T08:40:20.251-08:00On to the Engine RoomMomentum is a funny thing. When doing a major boat refit/rebuild like this, momentum counts for a whole lot. More often than not, each project reveals 10 more problems than you expected. Each time these problems come up, momentum takes a hit and motivation goes down hard. Recently I've found myself half finished with many of my projects by hitting roadblocks, and a little lost on where to spend my time on the boat. Whenever I find myself lost, I revert to taking things apart inside the cabin. It is relatively easy work, and I feel like I am getting things done. However, these are mostly cosmetic issues that won't get the boat back in the water anytime soon. <div><br /></div><div>So with the weather cooling down, I decided it is time to focus my efforts on the monolith that is the Yanmar 4JH2E - my diesel engine. Not just the engine, but the entire engine room needs work before we splash. The primary issue in there is the need to replace the stuffing box. I could probably refurbish it, but will most likely go with a PSS shaft seal as a replacement. If you go back to the posts when I hauled out, you would see the broken propeller shim that caused a lot of vibration of the shaft and engine. This caused the shaft seal to leak, which in turn sprayed water all over the engine room. Unfortunately, to replace the stuffing box the shaft must be removed. In order to do so, one of 3 things needs to happen: remove the rudder, remove the transmission, or remove the engine all-together. </div><div><br /></div><div>My plan for the engine is to completely clean it off of old paint and rust, replace all hoses and clamps, replace the rusted and busted air intake, and do some general maintenance on the engine. I might go as far to replace the seals/gaskets, refurbish the heat exchanger, have the injectors inspected, and who knows what else. With all of that in mind, I decided it would be easier to just pull the engine so I can have easy access to all of the engine itself, and the entire engine room for cleaning (room and bilge), rearranging, and painting. </div><div><br /></div><div>So with the idea that the engine is coming out of the boat, I began to have some mental momentum of things that need to get done. First step is to prepare the engine for removal by disconnecting all hoses, wiring and the shaft from the engine. I started by attempting to separate the shaft coupling from the transmission and then the shaft from the coupling. This job is notoriously difficult, and with my coupling being a ball of rust...it was a tough task. </div><div><br /></div><div>Here is the coupling, stuffing box and shaft before any disassembly. Note all of the rust, especially at the set screws.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TOPnnBHYpgI/AAAAAAAAGlE/WUga4TNHi4o/s512/IMG_0009.jpg" style="width: 384px; height: 512px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>I started by applying penetrating oil to the coupling bolts, set screws and the shaft itself every day for about a week. I then needed to start removing the exhaust hose and muffler to gain access for wrenches to fit down there. </div><div><br /></div><div>Here is the exhaust and muffler above the shaft:</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TOPnnbHRLoI/AAAAAAAAGlI/ptNwwbRybUQ/s512/IMG_0013.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TOPnnn4f1iI/AAAAAAAAGlM/DJwogBBwEn8/s512/IMG_0014.jpg" style="width: 384px; height: 512px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>With some brute force, the coupling bolts came off eventually. The set screws took a lot more effort, blood, and sweat to get out. One of them was easier than the other, both took vice grips to get them to budge. Here is the coupling after separation, and vice grips on the set screws.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TOPoSM45ihI/AAAAAAAAGlk/ewzvbazXAD4/s512/IMG_0024.jpg" style="width: 384px; height: 512px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TOPoSV32OkI/AAAAAAAAGlo/_8l1YAeQGY4/s512/IMG_0026.jpg" style="width: 384px; height: 512px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Below the muffler was a plywood panel that capped the space where the stern tube is located. This wood was pretty much disintegrated thanks to the stuffing box leak. I'm pretty sure the exhaust leaked down there as well. </div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TOPoSglQ9pI/AAAAAAAAGls/PxvkzLAaVPc/s512/IMG_0027.jpg" style="width: 384px; height: 512px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TOPogGhlwjI/AAAAAAAAGlw/lkscuO-8hrE/s512/IMG_0028.jpg" style="width: 384px; height: 512px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>I then set out to remove the coupling from the shaft. The recommended trick is to set a spacer (I used a socket) set between the couplings against the shaft, and then crank down on bolts connecting the coupling halves. Cranking down on the bolts evenly would then push the shaft out. Unfortunately, I found that I have very little clearance between the transmission and transmission coupling to allow any bolts to be screwed down. I might be able to get it done by cutting some bolts to a precise size. I then realized that it was silly for me to be trying this hanging upside down in the engine room when I plan on pulling the engine out anyways. I'll attempt to remove the shaft coupling once the engine is out and I can do it in a more comfortable setting. </div><div><br /></div><div>So with the couplings separated, I then turned my attention to wiring, hoses and the motor mounts. The front motor mounts are fine and I was able to crack loose the bolts, but the back mounts are horribly rusted. One of them is cracked, probably adding to the vibration I experienced when motoring. It now looks like I will have to cut the nut off the mount, and then replace the back mounts once the motor is out. Like I said...once you start a project, 10 more show up. </div><div><br /></div><div>I plan on getting the engine fully prepped for removal this week. I go out of town next week for Thanksgiving, then when I get back its time for the pull. I am pretty excited about the pull and to begin the engine refurbish. Momentum is growing, and my enthusiasm with it. </div><div><br /></div>Erickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16388956002547599421noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709008761714639851.post-70591130426654068002010-10-22T07:36:00.001-07:002010-10-22T08:05:42.459-07:00Removing old Thru-Hulls and SeacocksOne of the things I knew about Windsong when I first saw her was that all of the seacocks needed to be replaced ASAP. They are very old-school style Groco seacocks and all have corroded to the point where they are inoperable. What does that mean? If a hose were to leak, I would not have had a way to shut off the thru-hull and the boat would probably sink unless the hose or seacock was plugged. <div><br /></div><div>Seacocks are meant to be the #1 insurance on the boat against sinking, and I didn't have that insurance for the entire time I owned the boat in the water. Since I started the bottom job I have been contemplating how the heck to get the seacocks and thru-hulls off the boat. They were so corroded that unscrewing the thru-hull from the seacock was impossible. I spent many months contemplating my approach and did as much research I could on the subject. Unfortunately there aren't many articles written on how to get this job done on old, corroded equipment. There are plenty of articles on how to take apart modern seacocks, but non on how to tear apart old ones with no hope of reuse. </div><div><br /></div><div>I did, however, find a few blogs and forum posts from people who just cut the thru-hulls up with a Dremel or some other tool to help remove them. But with my limited experience in doing things like this, I really needed a step by step instruction on how the heck to do that. After some creative thinking and experimentation, I finally figured out how to do it and here I will show my process.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here are the seacocks in the head with hoses removed. One is the sink drain, another is for the head itself, the other was unused with no plumbing coming from it. </div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TAzZSrM8f8I/AAAAAAAAGCU/6d4nNeemuHE/IMG_4113.JPG" style="width: 576px; height: 432px; left: 30px; top: 40px; " width="576" height="432" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Here are the thru-hulls attached to these seacocks</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_M8hRAfnnI/AAAAAAAAF4c/rRR0k_ABoI0/s512/IMG_4047.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Each seacock has two bolts that go through the hull that needed to be removed. My dad and I began this job back in May by removing the hoses to the seacocks and the bolts that go through the hull. Once we reached that point, we were stumped as to how to remove the thru-hull from the seacock. So after my research I took a stab at cutting the thru-hulls to remove the mushroom head so I could just pull the seacocks out from the inside. </div><div><br /></div><div>I removed the three thru-hulls from the head seacocks before I got down there with the camera, so the sequence below shows the thru-hull from the galley sink. As you can see, the two bolts are still attached so I wasn't able to actually remove that seacock until I get a second hand, but the process is still shown.</div><div><br /></div><div>First, using a cut-off wheel on my Dremel tool, I made a series of cuts to create some pie wedges. For the bigger thru-hull in the head, I needed to make a few more slices.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TMBVuqXFlhI/AAAAAAAAGhg/7V3xuxEB7r4/s512/IMG_20101020_182616.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div> In my research I learned that bronze is a pretty soft metal, so cutting and bending is quite easy. In this next step, I hammered a scraper/chisel under one of the slices and pulled down to bend the slice outwards a little bit, enough to fit the back of a hammer under the slice.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TMBWCIRhqDI/AAAAAAAAGhk/HWf_pr77NOA/s512/IMG_20101020_182709.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>With the hammer under it, pry the piece right off. The pieces pried off surprisingly easy. </div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TMBWPhxDCXI/AAAAAAAAGho/GsVlbMCbVNw/s512/IMG_20101020_182733.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TMGlYzJeWQI/AAAAAAAAGiQ/oR6mdinS8y4/s512/IMG_20101020_182743.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Repeat the process for each slice until all you have left is a the clean shaft of the thru-hull in the hole. </div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TMBYFzgQPXI/AAAAAAAAGiA/KZrrd_FqaWE/s512/IMG_20101020_182856.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TMBO75OUhCI/AAAAAAAAGhA/APZ9Fn0k6_o/s512/IMG_20101020_181047.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>At this point I went inside and removed the seacock by just pulling it out. One seacock just fell off after cutting the mushroom, one needed to be pried off with the back of the hammer, and the other just needed some muscle to pull out. Here is the head area with all removed:</div><div><br /></div><div>Outside:</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TMGmW3UkiPI/AAAAAAAAGiU/2bvAmhNDJaA/s512/IMG_20101020_183402.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Inside (thats a flashlight in the middle):</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TMBPLO2JwVI/AAAAAAAAGhI/EIzQjrxBNl0/s512/IMG_20101020_182355.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Old seacocks. You can see how corroded they are, no hope for the valves to turn. They are not the newer style Groco seacock with a locking nut on the base. </div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TMBVZzPAB2I/AAAAAAAAGhY/BX3M-E_18rc/s512/IMG_20101020_182428.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TMBVGr1iFgI/AAAAAAAAGhU/JzVAxcTByOM/s512/IMG_20101020_182440.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>After figuring out this process, removing these things is a piece of cake. I'll need some help to get the remaining seacocks unbolted, but I am no longer worrying about the process when comes time to start fairing and repairing the bottom. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'll be using these articles as reference to install new thru-hulls and seacocks (links):</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/seacock_primer">Seacock and Thru-Hull Primer</a></div><div><a href="http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/replacing_thruhulls">Replacing Thru-Hulls and Seacocks</a></div><div><a href="http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/backing_blocks">Seacock Backing Plates</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Erickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16388956002547599421noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709008761714639851.post-89389611131361453282010-10-13T07:51:00.000-07:002010-10-13T08:22:11.274-07:00Deck Disassembly ContinuedGreetings! The past couple of weeks I have spent a good amount of time working on Windsong's decks, removing windows, and continuing the disassembly of the interior. I have been hoping to reach some finishing points on each of the areas I've been working on before blogging, but something always halts me and leaves each sub-project incomplete for a while. So for the sake of having something to post, I'll just show what I've done so far.<br /><br />Most of the hardware on deck has been removed, with the exception of the stanchions and all hardware on the caprail. I haven't decided the path I will take on the caprail: remove the teak caprail to rebed, or just fillet some epoxy or sealant on the seams. I would remove the whole caprail but the bungs hiding the screws are not coming off easily and I find myself damaging the surrounding the wood with each try. I've learned all the different techniques for bung removal by disassembling all of the woodwork on the interior, but these exterior bungs are trouble. I could just leave the caprail on, clean and sand it, then seal the edges; but I know that won't be as good as removing and rebedding it fully. I just don't want a chipped up caprail in the end. Another option is to remove the bungs and just re-drill bigger holes to remove the damaged areas in the existing holes.<br /><br />Aside from the hardware, there is a bit of teak trim on the decks of Windsong that needed to come off for re-bedding and deck painting. The trim came of easy enough, and once off I filled the screw holes with thickened epoxy to seal. Since the trim is on a vertical surface, I opted to use West System's Six10 Adhesive to fill them in, since it is already thickened and in a tube for easy use.<br /><br />We (Jenny and I) also spent the time to remove all of the old windows. The windows (ports, deadlights, whatever you want to call them) were completely shot and I plan on replacing them all with quality opening ports. The large windows I have yet to decide on what to do with; I will either glass in the entire area and cut out smaller ports to make the boat more safe and seaworthy, or just replace them with quality frames and glass. Right now I am leaning towards glassing them in <a href="http://bristol29.com/Projects/ports/replacing_ports.htm">as shown here</a>.<br /><br />I have also finally removed the entire headliner inside the boat and have cleaned up the exposed glass a bit (tons of rusty staples used for the headliner). The interior is almost to the point where I can begin prep for painting, but I will wait for that so I can finish the priority projects.<br /><br />Here are some pictures of the work done in the past few weeks:<br /><br />The deck trim:<div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TJzIoNzDepI/AAAAAAAAGY4/tQ1-HGsY7C4/s640/IMG_20100917_191217.jpg" style="width: 640px; height: 478px; " /><br /><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TJzKLW6RECI/AAAAAAAAGZQ/TKhT1S5PuMg/s640/IMG_20100917_185903.jpg" style="width: 640px; height: 478px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TJzJPXdDtWI/AAAAAAAAGZE/twv8Tdfwgko/s640/IMG_20100917_185915.jpg" style="width: 640px; height: 478px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TJzfzMj8jOI/AAAAAAAAGbQ/RynVQxDeqE8/s640/IMG_20100917_185148.jpg" style="width: 640px; height: 478px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TJzNUqCcvTI/AAAAAAAAGZk/92eiBcyb1aw/s512/IMG_20100917_185824.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Removal:</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TJzHSSx4DXI/AAAAAAAAGYg/jlzoe4q4Qn0/s640/IMG_20100917_191241.jpg" style="width: 640px; height: 478px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Holes taped, drilled a little bigger, countersinked:</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TLW9F1QgxLI/AAAAAAAAGfM/GROHhDREQgI/s512/IMG_20101006_185735.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Filled with goop</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TLW9waH5OGI/AAAAAAAAGfc/3KYTt0se_yI/s512/IMG_20101007_182720.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Removing Windows!</div><div><br /></div><div>Had to start by chizzeling away the frames. They were stuck on there with decades of goop and sealant.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TKqdgEbGrwI/AAAAAAAAGeQ/sR0jYFDLc3I/s512/IMG_20101004_175747.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TKqdty9AfeI/AAAAAAAAGeU/y2tQT20ysUU/s512/IMG_20101004_175734.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Once the frame is chipped away, its time to bash the window out as demonstrated here (video):<br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/AKMuOTkbLPRJvPx-58xIpGUA9ZLtk-68bLSOY-P4jl4?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TLXEfA8yl_I/AAAAAAAAGfw/uZu2Zknf5oI/s144/VID_20101005_174410.3gp.jpg" height="108" width="144" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/EVanMalssen/DisassemblingWindsong?authkey=Gv1sRgCIi8xdjmvYznYw&feat=embedwebsite">Disassembling Windsong</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>Then chip away the remaining sealant</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TKqeJFMNuxI/AAAAAAAAGeg/I2DxuTJwm3E/s512/IMG_20100925_190832.jpg" style="width: 382px; height: 512px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TKqdEWpLTtI/AAAAAAAAGeI/j8YlPTftUHY/s512/IMG_20101004_181237.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TKqb8Ev4ZuI/AAAAAAAAGd0/yuUval1Bp4k/s512/IMG_20101004_182900.jpg" style="width: 382px; height: 512px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>The headliner was stapled into the core of the windows. I had to remove each rusty staple with some pliers.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TKqcsnFqmCI/AAAAAAAAGeA/So4NZqhRTF4/s512/IMG_20101004_182159.jpg" style="width: 382px; height: 512px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TKqc3o-bkHI/AAAAAAAAGeE/DG9enPtcwNs/s512/IMG_20101004_182148.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TKqd8P5Y0hI/AAAAAAAAGec/I-d_JFyCxqw/s512/IMG_20101004_182648.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TKqcWzu0fXI/AAAAAAAAGd4/-w6TyivwrAA/s512/IMG_20101004_182736.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>I then sealed up the windows with some plastic. Here are the decks after window removal</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TKp6Ot0gQ_I/AAAAAAAAGdw/3gQZs-VD0_k/s512/IMG_20101004_182918.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TLXAdyGYSHI/AAAAAAAAGfg/-Ehqj41LKG0/s512/IMG_20101006_185749.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TKp59NiulBI/AAAAAAAAGds/cw0XZEyGj84/s512/IMG_20101004_182931.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>The weather has been fantastic at the boat yard in the evenings. Recently, was able to work on the boat and not have to take a shower afterwards for the first time all year.</div><div><br /></div><div> <img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TKqeWRNaJjI/AAAAAAAAGek/Un7q_mzGuIQ/s512/IMG_20100922_192231.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>As always, you can see all the pictures of my progress here:<br /><br /><table style="width:194px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/EVanMalssen/DisassemblingWindsong?authkey=Gv1sRgCIi8xdjmvYznYw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TEWuPDAdeuE/AAAAAAAAGfw/Npofm6061Nc/s160-c/DisassemblingWindsong.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/EVanMalssen/DisassemblingWindsong?authkey=Gv1sRgCIi8xdjmvYznYw&feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Disassembling Windsong</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Erickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16388956002547599421noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709008761714639851.post-78599183325100865302010-09-20T06:49:00.000-07:002010-09-20T12:52:41.391-07:00s/v One LoveHere is a good video of another Downeaster 38 <i>One Love </i>that I enjoyed enough to share with the readers here. I love seeing other DE38's in better condition than <i>Windsong</i>, gives me hope for the future :)<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wK68IGxtBNA?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wK68IGxtBNA?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />Check out One Love's blog <a href="http://svonelove.blogspot.com/">here</a>Erickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16388956002547599421noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709008761714639851.post-20669726034529946492010-09-13T06:21:00.000-07:002010-09-13T06:41:02.280-07:00Back from a breakI have been travelling for the past week and a half, most of which spent in the Seattle area for a friend's wedding. It was a blast and I loved all I saw of the Pacific Northwest. Once all the pictures are sorted through I will post a write-up of the trip for all to enjoy. But for now its back to work unfortunately. It feels like forever since I've been on Windsong to do any work, so hopefully I can commit to getting some things done this week. <br /><br />When I last left Windsong I cut open some larger sections of glass on the underside of the cabin rooftop to expose the wet core. The little section I took out in the previous post seemed to dry out pretty easily after just a few days of exposure. I wanted to test this on a larger scale and get an idea of how far the dampness went in from the handrail holes. As you can see in the pictures below, the darker area of the core is the dampness and ends less than a foot away from the holes. The area on the sides where the windows are did not get wet as it is a separate core piece. If I go back to the boat and find that this exposed core has dried out well enough, I plan on just cutting out the entire damp area, letting it dry out for a while, then patching it up with some glass.<br /><br /><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TI4n83U8DZI/AAAAAAAAGX8/5XVWwuA1QsY/s512/IMG_20100831_184534.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TI4oLvskR_I/AAAAAAAAGYA/ximYp4rZuX4/s512/IMG_20100831_184528.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TI4obLuCQ3I/AAAAAAAAGYE/bmOdZkPHqLU/s512/IMG_20100831_184512.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TI4pM1jPdnI/AAAAAAAAGYI/3DKdxXM9lz8/s912/IMG_20100831_184500.jpg" style="width: 640px; height: 478px; left: 134px; top: 17px; " width="640" height="478" /></div><div><br /></div><div>I have gotten so many differing opinions on how to deal with this damp core issue ranging from leaving it be to completely gutting the core and repairing. I've decided to go an intermediate route by drying it and patching the glass. Leaving the core wet might not be horribly detrimental, but it would surely cause mold and mildew problems, and might delaminate the deck if the water inside froze. The differing opinions of marine repair seems to be a common trend, and a finely worded quote from a fellow blogger <a href="http://johnvigor.blogspot.com/2010/09/gaff-vs-bermudian-rigs.html">Jon Vigor</a> sums it up well:</div><div><br />"The distinguishing mark of a yachtsman is that he never, ever, accepts advice from another yachtsman. He has to learn for himself the hard way, by bitter experience, again and again. I think it’s probably Nature’s way of keeping the numbers down, so that the anchorages don’t get too crowded."<br /></div>Erickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16388956002547599421noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709008761714639851.post-68491374411786424012010-08-30T11:21:00.000-07:002010-08-30T11:22:54.914-07:00An incredible short filmAmazing visuals, fantastic narration, interesting story. Do watch...<br /><br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1swPZzxv0tI?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1swPZzxv0tI?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Erickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16388956002547599421noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709008761714639851.post-79997566562097716372010-08-27T18:00:00.000-07:002010-08-27T18:32:16.358-07:00Hurricane Surf Begins<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://icons-pe.wunderground.com/data/456x343/2xat_ir.gif?20108272119" width="456" alt="" id="viewMap" /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Ah my favorite time of year....hurricane season! Don't get me wrong, I don't like the destruction and all of the bad things that happen when hurricanes come to land. However, I do love it when they stay offshore and send powerful swells to the East coast. Any dedicated surfer on the right coast gets giddy this time of year, always on the lookout for those deep red blogs coming off Cape Verde in Africa. <div><br /></div><div>I have surfed many hurricane swells in my day and each created a unique experience. I remember surfing perfect a-frame barrels in Crescent Beach for hurricane Floyd with debris floating all around me. Or the long and reeling right hand point break that only breaks with the perfect combination of swell size, angle and tide in North Matanzas Inlet that lit up for me on a freak day by some distant hurricane. Each storm has the potential to give me a memory that will last a lifetime and the thrill of that can't be beat.</div><div><br /></div><div>So here I am, having surfed most of my life and I am finally living within a minutes walk of the water's edge. I can finally surf all the swells thrown our way from the great Atlantic storms without much constraint. Not only can I surf them all, but I can experience many different conditions throughout a swell or even a single day. My entire surfing life has been spent (except for vacations and whatnot) about 45 minutes away from the coast. Not so far that you can't drive to the beach frequently, but far enough for you to have to budget about 2 hours of travel...and that gets to be a big pain. No more of that for me, the only place I absolutely must go to is work on weekdays. But I could still surf before, during lunch, and all evening after; an impossible feat before I moved here. </div><div><br /></div><div>Current forecast for the region from cflsurf.com:</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium;"><b>"Aug 27 (Fri 5 PM) - Big surf is inbound! - </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium;">The charts still indicate Danielle swell will begin to show early Sat morning (probably before daybreak). The swell will build thru the day and peak Sunday. On shore winds are coming with it, but maybe only 10 to 15 knots or so. A second major swell will arrive Wed. How big will it get? Plenty big enough for sure. Just watch for 15 to 16 second swell to show at the 20 mile buoy and head beachside soon thereafter.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium;"> "</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">As of right now, 9:15 on Friday, the bouy's read 17 second dominant swell period 20 miles away. Can't wait till morning, the rest of the week, and all the way until the end of the season.</span></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>For reference, here is some surf from last year's hurricane Bill...</div><div><br /></div><div><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oTbhYWRUv_0?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oTbhYWRUv_0?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object></div><div><br /></div><div> </div>Erickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16388956002547599421noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709008761714639851.post-51329064000350752032010-08-26T07:09:00.000-07:002010-08-26T07:26:02.505-07:00Deconstruction leads to more fun<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Slowly....slowly the deconstruction continues. This past week I've begun to disassemble everything that can be unscrewed in the head and have continued to remove hardware from the deck. In the process of preparing the hardware thru-deck holes to be potted with epoxy, I've discovered a bit of wet core in the cabin top where the handrails were. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">To investigate, I cut out a piece of the inner skin to see what the core was like around one of the more wet holes and it looks like this:</span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/THZxH2vMwHI/AAAAAAAAGV4/htjUuu9LPe8/s912/IMG_20100825_181110.jpg" style="width: 640px; height: 478px; left: 134px; top: 17px; " width="640" height="478" /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br />Zoomed out for size reference:</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/THZsFlxhAjI/AAAAAAAAGVo/yEjUNonanDw/s512/IMG_20100825_193135.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /><br /><br />The core material is some sort of dense foam, not balsa. The dry core I've found elsewhere on the deck is a much lighter color, the core in the picture is wet and darker. The core itself is solid and not rotted away, its just damp. There is no delamination on the top or bottom that I have found.<br /><br />I am trying to figure out what steps I should take now. Since the foam is solid but damp, do I leave it alone and just pot/epoxy the holes? I fear that the wet core might be bad for the epoxy to cure in the holes or even worse for structural integrity. Should I cut out the inner skin wherever the core is wet so it can dry out, then I guess patch it up with a few layers of new glass?<br /><br />Any advice would be helpful. If the core was rotting away I would not hesitate to just replace it, but since the core is solid but just damp I'm not sure how to proceed. <img src="http://www.sailnet.com/forums/images/smilies/confused.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Confused" class="inlineimg" style="vertical-align: middle; " /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">That is the main issue holding me up right now. For all the pictures of the deconstruction feel free to check out this gallery:</span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span><table style="width:194px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/EVanMalssen/DisassemblingWindsong?authkey=Gv1sRgCIi8xdjmvYznYw&feat=embedwebsite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TEWuPDAdeuE/AAAAAAAAGWc/hdtYQx47xzs/s160-c/DisassemblingWindsong.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center; font-size: 11px; "><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/EVanMalssen/DisassemblingWindsong?authkey=Gv1sRgCIi8xdjmvYznYw&feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Disassembling Windsong</span></a></td></tr></tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">You can also see that I've been tooling around with the blog template. Sometime in the near future I plan on completely re-doing this blog and turning it into a dedicated website with its own domain name. I want to arrange the site to tell my story a bit better and so people can access the earlier parts of this story and read in chronological order with ease. Some people may not care about all of this rebuild business and are just interested in the old stories, so I want to cater to them while the long rebuild is going on. </span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">In addition, I plan on posting quite a bit more and include other things occupying my time such as surfing, fishing and other fun things here in beautiful Saint Augustine. In other words, a lot more content! Hopefully I can make it entertaining enough to bring in some new readers and keep the current ones happy. So be on the lookout for changes and more frequent posting.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Erickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16388956002547599421noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709008761714639851.post-40847752915161234192010-08-24T06:46:00.000-07:002010-08-24T06:48:13.532-07:00WOW<img src="http://j.imagehost.org/secure/0404/Lighthouse.gif" style="-webkit-user-select: none; cursor: -webkit-zoom-in; " width="593" height="386" />Erickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16388956002547599421noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709008761714639851.post-85442888282437839532010-08-09T07:49:00.000-07:002010-08-09T08:02:24.731-07:00DeconstructionNothing too exciting has been going on these past couple of weeks. Since reaching the finishing point on the hull below the waterline, I've turned my attention to the deck and interior. I've been working my way from bow to stern disassembling everything in my path. <div><br /></div><div>So far I've completely gutted the v-berth in the cabin. Before Windsong was even out of the water I had began to remove teak trim and cabinetry and have started the refurbishing of those pieces. These past few weeks I spent time removing the remaining trim, tearing out headliner and the old strips of wood it was attached to, chipping off old formica, ripping out foam insulation in lockers, and generally clearing the space out. </div><div><br /></div><div>Aside from interior destruction, I've begun to remove all deck hardware. Once old hardware is removed, I will pot all holes with epoxy to seal leaks and prevent core rot in the future. Removing the old hardware is difficult in some areas, particularly the teak handrails. The bolts used to hold them in are very stuck and it took a good amount of effort to get them out. Eventually a boat yard friend showed me the wonder of an impact driver and I ordered one immediately to help speed up this process. Looks like those teak handrails will need to be replaced due to lack of upkeep and accidental damage trying to remove them. </div><div><br /></div><div>There aren't many interesting pictures of this process. But I've been trying to take pictures of whatever I take apart so I can have a guide while putting the puzzle back together. If you are interested in the pictures of dissassembling Windsong, feel free to browse this gallery:</div><div><table style="width:194px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/EVanMalssen/DisassemblingWindsong?authkey=Gv1sRgCIi8xdjmvYznYw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TEWuPDAdeuE/AAAAAAAAGOg/-nMXKHLew5M/s160-c/DisassemblingWindsong.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/EVanMalssen/DisassemblingWindsong?authkey=Gv1sRgCIi8xdjmvYznYw&feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Disassembling Windsong</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>My new West System epoxy kit should arrive this week and I will begin to pot the hardware holes soon after. I plan on following the process shown <a href="http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/sealing_the_deck">here (click link)</a>. I'll try to do some good photo documenting of the process for the blog. </div>Erickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16388956002547599421noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709008761714639851.post-66527468666156974562010-07-20T07:16:00.000-07:002010-07-20T07:32:44.621-07:00Project - Bottom Job - At a stopping pointI've reached the first major milestone in the restoration of Windsong!! wooooo! <div><br /></div><div>I finished grinding off countless layers of antifouling paint, the entire gelcoat, and blisters a-plenty. With everything ground down to bare glass, the hull can now dry out for the remainder of time we are on the hard. I'll come back whenever I am done with all other boat work to fill the blister depressions and other areas in need of repair, fair the entire hull, apply the epoxy barrier coat, and paint. I ended up opening around 80-90 significant blisters on the entire hull, and countless little ones. You can see in the pictures all of the blister holes. It was evident that this boat was in PRIME conditions for blisters and water damage in the hull: warm, fresh water and the paint had not been renewed in over 10 years. The paint blistered first, trapping water between the paint and gelcoat; then over time the water absorbed into the gel coat and into voids between the first two layers of glass. I might elaborate on this eventually, but right now I'm just happy all of the nasty grinding and sanding is finished. </div><div><br /></div><div>You can see in the pictures how good the gelcoat is on the rudder. If only the rest of the boat was like that, I would have a lot less work to deal with. But from the looks of it, whoever made the boat did not do a good job laying up the glass on the hull, causing voids and blister problems. </div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TCuDkeiv6PI/AAAAAAAAGEg/-eYputFS1HI/s640/2010-06-30%2012.30.34.jpg" style="width: 640px; height: 478px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TEWoGPfgYMI/AAAAAAAAGHo/WdfdfcNm8eE/s640/2010-07-19%2018.47.58.jpg" style="width: 640px; height: 478px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TEWrDaoj4DI/AAAAAAAAGIE/jjUOQOkBwiw/s640/2010-07-19%2017.50.33.jpg" style="width: 478px; height: 640px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TEWq1T0lsZI/AAAAAAAAGH8/AWrti7qbjTA/s640/2010-07-19%2017.50.42.jpg" style="width: 640px; height: 478px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TEWqpwT5YfI/AAAAAAAAGH4/h4qz3A3Ekdw/s640/2010-07-19%2017.50.51.jpg" style="width: 640px; height: 478px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TEWol2nLiCI/AAAAAAAAGH0/7GA3OO9M2rM/s640/2010-07-19%2017.51.09.jpg" style="width: 640px; height: 478px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Now I will turn my attention to the decks and interior work. My primary goal in this next phase is to remove all hardware from the deck and seal all holes with epoxy, eliminating all deck leaks and preventing core rot. I'm sure I'll find all sorts of surprises in this process, including some bad areas on the deck that may need re-coring. In between doing that work I'll continue to disassemble the interior. Yesterday I decided I wanted to start pulling all of the old bilge pumps out of the deep keel bilge and attempt to get it dry. I opened up a can of worms finding old hoses that led to nowhere and all sorts of junk in the bottom of the bilge. </div><div><br /></div><div>I can be happy that the most grueling portion of work is done with though. Grinding the bottom for two months straight in the Florida heat was not fun, but it needed to get done. </div>Erickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16388956002547599421noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709008761714639851.post-30499166194498454032010-06-30T06:02:00.000-07:002010-06-30T13:25:33.714-07:00Bottom Job drags onSince the last update I've continued focusing on the bottom job, and I am only a few days away from finishing the main grinding of the port side. I usually work Monday through Thursday after work until dark. Weekends have been on hold until I am fully settled in here in St. Augustine. I couldn't work all last week due to travelling for work, my first week without getting anything done.<div><br /></div><div>I had some technical difficulties with my grinder two weeks ago so I spent that week sanding the previously ground starboard side down smooth with a 5" random orbit sander using 40 grit pads. This smoothed out the grinding marks and faired the hull somewhat. I am about 2/3 done grinding the port side. Once grinding is finished, then I'll give it a good sanding and I'll be done with the hull for a while.<div><br /></div><div>Starboard side after grinding down to bare glass and sanded smooth</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TCuDkeiv6PI/AAAAAAAAGEg/-eYputFS1HI/s512/2010-06-30%2012.30.34.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TCuDRbSzpBI/AAAAAAAAGEc/Dbb2fFeB6oE/s512/2010-06-30%2012.30.51.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TCuDD9Yw3VI/AAAAAAAAGEY/tA7AXMGUkro/s512/2010-06-30%2012.31.10.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TCuCfDdAacI/AAAAAAAAGEU/x1XSzBJWh1A/s512/2010-06-30%2012.31.21.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Port side grinding progress:</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TCuCTtdGT1I/AAAAAAAAGEQ/7l3mU4lOu4w/s512/2010-06-30%2012.31.49.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Space man at work<br /><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TCuCESWHxiI/AAAAAAAAGEI/aiyo_njbpQ8/s512/2010-06-29%2017.45.10.jpg" style="width: 512px; height: 382px; " /></div><div><br /></div></div>Erickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16388956002547599421noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709008761714639851.post-88515467908526055722010-06-10T18:33:00.000-07:002010-06-10T18:36:22.556-07:00Project - Bottom Job con't.I finished grinding the starboard side today <img src="http://forums.offtopic.com/images/smilies/bowdown.gif" alt="" title="Bow Down" class="inlineimg" border="0" /><br /><br />Took approximately 40 hours, mostly 3 hour shifts after work till dark. Hopefully I can finish the other side quicker with what I learned on this one. Opened up about 40 blisters as well. It is difficult and boring work. Holding the grinder above the head and away from the body is hell on the shoulders and back, but my endurance is getting better. This is probably the worst job of the whole rebuild, glad it is over halfway done.<br /><br /><br /><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TBGRZNDXIGI/AAAAAAAAGDQ/1q1VhFGAdoA/s640/2010-06-10%2020.07.19.jpg" alt="" border="0" />Erickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16388956002547599421noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709008761714639851.post-81019253350950343422010-06-09T12:08:00.000-07:002010-06-09T18:56:04.819-07:00Project: Bottom JobSince hauling Windsong out of the water I have been focusing most of my energy on her hull below the waterline. My goal was to get the hull to the point where it could dry out for the rest of the time on land. This would mean removing paint and the gel coat (if necessary) and then leave the hull alone while I worked on the rest of the boat. Fiberglass boats do in fact absorb water through osmosis (what creates blisters). The hull needs to be completely dry before I apply the planned epoxy barrier coat (protects against water absorption) and then paint. <div><br /></div><div>I had researched many different ways to remove paint from the bottom. The most common choices are to sandblast, grind, use a chemical peeler, or just old fashioned muscle and scraper. I opted for the simple method of scraping with a cheap paint scraper from Home Depot. The bottom paint was loose enough where the majority of it came off with the scraper. I would scrape a section of hull then go back and sand away the remaining paint down to the gel coat. I started at the bow on the starboard side and worked my way back. </div><div><br /></div><div>Here is the hull after the first weeks work:</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TAzZMbcCCmI/AAAAAAAAGAg/ktbZi3YnkOM/s576/IMG_4084.JPG" style="width: 576px; height: 432px;" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Removing the old paint to the gel coat revealed quite a few small spots where fairing compound was used in some sort of repair. It also revealed the blisters I feared would be present. The worst case scenario in my mind were thousands of small blisters all over the hull. But what I discovered were isolated, larger blisters averaging about 3-4" in diameter (some larger some smaller). When I found a big blister I would drill into it with a countersink bit to release the fluid inside. The fluid is some sort of gross acidic chemical that smells very distinct and shoots out at high pressure. It is always fun to pop them, but I always seem to get the stuff all over me. I would drill a pattern of holes all around the area of the blister so they would drain completely, and could be flushed out with ease. Cleaning and flushing the blisters with fresh water removes salts, chemicals and other nasty stuff that slows drying time. </div><div><br /></div><div>Drilled out blisters. You can also see all of the old repairs/fairings:</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TAzZNRFcQeI/AAAAAAAAGAw/MeGp2wiuqOw/s512/IMG_4088.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TAzZNgSHTHI/AAAAAAAAGA0/zRQ9pzxpYcM/s512/IMG_4089.JPG" style="left: 30px; top: 40px; width: 512px; height: 384px;" height="432" width="576" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Small blister completely ground out:</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TAzZN9EBi6I/AAAAAAAAGA4/l22yoSj2PLI/s512/IMG_4090.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Another small blister, and even smaller ones showing the poor condition of the gel coat</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TAzZOCOovPI/AAAAAAAAGA8/ZoNJ1rVIfYc/s512/IMG_4091.JPG" style="left: 30px; top: 40px; width: 512px; height: 384px;" height="432" width="576" /></div><div><br /></div><div>I determined that the blisters needed to be ground out completely until I reach undamaged glass. Since these are deep and large, I will need to build the leftover hole up with layers of glass before fairing compound. </div><div><br /></div><div>Ground out blisters below. I have yet to bevel and shape the ground out blisters completely for repair, only ground out to dry:</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TAzZOSqc_hI/AAAAAAAAGBA/5jYJDYm95hc/s512/IMG_4092.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TAzZOb5by8I/AAAAAAAAGBE/S16T_XAxBTI/s512/IMG_4093.JPG" style="left: 30px; top: 40px; width: 512px; height: 384px;" height="432" width="576" /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TAzZOkr5Q2I/AAAAAAAAGBI/Lu1qdWX6flc/s512/IMG_4094.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" /></div><div><br /></div><div>After scraping and sanding for a week or so, someone at the boat yard saw me struggling with my scraper and going slow as molasses. He recommended that I use a pressure washer with a special nozzle attached to really blast off the loose paint. I did so and was able to get all loose paint off (most of it!) with only an hours work with the hose. This was fantastic compared to the slow slow work of the scraper. </div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately the blasting revealed many areas where the gel coat was in such bad shape it just chipped away. Some areas where it chipped away revealed more blisters and hydrolysis (water damage) in the first layer of glass. After wasting a week working on sanding down to the gel coat, I know accepted the fact that the gel coat needed to be removed completely so that the glass underneath it can dry out. </div><div><br /></div><div>Here are some pictures of the hull after the pressure blast:</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TAzZO0xyOvI/AAAAAAAAGBM/uKYgVzcVlEk/s512/IMG_4095.JPG" style="left: 30px; top: 40px; width: 512px; height: 384px;" height="432" width="576" /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TAzZPjwcwfI/AAAAAAAAGBY/toXHfSg-YTk/s512/IMG_4098.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" /></div><div><br /></div><div>So I re-tooled and began to grind away the paint and the gel coat underneath it down to bare glass, grinding out any blisters or evidence of hydrolysis I came across in my path. I've been experimenting with many different pads for the grinder and have settled on using a 4 1/2" rubber backing pad and 36 grit disks. Most of the time it comes out pretty even, but I'll have to go back over the entire hull with my random orbit or palm sander to get it nice and flush. </div><div><br /></div><div>Here is the hull after a week or so of grinding. I started the port side when I came to work on the boat early on a Sunday, the sun was on the other side so I switched to the shady one :)</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TAzZTyu-WfI/AAAAAAAAGCs/9WD5c_fSnoA/s512/IMG_4119.JPG" style="left: 30px; top: 40px; width: 512px; height: 384px;" height="432" width="576" /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/TAzZTEdVnHI/AAAAAAAAGCg/fH1mvcbAGQA/IMG_4116.JPG" style="width: 576px; height: 432px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" height="432" width="576" /></div><div><br /></div><div>By the end of this week I should be over half way done. Once fully ground off, I'll leave the hull to dry out while I turn my focus above the waterline, the deck, and the interior.</div><div><br /></div><div>Once most of the projects above the waterline are out of the way I'll follow this procedure to finish the bottom job:</div><div><br /></div><div>-Sand entire hull smooth</div><div>-Repair deep blisters and any other major damage (keel) with layers of glass</div><div>-Fill and fair small blisters and gouges until smooth</div><div>-Apply epoxy barrier coat</div><div>-Apply anti-fouling paint</div><div><br /></div>Erickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16388956002547599421noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709008761714639851.post-3618934670094967602010-06-02T13:20:00.001-07:002010-06-02T13:44:13.437-07:00The Haul Outhe Monday after we sailed Windsong into St. Augustine we finally hauled her out to begin the massive rebuild. I had been anticipating this moment since I bought the boat about a year ago. I had never seen the hull below the waterline but knew a little bit of what to expect. I dove down to check the bottom once, but it was too murky to see anything. I could feel blisters however near the waterline so I figured I would have a few of them. Windsong was kept in warm Florida fresh water for a long time without a bottom job, ripe conditions for blister problems. I feared that she may have a case of full blown pox - a condition of thousands of tiny gel coat blisters covering the entire hull. This was the worst case scenario and I wanted to be prepared for it. I didn't expect any other major problems with the hull, though I anticipated some damage on the keel from when we ran hard aground. During the past year I have been studying all that I will need to do to the hull depending on its condition.<div><br /></div><div>It was a gross morning with a ton of rain. We hauled her out in the downpour and I got a first look at the bottom </div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_FMbSEQVbI/AAAAAAAAFug/hlFtQggGzNw/s512/IMG_3977.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_FMbn2vz1I/AAAAAAAAFuk/9xvh6cxstU0/s512/IMG_3978.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_FMb3fsTdI/AAAAAAAAFuo/TFJKpNBYniU/s512/IMG_3979.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_FMcebZsaI/AAAAAAAAFuw/KnAGOGL1r20/s512/IMG_3981.JPG" style="width: 512px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_FMfVpRXvI/AAAAAAAAFvU/Sfm_Ln3VaT8/s512/IMG_3990.JPG" style="left: 30px; top: 40px; width: 512px; height: 384px; " width="576" height="432" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Proud owner :)</div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_FMeYLQEII/AAAAAAAAFvI/-Xun0yGtHU0/s576/IMG_3987.JPG" style="width: 576px; height: 432px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>After the haul they gave her a good pressure wash. There wasn't much growth on the bottom, just some slime. She had only been in salt water for about two months and the water was pretty cold the whole time, so barnacles didn't get time to grow. The pressure wash was taking off chunks of old paint that had begun to deteriorate over time. It turns out, the gel coat blisters I thought I felt were actually just paint blisters and chipped off with the pressurewash. </div><div><br /></div><div>I had to leave to work half way through the pressure wash, but thankfully the weather cleared up later on for me to check her out on the stands.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_M8PYeAmGI/AAAAAAAAF04/GjKe6nfOtdw/s512/IMG_3995.JPG" style="left: 442px; top: 21px; width: 384px; height: 512px; " width="480" height="640" /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_M8lBnOo-I/AAAAAAAAF5A/1T-Nk9AUcbE/s512/IMG_4056.JPG" style="width: 384px; height: 512px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Decades of old anti-fouling paint chipping away.</div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_M8RzWLlbI/AAAAAAAAF1Y/PwE49ZCTkQ8/s576/IMG_4003.JPG" style="width: 576px; height: 432px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Depth sounding transducer, paint blisters</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_M8Tqlq_8I/AAAAAAAAF1w/LTbdlBQ3Cbo/s576/IMG_4008.JPG" style="width: 576px; height: 432px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>keel damage</div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_M8UI1CMgI/AAAAAAAAF10/vmFILHZ5Oko/s576/IMG_4009.JPG" style="width: 576px; height: 432px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>thru hulls</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_M8XyqCz-I/AAAAAAAAF2c/RNBn290wsgU/s576/IMG_4019.JPG" style="width: 576px; height: 432px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Rudder and prop</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_M8buy-LCI/AAAAAAAAF3Q/TgCX6ftWg4M/s576/IMG_4030.JPG" style="width: 576px; height: 432px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>The prop was in surprisingly good shape. I thought the cutlass bearing would be shot since there was a ton of vibration when motoring at cruising RPMs. It turns out there is some sort of shim that slides under the prop and into the bearing tube. This shim somehow broke, making the prop loose and explaining many strange noises and vibration.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_M8bPG2_qI/AAAAAAAAF3M/-pDH9_G9v1A/s576/IMG_4029.JPG" style="width: 576px; height: 432px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_M8aT7WeQI/AAAAAAAAF3E/3jUL4QjHAcM/s576/IMG_4027.JPG" style="width: 576px; height: 432px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>I am concerned about this area that the rudder attaches to. Lots of cracking and whatnot</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_M8YohWsYI/AAAAAAAAF2o/yY2KTnWyzNU/s576/IMG_4022.JPG" style="width: 576px; height: 432px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_M8cFsYX5I/AAAAAAAAF3U/iZsUiBpAfys/s512/IMG_4031.JPG" style="width: 384px; height: 512px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>The zinc. This appears to be the only zinc, with all thru hulls wired to it. I anticipated bad problems with electrolysis since it had been so long since a zinc was replaced, but somehow it is still there.</div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_M8eIOnPLI/AAAAAAAAF30/BLhz116CRhU/s576/IMG_4037.JPG" style="width: 576px; height: 432px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Port side paint</div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_M8jY9IK0I/AAAAAAAAF40/bEjmTNgFIMw/s576/IMG_4053.JPG" style="width: 576px; height: 432px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_M8jL8j3lI/AAAAAAAAF4w/yxeqT63C5gQ/s576/IMG_4052.JPG" style="width: 576px; height: 432px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>I discovered many things about the hull as I began to remove the many layers of paint. I'll detail the first two weeks of work in the next post. I am having computer problems at home so I cannot upload any new pictures that were taken after the haul out. As soon as I get them up I'll post and keep a more frequent progress report going. </div>Erickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16388956002547599421noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709008761714639851.post-39224815854075618232010-05-26T10:13:00.000-07:002010-05-26T10:27:42.182-07:00The Journey, Final leg: Merritt Island to St. Augustine<div>The final leg of The Journey was to take Windsong from Harbortown Marina in Merritt Island up to Oasis Boat Yard in St. Augustine to be hauled out. I had convinced a few friends to crew for me and to entice them I arranged the final leg to be when one of the last shuttle launches was happening.<div><br /></div><div>I wanted to have a good view of the shuttle launch, and I also wanted the final leg to be easy going so I got a head start by sailing up the ICW about 17 nm to Titusville Municipal Marina. Jenny and I did the sail on a Saturday after my month in Harbortown was done. The weather was great, with Southeast winds at 15 knots. The ride was relatively uneventful but definitely a fun day. It was my first time under full sail in the ICW, something different since steering between the markers under sail was a bit more difficult than steering offshore. </div><div><br /></div><div>I kept Windsong in Titusville for a couple of weeks until May 14th when the shuttle was set to launch. We all met up on Friday morning before the launch to load up the boat and get ready for the weekend cruise. The crew was Jenny, Jeff (from the first leg) and our friend Brian who flew down from Connecticut. The traffic was getting crazy pretty for the shuttle launch, so we were glad to get an early start. The launch was at 2:20 p.m., but we were ready to go by noon.</div><div><br /></div><div>We got some fuel from the marina and then decided to wait out the remaining time at anchor in the ICW. The marina is very spacious, but my slip was near the basin wall and I had 15-20knot winds pushing me forward into my slip. I knew when I backed out, we would face some problems due to the wind and the lack of control going in reverse on my boat. Sure enough, when we backed out the boat wanted to turn sideways and slide back into the slip pilings. Thankfully my crew was strong enough to fend us off the posts, and I was able to maneuver well enough to avoid crashing into the wall. It was one of the more nerve wracking times I've pulled out of a dock thus far, but we made it safe to the fuel dock eventually. After fueling we left the marina to start our journey.</div><div><br /></div><div>Windsong at the slip in Titusville:</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_x3PedKbPI/AAAAAAAAF6M/TvRLYHGyqjM/s576/DSC_0001.jpg" style="width: 576px; height: 383px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_x3QW8f1QI/AAAAAAAAF6U/LafFK6sqp54/s576/DSC_0005.jpg" style="width: 576px; height: 383px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>I found a spot outside of the channel with a good view of the launch pads and dropped the hook for a few hours. After waiting patiently, we were eventually rewarded with a killer view of the launch. I had not seen a live launch this close since my early childhood and I was glad to see the final flight of Atlantis. About a minute after the launch the sound finally hit us with a massive roar that shook the entire boat.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_x3Q3qZz8I/AAAAAAAAF6Y/gbM4OqkLMEU/s576/DSC_0010.jpg" style="width: 576px; height: 383px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_x3TMh289I/AAAAAAAAF6o/AiBhWfeLHYc/s576/DSC_0040.jpg" style="width: 576px; height: 459px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_x3TbWgUZI/AAAAAAAAF6s/ruqWJz_aVM0/s576/DSC_0042.jpg" style="width: 576px; height: 460px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_x3U1B8CgI/AAAAAAAAF68/5HUTSOTDwl4/s576/DSC_0051.jpg" style="width: 576px; height: 384px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_x3WTHui8I/AAAAAAAAF7E/ZAN7tB1M48c/s512/DSC_0056.jpg" style="width: 341px; height: 512px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>After the launch we began the 27 nm run to New Smyrna Beach. After only an hour or so of motoring we arrived at the Hallover Canal bridge, a draw bridge which was said to be one of the quickest to open on call. Unfortunately due to the shuttle launch traffic, they weren't able to open for another hour and a half. While I didn't mind pacing around to waste time (there wasn't an adequate area to anchor in the narrow channel), we were already cutting the trip close to make New Smyrna before nightfall. I quickly did the math and figured that we would make it just in time with the delay.</div><div><br /></div><div>So we paced up and down the ICW at about 2 knots for the remaining time until it was time for the bridge to open. Once we were finally through, the ICW switches from the Indian River to the Mosquito Lagoon. The first part of the lagoon was all park land protected from development in the Canaveral National Seashore so it was a natural beauty. This eventually led to the outskirts of New Smyrna Beach with many mobile home parks right on the water. The channel became very narrow with homes on the port and barrier islands to starboard. Tons of dolphins and fish were seen everywhere giving us a lot of things to look at.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>The Hallover Canal:</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_x3X2Xp9hI/AAAAAAAAF7U/T4FXUvqBCc0/s576/DSC_0063.jpg" style="width: 576px; height: 383px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_x3ZPoTLHI/AAAAAAAAF7g/xPRGmRKnekU/s576/DSC_0069.jpg" style="width: 576px; height: 383px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_x3Zh1zW7I/AAAAAAAAF7k/4gECWc6C4j4/s576/DSC_0070.jpg" style="width: 576px; height: 383px; " /></div></div><div><br /></div><div>We arrived at the New Smyrna Beach City Marina with about an hour of light to spare. Our slip was easily accessed so docking wasn't an issue at all. Shortly after tying up we all walked down the road to find some grub and then called it a night. Unfortunately sometime in the night Jenny started feeling ill and had a long night battling a stomach bug. The plan was to go off-shore the next day and sail from Ponce Inlet to St. Augustine. I worried about how her stomach would cope with the seas, and with the rest of my crew enjoying many beers all day I knew the sail might be in jeopardy with a sick crew.</div><div><br /></div><div>We woke up and quickly set out of the marina and up the river to the inlet. I read on the web that Ponce Inlet was tricky and should only be attempted with local knowledge. I've seen enough large boats go out of the inlet while surfing to know it is possible, and they also say the same about St. Augustine inlet (of which I consider a pretty easy inlet). I studied the inlet as much as I could and felt prepared to make the run out of it. Although a little bumpy due to the swells raising near the inlet, the run out wasn't difficult.</div><div><br /></div><div>Morning at the marina</div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_x3d9JB_pI/AAAAAAAAF8E/G4BBBiEe-IY/s576/DSC_0103.jpg" style="width: 576px; height: 383px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Last draw bridge before inlet</div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_x3eE9vPLI/AAAAAAAAF8I/zThxQl9r0Ps/s576/DSC_0107.jpg" style="width: 576px; height: 383px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>NSB lighthouse</div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_x3ezqaYhI/AAAAAAAAF8M/eHoBEnXFMYU/s576/DSC_0111.jpg" style="width: 576px; height: 383px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Once out of the channel we hoisted sails, turned North and began the 60 nm run to St. Augustine. Raising the sails became quite the rodeo ride with the short period swells lurching high near the inlet. Both Jeff and I almost fell out of the boat trying to raise the main, and Brian was struggling to steer and control our overturned cooler with beer and ice flying around the cockpit. Jenny was still feeling pretty ill from the night before and resting in the cabin, I felt bad for her as the motion was not fun at the start.</div><div><br /></div><div>If we averaged 5 knots it would take us 12 hours, anything less would be cutting it close to a nighttime entrance - something I wanted to avoid once again. The winds were very light out of the Southeast and we were only making 3.5 knots sailing. In order to assure our arrival on time, I figured we would motorsail until the winds picked up as expected in the afternoon. I started the engine and we began to make speed averaging 7 knots. Eventually we figured out how to steer with the waves more to our stern quarter rather than beam on, and the motion became easier to cope with.</div><div><br /></div><div>Soon after we were motoring I went downstairs to get some breakfast., and while gathering food I noticed smoke coming out of the engine room. I opened the room and what I thought was smoke or steam was rising out in a cloud. I yelled for Jeff to cut the engine and I started to search for the source of the smoke. I soon realized that it was exhaust, not a fire thank goodness. The entire engine room was covered in water with exhaust smoke billowing out. I went to the cockpit to let the room clear of exhaust and for the engine to cool some. We were barely sailing at 3 knots, and I feared if something was serious we were definitely in for a long day if the winds never picked up.</div><div><br /></div><div>Dejected and worried, I knew I had to try to figure out what was wrong and fix it if I could. So after a breather I went below and had a look. I diagnosed the issue to be a loose hose clamp on a section of the large exhaust piping. After tightening the clamp, we cranked the engine and it was evident the issue was resolved. We were motoring comfortably once again at 7 knots and making great time. With the engine and schedule back to normal, my spirits returned and I was finally able to enjoy the morning.</div><div><br /></div><div>The rest of the crew, however, weren't feeling the same. Jenny spent the majority of the day sleeping away her sickness either in the cockpit or in the cabin while Jeff and Brian both sent their breakfast back to the sea after getting motion sickness shortly after the engine was fixed. Over the next few hours all three of them caught up on rest, and luckily Jeff and Brian both came around and were feeling better. I steered for a couple of hours and then Brian took the wheel and stayed there for the majority of the day.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was exciting sailing up this part of the coast, since I was very familiar with every patch of beach and was able to identify where we were based on landmarks I knew. The majority of the day was spent finding these landmarks and just chilling in the cockpit. Once we passed Matanzas Inlet, I celebrated with a beer (and sacrificed one to Poseidon for thanks) and began to feel the sense of accomplishment that we were close to the end.</div><div><br /></div><div>Matanzas Inlet</div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_x3fzWB__I/AAAAAAAAF8Q/sczEUmu9BkE/s576/DSC_0120.jpg" style="width: 576px; height: 383px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>My family's old condo in Crescent Beach:</div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_x3gDDDHgI/AAAAAAAAF8U/1AKqkbzPIng/s576/DSC_0122.jpg" style="width: 576px; height: 383px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Nice boat</div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_x3gnuJhuI/AAAAAAAAF8Y/FvR6ligAVXQ/s576/DSC_0124.jpg" style="width: 576px; height: 383px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Jeff had found information about a spring off of Crescent Beach that we were aiming to pass and check out: <a href="http://www.sjrwmd.com/springs/stjohns/crescent_beach.html">click hereto learn about it.</a> The coordinates on the website did not match the charted location of the spring, so we followed the chart. Unfortunately we didn't see it, but we did see two huge sea turtles we wouldn't have otherwise.</div><div><br /></div><div>The winds finally picked up in the afternoon, and shortly before reaching the spring we cut the engine to sail the final 2-3 hours of the trip. Motor-sailing all day ensured we were going to make landfall in daytime, so the final hours of sailing were extremely enjoyable with no worries whatsoever. We arrived at the channel entrance around 5:30 and navigated our way inside. Once in protected waters, we lowered all sails and found a good spot to anchor right in front of the fort in downtown St. Augustine.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ecstatic of our accomplishment, finally home after this long journey, we took some shots of good rum and jumped into the water for a rinse. The remainder of the night was spent drinking and celebrating the end of the journey. The view of St. Augustine at night is beautiful, and was better than any TV show I could have been staring at back at home. If I could have changed anything it would be to have had Jenny feeling better to join in the celebration. Unfortunately her stomach was still giving her problems and she had to rest the evening out.</div><div><br /></div><div>St. Augustine Lighthouse</div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_x3g-dVJhI/AAAAAAAAF8c/YEtLyl4GF2g/s576/DSC_0127.jpg" style="width: 576px; height: 383px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Bouy marking the entrance to St. Augustine inlet</div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_x3hS4h7GI/AAAAAAAAF8g/tLEV8h7gEC4/s576/DSC_0130.jpg" style="width: 576px; height: 383px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Breakers on both sides of the channel</div><div><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_x3h2zNlCI/AAAAAAAAF8k/ZAktoxohZyo/s576/DSC_0133.jpg" style="width: 576px; height: 383px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Pirate ship tour</div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_x3iOHP8GI/AAAAAAAAF8o/gu6g-2axKDM/s576/DSC_0136.jpg" style="width: 576px; height: 383px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Sunset at anchor</div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_x3jezJgjI/AAAAAAAAF80/r_f73I8H3vM/s576/DSC_0144.jpg" style="width: 576px; height: 383px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>We raised the hook and crossed under the historic Bridge of Lions at 8:00 a.m. the next morning. We only had to go about 2 nm to Oasis Boat Yard, where I was scheduled to be hauled out the following morning. We motored to the yard and tied up to the dock shortly thereafter, and my parents met up with us to deliver my car. We didn't linger long, loaded the car and were off back to Titusville to drop everyone off and retrieve their cars. I came back to the boat after dropping them off to give Windsong an oil change before her long sit on land.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sunrise</div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_x3k0pTIMI/AAAAAAAAF88/nw9UbGYxZqc/s576/DSC_0151.jpg" style="width: 576px; height: 383px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_x3l3QfVjI/AAAAAAAAF9E/nQpyTB-S45s/s576/DSC_0159.jpg" style="width: 576px; height: 383px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_x3mTTtDmI/AAAAAAAAF9I/J0xrnZsb1x4/s576/DSC_0162.jpg" style="width: 576px; height: 383px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_x3m7keW_I/AAAAAAAAF9M/UHAWst9iLQI/s576/DSC_0167.jpg" style="width: 576px; height: 383px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Heading through the Bridge of Lions. </div><div><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_x3oXUV4DI/AAAAAAAAF9Q/0Szu6NuRRc4/s576/DSC_0170.jpg" style="width: 576px; height: 383px; " /></div><div>Note: the shoe is our friend Shoe. We stole it from a buddy many years ago and sent him ransom pictures of Shoe in random places. It eventually started travelling with us so we could take pictures of it all over the place, even international. Think of it like the roaming gnome. Shoe now resides on Windsong and will travel with us.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_x3o3zi4aI/AAAAAAAAF9Y/AVBZoiHHXoo/s576/DSC_0174.jpg" style="width: 576px; height: 383px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Yours truly. Haggard from a long weekend.</div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_x3pBzbPoI/AAAAAAAAF9c/h-qYJ1Mhmnc/s576/DSC_0175.jpg" style="width: 576px; height: 383px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Brian and Shoe</div><div><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S_x3pbW2BRI/AAAAAAAAF9g/bU9Wdpc7tys/s576/DSC_0177.jpg" style="width: 576px; height: 383px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>On Monday morning, after a long days rest, I went back to the boat yard with my Dad to watch them haul out Windsong and get a first view of the bottom. It was extremely wet that morning, and I was all dressed to go to work after the haul. Bad decision on my part, since they expected me to drive the boat into the lift. So we got drenched, but seeing her get hauled out was a joyous occasion for me. Though we couldn't get much of a good view of the bottom as they were still pressure washing it before we had to leave, it didn't look too bad! Not many barnacles had begun to grow with only a couple of months in salt water, but a lot of slime had to be blasted off.We left after one side was almost done being washed as I needed to go to work.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Erickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16388956002547599421noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709008761714639851.post-78121115405664197582010-05-02T15:01:00.000-07:002010-05-02T15:15:52.583-07:00The Journey, Leg 4. Stuart to Merritt IslandWe left Windsong in Stuart on its mooring ball for a week before I was able to get back there and begin the fourth leg with my Dad. I was concerned while it was there because the stuffing box was leaking worse than it ever had, and I couldn’t get it to stop dripping before we left. I did my best to stem the flow by tying some torn up towels around it, but knew that would help little. The bilge pump could keep up with the flow, and would run a few times a day I think. However, I didn’t know how long my batteries would last with the pump running frequently. Luckily I remembered to change the battery switch to the house batteries rather than its default setting of house + starter batteries. I realized I left it like that when Windsong was in Ft. Myers, and made a mental note to never leave the switch on both when not charging or motoring.<br /><br />The plan was to motor up the ICW to Harbortown Marina in Merritt Island. We arrived in Stuart on Thursday evening (April 1st) a few hours before dark. First order of business was to dinghy all of our gear out to the boat, which wasn’t nearly as exciting as the nighttime ordeal we faced in Ft. Myers. After the gear was loaded (only took one trip) we enjoyed a beer then paddled back to shore to get some dinner at the marina restaurant. After dinner we had to paddle back in the dark and crashed quickly soon after. As usual I didn’t get any sleep, mind racing about what the next couple of days would hold.<br /><br />The first day’s ride would be 2/3 of the trip, making progress all the way up to south Melbourne. I knew it would be a long day, some 60 nautical miles; but I wanted a shorter day on Saturday so we could have time to pick up cars and make it home at a reasonable hour.<br /><br />The morning started off routinely and we were off the mooring ball by 7:45 a.m. After only about 20 minutes of motoring the engine, once again, started to choke up. I knew instantly it was the air intake silencer again so I went below to mess with it. After some adjusting of the silencer the choking stopped and the engine ran fine for a while longer. The first part of the day was continuing along the Okeechobee Waterway until it merges with the ICW. As we approached the ICW the St. Lucie inlet became visible and I was ecstatic to finally see the Atlantic Ocean! It was a great milestone and almost an overwhelming feeling to finally see familiar waters.<br /><br />First look of the Atlantic:<br /><br /><img style="width: 576px; height: 432px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j_1pek8YI/AAAAAAAAFlU/eWn7PI2DCrI/s576/IMG_3534.JPG" /><br /><br />The tide was coming in, and as we approached the inlet the current was pushing against us and at times slowing us down to almost 4.5 knots. I was freaking out, thinking the engine was fouling up but it sounded fine and the instrument panel wasn’t indicating a problem. I then realized what was going on as I checked the tide table and stopped worrying about it. The intersection of the Okeechobee waterway and the ICW at the inlet was very narrow, shallow, and crowded. If you ask me it was a much worse place than the Miserable Mile on the West coast. I was well prepared thanks to <a href="http://cruisersnet.net/">Cruisers Net</a> and navigated us safely until we finally were able to turn North. It was a grand feeling to be finally going North.<br /><br />The ride was uneventful for a few more hours until the engine started making very strange sounds. This time it was not a familiar one that I have dealt with before, it was a loud POP POP POP POP with white smoke coming out of the exhaust. I tried to assess the situation but failed to conclude what the problem was. I referenced all of my diesel books and eventually became overwhelmed with what the problem actually could be. To test some things out I revved up the engine and immediately the popping and smoke stopped. My guess was either piston blow-by or maybe some water in the engine. Any ideas? Regardless, the problem stopped and never returned thank goodness. It was a scary sound and seemed pretty serious, definitely something I need to investigate when the big overhaul begins.<br /><br />I hoisted the main and staysail so that we could motorsail and have at least some propulsion if the engine failed. Sure enough, about an hour later, another terrible sound erupted from the engine room. This time it was a high pitched squealing, so loud we couldn't tell where it was coming from. The sound would come for a few seconds then disappear for a while, then come back a few minutes later. Both my Dad and I tried to assess the problem, but couldn’t figure it out since it kept disappearing. After a while of staring at the engine waiting for the sound, it finally came and kept going for about 30 seconds. My dad, who was looking at the engine while it happened, honed the sound to the shaft near the stuffing box. His words to me were “come look at the stuffing box and tell me if it looks right”. Sure enough, the packing nut had loosened itself all the way off the threads and was hanging onto the shaft and causing the sound. Even a layer of the packing from inside the nut had come out, it was a mess. We cut the engine and I did my best to re-pack the flax and tighten the nut back onto the threads. After doing so something magic happened, the leaking stopped completely! Re-packing the loose flax seemed to do the trick and from then on the stuffing box was no longer an issue and to this date (about a month later) it is still leak free. It drips when running to cool the shaft, but doesn’t spew water in like it used to.<br /><br />I spent the rest of the day being a nervous wreck about the engine, but it never gave us any problems after that. The ICW was a pretty ride, but the day was getting long and I was dead tired at the end. At around 7:00 we arrived at the anchorage and set hook for the night. It was a neat spot with a few other boats and well protected from the winds and wake. We had some beers, made some sandwiches and I got to work rigging up my poles to fish. I threw out some dried chum I had bought for inshore saltwater fishing, and it seemed to work. Unfortunately the only fish interested in it were catfish, not my ideal catch. We ended up hooking catfish over and over, some decent sized ones that gave a good fight, but nothing worth keeping.<br /><br />The anchorage:<br /><br /><img style="width: 576px; height: 432px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j_3F9JJhI/AAAAAAAAFlw/w23b1wpksS0/IMG_3542.JPG" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br />Ship wrecked at the island next to us. Picture taken through the binoculars:<br /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j_4Hxn2oI/AAAAAAAAFl8/o-qTjJCL5AM/s512/IMG_3545.JPG" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br />Lots of catfish:<br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 162px; top: 16px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j_4tfhjXI/AAAAAAAAFmA/J0JovXqnqag/s512/IMG_3546.JPG" height="480" width="640" /><br /><br />We hit the sack early, and after a long day and lack of sleep from the previous night I was able to get some Z’s. It was my first night on the hook with Windsong, so while I was nervous about our holding I was so exhausted that worrying couldn’t even keep me up.<br /><br />The next morning we raised the anchor and set off soon after sunrise. The engine behaved and the ride was fun leading up to Cocoa. I considered this stop to finally be home, since I was still living in Orlando at the time and Cocoa was the closest spot to keep it. Of course, Windsong’s final resting place will be St. Augustine, but Cocoa would be its home for the next month until I was settled at my new job in St. Augustine. So while technically the Journey wasn’t over, this leg felt like the end of it to me. I was finally done with unfamiliar territory, finally done having to park cars in two different cities to do a leg, finally done with the stress of having the boat far away.<br /><br />Morning:<br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 162px; top: 16px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j_5mMFkvI/AAAAAAAAFmI/eKQF0kVGEBI/s512/IMG_3548.JPG" height="480" width="640" /><br /><br /><br /><img style="width: 576px; height: 432px; left: 290px; top: 0px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j_75WA8OI/AAAAAAAAFmo/fGF8f8pkSU4/s576/IMG_3556.JPG" height="512" width="384" /><br /><br />Arriving in Cocoa was a fantastic feeling, particularly going under the 528 bridge that I had crossed hundreds of times while driving to the beach. Docking at the marina proved difficult as the waterway was very narrow to maneuver into the slips. Thankfully all of my practice on this trip had prepared me and I was getting pretty good at maneuvering the boat by now. My new marina neighbors were very helpful while docking and proved to be great folks over the next few weeks I was at the marina.<br /><br />Approaching 528:<br /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j_8dE2CII/AAAAAAAAFms/VJCGWEsPUJI/s512/IMG_3557.JPG" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br />Crossing the line<br /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 0px; top: 64px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j_9JfqxTI/AAAAAAAAFm0/WII4K-HnPLA/s512/IMG_3559.JPG" height="384" width="512" /><br /><br />As of now, Windsong has been there for almost a month and it is finally time to move her further North. I could take her straight to St. Augustine, but I have a friend flying down from Connecticut who wants to enjoy a sail before Windsong goes to the boat yard. This weekend I will be moving her up to Titusville, some 17 nm up the ICW from Cocoa. I wanted to keep her in Titusville until my friend comes down so that we have a good spot to view the shuttle launch scheduled for the Friday we start the final leg. So two more weeks in Titusville then its time to bring her home and finish the Journey. Then its onto the next journey – the boatyard and complete refit/repair/rebuild of the boat.Erickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16388956002547599421noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709008761714639851.post-30691740007830274682010-04-28T17:45:00.000-07:002010-04-28T17:47:01.547-07:00Updates and Canaveral sailingI am lagging behind on my trip write-up, I do apologize. I never announced it here, but sometime around early February I was offered a job in St. Augustine doing the same type of consulting I was in Orlando. It was a dream come true to finally be able to move to the beach, near my family, and also in the same town as Windsong. After I was laid off I was able to secure a small amount of contract work with my old company to keep the coffers full, and I was able to push my start date in St. Augustine back until mid April. As you know by now, I used that time to take on the challenge of moving Windsong from West to East Florida, a grand adventure so far!<br /><br />I started working in St. Augustine last week and have loved being here so far. This town never fails to bring out great feelings inside me. My family always had summer vacations here when I was a kid, and in my teenage years I would drive to these beaches every weekend to surf and be with friends. My whole life seems to have amazing memories associated with St. Augustine, and I’m extremely excited to begin this new phase and make the most of it.<br /><br />Windsong is currently in the Cape Canaveral area, and I plan on bringing her up to St. Augustine sometime in May. Once up here it’s time for the haul-out and the start of the grueling work to completely refit and repair. I continue to visit Orlando and Windsong on the weekends and have made progress deconstructing the interior and refinishing the woodwork.<br /><br />I was even able to take a bunch of friends sailing offshore on a Saturday a few weeks ago. We left Port Canaveral in the morning, sailed South almost to Satellite Beach and then back to the inlet by the evening. It was a great sail in brisk 15-20 knot winds out of the Northeast and 4-6 foot choppy seas. Windsong cut through the chop well and I thought the ride was extremely comfortable, 3 out of 6 crewmembers thought otherwise as their lunches were returned to the ocean soon after setting sail.<br /><br />I still have to write up the last leg of the Journey, Stuart to Canaveral, and will get to that eventually. For now, here are some pictures and video of the Canaveral sail:<br /><br /><br /><object height="300" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://www.facebook.com/v/891568991482"><embed src="http://www.facebook.com/v/891568991482" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="300" width="400"></embed></object><br /><br />Morning at the marina<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=49913395&id=5135266" id="myphotolink"><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs483.ash1/26462_891516975722_5135266_49913394_7498942_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /></a><br /><br />Going out of Port Canaveral<br /><br /><img style="width: 384px; height: 512px; left: 64px; top: 0px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S9eYvhg71eI/AAAAAAAAFq0/Yg5DX1zDoqI/s512/IMG_3578.JPG" height="512" width="384" /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=49913395&id=5135266" id="myphotolink"><img id="myphoto" src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs503.snc3/26462_891516980712_5135266_49913395_996157_n.jpg" style="" /></a><br /><img style="width: 576px; height: 432px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S9eYwGLb-KI/AAAAAAAAFq4/31YMWd4yDvU/IMG_3579.JPG" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=49913395&id=5135266" id="myphotolink"><img id="myphoto" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs483.ash1/26462_891517010652_5135266_49913396_1963338_n.jpg" style="" /></a><br /><img style="width: 384px; height: 512px; left: 290px; top: 0px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S9eYxVieFAI/AAAAAAAAFrU/hWsfWpa3asQ/s512/IMG_3585.JPG" height="512" width="384" /><br /><br /><br /><img style="width: 576px; height: 432px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S9efoHZeo3I/AAAAAAAAFrg/UNE8vqg7sM4/IMG_3587.JPG" height="432" width="576" /><br /><img style="width: 384px; height: 512px; left: 64px; top: 0px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S9efojAsK5I/AAAAAAAAFrk/Uh213R7Qx-E/s512/IMG_3588.JPG" height="512" width="384" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 576px; height: 432px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S9efp6aMCAI/AAAAAAAAFr8/erPCDsHz0CA/IMG_3597.JPG" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 64px; top: 0px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S9jQt30zWAI/AAAAAAAAFsE/XaSELg3R-wE/s512/IMG_3599.JPG" height="512" width="384" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 576px; height: 432px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S9jQudRFSSI/AAAAAAAAFsQ/M9H-9Y2-hXk/IMG_3603.JPG" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br />Sails up!<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=49913395&id=5135266" id="myphotolink"><img id="myphoto" src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs483.snc3/26462_891517030612_5135266_49913397_6068627_n.jpg" style="" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=49913395&id=5135266" id="myphotolink"><img id="myphoto" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs483.ash1/26462_891517065542_5135266_49913399_625237_n.jpg" style="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=49913395&id=5135266" id="myphotolink"><img id="myphoto" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs483.ash1/26462_891517075522_5135266_49913400_5786865_n.jpg" style="" /></a><br /><img style="width: 384px; height: 512px; left: 162px; top: 16px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S9jQyIAauHI/AAAAAAAAFs0/-qFDCWjBnaw/s512/IMG_3612.JPG" height="480" width="640" /><br /><br /><br /><img style="width: 384px; height: 512px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S9jQypIVdbI/AAAAAAAAFs8/xLgegQiHWrQ/s512/IMG_3615.JPG" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 576px; height: 432px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S9jQzP9Qz5I/AAAAAAAAFtE/IQJHApABf-I/IMG_3617.JPG" height="432" width="576" />\\<br /><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=49913395&id=5135266" id="myphotolink"><img id="myphoto" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs503.snc3/26462_891517110452_5135266_49913405_3548972_n.jpg" style="" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=49913395&id=5135266" id="myphotolink"><img id="myphoto" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-sjc1/hs503.snc3/26462_891517120432_5135266_49913407_4945513_n.jpg" style="" /></a><br /><br />Jumping dolphins<br /><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=49913395&id=5135266" id="myphotolink"><img id="myphoto" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs483.snc3/26462_891526436762_5135266_49913873_316820_n.jpg" style="" /></a><br /><br />Pelicans eating our leftover bait<br /><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=49913395&id=5135266" id="myphotolink"><img id="myphoto" src="http://hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/hs503.snc3/26462_891520503652_5135266_49913520_2125413_n.jpg" style="" /></a>Erickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16388956002547599421noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709008761714639851.post-89019041555161061962010-04-12T16:57:00.000-07:002010-04-12T16:58:27.193-07:00The Journey, Leg 3: Ft. Myers to Stuart via the Okeechobee WaterwayThe weekend of March 20 I was finally able to get some friends to help crew for me as we crossed Florida via the Okeechobee Waterway:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.rolandmartinmarina.com/images/okeechobeewaterway-roland.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 1246px; height: 686px;" src="http://www.rolandmartinmarina.com/images/okeechobeewaterway-roland.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />At 6.5 knots cruising speed, it takes about two days of long motoring to cross the state with a stop in Clewiston. Mark and Robbie both took Monday off so we would be able to make it north a bit on the East coast as well. The plan was to go from Ft. Myers to Clewiston on Saturday; cross the lake and make it to Stuart on Sunday; then Stuart to Vero Beach up the Intercoastal Waterway on Monday.<br /><br />Friday night we were dropped off in Ft. Myers where Windsong was moored for about a week and a half. It was dark when we arrived, and we had to paddle my old dinghy about a half mile to the boat. The rubber dinghy does not have hard floors, so we couldn't load too much weight. This made us have to take two trips back and forth to collect all cargo along with all three of us. We didn't get any good pictures of the dinghy rides to the boat, but it was a lot of fun crossing the river in the dark of night, only city lights for illumination. I knew where the boat was in reference to the bridge and island surrounding it, but we couldn't actually see it until very close.<br /><br />We loaded up Windsong, had a few beers and settled in for the night. None of us slept well at all, I was nervous about how the engine would perform on its first real endurance test. We would be motoring about 8-10 hours a day for three days straight. I knew the fuel was clean now, so it was whatever new thing the engine would throw at me that kept me up and nervous. I also realized it was my first night on the hook, away from a dock on the boat. All of the sounds, particularly the mooring ball bumping on the boat kept me up.<br /><br />We decided to leave in the morning at 7:30; and of course the alarm woke us up right after all of us started to doze off. It was a beautiful sunrise and the first order of business was to get us off the mooring ball. My two lines and chain were tangled on the ball chain, so I had to go down in the dinghy and get wet early trying to make sense of the mess. We warmed up the engine and were soon off and away up the Caloosahatchee River to the Okeechobee waterway.<br /><br /><br /><img style="width: 576px; height: 432px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j7kDIg2_I/AAAAAAAAFeU/6uNjUB54_m0/s576/5.jpg" /><br /><br />You can see me in the dinghy, Mark holding me to the boat.<br /><br /><img style="width: 384px; height: 512px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j7lHGFEhI/AAAAAAAAFec/WJcc4t4Hnmc/s512/7.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j7lT3vasI/AAAAAAAAFeg/q1FWlUkdBnM/s512/8.jpg" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j7nTlMWoI/AAAAAAAAFeo/A46inDEYlko/s512/11.jpg" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br />It was before this bridge that we broke down on the last trip. Here we are passing that mark.<br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j7pxvJHvI/AAAAAAAAFe0/ItjqSzwVJC0/s512/14.jpg" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br />I-75<br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j7qTqy9HI/AAAAAAAAFe4/LyDLuiUC-pE/s512/15.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j7q1nsbCI/AAAAAAAAFe8/aLaozXv68ZQ/s512/16.jpg" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br />Shortly after we passed under the I-75 bridge and the engine started to choke once again. Furious and nervous, I opened up the engine room to inspect the fuel filter. The bowl looked just fine, but the air silencer was off of its mount. The air silencer on my engine is extremely rusted and barely hangs on its mount, mostly held by duct tape and some seizing wire I jury rigged. The air silencer is hooked to some sort of breather line from the injection housing, I noticed this line was twisted and pinched so I straightened it out. The engine stopped choking and ran smooth the whole day after that, with a few chokes here and there as the silencer fell off.<br /><br />We stopped at a little place called Jacks Marine to top off the diesel fuel tank. Soon after that we approached the first of 5 locks that we would be going through along the waterway, Franklin Lock. We had a green light to go in, and grabbed the ropes along the right wall. They closed the doors behind us, opened the ones in front of us and we raised about two feet as water rushed in.<br /><br />Approaching the lock<br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7NwO0ihoAI/AAAAAAAAFbU/PJNL1e0atHU/s512/IMG_3458.JPG" /><br /><br />Holding onto the lines<br /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7NwQTZEj5I/AAAAAAAAFbk/HSkuC_fxfnI/s512/IMG_3461.JPG" /><br /><br />Doors closing behind us<br /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j7tl1nLpI/AAAAAAAAFfY/HgVMizVtlwA/s512/27.jpg" /><br /><br />Water coming in<br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7NwRb75_4I/AAAAAAAAFb0/0huFOyekg4I/s512/IMG_3465.JPG" /><br /><br />Going through the locks was neat, though they definitely slowed us down and made the day longer. The first part of the river was filled with huge houses and good scenery. Soon after there were a lot of cows, sugarcane fields, orange fields, swamps, even a camel.<br /><br />Huge house with a massive water slide:<br /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7NwS8OxV9I/AAAAAAAAFcI/hvrKAqwi-a8/s512/IMG_3470.JPG" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j7w9t3PzI/AAAAAAAAFfs/C4V85eLJOss/s512/32.jpg" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j7yK-yTlI/AAAAAAAAFf0/zgVimoCzPKM/s512/34.jpg" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j7yXN7xEI/AAAAAAAAFf4/GTZdfIqyyMc/s512/35.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j7ylB9HVI/AAAAAAAAFf8/MgwilU79F0A/s512/36.jpg" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j72DoRITI/AAAAAAAAFgY/TdRsm13aWRk/s512/45.jpg" /><br />Many draw bridges too, but they opened quickly and we barely ever had to wait.<br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7NwTz3NGbI/AAAAAAAAFcY/9xi2aXbHh3w/s512/IMG_3474.JPG" /><br /><br />The next lock was Ortona lock, we rose about 7 feet on this one. The water rushing it was a lot more intense than the last one, pretty fun.<br /><br /><img style="width: 384px; height: 512px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j70EbECII/AAAAAAAAFgI/Q8kwnxpqMXQ/s512/40.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7NwUm2OIPI/AAAAAAAAFck/y0_h-eMDVjs/s512/IMG_3477.JPG" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7NwVpQ2nQI/AAAAAAAAFcw/bwGjNAW2qwE/s512/IMG_3480.JPG" /><br /><br />The day was pretty uneventful between the locks. We traded turns at the wheel, made sandwiches for lunch and just relaxed. The last lock was at Moore Haven.<br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j722hinCI/AAAAAAAAFgg/EN4gaj1rIkY/s512/47.jpg" /><br /><br />From Moore Haven to Clewiston was about 10 nm going South along the rim of Lake Okeechobee. This last stretch of the day was strange as it was a lot of reeds and dead trees on the Lake side, with the dike on the other side. It was a very barren looking landscape, but had plenty of gators, pelicans and herons.<br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7NwW633c6I/AAAAAAAAFdE/N5w1lIdWvko/s512/IMG_3485.JPG" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7NwXDEjTOI/AAAAAAAAFdI/EcqlZpIbrl0/s512/IMG_3486.JPG" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7NwXb0l6tI/AAAAAAAAFdM/1Xtu5FKPmvs/s512/IMG_3487.JPG" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j73uUBPFI/AAAAAAAAFgo/QVZYpmAKtZo/s512/49.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j73gje0-I/AAAAAAAAFgs/ZjX2Tvc-AP0/s512/50.jpg" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br />This boat kicked up some of the biggest wake I have ever seen. I could have surfed the waves as they peeled perfectly along the shore.<br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j74eJnTII/AAAAAAAAFg0/xwLDFz-CFMc/s512/52.jpg" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j756DLNiI/AAAAAAAAFhI/b-17eqFfQZM/s512/57.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j76h0QNDI/AAAAAAAAFhQ/_apQgwvkTKc/s512/59.jpg" /><br /><br />Clewiston is protected by a lock directly across the channel entrance to cross the lake. The lock was open so we motored right in and immediately to our right was Roland Martins Marina where we had a slip reserved for the night. Clewiston is a big bass fishing base, and the marina was the heart of it all. It had a good tiki bar restaurant, a smaller breakfast place, and all the usual marina stuff. There were a lot of boats taking up the long floating dock, so we had to go all the way to the end where the only slot big enough for us was. Right as I was about to pull up to the dock, we noticed the mast was about to plow through a low hanging power cable. We saw it just as the mast hit the warning line, and I cranked her in reverse. This proved a good move as it maneuvered us right onto the dock. The spot was nice as it was away from the noise and crowd of the restaurant.<br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j7627FNbI/AAAAAAAAFhU/PS06F7w-WtY/s512/60.jpg" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br />I should take a break here to talk about Billy. Immediately after we cross Lake Okeechobee on Sunday, we would have to go through Port Mayaka Lock. Less than a mile from the lock is a railroad lift bridge that sets the overhead clearance line for the entire passage at 49.5 feet, the lowest of all bridges or wires. My mast is 49', but also has navigation/anchor lights, wind instruments, and a VHF antenna making it almost 50'. The tide doesn't change much due to the locks, so we couldn't really wait for a low tide to pass under. To get by, one could unstep their mast and go mastless down the waterway, but that is costly and a big hassle. The way most people get by is to call good ol' Billy to do the Okeechobee limbo.<br /><br />Billy comes out with a bunch of 55 gallon barrels that he stacks along one side of the boat, fills them with river water with a large pump and tilts the boat over enough so the mast clears the bridge. I got Billy's number from Indiantown Marina and had been calling him all day to arrange his services for Sunday. He never answered my calls, and by the time we got to Clewiston I was pretty nervous about our ability to make the passage if Billy never responded. Finally, he called back but told us he is out of town and couldn't help us until Monday morning.<br /><br />We were all frustrated that our trip could be delayed. Spending the day in Clewiston or crossing and anchoring by Port Mayaka lock were our options if we had to wait till Monday for Billy. We weighed our options and even googled what we could have done to tilt Windsong enough to clear the bridge. We decided to wake up and see what we wanted to do and how the conditions were to cross the lake. After cleaning up a bit we had dinner at the Tiki Bar and passed out pretty early. Since none of us slept well the previous night, and after a long day we were ready for some good shut-eye.<br /><br />After a good nights sleep I checked the weather on the VHF as soon as I woke up. The forecast had changed from 15 knt SE winds with 20% chance of rain to 25-30+ knt winds with 70% chance of thunderstorm! I sort of thanked Billy in my head, it was a good thing we had time to kill. There was no way I was going to cross the lake in that weather, so we decided to stay in Clewiston to wait it out until Monday. Most of the day was just cloudy but very windy. Later in the evening the thunderstorms came through and we all were thankful we stayed. The new plan was to just get to Stuart on Monday, and moor at the municipal field at Sunset Bay Marina.<br /><br />We ate some breakfast at the marina restaurant, then took a hike up to the dike and check out the channel to cross the lake. We watched some big fishing boats come through and walked back to the boat to clean and do some projects (attempting to fix manual bilge pump again, clean out cowl vents).<br /><br /><img style="width: 576px; height: 432px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j783wWk1I/AAAAAAAAFho/N-rr3E9pHrY/s576/65.jpg" /><br /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j79dbcN1I/AAAAAAAAFhs/5rS37tVin_8/s512/66.jpg" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br />Later on we went on a dinghy ride up the canal in Clewiston to try to catch some fish, no luck.<br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j795b19HI/AAAAAAAAFhw/RDV86sjRYMY/s512/67.jpg" /><br /><br /><br />Gnarly old fishing hub:<br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j7-QP5ojI/AAAAAAAAFh0/PSYo1MbUP4Y/s512/68.jpg" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j7_OWboPI/AAAAAAAAFh4/5DnZqUAbAm8/s512/69.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j7_1ubVGI/AAAAAAAAFh8/7OB3KNzMs3c/s512/70.jpg" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br />The winds began to pick up hard and the rain was drizzling in. More and more boats began to show up, mostly little bass fishers weighing in for a tournament. A huge motor catamaran came in and had to wait in a basing before realizing there was no room for it:<br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j8AldjZAI/AAAAAAAAFiA/Zr6rmD-vM8M/s512/72.jpg" /><br /><br />This was a floating house. A straight up house boat. I didn't appear to have any means of moving without a tow or tug.<br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j8BE8_40I/AAAAAAAAFiE/XQ20jnV1xcg/s512/73.jpg" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br />We spent the night drinking many a beer in the cabin of Windsong, enjoying Irish Pub music on Pandora. It was a great night and we crashed relatively early again. We needed to get moving at 7:30 am in order to meet Billy by 11:00 across the lake. The morning was very cloudy and a little rainy, it made the crossing feel like we were somewhere far north.<br /><br />Leaving the canal, the view of the Tiki Bar:<br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j8C8KQvYI/AAAAAAAAFiQ/6Uf7KcTAw8U/s512/76.jpg" /><br /><br />Clewiston Lock ahead:<br /><br /><img style="width: 384px; height: 512px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j8DaxMibI/AAAAAAAAFiY/H_rtYeUgDvs/s512/77.jpg" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br />Out of the channel, the sun was coming up on the horizon, mostly covered by clouds though.<br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j8Dwu0SNI/AAAAAAAAFic/nN1EAT2ncfQ/s512/79.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j8EbVnyaI/AAAAAAAAFig/qEYrXrsoeRg/s512/80.jpg" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j8EqLrx2I/AAAAAAAAFik/zNLvTI_ql3Q/s512/81.jpg" /><br /><br />The other side looked cold and dreary:<br /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j8FjcESYI/AAAAAAAAFis/S9yxzol6r-I/s512/84.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j8F9Vy5VI/AAAAAAAAFiw/GuvOvyJfKdA/s512/85.jpg" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br />Unfortunately, the winds were extremely tame. We couldn't make more than 3.5 knots under full sail, so we motor-sailed across. We had hoped to cross the lake under sail only, but the winds had other plans. Oh well, we still had a fun crossing.<br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j8GdVyLpI/AAAAAAAAFi0/_BLFdoXOcFo/s512/86.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 384px; height: 512px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j8HWonhII/AAAAAAAAFjE/9R2v0aa5noY/s512/90.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 384px; height: 512px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j8HnucaeI/AAAAAAAAFjI/Pd19L8Nbb2w/s512/91.jpg" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br />Unfortunately, the jib roller furling decided to give me more troubles once again. It rolled out just fine, and I thought it would roll up since nothing looked tangled aloft. But it would not roll up by pulling the furling cord, and wouldn't even roll up by hand as it normally had. I could roll it up the opposite way (sail inside out) and that seemed the only way I could get the sail put away. I proceeded to roll it up inside out, by hand on the bowsprint. My roller furling drum is wire spliced into a rope, but the rope isn't supposed to roll up into the drum. Rolling it up the wrong way caused the rope to coil into the drum, eventually clogging it up and preventing me from rolling any further, with a few feet of sail still out. I had to improvise and we just threw the sheets around the sail a few times trying to roll the tip up as best we could. It proved to be a lot more difficult than you would think, so we left it baggy and decided to fix it when we were on the mooring in Stuart.<br /><br />We motored in Port Mayaka Lock, a very turbulent experience as all of the waves and wind form the lake were blowing right into the lock. Once the doors closed it was peaceful river once again. <br /><br />Approaching Port Mayaka Lock<br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j8H5GJYCI/AAAAAAAAFjM/Zoivo1ZMNak/s512/93.jpg" /><br /><br />Leaving<br /><br /><img style="width: 384px; height: 512px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j8IBID2XI/AAAAAAAAFjQ/qB9Q7KHso2U/s512/94.jpg" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j8In2Mf6I/AAAAAAAAFjU/0BtYJnleVtY/s512/95.jpg" /><br /><br />And here it is, the 49.5' railroad bridge. As we approached, I called Billy and he said he would be about an hour and a half to get there. We were frustrated by the delay, but took the time to anchor and make some lunch. While we waited a train came by and the bridge lowered. It is typically up all the time, and only comes down for a train.<br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j8Ij9Qw8I/AAAAAAAAFjY/cVrSf0HcijE/s512/96.jpg" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j8I08Gr5I/AAAAAAAAFjc/49pQjHTbiDQ/s512/97.jpg" /><br /><br />After a while Billy finally came and did his magic. Robbie made a good video of the ordeal<br /><br /><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZpX_2akoPzA&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZpX_2akoPzA&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="640"></embed></object><br /><br />It was real nervy going under the bridge, and I thought Billy was going to rip out my stanchions trying to fit the barrels in; but all in all it was a lot of fun and I was stoked to be through. It was easy coasting from there to Stuart.<br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j8LujzsBI/AAAAAAAAFj8/Iu3aDq7OMGI/s512/105.jpg" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j8MbksUAI/AAAAAAAAFkI/-CewqtKMCuc/s512/108.jpg" /><br /><br />The last lock was the St. Lucie lock. It was crowded at the lock campgrounds, so we had a lot of spectators. This lock was the craziest, as we dropped about 14 feet. Looking over the waterfall to the river below as the doors opened was pretty neat. We even had a snake in the lock with us swimming around Windsong.<br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j8MoqxJ-I/AAAAAAAAFkM/9sbN9rvpMgA/s512/109.jpg" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br />The snake:<br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j8NSBKLyI/AAAAAAAAFkU/0HLuXjipcu8/s512/111.jpg" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 384px; height: 512px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j8Nkr0JcI/AAAAAAAAFkY/5thi3YqdaBM/s512/112.jpg" /><br /><br />The river beyond the lock was full of big houses and big boats.<br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j8N5hEfJI/AAAAAAAAFkc/86nl_YxWQ6o/s512/113.jpg" height="432" width="576" /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j8OO3uXfI/AAAAAAAAFkg/GC1quNNChO4/s512/114.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j8OZdfwbI/AAAAAAAAFkk/QF0zX2AMoN4/s512/115.jpg" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j8OjZmIDI/AAAAAAAAFks/Jbes47_Q6oY/s512/117.jpg" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br />We approached Stuart around 5:00 pm. As the river widened the wind picked up across the waterway at about 20 knots. The mooring field at Sunset Bay Marina was in sight, but the jib decided to begin to unwrap where we rigged the final rolls. I ran up to the bowsprint to struggle with it, and struggle I did. The winds caused the sail to flap wildly as the sheets were not secured or lead aft. My hands were extremely sore from gripping the sheets and trying not to get blown away as the sail whipped me left and right. Eventually Mark came up to help, and we tamed the sail by beating it down with the boat hook. I found a way to lasso the sail with a dock line and secured it enough for it to not unwind for a while.<br /><br />We decided to stop at the fuel dock to unload all of our junk and figure out which mooring ball we needed to pick up. The wind was howling now and was blowing us right into the fuel dock. This made pulling in nerve wracking, but trying to pull off the dock after unloading was extremely difficult. We eventually pushed off hard enough so I could motor away, and we approached the ball we were assigned to. We needed a few passes to pick it up, since holding onto the hook was extremely difficult thanks to the wind pulling the boat. At one point we lost the boat hook on the mooring ball, and luckily a guy was in his dinghy motoring around to pick it up for us. We figured out that we needed a cleated line to securely grab it, and eventually secured ourselves to the ball. <br /><br />The fuel dock:<br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j8PpC-bAI/AAAAAAAAFk4/aSbIOOdQJRY/s512/120.jpg" /><br /><br />The jib going crazy, the fuel dock, and picking up the mooring ball where the most intense and uncomfortable parts of the trip. True to my last adventures, the worst is always at the end. We celebrated being secure on the ball with a beer, and then pretty much sailed our way in on the dinghy. Barely having to paddle thanks to the wind and current. <br /><br />Drifting away from Windsong:<br /><br /><br /><img style="width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 30px; top: 40px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bLlIywWJVO0/S7j8PijXe-I/AAAAAAAAFk8/J-OTR0-7_qw/s512/121.jpg" height="432" width="576" /><br /><br />We left the dinghy tied up at the dinghy dock and packed our things into our ride and left Stuart around 6:30. It was a hazy ride home, we were all pooped and ready to pass out in our own beds.<br /><br />It was a great leg of the trip, and the largest endurance test for the Yanmar diesel Windsong has. I was happy to see the engine hold up, and ecstatic to finally be on the East coast and closer to home.Erickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16388956002547599421noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709008761714639851.post-6595956984910804942010-04-03T16:31:00.001-07:002010-04-03T16:34:05.202-07:00WINDSONG IS HOME!WoohhooO! Finally finished The Journey around Florida! My dad and brought Windsong up from Stuart to Harbortown Marina in Merritt Island. She will stay there for the next month or so where I will sail and enjoy the local waters. When the month is up, I'll bring her up to St. Augustine to begin the re-fit. I just got home so I'll have to detail the trip later, including the Okeechobee Waterway section.Erickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16388956002547599421noreply@blogger.com4