Got a few things done.  Still a long list before I will feel comfortable.  (Will I ever get comfortable?  Maybe.)

Before we actually take the boat out on our own for the first time, several things need to happen.  One of them is to be able to get off of the boat while the boat is at anchor.  There are several ways to do this.  One is to jump in the water and swim to shore.  This was vetoed by my wife.  Another is to be airlifted off of the boat by the Coast Guard.  Except in extreme duress, this has been vetoed by me.  Probably the best way to get off of a boat at anchor is to have a smaller boat to get into to drive to shore (or to go sightseeing in skinny water where the "big" boat won't go.)  This is called a dinghy.

We named ours "Putt".  After mounting the outboard that drives it, I "towed" it to the water.  No trailer hitch required.

Just a boat ramp, shorts, blindingly (hilariously) white legs, and cranial thermonuclear protection.

A short trip to the boat...

...so Carol can tell me how bad an idea it is to mix water and electricity (AND gasoline, to boot)...

...and with just a couple modifications...

...Putt is hanging on the davits off the stern of the boat.

So, we spent yesterday working on a couple other projects including the "head project".  No, I'm not talking about anything to do with mind altering, although maybe I should.  Look up what a "head" is on a boat, and just know that we are trying to track down a certain odor, and eliminate it, no pun intended.  We'll see how successful we were.

Turn the page...

I have a friend I have known since high school that is married to an Engineer.  I am not an engineer, but I have hung around enough engineers to know that this guy's title is capitalized.  He spends his days doing some serious freezing and thawing on a large scale.

On Sea Bird, we have a limited capacity for freezing water.  Not nitrogen or anything even remotely exotic.

Just water.  In old school ice trays, no less.  Our system is so sketchy that modern plastic trays will not conduct well enough to actually freeze the water as they are sitting on top of the part that freezes (called the "holding plate").  I didn't really think they would, but we tried it anyway.

At any rate, this is kind of a big deal on a sailing vessel.  The energy requirement is proportionately huge.  I'm sure my friend could explain all about the properties of water, phase change, and even the triple point , but all I know is that the compressor on our boat is driven by the engine and requires attention a couple of times a day.  I do enjoy the cubes in my libation, however.

Rain today, with possible severe thunderstorms and chance of tornadoes.  I got creamed by Carol in both War and Rummy.  Go figure.

Posted by Carol

We made our first little jaunt from the boatyard to our marina Tuesday.  It was my first lesson driving the boat on the ICW. They (Monty and Buddy my instructor) assured me I did fine. The “Three Hour Tour” was only about a six mile trek and fortunately the weather didn’t turn ruff.  I didn’t get us lost or run aground Gilligan’s island. Thank you God! 

The nautical lingo really is another language in and of itself.  I feel like a kindergartner just starting grade school.  I hear the words but doggone they don’t make a lot of sense.  Sheets, jib, close haul, port, starboard and tack.  And those are the easy ones.  And don’t get me started on radars, charts, GPS and signage. 

One of Monty’s favorite quotes, “Do the thing that you fear the most and the fear will die” comes to mind as it relates to my docking skills (or lack of).  Truly, it is my biggest fear.  And on that note, let’s just suffice it to say it was a little (lot) ugly.  Not confidence inspiring.  On well, small steps. 

All in all, it was a good day but by the end of it several glasses of wine were required. 

Fortunately, no wave broke over the railing.

We have had a lot of wind and rain and for the past two days, we have been holed up on the boat.  No real problem, except that the wind is blowing upstream, blowing the water back up the river and making for rising water and some flooding.  This makes things interesting as we are at a fixed, not floating, dock.  As the water rises, the dock gets further from the surface of the deck, making for an interesting disembark/embark procedure.  Suffice it to say, if someone around here has a video camera, you might see me on TV.  No one went in the drink, though.

We are scheduled to have the transmission shifter cable replaced tomorrow.  Transmission was checked out and declared good.  After that we will be moving the boat to our marina for further cleaning and repairs. 


Good friends coming into town tomorrow, looking forward to seeing them.  Weather is supposed to break tomorrow, and I'm so looking forward to some sunshine.

The headsail is furled.

For those of you who don't know how a sailboat works, this is a big deal.  On a sloop rigged boat like Sea Bird, there are basically two sails.  Most of the power to move the boat comes from the "main" sail (hence the name).  There is a sail forward of the main called various things like the head sail, genoa, jenny, etc.  Basically this sail turbocharges the main, making it much more efficient.  In addition, it is very helpful if this sail can be easily adjusted.  Modern boats have a furling system which winds this sail around the forestay (the steel cable that runs from the forward point of the boat to the top of the mast) allowing for almost infinite adjustment of this sail from the cockpit. 

This is the system that failed on sea trials before we bought the boat, so we knew it would have to be replaced and is what has been the main reason we have spent the past week in the yard at Deaton Yachts in Oriental, NC.  (Finer service and people one could not find.)

Today all of the parts came together and the system went up, as did the headsail.  Carol took some pictures.

The guy on the left is our rigger extraordinaire.  The guy on the boat is explaining the facts of sailing life.

I got two things accomplished today, in addition to my limited contributions toward headsail installation.  One was repairing the anchor light, located

WAY UP HERE, on top of the mast.  This is 60 ft. off of the water.  The "lift" was provided courtesy of the rigger.  Great guy.  He let me make the repairs, which consisted of actually installing the bulb which was in the fixture but not making contact as it should.

This is what Sea Bird looks like to the actual sea birds.

Nice view out to sea.

View back down the creek.

This is what Carol looks like to actual sea birds.

As stellar as this was, it was not all good news today.  The shift linkage has been stubborn since the first time I tried it.  "Knuckle buster" is the term that comes to mind.  While I could probably deal with it, it is not something that I want Carol to have to contend with as she brings the boat around to pick me up during a man overboard situation.  I assumed it was a control cable problem due to lack of use, but had it checked out by the boatyard today.  Turns out the cable is fine.  Hummm...transmission?  Not good.  Further research tomorrow.

Remember I told you I did two things today?  The second one is delicious.  I got the grill installed and grilled pork chops.

Carol declared it good.

We are still at the boatyard.  One of the parts for our new roller furling assembly was ordered wrong.  While that seems like a problem, I find that it is not much of an annoyance as we are still whipping the boat into shape and the weather has disintegrated. Everyone at this yard has been very kind, and we appreciate the courtesy.

 We listened to rain last night for the first time on the boat.  No leaks (onto us, at least).  I woke up about 2:00 am and saw the full moon through the hatch, unencumbered by clouds.  Could not see where the eclipse had taken it's bite yet.  Next time I woke the clouds were back.  Oh, well.

I spent the day shoehorning the new shower sump pump into it's new home.  While this sounds straightforward enough, I was actually working through a small drawer opening behind the head (toilet on a boat).  I assembled the pump and it's fittings and then partially disassembled it to get it through the opening, reassembling it with one hand and mostly by feel.  Three or four trips to the hardware store.  (Have I mentioned there is not even a caution light in this town?  I love it, but need to adopt a different attitude about goods and services.  Almost ran out of gas on Sunday because the only place to buy gas closed at 5:00.)  All the sump pump needs now is electricity, I am searching on the internet for the correct breaker as the one that used to reside in the electrical panel has been removed.  Reasons unknown.

Coffee and muffins for breakfast, sandwiches and chips for lunch. I think my foodie wife is in shock.  She went to the store for supplies today between showers and came back with cookies (as well as chops and potatoes). 

As I write this I am listening to the comfortable sound of the just above idle diesel as we refreeze the holding plate in the refrigerator, and we expect rain all night long.

Life is good.

Time for some "down time".  We only did a couple of things this morning.  Filled the water tanks (Carol has been doing a LOT of cleaning.  Imagine that.)  Hosed some of the pollen off of the boat.  Noted the deck drains are running very slow.  (Made note to add to project list.) 

We then made good on the decision we made last night while washing clothes to take the day off.  Since there was a boat show in town, we went to it.  I know, we have a boat, right?  But I did spy a water pump for sale at the "nautical flea market" that might work for the shower sump pump. 

Then we went to New Bern (40 minute drive to the big city) to get light bulbs and a few other things we could not find locally.

Still waiting on the new roller furler to arrive.  I suspect it will be in Monday, probably installed on Tuesday, and we should be back in business Wednesday and heading to Point Marina for continuing boat prep.

Got around to taking some pictures. 

Early morning view with my coffee.

Sea Bird, our new home away from home.

View from the cockpit.

Cranial thermonuclear protection system.

And to Al, and all of the rest of his fans, Clambake seems to be adjusting well.  He just needs a little extra assurance every once in a while.  (I think the wakes scare him.)

We closed on the new boat on Tuesday. 

She is an Islander 40, designed by Doug Peterson.  She is a screamer to sail, I had a blast on sea trials.  We immediately moved it to the boatyard in Oriental, a "maiden voyage" of about three miles under motor on a gorgeous day. 

Carol loved it.

OK, I loved it too.

We are now living at the boatyard dock waiting on parts to arrive to repair the headsail roller furling system, which failed on sea trials. We are working long hours to repair/rejuvenate/replace systems that have had little use in the recent past.   The boatyard is actually in the town of Oriental, as opposed to our usual haunt of about 30 minutes round trip.  This makes it very convenient when it comes time to buy parts or supplies.  When repairs are complete here, we will move the boat to Point Marina and continue to learn her systems and personality. 

There is a boat show here this weekend, and some Coast Guard courses are coming up in the area soon.  We plan to partake in both of them.  I promise pictures soon.  For now, know that we are well and working our a***s off.