Posted by Monty
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.
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.
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.
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.