Last weekend we pulled off the mainsail, staysail and jib. We brought them home to the garage for safe keeping. Not that they'd be stolen, but more from a being safe from the winter storms here in Portland, and the mold/mildew that comes in the spring.
We had the local diesel mechanic out at the same time to change the oil, oil filter and the fuel filter. He said the fuel filter was the original one that came on the boat. That was surprising because the engine is now 33 years oil, and the filter was still working. She had no oil leaks which the mechanic also said was amazing given the age of the motor.
We shut off the LP gas too. Hooked up the dehumidifier, and the anti-freeze heater.
I went over to see Kim then at Columbia Marina Exchange. I picked up a gently used copy of Charlie's Charts for Mexico, we are beginning to plan for the trip south.
I also signed up for the OUPV License class here in Portland at Columbia Pacific Maritime. The class begins in the last weeks of December and there is a rush of stuff to do before the class. The list includes getting a Transportation Worker ID Card, taking a physical, getting letters of reference, and taking a drug test.
I better get busy.....
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Barlett Landing and Battery Time
It's that time of the year that I always remember the first cruise I went on. It was in October 2001 on our Catalina Capri 25. My son and Daughter were very young, and we went to Coon Island with the Catalina Owners for the Halloween Cruise. The kids had a great time, and I have been yearning since then to go out.
We recently came across a great group of folks at the Sauvies Island Yacht Club and decided to join them for their annual October Cruise to Barlett Landing on Government Island. Before going off down river I was certain that the batteries were near their end, so with the help of my son we replaced all four of the house batteries.
Changing them was dirty work, and they are very heavy. I wasn't certain on their age and condition, and before going out overnight I wanted to ensure we had power.
With the batteries changed the week before, last Saturday the 19th we worked our way to the marina early in the morning. The forecasted weather was 70oF high and no clouds through the weekend. We we certain we'd be crowded out if we didn't get there soon. I had looked up the location of Barlett's Landing earlier in the week on the web. To my surprise two other yacht clubs had also scheduled on the same day and the same time. Bartlett Landing is the public dock at the eastern end of Government Island. The landing is part of the Government Island State Park with approximately 400 feet of concrete dock. The outside most dock is subject to thrashing from river traffic, so we wanted to ensure we got on the inside of the docks to have a peaceful nights sleep. I was a little nervous because it was my wife's first time on a cruise overnight on a small boat.
Needless to say when we arrived at the marina the fog was so thick we couldn't get out. The spiders had been busy through the night and the entire marina was full of webs that had caught the morning fog.
We picked up our friend Jim from S/V Ranidan on the way down. Jim was the one that introduced us to the SIYC and he and his wife Linda decided to join us. The fog lifted and we motored our way the 7.5 NM to the docks. When we arrived we were met by George the Commodore of the club, who'd lined up a host of people to grab line and get us in on the inside of the landing.
The CarolMarie is the second on down on the inside dock.
Over 10 boats came from the SIYC, in all. Jim found a great space behind us, and was tied up and ready for a club potluck on the docks. About half the boaters came in costumes, including myself as pirate. The club members visited with each other, and on each other's boat as the darkness came in. We tried out a cheap 400W inverter to run the TV but it only last for about 20 minutes and it was gone. We lit the oil lamp for heat and went to bed. Even being on the inside the marina was noisy from the continuous trains passing along the Washington side shore. I felt two heavy commercial boat pass in the night, so I wouldn't say the park is all that quiet.
The next morning the fog had set in and once again we waited for it to lift.
We recently came across a great group of folks at the Sauvies Island Yacht Club and decided to join them for their annual October Cruise to Barlett Landing on Government Island. Before going off down river I was certain that the batteries were near their end, so with the help of my son we replaced all four of the house batteries.
Changing them was dirty work, and they are very heavy. I wasn't certain on their age and condition, and before going out overnight I wanted to ensure we had power.
With the batteries changed the week before, last Saturday the 19th we worked our way to the marina early in the morning. The forecasted weather was 70oF high and no clouds through the weekend. We we certain we'd be crowded out if we didn't get there soon. I had looked up the location of Barlett's Landing earlier in the week on the web. To my surprise two other yacht clubs had also scheduled on the same day and the same time. Bartlett Landing is the public dock at the eastern end of Government Island. The landing is part of the Government Island State Park with approximately 400 feet of concrete dock. The outside most dock is subject to thrashing from river traffic, so we wanted to ensure we got on the inside of the docks to have a peaceful nights sleep. I was a little nervous because it was my wife's first time on a cruise overnight on a small boat.
Needless to say when we arrived at the marina the fog was so thick we couldn't get out. The spiders had been busy through the night and the entire marina was full of webs that had caught the morning fog.
Over 10 boats came from the SIYC, in all. Jim found a great space behind us, and was tied up and ready for a club potluck on the docks. About half the boaters came in costumes, including myself as pirate. The club members visited with each other, and on each other's boat as the darkness came in. We tried out a cheap 400W inverter to run the TV but it only last for about 20 minutes and it was gone. We lit the oil lamp for heat and went to bed. Even being on the inside the marina was noisy from the continuous trains passing along the Washington side shore. I felt two heavy commercial boat pass in the night, so I wouldn't say the park is all that quiet.
The next morning the fog had set in and once again we waited for it to lift.
While waiting Jim invited us over to have breakfast on his boat. Jim cooked as Linda kept us entertained by telling us about her classes and adventures on their NW cruise this summer. Jim mad these wonderful eggs, and we'd brought over marinated steak left over from the potluck the night before. The hot coffee seemed to take off the morning chill, as we continued to visit with them.
We made one more circle around all the boat saying our goodbye's. With the same hospitality we had coming docking a host of people held our stern line and helped push the boats bow down river, helping us get underway.
Jim snapped the photo above us return to Salpare Bay. Charing said she had a good time, and enjoyed her first cruise. It looks like we'll be going out more, which suits me fine. I am blessed to have her as my shipmate.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Boat Symbol and Stamp
We have been working with friends who are graphic designers to come up with the symbol for the boat stamp. We wanted to include elements of the family crest, a nautical element, and the signature of the boat. The family crest has two fleur de lys, one yellow on a blue background and one blue on a yellow background. The nautical element we choose was an anchor. Finally the letters CM were included in the ship's symbol from the name. See if you can see the CM in the symbol.
So the final boat's stamp is:
Monday, October 7, 2013
Fall Boat Work Time
Not much cruising has been going on because of boat maintenance. First the eyebrow was in really bad shape and needed to be repaired. She was split in a section and cracking, about to delaminate in one area. In another area we had an issue where the part of teak was missing all together.
We hired a wood worker to replace and repair the two badly damaged areas. The entire job was only $150 including materials so we were relieved to see his pricing.
Next we had the boat cleaned the the cabin roof pads cleaned. This involved using the West Marine two part teak cleaner and a good deal of scrubbing.
It had been a while since they were cleaned in ernest. Black soot from the planes, and mold had embedded themselves in the teak's grooves and grains.
Our next project then was to rebedded the chain plate covers. As you can see from the photo's below the lifted plates were far above the deck, and were leaking water into the boat. I visited one boat last spring, another 1980 HC 38 MKII where the chain plates leaking caused the holly in the teak-holly cabin floor to dry rot away, leaving only the teak slats remaining. That horrible incident was one I wanted to avoid here.
To do the job we used a regular screw drive, razor blade scrapper, a wire brush, a stiff wire, sand paper and a cordless vacuum.
The first step was to use the screw driver to gently pull the plates up to break the seal of the old bedding compound. Care was taken to not apply too much stress, such that the plated would bend. Once the seal was broken the old caulk was worked out using the razor, and screw driver to free the compound from the cavity in the deck. When the large pieces were removed we used the stiff wire to pick out the more stubborn pieces, and the wire brush to clean out the cavity throughly.
Using painters tape we next marked off the area around the cavity to catch the over flow.
Using 3M 4200 Marine Adhesive Sealant as the bedding compound and a roll of paper towels are the ready.
We found the best method was to layout 6-10 paper towels in a stack near the area to be fixed. Cut off only a small opening in the nose of the tube. The small opening allows you to work the material under the plates easier and to fill one long side at a time without lifting the gun from under the plate. Once the adhesive was worked into every part of the cavity we'd then push the plate down onto the excess adhesive until it was flush with the deck. Pushing it down would of course push out the excess adhesive onto the area taped off. Gross amounts of sealant were then removed by pushing it upward with the fingers and drying them off using the excess towels. Once there was a thin layer of sealant on the deck, the tape was lifted off and applied to the nearby paper towels. Finally the edges were all smoothed out to allow water to flow around the plates freely.
We hired a wood worker to replace and repair the two badly damaged areas. The entire job was only $150 including materials so we were relieved to see his pricing.
 |
| Eyebrow repaired and sanded back in place. |
 |
| Part replaced on the eyebrow. |
 |
| Cleaned pads |
Our next project then was to rebedded the chain plate covers. As you can see from the photo's below the lifted plates were far above the deck, and were leaking water into the boat. I visited one boat last spring, another 1980 HC 38 MKII where the chain plates leaking caused the holly in the teak-holly cabin floor to dry rot away, leaving only the teak slats remaining. That horrible incident was one I wanted to avoid here.
 |
| Old caulk and chainplate lifting. |
 |
| Tools for the job of cleaning out the old caulk |
 |
| Chain plate lifted and cavity cleaned out ready for preparing to rebed. |
Using 3M 4200 Marine Adhesive Sealant as the bedding compound and a roll of paper towels are the ready.
We found the best method was to layout 6-10 paper towels in a stack near the area to be fixed. Cut off only a small opening in the nose of the tube. The small opening allows you to work the material under the plates easier and to fill one long side at a time without lifting the gun from under the plate. Once the adhesive was worked into every part of the cavity we'd then push the plate down onto the excess adhesive until it was flush with the deck. Pushing it down would of course push out the excess adhesive onto the area taped off. Gross amounts of sealant were then removed by pushing it upward with the fingers and drying them off using the excess towels. Once there was a thin layer of sealant on the deck, the tape was lifted off and applied to the nearby paper towels. Finally the edges were all smoothed out to allow water to flow around the plates freely.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
America's Cup Race #5
On the 10th of September I accompanied friend from work Nick Hopman to view the America’s Cup races at Marina Green. We drove down in the morning passing through the 101 traffic and arriving on the Embarcadero around 10:45am. As we rounded AT&T park a recognizable image of an AC72 wing appeared on the horizon. The wing was 145 feet tall and was mounted to the AC72 ETNZ, aka the kiwi’s.
As we continued to fight the traffic to the AC village we came across the shining beauty of the AC72 Luna Rosa. She as beautiful to see in the sunshine.
It wasn’t long before our drive found us gawking at Larry Ellison’s $38Million number 17, the defender of the America’s Cup being towed to the AC Village. We followed taking as many pictures as we could until we found parking on the Embarcadero.
Once we arrived at the AC Village we saw both the boats being prepared in the bay for the upcoming race. We grab a cab and went out to the Marina Green where our seats were located.
As we continued to fight the traffic to the AC village we came across the shining beauty of the AC72 Luna Rosa. She as beautiful to see in the sunshine.
It wasn’t long before our drive found us gawking at Larry Ellison’s $38Million number 17, the defender of the America’s Cup being towed to the AC Village. We followed taking as many pictures as we could until we found parking on the Embarcadero.
Once we arrived at the AC Village we saw both the boats being prepared in the bay for the upcoming race. We grab a cab and went out to the Marina Green where our seats were located.
Once at the Marina Green we saw the AC45 from Oracle (pre-race leading to the America’s Cup). We stopped and took a photo next to the cheating boat that cost USA-Oracle the 2 point deficit and ½ the crew.
Figure 1. Terry and Nick on the AC45 boat that cheated and lost the America's Cup points for USA Oracle
Once we arrived at our seat we found the Flying Moth Open Championship was underway. Pictured below is the US leading Australia in the championship race.
Figure2: Flying Moths out racing before the AC72's
As the start of the first race counted down the two AC72’s jockeyed for position. When the starting gun went off USA-Oracle had successful pinched up the New Zealand Challenger allowing the USA to take the lead.
Figure3: Oracle beating NZ to the start
Within moments of rounding the first mark Oracle was up on her foils and screamed passed us a 44.4 knots or 49.7 mph. Leading the kiwi’s all the way toward Alcatraz Island.
Figure 4: Oracle up on the foils beat the kiwis.
But all was a miss on the next turn when John Kostecki (SF native) made the mistake of trying a foiling tack, 270o turn toward Alcatraz Island to escape the current. Although his intentions were good the team didn’t execute the risky maneuver and Oracle fell off her foils allowing the kiwi’s to pass quickly by.
Figure 5: Kiwi’s on the upwind leg ahead of Oracle moving to the upwind mark.
By the time the Kiwi’s had reached the upwind mark and made the turn they had a full 1.3 KM between them and Oracle. The Kiwi’s made the turn, and rose up on their foils on a lop-sided drag race to the finish.
Figure 6: NZ winning the race leaving Oracle one minute 20 seconds behind.
The Kiwi’s readily won the first race by over one minute between the two boats. After changing their headsail Oracle pulled out their one time use delay race card which cancelled the second race of the day. The Oracle Skipper Jimmy Spithill later said in a press interview, “We need to go back and regroup. We feel they have an edge on us at the moment, especially upwind. We need to do a bit of work here and we’re going to play the card, strategically, and hopefully improve in time for the next race.”
Impact of wearable computing on the race was clear. Both skippers had up to the minute reports on weather and puff’s streaming to their wearable devices. As shown in the picture here the afterguard were all wearing orange armbands with iPad’s linked to systems on the boats showing telemetry.
Figure 7: Wearable Computers on Oracle Team.
The item that fascinated me was the fact that the USA is now behind 4 races and use wearables while the New Zealand team didn’t use them at all and has won the majority of the races. What it shows is that perhaps having the wearables doesn’t guarantee you a victory. Overall a good trip and a nice day.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Winding down 17 yrs of one view to look at another.....
It's been 17 yrs since I started here working for a high tech company in Portland, and this week it is winding down. My view of the world is changing from one of a cubical to a wider view.
I think I will have fun with the new view..... but I will miss many friends.
Monday, June 24, 2013
SUMMER SAILSTICE 2013
S/V River Bee was one of 200 boats to sail in the first Summer Sailstice in 2001. I owned her at the time and sailed her around Sauvie Island. She was a Capri 25 built in 1981. In 2003 I moved up to a NorSea 27 called S/V Merlita, and kept the tradition until I sold her in 2006.
So this year the crew of Terry, Charing, Cheryl, Michelle, Dean and Christa register for Summer Sailstice 2013, now we were one of 19000 boats to register for the national event. (http://www.summersailstice.com/about-sailstice). We set out venture around Sauvie Island once more some 48 miles overall.
Sauvie Island has over a thousands of acres of lake, sloughs and wetlands that are set aside as bird and wildlife refuges. Long, sandy beaches that fringe these refuge areas with the island's intricate waterways provide a remarkable natural setting. On either side you'll see many houseboats, floating homes, fishing camps, and even float planes.
We departed Salpare Bay about 10:20am heading for the I-5 bridge in Portland. Reaching the bridge we called to find out we had 68ft of clearance under the bridge and needed 59ft. Approaching the Vancouver Railroad bridge we hailed the operator and had to only wait 20 minutes for them to open the swinging trestle. From there we steamed to the head of the Willamette River doing about 8.2knot SOG. The current pushed us fairly fast as we neared the mouth of the Willamette.
Motoring up the Williamette we saw typical recreational traffic going back and forth through the top stretch of Sauvie Island. The real treat of the voyage and my favorite part is the back country waterway of the Multnomah Channel. The distance from the Willamette River, down through the Multnomah Channel to St. Helen's Oregon is about 19 miles.
My biggest concern about the journey came next as we approached the new Sauvie Island bridge. The new bridge was constructed in 2009 while I was out of the country and boatless. I had never been under it and didn't know the clearance. Charts said we had 72ft at mean low tide, but one can never be certain. Looking at the indicators on water level on the pillars of the bridge showed we had 69ft, enough for us to go under. As we motored slowly along it was fun to see all the house boats, and what had changed since my last journey in 2005.
Here's a few pictures of the homes along the channel.
It turned out except for the new bridge very little had changed. We passed through Rocky Point about 12:30pm and I was getting hungry. Christa, Charing, and Cheryl went below to make lunch. Michelle soon followed. They brought up one of the best sandwiches I had ever tasted in my life along with a noodle and veggie salad. There is nothing better then watching the scenery pass on a beautiful day while eating a gourmet lunch. I think the local fishermen were a little jealous.
By 2:30pm we approached the scenic part of the channel near Coon Island. Coon Island is about 16 miles down the channel and is a state marine park. The small island on the channel has docks to tie up on either side. As you approach the island you see this remarkable old barn the looms over the levy.
Once on the other side of Coon Island we were about 5 miles from St. Helen's.
We approached St. Helen's Oregon about 3:20pm, and I wasn't prepared with my chart plotter. I used Navimatics software on my iPad with a Bad Elf GPS. I needed them to guide me over the sand bar that stretches between Sauvie Island and Sand Island. I have actually watched many boat run aground through here. For some reason the GPS wouldn't connect to the software. I slowed the engines to an idle to see another sail about approaching us from St. Helen's. The approaching boat was the S/V Mach4 a 32ft Hunter from our marina. Her slip is directly behind ours at the marina. The Mach4 turn into the sandbar, and led the way through for us. We emerged from a depth of 10ft (we draft 6ft), to 22ft was we got into the current again of the Columbia. Once we turned we saw the familiar small lighthouse of Warrior Rock, on Sauvie Island. Warrior Rock is ledge of basalt that emerges out of the Columbia. According to the Oregon Boaters Guide it's named by Lieutenant William Broughton who was dispatched by the Vancouver expedition to explore the Columbia. Passing the rock in his longboat in October, 1792, Broughton found himself surround- ed by 23 Indian canoes with the men all attired in war garments. Though no battle took place between the native Americans and Broughton the name stuck. A small light house was later built on the rock for marine navigation.
From here it's 16 miles back to Kelly Point to close the circumnavigation of the Island. The river's current now worked against us as we made 4.6knots SOG on the return. We were passed by three large cargo vessels going into the Port of Portland for loading and unloading. Most of the crew had been lying in the sun sleeping through this leg of the journey.
By 4:50pm we crossed our path at Kelly Point having completed our circumnavigation. There was no wind unlike other years so no sailing actually occurred.
At 6:05pm we requested our passage through the Vancouver Railroad Bridge, and waited 40 minutes for trains to pass. The S/V Mach4 caught up with us, as we went through the Interstate bridge.
At 8:20pm Denise our slip neighbor appeared from her trawler to help us tie up. Soon Jim and Linda from S/V Ranidan and Capt John from S/V Doghouse were there to help bring us in as well. Keeping with the tradition we opened a bottle of Bushmills Black to toast the return. Thanks to Michelle for donating the bottle to the boat during the christening. We brought down the Sailstice 2013 flag from the mast and each signed it.
In twelve years I have watched Sailstice grow to over 19000 boats which was pretty cool to be one of the first. I lost the original yellow Sailstice flag in the property of the divorce, but it would have been awesome to show. Everyone had a great time, and it was an awesome day. Now the countdown begins to Sailstice 2014!!
So this year the crew of Terry, Charing, Cheryl, Michelle, Dean and Christa register for Summer Sailstice 2013, now we were one of 19000 boats to register for the national event. (http://www.summersailstice.com/about-sailstice). We set out venture around Sauvie Island once more some 48 miles overall.
Sauvie Island has over a thousands of acres of lake, sloughs and wetlands that are set aside as bird and wildlife refuges. Long, sandy beaches that fringe these refuge areas with the island's intricate waterways provide a remarkable natural setting. On either side you'll see many houseboats, floating homes, fishing camps, and even float planes.
We departed Salpare Bay about 10:20am heading for the I-5 bridge in Portland. Reaching the bridge we called to find out we had 68ft of clearance under the bridge and needed 59ft. Approaching the Vancouver Railroad bridge we hailed the operator and had to only wait 20 minutes for them to open the swinging trestle. From there we steamed to the head of the Willamette River doing about 8.2knot SOG. The current pushed us fairly fast as we neared the mouth of the Willamette.
Motoring up the Williamette we saw typical recreational traffic going back and forth through the top stretch of Sauvie Island. The real treat of the voyage and my favorite part is the back country waterway of the Multnomah Channel. The distance from the Willamette River, down through the Multnomah Channel to St. Helen's Oregon is about 19 miles.
My biggest concern about the journey came next as we approached the new Sauvie Island bridge. The new bridge was constructed in 2009 while I was out of the country and boatless. I had never been under it and didn't know the clearance. Charts said we had 72ft at mean low tide, but one can never be certain. Looking at the indicators on water level on the pillars of the bridge showed we had 69ft, enough for us to go under. As we motored slowly along it was fun to see all the house boats, and what had changed since my last journey in 2005.
Here's a few pictures of the homes along the channel.
It turned out except for the new bridge very little had changed. We passed through Rocky Point about 12:30pm and I was getting hungry. Christa, Charing, and Cheryl went below to make lunch. Michelle soon followed. They brought up one of the best sandwiches I had ever tasted in my life along with a noodle and veggie salad. There is nothing better then watching the scenery pass on a beautiful day while eating a gourmet lunch. I think the local fishermen were a little jealous.
By 2:30pm we approached the scenic part of the channel near Coon Island. Coon Island is about 16 miles down the channel and is a state marine park. The small island on the channel has docks to tie up on either side. As you approach the island you see this remarkable old barn the looms over the levy.
Once on the other side of Coon Island we were about 5 miles from St. Helen's.
We approached St. Helen's Oregon about 3:20pm, and I wasn't prepared with my chart plotter. I used Navimatics software on my iPad with a Bad Elf GPS. I needed them to guide me over the sand bar that stretches between Sauvie Island and Sand Island. I have actually watched many boat run aground through here. For some reason the GPS wouldn't connect to the software. I slowed the engines to an idle to see another sail about approaching us from St. Helen's. The approaching boat was the S/V Mach4 a 32ft Hunter from our marina. Her slip is directly behind ours at the marina. The Mach4 turn into the sandbar, and led the way through for us. We emerged from a depth of 10ft (we draft 6ft), to 22ft was we got into the current again of the Columbia. Once we turned we saw the familiar small lighthouse of Warrior Rock, on Sauvie Island. Warrior Rock is ledge of basalt that emerges out of the Columbia. According to the Oregon Boaters Guide it's named by Lieutenant William Broughton who was dispatched by the Vancouver expedition to explore the Columbia. Passing the rock in his longboat in October, 1792, Broughton found himself surround- ed by 23 Indian canoes with the men all attired in war garments. Though no battle took place between the native Americans and Broughton the name stuck. A small light house was later built on the rock for marine navigation.
From here it's 16 miles back to Kelly Point to close the circumnavigation of the Island. The river's current now worked against us as we made 4.6knots SOG on the return. We were passed by three large cargo vessels going into the Port of Portland for loading and unloading. Most of the crew had been lying in the sun sleeping through this leg of the journey.
By 4:50pm we crossed our path at Kelly Point having completed our circumnavigation. There was no wind unlike other years so no sailing actually occurred.
At 6:05pm we requested our passage through the Vancouver Railroad Bridge, and waited 40 minutes for trains to pass. The S/V Mach4 caught up with us, as we went through the Interstate bridge.
At 8:20pm Denise our slip neighbor appeared from her trawler to help us tie up. Soon Jim and Linda from S/V Ranidan and Capt John from S/V Doghouse were there to help bring us in as well. Keeping with the tradition we opened a bottle of Bushmills Black to toast the return. Thanks to Michelle for donating the bottle to the boat during the christening. We brought down the Sailstice 2013 flag from the mast and each signed it.
In twelve years I have watched Sailstice grow to over 19000 boats which was pretty cool to be one of the first. I lost the original yellow Sailstice flag in the property of the divorce, but it would have been awesome to show. Everyone had a great time, and it was an awesome day. Now the countdown begins to Sailstice 2014!!
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Setting up the hailer....
I was thinking about how I could mount the hailer speaker on the boat. The hailer speaker is used for the fog horn and the loud speaker for the VHF radio. I have always had good luck with the Rail-Mount Boat Hook Pole Holder from United Yachting. These can be ordered at WestMarine or your local chandlery. The bottom part of the bracket makes a nice mount for anything round.
So I purchased a hailer speaker from Kim at www.columbiamarineexchange.com. Then drilled holes to make the mount patterns of the boat pole holders.
So I purchased a hailer speaker from Kim at www.columbiamarineexchange.com. Then drilled holes to make the mount patterns of the boat pole holders.
Boat Pole holders.
The next step is to tape the nuts in place so they won't fall into Davy Jone's locker. Next I soldered the wires from the hailer to speaker wire and heat shrunk the the wires to seal them.
Next I mounted the the device to the TV antenna that was on the Bimini rail.
With the three boat pole mounts attaching the speaker to the antenna riser it is certain not to move while under the wildest of waves or conditions at sea.
Next step tomorrow is to route the cable to the VHF. We purchased the Standard Horizon GX2150 from Columbia Marine Exchange. It has the automatic hailer and fog horn. Our intent is to use the speaker as the hailer for the fog horn once at sea.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Busy Couple of Weeks....
After returning from Israel it has been a busy couple of weeks. First our daughter Katie graduated from high school, and a bunch of family flew in to see her walk across the stage.
Immediately after, well actually the next day my wonderful wife turned the big five Oh..... so being hawaiian meant we needed to have a party. Since everyone was here anyway why not have it on the boat. Which we did....
Birthday Girl and her sister.
Birthday Girl and her sister on the CarolMarie with the spinnaker up.
Of course the grandsons were both here too.
Quin with the spinnaker up
Eze piloting the boat with his Papa Terry
All together she had a great birthday, and she's great looking....
One of the best parts of the last few weeks was having my mother over to enjoy it all. It was awesome to see her out on the water with us enjoying it as much as I did....
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Tel Aviv Marina.... I wish I were....
This week I am in Tel Aviv for business having nothing to do with sailing or the CarolMarie, except.... I found a way to book in The Carlton Hotel in west Tel Aviv. The hotel is excellently placed in the heart of the city right on the marina.
Anyway here's the Tel Aviv Marina. I took the photo in the morning during breakfast at the hotel restaurant.
Finally as the a boat was leaving I was wishing I were on the boat, or my own sailing out to the sea.
The Carlton
But what's amazing to me is the Israelis are into sushi, seemingly more so then Hawaiians. The make excellent sushi.
Anyway here's the Tel Aviv Marina. I took the photo in the morning during breakfast at the hotel restaurant.
Finally as the a boat was leaving I was wishing I were on the boat, or my own sailing out to the sea.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Trouble and reflection....
Nothing gives us more please or more grief then our children. The same can be said for mine. Late last Thursday night my son got in serious trouble, problems that most kids today face - risky behavior and in choosing the hard choices. He choose wrong, leading him down a path we were none to proud of. So rather then fly out on business Friday, I cancelled the trip and had serious discussions with him about his choices. All on the CarolMarie - a peaceful place removed from the real world.
Soon he came to his senses and in a stream of tears apologized and worked to be on the right track. On Saturday he begged to go to boat, seeing it as a peaceful escape, where he could focus on the right things in life. Grabbing up a book he has been reluctant to read for homework, he blazed through it.
Through the dodger I capture a photo of him, focusing on the working toward being on the right path. It reminded me of the true words in the opening paragraph of Moby Dick. "Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off- then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball. With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship."
Perhaps Mr. Melville had it right all long, and we should all find solace to "quietly take to the ship."
Soon he came to his senses and in a stream of tears apologized and worked to be on the right track. On Saturday he begged to go to boat, seeing it as a peaceful escape, where he could focus on the right things in life. Grabbing up a book he has been reluctant to read for homework, he blazed through it.
Through the dodger I capture a photo of him, focusing on the working toward being on the right path. It reminded me of the true words in the opening paragraph of Moby Dick. "Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off- then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball. With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship."
Perhaps Mr. Melville had it right all long, and we should all find solace to "quietly take to the ship."
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Video of the Christening
For all the friends and crew that didn't make it to the event here's the video.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Pictures on the water....
Well it is rare to get photographs of your own boat sailing on the water. Thanks to Ashley and her husband Capt. Ron (no joke) who own Columbia River Marine Assistance (http://www.crma-pdx.com) for sending the two snapshots to us. Capt Ron was the one who dove on the NiSe to assess the damage to the rudder after her last race.
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| Opening day early before the "incident" |
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| After the tack on opening day, new mainsail and happy crew. |
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Christening of the CarolMarie
On on Sunday May 19th. 2013 we had the commissioning party at Salpare Bay Marina to christen the CarolMarie according to Maritime Tradition.
Tradition states that the old name is never spoken by the crew, or captain once taken over from the old owner. The old name must be removed from the vessel for at least a month so the sea forgets her old name. All offending paperwork with the old name had to be removed from the boat. Then the following words must be said at the christening with her skippers and as many of her crew as can attend. So with the crew and friends we gathered on the dock, and held up our glasses filled with
As I stood on the deck of the boat and dumped another complete bottle of champagne on her deck into the river. It was to ensure the waters were completely satisfied with her, and would forget her old name once drunk. While doing this I spoke the words with my best authoritative voice,
"I name this ship CarolMarie and may she bring fair winds and good fortune to all who sail on her. In the name of all who have sailed aboard this ship in the past, and in the name of all who may sail aboard her in the future, we invoke God to favor us with their blessing today. Mighty God that moves the waves; and guardian of the winds and all that blows before them: We offer you our thanks for the protection you have afforded this vessel in the past. We voice our gratitude that she has always found shelter from tempest and storm and enjoyed safe passage to port. We ask that when she is again presented for blessing with another name, she shall be recognized and shall be accorded once again the selfsame privileges she previously enjoyed. In return for which, we rededicate this vessel to Your domain in full knowledge that she shall be subject as always to the immutable laws of the wind and the sea. In consequence whereof, and in good faith, we seal this pact with a libation offered according to the hallowed ritual of the sea." [ok – I made most of it up… borrowing from John Vigor's work…. But hell you guys know me already…. we were just having fun christening the boat].
Afterwards she seemed to sit up there a little more pretty and a little more proud, with her name and new port displayed on her stern.
Special thanks to my friend Stefan who came all the way from Germany to attend, and help me put the new vinyl on for the name. And a special thanks to Kevin and Linda for cutting the vinyl for free at their shop. Thanks to Lee, Michelle, Katie, Evan, Isaac, Jim, and Linda for attending to see she was properly done up. But most thanks to my co-skipper Charing for making my dream hers and making it happen.
In other news I met another Hans 38 MKII owner on the way to lunch. After getting the name on the boat on Saturday before the party, Stefan, Isaac and I headed over to lunch at the Island Cafe. Looking into the boatyard at Danish Marina I saw the stern of a 38 MKII up on stands.
We soon met Brad the owner of the boat. He gave us a tour and it wasn't long before we were comparing notes and trying to figure out what to use from each others best ideas. Brad had owned her for the last two years and was in the process of repairing years of weathered damage and tear she'd suffered. Turns out that Brad's boat and mine were made in the same year even. That was very cool. Brad came over and toured the CarolMarie, giving me points on he'd learned over the years. It was a great time.
For now I am done for all the planned maintenance; now its time to get out there.
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