We Are No Longer in Harbornation!

May 3, 2014

Jensen Beach, Fl
1600

Windy today, skies still ominous from the thunderstorms traveling across the State of Florida.  We have been in the ICW (Intercoastal Waterway) all day today.  We had just crossed under the bridge going south to north when we began looking at the skies seriously.  Dark, ugly.  We turned to the weather channel on the VHF only to hear expectations of severe thunderstorms, 25-35knot winds, rain showers which would be down to 1/4 mile visibility and sky-to-ground lightening.  With that we chose to turn around an anchor for the day.  A call to our friends Ed and Claudia to let them know we were not going to make Vero today got us a recommendation to anchor on the south side of the bridge with better water than when we anchored on the north side of the bridge three years ago (we were aground at low tide there).  So off we ran to the south side as winds picked up ferociously.  Rain began to come down, so in foul weather gear, I headed to the bow to put the anchor down.  We were looking at 25kt winds directly down the length of the boat.  Although we are in only 8-9' of water, I wanted to make sure we were secure, so I dropped 75' of 5/16" chain in the water.  We are holding fast.  Renne' handles the helm expertly in these situations. 

So much for today,  when did we leave, where have we been, what's been happening since we left?  Let me reach back and share that with you!

April 25
Friday
We departed NAS Boca Chica around 0700.  Now there are those who are superstitious who say one must never leave to go cruising on a Friday.  Ha!  Such fools!  We headed out the channel and set a course for Maryland Shoals, East of the channel and right at the edge of the reef, 12 miles from the mouth of Boca Chica Channel.  Our friends Doug and Susan jumped in their Sea Hunt and ran out to meet us

and we were excited to see them.  We had left so early from Boca, there was no one to see us off, so we were pleased they made the effort to come out.  As they arrived, we were out taking pictures when the engine died.  Damn!  What now!?!? I knew what to do.  I immediately jumped below to check the toilet paper fuel filter - Say What???  Yes, they do exist.  It is a product from Gulf Coast Filters in Mississippi.  It utilizes a fresh roll of toilet paper to filter all of the bacteria that grows in diesel fuel before it gets to the standard "primary" Racor Fuel Filter. 

I released the clamp, pulled out the dirty roll, threw in a new roll, and while I was pumping the manual squeeze bulb to pump diesel back in to the filter, I discovered the squeeze bulb was plugged with a flax like material that had clogged the line.  I was certain this plug had been in the line for many months, as I had changed out the old fuel line a few weeks ago, and could not find the reason the engine kept shutting down the engine the last time we were in the Bahamas.  Renne' got to talk boat-to-boat with Doug and Susan while I got the engine running again, so I didn't get to see much of them.  We wished the well, and thanked them from coming out.

This picture was taken by them with us dead in the water.

This second one is proof positive I think I know what I am doing as we are off again after changing the filter and unplugging the squeeze bulb.

 

After running three hours against the Gulf Current, we decided to head inshore to Marathon, where we anchored outside Boot Key Harbor, and went in for a walk with the dogs to Home Depot for a couple of things.  After walking a mile, the dogs were completely exhausted!  The guy in the nursery at HD was kind enough to loan us the water hose where we soaked the dogs to cool them off and to give them water.  We then put them in a grocery cart an walked them around the store.  On the way back, we dinghied over to the Dockside Café, owned by the world famous Eric Stone and his lovely wife Kim, and had drinks and an appetizers.

 

 

August 26

Saturday

 

We were underway by 0730.  I had wanted to run the genset to use the watermaker first thing in the morning, however, when I hit the start switch, nothing happened.  I dinghied the dogs over to water them and to pick up ice while Renne' was preparing breakfast.  When I got back and ate, I hit the ignition for the engine and nothing happened.  A bit frustrated, I opened the hatch to the engine department and immediately noticed the squeeze bulb was collapsed.  Too much suction pressure.  Hmmmm!  I removed the bulb from the fuel line, and with a little dental pic I keep with my tools, I was able to pull a bunch of trash that was trapped in the one-way check valve.

I cleaned that out, rebuilt the squeeze bulb, reinstalled it in the fuel line, the genset fired right up, and so did the engine.  With that, we departed for Rodriguez Key.

 

April 27

Sunday

 

We anchored of Rodriguez Key and had an enjoyable ride around the island trying to find a place for the dogs to be watered.  No luck.  We figured they would go in the cockpit or on deck.  Nope!  Dinner and bed. 

 

April 28

Monday

 

Up at the crack of dawn again and headed up Hawk Channel for No Name Harbor in Key Biscayne south of Miami.  Ed and Claudia convinced us the trip would be simple with no issues.  In the past, I have been extremely concerned about the depths of the channel.  As it turned out, we had nothing to worry about.  We were very happy with the trip.  We arrived in No Name Harbor and anchored.  Honestly, we felt in the Minority.  It was very Latin there!!  Probably three dozen boats in the harbor.  Dinner was at the Boaters Grill at No Name Harbor.  We split and enjoyed a wonderful seafood Paella and a pitcher of Sangria. 

 

To be continued - we are not on a dock tonite, but if you can get a dinghy somewhere, come on out and join us for sundowners.  Looks like it will be quiet, calm, but cloudy.  More when we reach Vero!  Good night to those of you not here in the area!

 

JonNe'

 

 

 

List of Projects on JonNe'

As we are heading toward departure, the projects have been slowly being put away.  Some have had loose strings attached that couldn't be finished  for several weeks.  For a long time, we have not been able to broadcast on the VHF for any real distance.  On Sunday, Ed Davis sent me up the mast using the Lighthouse 1501 Windlass to haul my butt 65 feet in the air.  It took three trips up the mast, but I was able to change the VHF antenna - a major problem, and changed out the blocks and shackles that are used for the Spinnaker Halyard, and the spare Main Halyard, which acts as my safety line when I am up the mast.  The picture below is my view from the top of the mast!  Here I am a Navy Pilot, and I have discovered I just don't like being up here much!!



This next picture is the view to the Southeast , looking directly to Havana, Cuba.  An interesting note, from where I am looking, Havana is 94 miles out at this direction.  It is closer to Havana than it is to the nearest Walmart!

 

This picture is looking West.  Where the color changes is reef.  Actually, at low tide, that is about 18".  One of the things you have to remember is:  you don't go where the birds walk!!



The below view is looking East.   If you remember the movie "TopGun" with Tom Cruise, that was based on the TopGun school in Las Vegas.  He was based at NAS Miramar, in San Diego, but the school was at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas.  NAS Boca Chica here in the Keys is the TopGun school on the East Coast.  It actually is more useful and less expensive to train here than Nellis.  The reason is that winter in Las Vegas and the surrounding training area is subject to below freezing and snow.  Here the weather is more stable during the winter and the total sun days (or the amount of sun visible daily) is as high as the west coast.  So squadrons from California come here to train during the winter.  The scene you are looking at below are the facilities used for training.

 

 

We have visitors this year with us - actually they are family members - two dachshunds!  They are Shannon's, but we will have them for the next 8 or so months.  So we are getting them used to being on the boat and dinghy. Fortunately, I have lost a bit of weight since this pic was taken.  Don't judge, we all like beer and Jack and Diet Coke!!  Besides, I am retired!

 



I thought I would give you some pics of our friends: 

Doug and Susan

Ed clowning around, but Claudia looks great

 

 



Then there was US!!

I do love to take this lady out - she is so much better looking than I - it really lifts up my image!!

Renne' asked me a while back to make a list of the major items we have added to JonNe' since we purchased her, so I spent this afternoon going through the boat from stem to stern, then compared my list to Renne's.  Quite honestly, I was very impressed with what Renne' came up independently!  Actually we both had items the other hadn't added.  At our age, it really does take two minds to make a whole mind!  So here it is:

Lighthouse Electric Anchor Windlass with Remote - 1501

Raritan PHEII Electric Head and floor buildup

Jabsco Compact Head and floor buildup

V-Berth Fan

Raymarine ST-60 Speed, Depth, and Wind System

Raymarine E-80 Chartplotter and 18" 2KW Radar Scanner

Navpod for Raymarine E80 + four ST60  instruments - GP1171

Interior Settee Cushions - 8 cushions

V-Berth Cushions - 3 Cushions

New Overhead Panels - Main Cabin

Dome Lights x 8 with complete rewiring to breaker panel

Aquamarine Electric Drive R.O. WaterMaker Kit

Icom IC-m504A VHF Radio

Standard Horizon GX-2150 VHF Radio with AIS

Air Breeze Wind Generator

Air Breeze Wind Generator Carbon Fiber Blades

AquaAlarm Bilge Switch

AquaAlarm Bilge Monitor

Rule Bilge Pump, 2000gph, pump switch tree, 2 switches

ICOM IC-M802 Single Sideband Radio

ICOM AT-140 Automatic Tuner

Waeco Alder-Barber Refrigeration Unit

Dometic Marine Air Turbo Vector 16,000BTU 115V

Installation of AC with all hoses, vents, controllers

Groco Stainer, Thru-hull, Haul-out, water pump

Engle Freezer MT17F and permanent mounting

Yanmar 4JH5E 53hp Engine with Trans w Installation

JABSCO Aqua King II Fresh Water pump, 5GPM

Sureflow ProBlaster bilge pump 5gpm

Next Generation 5.5 generator

Support platform and stainless legs

Prop Shaft, 1-1/2 x 12', Stainless Steel and Cutlass Bearing

Prop 21 x 17 with haulout

Mastervolt 100 amp battery charger

new battery wiring, terminals

mastervolt 360ah batteries x 4

Solar Panel, Kkyocera, 250w and frame

Davit Tower plus installation

AIS Transponder

LED Lighting Main Cabin, V-Berth, Main Stateroom

Full Enclosure Full eisenglass and mosquito netting

Raymarine  X-10 Sport Autopilot with Linear Actuator

Rudder plate for Linear Actuator

Seaward Hotwater Heater, 11 gal, stainless steel

Seaward Princess 3-burner Propane Stove, Stainless Steel

Gulf Coast Fuel Filter, fuel polishing valves and hoses

Life Raft

Main Sail Stack Pack

Saftey Netting for Saftey Lines

Saftey Lines

Custom Mattress for Master Stateroom

Laminate Countertops and 2 heads various repairs

Rebuild of entire engine room and shower Master Stateroom

AMAC Water Filtration System

Almost Ready To Leave

Thanks to our friends, Ed and Claudia Davis, for the inspiration, I am sitting here this morning drinking coffee and McCormicks Irish Cream while I am writing this.  They didn't give me the bottle - no, I had to go buy it, but everytime I have gone over to their boat for breakfast, Claudia is always asking me if I want a "treat" with my coffee.  How can I turn down an offer like that!!!  Hehheh!! 

Today, I will complete all of the urgent list of things we had to get done prior to leaving again.  The list is long. 

Yesterday, I installed 25' of antenna wire for the new AIS transponder from Em-Trak, and I am heading to West Marine to pick up the AIS-VHF Antenna to complete the project.  Now you neophites, who have never run wire on a boat, will be thinking that is not a big deal!  Nay Nay I say, in the words of the great and late Jon Pinette.  I had to drill a new hole in the deck (ARRRRGGGGHHHH) to run the cable, take apart the aft stateroom bed to get under it, run the cable up from the bed, behind the aft bulkhead, through the deck, and up to the davit tower.  Then using the second most helpfulThen I had to seal the hole, and all the other holes I had disrupted, with silicon, and solder a new connector on to that end for the actual antenna. I then ran the rest of the cable around the base of the bed, down under the flooring into the engine room, up through the tool closet.  For both of those episodes, I had to run a fishing tool through and around all of the obstructions and bulkheads into the ceiling of the main cabin.  Then I had to remove the overhead ceiling panel in the main stateroom, and it remains down until I can complete the job today.  I now have to program the Em-Track AIS Transponder with the computer prior to putting the ceiling panel up.  That takes two people!!

Inhale and take a deep breath!!

Additionally, I had purchased an oil evacuation pump from WM, however, their only selection was one with a 3 gallon bucket.  It is not like the V-Berth isn't already packed and stacked already.  I don't need something THAT MESSY up forward.  So my other project Wednesday, was to install the pump in the engine compartment so I can electrically evacuate the oil from the engine and genset and into smaller 1 gallon containers I keep in the bilge.  Ed, we will get yours installed before you need to change the oil again!! 

Today, besides picking up the antenna, I have a switch for the VHF radios I am going to install.  Now I have a splitter on it so I can run two VHF radios off of one antenna, but my next door dock buddy, Johnnie Poole measured the interference and HIGHLY recommended changing that out to a switch.  Doggone!  It has been a very long time since I have done any soldering at all, but Johnnie took a while out of his busy schedule getting their boat ready to go, to show me how to solder these plugs properly.  Thanks Johnnie, I sure did a poor job prior to your instruction!!

I am also going to fill my new fiberglass 17lb propane tank to store on the deck.  Saturday, our friends, Doug and Susan are assisting me in moving the boat over to another marina to fill the fuel tanks, and then do a bit of sailing.

Sunday morning, I leave, by car, for Miami, to pick up my lovely wife at the airport, and then celebrate 12 glorious years with the absolute love of my life!!  Honey, welcome back, Darlin' and Happy Anniversary, a few days early!!

In the meantime, if you are in Columbia, SC, call Renne' and stop over for a drink - or if you are in Key West, call me, and stop by at sunset for a sundowner!  I will keep a few beers, a bottle of wine, and some hard stuff cold for you!  In the meantime, we will see you on the water!!

Jon and Renne'
abrd S/V Jonne'

Attitude And It's Relationship to Adventure

We haven't left Key West yet.  Life is getting in the way for a brief moment.  But then again, that is what retirement is. . . Life getting in the way of a good time!

Five weeks ago (February 13-17), Renne' and I attended Strictly Sail Miami, the sailing side of the Miami International Boat Show, at the Bayside Marina in downtown Miami.  Renne' was accepted as a vendor and spent the week selling her Nighty Night Sailboat series at the Author's Nook in the big tent.  Renne' was one of only 5-6 authors accepted this year for this honor, and we have made new and pretty cool friends because of this. 

Renne', although she was not competing with any of the others, appears to have sold more books than all of the others combined!  I had to laugh, as most of you know, Renne' will speak with anyone about her books!  She was all but pulling them off the carpet to show them her books.  I was really proud of her efforts!  In the end, she has been asked to return to next year's boat show, and the director of this part of the show assured her she could return as often as she liked. What a PRO!

While we were there, we met Bob Bitchin' and his lovely wife, Jody "Bitchin' Lipkin, the publishers and creators of "Cruising Outpost", formerly, publishers and creators of "Lattitudes and Attitudes", in their booth around the corner from us.  Jody gave me a bumper sticker that seems to exemplify both Renne's and my attitude, the entire of our adult life:

   “Attitude:  the Difference Between an Ordeal and an Adventure”

When I saw this statement, I realized how universal this statement is in application to all of our lives. 

Sayings like: 
     "It's so hard when I have to, and so easy when I want to."  Annie Gottlieb
    
     "If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it."  Mary Engelbreit

     "The only difference between a good day and a bad day is your attitude."  Dennis S. Brown

. . . . say the same thing, but Bitchin's bumper sticker says it all, eloquently.

The last 3-1/2 weeks have been tough on Renne', as she has been in Columbia, SC taking care of family issues.  Last Monday, I drove north to be with her for a while, and I am driving south, this Sunday, to finish up income tax and my projects to get the boat ready for our annual Key West Departure, as soon a Renne' can shake herself loose of these issues.

Just before leaving, I was able to start and finish two projects that have been plaguing us for some time.  The first involved resolving a battery issue.  For seven years of ownership, I have been very reluctant to spend much time without running the engine for fear of running down the batteries so far that I couldn't get the engine or genset running.  Although we have always carried atleast 290 amp hours of power, with separate HOUSE and START battery banks; and this past year, an additional 145ah's added for a total of 435ah's in the START battery bank, we have always seemed to be running short on battery longevity when sailing or sitting on the hook.

When Doug and Barb Schindler arrived for a week in Key West, I asked Doug to help me by looking at the batteries.  In 15 minutes, we had found the problem, and in no time, we had the situation resolved!  It had to do with the manner in which I had wired in the Battery Combiner.  I had two wires wired in backwards, and it took an independent inspector to find the fault!  Wow!  I have been running the boat on battery power during the day, relying on the solar panel and wind generator for recharging the batteries, and wait until the batteries are headed below 12.4v before turning on the 110 through the battery charger to boost the batteries back.  I am much more than satisfied!!  That also resolved the radar problem of not working and resolved the chartplotter's issue of shutting down at very challenging times in the middle of the night.  WaHoo!!

The second project had to do with the fuel lines (main feed and return lines) for the center fuel tank.  We actually have three tanks:  two 42 gallon diesel tanks under the port and starboard settees (couches for the folks in Rio Lindo), and a 48 gallon center tank under the floor boards below the table in the main cabin.  So for the last year or so, 1/3 of our fuel supply has actually been unavailable for use while we are motoring.  The lines would clog up when we were operating at cruising rpm, although I could transfer fuel from the tank, using the electric fuel pump and our fuel polishing system.

I finally got up the nerve to spend an afternoon cutting, crimping, and isolating copper fuel lines and replacing them with flexible neoprene fuel lines.  With much effort, I replaced both of the center tank fuel lines, and voila', the engine runs beautifully!  WaHoo, AGAIN!!

My three remaining projects that have to be accomplished are:

1)  Build a new mounting frame for the new 245W solar panel
2)  Mount a Hailing Horn on the mast spreaders
3)  Replace the shackles at the top of the mast that hold the blocks for the spare halyards in place.

Notice two of those projects involve going up the mast!  Fun times to be had by all, I assure you!

Last night, we watched Robert Redford's, All Is Lost.  I began taking notes about the technical faults in the movie.  By the time it was done, we had counted some 20 serious errors in his procedures.  On the other hand, I began adding thoughts about items we seriously need to add to our bailout bag, in the event we have to abandon the boat.  In that case, I am adding 15 items to our list and/or plan.  We really don't want to end up in the same situation as Redford did.  We were glad we watched the movie!

Tonight, here in Columbia, SC, it is drizzling and very cool (somewhere in the mid to low 50's).  Renne' and I are thinking of having cocktails in for a change.  So, although the drinking burgee is raised to the spreaders, it will probably require some effort and foul weather gear to get here.  So we will raise our glasses to toast you if you miss us!  Cheers!

Jon and Renne'
abrd S/V JonNe'

Another Day, Another Day Toward Leavin' AGAIN

About 1700, Sunday, 02 Mar 2014

Pretty cool.  The months of January and February are gone and Spring is just around the corner.  With that, I have been working on and off at getting JonNe' ready for another run to the Bahamas.  We have different crew this year.  We will be taking two dachshunds that actually belong to our daughter, Shannon.  She has found herself in a bit of a pickle, and we have volunteered to keep them for a couple of months

The one here in front is Lina, she is the daughter of Pretzel, in the background.  So, in order to give them some running around room, I have installed safety line netting to try to keep them aboard.

Well, it is like most of my projects, it has been sitting for the past few days, and I am 90% complete.  I have to find the gumption to finish the frickin' project!!  I have 5 feet of netting left to install on the starboard (right) rear safety lines and aft pulpit, and I wasn't feeling well enough to finish it today.  Actually, although true, I was heading up into the cockpit and decided it was time to write something about what I was doing, and started taking pictures and writing this!  That and a large Sailor Jerry and Diet Coke, and I don't think I will finish anything today!!  I am here in Key West, and Manana!!  Sorry folks, but my Spanish dictionary was not installed!  There should be a TILDA above the first n.  So pronounce that n with your tongue high on the roof of your mouth, kinda like an n and y simultaneously.  It actually means TOMORROW!

I am making water this afternoon.  The panel lies right behind the settee cushion on the port (left side)

Then, Voila', and the cushion is removed, and the watermaker panel appears and I am making water!

Now, the pretty cool thing about this watermaker (Aquamarine Watermakers) is the fact that if you look closely to the gauge on the left side, it is reading just a hair over 21 gallons an hour!  These tanks are 75 gallons a piece, so in a couple of hours, I have atleast one full tank.

That is unless you discover what I just discovered!!  Here I was, after an hour of writing this, as it is now almost 1800 hours, I got up to figure out what I was going to make myself for my evening meal.  I am rummaging around in the refrigerator, and I notice water on the counter!  Not a usual occurrance!   I look at the sink, and doggone, it is FULL of water!  Two things became abundantly clear, and one of them was NOT that I had already embibed in my first rum and coke.  It was first, I had NOT opened the drain for the galley sink when I began making water, and second, and more frustrating, I had not switched over from the test drain which goes to the sink (in this case FILLING IT) to the tanks.  So for the last hour, I have been filling the sink and spilling the water all over the floor rather than adding 21 plus gallons of incredibly fresh water into my nearly depleted water tank!  Can I hear a DAMN! 

So, in getting that resolved, I opened a bar of Kaukauna Port Wine Cheese Spread and some Tostido's Scoops, got a knife, and I am aswaging my frustration with cheese and crackers, and ANOTHER Sailor Jerry's Spiced Rum and Diet Coke!

With that, I am ending this, and heading for the cockpit to enjoy the rest of the sunlight and, Oh, By The Way, REALLY NICE WEATHER!!

Come on down to the docks, I will pour another drink for you, I promise!

JonNe'

Jan 10, 2014

Enroute NAS Boca Chica, Key West, Fl to Sarasota, Fl

1220
Renne' and I have taken the opportunity to assist Marlen Robb, owner of a Morris 46, s/v Menemsha,

in finishing this delivery to his homeport.  Below you will see the route from NAS Boca Chica to Sarasota, Fl.

The total miles for this trip is about 175nm.  Menemsha is on her re-fit maiden voyage, and has traveled 1775nm from the Morris Yacht Yard in Trenton Maine to Key West.  Marlen Robb

 

and his wife, Marlene, left Trenton on November 2nd, 2013, in 22 degrees.  They have had some pretty wild rides, and Marlen's comment was, "I don't mind being scared once a day, but NOT all day long!"  We agree with that completely!  Actually, this will be a bit like sailing the Harvest Moon Regatta. 

1615, 10 Jan 2014

We are doing 77kts over the ground at present.  Winds have been pretty much out of the southeast.   We just took a wind shift to the northeast, and it has changed our sailing to motor sailing.  Winds are now up to 11kts and we are doing 7.9kts over the ground right now.  Temps are dropping, but they should stabilize in the mid 60's and no rain.  Skies are mostly fair and the seas are only about 1 foot.

I spent an hour or more reconfiguring Marlen's Raymarine C-125 Chartplotter to a split screen with the chartplotter/radar on one side and CDI (Course Deviation Indicator) and navigational data on the other side.  I set it up in the same configuration our is set up.  He appears to be very pleased.

On the other hand, now that I have shown him how to do it, his configuration might change the next time he is aboard!!  Hehheh!  Attaboys can be fleeting, as we often found out in the fleet!!  LOL!  Actually, I am amazed the Captain they hired to get them south from Maine to North Carolina didn't take the time to set them up on something.

 

 

2024 10 Jan 2014

25 18'.704N

082 04'.198W

Great sailing - not sure how it could be better!!

Still motoring, but engine is clicking along at 1600 rpm and we are doing 6.8 kts.  It couldn't be nicer.  I have the watch from 2000-2300.  Marlen will have the 2300-0200.  I will, then, come back on for the 0200-0500.  Renne' gets to sleep most of the night.

The chartplotter is digitally tied to Marlen's IPAD.  Holy smokes, what an incredible tool!  This means I can sit on the settee in the cockpit, not on the lazarette.  it allows me to sit out of the wind and keep track of everything that is going on.  What a wonderful setup!  It is also slaved to the laptop below.  The advantage with the IPAD over the slave laptop, is I can change anything from the chartplotter on the IPAS without moving.  I could even take it below with me.  Very Cool!

2300, 10 Jan 2014
Off Watch

11 Jan 2014
0156
25 56'.431N
082 14.038W

On watch again, letting Renne' sleep.  Beautiful moon out, clear skies, cool, probably 64 degrees.   Have my foul weather jacket on.  Seas basically calm.  Nothing on radar.  We are the only ones out here.  Marlen is making coffee for me.  The moon is 3/4 waxing.  Interesting how the top of the moon is gone.  I don't remember seeing it this was in some time.

11 Jan 2014
0442
26 14.821N
082 18'.858W

A few minutes ago, while watching for satellites, a meteor came across.  One of the most blazing I have seen.  As it hit the atmosphere, it looked as though a flint had struck steel, as though you were attempting to start a primitive fire.  It seemed to throw off sparks on either side of its pathway across the sky.  Although I have seen longer streaks, I have never seen this type of display.

It appears to be 90% clear tonight, but there must be a very thin gauzy layer in the cirrus range.  The brighter stars are very obvious, but the more distant or less bright stares are a bit muted.  I believe that is the reason I have not seen any satellites tonight.  When Renne' and I were assisting our friend, Barb Schindler, bring her boat to Houston from Pensacola, Fl, I think it was 2010,, but it might have been 2009, I was able to spot 12 satellites in 25 minutes with the naked eye.  The moon has been down about an hour, so there is no influence from its' ambient light.  Disappointing.

I just heard what sounded like a cry off the port stern, a bit away from the boat.  When I tried to listen again, I did not hear anything, so I suspect it was a dolphin nearby.  That was a spooky feeling.  I am here in the cockpit by myself, and not normally subject to being nervous, but that was a bit unusual.

The wind has clocked around almost to our stern, so we are now running with the wind.  The main and jib are on the port side, or what we term as a starboard tack.  The apparent wind speed has now dropped to 5 or 6 kts.  I expect I will be gybing the main over to the starboard side in the not to distant future.

Sanabel Island is about 045 degrees at 20nm.  We seem to have picked up a bit of counter current and we are being set a bit to the east.  I am now crabbing three degrees to port and have lost almost a knot of speed.  We are down to 6.3 kts.  Still doing well, and anticipate being at the south entrance to Long Boat Key, west of Sarasota, at about 3pm.

1445

Arrived at the entrance of Big Bay Pass at Sarasota Point.

 

Marlen and I have been discussing the entrance.  It looks as though the waters are way shallow for the 5-1/2' draft on this yacht.  The channel markers are not well identified, and the water is cloudy and looks shallow.  I have called Boat US and Marlen has spoken with Marina Jack, and frankly, the reviews are very mixed.  The general responses have indicated that with the tide coming in, we might well have enough depth to enter.

WRONG!!

Our best thought was to find the shortest way across the shallows.  However, Menemsha grounded on hard sand, even though the charts indicated we were over the shallows and in an area of about 7 feet.  We guessed it had probably shoaled over.

Marlen immediately put Menemsha in reverse and began the seemingly torturous crawl back to deep water. 

Our immediate good fortune came from the surface waves impacting the boat.  The entire trip, there was never more than a foot of waves.  However, each wave that passed, raised Menemsha off the ground on the crest of the wave, and she struck the ground in the bottom of each trough.  Had there been more wave height, we could have been in a serious predicament.  As it turned out, we had no issues.

Our biggest disappointment was with SeaTow!!  Not to be confused with Towboat US!!  As we were attempting our entry, there was a SeaTow skiff about 300 yards off our bow, inbound toward us.  Over the next 5-6 minutes, as he neared us, he NEVER attempted to wave us off the shallow water.  NEVER got on the radio.  NEVER got out his air horn.  NEVER sped up to tell us it would be impossible to go through!! He sat off our starboard side, about 20 feet, and when we were trying to free the boat, he yelled across, asking if he could be of assistance!!  As though he were a vulture waiting for us to get into trouble.  I can't print the thoughts going through our heads about this jerk!  He almost overcame our being pissed at him by returning our dinghy, which we discovered had the towline severed when we put the boat in reverse, but not enough to overcome our ill-thoughts to the risk he let us accept.  NO TIP for the recovery!

Disappointed, we headed north along the coast of Long Boat Key to the entrance of Long Boat Pass.  A distance of 10nm.

At this point., it was about 1520.  The temperature was beginning to drop remarkably.

We all slipped on our jackets, immediately noticing a new fog bank developing.  Although Renne' and I have encountered a deeper fog bank along this coast, we were 1/2nm off Long Boat Key, and couldn't see the shoreline at this point. 

When we arrived at the mouth of Long Boat Pass, at 1640, visibility was down to 100 yards, and finding the channel markers required a steady hand holding the binoculars to see the markers through the fog.  We were able to spot land, then the Bascule Bridge that needed to open to let us through to Sarasota Bay and the InterCoastal Waterway (ICW).  From there, with a coulple of turns and some tight maneuvering, we were headed south toward Sarasota, another 10nm and 90 minutes.  We arrived at Marina Jack in Sarasota by 1815 (6pm), and pulled alongside the fuel dock.  45 minutes later, we were tied up, fueled with diesel, bags loaded in the car, and headed for dinner at the Dry Dock Grill on Long Boat Key.

12 Jan 2014
1000

Headed for Marina Jack to move Menemsha to her new mooring ball.

1130

Arrived, moved, and locked up the boat for a few days of rest.

Overall, a great trip, no damage, no real episodes to write home about, and two happy owners to be re-united and a boat in the marina.  This arrival for Marlen is the first time he has been to their new home in 7 months.  Welcome Home Marlen, Marlene, and Menemsha.

Renne' and I are headed back to Key WEst, compliments of Avis, via Miami, for a couple of doctors appointments for the two of us.  I really need to get on the ball putting JonNe' ready for our next adventure in March.

See ya back in Key West on Wednesday evening!

Cleaning the Water Tanks

Aboard JonNe', we are blessed with two 75 gallon st/stl water tanks.  When we purchased the boat in 2005, we installed a new water filtration system for the fresh water consumption aboard.  I had never really thought about the idea before, and Renne' and I had both chosen NOT to drink the water aboard either her Irwin 37 or my CT-41.  If we were moving aboard, however, we felt it was necessary to  have palatable water that we could drink, cook, and bathe with.  So we set out to find a good system.

After searching for a while, our next door neighbors, Al and Sue McDonald, owners the Mountain Valley Spring Water distributorship in Houston, Tx, set us on a research project that included reading up on water safety and health issues in potable (drinkable) water offered from various municipalities.  Al was out working on his water filtration system installed in their townhouse, and he had filled several white, 3-gallon buckets of water:  one was from the tap, one was from the filtered water after I believe three months or so, and one from a freshly changed filter system.  I was astonished when I noticed the differences.  The one from the tap was quite yellow, the freshly changed filtered water was beautifully clear, and the one after a three month period looked as though it needed to be changed, but was no where near the tap water. 

After looking at our budget, we purchase the same system, modified to fit in our boat, was installed under a cabinet in the after stateroom.

This is a bank of three 4" x 10" filters.  A 5 micron Spun Poly/Melt Blown Sediment Filter;

a MatriKX CTO+ Charcoal filter for filtering out chlorine and a bunch of other chemicals, taste and odor;

and a Centaur Carbon Cartridge which contains catalytically charged carbon designed for chloramine and chemical reduction.  This cartridge is for communities which use chloramine rather than chlorine for chemical cleansing of their municipal water systems.

So all of our water is filtered extremely well prior to it getting to us.  I have noticed that the sediment filter has been discolored and had to change the filter every three months or so.  The discoloration was from surface corrosion in the st/stl water tanks and the fact the tanks were installed in Taiwan in 1985, and probably never cleaned.  So this week, I decided to open the water tanks to find out what the issue was.

This is what I found:

I know, I know, it doesn't look real good.  But it is just surface corrosion, and now I know what the issue is.  I didn't really realize how large two 75 gallon tanks are until I realized that on either side of this are two baffles that open up (you can see the jagged holes exposed that the camera is looking through:

 

Those had to be cleaned too.  I went to the Dollar Store and bought a cheapo ($1.00) mop and cut off the handle.  I then proceeded to scrub all of the corrosion off.  Fortunately, it came off with no difficulty. When I finished, the tanks actually looked really good!

 

These aren't the finished, but you get the idea.  For some reason, I didn't bother to get the finished look.  Oh well!  The good news is, although the corrosion was removed by the filters originally, the sediment filter should now last a bit longer than 3 months.

 

I changed the sediment filter when I finished this job.  Now, realize this has got to be 10 times worse than usual, but this is all of the corrosion material that actually came through the tanks while I was cleaning:

 

New One

 

Old One!!

 

So we now have even BETTER water!

 

So we will be out on the sand bar this evening!  Come join us for sundowners - just a photo to give you an idea of where we will be. 

 

 

Ya'll come back now, ya hear!

 

JonNe'

Retirement - Ain't It Grand!!

October 11, 2013

I just can't believe it is October, and it is almost time for FantasyFest here in Key West!!  If you haven't heard of this great adventure in debauchery, Google "Fantasy Fest 2013".

I woke up this morning, realizing again, what a lucky fella I am to be here in retirement with this incredibly beautiful lady!

 With my cup of morning coffee, I climbed into the cockpit and looked around JonNe' and love the site of the other boats here in the marina

 

 

I started this morning working on the electrical system again.  I rerouted all of the connections, by removing them from the battery posts and installing them on separate terminal buss bars. I was excited I had finished them, bu I hadn't installed the covers to the battery connections yet, so that got done today.

 





 

We are pretty much self-sufficient, from the standpoint of converting fresh water from salt water, and we are "Green" as we are using both wind and solar power.  I decided yesterday to begin testing the systems to determine if they actually were working.  In fact, the solar panel is making electricity, but not enough to sustain our usage, so I will be adding another unit probably before we leave.  As far as wind power is concerned, the wind generator is DOA!  Dead On Arrival!!

 

Doggone it!  We just had this repaired about 10 months ago.  If you look in the picture above, of the battery connections, you will see a silver cable running along the top of the picture.  This is the grounding line I added today to ground the solar and wind power tower on the aft of JonNe'.  I also ended up scraping the corrosion off the connectors, one of which was the wind generator that make up the earth ground.  After talking with the folks at www.altestore.com, where I bought both the solar panel and wind generator, it is possible the wind generator may have been the victim of a nearby lightening strike.  Not close enough to affect the boat, but enough to kill the electronics in the generator.  Now I have to pull it down AGAIN and get it repaired!  This will be the second time this has been repaired!  I am thinking I am going to go with another unit!  Perhaps a D-400.

 

Have you ever found something on the internet that is so pervasive that you just have to try it??  I have run across several references to a thread penetrant that is even more invasive and much better than WD-40 and a host of other materials.  So I thought I would try it.  I went out and bought a small spray bottle yesterday at the dollar store, stopped by Home Depot and picked up a quart container of Acetone (which I hate to use), and mixed 50/50 Acetone and Dextron Transmission fluid, which I had left over from my last diesel engine transmission.  As I shook the two chemicals, they wouldn't mix, and I am thinking this was a bust!  Then globs of something began to materialize in the spray bottle!  I said this is "No Good"!  But I had bought the stuff, so I sprayed it on the threads of the propane bottle and regulator that were corroded together from our propane grill.  Got two wrenches out, and voila', they came apart! pretty easily. It actually worked!  Hmmm, maybe the internet has
"Some" things that are worthwhile.  Apparently the Acetone and Transmission Fluid mix well enough they penetrate the threads, then the acetone evaporates and the threads get slippery.  Hmmm!

 

Okay, another interesting thing:  I know everyone reading this has spent hours looking for something, tearing apart all of the known places that it might be, only to find it the last place you look.  Ever wonder what everything you look for is ALWAYS in the last place you look?  That is because you FIND it and stop looking!!!  LOL!

 

Anyway that happened again today!  I tore the boat apart looking for my little container of Lanocote.  This is a product, ideal for boats, and is used when two metals (aluminum and steel) are going to be, let's say, screwed together.  Because of the chemical makeup of the two dissimilar metals, they corrode very quickly in the salt air.  By putting some lanocote on the threads of whatever you are screwing together, there is a barrier between the materials and they don't corrode.  Very Simple!  Except when you can't find the stuff!!  So an hour and a half looking in every nook and cranny, including every box of tools and materials we have aboard, thinking the "Ghost of Christmas Past" was giddy with retaliation, I finally found it at my feet in a tool bag I had already been in twice today!!  I decided at that point it was time for a Yingleung Beer, and I quit working!!

 

Enough for today.  Gotta get ready to take my bride out to dinner.

 

Have a great day, and come on down tomorrow and meet us Sundowners here at the dock!  We will let the guards at the gate know you are coming.

 

Jon and Renne'

abrd s/v JonNe'

Our Incredible AquaMarine Watermaker

We are so blessed to have friends and acquaintances in the cruising arena who are willing to listen and help solve issues that occur on the boat.  It is not as though either Renne' or I had been born with knowledge of how to solve many of these problems.  Renne' and I both owned our own cruising sailboats prior to our meeting, but actually getting ready to cruise, and actually being out on deep, blue water cruising, has given us a perspective of maintenance and repairs well beyond what we possessed previously.

When we returned from our cruise to The Bahamas earlier this year, I let the watermaker sit for three months knowing I should run it every few weeks to make sure the Reverse Osmosis (R/O) membrane didn't get ruined by just sitting and growing bacteria.  In July, I finally decided I needed to run the unit.  After running it for several hours, Renne' smelled an odor originating from our watermaker a/c motor/high pressure pump locker.  Accessing the locker, I discovered high pressure salt water spewing from a crack in the output hose connector from the pump housing to the R/O membrane.

Water was everywhere, and the heat buildup in the locker had evaporated the saltwater on the motor housing, in the housing, and on everything around the motor housing, including most of the electrical connections (ac and dc).  I quickly turned off all of the electricity serving the watermaker and began the cleanup.  But that was Summer.

We had a two week trip to make, and I called the AquaMarine Watermaker Manufacturer, asking him for advice.  Dan suggested pouring a gallon or so of fresh water over the pump and all connections to flush the salt away to ensure minimal corrosion.  I was hesitant, but got a couple of gallons of water and literally drenched the motor, pump, connections, locker, etc., and left on our trip.

In September, I again contacted Dan, at AquaMarine, and arranged for him to send me a new high pressure connector to replace the cracked one. It arrived. I again procrastinated with the repair.  Today is October  9th. I began work on the watermaker again. I called Dan one more time about replacing the connector, and with his guidance, I removed the inner, faulty hose fitting, dipped just the new inner fitting in Glycerin, and reinstalled the connector, hand-tightened the connection, and turned on the motor. Voila', it worked! I did have to tighten the nut with a wrench slightly, per Dan's recommendation, but it was finished. As I added pressure, I did notice a bad water feed hose and replaced it and another hose with a better grade, and turned the motor on again.

We are now making 23 gallons of wonderfully sweet, fresh water an hour and filling the port tank with 75 gallons.  I again am surprised the R/O membrane continues to make fresh water with less than 275 ppm at very near the rated 24 gph that it did when we first installed the unit 3 years ago.   And that with letting it stand unattended for nearly 5 months.  From here on out, we will be filling both tanks as the starboard one empties, and continue making fresh water vs using city water here at the marina.   I am amazed sometimes, that I can do things like this!  Oh, and so is Renne'. LOL!

Good Golly!  I can't believe it has been 7 months since I had the gumption to get back to the blog.  Apologies aside, this has been a most enjoyable summer season since arriving back in Key West. 

Over the years we have had and worked on JonNe', I have had the opportunity to do a lot of recovery work on the electrical system.  As the boat was hit by lightening before we bought her from the previous owner, as the need arose, I changed out wiring.  Unfortunately, I am not the neatest person in the world, and some shortcuts were taken, although all repairs were to code.

This past week, I made the decision to rearrange the electrical wiring around the battery boxes.  I have been gigged three times on our inspections as I did not have battery box covers installed; resulting in both a possible safety issue should some errant piece of gear hit one of the battery cables resulting in a short, and in the event of a knock down, the batteries might become dislodged and result in a loss of electrical power all together.  In order to utilize a mounting panel I had installed for the automatic antenna tuner for the SSB, I had to relocate the tuner and freed up considerable space to install new terminal bus bars on the hull rather than attached to the battery boxes.

So after 5 days of very carefully lengthening all of the cables (2/0 down to 10 gauge) and rearranging and taking the time, it was finished and almost looks like a professional job.

I am looking at tearing into the navigation pod in the cockpit and see how I can make it more efficient.

Today, the 21st of September, we are in Tyler, Tx this morning, heading south to Houston. Will be back on the boat by October 3rd. We are beginning our next leg of our cruising schedule for February or March 2014. The plan is to head for Georgetown, The Bahamas again to meet our friends, Val and Ray Russenberger, then south from there, around Cuba to the Cayman's, and on to Belize and Guatamala.  But right now, it is just a plan, and until we throw the lines off the dock, it is just a plan!

Meanwhile, we will be in Houston tonight, we look forward to a couple of evenings raising glasses with a lot of our friends.  Come join us for Sundowners

Jon and Renne'