Tuesday, December 20, 2011
We fixed the autopilot, and look what we found along the way!
Monday, December 19, 2011
Demanding readers!
Hello friends and family again! I know that it's been a long time, too long, as several people have inquired what's going on over here?! Did we leave already? Did we give up? Break up? Did the boat sink?
None of the above, thankfully, we've just been working that hard. Really. It seems like we each have our hands full all the time. We use the daylight to our advantage for installing/ troubleshooting equipment, and the evenings for shopping, gathering, organizing, and setting up the next day's events. But there is a bit of bad news- we are behind schedule. And while it's a major bummer, but the good part of that is that it isn't by much, and at least we'll be around for the Holidays. Fingers crossed, we can be out of Cape Coral/ Key West before New Year's Eve.
The boat has really been making a cosmetic turnaround, which is super gratifying. It seemed like all this time most of the work we've been doing wasn't very noticeable. Fixing leaks and alarms is all required, but when you step back and look at it, it doesn't look much different. However, finally, everything is clean, and nothing smells (not even our holding tank!). Most of our equipment is UP and RUNNING. The few snags we came across are that the diesel generator is only putting out about 30-40 amps per hour, and we use more than that with our chart software and refrigerator. We're waiting for our roll up solar panel to get delivered and see if it helps. Another is that both tiller pilots we have rigged up to the Aries windvane aren't working well enough, course keeping or changing. The brand new Raymarine is really disappointing, we've tried auto and manual calibrations, but it just doesn't seem to hone in very well on a course, or if it does, it's about 10-15 degrees off (unacceptable!). And if that wasn't frustrating enough, try doing in the Caloosahatchee River on a Sunday afternoon of the annual Christmas lights boat parade. We're going to try calibrating it again tomorrow.
I can't truthfully say we've been living on the boat, because we still use the house for showers, meals, and internet, but we have been sleeping on the boat for almost a week now, which takes some getting used to. We even took the boat to anchor for a night around the corner at Glover's Bight, just to get familiar. We made up and practiced hand signals for anchoring while Matt is on the bow and I'm at the throttle. I cooked for the first time on the boat. We had a glass of wine and read our cruising guides. It was great.
Matt is still putting the last bits of equipment together, and I've got some of our stuff packed. I have to admit, I never thought half of what we have would fit, but, if you can get crafty, you can find a spot for almost anything. You have to seriously consider what you are packing: How big is it? Is it necessary on a daily basis? If it's not necessary on a daily basis, is it really that critical when it is necessary? For tools the answer is usually yes. There is no substitute for having the right tool when you really need it. So, we've packed a lot of tools. In fact, they were the first thing packed, and after that all the galley dishes/cookware/utensils. I'm still working on compiling a complete provision of food, toiletries, cleaning and paper supplies, and a medical kit. When all that it ready, it too will be loaded aboard.
Goodnight folks!
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| Check out our new boat lettering and canvas! |
None of the above, thankfully, we've just been working that hard. Really. It seems like we each have our hands full all the time. We use the daylight to our advantage for installing/ troubleshooting equipment, and the evenings for shopping, gathering, organizing, and setting up the next day's events. But there is a bit of bad news- we are behind schedule. And while it's a major bummer, but the good part of that is that it isn't by much, and at least we'll be around for the Holidays. Fingers crossed, we can be out of Cape Coral/ Key West before New Year's Eve.
The boat has really been making a cosmetic turnaround, which is super gratifying. It seemed like all this time most of the work we've been doing wasn't very noticeable. Fixing leaks and alarms is all required, but when you step back and look at it, it doesn't look much different. However, finally, everything is clean, and nothing smells (not even our holding tank!). Most of our equipment is UP and RUNNING. The few snags we came across are that the diesel generator is only putting out about 30-40 amps per hour, and we use more than that with our chart software and refrigerator. We're waiting for our roll up solar panel to get delivered and see if it helps. Another is that both tiller pilots we have rigged up to the Aries windvane aren't working well enough, course keeping or changing. The brand new Raymarine is really disappointing, we've tried auto and manual calibrations, but it just doesn't seem to hone in very well on a course, or if it does, it's about 10-15 degrees off (unacceptable!). And if that wasn't frustrating enough, try doing in the Caloosahatchee River on a Sunday afternoon of the annual Christmas lights boat parade. We're going to try calibrating it again tomorrow.
I can't truthfully say we've been living on the boat, because we still use the house for showers, meals, and internet, but we have been sleeping on the boat for almost a week now, which takes some getting used to. We even took the boat to anchor for a night around the corner at Glover's Bight, just to get familiar. We made up and practiced hand signals for anchoring while Matt is on the bow and I'm at the throttle. I cooked for the first time on the boat. We had a glass of wine and read our cruising guides. It was great.
Matt is still putting the last bits of equipment together, and I've got some of our stuff packed. I have to admit, I never thought half of what we have would fit, but, if you can get crafty, you can find a spot for almost anything. You have to seriously consider what you are packing: How big is it? Is it necessary on a daily basis? If it's not necessary on a daily basis, is it really that critical when it is necessary? For tools the answer is usually yes. There is no substitute for having the right tool when you really need it. So, we've packed a lot of tools. In fact, they were the first thing packed, and after that all the galley dishes/cookware/utensils. I'm still working on compiling a complete provision of food, toiletries, cleaning and paper supplies, and a medical kit. When all that it ready, it too will be loaded aboard.
Goodnight folks!
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