The season has officially started

Every year yacht clubs around the world have an Opening Day. Our club, Shoreline Yacht Club, in Long Beach CA, is no different. The doors are opened to surrounding yacht club members and guests.  The day unfolds with a lot of pomp and circumstance, followed by some serious all-day partying. To celebrate the festivities, we dressed Volaré out. We even went so far as to remove all of her canvas.  She sure was beautiful, although it's quite the chore to get her all covered back up. 

Our final task of the day was to remove the flags and get them stowed.  To say we were frustrated when we realized they had gotten caught on the mizzen mast antenna is an understatement.  We pulled and prodded to no avail. So, up the mast I (Vicki) went to cut them free. And the moral of this story...when you run you're flags up make sure they are pulled tight.  

                                 

Learn all you can from the mistakes of others. You won't have time to make them all yourself.  

Alfred Sheinwold

Can we sail this BAB?

I mentioned earlier that our previous boat was a Catalina 34, which we sailed and raced extensively.  However, sailing our 50’ full-keel ketch is significantly different, and made me wonder if just the two of us would be able to handle her.

We hesitantly pulled away from the dock with friend and Shoreline Yacht Club Rear Commodore Bruce Davis.  Having waxed the zipper on the stack pack and adjusted the reefing lines the day before, the bag opened up and the main raised easier than the previous time, when it took four of us to get it up.  We were off to a good start.  We let the jib out and off we went. 

It was a beautiful day with light winds of 6-12 knots.  As heavy as our boat is, I think she would much prefer 15 knots and higher, but she handled well, and sailed relatively quickly.  We handled her with ease and when Jason easily brought her back to the dock after our 3-hour cruise, I again knew that we had made the right decision. 

Anytime you have something new, it should be expected there will be a learning curve.  We had one when we upgraded from Jason’s Catalina 27 to our Catalina 34, and we’re having one again.  Next time we move up…no, this is as big as it gets for us.

I have learned, that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.
Henry David Thoreau

OpenCPN finally dialed in

I got OpenCPN dialed in.

Our Furuno GPS 30 is connected via NMEA to our VHF to give the VHF position data. We've got a serial connection to the high speed AIS feed on the VHF to get AIS data on the notebook.

We get position from a USB GPS hockey puck.

Fixing the vacuflush

So when we got the boat, the vacuum pump would not shut off.  So I researched the problem, and then  bought 4 duckbill valves to see if that was the problem.  Nope!

So then it was possibly:
1) Leaking at the pump/bellows
2) Leaking at the toilet bowl
3) Faulty vacuum sensor
4) Vacuum leak

I'm told you'd much rather replace an expensive sensor or pump then try and track down a vacuum leak. It didn't seem to be leaking at the bowl, so I figured I'd upgrade the vacuum pump, since the new version is quieter and the conversion includes the bellows.  Rebuilt the pump with the new motor and bellows and fired it up... and it ran... and ran... and ran...

So my buddy Steve attacked the vacuum tank and the next thing we know we've got it apart and found the problem... the gasket in the sensor was pinched and leaking.  Steve says "Do you want to fix it like a cruiser? or go spend $200 on the part?"  So we fixed it like cruisers and I'm thinking to myself, "Man, I really don't want to tear this thing apart again if that didn't work." But sure enough it worked.

So yay, we got a head that works.  Except I left the pump hanging by the hoses.  So time to go button it up, and wouldn't you know it, I guess there's 2 ways to mount the motor, and I mounted it the wrong way.  So take it all back apart again (much faster this time, with the right tools I think I can rebuild one of these in under 2 minutes now) and finally, she's back together.

Cosmetics Before Surgery

Although I may be unskilled in the maintenance department, I excel in making things look good.  And in order to feel  comfortable and at home on the new boat, I felt it necessary to take care of the really important things first, like throw pillows to match the pastel turquoise cushions in the salon,  matching towels for the galley and head, and new cushions and bedding in the aft cabin.

I searched high and low for the perfect items, keeping in mind that we’re on a budget, most of which is earmarked for more relevant repairs.  There are some great items and deals to be found on Amazon, Ebay and Overstock, but a lot of times I prefer to see things before I buy them so I can be assured of the color and texture.  Having redecorated and furnished several homes over the years, I have found the big box discount stores, like Marshall’s and TJ Maxx offer the best selection and price.  Although you may have to go to several stores within a chain to find the right item or quantify of items, what you save in the long run will be worth your time.

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Heads or tails it's a dirty job!

I was amazed at how heavy the Skipper II was when I lifted it out of the head.  Looks like it's 80lbs of bronze and porcelain.  Ours leaks, so it's getting rebuilt. Here's the before picture.