Norfolk, VA
To see as much of the world as we can,
Using the smallest carbon footprint we can,
Spending the least amount of money we can,
Making as many friends we can.
In late September, we'll be back on the boat. (I'm writing this at the end of June, doing a little armchair sailing.)
In October we hope to be jumping "outside" at Beaufort to sail for Charleston.
This will be 32 or so hours at sea. Ideally, it's 32 hours or …
See "Finding a Single Source of Truth" for some back-story.
I'm planning routes. And working with OpenCPN's planning capability. And my own NavTools planner.
I've found that we have some (minor) differences of opinion here.
Or.
I've been doing it wrong. (This is much, much more likely. Aircraft pilots and …
The point of a sailboat is a way to be mobile.
That means we don't own much.
Here's what was in our apartment the morning we left Virginia:
An Ikea Poäng chair, a cart, a computer, and some luggage.
The chair had to be given away …
We have a primary chart plotter on Red Ranger. And we have backups. A lot of backups. A second chart plotter, an iPad, a MacBook pro. I even have iNavX on my phone, so it can work under limited circumstances. (I don't have all of the US East Coast charts …
The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center has a street address, I'm sure. But it also has a dock in Muddy Creek off the Rhode River. So we can anchor nearby and take the dinghy in. Who needs a car?
It seems so simple. There were, however, surprises. Big surprises.
The SERC …
Red Ranger last moved in once in August 2020 and again in October 2020. Before that she last moved in October 2018. She hasn't been out of the slip in the last 8 months.
We decided to go back to Cambridge, MD, for Memorial day.
On the way… the Pride …
The stove doesn't work. Actually, it doesn't work reliably. You can't fix an unreliable thing without a sensible diagnosis. Why doesn't it work? And diagnostic work is very much a learned art form. Something you learn from others who've been there before you.
It's all fun …
There are a lot of boat status details. Voltage level. Charging. Course being steered. Bearing to the next waypoint. Fuel level. Wind. Weather. Traffic.
And the number on the bilge counter.
It often goes like this: "Bilge count is zero. That's a container ship. Course is …
Voyage planning is the second best part of this whole living on a boat thing. The West River Sailing Club cruising fleet plans a number of outings each year. They're a great way to learn about the best spots on the bay. And meet up with friends.
Dropping anchor in …
Are two heads better than one?
I've reached my limit on removing marine sanitation devices. There were two heads on Red Ranger, and I've removed them both. That's my personal limit. There's a world of pain in dealing with sanitary hose and (I hope) I'm past wrestling with it.
The …
The cockpit has teak planks with black caulk. Very traditional looking.
The teak wears down. The caulk splits away from the wood.
I've been avoiding this for 10 years.
At first, I thought all the caulk had to be carefully scraped out and replaced. It appears …
Lots and lots of boats have Perko brand deck fillers. We don't. I can read "Japan" on the filler cap. And that's about it.
Is it a Perko clone? Can I buy Perko o-rings?
It is fundamentally different? What size o-rings do these fillers use?
I peeled off an o-ring …
The solar panels are about 8 years old. The SunWize 24W panels seem to work, but also seem to be delaminating. It's time to upgrade. There are some nice-looking 55W panels that might fit on the foredeck without getting in the way. The Go Power! Solar Flex Solar Charging Expansion …
Well over sixty years, I wandered around while my dad, grand-dad, and uncle played Cribbage, drank beer, and smoked cigars.
CA and I have taken to playing a game every day. It's a quiet time together before we dive into reading (or writing or knitting or whatever
The folks I used to work with (back when I had a day job) gave me a parting gift. Burgees.
We had a stack of three we'd use for festive occasions:
The Whitby-Brewer pennant.
The SSCA pennant.
The West River Sailing Club pennant.
Now we have …
We had two lovely Wilcox-Crittenden Imperial 51 MSD's on Red Ranger. We took out one to install a composting head back in 2012 (see "Painful Head-ectomy.")
We've kept the other working pretty well considering it's something like 37 years old at this point. It's a heavy …
Here's a temporary hack. I think it will work for a few years. We'll see.
We have a custom-built "Wave Stopper" hard-topped dodger. See, for example, "Annapolis VI: ‘Done'" for some information on this. It was (7 years ago) a wonderful thing. Sturdy. Dry. Clear windows. Hand-holds. Really nice. For …
The ocean is a battery. Salt water conducts. The various metal parts of the boat conduct.
And this means some parts are being galvanized. Other parts are giving up atoms to support the galvanization.
Since it's inevitable, and unstoppable, the solution is sacrificial anodes that can give up metal and …
Let's begin with the assumption that the port-side water tank leaked. There was ample evidence to support that hypothesis. A leak means we have to replace the tank. (It's essentially impossible to make a repair through the tiny inspection ports.) Replacing the tank takes money and time.
And saw blades …
Here's the new main.
Our hull number is 188. But the sail maker felt we needed something. So the "42 W" is for Whitby 42.
I'm tying in the 3rd batten.
Since CA is taking the picture, they're not helping.
Below this batten, I have to …