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.
The apartment is almost empty.
The U-Haul U-box Pod was packed and shipped yesterday.
CA's meticulous planning worked out perfectly. Everything fit into the pod with barely any space left over.
The two (heavy …
We're down to the final week of land-based living.
The. Final. Week.
The "I ♥ New York" room was cleared out, along with one of the cars.
That was the first major phase of the Inventory Reduction.
The next major phase is the …
We're getting our ICW reading list organized.
Skipper Bob Anchorages Along the Intracoastal Waterway. Crucial.
There appears to be a pattern here. Many popular anchorages seem to be about 50 statute miles away from each other. It's very likely that this pattern is essentially sampling error. A daily run of …
Part of moving aboard is ditching the things we don't need. Some of the decisions are difficult. Using the "Purgatory" model seemed to help us distinguish between needs and wants.
Moving from upstate New York to Norfolk, VA, was a dramatic downsizing. We sold our 3BR 1.5Bath 1800 sq …
It makes sense to keep a detailed equipment inventory.
Sadly, we don't always think of writing down the serial number until after the painful, difficult installation.
This leads us the following foolishness.
Slide a mirror into the space where the serial number is visible.
Take numerous pictures of that mirror …
The Commodore Says: "I don't want to depend on pump-outs, since they're an America-only requirement; and I don't like the head flushing directly into a bay or creek."
Enter the Air Head and the Nature's Head composting toilets. These are very similar products that separate solid from liquid waste. Liquids …
Next up: radio replacement. The old radios both work nicely. However.
The radio that's accessible from the helm is inside the aft cabin. That means that the aft cabin hatch cover must be left open. What do you do when it rains? It also means that anyone off watch who's …
The Standard Horizon product line includes the CP300i chart plotter and the Matrix GX2150 AIS+ radio. We've had the CP300i chart plotter since 2010. The GX2150 radio is in a box in the V-Berth.
The point of these products is the integration. The chart plotter provides GPS data to the …
Most of Red Ranger's refit has been to replace out-of-date systems. Our logs include a lot of "Replace" activity. True, we've done some small adds: a bilge pump, a bilge pump cycle counter, two galley lights, a water filter, two solar panels and the stays'l tracks. But most of …
Sunday (after returning from Reedville), we had a bit of difficulty getting into our slip.
We -- I mean I -- misjudged the turn, the wind and the timing. We banged into the building.
And—most distressing: we -- I mean I -- bent the tang …
Let's review, shall we?
2009, December. Team Red purchases the old Chesapeake Eagle and renames her Red Ranger.
2010, Spring. We write huge checks to fix the deck and the rigging and make a few important upgrades. We learn about the "marina lifestyle": it's okay to stop and chat. Indeed …
We hung out in Reedville with Indefatigable.
First it rained. Then it cleared.
Then we fired up the grill and had tuna steaks, corn on the cob and a multi-bean salad. Plenty of good red wine (and beer.)
We didn't actually raft …
The Commodore Says "We need new snap-shackle lanyards".
Red Ranger has a fair number of snap shackles.
Four on various halyards.
Four on the Pelican hooks for the lifelines.
Two on the running backstays.
Four on the various blocks we use for …
The Commodore Asks "How can we monitor our holding tank?"
Red Ranger has a fair amount of tankage.
Two 90 gal. water tanks (and a third water tank that leaks)
One 70 gal. fuel tank (and a second fuel tank that may leak)
One 40 gal. holding tank
Two propane …
The Commodore Said "Those headsails are shot."
We took them to Baxter Sailmakers and had two new headsails made. This is a multi-part operation.
Measure. See Custom Tailoring. This starts Baxter on the route of laying out a pattern, getting pieces cut and sewing.
Rebuild. We had to install new …
The Commodore Says "That's the way it's supposed to look."
The cushions are—officially—done.
We've rebuilt the old cushions to provide suitable access below the various berths and settees.
And we've got new, nice-looking fabric.
And everything is clean.
And.
Rebuilding …
Things we find. Example: the old binnacle ammeter was both poorly installed (i.e. loose wire) and partially disconnected when I installed the new alternator (see "We Got The Power").
We did notice that the ammeter seemed to be stuck on zero.
Then, as I thought about it, the idea …
The Commodore Says "The underberth storage needs to be accessible."
Red Ranger has a boat-load of storage [snerk]. But some of it is difficult to access without having three arms: one to lift the cushion and two to root around in the compartment.
The saloon settee (or "salon settle couch …
The Commodore Says "This boat is built for guests."
Red Ranger has a sea-kindly motion, two heads (better than...), ample water and a large holding tank. Plus. A full bar in the saloon. And a beer cooler on deck.
For overnights, we can fit a couple or two friendly singles …
The Commodore Says "Anything worth doing is worth overdoing." Actually, she never said that. However, it still seems to be true.
This weekend, we did a bunch of small repairs using only tools and parts that were already on the boat. We've turned some kind of corner where we can …
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