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 usual advice is measure twice cut once. But. We're not there yet.
I've (finally) cut away enough of the top to reach inside and work. While it's taken a bunch of weekends, it's really one, long messy cutting job.
We wait for afternoons where it gets up to about …
We've learned a lot of lessons.
First, the 4″ segmented TiN coated blade for the Fein Multimaster is the secret to this job. See this from Multifit Blades. The technique of scribing the line carefully with the blade oscillating, followed by running the tool slowly back and forth works really …
For me, my day job things are rarely "finished" and "done."
There are a lot of folks who can go home knowing they filled all the orders, dropped of all the shipments, closed all the tickets, and got things completely done. All the way done — for the day. Tomorrow there …
The reciprocating saw (known to us as "Maxx Damnage") let me make four long cuts in the space of a few hours.
Sadly, once we're past the easy part, the new cuts involve less accessible places. And a less destructive saw.
The DeWalt reciprocating saw is …
See Water Tank Replacement for some back story.
We've started taking steps. This involves radical destruction.
First, get the anchor we've never used up and out of the bilge under the V-berth.
We didn't even know we had this anchor until we'd owned the boat for …
CA has a shiny, new Canon EOS.
The ducks living in the marina.
We're checking on Red Ranger every other weekend (more-or-less.)
We top off the battery water. Make sure nothing's leaking or broken or falling apart. Adjust the dock lines. Sigh a lot. Talk about trips we want …
There's a Great Blue Heron at Herrington Harbour. We're told its name is George.
It's not clear, but the creek has a thin skin of ice.
This is the last big job of the season. For the next few months it's watching and waiting.
The checklist involves a number of jobs, some of which we already did by accident.
Drain the water tanks. The forward tank has been empty (and dry) for …
The v-berth tank always leaked. The port side saloon tank now leaks.
The solution seems to involve custom tanks by Dura-Weld. See https://plasticfabricatedtanks.com.
Under the saloon floor we have two choices:
Option 1: Follow the Joie de Vivre plan and …
The sea chest sounds so nautical and "yo-heave-ho," but it isn't. It's also called a water box; it's the manifold where sea water comes in for the various systems that use it. Once upon a time, we had air conditioners, a fridge, and two heads that flushed with sea water …
We have a bilge pump counter. Over the last few weeks we've been severely worried about the counter being non-zero.
Non-zero bilge pump counter is a sure sign of a leak.
When we return to the boat and the counter is more than one, it's a sign of a fairly …
CA made me this today. The top picture is the new "wife" used to carry the SAE wrenches. The bottom is the old wife.
Notice the following:
No Holes. (The bottom picture shows one hole on the flap. The other side was hilariously holy.)
Labels for the …
CA bought a magnetic knife holder to put with her refinished cutting board.
Getting the backing plate away from the magnet is not fun. You have to commit to pulling them apart without wavering in the least. If you hesitate, that piece of steel will take chunks out of your …
This is a set of chores we take on with joy.
This is the WRSC dock.
A long, long string of wood and plumbing and electrical.
The idea is to rip out pieces each year.
Since becoming members, I've helped with a …
Plumbing — water, sewer, propane — is all pretty simple. Until it leaks. Then it's a right pain in the ass. Leaks can be difficult to diagnose. It's not always a good idea to tighten things down harder. Sometimes over-tightening breaks something else.
Neither CA nor I grew up with propane. Not …
CA likes having countertop she can use directly. A loose cutting board on a moving boat is a liability.
The Whitby has a nice cutting board built in the top of the refrigerator.
This has consequences. Mostly it means having any ingredients that need chopping …
There are two important classes of chemicals. Goos and Lubes. Goo to make things stop. Lubes to make them go.
They each have specialized purposes. It helps if you know what you're doing. And in some cases, you learn as you go. This is one of those lessons learned.
The …
Two weeks ago, I broke the catch of Red Ranger's bar.
Thus lead to much swearing. And this clamp-and-webbing catch.
The clamp holds the webbing. The webbing holds the bar.
It's a shabby necessity. A "jury rig."
There are two choices. Replace …
CA cleaned. And cleaned. And cleaned.
It rained much of the weekend.
I managed to drill out four screws and remove one of the mast steps to make it easier to put on a sensible sail cover. There's more to report here in the long run. For now, let me …
We're tortured by The Thing from below our foredeck.
Like a malevolent toad, squatting on deck, it stares at us in the cockpit.
In rare moments of lucidity, my partner's gibbering includes claims it rose from the chain locker, smelling of charnel horrors, and cold as the …