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.
On average, boat jobs require (as Lon says) 3.5 trips to West Marine, Hurd's Ace Hardware or the Napa store here in Deltaville. If you get a job done with only three trips, that means that there's a four-tripper in your future.
It's a natural law. Like Parkinson's Law …
We finally drained the starboard tank. Now we can shovel out the Aluminum Chloride crystals plus swab down the inside with vinegar. CA insists that clean water is important.
I suggest that gin is a viable alternative to water. She reminded me of the old Erie Canal song, the E-Ri-E …
Red Ranger is a documented vessel; she's mostly set for international travel. According to Skipper Bob's Bahamas Bound, we need a bunch of paperwork before we can sail foreign.
US Customs Decal https://dtops.cbp.dhs.gov/ Be sure to order after September 1st for the coming year. Insurance …
Wiser heads advised us that the secret of living aboard is to accomplish one thing before noon each day. A shower counts.
There's a lot of activity on a boat. But did we really accomplish anything?
The blurry picture above may be an accomplishment. It's a proper (working) engine block …
There's that "Oh, Crap!" moment when things are clearly not working. This moment of horrigying clarity is balanced by the utter obscurity of the root cause. After all, I only changed a one simple thing. How could it go so horribly wrong?
A solution is something that must be earned …
We installed the Engel MT45 fridge this weekend. That's not the "Oh, Crap!" moment.
This fridge is 1.43 cu ft; 1/10th of the volume of the original, complex built-in fridges with their 12V water pump, 110V compressor and engine-driven compressor. "Chilly Willy", the little Engel, just plugs …
CA works for a company that gives gifts for various anniversaries. For her 10th anniversary, she asked for the Black and Decker drill. For her 15th anniversary she asked for the Coleman 18W solar panel.
It's 1.5 A at best. Assuming 6 solid hours of great sun …
We think we installed the stays'l tracks "by the book". Drill and Fill. Goo and Screw. See Custom Tailoring 2—Adding Stays'l Tracks.
During the light (but steady) rain on Saturday, I checked each screw carefully for drippage.
Sadly, we have a weeper.
The good news? The water is going …
The Whitby interior design is pretty roomy with plenty of storage. There's a bonus: plenty of inaccessible space, too.
This is a photo of the space under the aft berth (port side, if you're keeping score.) You can clearly see three things. One the left (astern) is a lift-up panel …
Drill 24 holes in the deck? Are you crazy?
No. And No. It's not merely 24 holes in the deck. And we're not crazy.
The stitching had failed on Red Ranger's venerable yankee and stays'l. In the process of taking measurements for a custom-tailored sail, Dave Baxter pointed out some …
Whitby's were designed to have almost 300 gallons of water aboard. Since our forward tank leaks, were down to only 200 or so gallons. Without any conservation effort, we think this might last us a month or more. We don't take long, lingering showers. We do our laundry in a …
The Big Day... Installing the cushions in the V-Berth to see if the sizing instructions actually made any sense at all. (They didn't.)
CA carefully bagged each piece so that they wouldn't get dirty in the truck. It took a bit of stuffing to get them down the companionway hatch …
Red Ranger's interior is about to start its overhaul.
The V-berth cushions. ☑th Done.
Almost.
The open issue is sizing. The SailRite cushion video is quite clear on measurements. Their advice is to measure the foam and then sew with a ½" seam allowance.
Does this compress the foam …
Red Ranger's interior was in need of an overhaul. The wood (and plastic) are in great condition. The fabric covering needs help. (Okay, there's a spot there the cabin sole doesn't fit perfectly, but that's not visible.)
CA's got a three-part color scheme in mind: each cabin gets a …
Red Ranger's interior was spotlessly clean, thanks to the wonderful care and maintenance by her previous owners. However. The fabrics were also a bit -- well -- "dated".
CA has the skills and the tools to completely rebuild all the interior cushions. One of the crucial decisions is whether or not …
We had our "No Thank You Helping" of snow.
Tom, on Monday Morning, somewhere near Daytona, FL, posted that it was 30° down there.
We did a few jobs on the boat and fled back to our apartment.
Maybe next weekend we can get some things done.
Other than shivering …
Red Ranger's yankee and stays'l date from the Reagan administration. As we noted in Stitching Failures, they've reached the end of their useful life.
Mr. Baxter, of Baxter Sailmakers, went to Red Ranger to measure her for a properly-designed set of headsails. Custom-design sails include some consultation on sail …
Aboriginal Australians have a concept of dreamtime during which creation happens. It seems to make sense: we dream, we create a vision, we focus our actions around that vision. The hard part is keeping on course with your vision.
There's no end of management folderol about the essential importance of …
Red Ranger's Yankee and Stays'l date from 1981—the Reagan administration.
We took them to Baxter Sailmakers for a consult.
The news is not good. Mr. Baxter said that he could patch them; but after putting $$$ into the sails they'd only be worth $$$. We'd be patching them annually until they …
During our circumnavigation (day 10, specifically), we found that our macerator pump didn't work. We were three miles off shore and noticed that the tank-minder light was one, indicating a full holding tank. The pump, however, wouldn't spin. Broken? Packed solid with poo?
This was the start of a series …