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.
It's embarrassing but true: Red Ranger's electrical system has been an opaque mystery. Yes, I have done electrical work (i.e. add battery fuses and rearrange the grounding) but there's a difference between a pile of parts and an integrated whole. I was mired in "crap-load of components" mode …
Minor: Replaced the old Merriman blocks on the mizzen with nice, new Garhauer blocks. They have so little friction that I think I need to add some friction via a ratchet block or cam cleats.
Major: A bunch of Whitby folks had a clinic in diesel engine maintenance. Akula III …
We took Bill, Diane, Sara, Madeline and Ian out for a sail on Red Ranger. Biggest crowd ever; seven folks really packs the cockpit full. But send some of the kids out to be rail meat and there's room in the cockpit. The hard part is reminding them of the …
We took (Father) Bill and (Aunt) Diane out for a sail on Red Ranger.
15-20 kn of wind, 2-3' seas. A bouncy, but enjoyable ride.
When beating or reaching in wind over 15kn, it feels like we need one reef in the main and only the staysail. Running at under …
The picture is the Robert O. Norris Jr. Bridge. it's our first bridge in Red Ranger . It has 110' clearance, so it's not really all that interesting. Built in 1957, it's a classic steel truss bridge.
I blame my father for an interest in maps and charts as well as …
The tribe was scattered. Fawkes is in Chisman Creek. Fortuna is still working; not launched yet. Amazing Grace is in the process of being sold. Liquid Therapy posted status from the Solomons; they'll be away for two weeks. Monday Morning is on the hard, being fixed. Joie de Vivre was …
This is me looking heroic and feeling bitter-sweet. Summer means goodbye hugs all around.
The sweet part was the fuel system. After our various engine travails (Fuel System FAQ), the Cantankerous Mr. Lehman ran flawlessly. It's a real confidence-builder to have him start and run and all the gauges—save …
Here's some epic pictures of Fawkes' exterior paint.
Before — Peeling and looking like an environmental hazard.
After — Spectacular!
The work involved is staggering: sanding, preparing, priming, painting. The results, however, will last for decades.
Just put in a nice, new Dometic/Mach 500GPH pump.
Here's the rusty old pump. This was removed back on Valentine's Day. We haven't really needed the air conditioner yet.
No reason to replace anything that doesn't need replacing. Now that summer's almost here, it finally needs replacing.
Unlike the …
Yes, that's Xander down inside the lazarette. No, we didn't go sailing. We toured the marina and took a trip around Jackson creek in the dinghy.
Kind of disappointing not be able to sail. But the fuel system is in pieces.
So we hung around for a while and visited …
Q: What the heck is that?
A: That's the gunk from the previously inaccessible center fuel tank. It's not fuel. It's water with a little fuel floating on top.
Q: How much was in there?
A: I'd guess that it was about 30-35 gallons of fluid. The picture looks like …
Our first Mother's Day treat was a big breakfast in the picnic porch with the crew of Fawkes and Sea Turtle. Pancakes. Waffles. Syrup. Strawberries. Coffee. And some post-breakfast yarning about boats, sailing and life afloat. Important lesson: it's okay to motor-tack your big old ketch in light airs. Also …
Once upon a time, the Chesapeake was purely a waterway. Roads didn't go far from the water. It was easier to get to Baltimore or Tangier island than it was to get to Richmond. Much of the commerce in the Chesapeake was handled by "buyboats" like the F. D. Crockett …
Our field tanks have reached a level of crud that's untenable. However, talk to three old salts and you'll get four good solutions.
As noted in Easter and Rebirth, our fuel tanks aren't feeding properly. On Easter Sunday, we didn't know what was wrong. Thanks to American Diesel Corporation, we …
We went to the sunrise joint worship service at Stingray point. After the devastation of last weekend's tornado, it was a service of joy and hope. Minister Pearl Gresham Blake of Calvary Baptist Church spoke of Easter and hope: including comfort, counsel and choice. Three key elements for rebuilding Deltaville …
As they say, "any friend will help you move, a true friend will help you move a body." After the tornado ripped through Deltaville, we know who our true friends are. We learned how well-built our boat is. And we learned some new skills.
Winds were powerful. Red Ranger was …
An important annual ritual is rig inspection. There are a number of good sailboat rig inspection checklists. We had two purposes this year. First, the normal "ounce of prevention", but an important second was finding the source of bits of plastic that had rained down on the deck.
Every sailor …
Cindy Ann is putting coat hooks in a number of the hanging lockers. And she's also putting them under the companionway ladders. You can't have too many hooks. Red Ranger has a great foul-weather gear locker just under the companion-way steps. But without hooks, you have to figure out how …
I posted a request to my little corner of the Whitby community this week. I got fast, helpful answers. I love these folks.
We want to install a Mast Mate on the mizzen. To do that, we need to order some slides for the track up the mizzen mast . But …
This is a small, fussy thing that hardly counts as a job. But it's what we do while waiting for warmer weather. Boat jobs break down in the "pink" and "blue". Cooking, cleaning, curtains and pillows tend to be pink jobs. Anchor chains, engines, carpentry, plumbing is traditionally blue. Except …