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 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 …
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 …
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 …
How do you keep your to-do list?
Paper? iOS Reminders app? A spreadsheet?
What's on it? Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul? Anything else?
I've been using Toodledo for years. Well over 10 years now. It has an iOS app as well as a web app. It has a kajillion features with folders …
A Bladder Cleanser sounds like a special cranberry juice drink. But really, the job isn't over until the hand-washing afterwords.
Yes this is a picture of soapy water in the galley sink.
We put a little dish soap in the tank. Ran in some water. And …
It sounds so medical. It's not. It's technical.
Here's some parts.
This immensely complex T-fitting with appropriate hose barbs all around.
It's wonderfully Byzantine.
The deck filler has a bushing to narrow it from the default 1½″ to 1″. This is actually good because the tiny …
This was what we use to help fill the water bladder in the dinghy. It must weigh well over a pound. Solid bronze (mostly) with a shiny brass part.
There's a pair of bushings at the bottom to reduce a 1¼″ threaded pipe down to ¾ …
Today involves a bunch of new things.
A new year in the blog. Things are rearranged and reorganized.
No more day jobs for either of us. We're fully retired.
We started bending on sails now that winter has passed us by.
I finished fixing the outboard bracket. This involved a …
"But wait," you say, "Richmond is inland. And has a class IV rapids. Red Ranger can't get that far up the James River."
Yes. That would be true.
This chapter of Red Ranger's cruise is drawing to a close.
Our tenure as full-time liveaboard cruisers is ending. We …