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.

Team Red Cruising

  • Year 2, Week 3: The good and the bad

    Guests over the weekend. Took Red Ranger out into the Bay and bashed around a bit to be sure things are working. So far, so good. Rigging all stood up. Sails worked.

    sailing in deltaville 2.jpg
    sailing in deltaville 2.jpg

    Since we're leaving soon, I can't start anything big, which is a good …


  • Back in the Water Again

    Looking almost good. Almost.

    ✔ We're afloat. ✔ New paint. ✔ New chainplates. ✔ Fixed up woodwork. ✔ New Solar Panels. ✔ New Anchor Snubber. ✔ New bilge pump plumbing. ✔ Restitched Yankee.

    And.

    About that drip. And the Propane.

    At some point last year, CA noticed that our bilge pump had run.

    On some boats the bilge …



  • Year 2, Week 2: Finishing Up

    We're ready to paint. That should only take about a day.

    We're ready for the last six of our chainplates to be made. The mainmast is complete. All ten of those chainplates rebuilt, the rig tensioned as best I could reset it. The six mizzen chainplates are still pending.

    We …


  • Sanding

    There are two schools of thought on sanding the bottom.

    • Do.

    • Don't.

    We've read a bunch of material on the "do" approach. The paint itself says this.

    "PREVIOUSLY PAINTED SURFACES: In Good Condition: Remove loose paint by sanding with 80 grade (grit) paper, wipe with Special Thinner 216."

    We've talked …


  • Wax On; Wax Off

    I think we've got an acceptable coat of polish on Red Ranger's hull. It's not really great. The boatyard folks can lay on a great finish. But. It's better than the finish has been in a long time.

    IMG_1762
    IMG_1762

    You might be able to see the line in this picture …


  • The ‘Stash Issue

    The ICW ‘stash is a common problem.

    IMG_1752
    IMG_1752 "The ICW ‘ stash"

    In this picture, you can see that brown wave-shaped area in the bow.

    There are lots of suggested remedies for the ‘stash. Here are a few.


  • Year 2, Week 1: Haulout

    Started our second year living about Red Ranger by hauling her out of Jackson Creek.

    IMG_1754
    IMG_1754 ""

    And washing her for the first time in—at least—two years, maybe closer to 30 months.

    IMG_1744
    IMG_1744 ""

    Of course, we had barnacles everywhere. And "soft growth" (algae) that was right thick.

    So far …


  • Great Success

    Four big things yesterday.

    IMG_1740
    IMG_1740
    1. The Battery Filler. Totally works. Waited until a few hours after the sun went down and the batteries had finished charging. Put the pickup hose in a jug of distilled water. Pumped in at least a quart. I guess they were low. Need to do …

  • The A/C Issue

    Another issue to wrestle with: the air conditioner.

    IMG_1733
    IMG_1733

    We've used the forward A/C twice in the last two years. About a month ago when it was hot. About a week ago to test it after I pulled it out to get at the chainplates.

    It's been hot. Really …


  • Chainplates Halftime: 8 down, 8 to go

    The machine shop did an excellent, outstanding, amazing job of cloning the first 8 chainplates.

    It took some beating to get the new ones into the boat. Mostly the beating was because the new steel was perfectly straight and the fiberglass knees are slightly irregular.

    The trick appears to be …


  • Chainplates, Chapter 2

    We spent part of our summer dismantling Red Ranger to get at the chainplates. They seem like massive blocks of steel. Except. While stainless is chemically tough, it's not really all that stiff. I learned this while westling with 12′ pieces of bar stock.

    See Week 46: Deltaville Days, Week …


  • Week 51: End Of Year One

    Now is the time to write a pithy, clever retrospective on the first year of living aboard a sailboat and seeing the watery parts of the world.

    Instead, I've posted a picture from our first sail on Red Ranger, from June 27, 2010. We hadn't rigged the ratty old dodger …


  • Battery Filler

    Highly recommended product: The Pro-Fill system from Jan Watercraft Products.

    DSC03486
    DSC03486

    I saw the video. Discovery recommended it highly as a great simplification in topping off the water for large battery banks. We have four Trojan T105 Plus batteries, and the two in the back of the area are almost …


  • Waterman Wedding

    The marina had a wedding reception for a local waterman. That means a lot of deadrises tied up to C dock. Plus a tent. Plus a DJ. Plus some music.

    IMG_0721
    IMG_0721

    There were perhaps five visiting deadrises.

    It is the official Viginia state boat.

    The good news is that they …


  • Fuel Consumption [Updated]

    The question arises, how much did we spend on fuel? What's the cost of bopping up and down the coast?

    As they used to say, Your Mileage May Vary. If you're planning your first big trip (like we were not so many years ago) you'll need to think through your …



  • CA Goes Crabbing

    Even more foraging fun. Miss Ingy taught CA how to use a crab pot. She got four Jimmies her first day.

    IMG_1725
    IMG_1725

    In addition to the crabs, she also got some ugly-looking Oyster Toadfish (a/k/a Mudtoads.)

    It's a bit of a struggle getting the crabs to stay in …


  • CA Goes Fishing

    That was fun. And now we know a little about how it all works.

    Brooke and CA doing a rebait.
    Brooke and CA doing a rebait.

    Brooke and Susan from Liquid Therapy showed us the basics of catching Croaker.

    Brooke likes a 2 oz. weight, and two number 4 hooks. He suggests synthetic blood worms in …


  • Week 50: Deltaville Vacation

    In addition to fussing around with software, we're also doing minimal boat jobs. CA's making Floating Leaf Tiny Quilts, working and learning how to crab as well as fish. Crabbing. Animals that live in the mud under the marina.

    Meanwhile, I've done almost nothing.

    Partytime

    Said farewell to Escape this …


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