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.
For the last -- I don't know precisely -- year, maybe two years, our dinghy has been sitting in the gravel parking lot, or over on the dinghy rack with other lost or abandoned dinghies. The lost dinghy collection is one of those forlorn marina things. Deflated inflatables. Puddles of dead leaves …
A chartplotter is insanely sophisticated. Installation of this high-powered computing device was shocking. Shocking. I had studied my wiring carefully to try and figure out exactly how to replace the old -- simple -- Garmins with this new, complex chartplotter.
The Standard Horizon CP300i has a complete GPS system (itself very complex …
It felt like a graduation day. Everything really worked the way it was supposed to.
The most important thing was a certain lack; a missing gall or burr; an absence of nagging worries.
On Sunday hosted the Previous Owners, Bob and Patty. Their life together -- marriage and three kids -- is …
Making final decisions can be hard. There's a fair amount of "buyer's remorse" from simply making the decision. And it's a religious kind of experience. A chartplotter represents a search for truth in a world of uncertainty. We're seeking confidence that we're doing the right thing. Really.
I started by …
Most folks only get to make one Sailrite Stackpack. We get to make two. Which -- if you like to sew -- might be a delight. We started small (with the 12' mizzen). Then we had to tackle the 16' main. Moving up meant a great deal of problem-solving. More than we …
Two of the Essential Questions are "Where are we?" and "Where are we going?"
Other Essential Questions include "When will we get there?", and "Will there be lunch?" After all, sailing is all about eating in new locations. But you have to get there before you can enjoy your lunch …
Most folks only get to make one Sailrite Stackpack. We get to make two. Which -- if you like to sew -- might be a delight.
The first of anything is a learning process. New materials, vast size, different engineering of the various fabric components. A lot to learn.
The Stackpack process …
Ordinarily, one doesn't care much about this. Until, of course, the current cut of the sail becomes a problem. Then we have to modify things. It's not a big job, and I took a few pictures to show how it works.
Also, we made a few mistakes, which helped is …
Sunday, we loaded the truck with stuff, ready to install the Sailrite Stack Pack cover on the mizzen. Two 10' pieces of 3/4" PVC pipe. Check. Stack Pack kit. Check. Tools. Check. Plan for managing the assembly process. Check.
The pipe is important for supporting the top of the …
The word "fair" has several meanings. It seems to mean "honest" or "equitable", "adequate" or "acceptable". You have to get way down the list of definitions before you get to the nautical sense of "fair".
Sailors use the term to mean "smooth" or even "helpful".
When we look at phrases …
Finally.
Getting Red Ranger ready seems like a long, uphill slog. The reality is that it hasn't been all that bad. But it seems painful by comparison with other pursuits. For example, after you close on a house or buy a car, you can use it more-or-less immediately. Clearly, a new …
The look like pulleys, but sailors call them blocks. The one in the middle looks okay in this picture. But it is actually broken, also.
They're part of the mizzen mast. One helps put some purchase on the mizzen sheet. The other two help put some purchase on the running …
Boats have bilges: it's where water inside the boat collects to be pumped out. Modern "fin keel" boats barely have any bilge. Classic designs -- like Red Ranger -- have deep bilges.
We have a Manifold of Bilge Pumps to manage the bilge.
What's important is to try to keep the bilge …
Part of the Red Ranger Mission Statement is "Using the smallest carbon footprint we can" which -- when you think about it -- is too narrow.
In the Red Ranger song, we sing (in 6/8 with a rolling feel)
C C F F
And She'll see just as much of …The "Five F's" include Flood, Falling Overboard, Fire, First Aid, Famine. Let's wring our hands over flooding. This is a subject which can make one very distraught. It takes some work to be optimistic.
Red Ranger has a number of holes in the hull. All of which are fairly serious …
The guys at the boatyard called it "muck". It's the rotten wood sandwiched inside the foredeck.
There's more than what's showing in the picture.
Okay, so there was some rot. We knew that going in to the deal. It's a bit more rot than we'd hoped. But, we had lowered …
Yes, that's the Ranger in the shed.
A boat on the hard -- up on stands -- still has a tremendous majesty. A dismasted boat on the hard, well, she looks like she's wearing the silly front-only hospital gown, prepped for surgery. Vulnerable.
A boat in the shed... well, she's stretched out …
Finally got some jobs checked off as "done". As in "completely 100% done."
Engine Room Light; shown above. Done.
Polarity Indicator; shown to the right. Done.
Replace domestic wirenut on bilge pump circuit; lower right. Done.
Some jobs are mostly done.
Sink Drain Hose; lower middle. Mostly.
Seacocks. Port side …
Our new neighborhood depends -- in a fairly serious way -- on the moon. Being close to the water puts us closer to the moon, also.
At the end of our block, it floods. It's not a rare "heavy rain" thing. It's not a mistake in civil engineering or roadway maintenance. It's …
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