Forty vs. Four

Included on our refit to-do-list was rebuilding the dinghy cradle.  On the way up from Florida, the dinghy had a tendency to rock forward and aft in heavy seas – not good!  When we arrived at Herrington Harbour North, we contracted with Eastport Spar and Rigging for a rebuild that would include providing more support for the overall weight and bracing to prevent the movement.  After the original cradle was removed, serious structural and design flaws were discovered.  So, most of the original cradle was scrapped, and only the long beams were salvaged.  After a wait that was exacerbated by a hurricane, electrical outage, and flooding, we were notified that the cradle was ready to be fitted to the sun deck.  To make the boat more accessible, it was moved to Galesville, MD and Hartge Yacht Harbor where ESR’s shop is located.

Towing the dinghy to Galesville

The original dinghy cradle had four through bolted attachment points.  The design theory probably being that fewer penetrations were better.  However, because the attachments were not stable, the four penetrations allowed moisture penetration.  The new design has 10 legs touching the deck, each with four fasteners each.

All of the penetrations were drilled and tapped to ensure a tight fit, and then carefully bedded with 3M 5200 sealer.

Pat and “J” working with the 5200

The hold-down points were through drilled so that acorn nuts with backing washers could be installed.

Lance (on the phone) did the welding

While the cradle was fabricated and installed, the dinghy was forced to wait in some fairly nasty marina water.

A power washing was ordered before the dinghy was fitted to the new cradle.

That got most, but not all of the growth that had accumulated over 4 weeks.

Pollie and I got to clean what the lift straps left

The dinghy was fitted and custom hold-down straps were fabricated.

Special thanks to:

John Callewaert, owner

Eastport Spar and Rigging

MOTIVATOR is ready to go

We are off to Annapolis and then Baltimore before heading south for the winter.

Still in HHN

After the props were tuned, 4 gallons of bottom paint was applied, and hurricane Irene passed, MOTIVATOR was splashed.  The only item we are waiting on is the rebuilt dinghy cradle for the rear deck.  We thought we had bought too heavy of a dinghy, but it turns out the existing cradle was experiencing some structural failure in addition to design issues.

Old cradle

In the mean time, we have attended to our annual doctor appointments and other housekeeping duties such as replacing the discolored sight tubes that we use to measure the amount of fuel and water in the tanks.

In addition to the usual maintenance, I completed an upgrade of MOTIVATOR’s navigation system.  She came equipped with a FURUNO NAVnet system.  Unfortunately, it was Version 1 that was introduced in 2000, not the Version 2 that was introduced in 2005, the year the boat was built.  We found the graphics to be lacking and the charts (NAVIONICS Classic) for the system are no longer in production.  Outdated chart chips are available on the Internet for about $240.00 per chip, and the chips cover only a very small area.

Set of NAVIONICS Classics for the Great Loop

We decided the way to go was upgrade to FURUNO NAVnet vx2.  The single chip for vx2 that covers the entire East Coast and Bahamas is $199.00.  The first step was to replace the black box with a vx2 unit.  But, FURUNO advised that because they had introduced a new system, NAVnet 3D, and were phasing out vx2, the US Coast Guard had bought every vx2 BB available.  Jim at Navigator’s Electronics in Ft. Lauderdale came through for me finding a used unit at a substantial savings.

The screen on the fly bridge also had to be replaced.  Here, I was not so lucky and had to go with a new unit.

Now the FURUNO system is complete and the chart plotter, sounder and radar display work and talk to the other equipment both in the pilot house and fly bridge.

Auto Pilot Control

Depth, sea temperature, and speed indicator

The FURUNO system is good, but we have gotten used to having a backup navigation system, and we like using Nobeltec software.  Evidently the previous owner also liked having a second navigation system, or he too found FURUNO vx1 to be lacking, because he had installed a Tough Shelf to hold a laptop on the fly bridge.

We found that my laptop struggled to keep up with the demands of the Nobeltec software, was very difficult to see in bright sunlight, and required running the inverter while we are motoring.  Besides, it was rather cumbersome to use.  So, MOTIVATOR received a dedicated computer and fly bridge screen from Argonaut Computer.  A minicomputer was mounted on the inside of the fly bridge console where it is easy to access.

A 15” daylight viewable, weather tight screen replaced the cumbersome laptop and articulating arm.

In addition to the Nobeltec VNS navigation suit, we have XM WxWorx satellite weather running on the system.

Some of the thunderstorms that recently drenched the East Coast

The XM weather can also be overlaid on the Nobeltec chart plotter display.

Another system we got used to using on Serenity was AIS, so an ACR AIS receiver was incorporated into the system.

The pilothouse received a redundant display in the form of an off the shelf Samsung 20” LED computer monitor.  The Samsung LED display as well as all of the other equipment operates on 12 volts DC, thus eliminating the need to run the inverter while motoring.

Of course the system required an increase to the black box farm under the fly bridge console, and a couple of days or tweaking to get everyone playing nice in the sandbox.

While I was installing all of the above, Pollie has been raising caterpillars on her parsley.

Soon we will have our own butterfly pavilion

Haul Out, Earthquake, Hurricane, and Other Issues

We arrived back in Herrington Harbour North on Tuesday, August 17, 2011.  HHN is the closest thing we have to a home base.  We keep a storage room with ladders, tools, and spares at the marina.  And, after keeping Serenity there for seven years, it just feels like home.

The following Thursday we were hauled out.

HHN has great equipment and competent crews for haul outs.

But, it is still a little nerve racking seeing your boat lifted from the water.

The purchase survey had noted that the bottom paint and zincs were approaching the end of their service life.  Also, the engines were short a few hundred RPMs from reaching the full 2600 RPM at wide open throttle indicating the props may be pitched wrong.  So they will be pulled and tuned by Ralph at Digital Prop Shop.

After a power wash,

MOTIVATOR did a tour of the marina, causing a slight traffic jam, and then was placed on the hard.

Pollie packed her bags and left to visit the youngest son in Reston, VA as soon the bottom paint came out.  I joined her at Haeden’s third floor apartment just in time to for the 5.8 earthquake.  Haeden called to check on us after the quake and we told him we ran down the stairs to open ground.  He asked if we had grabbed the cat as we evacuated.  Nope, she was on her own.

Next was the warning that Irene was on her way to the Chesapeake.  We decided not to launch and stay where we were on the hard in between some large buildings.   As a precaution, we removed the entire canvass enclosures and secured all loose items.

 

Although we have encountered more rain and wind at anchor, we were relieved that Irene did not deliver more of a punch.  But, there was some damage.

Because of the following three day power outage we suffered a setback on some of the work we hoped to get done.  Pollie, however jumped on cleaning and reinstalling the canvass.

Detour to Crisfield

On our way up the Chesapeake Bay, we made a detour to visit friends, Chris and Tracy, in Crisfield, MD on the Eastern Shore.

Reading the Washington Post on my

Kindle while cruising up the Chesapeake

Chris and Tracy have leased waterfront property in the heart of Crisfield where they plan to open a much needed boat rental business.  While we were visiting, they let us use their private dock.

Crisfield comes alive Thursday through Sunday, then goes back to sleep Monday through Wednesday.

Great Tiki Bar

Chris and Tracy plan on renovating this piece of property and being open Thursday through Sunday during the summer tourist season.  Winters they will spend cruising south.

Future home of Crisfield Boat Rental

Crisfield has a great anchorage that attracts cruisers, but unless you spend some time there exploring with a small boat, you will not see all that the area has to offer (see: http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/eastern/janesisland.asp ).   Of course the locals know all of the great spots.

Thanks Chris and Tracy, we had a great time!

Searching

Spanish Wells, Bahamas

Knowing that we will not be able to continue our current lifestyle forever, part of our quest is to find the “perfect” place to live once we decide to become “landlubbers” again.   As we travel up and down the coast, we see houses and towns that look interesting.

Carolina Beach, NC

St. Augustine, Florida is one of our favorite cities, but it may be one of those places that is better to visit than to make your home.  Living in DC was great, but we found that we did not take advantage of the culture offerings due to congestion, traffic, parking, etc.  And, we vowed never to do another Snowmageddon.   Towns like Georgetown, SC are great, but a little too sedate.  Others have not embraced their history and are little more than a collection of strip malls and tract housing. 

We spent this weekend in New Bern, NC.  New Bern has certainly made our Top 10 list for now. 

Governor’s Palace

Completed in 1770, Tryon Palace served as the first permanent capitol of North Carolina and home to the Royal Governor William Tryon and family.  Tryon Palace was the site of the first sessions of the general assembly for the State of North Carolina following the revolution and housed the state governors until the state capitol was relocated to Raleigh, NC.  The original Palace building was destroyed by fire in 1798.  After a 30-year campaign, the Palace was rebuilt and the grounds were restored reopening in 1959.  That’s dedication to history!

Palace Gardens

The rest of the town’s public buildings aren’t too shabby either.

County Court House

And, the town has some very impressive residential property.

There is also an impressive stock of what appears to be affordable housing in historic neighborhoods.

But, until we decide to “swallow the anchor,” MOTIVATOR will be our home.

Skipjack Landing, New Bern, NC

(Impressive and very reasonably priced)

Seventh Heaven

Recently I received an email enquiring about anchoring restrictions in Florida.  This continues to be a hot-button issue for boaters and certain municipalities.  In 2007 boaters took to task a restrictive anchoring ordinance in Miami resulting in a Florida Legislature attempting to corral local ordinances (see: http://www.boatus.com/gov/florida_0307.asp ). 

Although there are other issues, the root of the conflict usually arises from owners of expensive waterfront homes not wanting “eyesores” anchored in the view they purchased.  And, homeowners vote locally while cruisers usually have few ties to the community.

With Serenity and now with MOTIVATOR, we have never been hassled anywhere we have decided to anchor.  I like to think we are viewed as an asset to the neighborhood, but I also think it is because we are respectful and do not overstay our welcome.  

Responsible cruisers, while usually more tolerant than “landlubbers,” also have issues with derelict boats and the permanently anchored live-aboards found in many anchorages.  In Coconut Grove, Florida, we were told that the mooring field maintained by the City used to be an anchorage until it was so fouled by derelict and sunken boats that no one dared anchor there.  The City, at great expense had to remove the wreckage and establish a mooring field.

Just south of the mooring field, a new sunken boat area is forming. 

The mooring field solution is one that is being adopted by many municipalities with varying success.  While we generally welcome the option to grab a mooring ball, other cruisers do not have the money for the fees associated with a mooring ball in their budget.  I used to silently scoff at the cruisers that would say, “I trust my anchor more than any mooring ball,” until friends broke loose in Fernandina, FL (see:  http://yachtcarina.blogspot.com/2011/05/bahamas-to-florida-to-beaufort-nc.html , half way down the posting with the paragraph beginning with, “Around 6:30 PM,”).

 Generally, when a mooring field is established, anchoring is restricted.  This can create a host of problems, for example we were advised that now we are too big for the moorings in Vero Beach, Florida and possibly Coconut Grove.

For Georgetown, SC, Skipper Bob advises, “We have received a few comments from boaters about derelict boats in the mooring field….”  Last fall when we stopped there with Serenity that was certainly the case.  We had trouble finding room for Serenity among the derelicts, and ended up anchoring in water that was too shallow for comfort.  Because MOTIVATOR needs a lot of swing room, we decided to take a slip on this visit to Georgetown, SC.

MOTIVATOR, comfortable next to a fuel dock

It appeared that some of the derelict boats had been removed, and because it is late in the season for the transient migration north, there were few other cruisers vying for a spot. There was a row of boats that we labeled, “Bachelor Row,” because it appeared to be inhabited by single handlers on semi-permanent anchorage.

But, that raises another issue.  What constitutes an “eyesore” is in the eye of the beholder.