Dave's colleagues came aboard for our first party at sea. We got the sails up, but when we shutdown the engine, we topped out at 1.7 knots. None the less, everyone enjoyed motoring past the Seattle skyline. However, when Dave went to turn off the engine, the stop button did nothing. So Dave c…
One of the things we wanted to do while the boat was in the boat yard was to install its new arch. Because the boat was on stilts up in the air, Dave first had to erect scaffolding.
Dave thought they could put the arch together and put it up so that they could drill the holes in the boat in the…
So we moved out of the condo onto the boat. Only a week later to move into a hotel while the boat was in the boat yard. We were supposed to be in the hotel 4 nights. Ended up being 9. And the first night in the hotel Dave figures out that there's a tradeshow he needs to attend in Florida, so he …
The boat needs some work that can only be done in dry dock. Bottom paint, a new rudder, new propeller, and new zincs. The zincs are interesting - they are basically "sacrificial". They are intended to be "eaten" by stray electrical currents so that the prop and engine shaft don't get corroded. T…
One of the projects we needed to do before we left town was to replace the engine and house batteries. The engine battery is no problem - its about like replacing your car battery. The house batteries however we another matter entirely. There are two that weigh 120 lbs each. Dave lifted them abo…
It's 74 days since I told Dave we should go for it and do the two year sail. We moved out of the condo this weekend. All the household goods got sent to Dave's best friend's brand new retirement home out in Port Angles. This is super cool that our stuff doesn't have to remain in storage where it …
The fuel gauge had no wire connected to it and hence was inop. There was a wire of the right type and color in the navigator station that appeared to have been previously connected to the fuel gauge. However, tests showed that wire was not connected to the fuel tank. (A mystery to be solved at a …
Dave tells Melissa that mounting the two new smoke/CO detectors is her job. "What?! You are going to let me loose on the teak wood with a screwdriver and a drill? Me? When if I put so much as a tinsy winsy scratch on it I will know that it will drive you crazy till you refinish the whole interior…
The diesel heat didn't work in the aft cabin. Dave thought maybe it was the rear thermostat. Sure enough when he replaced it, it started working. But a while later it stopped. Dang. He sits down to dinner. In the middle of dinner he leaps up - "must be the relay under the master bed!". Sure e…
The first project was to replace the outhaul. For you land lubbers, the outhaul is the rope that pulls the main sail out. The rope goes through the boom (that big beam that knocks people overboard on boat comedies). The problem is that the surveyor who inspected the boat for us before we bought i…
The plan is to set out around Mid-May with hopes of making Alaska before the solstice so that we can spend the longest day of the year watching the glaciers fracture into the ocean. This month has been a bit crazed though what with launching all the plans...
| Day 0 | Feb 5th Melissa sends an… |
Having rented our condo, we now face the challenge of where to store all our stuff while we are gone. We figure it makes the most sense to store all our possessions in the hangar rather than pay for additional storage space. This has the added advantage of having some heavy security as you can't g…
Inspection starts early at 9am. We all meet at the boat to get an early start as it is sure to be a long day. Nothing major found other than the prop and rudder needing to be replaced, the fact that the boat doesn't start, and after we got done, the boat wouldn't sail. First hint of trouble occurred…