Month: March 2015

Rock’in and Roll’in All Night

wpid-20150331_133828.jpg
Waterford is by pencil point. Look at the strong gradient.

That’s what we’ve been doing all night.  Winds have been 20 gusting to 35 since yesterday afternoon.  Waterford is in a relatively sheltered spot in Ireland, so I’m guessing the winds are really howling in the north and west.

During the night, it was like I was sleeping in one of those rocking cribs.  Really nice; made even nicer knowing I am tied to a dock that isn’t going anywhere.  It even made me think about why I don’t miss our beautiful Manhattan apartment with the roof top garden oasis, we built a few years ago.  I did the design and found a carpenter to do all the hard work. The apartment is now rented; we may sell it this summer.  But lying in bed last night, feeling the rocking motion of the water, brought home to me how close I am to nature here and how comforting that is.  So while I miss my NY friends; the apartment Julie and I loved so much for 7 years, less so.

20130619_122134 (from Home Dell N2)
Our Manhattan Roof Top Garden & Oasis

 

Fundamentally, maybe that’s why in the middle of the Atlantic, thousands of miles from anywhere, we were at peace.  In fact, the lure of the blue ocean, to just jump in, was unbelievably strong.  Never something to fear, we embraced it. The ocean was also noticeably saltier than near the coast.

 

Back to now, these winds would have been much more stressful if we were on anchor.  I would have gotten only a few hours’ sleep, at most.

The main reason for lack of sleep on anchor is that in spite of the various anchor alarms I use (alarms that use GPS and sound an alarm if we move a specified distance).  On numerous occasions, I have convinced myself that we are moving laterally.  I don’t think I have ever been right either, but the feeling is so strong, I must get out of bed, and run to the pilot house, prepared to fire up the engine at the first sign of danger.  Being in a dark forward cabin is one of the factors that cause this.  It has certainly made me even more aware of the dangers of vertigo that pilots face in dark, FIR conditions.  And the only cure trusts your instruments and not your brain.

 

So for the last few hours I have been finishing the pilot house reorganization.  90% of the stuff is put away and I’ve just been doing the odds and ends today.  I’m writing this post now, sitting in the salon, because while in the pilot house not long ago, I realized I was getting sea sick!

Yes, tied to a dock, going no place, I was getting sea sick.  Maybe I just needed a little water, but that is usually the first sign.  20 minutes later, I’m fine now.  I think having my head under the helm station for an inordinate amount of time was the culprit.  But we are also bouncing in a non-rhythmic way.  Since Dauntless is tied to a floating dock, under such conditions, the lines pull on the dock, resulting in a jarring motion.

I’ll adjust the lines again.  I let you know the results.

Senses Re-tuned

Drip, drip drip. There was a leak somewhere and i was determined to find it.

The bilge pumps had not turned on, so that made it easier. The leak was not into the bilge.

Living for the most part on a boat, it is amazing how my senses have become much keener.  I see, hear and small things, like never before.

In New York, Julie has a group of people who really help her live in and appreciate the moment.  Dauntless has done that for me.

During the night, I noticed the water pump cycling on for a few seconds.  Now I was sleeping, so it was unclear to me how often this was happening, but I probably heard it five times in the course of the night.

I would hear it, then go back to sleep.  I wondered if I heard it because I was already awake or did it waken me?  I think the latter; otherwise I would hardly have been sleeping. Much like when sleeping in the pilot house, I would awake whenever a light appeared in front of me.  The rising of Venus, Jupiter and the Moon always woke me without fail.

So this morning, I decided to tackle this problem before doing anything else, even getting dressed. There was a leak and I would find it before getting distracted.

So there I was with my LED flashlight, my cozy slippers and nothing else.  Grateful no one could see me, for I am sure it was a comical sight.

Deciding to start at the bow, I looked at the forward shower and sure enough, drip, drip, drip. I opened the faucet and closed it again, tighter.  The drip stopped.

Problem solved.  Yes, sometimes, it’s as simple as that.

In fact, as I understand Dauntless better and she understands me, problems tend to be simple.

Why? because we found the right boat of the right brand, Kadey Krogen, that was optimized for what we wanted to do with her.

I’m debating whether to write more extensively about the systematic process we went through to find this boat and be where we are today.

Please tell me what you think.

Not Much is New

wpid-20150320_194956.jpg
NYC Has Become a Winter Wonderland

I haven’t posted much in the last weeks, because, at least in my mind, I haven’t done much.

I got back from NY last Tuesday and promptly got a cold.  That forced me to rest and by drinking a lot of

Umm Ja Cha
Umm Ja Cha

I feel almost like new again.

 

I’m in the last stages of the big reorganization, or probably better described, the first organization.  Hey, I’m slow sometimes.  It’s taken me two years to figure out, what I need where.

Spare parts
Spare parts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have also firmed up our cruising plan for July and August.  June and September is more vague, but I am planning on leaving Waterford May 25th.

phone 142
Mary in one of her more resigned moods, wearing my hat.

That’s my mother’s birthday, so it’s fitting, as Dauntless has replaced my mother, in so many ways.

Dauntless in Waterford March 2015
Dauntless in Waterford
March 2015

Just What Have I Been Doing for the Last Few Months?

20150305_143615
Packed Storage Bins

Since December, besides travelling to England, Italy, Spain and the U.S., I have been organizing tools and spare parts.  I am making a computerized list of each part, their storage location, as well as any significant information, such as model number, etc.

Having also reorganized my tools and fasteners, clamps, etc., my life will be so much easier, and as an added bonus, I was able to throw away two garbage cans of packing materials.

Though I am returning to Dauntless today, I shall return to NY at the end of April for two weeks. Dauntless will be hauled out and have her bottom painted again while I am in NY.  Then I will be joined by Larry, a friend of over 40 years, who I met on T-3.  With that extra set of hands, we will complete the last of the winter projects.

What’s left to be done:

  1. Replacing the Raritan toilet processing tank,
  2. Installation of the Wallas DT40 heater
  3. Installation of a 30,000 BTU “Bus” heater, which will use engine heat to heat the two cabins while underway,
  4. Recommissioning the Katadyn water maker
  5. General clean up

In my Next post, I will publish the updated Cruise Plan.

On another topic.

I made a new post on my other blog, Refeldtions, titled Another World Leader Appreciates the United States of America.

A great story that was in yesterday’s Opinion page of the Wall Street Journal, 21 March 2015, President Sisi of Egypt tells of a different reality than we are accustomed to hearing, day in and day out.

I thought it was important to share. If interested, the link is:  richardbost.wordpress.com