Blog Archives

First Shake Down Cruise

3/21/2019

Tomorrow we’ll head home from our first shake down cruise of the year. We’ve spent three days in Glenthorne Pass, an hour away from our slip in Otter bay.

The dashed line is our path.

This trip has accomplished many things. Foremost, we motored for an hour, at cruising speed, allowing a solid test of the engine. It worked perfectly, but it will take me a long time to stop worrying about the now fixed cooling system.

While here I’ve added the second fan to our kitchen porthole vent system. This helps to control the humidity in the boat. We found it also helps to leave them on all night. These are very quiet computer fans, drawing little power.

Very quiet fans.

Testing our new custom sun shade. Way to go Sarah!

Our new box fan came in Monday, and we were able to pick it up before we left. This looks like any other box fan, but it’s smaller and runs on 12 volts. It will be a lifesaver during the hot summer months. I have an outlet to install in the bedroom so we can bring in cool air through the forward hatch.

The relatively new iPad mount for the helm station just wasn’t cutting it. It was so articulated that the vibration and motion of the boat under way caused things to move. I found a fix, and after a bit of drilling and simplifying, it now holds steady. (I won’t be able to return it.)

One thing I looked forward to testing was the output of the solar power system. The sun is getting higher in the sky each day, but nothing like in the Sumer. Would the March sun provide enough power to keep everything running? It’s been cloudless these three days, but cold at night, so we’ve used the heater to stay warm and it’s a power hungry device. Luckily, I found the solar output has been strong enough (and long enough) to charge the batteries before sunset every day.

There are other systems, little used during the winter, that we were able to check for operation, like the VHF radio, auto-pilot, instruments and anchor light. Everything is working well. Although more shake down trips are in order, I’m thinking we’ll now find any and every excuse to get off the dock.

Warmer weather, a boat to sail, and someone to share it with.
Wouldn’t you?

0 Comments

The World Through An Artist's Eyes

3/14/2019

1 Comment

The weather is starting to improve, highlighted by warmer days and fewer storms. Spring is coming and everything from the daffodils to boat owners are starting to stir. We are too.

As we begin preparations for the summer, a major source of enjoyment has been the provisioning for the resident artist. When we leave Otter Bay, everything Sarah may need for the next four months must be on board. There aren’t any art stores where we’re going.

Painting in the sun.

I really like having an artist on board. There are many reasons for this.

She’s become my guide, teaching me to look at the world in a new way. I now know what a robin egg sky looks like, and what makes a landscape worth painting. If you spend time with an artist, you’ll remember the childhood delight of shadows and rainbows.

The boat is often humming with her constant creativity. Our conversations about subjects and color often stretch into the night. Then, the next day, they are applied to pallet and canvas. This is more fun then youtube cat videos.

Artists are natural ambassadors. Most people have had some art experience, or a relative does. When I introduce Sarah, their eyes light up and a friendship builds on common ground. (For some reason, being an artist and being on a boat earns bonus points.)

Art is one of the handful of endeavors that is perfect for boat life. I read a quote somewhere that all a person really needs is a boat and some meaningful activity to engage in. Art fits that definition because it feeds the head, heart and soul with infinite possibilities. The only activity I can think of that might be better suited for boat life is writing. :)

One of my favorite explorers wrote:

the artist’s defining responsibility is to go to the edge of human experience and send back reports -
—Webb Chiles

When we head north, we’ll report back to you as we paint and write about the world we find.

1 Comment

Question Everything

3/7/2019

2 Comments

Hate this guy.

Well, that seems kind of obvious. Doesn’t it? Although I’ve learned this truism and share it with all who will listen, I sometimes forget to take my own advice.

We’ve always had a nagging temperature gremlin with Odyssey’s main engine. As long as you keep an eye on the gauge, when she starts to get hot, a timely rev of the engine cools things down. But forget to look and she will overheat at the worst moment.

Now, I’ve got a bit of engine experience and I know this shouldn’t have been happening. I tried most everything I could think of, both cheep and expensive. At times it seemed we were close to solving things, but then, we didn’t.

In desperation I installed a temperature alarm so we could keep things from getting damaged. We learned to live with the problem, not fix it.

It’s now two years later and couple months away from our longest cruise. I really wanted to be done with this worry. I didn’t want to take it with us to the Broughtons.

A good view of our engine.

So there I was, for the 20th time, with the cover off the engine, on my knees, with flashlight and knuckle-gloves. I checked every potential problem that might cause overheating, but just like before, I couldn’t find anything wrong. I was frustrated and a bit pissed off.

That’s when I remembered my mantra. Question everything. Maybe there wasn’t anything wrong with the engine. Maybe there wasn’t anything broken, but if not, what else could it be?

Odyssey had gone through a very expensive refit before we bought her. It was particularly expensive because all of the work was done by marine mechanics and installers. Good for us right? I mean, they wouldn’t install something wrong, would they?

I’ll take pity on the details, but there I was, on the floor, staring at the engine, when I realized something about the hoses seemed wrong. In fact, as far as I could tell, the way the cooling system was plumbed might cause all the problems we were having. Was it possible that things were just installed wrong?

It took ten minutes to reroute a hose so I could test the theory. With that done, try as I might, the temperature remained stable. She wouldn’t overheat! I had to smile. Yup, they had messed up.

So the gremlin is gone. Finally, our little engine is as dependable as she should be. Next time I’ll be a little smarter, next time I’ll question everything.

2 Comments

Backyard Camping

3/4/2019

0 Comments

We were in the mood to get off the dock but we had to wait for calmer weather. As captain I understand this. My crew, on the other hand, gets impatient if we sit at the dock for too long.

The low pressure systems have been parading down the coast, keeping the air cold and blustery. With daytime temperatures averaging 40 F, accompanied by the strong NE winds, the wind chill was often in the twenties.

We don’t enjoy going out in those conditions.

A break finally arrived (thank you Windy) so we untied from the dock and spent several days at anchor in Otter Bay. We had the entire 45 acre ‘campground' to ourselves. The wind was light, the sunshine warm, and as always, the food and company were excellent.

Loving it. Cold and all.

We never ran out of things to do. Even at 37 F, as long as the sun was shinning, we could just bundle up and sit in the cockpit. Without the dock lines to hold her, Odyssey swung into the wind, keeping us protected under the dodger.

About time to go in. NOT!

Ok, this is worth going inside for.

After sunset we played games, enjoyed Sherlock Holmes story time, and watched a movie. Bedtime on anchor can be the best, but this time the sheets were chilly!

Bed time on Odyssey.

Soon we were snuggled and all was quiet as we drifted off to sleep. While the boat slowly rocked, the heater cycled now and then, keeping everything warm and toasty.

0 Comments