Sandy's gone... we're still here!
Well, preparations for departure and for a hurricane are counter to one another. Obviously; however, here we are... Generators are fine, we stayed aboard through the whole thing and everything generally worked well, ...well good enough, for now anyway. For example today I we started smelling that familiar hot wire smell. Turns out, the generators and the heat pump couldn't quite keep up with the demands of Stacie. I just hope for her sake, the compressor didn't overheat too much.
Time will tell, and in good time we'll be on our way. Tomorrow looks to be the day. We'll be leaving at 9am for our journey! I'm certain that freeing Lasata from the dock will be a very liberating experience for each of us. I'm really looking forward to getting this started...Tomorrow!
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Thursday, October 25, 2012
To stay or go?
Sandy has me wondering... hmmm, stick with the plan and leave Saturday in high 60's and risk high winds and rough seas... Or go Monday with 50 degree highs and in wet, rainy miserable conditions.
If we go, it wouldn't be the first time Stacie and I have left in a storm. I'm just not to make it a habit.
Stay tuned; I will be making a decision tomorrow.
Monday, October 22, 2012
The count down "T minus 6 and counting..."
This past weekend, probably counter to just about everyone who is planning to go sailing south for the winter, living on their boat. We participated in a Regatta over the weekend, and didn't do badly at all considering the race crew is relatively new to sailing. Placing 4'th overall and second in class means we were definitely contenders, and if we can just tune our performance on the line and in tacks we're going to do great next year.
Anyway, I digress... we are basically trying to get out of town... So, why are we racing? Well, I am of the belief that time on the water is everything. And the risk of breaking something near home is better than breaking while we are underway trying to get somewhere; contrary to what Captain Ron says. That said, we finished a nice day racing on Saturday afternoon and suddenly found ourselves without enough battery power to run the electronics on board, let alone start the diesel engine!
Well, here we are; on a sailboat and unable to start the engine to get back to the dock. What are we going to do?!?? Sail in of course! After much cursing, and lots of stress, and even a few laughs we found our way into the slip after just a few short minutes of sailing, then 45 minutes of kedging off the sand bar into the slip.
So, why are we sailing in a regatta just a few days before we are to begin our journey? The answer to me is "because we can and should". I consider a sort of "shake-down" and a way to ease into being on the boat more often that not.
Anyway, I digress... we are basically trying to get out of town... So, why are we racing? Well, I am of the belief that time on the water is everything. And the risk of breaking something near home is better than breaking while we are underway trying to get somewhere; contrary to what Captain Ron says. That said, we finished a nice day racing on Saturday afternoon and suddenly found ourselves without enough battery power to run the electronics on board, let alone start the diesel engine!
Well, here we are; on a sailboat and unable to start the engine to get back to the dock. What are we going to do?!?? Sail in of course! After much cursing, and lots of stress, and even a few laughs we found our way into the slip after just a few short minutes of sailing, then 45 minutes of kedging off the sand bar into the slip.
So, why are we sailing in a regatta just a few days before we are to begin our journey? The answer to me is "because we can and should". I consider a sort of "shake-down" and a way to ease into being on the boat more often that not.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Down to the wire
Funny choice of words for this post; "Down to the Wire"...
A few weeks ago, I had my rig inspected and the Wire or officially known as standing rigging. The inspection didn't point out anything of note with respect to the "Wires" or the "Hardware", however we did note a small deformed spot on the front inboard edge of the lower spreader.
At first this was some cause for concern for me, as if the lower spreader gives way under load the risk of loosing the rig is high. To address this will at the very least take two weeks and will require pulling the sails off the boat and removing the entire mast. Once on the ground we'll have a closer look at the mast and all the parts. At this time we may as well also measure and replace all the wire and hardware. In short... this would be a significant cost in both time and money.
After some consideration, I've determined that the risk of anything catastrophic happening is low, especially since I'll not be going offshore or making any crossings the risk is quite low. That said, a crossing and some offshore runs are planned for January. This gives me enough time to get the boat to Florida and find a nice DIY Marina and have the mast pulled, allowing me to work on the mast in the warm comfort of South Florida. Ha! crisis averted!
It's been all uphill from Bermuda
This trip has been a long time coming, and since Bermuda this past June it has been the primary "next thing" on my mind to do. With 12 days to go I am feeling like I'll never have everything ready, so it'll only be a matter of leaving the dock and turning south. With a 24hour run straight to Hampton Roads, VA I'll be likely in either the Dismal Swamp or heading to Coinjock by Halloween. ...Dismal Swamp sounds like a better place, considering the time of year.
A few weeks ago, I had my rig inspected and the Wire or officially known as standing rigging. The inspection didn't point out anything of note with respect to the "Wires" or the "Hardware", however we did note a small deformed spot on the front inboard edge of the lower spreader.
At first this was some cause for concern for me, as if the lower spreader gives way under load the risk of loosing the rig is high. To address this will at the very least take two weeks and will require pulling the sails off the boat and removing the entire mast. Once on the ground we'll have a closer look at the mast and all the parts. At this time we may as well also measure and replace all the wire and hardware. In short... this would be a significant cost in both time and money.
After some consideration, I've determined that the risk of anything catastrophic happening is low, especially since I'll not be going offshore or making any crossings the risk is quite low. That said, a crossing and some offshore runs are planned for January. This gives me enough time to get the boat to Florida and find a nice DIY Marina and have the mast pulled, allowing me to work on the mast in the warm comfort of South Florida. Ha! crisis averted!
It's been all uphill from Bermuda
This trip has been a long time coming, and since Bermuda this past June it has been the primary "next thing" on my mind to do. With 12 days to go I am feeling like I'll never have everything ready, so it'll only be a matter of leaving the dock and turning south. With a 24hour run straight to Hampton Roads, VA I'll be likely in either the Dismal Swamp or heading to Coinjock by Halloween. ...Dismal Swamp sounds like a better place, considering the time of year.
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