Barb and I returned from the AirBnB to the yard to find Bret from Marine Pro already there preparing the new engine. His helper, Frank arrived and we all dug into extracting the old engine. It took about an hour to disconnect the hoses and wires and to unbolt the engine mounts. The equipment operator, drove his fork lift over Jupiter's Smile and Bret hung his chain hoist from the left side fork dropping the lift strap through the companionway opening into the engine compartment. In Puerto Vallarta, Greg had used our boom for the same purpose, but had removed the engine's head and transmission before extracting the engine. That left a smaller load weighing about 300 pounds. The fully assembled engine weighs about 460 pounds and this load wrestled us to a stand off. We acknowledged that it was too big to get out of the engine compartment and that the new engine, slightly larger, would never fit through the engine compartment opening.
Frank and I began to disassemble the cabinetry that made up the front of the engine compartment while Bret set about removing the old instrument panel and running the wiring for the new one. Frank worked doggedly unscrewing about 35 bunged wood screws and freeing tied wires from inside the engine cabinet. We removed the cabinet and it was plain that this would be the final solution to the engine extraction. The operator came back to the forklift and within five minutes, the old engine was on the ground.
Bret and Frank departed at about 5pm entrusting me to clean the engine compartment. I finished at about 6:30 and Barb and I left the yard at dusk.
Thursday was new engine installation day and that all seemed to go well. All the bits and pieces were reassembled, including the engine room cabinet. The new engine has an oil extraction tube that will make oil changes much easier and the instrumentation includes water sensors in both Racor fuel filters to detect water contamination of the fuel. On Friday, with water from a hose, the engine was started and it ran right away. With no leaks, everything working and sounding great, we were ready for launching. We were second in line, but the boat ahead of us had some issues so we were delayed until late afternoon. Once we splashed and with Bret and Frank aboard we motored in the Cape Canaveral Canal at various engine speeds. All seemed good with the engine reaching 2950 rpms at full throttle. The top rpm is 3000, but Bret and Frank were satisfied with what they saw. I was very pleased that the engine seemed stronger and quieter than the original. They encouraged us to vary the engine speed often during the first 50 hours, the break-in period.
We returned to the dock at the work yard and I returned Dan and Kathy's car to them in Titusville, getting a ride back from Dan. These cruising friends are friends indeed. We had been given permission to stay at the dock overnight as long as we could leave before 8am Saturday morning.
We slept well, well pleased with expectations that our new engine would serve us faithfully.
Friday, January 12, 2018
Tuesday, January 9, 2018
A Night by the Lock, into the yard and AirBnb
After a load of laundry, we filled our water tanks, we took showers and our mail had arrived at the marina, so we drew in the dock lines and departed the Cocoa Village Marina at 12:15pm, Monday, January 8th. We motored north in the ICW towards the channel of the Cape Canaveral Barge Canal, eastbound. I called the Christa Mcauliffe Bascule Bridge and learned that we could pass through the bridge during a 2pm opening. We did that and continued eastbound across Merritt Island and into the Banana River. We followed the channel and turned just south of the Cape Canaveral Lock to anchor for the night near two boats that were unoccupied and possibly aground. One was certainly damaged from Hurricane Irma or before. The wind remained in the low teens and by morning it was calm. It was a great anchorage.
I called the Port Canaveral Marine Service Yard to see if we had a haul out time. Cheryl had no knowledge of the haul out, so we waited a bit for her to call back with news. Cheryl said we could bring our boat to the haul out pit at 11am. I radioed the Highway 401 Triple Bascule Bridge and got a 10:45 opening time. At 10:15 we weighed anchor and arranged to transit the lock. We waited a full cycle of emptying the lock and waiting for a westbound boat to come through before we could pass eastbound. The 401 Bridge was not ready for us because workmen were on the bridge, so we got our opening about ten minutes late. Just beyond the bridge, we motored down the fairway of the yard, spun Jupiter's Smile 160 degrees to port to line up with the floating dock in the haul out pit and backed into the pit. Barb hooked the bow to a dock cleat and I got the stern. We looked around and no one from the yard was headed our way so we off loaded the gear we would need for the next few days and our empty propane tank and Barb called Cathy from Sea Star asking them to drop off the vehicle they would loan to us while our boat was in the yard. Cathy and Dan arrived just as the travel lift was hauling the boat. With the boat on land, we sat down and enjoyed the submarine sandwiches Cathy had brought. They departed after lunch and we departed to our AirBnb at about 3pm. We met Tom and found him to be very welcoming and after a short adjustment period, the dog and the cat were welcoming as well. Deb came home at about 7pm from work then Barb and I went to LongDogger's for pretty good, inexpensive meals of fish sandwich and Key Lime Chicken Salad.
We had moved the boat about 1 1/2 miles, but we were exhausted from the logistical challenges of the day.
I called the Port Canaveral Marine Service Yard to see if we had a haul out time. Cheryl had no knowledge of the haul out, so we waited a bit for her to call back with news. Cheryl said we could bring our boat to the haul out pit at 11am. I radioed the Highway 401 Triple Bascule Bridge and got a 10:45 opening time. At 10:15 we weighed anchor and arranged to transit the lock. We waited a full cycle of emptying the lock and waiting for a westbound boat to come through before we could pass eastbound. The 401 Bridge was not ready for us because workmen were on the bridge, so we got our opening about ten minutes late. Just beyond the bridge, we motored down the fairway of the yard, spun Jupiter's Smile 160 degrees to port to line up with the floating dock in the haul out pit and backed into the pit. Barb hooked the bow to a dock cleat and I got the stern. We looked around and no one from the yard was headed our way so we off loaded the gear we would need for the next few days and our empty propane tank and Barb called Cathy from Sea Star asking them to drop off the vehicle they would loan to us while our boat was in the yard. Cathy and Dan arrived just as the travel lift was hauling the boat. With the boat on land, we sat down and enjoyed the submarine sandwiches Cathy had brought. They departed after lunch and we departed to our AirBnb at about 3pm. We met Tom and found him to be very welcoming and after a short adjustment period, the dog and the cat were welcoming as well. Deb came home at about 7pm from work then Barb and I went to LongDogger's for pretty good, inexpensive meals of fish sandwich and Key Lime Chicken Salad.
We had moved the boat about 1 1/2 miles, but we were exhausted from the logistical challenges of the day.
Friday, January 5, 2018
The Bomb Cyclone
Even at anchor, a sailor watches the weather, especially the wind's force and direction. We had been doing that for over a week now and the forecast looked bleak: gale force northerly winds on the ICW and frigid temperatures for several days. We had already fired up Mr Heater Little Buddy to warm up the cabin when the morning temperatures dipped into the 40s or low 50s, but the forecast was for freezing temperatures, overcast skies and periods of rain.
With fear in my gut, I called the marinas along the Canaveral Barge canal where we would find shelter from the wind and be able to plug into shore power and run our heat, but it was New Years Day and got no answer. I called the Cocoa Village Marina where we had spent the night of December 21st after Bret, the mechanic's visit. Ken answered and said that a group of boats were departing and he would have space for us. We watched as half a dozen powerboats went down river and at 10am, we pulled our hook and took a slip in the center of the west end of the marina behind a sturdy breakwater barrier. At 11:30am, the wind picked up and the sky darkened. The anemometer displayed 32 knots not long afterwards. Happy New Year!
There were white caps all over the river with 3-4 foot waves and in the east end of the marina which only had a sand fence for protection, the boats were pitching badly in their slips. We had waves in the west end as well but it was very manageable. Our anchorage would have been miserable! We paid for a week in the marina, gladly.
The next day, we measured 37 knot gusts at the top of the mast and it rained hard. The freezing temperatures hit during the night and while it didn't rain as hard over the next few days the cold persisted. Tomorrow's forecast is for gradual warming with the lows climbing ten degrees each day over the weekend and by the end of next week, 80 degree temperatures are in the forecast with lows in the mid 60s.
We got word this morning that our haul out was scheduled for Tuesday. Dan and Kathy from Sea Star had generously suggested that we could have the use of their second vehicle and while the boat is hauled for three days we could sleep aboard with them or borrow their camper. We jumped at the chance to use their vehicle and considered the use of their camper. The campgrounds in the area charged $44-$50 per night. I booked an AirBnB that sounds great for $43. Had we gotten the date for the haul out a few days earlier, a room very near the marina would have been $34, but that was no longer available.
Meanwhile, the shore powered heat has been running off and on during the last couple of days and nearly continuously during the nights, but we get to live in shirt sleeves on the boat before bundling up to go outdoors for our walks. At least it has been sunny or partly sunny for two days now and the wind is way down. Things are looking up and I am anticipating Monday when we depart the marina for a night on the river (easterly winds at a maximum 12 knots in the forecast) before opening bridges and transiting the barge canal after curfew on Tuesday.
With fear in my gut, I called the marinas along the Canaveral Barge canal where we would find shelter from the wind and be able to plug into shore power and run our heat, but it was New Years Day and got no answer. I called the Cocoa Village Marina where we had spent the night of December 21st after Bret, the mechanic's visit. Ken answered and said that a group of boats were departing and he would have space for us. We watched as half a dozen powerboats went down river and at 10am, we pulled our hook and took a slip in the center of the west end of the marina behind a sturdy breakwater barrier. At 11:30am, the wind picked up and the sky darkened. The anemometer displayed 32 knots not long afterwards. Happy New Year!
There were white caps all over the river with 3-4 foot waves and in the east end of the marina which only had a sand fence for protection, the boats were pitching badly in their slips. We had waves in the west end as well but it was very manageable. Our anchorage would have been miserable! We paid for a week in the marina, gladly.
The next day, we measured 37 knot gusts at the top of the mast and it rained hard. The freezing temperatures hit during the night and while it didn't rain as hard over the next few days the cold persisted. Tomorrow's forecast is for gradual warming with the lows climbing ten degrees each day over the weekend and by the end of next week, 80 degree temperatures are in the forecast with lows in the mid 60s.
We got word this morning that our haul out was scheduled for Tuesday. Dan and Kathy from Sea Star had generously suggested that we could have the use of their second vehicle and while the boat is hauled for three days we could sleep aboard with them or borrow their camper. We jumped at the chance to use their vehicle and considered the use of their camper. The campgrounds in the area charged $44-$50 per night. I booked an AirBnB that sounds great for $43. Had we gotten the date for the haul out a few days earlier, a room very near the marina would have been $34, but that was no longer available.
Meanwhile, the shore powered heat has been running off and on during the last couple of days and nearly continuously during the nights, but we get to live in shirt sleeves on the boat before bundling up to go outdoors for our walks. At least it has been sunny or partly sunny for two days now and the wind is way down. Things are looking up and I am anticipating Monday when we depart the marina for a night on the river (easterly winds at a maximum 12 knots in the forecast) before opening bridges and transiting the barge canal after curfew on Tuesday.
Tuesday, January 2, 2018
2018 New Year's Resolution - the Blog
I am daring to resolve to resurrect the sailing blog. I intend to recall what happened in the 2016-2017 cruising season as well. Let's see how it goes.
Happy New Year finds us a week shy of a month into the 2017-2018 cruising season. We left the boat at the Hinckley Boat Yard in Thunderbolt (just outside Savannah, GA), May 22nd. The motor had been using oil (a quart every 12 hours!) so we had become a "Captain Ron" boat. In that classic movie, Captain Ron never started the engine without adding a quart of oil first. I left instructions with Hinckley that I wanted the bottom painted and the engine checked to see what was causing the excessive oil use.
In September, since Hurricane Irma had just blown through the previous week, I wanted to check on the boat. Barb and Mary Addison-Lamb were attending their Dangerous Babes reunion on the Isle of Palms, SC, so I proposed that I drive us all. The women hopped out at Kathy's beach house and Mick Addison-Lamb and I went to Thunderbolt to check on the boat. The boat appeared to have been power washed by the storm! Squeeky clean! Inside, there were no leaks. Aside from the Windex wind direction indicator being missing from the top of the mast, everything appeared to be in order. Even the aluminum foil covering exposed plastic and rubber deck fittings and antennae; and the tee shirts I had tied over the opening coach roof ports were still in place. I renewed the Sun-Paks (mildewcide) and closed her up again. We would return in November.
I had booked a stay in an AirBnB while the women were having their reunion and this turned out to be a great experience. Nancy was our host. She has a wonderful old home in Isle of Hope with a fine garden, butterfly refuge and banty chickens. Mick and I had our own separate attic rooms. Nancy has many interests in common with us that made for pleasant conversation. We toured Savannah,
visited Tybee Island and went to the Pin Point Seafood Festival for an afternoon of fine local food and music.
http://www.pinpointseafoodfestival.net/about/
On our way back to the Addison-Lamb's in Kentucky, we stopped in Asheville, NC to do the tourist thing.
Mick and Mary had the good fortune to find a dining table set that suited them and now it is featured often in their frequently documented celebrations.
Barb and I embarked in November, from the Black Forest, in our 1995 Dodge Grand Caravan (approaching 200k miles) full of boat gear on a marathon journey with several goals. We arrived in Thunderbolt after a 27 hour drive. We stayed with Nancy Tamarack at her Air-BnB and Barb came to understand why Mick and I enjoyed our stay with Nancy last September. Goal one accomplished. Goal two was to offload boat gear from the van onto the boat. The boat was on hard ground on stands so everything had to be either carried up a ladder or hoisted using the dinghy davits.
The next day we went for goal three, drive to visit Mother in Springfield, VA for Thanksgiving. Mother is now 97 years of age and doing pretty well. We had a nice, albeit short visit, but winter was approaching and it was time to get the boat south, after we reached our next goal. We drove to Tampa to visit Christina and Larry and the "grandkids", Dorothy (6 y.o.) and John (2 y.o.). Goal four was partly finished. Goal five was to visit brother Tom and Vickie in Cortez and pick up our re-certified and repacked life raft at the Winslow factory nearby. We returned to Tampa and rented a van, turning over the keys to our trusty van to the Gottschamer family. That completed goal four. Our final goal was to return to the boat in the rental van and get the boat moving south. Strangely, for the one-way rental, Tampa to Savannah, the van was the least expensive option over, even, a compact car. Checking in at the boat yard, the bottom had been painted and the engine had been checked. The compression was excellent and no other problems were apparent. Some parts had not arrived to get the engine running again to do a sea trial and it was expected to be a cold weekend. Thankfully, the yard crew went ahead and put the boat in the water and we were able to be aboard at their dock, plugged into power (heat) and able to make more preparations, while waiting for the parts to arrive and a sea trial. Being in the water was a big step toward our last goal.
We had frost on the dock for three mornings before the engine part arrived and was installed. The engine started up right away. I took the mechanic on the sea trial and we saw no excessive exhaust smoke. His assessment was that an oil ring or two had broken so oil was being burned even though there was no blue colored smoke to be noticed. Solution: keep feeding oil or remove the engine and repair it again. On Dec 11th, I departed Hinckley's to run down the river for an hour to meet Barb at the Isle of Hope Marina (ICW mile 590) where we had better access to provisions (buy more oil) and a courtesy car. It felt good to be moving on the water again, finally. On December 15th, we departed to catch a favorable tidal current to motor on the ICW as far as possible in the shortening daylight hours. We covered 53 miles through the picturesque marshlands of Georgia and that evening at anchor, I felt we were finally on our way into Season Eleven.
The next morning, with a benign weather report we motored out of Sapelo Sound into the Atlantic. We covered 72 miles in 8.5 hours to anchor on the Florida/Georgia line in the St. Mary's River. Next day, out at sea again we covered 65 miles and took a mooring ball in St. Augustine. We stayed in St. Augustine for a couple of days before heading down the ICW with favorable tide and current conditions to travel a notoriously shallow section of the ICW at the Matanzas River. When we got there we discovered that the buoys had been moved and that this section had been dredged recently. That was nice! A sailboat that we had passed earlier that morning radioed asking if we had any issues and we reported what we found back to S/V Freya. We have an Automatic Identification System unit on Jupiter's Smile that informs any boat that has an AIS receiver who we are. So the boat that could not see us still knew who we were and where we were and called us on the radio.
Along the way that day, we passed S/V Sea Star, an Island Packet 440, with Dan and Kathy aboard. We had sailed many, many miles along with them in past years. They were on their way north to Jacksonville for Christmas. They warned us of shoal water where they had to use their BoatUS privileges to get ungrounded at buoy "18A". As we discussed our respective plans, they made us an offer I will discuss later.
All went well until Ponce de Leon Inlet. Here, the ICW southbound continues to starboard or to port, leads to the Atlantic Ocean. At this junction, at dead low tide, was a sailboat with a 6 foot draft aground on the shoal at the afore mentioned mark "18A". A Towboat was assisting this vessel so we kept going, reporting our water depth as we passed in about 5.2 feet of water. I called back to Freya and reported the situation. They decided that they would continue following us. My intention was to get to the New Smyrna Yacht Club and anchor across from them just outside the ICW. We had to wait for a bridge opening, but made the anchorage with daylight to spare. Freya invited us over for sundowners, but that would have meant lowering the dinghy and then raising it again in the dark, so we declined. We chatted in the radio for a bit.
The next morning just at dawn I saw Freya's running lights as they had just pulled anchor heading for Titusville. We got underway about a half hour behind them and were cruising down the ICW when the engine alarm sounded. Unlike in the past, I pulled the throttle back into neutral, but did not shut off the engine before carefully checking the gauges. The temperature gauge showed overheating so I kept the engine at idle while the raw water pump sloooowly brought the water temperature down. Barb went to the anchor platform making ready to deploy the anchor. I put the engine in gear and that was enough power to get us out of the channel so Barb could drop the hook. With the temperature down enough, I turned off the engine to investigate. I found the problem immediately. The drive belt for the alternator and water pump had broken. I should say, disintegrated. I installed a new belt (cruisers have spares...of lots of things). and we were off and running again.
Along the way I decided that the little things that were happening with regard to this already rebuilt engine and the big issue of oil consumption would best be addressed by an engine replacement. The boat will be up for sale at the end of this season and I would think the prospects of a sale with an engine that consumes oil versus one that is new would be very different. Our cruising friends, Hayden and Radeen on S/V Island Spirit had worked with Colin Mack in Stuart, FL and since I trust Hayden and Radeen and they trust Colin, I trust Colin too. And we were heading that way. I called Colin to ask his advice. He said that he and his shop did not do "repowers", but recommended the Yanmar dealer, MarinePro, in Cocoa, 20 miles away from our intended Titusville anchorage. So the repower proce$$ is in the works with Bret at MarinePro.
Happy New Year finds us a week shy of a month into the 2017-2018 cruising season. We left the boat at the Hinckley Boat Yard in Thunderbolt (just outside Savannah, GA), May 22nd. The motor had been using oil (a quart every 12 hours!) so we had become a "Captain Ron" boat. In that classic movie, Captain Ron never started the engine without adding a quart of oil first. I left instructions with Hinckley that I wanted the bottom painted and the engine checked to see what was causing the excessive oil use.
In September, since Hurricane Irma had just blown through the previous week, I wanted to check on the boat. Barb and Mary Addison-Lamb were attending their Dangerous Babes reunion on the Isle of Palms, SC, so I proposed that I drive us all. The women hopped out at Kathy's beach house and Mick Addison-Lamb and I went to Thunderbolt to check on the boat. The boat appeared to have been power washed by the storm! Squeeky clean! Inside, there were no leaks. Aside from the Windex wind direction indicator being missing from the top of the mast, everything appeared to be in order. Even the aluminum foil covering exposed plastic and rubber deck fittings and antennae; and the tee shirts I had tied over the opening coach roof ports were still in place. I renewed the Sun-Paks (mildewcide) and closed her up again. We would return in November.
I had booked a stay in an AirBnB while the women were having their reunion and this turned out to be a great experience. Nancy was our host. She has a wonderful old home in Isle of Hope with a fine garden, butterfly refuge and banty chickens. Mick and I had our own separate attic rooms. Nancy has many interests in common with us that made for pleasant conversation. We toured Savannah,
http://www.pinpointseafoodfestival.net/about/
 |
| Mick, Nancy & Jay on Nancy's back porch |
 |
| Taking a beer break after arduous shopping |
Barb and I embarked in November, from the Black Forest, in our 1995 Dodge Grand Caravan (approaching 200k miles) full of boat gear on a marathon journey with several goals. We arrived in Thunderbolt after a 27 hour drive. We stayed with Nancy Tamarack at her Air-BnB and Barb came to understand why Mick and I enjoyed our stay with Nancy last September. Goal one accomplished. Goal two was to offload boat gear from the van onto the boat. The boat was on hard ground on stands so everything had to be either carried up a ladder or hoisted using the dinghy davits.
The next morning, with a benign weather report we motored out of Sapelo Sound into the Atlantic. We covered 72 miles in 8.5 hours to anchor on the Florida/Georgia line in the St. Mary's River. Next day, out at sea again we covered 65 miles and took a mooring ball in St. Augustine. We stayed in St. Augustine for a couple of days before heading down the ICW with favorable tide and current conditions to travel a notoriously shallow section of the ICW at the Matanzas River. When we got there we discovered that the buoys had been moved and that this section had been dredged recently. That was nice! A sailboat that we had passed earlier that morning radioed asking if we had any issues and we reported what we found back to S/V Freya. We have an Automatic Identification System unit on Jupiter's Smile that informs any boat that has an AIS receiver who we are. So the boat that could not see us still knew who we were and where we were and called us on the radio.
Along the way that day, we passed S/V Sea Star, an Island Packet 440, with Dan and Kathy aboard. We had sailed many, many miles along with them in past years. They were on their way north to Jacksonville for Christmas. They warned us of shoal water where they had to use their BoatUS privileges to get ungrounded at buoy "18A". As we discussed our respective plans, they made us an offer I will discuss later.
All went well until Ponce de Leon Inlet. Here, the ICW southbound continues to starboard or to port, leads to the Atlantic Ocean. At this junction, at dead low tide, was a sailboat with a 6 foot draft aground on the shoal at the afore mentioned mark "18A". A Towboat was assisting this vessel so we kept going, reporting our water depth as we passed in about 5.2 feet of water. I called back to Freya and reported the situation. They decided that they would continue following us. My intention was to get to the New Smyrna Yacht Club and anchor across from them just outside the ICW. We had to wait for a bridge opening, but made the anchorage with daylight to spare. Freya invited us over for sundowners, but that would have meant lowering the dinghy and then raising it again in the dark, so we declined. We chatted in the radio for a bit.
The next morning just at dawn I saw Freya's running lights as they had just pulled anchor heading for Titusville. We got underway about a half hour behind them and were cruising down the ICW when the engine alarm sounded. Unlike in the past, I pulled the throttle back into neutral, but did not shut off the engine before carefully checking the gauges. The temperature gauge showed overheating so I kept the engine at idle while the raw water pump sloooowly brought the water temperature down. Barb went to the anchor platform making ready to deploy the anchor. I put the engine in gear and that was enough power to get us out of the channel so Barb could drop the hook. With the temperature down enough, I turned off the engine to investigate. I found the problem immediately. The drive belt for the alternator and water pump had broken. I should say, disintegrated. I installed a new belt (cruisers have spares...of lots of things). and we were off and running again.
Along the way I decided that the little things that were happening with regard to this already rebuilt engine and the big issue of oil consumption would best be addressed by an engine replacement. The boat will be up for sale at the end of this season and I would think the prospects of a sale with an engine that consumes oil versus one that is new would be very different. Our cruising friends, Hayden and Radeen on S/V Island Spirit had worked with Colin Mack in Stuart, FL and since I trust Hayden and Radeen and they trust Colin, I trust Colin too. And we were heading that way. I called Colin to ask his advice. He said that he and his shop did not do "repowers", but recommended the Yanmar dealer, MarinePro, in Cocoa, 20 miles away from our intended Titusville anchorage. So the repower proce$$ is in the works with Bret at MarinePro.
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