Monday, June 4, 2012

Let the countdown commence


No time to be schmoopy about the fact that we are STILL in refit mode when we had planned to have a year of cruising under our belt at this point in time. Its time to start getting excited because we are heading out in 17 months. 17 months might seem an arbitrary number to get excited about but it is less than a year and a half. As the heat creeps up and the progress slows a bit due to this, the fact that we are less than a year and half from heading out just gives me such a lift.

Mark installed the fore cabin reading lights and fans. I can tell you that while the CCF reading lamps are adequate if not spectacular, those Caframo fans put out some serious windage. This should make me happier when sleeping as I am like a golden retriever in that I like a breeze strong enough to make my face flap- even while sleeping.

Our generator was giving us fits. It was causing consternation by not firing up. Should be easy, right? Just grab the serial numbers off the thing and find the manual. Well since our Onan generator is about 100 years old, we could no longer discern the serial numbers. Mark started plugging in random numbers onto the part of the number we could actually make out and after a bit of time we had success. He was able to down load the manual and figure out that the problem was probably a clogged filter and it was- the second filter to be exact. Which is why our previous attempt at cleaning the first filter resulted in no change. A bit of elbow grease to remove, clean and reinstall and VOILA! The old Onan is running once again. Now we not only have a functional generator we know what to check first when it dies again- check the SECOND filter as well.

We are still in a very heated debate over the galley refit. I'm still firmly in the go with the easy, inexpensive, fast Origo stove option. Mark is still firmly in the meticulous, expensive, time consuming, space eating propane camp. We will have to reach a decision soon but its looking as if my dreams of just dropping in a Origo and calling it done are fading away. *sigh* I'd just like to have one thing on Ceol Mor be easy, fast, inexpensive and straight forward but alas, it seems it might not be meant to be. I'm choosing my battles though. In the end, I will cook badly on whatever we come up with so if going with a new propane system makes Mark happy I can't get excited about it.

We are planning on having the boat hauled next week to change out the zincs, check the bottom and service the prop. Not terribly exciting, but necessary none the less.

We went out for a sail on Sunday. We were just under genoa alone as this was all about me becoming more skilled and we didn't need the extra push from the main (and we got to avoid dealing with the less than adequate main set up). I'm still not able to dock the beast but I can solidly keep the wind at different points of sail, take a bearing to a fixed point and sail to it, trim the gen to a reasonable level, keep a course heading and I've gotten much better at tacking. I can say I've gotten better at tacking smoothly because there was only one way to go and that was up.

While we trudge along, continuing the work on the boat and improving our sailing skills, we get little bits of happy. On our way to the boat, we walk past crepe myrtles in bloom. The sun is shining, Kitty is singing and Maura, Mark and I smile when we think of what's to come- in only 17 months!

12 comments:

  1. Whooo-hooo! So if we time this right you leave in fall 2013... you take a year making your way to us, and then we leave together in fall 2014? Yes? Yes!

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    1. I certainly hope everyone is up for another year cruising!

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    2. Yes! We are leaving at the end of 2014..so we want to meet up also..FUN!!!

      super happy for you, nice to have something solid on paper.
      Dani

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    3. That would be fantastic! We are thinking of chugging the ICW to Nola and staying for a few days. Mark hates NOLA, it is my favorite city in the Us-probably because my dad's people are from Algiers and Jefferson parish. Need to take the kids for muffalettas at Central grocery,to Tujague's for a fancy pants dinner. introduce them the the beauty of an oyster poboy and let them wreak havoc at my old stomping grounds, The Kerry pub.

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  2. "...I am like a golden retriever in that I like a breeze strong enough to make my face flap- even while sleeping."

    You and my wife should talk. We have an AC unit on one side of the bedroom blasting...and a vortex fan in the window on the other side blowing full tilt. I swear we're going to create our own tornado one of these days.

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  3. You guys are going to be out there before you know it! And I don't believe a word about you not being able to cook. I saw those brie and apple sandwiches you made last fall and that cake you and the girls decorated. My mouth was watering.

    Congratulations on setting a date!

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  4. We are looking forward to getting out of the bay, that's for certain. So happy you and Vlad are doing well and hope you meet up with Laureen and Jason in Honduras. Laureen is my hero. How is Sid holding up?

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  5. I don't blame you for being excited to be able to say '17 months from now...'! I am dying to be able to say that. It's very cool that you've set a date. People tell us we need to do that, but we don't really know how yet.

    Have to say I am with Mark on the propane stove issue. We had an alcohol stove on our previous boat and I found it to be inadequate to say the least. When I want to boil water, I don't want it to take all day.

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    1. First you get the boat. What the boat needs will largely control your timeline. Then you set a date. That's how ya do it. :)

      I am sad to think that we will have to go with propane. I hate stuff on my stern rail and our set up means we will probably have the tank on the rail. *sigh* Maybe I can teach the kids how to survive on almond butter sandwiches and mangos?

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  6. I'm really glad you guys have set a date too. So is the plan to sail out and go up the east coast? Then across to scotland?

    Ps) I love that you used the word schmoopy...

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    1. Amanda our plans just now are to get out of Galveston Bay. :) We aren;t certain if we will head to Mexico or the Bahamas but we plan on cruising the Caribbean until June or so and then we will have to decide- do we go left, or right?

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