NASSAU, NEW PROVIDENCE ISLAND, BAHAMAS,
Bimini Island proved to be a fun night and it was much more happening than the last time I was there. The marina at the Big Game club was just about full as the sun surrendered to the horizon. I got up the next morning and caught up with some fishermen before they left the docks at 0800. I met them the night before and they said they would give us some tips on fishing around here. They set me up with some pretty good rigs and techniques and I was on my way. Skipper was the resort charter guy I'm pretty sure, and Mike was also a local to the area. I'm pretty sure I met the owner of the whole resort as well haha. They were all very nice and helped me out so much.
We pulled back from the dock around 1000....dead low tide....and idled back in to the bright turquoise water. We tried our luck at fishing for an hour or so but only came up with one barracuda. For the next 50 miles the water under the boat would barely reach any higher than 10 ft. and there wasn't a hint of land in sight...The Exuma Bank. It got a bit rough, as I was afraid it would, and after clearing Mackie Shoal we found ourselves in 3-4 footers. It was no big deal just a bit bumpy. The wind was ripping right on the nose. I was very nervous that these waves were going to turn even less friendly when we hit the deep water off the Northwest Channel. Our destination was Chub Cay however and I knew that even if it was really rough we wouldn't have far to go. To my surprise the waves laid down once we hit deeper water and looking back to past experience in the Bahamas this makes sense. They didn't get any taller or shorter they just spread themselves out and became more of a swell. With the weather forecast for the following day promising heavy winds the owner decided to continue on for two more hours and head to Nassau. A slight turn to starboard is all it took and we were on our way.
We got in to Nassau just before dark and I found my post dock duties diminishing as the owner immediately hired two Bahamians to wash the boat who were waiting eagerly for our business. I was exhausted and took a quick power nap. I got talked in to going up to Atlantis for dinner and a little gambling. The place was packed with tourists!! Dinner was great at Nobu, a sushi place, and the gambling was fun, even though I came out with no winnings. It was very nice of the owner and his brother however to give me a little bonus pay to use for gambling. I tried to refuse the small bonus but he insisted and it was so nice of them to consider me and make sure to include me in the nightly activities. I was very grateful for that.
Today (Monday) I cleaned out under the engines, got the weather report, and drifted off to sleep on the couch. I was granted the relaxation and I took it. The sun is absolutely blazing hot, there is not a cloud in the sky, but the wind is holding us at the dock.
Tomorrow we plan to attempt to make it to Staniel Cay but if it is still too rough we will wait for our variable and light forecast for Wednesday.
Sound Waves Out
Monday, February 28, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Day 147: Bimini Island
ALICE TOWN NORTH BIMINI ISLAND, BAHAMAS!!
Finally we did it. I woke up at 0630 this morning and finished some last minute tasks. Everyone else was up around 0730 and we fired the engines. I checked the weather one last time and it looked perfect. We tossed the lines pulled back from the dock and headed for the ocean. It was only 0800 and the sun was already hot on the face. There wasn't a hint of wind in the air as we idled our way towards an open horizon. I couldn't believe we finally made it to this day. It has been a month in Ft. Lauderdale of nothing but work. We completed so many tasks, as my last blog posts indicate, and the owner said the boat is in the best shape it has been in for awhile now.
We cleared Port Everglades and the water was glass calm. We left a trail of foam on the water as our prop wash said goodbye to the United States. Next stop, Bahamas. The day went perfectly. We tried our hand at fishing but had no luck.
A year and a half ago I pulled in to Bimini Island in a 34' sailboat, just starting the adventure of a lifetime. The water was so clear it put a swimming pool to shame. The greens and the blues reflecting from the shallows hurt your eyes they were so bright. This time around??? Well Besides the awesome part of being on a 74' luxury motor yacht it was just as stunning. The gulf stream came to an end. Land presented itself on the horizon and the depth of water went from 1,500 to 100 feet in less than a football field. Bimini Island is less than a half mile wide and only about four miles long but it is absolute paradise. Sergeant Majors swarmed the boat as we tossed bits of Bimini Bread over board. I put the hammock out and took a little cat nap as the guests took a stroll around the island on the scooters. The rest of the day was spent lounging around up at the Bimini Big Game Marina bar.
I wonder.....holy shit this is awesome....I'm not wondering anything!!!!
I will get pictures up when I can!
Sound Waves Out
Finally we did it. I woke up at 0630 this morning and finished some last minute tasks. Everyone else was up around 0730 and we fired the engines. I checked the weather one last time and it looked perfect. We tossed the lines pulled back from the dock and headed for the ocean. It was only 0800 and the sun was already hot on the face. There wasn't a hint of wind in the air as we idled our way towards an open horizon. I couldn't believe we finally made it to this day. It has been a month in Ft. Lauderdale of nothing but work. We completed so many tasks, as my last blog posts indicate, and the owner said the boat is in the best shape it has been in for awhile now.
We cleared Port Everglades and the water was glass calm. We left a trail of foam on the water as our prop wash said goodbye to the United States. Next stop, Bahamas. The day went perfectly. We tried our hand at fishing but had no luck.
A year and a half ago I pulled in to Bimini Island in a 34' sailboat, just starting the adventure of a lifetime. The water was so clear it put a swimming pool to shame. The greens and the blues reflecting from the shallows hurt your eyes they were so bright. This time around??? Well Besides the awesome part of being on a 74' luxury motor yacht it was just as stunning. The gulf stream came to an end. Land presented itself on the horizon and the depth of water went from 1,500 to 100 feet in less than a football field. Bimini Island is less than a half mile wide and only about four miles long but it is absolute paradise. Sergeant Majors swarmed the boat as we tossed bits of Bimini Bread over board. I put the hammock out and took a little cat nap as the guests took a stroll around the island on the scooters. The rest of the day was spent lounging around up at the Bimini Big Game Marina bar.
I wonder.....holy shit this is awesome....I'm not wondering anything!!!!
I will get pictures up when I can!
Sound Waves Out
Friday, February 25, 2011
Day 143 - 146: This is it
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL USA
Holy cow I didn't even have time to blog all week. My work log is topping 70 hours for this week and the boat is finally in tip top shape. The owner is on the boat with his brother as well as his son and we are on schedule to pull away from the dock at 0800 tomorrow morning and finally head for the Bahamas.
Lets take a look back at this weeks projects:
Re-build aftercoolers
Replace check valves and test fuel issue
Sea-trial the boat
Finish installation on pilot house door hardware
Clean air conditioning strainers
Fabricate tv cover as well as runner for fly bridge deck
Get the bottom cleaned and zincs changed
Organize all freezers and fridges in galley, on aft deck and on fly bridge
Fix all camera systems on board
Fix all step lights and replace burnt out bulbs
Organize the hundreds of items that were ordered over the past week
Wet sand paint spots and replace covers from painter
Clean all canvas on the boat, dockside
Fill propane tanks for flybridge grill
Hardwire ships computer to router
Replace all lights in salon to same wattage
Fix cold water knob in the master bedroom
Fix the day head
Rent a carpet cleaner and clean all carpets on board. Pre-soak, wash, rinse, water rinse, apply scotch guard
Clean entire inside of boat and all heads
Clean and/or replace all air filters on board
Clean all shower sumps
Power wash and acid wash bottom of dinghy
Wash and lift dinghy
Wash entire boat
Polish all stainless
RainX all windows
Wax aft deck fiberglass
Provision
Clean oil spill pan for hydraulic davit pump
Wash, polish, wax and lift scooters
Being that I don't feel like giving a detailed description of the above project list, I thought I would just spit it back out on to paper. The owner and his friends just left for dinner, the divers just finished up changing the zincs, and I am absolutely exhausted. I am going to sleep like a baby tonight, but with a 0600 alarm in order to get everything else squared away that the owner wants to get squared away before we leave, my nap won't last long. Exhausted. With promises of fun times and relaxation on the horizon I think everyone forgets that this is my job and I'm not on vacation. Anything that needs to get done on this boat will most likely go through me...I guess I will hope for relaxation though.
We plan to do some fishing in the stream tomorrow and possibly either stop in Bimini or go all the way to Chub Cay, depending on how long we fish for. With no real bait I am not too hopeful on our chances to catch anything but we will see what happens. I would imagine we will be in the Exumas within the next few days.
This little boy is going to bed..
Bahamas Bound....finally
Sound Waves Out
Holy cow I didn't even have time to blog all week. My work log is topping 70 hours for this week and the boat is finally in tip top shape. The owner is on the boat with his brother as well as his son and we are on schedule to pull away from the dock at 0800 tomorrow morning and finally head for the Bahamas.
Lets take a look back at this weeks projects:
Re-build aftercoolers
Replace check valves and test fuel issue
Sea-trial the boat
Finish installation on pilot house door hardware
Clean air conditioning strainers
Fabricate tv cover as well as runner for fly bridge deck
Get the bottom cleaned and zincs changed
Organize all freezers and fridges in galley, on aft deck and on fly bridge
Fix all camera systems on board
Fix all step lights and replace burnt out bulbs
Organize the hundreds of items that were ordered over the past week
Wet sand paint spots and replace covers from painter
Clean all canvas on the boat, dockside
Fill propane tanks for flybridge grill
Hardwire ships computer to router
Replace all lights in salon to same wattage
Fix cold water knob in the master bedroom
Fix the day head
Rent a carpet cleaner and clean all carpets on board. Pre-soak, wash, rinse, water rinse, apply scotch guard
Clean entire inside of boat and all heads
Clean and/or replace all air filters on board
Clean all shower sumps
Power wash and acid wash bottom of dinghy
Wash and lift dinghy
Wash entire boat
Polish all stainless
RainX all windows
Wax aft deck fiberglass
Provision
Clean oil spill pan for hydraulic davit pump
Wash, polish, wax and lift scooters
Being that I don't feel like giving a detailed description of the above project list, I thought I would just spit it back out on to paper. The owner and his friends just left for dinner, the divers just finished up changing the zincs, and I am absolutely exhausted. I am going to sleep like a baby tonight, but with a 0600 alarm in order to get everything else squared away that the owner wants to get squared away before we leave, my nap won't last long. Exhausted. With promises of fun times and relaxation on the horizon I think everyone forgets that this is my job and I'm not on vacation. Anything that needs to get done on this boat will most likely go through me...I guess I will hope for relaxation though.
We plan to do some fishing in the stream tomorrow and possibly either stop in Bimini or go all the way to Chub Cay, depending on how long we fish for. With no real bait I am not too hopeful on our chances to catch anything but we will see what happens. I would imagine we will be in the Exumas within the next few days.
This little boy is going to bed..
Bahamas Bound....finally
Sound Waves Out
Monday, February 21, 2011
Day 140-142: The Race is on
FT. LAUDERDALE, FL USA
Saturday and Sunday went by nice and smooth. I finished some small projects, but nothing serious. There really wasn't much to write about. I feel like the boat is getting closer.
Monday morning I went and picked up the owners son at the airport. Jack, our diesel mechanic, showed up to finish the work on the engines. We wanted to make sure everything was put back together perfectly before starting the engines. Shortly after getting back from the airport Jeremy showed up and got right to work on the pilot house doors. After a few lightning fast hours the starboard engine turned over. We bled the lines, cranked it, bled the lines, and just like that she lit up like a Christmas tree. Everything sounded great and we ran the engine up to 2100 rpm's. We shut her down and got to work on the port engine. Meanwhile Jeremy finally had the door hardware for the pilot house doors latching and locking. We tweaked them a little here and there and other than a few more adjustments that I have to make tomorrow they are on and functional! It has been since Sarasota that we have been trying to get those dang things on so it was such a relief.
Not too long after the port engine fired up and everything seemed to be running great. On another good note we cracked off the fuel check valve on the starboard main engine and noticed that it may be our problem to our fuel draining out of the racors. We switched the check valves from port to starboard and will see if the port side racors begin to drain. In the meantime we will be ordering a new check valve as we are certain that this is our problem.
Jeremy looked at our air conditioning units and we found that one of the compressors is in fact failing. We will be ordering a new one immediately and that has now become our main priority.
Jeremy, the owners son and I flipped the boat around at the dock. We can now lift the tender that has been sitting in the water for a month now. The bottom is filthy and it is on tomorrows agenda first thing. We finally got a good quote to put down a runner on the fly bridge deck. Hopefully we will be moving forward on that tomorrow as well.
The race is on and hopefully by this time next week I will be writing from somewhere in the Bahamas. It was very encouraging to me today to hear the engines fire again, and I even went for a mini boat ride...I pulled the boat out of the slip, spun it, and backed it back into the slip. I still remember how to drive a boat too!!!
Tomorrow we lift the dinghy and wash it. I need to install a fuel lift pump on the port engine still as there is a temporary bypass valve in place right now for todays activities. Once we get the air conditioners squared away, finish a few small projects and give the boat a good scrub inside and out we will be ready!!
Sound Waves Out
Saturday and Sunday went by nice and smooth. I finished some small projects, but nothing serious. There really wasn't much to write about. I feel like the boat is getting closer.
Monday morning I went and picked up the owners son at the airport. Jack, our diesel mechanic, showed up to finish the work on the engines. We wanted to make sure everything was put back together perfectly before starting the engines. Shortly after getting back from the airport Jeremy showed up and got right to work on the pilot house doors. After a few lightning fast hours the starboard engine turned over. We bled the lines, cranked it, bled the lines, and just like that she lit up like a Christmas tree. Everything sounded great and we ran the engine up to 2100 rpm's. We shut her down and got to work on the port engine. Meanwhile Jeremy finally had the door hardware for the pilot house doors latching and locking. We tweaked them a little here and there and other than a few more adjustments that I have to make tomorrow they are on and functional! It has been since Sarasota that we have been trying to get those dang things on so it was such a relief.
Not too long after the port engine fired up and everything seemed to be running great. On another good note we cracked off the fuel check valve on the starboard main engine and noticed that it may be our problem to our fuel draining out of the racors. We switched the check valves from port to starboard and will see if the port side racors begin to drain. In the meantime we will be ordering a new check valve as we are certain that this is our problem.
Jeremy looked at our air conditioning units and we found that one of the compressors is in fact failing. We will be ordering a new one immediately and that has now become our main priority.
Jeremy, the owners son and I flipped the boat around at the dock. We can now lift the tender that has been sitting in the water for a month now. The bottom is filthy and it is on tomorrows agenda first thing. We finally got a good quote to put down a runner on the fly bridge deck. Hopefully we will be moving forward on that tomorrow as well.
The race is on and hopefully by this time next week I will be writing from somewhere in the Bahamas. It was very encouraging to me today to hear the engines fire again, and I even went for a mini boat ride...I pulled the boat out of the slip, spun it, and backed it back into the slip. I still remember how to drive a boat too!!!
Tomorrow we lift the dinghy and wash it. I need to install a fuel lift pump on the port engine still as there is a temporary bypass valve in place right now for todays activities. Once we get the air conditioners squared away, finish a few small projects and give the boat a good scrub inside and out we will be ready!!
Sound Waves Out
Friday, February 18, 2011
Day 139: Dockwalk Party
FT. LAUDERDALE, FL USA
Jeremy showed up today with the new hardware for the pilot house doors. We worked on those dang things most of the day and they still aren't right. There is not a lot of space for the new latch as it is much larger than the old latch. The latches hit very hard and we are having trouble making them actually catch and shut. We modified the doors for most of the day, drilling holes, grinding tracks, and cursing a little bit here and there :-). They still aren't right but I hope to tackle them tomorrow and finish this project once and for all.
We also finally got the handle off of the ice maker on the aft deck. All of the set screws that hold it in place were locked up big time. After ruining a few hardened drill bits we finally got a carbide grinder in there and it did the job. Now we just have to re-tap the hole and get a new set screw in there. The reason we took the handle off is because it was very loose.
There was a dockwalk party going on in Miami tonight for the Miami boat show. www.dockwalk.com I got talked in to going down and was excited as it was an event for captains and crew only. It was at Waxy O'Conners in south beach Miami. I was a little disappointed that we didn't go down and look at the boats, but whatever. The party was alright but it wasn't worth the trip all the way to Miami that is for certain. I would have been mad if I didn't go though so it is what it is.
The boat is really close to being ready as most of my big projects are coming to an end. After sea trial on Monday will be a huge step towards getting off the docks in Lauderdale and heading for the Bahamas.
Here are some pictures!
Sound Waves Out
Jeremy showed up today with the new hardware for the pilot house doors. We worked on those dang things most of the day and they still aren't right. There is not a lot of space for the new latch as it is much larger than the old latch. The latches hit very hard and we are having trouble making them actually catch and shut. We modified the doors for most of the day, drilling holes, grinding tracks, and cursing a little bit here and there :-). They still aren't right but I hope to tackle them tomorrow and finish this project once and for all.
We also finally got the handle off of the ice maker on the aft deck. All of the set screws that hold it in place were locked up big time. After ruining a few hardened drill bits we finally got a carbide grinder in there and it did the job. Now we just have to re-tap the hole and get a new set screw in there. The reason we took the handle off is because it was very loose.
There was a dockwalk party going on in Miami tonight for the Miami boat show. www.dockwalk.com I got talked in to going down and was excited as it was an event for captains and crew only. It was at Waxy O'Conners in south beach Miami. I was a little disappointed that we didn't go down and look at the boats, but whatever. The party was alright but it wasn't worth the trip all the way to Miami that is for certain. I would have been mad if I didn't go though so it is what it is.
The boat is really close to being ready as most of my big projects are coming to an end. After sea trial on Monday will be a huge step towards getting off the docks in Lauderdale and heading for the Bahamas.
Here are some pictures!
Dockwalk Party: South Beach, Miami
Wednesday Night Poker at Waxy's in Lauderdale
Sunset from the aft deck of Sound Waves in Ft. Lauderdale at Bahia Mar marina. Avante V in the picture.
Sunset looking over what I call "the big boy dock" at Bahia Mar marina. Average sized boat on the dock on any given day I would say roughly 140'
Full moon rising up over the ocean and Bahia Mar
Sound Waves Out
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Day 138: Diesel fuel and pumps oh my!
FT. LAUDERDALE, FL USA
What a day. What a night last night! I have been so lonesome down here haha. I work all day on the boat by myself, then have some dinner, play some guitar, watch a movie or three, then go to bed. It started to take a toll after awhile and I just had to go out and get some fresh air. I hopped in a cab down to Waxy's. I met some people last time I was there and they were there again. It was Wednesday night poker night, which was fun. For $5 you could play and if you finished in the top three you got a $10 gift certificate to Waxy's. I was just enjoying talking to everyone and having a good time and all of the sudden the dealer took everyones chips, the game was over and I won!!! Everyone there was either from Australia, South Africa or somewhere in Europe. The accents were great. I really met a lot of fun people and I felt like I was at "the local watering hole back home". Scully, Megan, Mick, Conner, and Waxy himself are amongst the new friends I hope to see again before I leave Ft. Lauderdale.
I decided today that I was going to take a variable out of the fuel problem equation. I switched the lift pumps from the starboard and port engines. It took almost all day, but I wanted to know. Sure enough the port lift pump that was now the starboard lift pump picked up fuel right away and immediately provided 15 kPA. The only thing left to see is if the racors drain out now. I will be calling Kerr Pump first thing tomorrow morning to have a word with them and get a new pump shipped immediately. Brand new pump = fail = Captain Eric not happy.
I will be getting a first mate on Monday as the owners son will be flying down. He will be joining us for the crossing to the Bahamas, but has also been volunteered by his Dad to help me with the final projects remaining on our list. It will be a big help to have him, especially while washing the boat!
Sound Waves Out
What a day. What a night last night! I have been so lonesome down here haha. I work all day on the boat by myself, then have some dinner, play some guitar, watch a movie or three, then go to bed. It started to take a toll after awhile and I just had to go out and get some fresh air. I hopped in a cab down to Waxy's. I met some people last time I was there and they were there again. It was Wednesday night poker night, which was fun. For $5 you could play and if you finished in the top three you got a $10 gift certificate to Waxy's. I was just enjoying talking to everyone and having a good time and all of the sudden the dealer took everyones chips, the game was over and I won!!! Everyone there was either from Australia, South Africa or somewhere in Europe. The accents were great. I really met a lot of fun people and I felt like I was at "the local watering hole back home". Scully, Megan, Mick, Conner, and Waxy himself are amongst the new friends I hope to see again before I leave Ft. Lauderdale.
I decided today that I was going to take a variable out of the fuel problem equation. I switched the lift pumps from the starboard and port engines. It took almost all day, but I wanted to know. Sure enough the port lift pump that was now the starboard lift pump picked up fuel right away and immediately provided 15 kPA. The only thing left to see is if the racors drain out now. I will be calling Kerr Pump first thing tomorrow morning to have a word with them and get a new pump shipped immediately. Brand new pump = fail = Captain Eric not happy.
I will be getting a first mate on Monday as the owners son will be flying down. He will be joining us for the crossing to the Bahamas, but has also been volunteered by his Dad to help me with the final projects remaining on our list. It will be a big help to have him, especially while washing the boat!
Sound Waves Out
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Day 137: Chill Pill
FT. LAUDERDALE, FL USA
The weather this morning was beautiful. Not a cloud in the sky, hardly any wind and a fresh temperature of around 75. I made some phone calls and went straight to the engine room to work more on our fuel pickup problem. The racors were not completely full but still only about an inch low, which was O.K. in my mind. I assumed that because of all the work we have been doing on the fuel lines there may have been some settling going on. I installed a hand pump on the housing for the secondary fuel filters in hopes that it would help prime the electric pump. It did, but the electric pump is still only providing about 8 psi of vacuum, as opposed to the 15 that I was looking for. I am still going to wait until we start the engines and run them, but I am beginning to worry that air is being introduced in to the system somewhere and causing the pump to loose its power.
Unfortunately with a back order of parts we won't be ready for sea trial until Monday.
I think it is time to start cleaning this boat up, as my big projects are coming to an end.
Wash the outside, clean the inside, clean the carpets, huge provision, leave for Bahamas! The target date is now February 25.
Sound Waves Out
The weather this morning was beautiful. Not a cloud in the sky, hardly any wind and a fresh temperature of around 75. I made some phone calls and went straight to the engine room to work more on our fuel pickup problem. The racors were not completely full but still only about an inch low, which was O.K. in my mind. I assumed that because of all the work we have been doing on the fuel lines there may have been some settling going on. I installed a hand pump on the housing for the secondary fuel filters in hopes that it would help prime the electric pump. It did, but the electric pump is still only providing about 8 psi of vacuum, as opposed to the 15 that I was looking for. I am still going to wait until we start the engines and run them, but I am beginning to worry that air is being introduced in to the system somewhere and causing the pump to loose its power.
Unfortunately with a back order of parts we won't be ready for sea trial until Monday.
I think it is time to start cleaning this boat up, as my big projects are coming to an end.
Wash the outside, clean the inside, clean the carpets, huge provision, leave for Bahamas! The target date is now February 25.
Sound Waves Out
Monday, February 14, 2011
Day 136: Happy Valentines Day
FT. LAUDERDALE, FL USA
I am trying to time everything up for the return of the owner sometime next week. It is getting to the point where the big tasks left involve cleaning. I don't want to clean to early, otherwise I will have to do it again before the owner gets here. We will hopefully be ready for sea trial by Wednesday which will be a huge relief. I still don't have the fuel issue completely figured out, but hopefully after we start the engines everything will work itself out. The racors got a complete re-build and appear to be holding fuel just fine, but the fuel lift pump for the starboard engine still won't take a prime. We attempted to put a little oil in the pump housing, hoping that the viscosity would help the pump pick up a prime... no luck. We filled the fuel lines on both the input and output side, getting fuel as close to the pump as possible... no luck. If firing the engine doesn't do anything then I plan on changing out the pump yet again. If that doesn't work then we have big problems as there is obviously a leak in the fuel lines somewhere. It is a good sign however that the racors are staying full.
A couple of videos worth watching:
I think I have maybe posted one of them already but I am not sure.
Enjoy:
Fort Lauderdale...Just another day on the water
Another day at the office
Sound Waves Out
I am trying to time everything up for the return of the owner sometime next week. It is getting to the point where the big tasks left involve cleaning. I don't want to clean to early, otherwise I will have to do it again before the owner gets here. We will hopefully be ready for sea trial by Wednesday which will be a huge relief. I still don't have the fuel issue completely figured out, but hopefully after we start the engines everything will work itself out. The racors got a complete re-build and appear to be holding fuel just fine, but the fuel lift pump for the starboard engine still won't take a prime. We attempted to put a little oil in the pump housing, hoping that the viscosity would help the pump pick up a prime... no luck. We filled the fuel lines on both the input and output side, getting fuel as close to the pump as possible... no luck. If firing the engine doesn't do anything then I plan on changing out the pump yet again. If that doesn't work then we have big problems as there is obviously a leak in the fuel lines somewhere. It is a good sign however that the racors are staying full.
A couple of videos worth watching:
I think I have maybe posted one of them already but I am not sure.
Enjoy:
Fort Lauderdale...Just another day on the water
Another day at the office
Sound Waves Out
132 - 135: Lonely
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL USA
I forgot to post there for a couple of days. Nothing to exciting is happening anyways. A cold front passed through this weekend and hopefully it is the last one of the year. We got the after coolers put back on and we are ordering one fuel line then should be ready for sea trial. That was really the only big thing that happened this weekend on board. I've been working on a lot of smaller things but I am waiting on the big things as long as I can up until the owners return. Those things being, washing the boat, cleaning the carpet and the rest of the inside. The longer I wait the cleaner everything will be upon his arrival. It doesn't take long for the outside to start to look dirty again.
The days are really starting to drag out and I catch myself pacing back and forth here and there. I go all day without interacting with a single person, except maybe a phone call or two. I went out a couple of times and while it is cool to meet and talk to people I never would talk to if I was with a group of friends, it really gets old after awhile. I will say that it was fun to run in to the crew of Libra III as well as a captain who is currently doing his coursework for his 3,000 Ton license. It's always interesting to talk to those kinds of people.
Right now the date is set for February 24th to finally leave Ft. lauderdale, which will put us at the docks for just over a month. Who knows if February 24th will even happen.
Time to get the week started, wheres my to-do list?
Sound Waves Out
I forgot to post there for a couple of days. Nothing to exciting is happening anyways. A cold front passed through this weekend and hopefully it is the last one of the year. We got the after coolers put back on and we are ordering one fuel line then should be ready for sea trial. That was really the only big thing that happened this weekend on board. I've been working on a lot of smaller things but I am waiting on the big things as long as I can up until the owners return. Those things being, washing the boat, cleaning the carpet and the rest of the inside. The longer I wait the cleaner everything will be upon his arrival. It doesn't take long for the outside to start to look dirty again.
The days are really starting to drag out and I catch myself pacing back and forth here and there. I go all day without interacting with a single person, except maybe a phone call or two. I went out a couple of times and while it is cool to meet and talk to people I never would talk to if I was with a group of friends, it really gets old after awhile. I will say that it was fun to run in to the crew of Libra III as well as a captain who is currently doing his coursework for his 3,000 Ton license. It's always interesting to talk to those kinds of people.
Right now the date is set for February 24th to finally leave Ft. lauderdale, which will put us at the docks for just over a month. Who knows if February 24th will even happen.
Time to get the week started, wheres my to-do list?
Sound Waves Out
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Day 130 & 131: Slow Progress
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL USA
I am starting to get Sarasota syndrome in that we have now been sitting in Ft. Lauderdale for an extended amount of time. On top of that I am now alone on the boat, which slows down each day even more. Yesterday I did a re-group and got all of my thoughts together to finish each project and get ready to maybe leave here someday. I also re-built all of the racor filters on board, which was a diesel mess. I can now say that I know racor filters inside and out.
Today I wanted to focus on the inside of the boat a little bit. Some clutter has been developing with ongoing projects as well as the continuing spontaneous purchasing of materials and supplies and it was time to take a step back and organize. I also wanted to clean the entire inside of the boat. I started by refolding every shower and beach towel on board. After sitting in cabinets for who knows how long and getting moved around here and there they were all ready to be refolded. I redistributed all of the towels to their proper heads and put the beach towels in a convenient location to grab just before heading to the beach. I cleaned out the entire salon before Jeremy, one of our workers, showed up. The project with installing new hardware on the pilot house doors is still open despite two other machine shops turning us down in other ports. We finally found a machine shop that would do it, but the work is far from over. Jeremy and I determined what still needed to be done and a few more parts still need to be made. It is going to be a close call, and everything has to come out perfect so hopefully this all works out and we can finally close this project for good. What it comes down to is that the hardware is not made for these doors and by forcing it to work we have encountered a lot of road blocks. It has been an awful lot of time and money for a set of new door handles.
Like I said, being that the owner may not be returning until late February, I have had to completely change my schedule. I originally planned to have the boat ready to go this week but now I need to slow everything down. While I am still staying busy during the day everything is much more relaxed, and I have actually been able to get a lot more things accomplished.
Tomorrow is just another day.
Sound Waves Out.
I am starting to get Sarasota syndrome in that we have now been sitting in Ft. Lauderdale for an extended amount of time. On top of that I am now alone on the boat, which slows down each day even more. Yesterday I did a re-group and got all of my thoughts together to finish each project and get ready to maybe leave here someday. I also re-built all of the racor filters on board, which was a diesel mess. I can now say that I know racor filters inside and out.
Today I wanted to focus on the inside of the boat a little bit. Some clutter has been developing with ongoing projects as well as the continuing spontaneous purchasing of materials and supplies and it was time to take a step back and organize. I also wanted to clean the entire inside of the boat. I started by refolding every shower and beach towel on board. After sitting in cabinets for who knows how long and getting moved around here and there they were all ready to be refolded. I redistributed all of the towels to their proper heads and put the beach towels in a convenient location to grab just before heading to the beach. I cleaned out the entire salon before Jeremy, one of our workers, showed up. The project with installing new hardware on the pilot house doors is still open despite two other machine shops turning us down in other ports. We finally found a machine shop that would do it, but the work is far from over. Jeremy and I determined what still needed to be done and a few more parts still need to be made. It is going to be a close call, and everything has to come out perfect so hopefully this all works out and we can finally close this project for good. What it comes down to is that the hardware is not made for these doors and by forcing it to work we have encountered a lot of road blocks. It has been an awful lot of time and money for a set of new door handles.
Like I said, being that the owner may not be returning until late February, I have had to completely change my schedule. I originally planned to have the boat ready to go this week but now I need to slow everything down. While I am still staying busy during the day everything is much more relaxed, and I have actually been able to get a lot more things accomplished.
Tomorrow is just another day.
Sound Waves Out.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Day 129: Still here
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL USA
Well I got a call today and due to some circumstances back home, it isn't looking like we will be leaving Ft. Lauderdale until late February. It's looking like we may never get there. One thing is for sure, I won't be doing the east coast next spring. My number one priority is with the Bonita which is in winter storage back in Grand Haven. As soon as the owner wants that boat out of the barn and in Chicago I will be gone. With such a late departure to the Bahamas it is looking like Sound Waves will most likely be staying in the Bahamas through April. Being that Bonita came out of the barn in early May last year....I will not be completing the Great Circle this year in my life.
Anyways I really shouldn't be writing right now...it turned out to be a real crap day and I'm not in the best of moods. Hopefully tomorrow I can get a lot more done and get this boat ready to leave. With two more weeks of sitting in Ft. Lauderdale ahead of me, I have plenty of time!
Pizza is done, beer is cold and some good tunes just came on. Good night to go out?
See Ya!
Sound Waves Out!
Well I got a call today and due to some circumstances back home, it isn't looking like we will be leaving Ft. Lauderdale until late February. It's looking like we may never get there. One thing is for sure, I won't be doing the east coast next spring. My number one priority is with the Bonita which is in winter storage back in Grand Haven. As soon as the owner wants that boat out of the barn and in Chicago I will be gone. With such a late departure to the Bahamas it is looking like Sound Waves will most likely be staying in the Bahamas through April. Being that Bonita came out of the barn in early May last year....I will not be completing the Great Circle this year in my life.
Anyways I really shouldn't be writing right now...it turned out to be a real crap day and I'm not in the best of moods. Hopefully tomorrow I can get a lot more done and get this boat ready to leave. With two more weeks of sitting in Ft. Lauderdale ahead of me, I have plenty of time!
Pizza is done, beer is cold and some good tunes just came on. Good night to go out?
See Ya!
Sound Waves Out!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Day 128: Super Bowl?
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL USA
Today started out cloudy and it was a bit sad as it was Jessie's last day here. We went to the beach anyway. I knew that there was a cold front pushing in to Florida today but it looked as though it may stall and get pushed back to the north. It was cloudy and even tried to rain a little bit. The dark clouds were moving towards the southeast and getting worse. Sure enough though everything kind of stopped right over the top of us and reversed. The clouds moved back to the northwest and soon enough there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. I kind of like this weather stuff!!! It was a very relaxing day and as the tide went out the access to the sand bar just off the beach presented itself again. A large group next to us was very interesting to watch and poor little Eddie got stung by a jelly fish three times!!! He must have been 8 years old at best, but he was a tough little guy.
We went in the water a little bit and even spotted a huge sting ray about 50 yards further out in the deeper water. The water was crystal clear and so was the sky.
It turned out to be an awesome day. I took Jessie to the airport and returned to get the boat turned around. (Cleaning). The super bowl was on tonight but due to a lot of reasons we can't get it on the boat. I was too lazy to go find a bar to watch the game and instead just watched a few movies.
I am so motivated to get right to work tomorrow and finish all of the projects that are left on board. The Bahamas are on the menu I just need to finish everything up here!
Sound Waves Out.
Today started out cloudy and it was a bit sad as it was Jessie's last day here. We went to the beach anyway. I knew that there was a cold front pushing in to Florida today but it looked as though it may stall and get pushed back to the north. It was cloudy and even tried to rain a little bit. The dark clouds were moving towards the southeast and getting worse. Sure enough though everything kind of stopped right over the top of us and reversed. The clouds moved back to the northwest and soon enough there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. I kind of like this weather stuff!!! It was a very relaxing day and as the tide went out the access to the sand bar just off the beach presented itself again. A large group next to us was very interesting to watch and poor little Eddie got stung by a jelly fish three times!!! He must have been 8 years old at best, but he was a tough little guy.
We went in the water a little bit and even spotted a huge sting ray about 50 yards further out in the deeper water. The water was crystal clear and so was the sky.
It turned out to be an awesome day. I took Jessie to the airport and returned to get the boat turned around. (Cleaning). The super bowl was on tonight but due to a lot of reasons we can't get it on the boat. I was too lazy to go find a bar to watch the game and instead just watched a few movies.
I am so motivated to get right to work tomorrow and finish all of the projects that are left on board. The Bahamas are on the menu I just need to finish everything up here!
Sound Waves Out.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Day 127: Quit Playin' with your Dinghy!
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL USA
It was a sleep in day, and boy did it feel good. I talked to a few workers today, and then planned to have a little fun. Jessie and I hopped in the dinghy and just drove around for awhile. We went up the New River a little bit, then around Pier 66 under a very low bridge, in to Lake Sylvia, up the ICW to Shooters and then back to Coconuts for lunch...which is walking distance from the marina. While we were on the New River we saw a manatee and tons of jelly fish!
The turbo chargers are back on the engines and the painter finished up today. We had him touching up some spots around the boat. The pilot house doors are back on and all I need to do is get the hardware on them.
The rest of the afternoon was spent lounging up on the fly bridge. The wind slapped at the flag on the radar arch as the sun dipped in and out behind clouds. The air had a slight chill to it with the wind but the sun made everything alright as we drifted in and out of an awesome afternoon nap. The boat is making progress and I am seeing a little bit of Lauderdale at the same time, which is great. I am looking forward to a good week of work as we finally prepare to get to the Bahamas...we are almost there!
Off to Quarterdeck for dinner!
Sound Waves Out
It was a sleep in day, and boy did it feel good. I talked to a few workers today, and then planned to have a little fun. Jessie and I hopped in the dinghy and just drove around for awhile. We went up the New River a little bit, then around Pier 66 under a very low bridge, in to Lake Sylvia, up the ICW to Shooters and then back to Coconuts for lunch...which is walking distance from the marina. While we were on the New River we saw a manatee and tons of jelly fish!
The turbo chargers are back on the engines and the painter finished up today. We had him touching up some spots around the boat. The pilot house doors are back on and all I need to do is get the hardware on them.
The rest of the afternoon was spent lounging up on the fly bridge. The wind slapped at the flag on the radar arch as the sun dipped in and out behind clouds. The air had a slight chill to it with the wind but the sun made everything alright as we drifted in and out of an awesome afternoon nap. The boat is making progress and I am seeing a little bit of Lauderdale at the same time, which is great. I am looking forward to a good week of work as we finally prepare to get to the Bahamas...we are almost there!
Off to Quarterdeck for dinner!
Sound Waves Out
Friday, February 4, 2011
Day 126: Jessie!
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL USA
Well Jessie made her connecting fight just barely. She got off and ran down the hall, stepped on the plane and left. The plan today was to hang out and go to the beach. Just as we were getting ready to leave the dock hand came by to do a pump out. So we did that. Then I noticed that one of the compressors for the air conditioning was struggling. By chance I checked the strainers and they were caked with mud and barnacles...oops. I cleaned those up and found that the gaskets were shot. No AC until I got new gaskets. I called Sam's Marine and while they had them in stock they were a 15 minute drive...one way. Forget it, I'll leave the doors open and we'll go to the beach for awhile. Just as we were leaving the divers showed up with the refurbished prop. O.K. well hold on let me help them for a second. Then Jeremy calls and says the pilot house doors are ready and he can bring them over. Fine O.K. but on your way pick up those gaskets from Sam's Marine. Pilot house doors on, AC running, starboard prop back on, empty holding tank, clean strainers.....O.K. lets go to the beach....finally. For not planning on doing much today I sure did get a lot done.
All in all it was a great beach day, minus the fact that Jessie got stung by a jelly fish after the first two minutes of being in the water, and by the fact that I had to leave and go get stuff done on the boat. Jessie is fine and I got a little sunburned so I guess it was a pretty good day!
Time to go wander the town, grab some dinner, and RELAX!!!!
Sound Waves Out
Well Jessie made her connecting fight just barely. She got off and ran down the hall, stepped on the plane and left. The plan today was to hang out and go to the beach. Just as we were getting ready to leave the dock hand came by to do a pump out. So we did that. Then I noticed that one of the compressors for the air conditioning was struggling. By chance I checked the strainers and they were caked with mud and barnacles...oops. I cleaned those up and found that the gaskets were shot. No AC until I got new gaskets. I called Sam's Marine and while they had them in stock they were a 15 minute drive...one way. Forget it, I'll leave the doors open and we'll go to the beach for awhile. Just as we were leaving the divers showed up with the refurbished prop. O.K. well hold on let me help them for a second. Then Jeremy calls and says the pilot house doors are ready and he can bring them over. Fine O.K. but on your way pick up those gaskets from Sam's Marine. Pilot house doors on, AC running, starboard prop back on, empty holding tank, clean strainers.....O.K. lets go to the beach....finally. For not planning on doing much today I sure did get a lot done.
All in all it was a great beach day, minus the fact that Jessie got stung by a jelly fish after the first two minutes of being in the water, and by the fact that I had to leave and go get stuff done on the boat. Jessie is fine and I got a little sunburned so I guess it was a pretty good day!
Time to go wander the town, grab some dinner, and RELAX!!!!
Sound Waves Out
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Day 125: Bring on the Heat!!!! FINALLY
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL USA
Last night was a fun time. The owner and I went out to a sushi place called "Sushi Rock". As I walked in I didn't know if I was in a club or a restaurant. They were playing some good music though as we sat down right at the bar. We ordered three rolls, one which was very spicy, and went through some wine.
This morning I was staring at the ceiling at 0730 so I got up and got some things around. Next thing I knew the entire boat was torn apart. It happened out of no where. Here I am checking e-mails and doing my daily facebook rounds then bam! going crazy.
We put the aft laz back together and got rid of a lot of crap back there. It looks a lot better now that is for sure. The mats needed to be cleaned and I am glad that I caught that. Jeremy, who has started to become our first mate, showed up and got to work on his list of things to do around the boat. We ripped the aft deck door off again and I hit the track with a dremel. I was sweating like crazy. It must have hit at least 83 today. I was loving it. I'll never complain about the heat.
I did some other small stuff and then went after the engines. We pulled the after coolers off and half of the engine is off to the machine shop for inspection blue printing and cleaning. Hopefully the engine runs like a charm when this is all said and done.
The owner went shopping for groceries and other supplies and upon his return I saw a lot of things that we already had a lot of. He left shortly after for the airport as he is flying home to Chicago for a week or so. I decided that this guessing game of what we have needs to end. I emptied out every cupboard and the pantry and lined everything up alphabetically. I whipped up an excel spreadsheet and inventoried everything. 6 bottles of BBQ sauce is quite enough, and we have pancake mix to feed the entire population of the Bahamas. Hopefully my list will help us make our final provision in an efficient matter.
As I type I am tracking Jessie's flight in to Charlotte from O'hare. They left 42 minutes late and she only has an hour layover in Charlotte. I would say that there is no chance for her to catch the connection in to Lauderdale at this point but the two gates are right next to each other, arriving at C9 and departing from C10. Hopefully those gate assignments stand and she can get off one plane and onto another and be gone just like that. (The ideal flight connection in my mind!). It is kind of creepy though that I can track this flight live. I know its bearing, its speed, its lat and long, and its distance from each airport. If I was good with missiles couldn't I do some math and take that sucker out? Kind of scary in my mind...
Here are some pictures of the days activities:
Sound Waves Out
Last night was a fun time. The owner and I went out to a sushi place called "Sushi Rock". As I walked in I didn't know if I was in a club or a restaurant. They were playing some good music though as we sat down right at the bar. We ordered three rolls, one which was very spicy, and went through some wine.
This morning I was staring at the ceiling at 0730 so I got up and got some things around. Next thing I knew the entire boat was torn apart. It happened out of no where. Here I am checking e-mails and doing my daily facebook rounds then bam! going crazy.
We put the aft laz back together and got rid of a lot of crap back there. It looks a lot better now that is for sure. The mats needed to be cleaned and I am glad that I caught that. Jeremy, who has started to become our first mate, showed up and got to work on his list of things to do around the boat. We ripped the aft deck door off again and I hit the track with a dremel. I was sweating like crazy. It must have hit at least 83 today. I was loving it. I'll never complain about the heat.
I did some other small stuff and then went after the engines. We pulled the after coolers off and half of the engine is off to the machine shop for inspection blue printing and cleaning. Hopefully the engine runs like a charm when this is all said and done.
The owner went shopping for groceries and other supplies and upon his return I saw a lot of things that we already had a lot of. He left shortly after for the airport as he is flying home to Chicago for a week or so. I decided that this guessing game of what we have needs to end. I emptied out every cupboard and the pantry and lined everything up alphabetically. I whipped up an excel spreadsheet and inventoried everything. 6 bottles of BBQ sauce is quite enough, and we have pancake mix to feed the entire population of the Bahamas. Hopefully my list will help us make our final provision in an efficient matter.
As I type I am tracking Jessie's flight in to Charlotte from O'hare. They left 42 minutes late and she only has an hour layover in Charlotte. I would say that there is no chance for her to catch the connection in to Lauderdale at this point but the two gates are right next to each other, arriving at C9 and departing from C10. Hopefully those gate assignments stand and she can get off one plane and onto another and be gone just like that. (The ideal flight connection in my mind!). It is kind of creepy though that I can track this flight live. I know its bearing, its speed, its lat and long, and its distance from each airport. If I was good with missiles couldn't I do some math and take that sucker out? Kind of scary in my mind...
Here are some pictures of the days activities:
The Compression Housing of the turbo charger on the airsep side.
The compression housing on the left and the hot housing/compression housing on the right
The after cooler on the port engine coming out. All fuel lines to injectors are removed.
No more after cooler
Pipes and buckets full of coolant (hopfully/probaby will be going back in the engines)
My provision inventory rage. Everything lined up and getting recorded. Think we have enough crackers? Check out the four boxes of pancake mix on the bottom right.
Now considered the breakfast cabinet. Not the cereal, some crackers, a random box of tea bags and maybe a stray bag of popcorn cabinet.
Sound Waves Out
Day 124: My Toe!
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL USA
Today was the day. The day to get as much done as we could. Wait...isn't that the same as every other day?
Its been fun to keep up on this "blizzard 2011" going on north of us. There were some pretty crazy pictures posted on facebook. Whats wild is that in Dallas Texas, which isn't really too far north of us, it was only 12 degrees yet we are here in Lauderdale with a bone chilling wind chill of around 82. :-) The forecast is stellar for the rest of the week and it won't have any problems hitting 80 every day!
The owner and I did some small tasks in the morning then hopped on the scooters and went to town. Our first stop was Lester's diner for some grub. It was the same place that I went to last year when we were prepping the sailboat for the big Caribbean trip. We went there with Ethan and Ryan's grandma. Just like last year...it was packed. After, we ran to the boaters warehouse and picked up some general stuff, the battery store for a spare for the dinghy as well as the scooters, to Brownies for a scuba tank, two spears, and an extra brownie bag, and to West Marine for a mic for the hand held VHF so it is easier for a deckhand to talk to whoever is on the helm while docking.
The owner has decided to head back to Chicago for awhile and has faith that I can get the boat finished up and ready to go from here. And he also asked if my girlfriend, Jessie, would like to come visit. Of course she took the offer and is flying down later tonight (Thursday) and will be here until Sunday night. I'm pretty excited and the weather is looking perfect!
The turbos came off, and what a cool project! First, all of the coolant was drained. Then the airseps. Then we cracked off the housing for the compression housing side of the turbo. Then off came the hot housing side (heavy as hell!) The engine is looking naked but its going to get worse as the aftercoolers are coming off later today. The tolerances on the turbos can definitely be reduced and while some of the compression housing units were clean others were filled with gum. Because of this we are also going to remove the after coolers and get those cleaned. All in all we are going to blue print the turbos, acid wash the after coolers, replace the rubber hosing for the airseps, clean the airseps, replace a few pipes, check the fuel lines that run to the injectors and replace if needed, as well as check some general oil leaks that we have found. While the coolant looks O.K. we are going to check it and if it is good simply put it back in the engine when we are done. On top of that we are also rebuilding the racors in hopes that it will fix our fuel problem.
Around sunset we got in to cleaning the aft laz. After taking everything out I pulled up the mat and about threw up it smelled so bad. Everything needed to come out, mat included. Its a thick rubber-like mat and while I was pulling it out the edge caught my big toe. It wasn't so much a cut as it was a huge chunk of skin getting skimmed right off. It didn't bleed bad at first nor did it really hurt. I washed it out with water, threw a band-aid on it and kept working. I ignored it most of the night but when I removed the band-aid this morning (blog post Thursday morning) I found a huge hole and my entire big toe is stiff and numb. Just what I need. It's starting to loosen up a little bit, but I know that this is going to be one of those slices that is annoying and bugs me with everything I do. Oh well.
Back to the grind...
Sound Waves Out
Today was the day. The day to get as much done as we could. Wait...isn't that the same as every other day?
Its been fun to keep up on this "blizzard 2011" going on north of us. There were some pretty crazy pictures posted on facebook. Whats wild is that in Dallas Texas, which isn't really too far north of us, it was only 12 degrees yet we are here in Lauderdale with a bone chilling wind chill of around 82. :-) The forecast is stellar for the rest of the week and it won't have any problems hitting 80 every day!
The owner and I did some small tasks in the morning then hopped on the scooters and went to town. Our first stop was Lester's diner for some grub. It was the same place that I went to last year when we were prepping the sailboat for the big Caribbean trip. We went there with Ethan and Ryan's grandma. Just like last year...it was packed. After, we ran to the boaters warehouse and picked up some general stuff, the battery store for a spare for the dinghy as well as the scooters, to Brownies for a scuba tank, two spears, and an extra brownie bag, and to West Marine for a mic for the hand held VHF so it is easier for a deckhand to talk to whoever is on the helm while docking.
The owner has decided to head back to Chicago for awhile and has faith that I can get the boat finished up and ready to go from here. And he also asked if my girlfriend, Jessie, would like to come visit. Of course she took the offer and is flying down later tonight (Thursday) and will be here until Sunday night. I'm pretty excited and the weather is looking perfect!
The turbos came off, and what a cool project! First, all of the coolant was drained. Then the airseps. Then we cracked off the housing for the compression housing side of the turbo. Then off came the hot housing side (heavy as hell!) The engine is looking naked but its going to get worse as the aftercoolers are coming off later today. The tolerances on the turbos can definitely be reduced and while some of the compression housing units were clean others were filled with gum. Because of this we are also going to remove the after coolers and get those cleaned. All in all we are going to blue print the turbos, acid wash the after coolers, replace the rubber hosing for the airseps, clean the airseps, replace a few pipes, check the fuel lines that run to the injectors and replace if needed, as well as check some general oil leaks that we have found. While the coolant looks O.K. we are going to check it and if it is good simply put it back in the engine when we are done. On top of that we are also rebuilding the racors in hopes that it will fix our fuel problem.
Around sunset we got in to cleaning the aft laz. After taking everything out I pulled up the mat and about threw up it smelled so bad. Everything needed to come out, mat included. Its a thick rubber-like mat and while I was pulling it out the edge caught my big toe. It wasn't so much a cut as it was a huge chunk of skin getting skimmed right off. It didn't bleed bad at first nor did it really hurt. I washed it out with water, threw a band-aid on it and kept working. I ignored it most of the night but when I removed the band-aid this morning (blog post Thursday morning) I found a huge hole and my entire big toe is stiff and numb. Just what I need. It's starting to loosen up a little bit, but I know that this is going to be one of those slices that is annoying and bugs me with everything I do. Oh well.
Back to the grind...
Sound Waves Out
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Day 118 - 123: Time Off
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL USA
Wow I forgot to write the last couple of days. Some of that is due to the fact that I visited my grandparents up in Stuart for a few days and did not take my computer with me.
Lets start from the beginning and get some pictures up.
Last Thursday.... Holy cow can I even remember this far back? Lets just sum up the last few days before I went on vacation. Boat projects were moving forward and the boat was starting to make progress towards finally leaving for the Bahamas (original departure date: December 15th). We finally got the props looked at and sure enough we sheared the strut for the spurs and bent the starboard wheel. I will make the statement that I wasn't at the helm when the boat hit, but it was unavoidable as we were in the fairway in the marina...you can't miss what you can't see. We pulled the starboard prop and as of this blog post on Feb. 1, still no prop.
I ripped apart the entire audio rack in the salon and replaced the center speaker as well as the receiver. It was dropping out at higher volumes and these were the best two options. While replacing these two things I got frustrated with previous work done on the system and could not stand how sloppy everything was put together. Old wires were left in place just dangling there. I ripped the whole rack out and cut every wire tie. I re-built the entire rack, removed about 300 feet of wire and put everything back in place. It took about 3 days and a total of 35 hours of labor to complete the project but it looks great now, and we can really rock!
Our new hatch came for the access to the fly bridge and I think we may need to put a warning sign up. Even when I know the hatch is closed I can't see the glass...it is crystal clear, and its even got a tint to it. So if you are on Soundwaves in the future mind the hatch.
I finally found time to go visit my grandparents and it was great to get off of the boat. It was about an hour and a half drive north. I got in late on Friday night and we played 18 holes of golf on saturday. I didn't play well at all, but who cares. It was great to just get out there and spend some time with my Grandpa. And I will say this, for 86 years old he still can really play!
The weekend consisted of golf and laying low. It is always good to visit the grandparents and I am really glad that it worked out that I could go see them.
I got back to the boat around noon today (Tuesday) and went right back in to million mile an hour mode. The boat is really starting to come together though and we are hoping to pull back from Lauderdale with the Bahamas in our sights within the next week. Tomorrow my number one task...take the turbo chargers off of the engines so that I can get them to a machine shop. This will be my biggest task on an engine thus far, but I'm really not nervous about it. I have come a long way since I started working on boats and diving in to a project like pulling turbo's doesn't really scare me anymore. Two years ago I couldn't tell you what turbo's did or what they even looked like. Now, the engine hiccups and I have a pretty good idea what is wrong. Am I a diesel mechanic? Hell no. Would I suggest you letting me work on your engines? Probably not, but I know that if I do my research and back myself with a knowledgeable person that can give me a good walk through before hand...its no problem. While there will be no mechanic on hand tomorrow I still am not worried. Actually a little excited.
As I look on the weather channel I see that Chicago has declared a state of emergency due to the storm of the century. Two feet of snow is expected. I walk out on to the aft deck and the air is still full of moisture. The humidity today? 94% with a high of 77. There is nothing better than going outside after the sun has said its goodbyes for the day and feeling a warm, humid air on the skin. While the heat makes your shirt sticky throughout the day it offers relief and comfort come happy hour. I may spend the rest of the night up on the fly bridge as I try and hang on to a little bit of this short vacation I had.
Enjoy the pictures:
Sound Waves Out
Wow I forgot to write the last couple of days. Some of that is due to the fact that I visited my grandparents up in Stuart for a few days and did not take my computer with me.
Lets start from the beginning and get some pictures up.
Last Thursday.... Holy cow can I even remember this far back? Lets just sum up the last few days before I went on vacation. Boat projects were moving forward and the boat was starting to make progress towards finally leaving for the Bahamas (original departure date: December 15th). We finally got the props looked at and sure enough we sheared the strut for the spurs and bent the starboard wheel. I will make the statement that I wasn't at the helm when the boat hit, but it was unavoidable as we were in the fairway in the marina...you can't miss what you can't see. We pulled the starboard prop and as of this blog post on Feb. 1, still no prop.
I ripped apart the entire audio rack in the salon and replaced the center speaker as well as the receiver. It was dropping out at higher volumes and these were the best two options. While replacing these two things I got frustrated with previous work done on the system and could not stand how sloppy everything was put together. Old wires were left in place just dangling there. I ripped the whole rack out and cut every wire tie. I re-built the entire rack, removed about 300 feet of wire and put everything back in place. It took about 3 days and a total of 35 hours of labor to complete the project but it looks great now, and we can really rock!
Our new hatch came for the access to the fly bridge and I think we may need to put a warning sign up. Even when I know the hatch is closed I can't see the glass...it is crystal clear, and its even got a tint to it. So if you are on Soundwaves in the future mind the hatch.
I finally found time to go visit my grandparents and it was great to get off of the boat. It was about an hour and a half drive north. I got in late on Friday night and we played 18 holes of golf on saturday. I didn't play well at all, but who cares. It was great to just get out there and spend some time with my Grandpa. And I will say this, for 86 years old he still can really play!
The weekend consisted of golf and laying low. It is always good to visit the grandparents and I am really glad that it worked out that I could go see them.
I got back to the boat around noon today (Tuesday) and went right back in to million mile an hour mode. The boat is really starting to come together though and we are hoping to pull back from Lauderdale with the Bahamas in our sights within the next week. Tomorrow my number one task...take the turbo chargers off of the engines so that I can get them to a machine shop. This will be my biggest task on an engine thus far, but I'm really not nervous about it. I have come a long way since I started working on boats and diving in to a project like pulling turbo's doesn't really scare me anymore. Two years ago I couldn't tell you what turbo's did or what they even looked like. Now, the engine hiccups and I have a pretty good idea what is wrong. Am I a diesel mechanic? Hell no. Would I suggest you letting me work on your engines? Probably not, but I know that if I do my research and back myself with a knowledgeable person that can give me a good walk through before hand...its no problem. While there will be no mechanic on hand tomorrow I still am not worried. Actually a little excited.
As I look on the weather channel I see that Chicago has declared a state of emergency due to the storm of the century. Two feet of snow is expected. I walk out on to the aft deck and the air is still full of moisture. The humidity today? 94% with a high of 77. There is nothing better than going outside after the sun has said its goodbyes for the day and feeling a warm, humid air on the skin. While the heat makes your shirt sticky throughout the day it offers relief and comfort come happy hour. I may spend the rest of the night up on the fly bridge as I try and hang on to a little bit of this short vacation I had.
Enjoy the pictures:
Hangin' out at Shooters for the Bears vs. Packers game...too bad they lost
86 Years Old....Still got it
One of my for fun shots. Eagle Marsh
Island Dunes. Hole #8 Par 3 Over the marsh. Nice tee shot Eric :-)
Hole #9 Island Dunes
The view from my Grandparents balcony....nothing better. Ocean on the right. ICW on the left
Sunset from my Grandparents balcony. One of the best
Audio project in the salon after I lost my cool and ripped everything out.
60 wires down to one, neat wire bundle to the rack. We are getting a sleeve to clean it up even more!
The rack re-built!
Starboard wheel hanging from the davit
Sound Waves Out
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