December 29, 2011

Last post of the year.  Amazing.  It was a mixed week. On the plus side, I got an outhaul rigged for the main, got hot and cold pressure water to the aft head, successfully applied a test section of teak veneer to the head cabin wall, got the repaired windlass back from the maker (gratis), and found the used turning blocks I had purchased were in good shape.  On the negative side, I spent two days in a futile effort to stop the leaks in the ancient shower mixing valve, and the packing gland for the main head pump handle shaft continued to leak.  I haven't given up on either, however.  Today I retightened the head's packing gland nut and it's been okay for an hour or so.  We'll see what happens after using it a few times.  After solving the mystery of how to disassemble the mixing valve and replacing all the o-rings with the closest sizes I could find locally, there's nothing more I can do here.  I will email the maker in England to see if they still have parts for the 38-year-old unit, and, if not, if they can supply a new unit that can mount on the bulkhead in a similar configuration.  The problem is exacerbated by the very limited space available around the sink.  If there were more counter space available, it would be a simple matter to install a whole new faucet with shower.  Sigh.

Carol and I will  be having New Year's Eve dinner at Channel Islands Yacht Club with my old friend Curt and his bride Mary.  Damned thing requires dressing up, though.  I gave away all my suits and sport coats when I retired, so it was off to the thrift shops to find something to get me through the night.  I found a blue blazer with brass buttons that might look quite yachtie with the ivory sweater obtained at the same thriftshop and my tan shore pants.  Less than 10 bucks for the outfit.  Unfortunately, right now I'm the only healthy one in the whole group; Carol, Curt and Mary are all suffering from colds.  Hopefully they  will feel well enough to have a good time and I won't ring in the new year with their cold!

 

 

December 22, 2011

I got the heavy windlass shipped by FedEx to the manufacturer…all 53 pounds of it!   However, I was a little concerned that they had closed for the holidays when no one was available to sign for it on the first two delivery attempts. Thankfully, someone signed for it today on the third and final try.

I spent much of the week clearing the “stuff” out of the aft cabin and moving it into my two storage lockers in the marina.  Late in the week I got invited to join a group going out on “Salt ‘n Light,” a big power boat, for the lighted boat parade.  Colorful, fun; nice folks.  Fireworks show right over the marina right afterwards.

With the aft cabin largely cleaned out, I decided to try to make it usable and started working on the head.  It had been totally gutted, so there’s a lot of work to do.  It’s all inside and away from my current living quarters, so noise, dust and fumes won’t be an issue.  So far I’ve installed the only remaining locker door (restored by me earlier) and installed a new portapotty.  Probably tackle the sink plumbing next.  I also worked on the main head a bit, because the packing gland for the pump handle shaft started leaking again.  I tightened it up, so hopefully that will fix it.  I couldn’t give it a real test because the raw water intake pump for the head lost its prime again.  It seems that without regular use, it loses its prime routinely.  While I know how to re-prime it, it’s not worth it while I’m just sitting at the dock.

I took a break one morning to do some more re-familiarization of the area and to try to find some other remembered resources.  I stopped by the Ventura County Maritime Museum and discovered its collection has grown into a world class exhibit.  It has more ship models and maritime art than any other museum I’ve seen, including the one in San Francisco.  Many of the models and paintings are not hidden behind plastic, so you can get as close as you want and really see it.  It’s truly a hidden gem, lost in a fading wharf area catering to tourists.  The good news is they are moving to a bigger and better venue soon.  Even better: free admission!

On the social side, I reconnected with a couple of old friends here in Ventura, Curt and Lisa, which was great fun.  Curt invited Carol and me to join him and his wife Mary for dinner New Years Eve at the Channel Islands Yacht Club.  Although it will be expensive, it should be fun and a great dinner.  Besides, Carol voted “Yes!”

Speaking of Carol, I went into LA for the weekend to join her and her friends for a big holiday party.  We had hoped to be able to go to the Mt. Wilson observatory and look through the big telescope.  The expedition had to be abandoned at the last minute due to snow, however.  We had a good party anyway.  We also enjoyed sushi at a fun neighborhood Japanese restaurant.  With Carol spending the Christmas holiday in Iowa with family, it will be pretty low key for me.  I did buy Circadian a present, though:  a pair of large, used turning blocks from Minney’s in Newport Beach.  Circadian’s previous owner never installed any, and had the genoa sheets go from snatch blocks on the genoa track directly to the winch.  With the car far enough aft to properly trim the genoa, the sheet doubles back to the winch, resulting in way too much load for the snatch block to handle safely.  The new turning blocks are big suckers, and will handle the load easily.  Installation will be a big job, though, requiring me to make some bevel blocks to mount them at the correct angle.  I’ll probably cast some fiberglass.  Harder than getting custom stainless made, but much cheaper!

And finally, a little note for Salty Monkey:  Sorry to disappoint, but no stained glass on Circadian.  What you saw in last week’s pictures was just the light coming through a towel I had thrown over the portlight so that the camera wouldn’t underexpose the photos of the microwave.  Circadian’s companionway doors do have some fancy textured/wire reinforced glass, though.

May everyone’s holiday be the best!

 

 

 

December 15, 2011

Now that the most urgent tasks of settling into my new home are largely completed, the focus has again shifted to boat projects.  With an overwhelming number of potential projects, I needed to decide on a focus to avoid scattered efforts.  Since it’s winter and could rain any time, obviously the emphasis would be on interior work.  That also made sense in light of the tight restrictions on boat work in the marina.  Until I make real friends of my neighbors, discretion would be the better part of valor in that regard.  Since I am now living aboard full time, I decided to start with projects that improved the livability of Circadian. 

To that end, this week’s big project was the installation of a microwave oven.  That entailed some cabinetry and wiring work, as well as the challenge of pre-Christmas shopping for the appliance itself.  I wanted a microwave that was relatively low wattage so it wouldn’t overwhelm the circuitry, it needed to fit the available space, and it would be nice if it looked decent.  A name brand would be preferred, too.  I ended up with a 700 watt GE that fit the bill pretty well.  Once the microwave was installed and working, I needed to be able to secure the door to the forward cabin v-berth in the closed position and out of the way of my new appliance.  I cut and shaped a block of teak to receive the pin from a brass barrel bolt and installed the new barrel bolt.

In the good news/bad news department, I got a call from Lighthouse mfg, the maker of my windlass, only a few days after I had returned the motor to them for repair.  The good news was that they had cured the motor problem and repairs would be covered under warranty (even tho it was 10 months beyond the written warranty period).  The bad news was that they had determined that a faulty seal in the winch part of the windlass had allowed grease to get onto the commutator of the motor, which is what was causing the slow starting.  I would need to return the winch portion of the windlass to them so they could replace the seal.  Dismounting the windlass was relatively straightforward, since I had installed it only about 18 months before.  I decided to remove the chain clutch and gypsy as well as the rope drum from the gearbox to reduce the shipping weight.  Even without them, the winch was very heavy – 40 or50 pounds.  Figuring out how to pack the heavy and oddly-shaped hunk of stainless steel for shipping and then doing it was the hardest part of the whole job.  It only took about an hour or so to remove the winch, but it took most of the rest of the day to get it ready for shipping.  

Between projects, I’ve enjoyed walks around the harbor and beaches as well as watching the sunsets.  They’re different from the Delta, but just as spectacular.  A special treat was watching the lunar eclipse.  The sky was crystal clear, and with no lights on the ocean, it was perfect.

One the social side, I’ve started making arrangements to get together with old friends here, and I’m looking forward to visiting the Mt Wilson Observatory with Carol and friends this weekend.  Fortunately, I was able to find a vet who can board my dog while I’m gone.  After all, even a sailor can’t survive on projects alone.