On the Hook!!

We're on the hook (anchor) for the second night at the Manatee River near Bradenton. We had to wait out fog and rain and we finally left the slip early yesterday morning. This was only the second time I had backed the boat out of our new slip. For the non-boaters reading this, backing up a boat with a single fixed propeller is a LOT different than a car. To compound the "interest" there is a lot of current running through our docks at certain times, especially around a full moon. Did I mention that it was full moon? We left the dock at about the time when the current was at its peak of about 1.5 knots. I'll spare you the details but it was an exciting exit and I learned a lot. The good news is that Puffin and crew made it intact although a little frazzled.

We headed out Clearwater Pass into the Gulf on a beautiful morning. We were sailing with a light wind. What's not to like? Later in the day the wind faded some so we put up the gennaker (the bright sail shown at the top of this blog). Alas, after a while even that was not enough and we finished the trip under engine.

Late last night Gail arose and looked out to see pea-soup fog. Literally, zero visibility. It burned off today and we headed out in the dinghy to have lunch with some cruising friends who are docked east of here. They too are getting ready to head south so we made plans to meet up with them in Sarasota as well.

We moved the boat to the other side of the river this afternoon as a front will pass tomorrow and the protection is better on this side. If all goes well, we'll head to Sarasota on Sat. when the weather clears. Stay tuned...

Still Waiting

As with many things cruising, plans can change. It started raining last night and continued with thunder and lightning into the early afternoon. Guess what, the diver wasn't about to go in the water in these conditions. He'll be here tomorrow. I can't blame him. Safety first after all.

This morning was cold and wet and made worse by the fact that our heat wasn't working. It appeared that the raw water intake that it uses for heating/cooling was plugged. I figured the diver could clear it out. Since he wasn't coming it was time for McGiver to get to work. I pulled the raw water system apart and cleared out all the clogs as well as fixing a slow leak on the pump that runs the whole system. One thing about cruising, there's always something to fix.

Once the weather cleared we took a long walk around Clearwater. When we got back to the dock we saw that another Island Packet owner was on their boat. We introduced ourselves to Greg and Sandy. They have an Island Packet 27 - one of the first Island Packets. We had a nice visit and drink on their boat and they also came over to see our boat. They're relatively new to sailing so they thought our boat was the size of an aircraft carrier. It was really nice to get to know them and offer some insights into cruising on this coast.

Tomorrow the diver should be here early and we're hoping to get under way. There is the threat of fog in the morning but we're keeping a good thought.

Back on the water in 2011

Well, we're finally back on the water again after some really cold weather that made us old farts unwilling to go out. Temperatures like 35 degrees keep us home and warm. There's just something about being out on the water with no heat that'll convince anyone to think again.

Our intention was to head out this morning for about a month on the water, so we let loose the lines in very calm air, when Paul announced that the engine would not go into reverse. This is a problem. So, I tied up the boat again while he checked on the transmission and verified that it was working just fine.

Since we moved the boat to the new downtown Clearwater boat docks around Thanksgiving, we had not been out on the boat. It's much nicer having the boat only about 10 minutes from the house, but with the holidays and all, we just hadn't been able to get out of the slip.

Paul got the gears to work, and we headed out to the Intracoastal Waterway. The problem was that we weren't able to achieve the same speed as we normally can. Paul turned Puffin around to verify that it wasn't the current working against us. It wasn't. So, back to the slip we came. We tied her up again and Paul took a look at the bottom, which had furry growth all over. So, I called Matt, who does our bottom every month. To make a long story short, Paul had talked to the diver (who, inconveniently now no longer works for Matt) while we were still in Gulfport, told him that we were moving the boat, and assumed that the bottom had been cleaned. It hadn't.

Once I talked to Matt, we figured out the problem. Our reduction in speed was due to the growing "reef" on Puffin's bottom. Matt agreed to make us the first stop on Monday morning, and we will again head out. In the meantime, we had a really nice, warm day (for a change), so after lunch in the cockpit, we began working on Puffin to get her cleaned up. I worked on the stainless, and PK worked on tape residue from the last time our wood was re-coated. We spent the whole afternoon doing this, and the results are spectacular. We aren't done yet, but it was a good way to spend our time - and it needed to be done. We have probably another day's work before she's shining all over.

Last night, we headed into downtown Clearwater and tried a new restaurant called Casanova (Italian). The food was good, but the service was a bit iffy. Paul's least favorite thing was the fact that all the waiters seem to keep the folders that hold the checks tucked into their pants. Euwww. He mentioned this to the waiter and to the owner, who greeted us on our way out. At each turn, we were made to think that we were being way too fussy. Oh well ...

We also have met several boaters on the dock while we've been working and hanging out at the dock. It's all good. Tonight, we were supposed to have some people coming over for drinks, but they haven't made it here yet. We'll probably give the Thai restaurant a try tonight. They also have sushi.

The fine madness that is cruising

We spent the day anchored in the Manatee River, one of our favorite anchorages close to home. While we have been out we discovered that the main light in our bathroom (called "the head" on a boat) was not working. I replaced the bulb and nothing changed. Looks like it was a victim of the recent surgery. I spent a good bit of the morning taking the cabinet in the "head" apart and finding the wire that had been cut. I suspect when they used power tools to cut out all the fiberglass, this wire was collateral damage. I can't say I was happy about it but there we are...

A couple of hours later I had all the wires spliced back together and the light in the head was working. Life is good! We dropped the dinghy down and went into shore and took a walk around the Fort DeSoto memorial. Spent the rest of the day reading in the cockpit. The picture here is the sunset we saw as we were eating dinner in the cockpit. Lots of people don't understand why we put up with the problems that come up while you're cruising. If you don't get this photo, then you don't share the fine madness that we do.

Back on the water again

Well, we're finally back out on the water. We picked the boat up last Wed. at Snead Island and brought her back home after writing the big check. The fact is that Snead Island did a fabulous job. You can't really tell that they had been in here hacking up the interior. This photo shows the interior after the surgery.

We were planning to sail down to Pelican Bay, about 70 miles south of here but the weather is not cooperating. We're late in the season and the prevailing winds are southerly - not conducive to going south in a sailboat. So we're anchored in the Manatee River and will likely sail around Tampa Bay for the next week or so. We have to be back around the 10th as Gail's daughter and our son-in-law will be coming down for a visit. Let's face it, family trumps sailing every time. Still, it's nice to be out on the boat and swinging on the hook.

Good News, Bad News

We met with some family members in Sarasota on Tuesday and took the time to see how the work on the boat was coming along. The short answer is, very well. As you can see from the photo, the new chainplate (the metal bar) is installed and they have been "glassed" into place. In addition, you can see the fiberglass is open on the right side to allow any water to drain out should it get in. Hopefully, this will never happen again.

We talked with the person that was doing the fiberglass work on the boat and he said that the old chainplates were "very bad". Most of the yard staff was at lunch so we will have to see them the next time we are down there.

Now the bad news. The yard cut into the fiberglass bonding the aft chainplates to the hull and found corrosion. The corrosion was nowhere near as bad as that on the port and starboard sides but we're not taking any chances. We don't know yet how long this fix will take but it has to be done. For those that may wonder, there are no chainplates on the forward stays on the boat. They are held onto the boat via a different mechanism and they are easily inspected. They look fine.

Saw the patient today

Today we met some friends from Sarasota for lunch in Bradenton. That gave us a good excuse to stop in and see the boat in "surgery". As you can see from the photo, they have started to remove the woodwork from the interior. There were large pieces of cut wood paneling in the interior. While we were there one of the yard guys came on the boat with a bunch of heavy lines. He was going to climb the mast and tie off ropes to the deck to hold up the mast while they remove all the existing wires that hold up the mast. Yikes!!! Still, it's progress.