Fort Pierce, Maybe here to stay.

We are back and forth to New England a couple of times this month.  Thanksgiving was great with the kids - 5 grands make a circus.  Really fun with house hide and seek, exploring the woods, swinging,  pillow forts, art projects, RISK - the game, and general constant activity.  It was also Violet's fifth birthday.  We all cooked - turkey and stuffing by Drew and me,  Sarah contributed a fine apple pie, I made pumpkin pudding, and Dillon and AJ made all the sides.   Several ate none of the prepared meal - 2 bowls of yogurt instead.  One group toast was said, and I was a happy Grammy.

Me and CC dosing off after dinner.


We came back Tuesday after Monday volunteer organization meetings, MD appointments on Monday, work for Drew.  Boat looks great.
 We picked up the stern ladder at the fabrication place.  Lo and behold it works perfectly. 
 The ladder no longer hits the dinghy when we let it down to use it.  See, the ladder ends above the yellow dinghy.  When the dinghy is not there the ladder has another set of steps to swing down into the water for a swim ladder.

 Since the ladder was moved up the steel tube had to be cut out so the hinge swings the ladder up and the ladder fits on the stern cockpit between the lifelines.

 Back to the fabricator to finish off the rough places and we'll put it back on,  hang the motor onto the dinghy and be pretty much ready.
Yes, ready...

Every morning starts with a check of the inside/outside thermometer in the bedroom/forecabin.  (Took picture before I was even up.)

Sun all around us, blue skies, puffy white clouds, but over just our heads a grey bottom cloud with steady, yet on-and-off rain this morning.  We are opening and closing the hatches trying to get the nice 70 degree air, but then running to close up when the rain starts. 

Drew replaced a fan in the salon.  He'll also replace 3 more age-old fans that are vibrating.  These are solid state.  Should work better and quieter.

As we took our morning walk (walking Mazu) along the outer dock where the big boats tie up we saw a catamaran with this poster on the boom.  It would be fun to talk with these doctors.  The banner says seamercy.org  A group of doctors who go to the islands to give free medical care.

Currently reading:  The Rothchilds - actually just finished, 
Column of Fire (Kingsbridge series) historical fiction in 1558 by Ken Follett,   
After This by Alice Hoffman
Next on blog:  Tour of the Harbor Town Marina where we are staying,
  pictures of garden at Palm Beach 4 Arts Center where I listened to lecture by Jorge     Sanchez, landscape gardener.

Tweety, dinghy, back into the water

Drew spent the day cleaning the dinghy with Krud Kudder - THE best spray cleaner,  303 cleaner purchased from West Marine and lots of elbow grease.  I thought it was clean and went to the beach after restocking one of the flooded bins.  Drew redid it to his specs.  He's the captain.

After Drew spent the day cleaning her we lowered Tweety into the water.

Tweety in the water between our boat on the left and the neighbor on the right. Clean as a whistle.

At the beach:  I forgot my camera when I went to the beach to show you, but I am starting my walk on the beach with a new goal.  Instead of collecting shells which I have too many of, I am collecting plastic and trash.  The trash is almost all plastic.  Maybe by picking up a little in my bag I'll save just one animal in the ocean.  Hope you all share the goal of a cleaner environment.  Unfortunately, today, encouraging a cleaner environment is a political statement. In the past it was bipartisan.

Back on the boat for another season in sunny warm Florida and repairs continue

We got in  (Nov. 14) after 3 days of driving 1300 miles from New Hampshire to Florida via West Chester, PA to visit Drew's siblings and a stop in Baltimore atop a 26 story condo on the Baltimore Harbor to visit our friends Molli and Reuben Mezrich (IP 380 "Priority").  What a view from that height over the entire city!

Shawnee was put in the water ten days ago.

At the slip.  You can see the stern ladder is missing.  The dingy is lying on the bow deck.  The jib and staysil will be hauled up this trip.

Not all the projects were completed, and we have work to do for the few days we're here before returning to NH for family Thanksgiving.  Unfortunately as much as we love Fort Pierce and Whitaker Boat Yard they didn't meet all 3 of my quality factors:
1. not done on time - we're waiting for the ladder and finishing the teak work - the first guy couldn't do the ladder to Drew's specs so he had to find another person.
They did do most of the teak, painted the bottom, and added a new propane regulator, new solenoid, replaced propane hoses,

put on rings around the exhaust pipe to protect the dinghy when we haul it up to the davits.
 
 The circles around the holes on the stern:

Whitaker refinished small floor space in fore cabin, made and installed a deflector plate near the rudder to keep off lobster pot lines from getting entangled. This was installed between the keel and rudder.  As the boat moves forward if it hits a line in the water (left side of picture) it will be deflected and not get caught in the rudder (right side of picture) or the propeller.

They put on new props for the bow thruster and painted on prop speed to keep off most barnacles.  Note the unusual shape of the blades.  It is supposed to be quieter and have more thrust.

  
2. They did meet the budget.
3.  The work was well done

But here are some of the weird findings as the projects unfolded.

The redesign of the stern ladder :  We don't want it to hit the dinghy and it must allow for us to get into the dinghy.  It is taking longer than we thought it would.  It's been so problematic that I frequently must climb over the life lines and swing into the dinghy from the davits when the dinghy is clipped on the stern.
  Danny is the guy who is doing the ladder now:  (Love that his wife is president of the company.)
 

The day he was supposed to try out the ladder it wasn't ready.  Next trip we'll try again.


We are putting up the sails after the hurricane: The jib and staysail. Mainsail stays in the mast.

The jib rolled up on the deck. It's a truly calm day that's good for putting on sails.  Drew getting the lines ready.

The lines for the propane tank that fuels the stove were replaced by Whitaker and in so doing the stove stopped working.  I don't understand how repairmen walk away from a job with the item not working.  Drew investigated over several days and fixed faulty electrical connections.  "There was not enough current across the coil even though I could hear the solenoid moving", explained Drew.  Here's the stove sign that shows the age of the stove, 1999.  We like this stove and it's no longer made (Practical Sailor Magazine's top choice) so Drew's restoring instead of replacing.

Another long time problem was a leak with an unfindable source.  We often had water in the bins under the galley and the salon closet.  Frequently I had to bail them out.

Well, Drew found the leak behind a wall where the propane locker sits. The propane locker is only accessible from the outside deck.  He found the water pouring in after removing a panel (not easily).  It came in from the hinge screws for the propane locker - he never thought that would happen.  The picture shows how much water came in after a rainstorm.  All the areas are now finally drying out.  He rebedded the screws in the locker door and watched nothing leak in during another storm.  We've had to wash out all the bins and take out all the supplies that were in those lockers and clean or replace the items.  What a mess.

The dinghy sat on the deck since July for storage.  We are now putting it back into the water onto the davits even though the stern ladder isn't on yet.

As we walked down to the Fort Pierce Farmers Market we picked up a brochure on  "Freedom Boat Club."  "No maintenance concern.  No repair worries.  Just boating at its best!"  Seems more like what I'd be up for.   These constant never ending "improvements, repairs and maintenance" are interesting.  All the people we meet trade fix-it stories and tales of how it happened.  Oh, well.

Mazu and I frequently take walks on the beach.
Here she is tired from a good run earlier.

  

Survived the Hurricane in Fort Pierce

Weather reports predicted Hurricane Irma going up the east coast, instead it took a turn up the west coast.  Nevertheless much rain water fell over the entire state and caused massive damage everywhere from St. Augustine, where they had floods in the downtown stores last fall as well to Tampa, Naples, Miami, all of Key West.  Fort Pierce where Shawnee resides fared well with only minor marina damage and no boat damage.

We need to take a visit really to see Shawnee, but Whitaker Boat Yard is proceeding and working with Drew remotely as he designs:

+  a system to cool the engine room with fans and exhaust pipes thus making the engine run more efficiently. 

+   a better stern ladder that doesn't bonk into the dinghy that hangs on davits.

+  a semi-telescopic side ladder to use when I want to go swimming and don't want to go to the trouble of putting the dinghy down to get to the stern ladder.  I have not found a good ladder that hangs over the side.  I've tried many of them.

Whitaker is also doing bright work with Bristol Finish, and a number of other jobs.  As we all know the list is endless on boat projects, improvements and maintenance.

 As plans stand now we are in New Hampshire until November.  I'll keep you posted.
👍🌞

Shawnee on the hard

Drew has spent a week, fixing, cleaning up, designing how to fix things and upgrading, and hauling.  Shawnee is at the age now where things need to be replaced to keep her in good shape.  She was built in 1999.  Whiticar will do a good job.

Here are pictures of the dinghy coming up out of the water onto Shawnee's deck.

 Hauling Tweety up with the halyard after the outboard was pulled up onto the rail.

Deflating and lying on the bow.

Tying Tweety up straight against the mast.

He took all the canvas off for repair.  Naked Shawnee.  I always like the look of boats with no lifelines, hardward or canvas - just the boat itself.  But then the practicalities are the blazing sun, safety, and comfort that wins out.

Shawnee gets hauled out awaiting work at Whiticar.  Without the canvas the radar, wind generator, solar panels, outboard engine hanging on the rail, fold down ladder, the arch to hold a lot of the equipment is so visible.  I wonder what a toll the sun will take on the teak.  Tweety must be lying on the bow or off the boat.

Drew comes home at midnight Thursday to the cuddly, 4 cute puppies, and I'm sure will rest.
I'm reading  A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles - excellent.  Just finished Hidden Figures after seeing the excellent movie - but I must say the movie was better than the book unless you want to know the total history of NASA and NACA.

Shawnee and Puppy Update

Drew just flew down to Florida to see how Shawnee is doing on the slip at Harbor Town Marina in hot 90 degree Fort Pierce.  I believe the air conditioning is keeping up. 
  We have an interesting list of items for Whiticar, one to fabricate for us.  I have long hated the transom set up with a flip down ladder behind the helm.  We move the back of the helm seat to the side, take down the dinghy from the davits, undo the lifeline, and finally step down the slanted ladder into the water or onto the dinghy.  It's very cumbersome and not something to use when I want to just jump in for a quick swim somewhere.  When we anchor for the night we don't want to take down the dinghy, but I do want to swim on a hot day.
  Drew has designed a telescoping ladder that could sit on the stern or side of the boat and be released down to the water with legs to push against the side of the boat.  We'll see if it can be fabricated.  That's one project.

Drew has to remove the sails and dinghy and out board engine before Whiticar hauls the boat out July 10 to do other work.

• Check the stuffing box - an annual check.  

• Install soundproofing and fans to suck out the hot air in the engine compartment

•  Maybe install a new stove
•  
• Replace the interior fans 

I am in Exeter, NH overseeing 4 new wheaten terrier puppies, born June 28th, 3 males, 1 female.  So cute and Mazu is so proud.  Yes, they are dark brown when born and lighten up over the first year.  Eyes aren't open yet.  2 males are left for some lucky family.

Socializing with gentle hands.  4 grands with 4 pups.  Who likes puppies? MEEE

  

3 pups on 1 lap

Mast sealing, a short sail, walk on the jetty, dinghy to island and back home

We went home April 10th.  But here's what went on at Fort Pierce before we left.  Life on the slip.

Drew finished sealing the mast so that's the last of sponges inside near the ceiling and little drips near the mast in the salon.
These are the ways we found to seal it.  Drew covered the entire mast deck plate with sealant because it was leaking from there.
You can see it here on the Island Packet Yacht forum, an excellent source of how-tos.

http://www.ipyoa.com/forum/46-rigging-stainless-steel/2873-mast-boot-deck-pin-mast-collar#5529

Here's our finished project at the base of the mast.  The deck plate is covered with clear sealant.

 Well it doesn't leak now.

This was as close as we got to snow this year (except while visiting Bangor for the new grandson around Christmas.) a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle of skiing and sledding.

We took a walk out on the Fort Pierce jetty along the Inlet and across from Fort Pierce State Park Beach.
I saw a life list bird, the Ruddy Turnstone on the jetty.  They were stepping along (versus a hop) running really, to pick up the fishermen's scraps.

Drew put the camera up to the scope and got these two movies of a surfer across the inlet at the State Park beach.

Here's the end of the jetty.

Here are the currents off the jetty on a day we sailed.

On another day we took the dinghy out to the nearby island.  Mazu has the place to herself and loves it.  First we slide the dinghy under the pier to get out into the channel.

Then we motor over to the island

Arrive at the island.

Mazu loves the freedom.

Just finishing an autobiography on Frederick Law Olmsted, A Clearing in the Distance by Witold Rybczynski.  He helped design Central Park, Prospect Park, The Fens in Boston and 5500 others. As the country grew he was there with wild landscape. That has put me into the woods and gardens. Also Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki by Haruki Murakami for book group.