Up the mast - my favorite fix

The toilet now works completely and we have learned that we should put vinegar down the hoses to keep them clean and clear.

Drew is busy with his office moving to Bedford, New Hampshire from Auburn in April.  Furniture to order, decorating, image to portray, lots of decisions.

Future sail plans are on hold.  I am thinking of renaming this blog the Not-sailing in a sailboat blog.

Rain day aboard.  Pretty loud, but dry in the cockpit room.

The next day we decided to try putting the a new anemometer spinner on top of the mast.  Drew hauling on the winch and me going to the top which I love.  2 ropes/halyards are on the chair, green and red, the second is a safety.  Great workout for him.

Here I am in the bosun's chair waiting to go.  You can see the tools in the pocket and the new anemometer sticking out.  I bring up my phone/camera too and text pictures down to Drew so he can see what I'm doing and if there is anything else to be fixed up there.

 At the top it's a great view and fills me up for the day.  The swinging around on the way down is fun too.  No video though with Drew cranking me down.

Nice view of the harbor.

me at the top and the anemometer

Viewing the base of the anemometer before I screwed the new one in.

View of the nearby drawbridge

View of  the inlet from the ICW into our marina protected by mangroves.  You can see a little slim sand island way out that Mazu and I go to for a swim once in a while via dinghy.   This shows a blob of sealant on the top of the anemometer too.

Looking down at Drew in cockpit, solar panels

Little video of looking around.

The next day our French Canadian neighbor had watched me go up and asked me to do the same thing for his boat.  His anemometer had conked out too.  So I went up for a drink (of water) and did him a $150 favor.  He has an electric winch so I went up pretty quickly. FUN! easier than rock climbing and I still have a view.

 You can barely see me from the ground.

Of course a picture of moon over marina one of those full moon evenings.  Looking down the lighted dock walk.

Drew dives and I visit St Lucie County Parks

Drew had a great dive with our son-in-law, Yeang.  They took a dive boat out of Jupiter Florida, Kyalami.  Two dives where they saw rays, sharks, turtle, and large fish.  The visibility isn't the best, but a sunny calm day - the best of the week Yeang and family were here.

3 month Oliver

 Isabelle looking out.

On the St. Lucie County Preserve Indrio Savannahs walk  I saw an alligator in the canal.

 Nice paths with some of it shady.  There was an observation tower where I saw roseatte spoonbills.

The St. Lucie County Preserves have 30 parks nearby, with State Parks along the ocean.  The county seems to have more parks and places for the public than many places where we've stopped.   I've dinghied to islands with Mazu, explored mangroves and seen little red legged crabs - really hard to see but they are peeking out of the mangrove roots and rocks.

 
When we put Shawnee stern in at the dock to use the dinghy, we go under the dock to get out to the marina channel.  Me with Sarah and Isabelle.

 

dinghied up Taylor Creek from this marina to a dam with waterfalls.  A kingfisher followed us all the way back, skimming the water, perching on a tree then darting ahead of us.  Large great blue herons swooped across the creek clearly surprised to see a boat.  We scooted under four high and low bridges.  I went at high tide and slowly over areas where I wasn't sure of the depth.  It was so calm, end of the day light.  I passed an island that is an evening roost for primarily pelicans.

At the end of the day sunset over the marina

Toilet fixing and more

We are waiting for a new toilet pump.  As we have suffered along with a smelly head for a couple of months.  Drew started reading about toilets and how other sailors maintain them.  Some replace the whole toilet every year because it's just easier and then everything works.   You'd think, like at home, you'd install a toilet for life.  Not on a boat.  More boat bucks.

There are 4 types of boat toilets we can choose from.  The most common is the manual pump type that we have.  You go, then hand pump it into a holding tank (we had to replace our aluminum tank a couple years ago because it leaked. We replaced it with half inch polypropylene.)  Holding tanks now are required to be emptied about once a week by a marina or pump out boat.  The waste goes to waste treatment plants.  There are electric flush, vacuum flush and composting toilets that you change once a month.  Electric flush can have side by side waste treatment that then can be directly pumped to the ocean since it's been treated already.

The pump out requirement or no discharge became law and included a restriction from dumping waste into the oceans. In October 1972, Congress enacted the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA), sometimes referred to as the Ocean Dumping Act, declaring that it is the policy of the United States to regulate the dumping of all materials which would adversely affect human health, welfare or amenities, or the marine environment, ecological systems or economic potentialities.  In 1988 they added no burning of waste off shore.  Permits are needed to dump anything even dredged materials from waterways.
Sewage regulations are some of the most misunderstood boating laws. To be clear, it is ILLEGAL to discharge UNTREATED sewage on inland waters and within 3 miles of shore. To legally dispose of sewage boaters must either have an on-board treatment device (Type I or Type II MSD) or a holding tank (Type III MSD) to hold the waste and have it pumped out ashore. A No Discharge Zone (NDZ) further prohibits the discharge of treated boat sewage.

• Within NDZ boundaries, vessel operators are required to retain their sewage discharges on-board for disposal at sea (beyond three miles from shore) or onshore at a pumpout facility.

So this is all good for a cleaner environment.  The Coast Guard monitors by boarding boats and checking holding tanks.  The EPA gives out the permits for those who are allowed to dump dredged material only.

Here's Drew starting the cleaning process with vinegar and Krudcutter after removing the toilet pump assembly.  We are not replacing the toilet, but doing the more economical option and DIY maintenance first.

 Here is the Joker (not kidding) valve's condition after he removed it from our toilet. Guess we're replacing that.  Even after reinstalling everything, the toilet is not flushing dry correctly and the pistons are faulty leaking sewage back into the toilet causing it to smell again.

 After research online and the Island Packet list Drew ordered an entire new pump assembly and is replacing the new red Joker valve from Raritan with one from Jobsco. It has a different  black material and a tricuspid opening instead of a single slit as you see above.  So the spray bottles of air freshner we've been using regularly I hope will be put away.    I'll keep you posted after the pump arrives and is installed.

one more garden Morikami

One more garden in the afternoon Morikami Japanese Garden in Delray Beach off wealthy Jog Road.  This area had a population of Japanese that settled here in Boca Raton in the early 1900s to form an agricultural colony called Yamato, but the farming was unsustainable and they returned to Japan.  One of the remaining settlers, Morikami, donated his 16 acres of land to Palm Beach County to preserve the memory of the Yamato Colony and so this garden was developed opening in 1977. "The gardens are recognized as among the finest outside Japan."

There were many Japanese here walking the trails.

This is a bamboo fence with a bamboo fountain below in a little tucked away garden.

 A great blue heron in a perfect pose.

 Iguanas were walking all over the place.
Tree covered paths led around the lake and all plants were pruned perfectly, each and every one.

Even big trees looked pruned in the rough.

The education center had a central courtyard with classic raked stone garden.

With large photos they recreated a fast train station.  There was a simple classroom, dining room and other rooms.

Reclining happy Buddha

Rain catchers direct the water off the roof to a water border surrounding a gravel garden next to the reception hall.  At the gift shop the rain catchers cost $95.

Serene and calming.   You can make this at home.  Love the rain catchers.

For garden lovers -- Drew's away I play .. in gardens

My long, lost friend, Kitty Verbeck from 50 years ago in high school, Albany Academy for Girls (oldest all female high school in the country) and I met at Bok Tower Gardens,  the sixth highest point in Florida on the Lake Wales Ridge.  A hill with a view inspired industrialist ,Mr. Bok, to build a botanical garden and carillon with sundial here.  In Florida a distant view is rarely to be had.  We had a leisurely walk and lunch at the cafe to catch up on all the years.  So good to see her.
  The Bok gardens were organized by areas: courtyard pool, pollinator, children's, kitchen, eco types, azalea, and carillon area.

 All the Bok pictures are followed by the next day's outing to Morikami Japanese Gardens, (another blog post) the ones that Melania Trump took the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe's wife, Aki Abe to when they visited the US.

Mostly pictures here  The inspiring top of the ridge.

the entrance courtyard with a store, museum and cafe.

The children's garden was large and imaginative.

Climbing stones
Jets of mist through the rock.

 giant stone acorns

 A word garden

music in the garden with xylophones

 

Bok Tower that houses the carillon

 The vertical sundial with an explanation of how it works. Signs of the zodiac are around the outside border. The Roman Numerals are hard to see, but the shadow is moving counter clockwise.  XII is at the bottom.  It was just before 12.

At the bottom of the tower a beautiful pond with catfish

Then the carillon plays

The alligator

 cactus and succulent exhibit

 A perfect camelia

Then there was a pavilion where we just looked out a window at a framed impressionistic view of a pond.  I just sat there stock still and birds and animals began to come.

Names of flowers display in the gardens.






























Statue in a small pool.  Water is always so effective.

A great garden always has paths that wander off into the next garden or pond or beach
that you cannot see.  Each garden area should be a surprise producing wonder.  What's through the next door, down the next path, around the next curve.  Spanish moss dripping down