I took Friday off and came down to the boat and worked on it through Saturday. I didn't even get to take it out.
I installed the radio that my father and I analyzed over the week and found
out we really should jumper two pins to get the connector to work right.
currently the two power wires need to be exactly the same voltage or at least within
five votes for the radio to turn on and the way I had it wired up didn't work.
I also put the wiring for the volt amp meter in but the amperage reading
does not work. I ordered another meter this time with a 100 amp range instead of
200 A. I also saw online that other people were having trouble with the amp meter in that the shunt was not tuned correctly. I will have to make sure the new one is calibrated on the bench before I bring it
to the boat.
I removed the rub rails to clean them and reattach them with butyl tape and new
screws. I hope this stops the rain leak as this is the most likely source.
I also fixed the drain in the sink which in turn fixed the sump pump vapor lock situation so it can now drain the bilge.
I am trying to go to the boat every other weekend spending one weekend working on the boat and the other taking to boat out. This weekend (5/23/15) I sailed all the way from Forked river to Toms River and anchored there for the night. The next day the wind was from the south and the bay was very choppy. The night was kind of cold but all in all it was a nice trip.
The night before the final arrangements were made. I would meet up on Saturday morning with Brad and his friend Cynthia and we would sail from Jersey City to Sandy Hook. Then anchor overnight and Sunday shoot down the coast to Barnegat Bay and Forked River.
The Reality
Brad and Cynthia were so exited that they couldn't sleep so they wanted to sleep in a little and pick up a few items for the trip so we agreed that we would meet at the marina and I would prep the boat for the journey. It took me a lot longer to prep the boat then I thought it would, including realizing I didn't have a boat hook so I had to go buy one. I checked the sails functioned, oiled the pulleys, packed away stuff that would not be needed, etc. They arrived just as the boat was ready to go so we loaded up the months worth of food they bought for the trip. I switched on the battery and the motor would not start. Even with both batteries switched in there was not enough power. What do we do now?
We went down to the Liberty Landing Marina store where Ivan the ever helpful clerk pointed us towards the Juno Jumper X. A cell phone sized Jump-starter that comes out of the box charged and ready to go. I had my doubts due to its size but it worked. With the motor running we were now on our way at about one in the afternoon. This was OK because the first leg of our journey was shorter then the second.
As soon as we were in the Hudson we put up the sails and set off. It was gusty and we had a little trouble with weather helm until we retracted the Jib. Once we were in the Raritan bay the water got choppy and Brad and I were busy adjusting the sails, marking our position on a map and choosing which buoy to sail towards. Cynthia was below sea sick and lying down all day. I had just thought she was tired. We arrived at horseshoe cove off sandy hook about an hour before sunset. We set the anchor, I rigged up an all around mast light and went below and within 5 minutes Brad who was fine all day became sea sick as well.
The next day everyone was feeling better and we motored around sandy hook only to find the wind coming from the south, the exact direction we needed to go. We decided to motor instead of zing-zaging at the wind. For most of the day Cynthia was enjoying her self steering the boat as we motored down the coast. Because we were motoring into the wind that also meant we were motoring directly into the waves which caused a lot of spray. It was fun but it also got everything and everyone wet.
Once we reached Seaside Heights I checked the Gas and realized we were very low so I shut off the engine because we will need it to motor through the Barnegat inlet and up the forked river. We put up the sails and began tacking south. We weren't making much head way and the sun set. Brad and Cynthia were below deck and both were becoming seasick again. So I began single handed sailing the boat operating both sails and the rudder, tacking back and forth in the dark with few lights on the shore because that stretch is a park. Then the temperature DROPPED and I who never sailed after dark was single-handedly tacking towards and away from a shore I could not see and had no way to tell if I was making any headway at all. I did this as long as I could then took the sails down and went below. With the urging of my sick crew I reluctantly called Sea Tow and asked them to tow us to my new marina. This is technically above and beyond the scope of my Sea Tow membership but I was at the point of even if it cost extra it would be worth it.
I then motored south until the last of the gas ran out and waited for the Sea Tow boat. When he showed up I helped him tie up to my boat, lashed the rudder straight and went below where we all passed out. I woke momentarily to see the lighthouse go by and then again to see we were approaching Silver Cloud Harbor Marina. The tow boat operator nudged us to the gas dock and I sat down to ask how much. He said without my membership it would have been sixteen hundred dollars but that he would work it out and the extra tow distance home would be covered. Thankful I went below and fell asleep. (2am)
The next morning (Monday) I awoke to the motions of someone walking on my boat so I went out and found it was a couple of marina workers who were securing my mainsail for me. I told them who I was and that i needed gas and they went to get the key to open the gas pump. After filling up they helped me dock in my slip and showed me how to tie up at the marina. They were very nice and very helpful. I called Lorraine who drove down to pick us up and while waiting for her to arrive we unpacked the boat.
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Lessons Learned
Raisins stain the boat when stepped on.
I can go about 60 miles on a tank of gas.
I should have checked the gas more frequently like at every inlet.
I should have went in the Manasquan inlet and got more gas and possibly anchored for the night.
Having a Sea Tow membership is well worth the money.
I should have taken down the mast light the next morning as it fell off the boat during the day.
I went down and watched as they put the boat into the water. I filmed it as well but I lost the base to my camcorder and can't get the video off of it without it. I have ordered a cable for it but it may not arrive before I sail the boat on the 11th from Jersey City to Forked River. I talked to the Service manager at Liberty Landing Marina and he let me keep the boat in the service docks until Saturday saving me a bunch of money on transient docking. When I get the video off of the camcorder I will post it here.
Once in the water I checked that it was not leaking then did some cleaning inside and put the cushions back into the boat. Lorraine helped me bring the cushions to the boat and watched it go in the water. So at least she finally got to see it. I also paired my iPhone to the radio so I can play my tunes/audiobooks. I also turned on the instruments and noticed my Autohelm ST50 was showing 0.0 for the depth. So I may have to sail it without knowing the depths below me. Since the boat was not moving I don't know if the knot meter is functioning yet.
The boat is scheduled to be put into the water on Monday April 6th. I went to the boat for a half day yesterday and tried to epoxy putty the sump pump in but it didn't hold to the pump. If it is still holding to the boat then I will try and add more putty to hold it in place. I closed the drain sillcock and replaced the front plug with the knot sensor and I hope I got that right and the arrow is indicating water flow and not the front of the boat. I also hope the reason it was not installed was not leak related. I began to install the music radio but ran out of time.
The boat is a dirty mess and needs to be cleaned and I haven't put the cushions back in. It is supposed to rain most of next week. I haven't found the dock lines yet but I know where the fenders are. Then I need to plan and provision for an overnight trip in order to head out the following Saturday morning. On the positive side a friend from my long past has offered to help me sail it so I may not have to do it alone after all.
Last weekend I went to the boat with Jacob who was my helper for the day. While we were there I used a bucket head wet/dry vac to suck the water out of the bilge. This was the best method so far to completely empty the bilge. Then I tried to glue the sump pump into place using 5200. Then we installed the new VHF radio but I was unable to receive anything on it.
This weekend on Saturday I pulled the Mercury 9.9 motor I bought last year out of storage and tested it out with a hose motor flusher and a jump start from my car. It started right up. I then took it to the marina and with the help of my uncle and his friend we lifted it up onto the boat. Sunday, I filmed what I was doing...
So after I got my batteries all squared away I mounted a bilge pump switch and wired it in from the charge controllers accessory output connector and tested it to make sure it works as expected. I also connected the wires to the outboard engine. Then I put a new antenna connector on the VHF as the old one was cracked at the wire pretty bad. I don't know if it is working the best it can but at least I was able to receive the weather broadcast now.
