February 19, 2013
The sun is shining and the weather is sweet!
We are officially leaving between 9am and 10am this morning. The weather looks good for the next few days with a south-easterly wind for today, putting as at a close haul heading down the eastern coast of Florida.
We have a guitar aboard, so I am going to try to re-learn my guitar skills over the next few months, that is, if we can tune it...having some trouble there. Gary also showed me his real cutlass that we have on board. I'm going to get a great pirate shot holding that at some point.
Look for my next set of updates on Sunday (give or take a day)!
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Monday, February 18, 2013
Ft. Lauderdale: Day 5 - Departure?
February 18, 2013
It was damn cold again this morning. Also, the internet is still out, so we haven't been able to get a decent weather report. We used Minnie's phone last night to get weather from PassageWeather.com, but it was tough to read off the small screen. We are going to see if the marina office has a good weather report for us.
We have to finish a few things before we leave, but we are aiming for high slack tide at 2:00pm. This is right as high tide starts moving to low tide, when there will be a solid offshore flood current (you'd rather have the tide current help bring you out than fight it getting off shore).
We found working internet at the hotel, but nothing on the boat. So I won't be able to update you on whether we have left or not.
After looking at weather, we have decided not to leave until tomorrow afternoon. The winds are not too bad, but there is a northerly wind opposing the southerly Gulf Stream current just west of the Florida Keys that would make for some really rough seas. So one more night at Bahia Mar, which should also give us the time to finish everything up on the boat before departure.
It ended up being a good thing we didn't plan to leave today, a bunch of items came up that needed to be done.
We had to de-clog the drain hole in the aft lazarette, finished sealing the feeding tube through windless, fixed our second bilge pump that wasn't operating at full power, did a walk-around of the boat to make sure everything was in working order, made the watch list, and put a clamp on the morse cable from the throttle to add some tension (below).
Really looking forward to leaving tomorrow at 10:00am!
It was damn cold again this morning. Also, the internet is still out, so we haven't been able to get a decent weather report. We used Minnie's phone last night to get weather from PassageWeather.com, but it was tough to read off the small screen. We are going to see if the marina office has a good weather report for us.
We have to finish a few things before we leave, but we are aiming for high slack tide at 2:00pm. This is right as high tide starts moving to low tide, when there will be a solid offshore flood current (you'd rather have the tide current help bring you out than fight it getting off shore).
We found working internet at the hotel, but nothing on the boat. So I won't be able to update you on whether we have left or not.
After looking at weather, we have decided not to leave until tomorrow afternoon. The winds are not too bad, but there is a northerly wind opposing the southerly Gulf Stream current just west of the Florida Keys that would make for some really rough seas. So one more night at Bahia Mar, which should also give us the time to finish everything up on the boat before departure.
It ended up being a good thing we didn't plan to leave today, a bunch of items came up that needed to be done.
We had to de-clog the drain hole in the aft lazarette, finished sealing the feeding tube through windless, fixed our second bilge pump that wasn't operating at full power, did a walk-around of the boat to make sure everything was in working order, made the watch list, and put a clamp on the morse cable from the throttle to add some tension (below).
Really looking forward to leaving tomorrow at 10:00am!
Ft. Lauderdale: Day 4 - Cold!
February 17, 2013
God it was cold this morning. We had to break out the winter jackets!
Some old friends of Jan's came to visit the boat early this morning. We all went out for breakfast at the Bahia Ma hotel restaurant.
We spent the afternoon working on more items on the boat. We had to install some some of protective feed for the anchor rode (port side).
We wedged a solid, steel-reinforced hose through the rode passage and glued it in place with 4200. It required some serious contorting for me to get my body into the bow locker and access the hole. Here we have it held in place by a piece of rope and wood.
Another task involved re-caulking the back stay plates as the previous owner did not do a very good job and some water got through. Unfortunately he used some hardcore silicon caulking that was very difficult to remove. We used Lifecaulk Polysulfide Caulking, which is much easier to remove once dried for maintenance.
We are hoping to leave tomorrow, but the internet has been down all day, so we haven't been able to get an up-to-date weather forecast. Also, there is still some minor work to be done on the boat, so we will see what happens tomorrow.
Minnie, our fourth crew member turned up last night after a really crazy day getting here. Coincidentally, Minnie is a friend from my last trip (the Narc Rally in November) that I met in Bermuda and Sint Maarten. It's always nice to see a familiar face!
God it was cold this morning. We had to break out the winter jackets!
Some old friends of Jan's came to visit the boat early this morning. We all went out for breakfast at the Bahia Ma hotel restaurant.
We spent the afternoon working on more items on the boat. We had to install some some of protective feed for the anchor rode (port side).
We wedged a solid, steel-reinforced hose through the rode passage and glued it in place with 4200. It required some serious contorting for me to get my body into the bow locker and access the hole. Here we have it held in place by a piece of rope and wood.
Another task involved re-caulking the back stay plates as the previous owner did not do a very good job and some water got through. Unfortunately he used some hardcore silicon caulking that was very difficult to remove. We used Lifecaulk Polysulfide Caulking, which is much easier to remove once dried for maintenance.
We are hoping to leave tomorrow, but the internet has been down all day, so we haven't been able to get an up-to-date weather forecast. Also, there is still some minor work to be done on the boat, so we will see what happens tomorrow.
Minnie, our fourth crew member turned up last night after a really crazy day getting here. Coincidentally, Minnie is a friend from my last trip (the Narc Rally in November) that I met in Bermuda and Sint Maarten. It's always nice to see a familiar face!
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Ft. Lauderdale: Day 3 - Engine Work and Bubba Gump
February 16, 2013
We woke up to a rather chilly morning, must be the first part of this cold front passing through. Still much warmer than Canada though.
We spent the morning changing the oil on the Diesel engine onboard.
Up until this point, I had been learning mostly about the actual act of sailing, but very little of onboard systems and the lesser-known challenges of being a boat owner. It is interesting to see the other side of the cruising life.
This boat has a 4 cylinder, 4-stroke diesel engine with a lot of customization. There is a built-in oil pump that made changing the oil much easier as we didn't have to wait for it to drip out.
We also installed a new hydrostatic release for the life raft. This contraption senses when the boat is sinking (via water pressure) and will automatically release the raft which is then automatically inflated by another sensor that triggers a CO2 tank. It also has a manual release if we need it.
We walked over to to Bubba Gump Shrimp for lunch
which was right across the road from Fort Lauderdale Beach.
Here is a shot of Bahia Ma Hotel & Marina from the boat. It is a really nice, beach-side resort that costs $150 dollars a night to dock your boat...crazy. There are a lot of mega-yachts here, obviously.
And here is a shot of the Wakaya, the mighty vessel that will take us across the Pacific. It is a customized Hylas 49. However, we measured its length today and it comes out to be 52 feet in length, which is a problem at the Panama Canal. Anything over 50 feet is charged an extra fee of a few hundred dollars to pass through. They actually come out and measure it end-to-end as we did, so I think we are out of luck there.
It has in-mast main furling and a roller jib furling. It also has the mainsheet/traveler located behind the helm, which makes for better single-handing and better leverage on the boom.
It has a nice, new whisker pole that we are going to play around with while underway. It is used to hold the foresail out as far as possible while sailing downwind. I found out a whisker pole costs $3,000!
As for the interior, the layout is amazing. Rather than having the cockpit restrict the cabin, as I've seen in most boats, it actually works with it to make a really nice galley and "laundry room". You can see the dishwasher and laundry machine on the port side in the first picture (aft view).
(Foreward view)
I have my own forward cabin
with its own head (head = bathroom) and shower. I also have my own A/C unit and controls.
We woke up to a rather chilly morning, must be the first part of this cold front passing through. Still much warmer than Canada though.
We spent the morning changing the oil on the Diesel engine onboard.
Up until this point, I had been learning mostly about the actual act of sailing, but very little of onboard systems and the lesser-known challenges of being a boat owner. It is interesting to see the other side of the cruising life.
This boat has a 4 cylinder, 4-stroke diesel engine with a lot of customization. There is a built-in oil pump that made changing the oil much easier as we didn't have to wait for it to drip out.
We also installed a new hydrostatic release for the life raft. This contraption senses when the boat is sinking (via water pressure) and will automatically release the raft which is then automatically inflated by another sensor that triggers a CO2 tank. It also has a manual release if we need it.
We walked over to to Bubba Gump Shrimp for lunch
which was right across the road from Fort Lauderdale Beach.
Here is a shot of Bahia Ma Hotel & Marina from the boat. It is a really nice, beach-side resort that costs $150 dollars a night to dock your boat...crazy. There are a lot of mega-yachts here, obviously.
And here is a shot of the Wakaya, the mighty vessel that will take us across the Pacific. It is a customized Hylas 49. However, we measured its length today and it comes out to be 52 feet in length, which is a problem at the Panama Canal. Anything over 50 feet is charged an extra fee of a few hundred dollars to pass through. They actually come out and measure it end-to-end as we did, so I think we are out of luck there.
It has in-mast main furling and a roller jib furling. It also has the mainsheet/traveler located behind the helm, which makes for better single-handing and better leverage on the boom.
It has a nice, new whisker pole that we are going to play around with while underway. It is used to hold the foresail out as far as possible while sailing downwind. I found out a whisker pole costs $3,000!
As for the interior, the layout is amazing. Rather than having the cockpit restrict the cabin, as I've seen in most boats, it actually works with it to make a really nice galley and "laundry room". You can see the dishwasher and laundry machine on the port side in the first picture (aft view).
(Foreward view)
I have my own forward cabin
with its own head (head = bathroom) and shower. I also have my own A/C unit and controls.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Ft. Lauderdale: Day 2 - Errands & Working on the Boat
February 15, 2013
Got up nice and early this morning and ran some errands around town (Filled LPG tank, got some supplies from West Marine, provisioning, etc.)
We are looking to leave maybe Monday now as there is a cold front coming in and bring some rough weather with it over the Gulf. That gives us plenty of time to test the boat out and do any maintenance required.
The rest of the day was spent repairing and doing maintenance on the boat. It felt like everything we fixed would only reveal two more things that needed attention. I think it'll be a good thing having these few extra days to get things done.
We spent a good portion of the evening trying to figure out why the manual bilge pump wasn't pumping water out. (There are two electric pumps, but you don't want to leave without a manual backup). Turns out it was installed with the "in" and "out" valves switched, so we have to disassemble it tomorrow and reverse the valves.
And again we finished the day with a fine meal and wine. We tried some 'chocolate wine' that Jan picked up for Valentines Day, which was sweet, but quite good. There's a TV/DVD player on board with cable, so we watched some Big Bang Theory before going to bed.
I've already learned a ton about the engine and other onboard systems, and we haven't even left the dock yet!
Looking forward to tomorrow!
Sailing Across the Pacific (Part 1)
Got up nice and early this morning and ran some errands around town (Filled LPG tank, got some supplies from West Marine, provisioning, etc.)
We are looking to leave maybe Monday now as there is a cold front coming in and bring some rough weather with it over the Gulf. That gives us plenty of time to test the boat out and do any maintenance required.
The rest of the day was spent repairing and doing maintenance on the boat. It felt like everything we fixed would only reveal two more things that needed attention. I think it'll be a good thing having these few extra days to get things done.
We spent a good portion of the evening trying to figure out why the manual bilge pump wasn't pumping water out. (There are two electric pumps, but you don't want to leave without a manual backup). Turns out it was installed with the "in" and "out" valves switched, so we have to disassemble it tomorrow and reverse the valves.
And again we finished the day with a fine meal and wine. We tried some 'chocolate wine' that Jan picked up for Valentines Day, which was sweet, but quite good. There's a TV/DVD player on board with cable, so we watched some Big Bang Theory before going to bed.
I've already learned a ton about the engine and other onboard systems, and we haven't even left the dock yet!
Looking forward to tomorrow!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Ft. Lauderdale: Day 1 - Arrival
February 13, 2013
My flights went well. The landing in Fort Lauderdale was pretty rough and we circled around above the airport for an uncomfortable amount of time. But there is nothing damaged in my bag and all is well!
Gary and Jan picked me up at the airport and brought me to their boat. It is a Hylas 49' that was incredibly customized by the previous owner. It is one of the most beautiful boats I have been on and makes you feel like you are on a boat twice its size! I have my own cabin with its own bathroom and shower (and electric one-button flushing toilets), and I have my own A/C. There is a full-size dishwasher and laundry machine/dryer aboard. There is an on-board generator and 250 gallons worth of fuel tank. There is also a water maker that pumps out 40 gallons of water per hour! (Normally a water maker makes like 10 gallons a day)
Everything is automated (electric roller jib furling & in-mast main furling). It was pretty dark when we got here, so I didn't get to see too much of the outside.
Gary and Jan are such a nice couple. We spent the evening drinking wine and chatting about our sailing stories. They also made a really nice chicken dinner for us.
I'll try to get some pictures tomorrow at some point, but we have some work to do during the day, so it might be later.
I am really looking forward to this trip, even more so now. I even got word that a friend from my last sailing venture may be coincidentally joining up with us in Cancun.
My flights went well. The landing in Fort Lauderdale was pretty rough and we circled around above the airport for an uncomfortable amount of time. But there is nothing damaged in my bag and all is well!
Gary and Jan picked me up at the airport and brought me to their boat. It is a Hylas 49' that was incredibly customized by the previous owner. It is one of the most beautiful boats I have been on and makes you feel like you are on a boat twice its size! I have my own cabin with its own bathroom and shower (and electric one-button flushing toilets), and I have my own A/C. There is a full-size dishwasher and laundry machine/dryer aboard. There is an on-board generator and 250 gallons worth of fuel tank. There is also a water maker that pumps out 40 gallons of water per hour! (Normally a water maker makes like 10 gallons a day)
Everything is automated (electric roller jib furling & in-mast main furling). It was pretty dark when we got here, so I didn't get to see too much of the outside.
Gary and Jan are such a nice couple. We spent the evening drinking wine and chatting about our sailing stories. They also made a really nice chicken dinner for us.
I'll try to get some pictures tomorrow at some point, but we have some work to do during the day, so it might be later.
I am really looking forward to this trip, even more so now. I even got word that a friend from my last sailing venture may be coincidentally joining up with us in Cancun.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Sailing to Fiji!
February 13, 2013
Good morning!
Well I am off today. My flight leaves from Toronto at 9:50am, stops in Chicago for three hours, then I touch ground in Fort Lauderdale at around 5:30pm. We're hoping to depart Fort Lauderdale on Friday sometime, but I heard there has been a vibration in the engine shaft that Gary wants to have checked out before we leave.
The ultimate destination is Fiji or New Zealand. Where is Fiji? Fiji is as far away as you can go before you start coming back again!
Here is the very rough itinerary as it is now:
Feb 15 - Depart Ft. Lauderdale - Possible stop at Isla Mujeres, Mexico (right off Cancun) - Possible stop in San Blas, Panama (one of the few islands still run entirely by natives. No banks/internet.)
Feb 25 - Mar 1 - Arrival at Panama Canal - then 10 days at sea
Mar 11 - 15 - Arrival in Galapagos - then 16 days at sea
Early April - Arrival in the Marquesas (Nuka Hiva) - Tour around French Polynesia, hitting various islands (Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, etc.)
Mid May - Arrival in Fiji
Late May or early June - Arrival in New Zealand
That's it for now...and if I don't see ya:
Good Afternoon, Good Evening and Good Night!
Good morning!
Well I am off today. My flight leaves from Toronto at 9:50am, stops in Chicago for three hours, then I touch ground in Fort Lauderdale at around 5:30pm. We're hoping to depart Fort Lauderdale on Friday sometime, but I heard there has been a vibration in the engine shaft that Gary wants to have checked out before we leave.
The ultimate destination is Fiji or New Zealand. Where is Fiji? Fiji is as far away as you can go before you start coming back again!
Here is the very rough itinerary as it is now:
Feb 15 - Depart Ft. Lauderdale - Possible stop at Isla Mujeres, Mexico (right off Cancun) - Possible stop in San Blas, Panama (one of the few islands still run entirely by natives. No banks/internet.)
Feb 25 - Mar 1 - Arrival at Panama Canal - then 10 days at sea
Mar 11 - 15 - Arrival in Galapagos - then 16 days at sea
Early April - Arrival in the Marquesas (Nuka Hiva) - Tour around French Polynesia, hitting various islands (Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, etc.)
Mid May - Arrival in Fiji
Late May or early June - Arrival in New Zealand
That's it for now...and if I don't see ya:
Good Afternoon, Good Evening and Good Night!
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