Happy Birthday Dad!

Don't send a lame Birthday eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

Happy Birthday to Max Winters! That's my Dad.

Short post today. I am just finishing off some breakfast this morning then I am headed up to Houston for a photography class. I put a little money into a really good still camera, a Nikon D40x. The Houston Center for Photography has basic and intermediate classes so I am starting at the most basic class they offer. Hopefully the effort will show up in the pictures I post.

On another note. I am selling the 12 foot, rigid fiberglass dink that come with Romance. It's way too big for the deck when I am offshore and I can't leave it on the davits when I am sailing in open water for fear a wave could crash in it ripping it off the transom. I should get my new AB 10.5 foot dingy next week. My neighbor needed one as well so we pooled our purchasing power and got a pretty good buy. Can't wait to go for a ride. When you are out cruising your dink is just as important as your car is to you today. I got a good one.

Less is more

This is true more often than we might think. It’s a concept I am struggling with almost everyday for the past few weeks. My departure date is almost 8 months away now, but I really feel like it will be here tomorrow.

Six years. I’ve been planning this and working to make it happen for six years. In that time I’ve almost gotten married, but ended a four year relationship, held three different jobs, lived in three different states, lived in four different cities, finished an MBA, learned how to sail, owned two boats, rebuilt and learned to ride a motorcycle, and bought the boat I think can take me around the world.

I am trying to reconcile 8 months with the need to see and spend time with my family and friends, find and secure sponsors, finish the four dozen projects on the boat, make enough money in my present job to pay for all that still needs paying, finish the website and solidify the partnership with SOS Children’s Villages, give up a six figure salary, raise the media machine I need to get donations going to SOS, learn how to take good photographs, hire a professional photog to take pics for the website, take some writing classes, and generally keep a good handle on reality.

I’ve been running more and more lately. I don’t know how to describe it without sounding a little touched, but whatever the thing is that pulls me to go sailing is also pulling me to run. The closer I get to it the more I feel it. Sailing, and running, has become a need. They are no longer a want or desire, but things I know I have to do. I literally feel pulled to do them just like a fish on a hook. Hopefully I won’t end up in a frying pan.

I’ve been using the marketing side of my brain the last few hours trying to figure out how I can add to the draw of the blog and get more readers involved. I think the best idea is to have the site sponsor an individual child from each country I’ll be visiting through SOS Children’s Villages. http://www.sos.usa.org/. If I can do this I’ll be able to generate a dialogue with a child under the care of SOS learning about them before I arrive. That way when I do get there we’ve already got something of a relationship and I can get to know them much better in the short time I’ll be at their village. This should also give the readers a chance to get to know the kids better.

The other little known aspect is that my pup, a 10 year old Siberian husky will be making the trip with me. If I can get the some publicity with dog and animal lovers it’s a huge market to break into. That should add huge numbers to the readership. For those who have no idea why I am concerned with readership, well, it all boils down to charitable donations. In the end, part of the measure of success for this trip will be the amount of dollars donated by my readers to the multi-national 501(c)3 non-profit SOS Children’s Villages. I need my trip to be about more than my personal gratification.

It is all coming together. It’s going to be a long push between now and November, but it’s happening. It seems like I’ve lost a little of the whimsy that I usually have and no doubt there is a little stress to pull everything off, but it is all really good. I can’t wait to go sailing.


UPDATE: The above was written last night as I was flying to San Francico for work on Easter Sunday. I’ve been smiling all day. I had a great talk with the folks at SOS Children’s Villages and I got a little more reassurance that we are all on the same page with the project. The sent me a picture of a little girl that lives in Limon, Costa Rica. That is one of the sites I’ll be visiting on my route to the Panama Canal. Kind of pulls at the heart strings huh?

I’ve really got a problem.

But it’s boring to lead a blog with the problem of the day. Despite my problem, want to know how I can tell I am in a good mood? When’s the last time you gave your shopping cart a big shove and jumped on not to jump off again until you almost cream some random car in the parking lot? That was me coming out of the Target today. It’s been awhile since I’ve done that and I used to do it all the time. I highly recommend it.

Now, on to the problem. I already said I set a lot of goals for myself. I just found out there is a single handed race coming up on April 18th. Single handed is when a person sails a boat by themselves. Something I do quite a bit. It’s called the Conundrum because there are 3 oil rigs you have to sail out to and sail back from one at a time. The trick is to determine what order you should go after them. Hence the name Conundrum. I’ve got a lot of work to do to get the boat ready for an overnight sailboat race, but I’d sure like to try my hand at this one. Not so much because of the competitive nature of the race, but just for the experience. It will also make a good shakeout sail before the Veracruz shakeout in June. A shakeout is a sail designed to test the limits of the boat. This would also introduce me to other single handed sailors so I can see how they rig their boats.

Speaking of getting ready, I continue to make progress in spurts. I’ve had minor back pain since I moved onto the boat and I am almost 100% sure it’s from a crappy foam mattress I sleep on. I just lugged my v-birth (the front of boats are pointy so they call it v-birth) mattress to a mattress factory where they are making me a custom mattress. Random note, stomach sleepers should sleep on firm mattresses, not soft mattresses.

Most excitingly, I think I am going to buy two new sails. I am on a sailboat after all and it seems that if I should be investing refit money anywhere, it should be new sails. I met the owner of Banks Sails Clear Lake and he has been extremely helpful. First, I need to replace the 30 year old furling system that rolls up the sail on the front of the boat. Once I do that I’ll make a new headsail (headsail is the front sail) specifically designed for Jargo. (a.k.a. Romance) As of today, I have no means to rig my storm jib which is kind of critical if and when I ever get caught in a storm. Mark from Banks showed me an easy way to bring my inner forestay back into play so that I can use my old hank on sail. This gives me a secure means to fly a very small foresail when winds pick up over 35 knots. I’ll also finish up my sailing rig with a new mizzen for the back of the boat. With a heavy duty cruising mizzen, new 130% genoa foresail, and storm jib this is going to be one hell of a sailboat.

I’ve also kept up with my running. I am in week three of five weeks before the 5K and I am really starting to feel the difference. Not only do I have more energy and am generally in a better mood, but my knees are killing me! I broke down and went to a running specific store to get my feet measured and my stride analyzed for a good pair of shoes. I hope they make the difference. I’ve got chicken legs.

I hope everyone is well and keep in touch!

Lee

Jason just sent me a few shots from our sail down to South Padre.

This was the sunset on the first day just as we came around Galveston through the jetties and out to sea.

Of course we hoisted our spinnaker just at dark. Boy, that was stupid. I had to cut the dousing line on the sock that knocks the air out of the sail to get it down. First and last time I ever try to fly a spinnaker at night.

Pretty first night.

One incredible sunset in Padre wasn't a bad pay off. Not to mention fireworks for New Years and meeting some other great cruisers who were hanging out down there.

I never met a goal I didn’t like.

There is no question I get infinitely more accomplished when I have a well defined goal set in a realistic timeframe. That little statement is a pretty big self insight I am starting to really understand and use. Enter the Regatta de Amigos.

This little race, http://www.veracruzregatta.com/, is a 630 nautical mile sail due South from Galveston, TX to Veracruz, Mexico. I got turned onto this race by friends of mine looking for crew on their boat. Instinctively I said no way. My immediate thought was I could never get two weeks off work to go sailing, and if I were to take that kind of time off it needed to be spent pulling my own boat together for cruising. About the time this thought solidified in my jello like mind, I remembered that without a real goal, set in stone, I don’t necessarily make the best progress. So, why not take the time off to go to Veracruz?

Here is where my thought process stands today. It’s March 8th, almost exactly three months before this race kicks off. Even if I were to take a week or two off and do nothing but work on the boat, I don’t think I would get as much done as I would if I were preparing it to take myself and crew on this regatta. I’ve already two friends volunteer to crew which give me plenty of hands, help, and makes it a real commitment. It would also be a great trip to build on the experience I gained from sailing to South Padre.

I made up another quick map in Google Earth below. The black line was the Harvest Moon Regatta from Galveston to Port Aransas. The white line was the 520 mile run, down and back, to South Padre. The red line would be 1,260 miles, down and back, from Galveston to Veracruz. This would be another great shake out to test all the work I’ve done since the Padre sail.

Another reason this is looking more appealing is that I don’t think I will have time to hit the western Gulf Coast of Mexico when I go on the big cruise. This way I get to see some of this country before I set off down Central America.

I’ve gone running five days this past week. The Dallas 5k helps keep me focused on getting up each morning to make my progressively longer runs. I think I need this race to keep me focused on getting my boat ready.

Glutton for punishment

I get seasick. I know this. It’s unfortunate, but very manageable. The only reason I mention this is because it prompted a visit to the doctor for some meds. What I wasn’t ready for was stepping on the scale in his office. I am by no means obese, but for the fist time in my life I topped 200 lbs. Not out of the ordinary considering I am 6’1, but still about 15lbs more than I carry at my target weight of 185.

I’ve also notices I’ve been feeling a little overwhelmed with everything I need to do to prepare for this trip, including making the money to pay for it. It sounds crazy, but the only thing I could think of to deal with it was to do more. It sounds counter intuitive, but I know I am out of shape right now. I figure if I can spend 45 minutes to an hour every day getting back in shape I’ll be much more productive than I currently am with the rest of the hours in a day.

Of course I signed up for a race. Only the fear of public humiliation can force me to put running shoes on in the morning. Plus, combine that with a chance to spend some time with good friends in Dallas and this is a sure winner. So, April 6th I’ll be heading up to D-town for the Big D Challenge. http://www.texasmarathon.com/ It also seemed somewhat serendipitous that this race is exactly 5 weeks away and Marathonrookie.com proposes a 5 week training schedule to go from non-runner to 5K ready. That’s three miles. Yeah, I had to look it up too.

On a totally unrelated note, I love me some pork chunks. I tell you what, I was incredibly skeptical about this canned meat idea, but they are actually very good. This wouldn’t have been discovered if I had followed my first instinct to though them all away after taking the lid off the pork chunks. The picture below doesn’t even do justice to how disgusting this tin of meat looked. It almost appeared cancerous with the little white specs of fat clinging onto it. Nevertheless, I put it in a pan with garlic, onion, a can of stewed tomatoes, salt, pepper and served it on top of a bed of couscous. Outstanding. It was really good. I’ve already gone through the beef chunks and boneless chicken and I can seriously give this stuff a good recommendation.

On another front, I’ve been thinking about how I want to document my trip. The blog was the primary outlet for relaying my experiences, but I keep thinking about the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words. I agree with this when the photographer is competent. I am not a competent photographer. I also shelled out a few more dollars than I was expecting for a good digital SLR camera. This will let me take some professional quality pictures along the way. To make sure I didn’t just buy a really expensive point and shoot camera I enrolled in three classes at the Houston Center for Photography. First up, camera basics. Followed a month later with basics of composition. Hopefully this will let me bring you, dear reader, a story that is aesthetically pleasing as well.

Now, I am off to hoist myself up the mizzen mast to try and install my new 16 mile radar. Wish me luck. I’ll leave you with a quote from Francis Chichester. Chichester sailed round the world making only one single stop in Australia.

Nobody, I am sure, can be more aware than I am that my time is limited. I don’t think I can escape ageing, buy why beef about it? Our only purpose in life, if we are able to say such a thing, is to put up the best performance we can – in anything, and only in doing so lies satisfaction in living. – Sir Francis Chichester Gipsy Moth Circles the World

Planning ahead: Pork Chunks!

All is well, but I've been pulled back into my day job in order to get this trip paid for. I've still managed to answer a few questions surfing the web even if I am not physically working on the boat. One question was what kind of canned meats and cheeses were available in the U.S. for provisioning. I found a site called http://www.internet-grocer.net/ and made a small purchase. I can't wait to see how my pork chunks cook up. mmmmm. I couldn't resist and cracked right into one can of Kraft's pasteurized process cheddar cheese spread. This stuff is exactly what comes in the individual singles packs. Not bad, but I wouldn't want to live on it. It does make a mean grilled cheese sandwich.

Other than ordering chunked meat, I've been pulling together some charts showing the Central American Coast and three different cruising guides that cover my course from South Padre Island, TX all the way down and through the Panama Canal. I am having a hard time balancing how many stops I want to make along this trip. I'd love to hit every little port so I can see more of each country, but on the other hand picking a few ports will let me stay at each longer really getting to know them. I think I am already leaning towards the latter option. I did a whirl wind backpacking tour of Western Europe as far east as Prague when I was just out of college. It was a great trip, but it was too much to fit into 2 months. I think I'd rather get to know the people and places I visit more deeply than is possible with rapid fire visits down the coast. Yo necessito estudiar mi espaniol. Adios!

Lee

Another Vote!!!

I don't know why these are coming out orange. The logos will be the same blue used in the logos below. Just voting on the style for now. Please cast your vote to the Left!


LOGO #1 LOGO #2

Struck by lightening.

No, not the boat. Me. That is the closest possible way I can describe the feeling I’ve had the last two weeks. I think it started with getting motivated to start working on the boat. I knocked out the macerator pump, that’s the one that pumps the sewage off the boat. Nasty, nasty job, but I got it done after finding several leaks that had to be fixed. Unfortunately, I figured out that the holding tank leaks so I need a new 15 gallon bladder tank to replace the old one. I also got the lines replaced for my main sheet, mizzen sheet, and running back stays.

I called the guys over at Blue Water to help me with the starter which has been malfunctioning occasionally since I bought the boat. We got the old starter pulled, rebuilt, and reinstalled along with a new solenoid. In the most frightening moment of my short boating career, I pushed the button to test the install and heard nothing but a click. Knowing something wasn’t right I dropped down below to have a look and realized I couldn’t see being engulfed in smoke. I grabbed a fire extinguisher and opened the engine compartment expecting to see flames, but there were none. In fact, aside from the smoke all seemed OK.

Apparently, new starters need a lot of amps to turn over the first time. The bad news was my older wiring had such a large voltage drop due to corrosion that the starter didn’t get full power when I hit the ignition button. What did happen was a total meltdown of the starting wire that runs from the solenoid to the starter, the battery selector switch, and my engine temp and oil gauges. Oh well, better at the dock then at sea. Now at least I know I’ve replaced the weakest link in the starting circuit.














Amazingly, the feeling I’ve likened to being hit by lightening didn’t come from my close call with an electrical fire, but with the interaction I’ve had with several people over dinner last weekend. I finally got a chance to sit down with my web designer and review his draft logos for the sight. I was impressed. I’ve copied three of them in below and would love some feedback. These are being revised based on some input from me and others so the final draft should be coming soon. Knowing I don’t have any creative talent myself I invited the crew of Transcend from the South Padre trip and one of their friends. What started out as a discussion about which logo looked the best turned into a full on brain storm about how to make this trip happen and make the absolute most of it. To Jesselyn, Sharron, Joe, Lilly, Steven, and Jackie, thanks. Your enthusiasm means more than you know.

So, coming off that dinner/logo meeting I’ve started filling out the paper work to incorporate my own 503c non-profit allowing readers to purchase shirts and such to support both SOS and myself. It’s a way people can give a fully tax deductible donation that keeps me sailing and gives directly to SOS. It’s going to be a pretty cool logo. I’ve also drafted my first press release. My feeble mind was just planning on sending the release to the sailing mags and the non-profit mags, but the group is going to help me get this out all over the place. Sponsorship for the trip is starting to look like it might actually be a possibility. Timing on the first media blitz is going to be pretty crucial. I don’t want to get fired before I am actually ready to go. Then again, that might make for an even more interesting story.

















The end result of all this activity is that the reality of this project is sinking in. It still seems surreal that I’d quit my job and try to sail around the world to help orphans. Crazy huh? I am really starting to love the work I am doing to get ready for this trip. Somehow, it’s taking on a life of its own. I don’t really feel like I am pushing anymore, but that I am being pulled to it. There is lot’s to do, but it’s getting easier, not harder.

I am going sailing.

Lee

Wow, that smells like…….!

Big couple of days this week. I haven’t been on the road due to a cancelled business trip so it has felt like found time and I’ve taken advantage. I went to talk to the guys at Blue Water and realized I could spend a week on this or have them over for an hour and a half and have it done. Needless to say, they come over the next day and took the old starter off the boat. I am having it rebuilt for $200 and a rusty spare rebuilt for $280 so I should have starters covered. They’ll be back and installed with the new solenoid by the 15th.

I also got motivated and spliced in my new main sheet, ordered the hardware for a new mizzen sheet setup, and tackle for both of my running back stays. The hardware will be here Friday and I’ve already got the line ready to splice in. I also started to tackle a job I’ve been dreading. The fear of a 15 year old macerator pump and what may lie inside is paralyzing. Ok, I know I don’t always slow down to explain all the sailing lingo, but this one is worth it. A macerator pump has two purposes. On fishing boats they use them to drain live bait wells of anything that may still be in them. They are really good at it because the little blades inside chop everything up and make it pump out the hoses nice and easy. Fish and all. The second use is to empty the holding tanks on pleasure boats like Romance. Yep, septic.



















So, I donned a pair of fashionable latex gloves and started wrenching the old pump out of the boat. Guess what came out with it? You got it. Goo. Lots of very old, very smelly, gut wrenching, vomit on the spot, poop. I almost had to toss the whole damn sailing thing out the window. However, fortified by a cerveza, I rushed back into the head and wrapped the offending rags and pump in plastic trash bags and got it off the boat. This maneuver was followed by a quick epoxy job to shore up the mounting plate for the new pump and in it will go, tomorrow.

While that all dries I’ve dropped a couple of oil absorbers down into the bilge to try and mop up what amounts to way too much oil. I’ve been checking out a product called BioSok that is supposed to use bacteria to breakdown the hydrocarbons into non toxic compounds. I am a science geek. This stuff excites me and I can’t wait to try it.

Feeling pretty good.

It’s amazing what a couple of days of sunny, warm weather do for my motivation. The boat and I both smell like diesel again and I like it. On the way home from Padre I had a filter clog and had to switch over to the second Racor. This is a great redundancy that saves a lot of time. I dug in today to replace both filters, but of course my starter solenoid is finally out for good which means I can’t bleed the system. I’ll give the old girl something, she didn’t leave me stranded out there in the Gulf. The only break downs I’ve had all occurred at the dock. Anyways, I swapped out both filters and learned a little more about my fuel system. It’s still dirty so I need to keep lots and lots of filters on board. I’ve also got an electric pump to help bleed the system, but only up to the injectors as I need the starter to bleed past the high pressure fuel pump. I’ll head to Blue Water tomorrow to order a new solenoid.

I can really feel the clock ticking. This is the first time I’ve ever seen the expanse of a year in front of me and realized how quickly it would all pass.

The logo for the new website should be done next week and an amateur photographer is going to come by the week after to take some pics of the dog and I on the boat. I’ll send them into Latitudes and Attitudes and hopefully get the site launched by March. I am expecting things to go into high gear as the weather warms up and am getting my game plan in place.

Waxing philosophical

Something has been bothering me and I haven’t been able to crystallize what it is. I’ve known for a long time that the U.S. economy is based on capitalism. In other words, consumer spending is what keeps the U.S. going. If something happens that makes consumers stop shopping, like a pack of bad loans or a terrorist attack, we may run into a recession. Today congress passed an economic stimulus package of 1.5 Billion dollars. Most of that will come in the form of tax breaks for big business, but another chunk boils down to giving free money, $1200 for couples and $600 for individuals, to the people and telling them to go shopping. Go buy a LCD TV for the sake of your country.

I am not smart enough to think this through to any logical conclusion, but it doesn’t seem like it’s possible to sustain this model indefinitely. At a minimum, one of two things if not both need to occur for continued growth of the U.S. economy. First, people have to start spending more of their total income. I don’t know how this one works. It seems like people have already surpassed what should be a spending maximum. I don’t know how many people I hear about who spend will beyond their disposable income and run up huge credit card debts. The mortgage crisis is another example. People thought the housing boom would last forever so they bought way more house then they could afford and foreclosures now show a double digit increse.

The second option is to make sure we have a rapidly growing population adding to the work force resulting in more people out there shopping. I don’t have any numbers to back it up, but I though the U.S. and most western nation’s populations were declining? A lot of younger generations are holding off longer and longer on marriage and having children later in life. This combined with the aging baby boomers would significantly reduce the number of spenders we’ve got.

Up until I bought the boat and started the refit I’ve never been a big spender. I used to read financial planning books like we were about to loose them all. I even pass them out to friends of mine because the issue of personal finance is an important one to me. No one has found a better system than capitalism, but shouldn't we be looking pretty closely at it? The politicians argued for awhile about whom to give the rebates to because they didn’t feel those above a certain income level would pour the money back into the economy. People who tend to be financially savvy save, not spend. It’s the bunch in the rat race that the money is mostly targeted to. These are the people that drive the economy. They can’t get ahead because they buy cheap consumer goods that break in a year or less leaving them no better off had they not had the money at all. Those considered wealthy buy things that make money. They spend it, but they spend it on things that show a return on the money like property and businesses that feed the consumer market. Their money earns interest, they don't pay it.

Something seems wrong to when the best thing we can do with 1.5 Billion is to give Johnny Suburb a check for $600 and send him off to get an iPhone. Here is the message from my soapbox. If you haven’t already started really securing your financial independence and need help understanding how, go get a book called The Wealthy Barber. It’s an easy read with 10 things you can do today to get your finances in order.

Oh wait, this is a sailing blog. Ok, I read the above mentioned book about six years ago and now I am about to go cruising at 31. It wouldn’t be happening if I hadn’t learned early on how to manage my money. I think this is a skill common to a lot of sailors I’ve spoken to.

My parents called my Lucky Lee…

Lucky Lee stuck for more than just the alliteration. I have a habit of falling into good things. I am lucky. Always have been, but then again I also believe that luck favors the prepared mind.

It’s Sunday morning and I am flying out to California for a business meeting tomorrow. I am on the cattle cars that fly the skies, Southwest Airlines, and settling into my seat I pulled out a book called Blue Latitudes. The next thing I hear is a voice from the passenger beside me saying she’d read it and wanting to know if I was a boater. With a cheerful voice I responded absolutely and that I was even crazy enough to live on a 39 foot sailboat. With that she sent an equally charming smile back my way and confirmed that she too lived on a 54 foot sailboat. I like this lady already.

As more and more people file onto the plane the previously empty seat between us gets taken by another business traveler not all too thrilled to be sitting between us. Mostly immune, we carry on as she fills me in on the details of her 3 year cruise from California down Mexico, out to the South Pacific Isles, up to Hawaii and back. We’ve been sharing boat pictures on our laptops and of course I am full of questions in anticipation of my own cruise.

Now, sailors are typically always pawning off the dog eared copies of the various sailing mags we have about us. I wasn’t all that surprised, but very grateful when she reached into her backpack and pulled out a recently read copy of Latitudes and Attitudes. She indicated she’d been looking for a person to give it too and that she worked for the magazine. Robin, as I should be addressing her, then asked me to send in a picture and she’d get it in for me. Little did I know I was sitting next to the Publishing Manager for one of the top two cruising magazines. What a break.

My new evening project will be to pull together a quick and dirty press kit to send to Robin. I’ve been reading through the sailing mags websites looking for contacts exactly like Robin and now I come to find myself sitting next to the person I’ve been looking for. I really need my logo and web page up so I can start drumming up some interest in the SOS Adventure. My dad always used the old cliché, “I’d rather be lucky than good any day”. I am hoping I can be both.

BM Boat Works, Y.E.S., and Blue Water Ships Store

I've had a few people asking me about who they can trust around Clear Lake, Texas for boat work. I've been through the ringer here knowing squat about boats when this all started. At first, I hired BM Boatworks, run by Ben Miller. BM did do a good job on some basic blister repair and the bottom job. I wouldn't use the same paint he used again but the work was fine. However, I was less happy about some electrical work he had done. The ST 60 instrument pack was installed well, but he didn't bother to run the wires along the existing wiring harness. They ran them across the water and fuel tank back to the board, the shortest distance and in my opinion poor quality work. I also purchased a 3K prop based on his recommendation that it would fit. It didn't. Fortunately MaxProp only charged me for the shipping. In short, bottom job, sure, anything else.....Call William Hensley at Blue Water Ships Store.

William Hensley used to work for Y.E.S., but Blue Water fired their entire service division and brought in William to rebuild it from the ground up. He is salt of the earth and will do the job correctly the first time at a reasonable price. I used to be evangelical about not using Blue Water which is kind of funny considering that is the only place I'll let my friends go now. Blue Water were the jack holes that tore out my old transmission and broke off a thru hull in the process leaving my boat with out power and slowly sinking. They then cut the line feeding the salt water wash down pump leaving my boat with air conditioning, but slowly sinking without power to get to a yard for haul out.

William fixed me up. I had to leave town for a business trip and they had the boat towed, thru hull replaced, and back in my slip in a day. The also reinstalled my new transmission in a day and it was perfectly done. In short, don't waste time or money going for a discount deal on boat work. Call Blue Water, but if William has moved on, I would too. And No, I am not affiliated with them in any way.

South Padre & Today

The trip to South Padre was excellent. We left the Kemah fuel dock at ~2:00 p.m. and pulled into South Padre at 2:30 p.m. two days later. My buddy Jason, who knew nothing about sailing at the time we left, could handle the boat on his own by the time we got back home. I was really impressed with how quickly he picked everything up. The sail down had us running for 48 hours with winds ranging from 15 – 30 knots. I think I tried almost every sail combination possible with my rig. Right after we got out of the Galveston Jetties I saw the spinnaker go up on Transcend, the boat that sailed with us. Not to be outrun, Jason and I spent the next 30 minutes at sunset trying to hoist my spinnaker. It didn’t exactly go as planned, but we did get it up. Not two hours later the 15 not winds picked up to 25 knots which was way too much for us. Unfortunately, when we went to strike the spinnaker, the line that controls the dousing sock got fouled on my mast. There was only one way to retrieve it without going up the mast. Not something I was prepared to do at that moment. So, with Jason laying across the sail on the foredeck I ran down below for a knife, came up, and viola, no more tangle. Sure I’ve got to replace that line now, but it was better than the alternative.

The rest of the sail down was fairly uneventful. We arrived in South Padre and immediately after securing the boat, went for beers and oysters at a place just across from the marina. We were supposed to hang out with the crew of Transcend that evening, but wiped out from the trip, I fell asleep at 7:00 p.m. and slept undisturbed for 14 hours. It was a lot of work for two people. Jason and I started out with three hour shifts, but neither of us was getting enough useful rest to be any good to each other or the boat. There was never a decision made, but we naturally started taking longer and longer watches letting the other person sleep until the person on watch needed a break. This was typically 4 – 6 hours. I think this worked much better for both of us.

We woke up the next morning, New Years Eve, to a beautiful sunny day with 80 degree weather. We took a few walks around Padre and knocked off a few boat projects before settling into a place called Coconuts to ring in the New Year. The local bars pull together every year and set a fireworks barge off at midnight on the back bay. It was a great show and a great way to start the New Year.

The crew of Transcend were late additions to this trip, but they made it infinitely better. I was having a drink or maybe two at the marina restaurant and saw a group of people I knew in passing from my time here. They invited me over and we all got to talking about sailing and boats, of course. Next thing I know I am regaling them with the woes of Project Romance and they are laughing hysterically. When I start talking about the pending shake down cruise, Joe, the Captain of Transcend looks at his main crew, Jeslyn, and they are immediately in. These two people, mere acquaintances before, are now very good friends of mine. They are both great sailors and just good people to boot.

The trip home was a one tack deal. We headed out on Thursday the 3rd after the norther blew itself out and made the reach home in good time. The only real difficulty came when, about 60 miles from Galveston, the engine quit on Jason’s watch. I figured it was a clogged fuel filter, but the problem was compounded by the fact that the solenoid picked this inopportune moment to go out again. So, with trusty jumper wire in hand I climbed into the engine room to jump start Rusty, my Westerbeke 4108. Sure enough the jump got the engine spinning, but still no start. I figured out how to switch the lines to get the alternate primary Racor fuel filter in line and started bleeding the engine. Eventually she started purring again. I’ve got a leak in the line somewhere that is letting air in as my RPMs are not holding steady. Another project for the punch list.

I also learned I get really seasick. Not debilitatingly so, but enough that my head was over the rail a time or two. Again, Jason, who is completely unaffected by the sea, stepped in and did all the cooking saving me from any more time spent down below than was absolutely necessary.

There were a couple of the most serine moments I’ve ever experienced on the trip home. I literally spent hours with the autopilot on gazing up at the stars. The Big Dipper was HUGE and we were pointed right at it. My stargazing was only interrupted by the rise of a quarter moon bright orange on the horizon. The sun rose not much later and the dawn brought dolphins. I see these beautifully graceful creatures all the time playing around the entrance to Galveston, but I wasn’t expecting them 70 miles offshore in 250 feet of water. They spent 30 minutes riding the tops of the swells into my bow wave and running back to do it all again.

I learned more about my boat in those 540 miles of sailing than I have in the 13 months I’ve owned her. I think this new found knowledge along with the New Year has really kind of freaked me out. The scope of the project I am undertaking is setting in and I am figuring out how to deal with it. You can see the current punch list below of projects, but the scariest part for me will be actually quitting my job. To leave the lifestyle and security I’ve come to know. A sales role like I am in requires you to earn your living by getting the job done, otherwise you don’t get the commission check. I guess sailing isn’t much different, get the job done or you don’t get there safely.

I am getting serious about the planning stages for the trip. I realized I didn’t even know where I was going or how to get there. Pouring over the maps, I’ve decided not to head East first. Rounding the Dominican Republic before turning south for Panama will not give me time to explore the places I visit like I want too. Instead, I am going to run down Latin America on a more direct route to Panama. There are at least 4 SOS Villages I can visit on this route, 2 more than I could have hit going the other way. I’ve ordered large scale charts for route planning, mapped the SOS Villages and tentative routes on Google earth, purchased cruising guides for the western Caribbean, and purchased Spanish language lesson tapes. It’s time to get serious or this will end up like too many other cruising dreams and never make it to reality.




To-Do List
high
Source Life Raft

high
Buy and Install a new Radar

high
replace lines

high
repair/replace macerator

high
buy and install GPS

high
running lights and bulbs

high
repair spinnaker sock

high
replace spinnaker halyard with swivel

high
bleed engine and replace primary racor

high
pull windlass and have painted/powder coated

high
Pull starter and solenoid to replace

med
Take main and mizzen into Cameron Sails

med
paint nonskid

med
fix the radio!

med
clean out and test water maker

med
recast and make brakes for prop lock

med
redo toilet lines and get rebuild kit

med
positive latches on all drawers and storage locations

med
run line to mast steps to prevent halyard wrap

med
anchor chain howser replacement

med
rig secondary anchor with rode and line

med
calibrate knot/speed log

med
inspect/replace cabins side ports - bronze flush

med
rig removable inner stay

med
replace storm jib halyard and block

low
weather strip fridge and freezer hatch

low
re-enforce dock steps and paint

low
Seal anchor chain hawse pipes with epoxy

low
Rewire and get battery for dingy

low
Book ASA 105 Test

low
get dogs chipped

low
replace 70's lamp

low
Georgia platform

low
design maintenance log

low
recover barge

low
paint interior

low
New cushions and recover

low
Photo classes

low
replace cowl vents with permanent fixtures

low
cockpit burner

low
upgrade solar panel

low
weather seal port lights

low
Put 150 back on

low
get pot holders from transcend

low
grind lip of drop leaf table mount for easy removal

low
Helm Mount: Autopilot R/C and Commandmic

low
plumb water deck plate to tank

The Return.

Amazingly, we never hit the squall line. I guess I need to learn how to read teh clouds a little better. In fact, I spent most of the night steering the boat by keeping the big dipper 5 degrees starbord of the mast. Bigger post coming. Lots going on, just little writing.

Happy New Year......We did it!

We are resting and relaxing watching the bowl games in South Padre. We made the 270 miles in 48 hours. We had steady 20 knot winds gusting to 30 with 3 - 5 foot seas. I'll write up the whole trip later including have to cut the spinnaker sail rigging when it tangled in heavy winds. Overall, no injuries and a great, great sail.

The Family is in for Christmas.

I woke up early this morning with the chance to take my brother out for a sail. He also provided some extra crew while I read up underway to figure out how to finish the Raymarine autopilot commissioning. I learned something new today also. If you push the ignition button on a diesel engine and they don't start, they are pretty easy to hotwire. I think my starter solenoid is going bad, but a jump from the battery post across the ignition circuit did the trick tog get the engine humming again. Thanks Julie! Your book, Boat Owners Mechanical and Electrical Guide, saved the day today. Luckily, my mom was standing at the Kemah Boardwalk on our way back in and snapped a few shots of us under way.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I think we are going to go for it. The boat is cleaned up and most of the loose ends have been taken care of. Jason flies in the morning of the 27th and we should be ready to head for South Padre. I am almost giddy with excitement. I am going to restow the cabin today make room for Jason to get his gear stowed. I need to pick up a few more things like a 4 in. cowl vent, new life jackets for guests, and get provisions the day before we go. I’ve been checking the weather conditions every day for the past week and it’s looking like rain right now, but hopefully we’ll catch a break. For sea conditions I use http://www.nws.noaa.gov/. You can click on the region you want a forecast for. I also check the conditions at the blue buoys at http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/maps/WestGulf.shtml. There are three blue marks approximately on the line from Houston to South Padre. These guys give you the wind speed, direction, and wave height and period. Good stuff to know before setting out.

Merry Christmas everyone. Hope you are all having a safe and happy holidays.

It's alive!

I got the autopilot back from Raymarine today and all is well. Fearfully, I plugged in one component at a time starting with nothing more than giving the unit power. After it was all plugged in it beeped happily and I started the dockside comissioning process. All is well. I can even describe what a reliefe it is to have that project in and on time to go to Padre. I also tore out the old battery box, fiberglassed in new supports, and will add the tie down mounts tomorrow. The boat is getting a good compound waxing this week and should be ready to go by the 28th.

Good news on the flotilla. I've got at least one other boat with 4 crew going down. It will still just be Jason and I on my boat, but this gives us all some added security. Not to mention they are fun people. During the rest of the week I need to buy a fishing rod and license, replumb the replaced exhaust thru hull, add the battery tie downs, swap the 110 jib for the 150 geneoa, replace the mainsheet, fill diesel and water tanks, provision, sea trial the autopilot, and if I am really aggressive maybe I'll install a new macerator pump and the radar. To do lists on boats are never ending.

Getting back on track.

I finished up my autopilot! Almost. I finally get everything mechanically installed exactly the way I wanted it, ran all the electrical per the manufacturer specs, and plugged it in. Snap! The breaker threw. What do you do when that happens? Try it again. Snap! Ok, something is wrong. So, I checked all the connections to every piece of the autopilot and found one wire that was not connected terribly well and replaced the whole run of wire with brand new stuff. I then reconnected power and, POP! I didn’t know what the sound was, but at least the breaker didn’t blow. So, I start digging around again and sure enough, I blew the 30 Amp fuse on the autopilot course computer. That’s the brain of the whole deal. I blew a couple more of them both out of frustration and in an attempt to troubleshoot the install. Fortunately I got Raymarine on the phone the next day and they informed me that the only problem I had was with a bad piece of equipment, not my install job. So, $130 bucks and a day later it is sitting on their workbench in RI confirming the computer was faulty. I should get the replacement back Monday to commission and test the new unit. Keep your fingers crossed. Maybe say a prayer.

I also tore into my battery box problem and if it will stop raining think I can knock it out in a day or two. Nothing major, but I need to fiberglass in a few reinforcements to carry the extra weight of my Trojan T-145 golf cart batteries. These little dudes are heavy, but I love them because they give me lots and lots of juice.

I may have recruited another boat to sail down to Padre with me as well. I was absorbing a rum and coke last night and ran into a group of people I met when I first moved to Kemah. We laughed hard for a few hours, mostly at my expense regaling them with tails of my boat projects. Next thing I know we’ve got volunteers to sail down for New Years with us. Now, this may be one of those late night great ideas that never really materialize under the light of the next day, but I am hoping it does. It would be fun and a bit safer to make the trip with some friends. We had 50+ mph gusts of wind last night. I hope we get better conditions for the Padre trip.

I'll leave you with a quote I pulled from another sailors blog. You can check out his page by clicking on the title to this blog entry above.

“To me a voyage is essentially an act of will and a testing of the human spirit. If a sailor doesn’t learn anything more important from the sea than how to reef a sail, the voyage wasn’t worth making. One of the pleasures in setting out on a voyage is not knowing where the sea will lead. On a voyage a sailor is at risk. On a voyage a sailor knows he is truly alive. A voyage is not an escape from life; it is a reach for life.” - Webb Chiles