The Oar

Andrew enjoying a Mudslide in the Oar bar. For sailors, this bar is a tradition not to be missed.

Block Island

We are safely moored in Block Island. We are preparing to go ashore and enjoy the day!

Block Island

We have sighted the entrance to the Block Island Salt Pond, and we're are going slow while we wait for sunrise. Almost there!

Heading Out

The weather is clearing and the breeze and waves are decreasing, so we will depart from Cape May this afternoon. See you in Block Island!

All is Well

After that 44 knot gust, I decided to double the stern line to be safe. Soon after that the winds began to decrease, and Elsa was finished with Cape May. This morning the winds are down to 20 knots and have shifted to the west. We'll be monitoring the conditions to see how soon we can depart.

Gusty!

We just had a gust to 44 knots. We're in the thick of it now.

Elsa

It's 1:30 AM and I'm awake, checking conditions outside. We just had a gust to 32 knots in the marina. I'm grateful to be tied to a dock while Elsa makes her way past our position.

Elsa Approaches

We're seeing the first hints of Elsa's approach.

Packed In

When I said that we're "tucked in" at Cape May, I should have said we're packed in. Quite a few boats are stopping here to wait out the storm. We expect to see 40 knot winds tonight, peaking around midnight. Today we're double checking our lines to make sure we are secure.

One other issue we're dealing with is jellyfish. Yesterday, the air conditioning system sucked one in, so water isn't flowing through the system. We'll be working to unclog that before we have to close all the hatches for the rain.

Cape May

We're tucked into Cape May for a couple days to wait out the storm… what should we do?

Motorsailing

We're motor sailing with the mainsail down Delaware Bay today. Boat speed through the water is 7.2 knots, but speed over ground is just 5.8. There are strong currents in the Bay, and for a while they will be against us. We expect to make Cape May this afternoon where we'll wait out the approaching storm.

The Crew

Thanks Andrew and Josh for making this adventure possible!

C & D Canal

Today we transited the C&D canal, and are anchored for the night. Tomorrow we head south down the Delaware Bay… 

Departure!

We'll, it's finally departure day. We're currently motoring up the Bay with light south winds. And it's really hot. Can't wait to get to cooler weather. We're keeping an eye out for Elsa, and we'll wait her out in Cape May.

Provisions

Provisions are going aboard! Tomorrow is departure day, leaving the dock at 08:00.

A Date with Elsa

One more thing to consider... we are planning to leave the Delaware Bay and head offshore by Wednesday evening, but this could change that plan. We'll be watching this carefully!

Rig Check

With the help of my crew, I went up the mast to clean the spreaders, and perform a final rig check. We head out to sea next week!

Anchor Chain

I decided to inspect the anchor chain, so I ran out the complete length of the chain. This chain is over 20 years old, so I wasn't completely surprised to find the corroded chain ball pictured here, lurking at the bottom of the chain locker. It's definitely past time to replace this, so today, I bought 200 feet of new chain. It only weighs about 300 pounds, so it shouldn't be a problem to get it aboard. ;)

Mainsail Furler

Today, we successfully replaced the electric motor that drives the mainsail furler. The new motor works great, and it will be so much easier to reef the mainsail now. This is the last major job that needed to be completed before we leave, so now we can focus on provisioning the boat with food for the crew!

Short List

There are just a few items left on the "must do" list before we depart. Tomorrow we will drop the mainsail, remove the boom, and pull the gooseneck out to replace the mainsail furler drive. This electric motor failed at the beginning of this season, and it's an important system to have. With the electric drive working, we can take in the mainsail or reef it from the cockpit by pushing a button. Without it, we have to send someone to the mast to wind it in manually. It's not too hard, but imagine doing it on a rough day, or worse, at night in a building breeze. So, it's worthwhile to get this working.

The next, and really final safety task, is to inspect the rig from top to bottom. I'll go to the top of the mast and take a look at each and every fitting on the mast, looking for any anomalies, like missing cotter pins, or any cracked fittings. I don't expect any issues, but it's an important practice to check everything before going offshore. I've heard many stories of disasters averted by a simple inspection. And, I've heard the other stories, of disasters at sea caused by a single failed piece of hardware. I always say that I want to be at least two failures away from disaster!

Liferaft Aboard!

Today we installed the life raft. May we never need it! The list of things to do is growing shorter, as is the time before departure. We're almost ready to head north.

Mast Climbing

Today I went up the mast to repair the steaming light, which was out. It turned out that the bulb was fine, just a little corrosion on the contacts. It's all good now!

Starting Battery

The engine starting battery has been a little anemic lately, and I have suspected that it's failing. It's reached the point that it only holds a charge for a few days, so today we replaced it. These 4D size batteries weigh about 100 pounds, so I enlisted the help of my friend Scott to heave the old one out, and bring the new one in. Thanks Scott!

When I took the old battery back to the store for the core charge, they told me that my old battery was purchased in 2005. So, this old battery went 16 years! That's the most life I've ever seen from a battery.

Sun Shades

The new sun shades for the bimini arrived yesterday. These will make sunsets in the cockpit much more enjoyable! We had these designed so that they just zip onto the bimini, so it will be convenient to take them on and off as needed.

Liferaft Cradle

We completed the installation of the liferaft cradle yesterday. It's always "fun" to drill new holes in the boat! We'll put the liferaft into the cradle just before we depart.

Sunset at Anchor

 

We had a nice dinner at sunset last evening...

Bunks are Made

The bunks are made, and we're ready to start sleeping aboard. Now we just need to pick an evening to go anchor out somewhere...

New Galley Faucet

Yesterday's project was installing a new faucet in the galley. The old one had started leaking, and it will be nice to have one with a spray attachment.

Fuel Backflow

I'm still chasing a problem where the fuel drains out of the fuel filter when the engine is stopped. This is the fuel filter 24 hours after running the engine. You can see that the fuel has drained about half way down the bowl, to the pickup point for the fuel filter. I've engaged with a diesel mechanic to help me find the cure for this. This isn't a huge problem, more of an inconvenience really. But, it's the one thing that is preventing the engine from being reliable, so I really want to get to a solution.

First Sail of the Season!

We got out on Silence yesterday for our first sail of the season. We didn't go far, but it sure was a great day. The first order of business was getting the sails bent onto the furlers, and I had help from my nephew, Andrew, for that. We had about 15 knots of breeze from the south, and we saw boat speeds around 7.5 knots. Silence galloped across the bay, happy to be back in action.

Cockpit Table

Over the winter, I applied fresh varnish to the cockpit table. Today, we reinstalled it aboard, yet another sign of spring!

Free Electricity!

We just finished up the wiring for the solar panel. Look at those free amps flowing into the batteries!

Solar Panel

We mounted the new solar panel this morning! This 300 Watt panel will provide most of the power that we need to run systems on the boat, and will reduce the amount we need to run the generator during a 24 hour cycle. Less generator time means less fuel burned, and more quiet time. It's a win-win for the environment, and our quality of life aboard.

Stuffing Box Repacking

This morning is blustery and cold, so it's a good day for "inside" work. This morning's project is to repack the stuffing box. This needs to be done occasionally, when the adjustment nut seems to have more resistance than normal when tightening to control the water ingress. (If you're not familiar with what a stuffing box does, think of the drive shaft going through the hull of the boat to the propeller. The hole around the shaft needs to be filled with something soft to allow the shaft to turn without too much friction, and allow some water to come in for cooling and lubrication of the shaft. The stuffing box nut allows you to control the amount of water by compressing the stuffing around the shaft.) Above are the tools I needed to do the job: a knife to cut the new stuffing to size, a corkscrew pick to get the old stuffing out, a wrench to turn the nut on the stuffing box, and a hammer to just tap the locking nut to keep the nut from turning after it's adjusted. The piece of PVC pipe is used to help push the stuffing into the stuffing nut around the shaft.

Davit Crossbar

This week I installed a crossbar on the davits, which serves several purposes: it adds rigidity to the davits, it provides an installation point for the solar panel, and it allows me to move the stern light to a higher position to be visible even when carrying a dinghy on the davits. 

Flag

Up until now, we have flown the flag from a staff on the stern railing, however, with the installation of the solar panel, this will no longer work. So, today I added a flag halyard to the backstay.

Silence Emerges!

The winter cover came off yesterday! Now we just need to do some general cleanup, and get the sails aboard for sailing. I'm hoping for a nice day for our maiden voyage of the season.

Hand Priming Pump

Last season I had some problems with the engine fuel supply losing its prime, and the fuel flows back from the filter to the fuel tank when the engine is off. It's not a big problem if I remember to turn the fuel valve off each time I stop the engine, but if I forget, then I have to re-prime the system. I have suspected that I might have an air leak in the hand priming pump, and this week I noticed some fuel leaking around the pump diaphragm. So, today, I replaced the hand pump and I'm crossing my fingers that this solves the problem. I'll know in a few days...

You're all probably tired of seeing engine projects, and this will be the last one for a bit. This work is all part of being ready to sail, so for me it's part of the zen of the process. I hope to post some actual sailing soon!

Update: replacing the priming pump didn't fix the priming issue, so I have more investigating to do.

Liferaft

 

We just ordered a new life raft (the old one can no longer be serviced due to it's age). I hope to never see this deployed!

Sea Water Pump

Old boats need some ingenuity to keep running. This is the sea water pump for the engine, which provides cooling water to the heat exchanger. When I replaced the impeller this season, one of the bolts stripped the threads on the pump housing. (I hate it when that happens!) The impeller needs to be replaced every 100 hours of operating time, so these bolts get used a lot.

Parts for old engines become scarce and expensive. This pump can still be replaced for about $600.  I figured it was worth a try to tap new threads into the housing for an oversize bolt, and in this case it worked beautifully. Now, I'll just reinstall the pump and it should be good for another few decades.

Success!

By adapting a 7/8" hose to the 3/4" hose, I was able to easily slip the hose onto the fitting. It's not ideal to add another connection, but it solves the problem.

Disappointed!

Not all days are easy on a boat. Today's project was to replace some old coolant hoses, but the new hoses are really tough to get onto the fittings. Now I'm trying all the tricks, like soaping the fitting, and putting the end of the hose in boiling water. No luck so far.

Winter Cover

 

The winter cover will come off in just 2 weeks!

Canvas Work

 

Today, I'm making a new cover for the companionway. One more project almost ready to check off the long list.

Installing a Bus Bar

Today I'm installing a battery bus bar to allow the hookup of the solar charger, an inverter, and a 20 amp cigarette lighter outlet. This will support charging for the boat batteries and the laptop, and whatever else needs charging.

Passage Planning

We are hoping to make a pilgrimage to Bristol this summer, to the yard where Silence was constructed.

Solar Panel Installation

 

Preparing for the installation of a 300 Watt solar panel. On sunny days this should cover most of our electrical power needs.

EPIRB Registered and Installed

 

We are preparing for our next adventure! Stay tuned...

Flying Spa Creek

Flying around Spa Creek, Annapolis last week... follow the link for video.

https://youtu.be/jbCFj1sDEds

Honga River

 From our fall cruise around the Bay in 2019...

Flying Back Creek

Click the photo for video...

New Interior

Last summer we replaced the upholstery on Silence!

Nav Display, Mark II

I'm making progress on a new display for the nav station, using a Raspberry Pi and a touch screen.

St. Michael's, MD

Labor Day Weekend, 2015, at anchor in St. Michael's.