Big Bad Boatyard Spiders

l really don't mind cute little household spiders. In fact our spiders and I have come to a tacit agreement. They remain quietly beneath the floorboards eating any other bugs and I don't vacuum them up. One leg above the boards and the vacuum gets a snack. I kept wolf spiders growing up, but until Poseidon and Sister are smart enough to use a terrarium to save the fuzzy little troublemakers they are duly sequestered.

Here's where the problem comes. I return from a month and a half business trip on the mainland to a boat that that just completed a boatyard availability . . . clean/fix/paint everything beneath the waterline while out of the water on what appear to be stilts. It still looks so weird to me. Anyhow, the new Xantrex inverter isn't working, so we have no A/C power, I still have to unpack, and Poseidon loses a Lego head down by the mast. l grab the vacuum to fend off my below deck friends, tell Poseidon to keep Sister occupied, open the floorboards, and

FIND BIG BAD BOATYARD SPIDERS!

Yes. They deserve all caps. There were three of them, and they were not cute nor fuzzy. Ugly brown and black, spindly legged, boat poachers which looked up at me like, "Hey cutie, are you here for lunch? We're hungry!" I tried to vacuum them as a response. Remember that "lack of A/C power" thing? Yeah. But, I got two of those suckers first. The third, calmly perched in his web looked at me. I looked back and thought:

"Ok my cute, little household spiders, there must be some explanation for this. I mean, were you down at the boatyard bar, had one too many flies and brought THIS home? Please tell me you regretted it in the morning."

Then, I noticed it. The Lego head. Right where I would have to reach through not just the web, but through the Spider. I don't think I need to state this, but the Lego is still there and the vacuum is plugged into an extension cord run from our neighbors' boat.

Oh, and I found a partially eaten fuzzy spider stuck to one of the legos I did recover. Cannibal.

Six Months and Counting from Five

We knew we were going to be moving a month ago. So, after taking a month to let it soak in and letting the husband make a detailed list of everything I get to sort out funding for, we are at five months. Where are we going? Back to San Diego from Oahu! :) YAY!

So, the plan is to sail in June. I will be posting some general stuff here labeled 6months if you only want to read that part. I will still randomly post about Poseidon and his sister...still looking for a good pseudonym for her here...maybe it will just be Sister. We'll see. Anyhow, if you want to follow the hop across I will come up with a label for that when we get there.

In case you are curious, we will be using a lot of THRIVE. Check out my Shelf Reliance Independent Consultant blog as we get closer and I will detail out our stores orders there. I may x-post here depending on interest. Any major work I will mention here and link to our business blog for Poseidon Marine Management.

I think that is about it for now. Good night! :)

Merry Christmas...

I'll let you finish that quote. ;) Poseidon's new throne. He wanted to put a bandaid on the old one, but it was a little too far gone for that.

Opening, Closing and Climbing

The last holdout were the cupboards. They have little latches on them

that slide.  Poseidon could grip them...think small round knobs (~1/4" diameter) of brass in a channel.  He could not, however slide them with enough force.  I believe he was trying to pull on them.  Which, entertainingly enough, pulls the slider out so that you can repair or replace it, inadvertently opening the door.  That works on the kitchen one as it is under tension.  The radio is a different story.  The car stereo...helps to let it run off DC power.  Think about what powers your car (batteries) and the same applies to a boat not on shore power.  To let the radio work underway without requiring an inverter, car stereos are a standard installation.  Not only does Poseidon now know how to turn on the radio, but the unit happens to live behind a cupboard door.  You see where I am going with this.  Yes, he learned to open cupboards in his multiple attempts to program the stereo.  He knows that the "source" button turns it on.  If he doesn't like what is on (talking or a slow to load CD track), he will hit it again to change between CD and FM radio.  If neither make Poseidon happy, he know he can cycle through the pre-programmed stations.  He adjusts the volume to his appropriate level, and occasionally blasts Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star down the docks.  (There is some way to control the outside speakers through balance or fade, but we never bother.)  While he is well aware of the location of the "off" button, he is quite judicious in his use of it.  The "Would you please turn off the stereo for dinner?" is most often met with a smug closing of the cupboard door with it still blaring.  I have found that a few gentle repeats and withholding of his plate of steaming goodness tends to reverse this decision. :)  Finally to climbing.  There are times I wonder whether I have a son or a monkey.  I have been told by my mother that I was a climber as well.  And, I still enjoy climbing, including the rock kind.  However, there are just some feats he is capable of which I never would have though possible.  I attribute this ability with  his supreme sense of balance to having lived on-board his entire life.  At 19 months, he will pull himself up on something with his hands until he can get his forearms on it, pull his body up into a plank, and wiggle until he has obtained victory.  Once he is big enough to fit in one, Poseidon is getting a rock harness and heading to the climbing gym.  I have no doubt that it will become both one of his favorite places and a great way to tire him out in the evenings.  Now to find one close by... 

Poseidon and The Plague

I am not sure what caused the great plague of 2011...shots, cold, flu bug? Evil mosquito swarms the tourism board doesn't tell you about that come with every rain? But, if this is an omen of the year to come, it's going to be an adventure!

With Poseidon and I down for the count all week, and medicated when the fevers skyrocketed (there was no real absence of fever), Daddy was the hero. I think he even cooked. Yes, I was that out of it that I am not sure. I am certain that some of you out there are cringing, asking why we did not go to the doc, or even the nearest ER.

Once we are able to up anchor and sail into the sunset...there won't be any thing available. Plus, there have bern reduced immunities when you medicate post-shots. At least that is the approved study this week. Most importantly we all overcame this. Don't fret. We consulted the internet, called friends with kids and the Pediatrics department...who stated that though they were unable to transfer me, they could give me the number to appointments. The key to us was that, though either lethargic or appetite-less at times, he still acted like himself.

This week really made me think hard again about what I need to stock when we sail; reminded me that I still have to restock the burn kit; reminded me how much the boat is home...did not want to leave. So, I am going to review a list created by our predecessor (a doc) and start ordering the items with extended shelf life. If you want a copy, I'll email you one. Just be forewarned that I am not a doc, and some of the items may be outdated, and some require a prescription. This is an off-shore kit, not your mother's medicine cabinet.

p.s. The new fuel system is almost finished! I will post that as soon as we wrap it up. And, yes, it's all self-installed by one loving husband.

Lessons Learned - Crew

I know I said I would start inside, but decided this was more important...

It really doesn't matter who you take. Pick your jaw up off the floor. I am applying this phrase in one sense only - sailing experience. Experience, even in this realm, is not as important as many other things. Luckily we got this right or 19 days would have seemed much longer.

What is important? Your, and your family's opinions. Early on there was tension about taking Poseidon. Without getting into detail, it was age and "what if" related. I stand by our decision because it let us achieve what we did as a family. To me that will always be an amazing feat.

Your enjoyment of your crew's company. Please just take my word on this. Don't take someone because they beg/you owe them/they're a great friend when out drinking/they know sailing but...Remember, you can't pull over, and throwing crew overboard (even when justified in your mind) tends to be frowned upon by most civilized nations. You will eat, sleep, use the toilet and do everything you swore never to do in public within an area the size of your living room; with your crew present. I think you get the idea.

While I counted out sailing experience, the abilities to learn, and more importantly to work, are essential. Hence the lack of the aforementioned drinking buddy. If you are trying to put up the storm jib in the middle of the night because your lack of wind turned into a thirty knot gale...you will be thanking me for this advice.

I was quite happy that we placed these qualities in high regard for our crew. It made for smooth sailing even when things didn't go right. Which, if you own a boat, you know is most of the time.

Brain Dump - Incoming

Tomorrow morning will start posts as quickly as I can type them, and watch Poseidon.  Why, you ask?  Although I do like to read myself in print, it is actually time for the lessons learned from Transpac!! :)  I know you have all been waiting breathlessly for this.  In order to give some semblance of order to them, I am going to arrange them in a way that is easy for me, by compartment starting at the bow.  Then, I will go to the outside of the boat.  Don't worry, if you are looking for something specific, I will be sure to label well.  Please let me know, however, if I need to adjust labels...I may or may not agree.

Now that we are back from a couple of months on land...job forced...I will also be renewing my Sunday morning posts separately as well.  If you want to read about our land adventures, check out The Airport Stalker.  I am still updating this too, so check back often!

Mahalo!

First Day on LAND!

This is a short note to let you know that we made it to O'ahu yesterday morning.  I think we called everyone, but just in case...

I don't see my last two posts (we were having HF range issues) so I will repost them via email once back on the boat.  Yesterday we had no connectivity after pulling pierside about 0830.  The girls, Poseidon and some friends spent the day at the lagoon yesterday while the boys picked up a rental car...ours isn't here yet...and made the required West Marine run.

Attempting to be a big kid, Poseidon dove (literally) into the water.  Now, I have taken him to the pool, and he can kick on his own; he can paddle a little.  He was not coordinated enough before to do both at once.  In order to reach the other kids, he managed to have all four appendages going.  He had some motion in the forward direction.  The problem was, he did not want his head under water, and it would dunk every so often.  That caused him to overreact, flip on his back and look at me to save him.  It was so cute.  Granted, the water was maybe 1 foot deep, but that was plenty for Poseidon now.

He has some scrapes on his big toes from crawling everywhere he could.  He is getting so close to walking...

Well, off to a nail place for the girls...then I am being drug off to medical to make sure that my foot is being treated correctly and that there is nothing I missed.  So, please no more worrying! :D

Aloha and Mahalo for following this!

Day 17 - Hauling on the Halyard

It's done. It's up. We are sailing 5 knots in almost no wind. The stitches are holding. I don't know when we will try the reef points. I have fixed our primary method of propulsion! My fingers are worn from it, but I hardly seem to notice. I had my sailing gloves on while sewing, so just the tips are a bit raw and callous. I didn't count the stitches; didn't want to. Now I am curious though. The good side is that I now can spend my whole day with Poseidon. The bad news is (ok so not really bad, but just a new stage), he may be just as happy with his aunt and cousin. Ahhh...at least I will always be the favorite and fixer of boo-boos.

In spending time with him, he stepped on my foot. The blister popped. (It had grown to half-foot size.) So, the painful irrigation with the spare battery water (distilled) followed my meticulous cutting off of the skin. This is not on my list of recommended ways to spend a Tuesday evening. Or, really spend any evening for that matter. Our trusty first aid kit has an amazing new pad that you put on burns. It started out last night a jelly-like substance, and is now a couple of sheets of plastic dressing with almost what looks like bubble wrap in it. Once I am done writing here, it's off to make pancakes for me, followed by more irrigation/bandage change. Sounds fun right?

We are at the point where we could possibly see land on the second watch tonight. I have mixed feelings about that. This adventure has been amazing; I don't want it to end. I feel like we have just now nailed down all the problems with systems, and want more time to relax...then again, daily hot showers, milk shakes (I need to rig these on the boat somehow) and fresh fruits are much anticipated by us all. Apparently our crew is craving wonder bread and cheese slices. Sorry, I tend to have acceptably healthy food around. By acceptably I mean that you recognize and know the food without having to spend all of your time at a farmers' market, yet less processed than most households (I think).

Alright, off to breakfast before the crew turns cannibal on me.

Posit: 22 23.144N 154 22.771W

Day 16 - Under the Stars

Poseidon and I were curled up outside in the cockpit while Daddy and his brother worked on the engine. My sister-in-law and their daughter were sitting right next to us sharing a blanket. The sun was just setting, leaving a tinge of red sky behind. The moon was well past its zenith, but was slowly brightening as it dipped towards the horizon with a planet in tow. Pointing directly at the moon, Poseidon grinned like a madman. I said, "moon" and he giggled. We started singing The Lion Sleeps Tonight...then a number of country songs...like a camping trip.

It has been a little like a camping trip out here. While the dishes are clean, they are washed overboard in salt water, then rinsed in the kitchen with fresh. There is still a slight tang always to the glasses. I am stitching canvas by hand, even with a sewing machine on-board. It would be impossible to put the torn portion of the sail into anything short of a sail loft. We have our own towel assigned to us, and we have not yet washed them. They have only been used 3 times or so. We are on a 3 day shower rotation. That was due to some water pressure issues when the secondary water pump accidentally was left out of the system. It's corrected, but I think we are so used to routine by now, that no one has asked for an extra shower or ten. Laundry was done once in the laundry machine before we gave up on the generator for a while. Now, it is washed in a 5 gallon bucket of salt water and rinsed in 5 gallons of fresh. It is clothes pinned to the life lines to dry. So far, just kitchen towels and rags. Maybe laundry tomorrow.

Here's to seeing land in a few days. Where did all the time go?

Day 15 - It's a Bird, It's a Plane...Wait

It's planes...plural! We have passed under the departure corridor for the Honolulu airport! It happened on my watch last night. Poseidon was asleep, so missed the excitement of a row of anti-collision lights piercing the night sky heading back to the mainland. Maybe we'll let him out after dark once we are in sight of land to see the stars. I bought a star book for less than $5 on Border's clearance. Last night, I was finally able to locate a few constellations and looked at some binary stars through binoculars. It made me wish Poseidon was a little older and could share in the spectacle...but I don't want to miss any of the days as he grows up either. Ahhh the need for patience.

This is going to be short as I am hitting the end of the HF window. And, oddly enough, there is no repeater for Hawaii. We are sending all emails back through Petaluma to San Diego. Some go through Washington (the state) and I hit Chirichi once...wherever that is.

We should be in sight of land in a couple of days. We just made a turn that shoots us past the south tip of Oahu if the wind holds without having to tack anymore. That is what has slowed us down a bit the past few days. But, I will say it is worth the bliss of sailing vice motoring with the diesel.

Posit: 23 19.523N 15 02.657W

Day 13 - (Part 1 of 2) My Husband the Medic

I have become a fan of second degree burns. They hurt less than first degree, at least after the initial pain. The coffee press resides in one particular part of the kitchen while percolating...very close to the gyroscopic center of the boat and very stable. The only problem is that if you hit said pot when flailing during a wave, it falls on the floor and floods your feet. I got the right one out of the way in time. My left foot felt like I had stuck it in a furnace. While the rest of the crew was kind enough to clean up the mess, with Poseidon well out of harm's reach, I hung my foot off the windward rail into the ocean for about 20 minutes. It was in and out of the waves so felt really nice...came back in, put some comfrey extract on it then lathered it with lidocane laced aloe vera. Ahhhh...

For the first two hours, my husband the medic kept repeating the treatment (minus the sea water) every 15 minutes or so as I felt like my foot was stuck in a fireplace and I could not get it out. The aloe was a lifesaver. After two hours I was able to nap a bit, and the pain was gone. It has not come back, but I have two blisters and the beginnings of what may be a third. Oh well. My husband gets the full credit for the pain relief and hopeful quick mending of this one!

So, please don't fret, worry etc. I am fine, Poseidon had already been banned from the kitchen in case...thank goodness. I am very, very grateful I made that decision early on. I was lucky that the foot started feeling better because my work for the day was just beginning...

Day 14 - A Calm Morning

Poseidon and I spent the entire morning together. We picked out specific colored lego blocks, we read, we watched Daddy change out the external fuel pump...

The fuel pump is in a space that opens up from the cockpit and you climb down into. Poseidon watched intently from the top, trying to help in every way possible. He has recently learned to climb taller things (He was able to hold onto the top of our table and scamper up the leaf the other day...at sea...), so wanted to climb up on the lazarette, hurtle himself down into Daddy's lap, and help up. Once I had thwarted that plan, it was onto "Plan B." Plan B seemed to involve pulling as many wrenches out of the wrap as possible. If it was 5/8" or bigger, then it would be held over Daddy's head in the hole. I am not sure if he was mimicking my brother-in-law the tool holder (N.C. for short) or trying to fight his way in. Either way, we took them away from him as quickly as possible.

He then moved on to raisin munching with his aunt and me. We laugh because he makes grapes...his system doesn't necessarily process everything...

I had a little napper on my chest outside for about 45 minutes as well. If you have children, you know this feeling of bliss. He was curled up drooling in my arms while I watched my husband work. Not a bad way to spend the morning.

The afternoon was back to sail repairs. Yes, they tore that much that I am still working on it. I should be done today. We'll take pictures of my Frankenstein stitches so you can see the effort and post them on Picasa. We also have pictures of the burned foot we'll put up as well. The blister this morning is amazingly huge on the top. One of the little ones on the toe popped yesterday then resealed. The one between my toes is expanding.

And, lastly, yesterday's post is going out with this one. Sorry for the delay, but we missed the window for the HF transmission. It's similar to a shuttle launch, atmospheric propagation comes and goes in a wave form. There is you lesson for the day. You have now learned something and can go relax until tomorrow. (If you're still trying to figure out what yesterday's was...try translating 0100 UTC to local time at your location.) :)

Posit: 22 37.291N 48 52.834W

Day 13 - (Part 2 of 2) Classifieds: Free to Good Home

Free to good home. Yamaha 25hp outboard motor. Well used, siezed up. Must pick up yourself. Location: 23 12.62N 145 16.85W. Left at 0100UTC on 13 June. No guarantees. Would recommend bringing deep dive gear to claim.

When I thought my burned foot had finally gained us a day of rest, as announced by the Captain...my wonderful husband...it was just the beginning. I was relaxing in the rack with the rest of the family. Poseidon pulling DVDs off of the shelf in the bed like we were at home, and waving them in my face wanting to watch them. Since we don't have the generator right now, the TV is secured. I have to take it off of the wall to reconnect the video cable anyway since it cut out the other day. My husband was curled up half dozing. In pops our sister-in-law's head asking for a slotted screwdriver. We both sat up immediately and asked why. If something on the boat required a screwdriver...

I remained bed bound watching Poseidon happily crawl around "mommy mountain" and chew on his toothbrush, the DVD case, and anything else in reach. I overheard "davit" and realized I was going to be working soon. A few minutes later, I was handing Poseidon up to his aunt while I strapped on my harness. The port side davit arm had broken a couple bolts and was hanging on by a prayer. We secured it a little, or at least felt better, with a line run through it to a winch. I was standing on the transom, leaning over it unscrewing the outboard bolts off the RHIB. How did we end up here you ask? Well, the best guess is that with the heavy swells, the engine was really working the davit...and we had not had a chance to reseat the machine screws before leaving. Back to the story...

I try to lift the outboard, and no luck. I am leaning out trying to do this one handed, off the back of a boat, in a 10-12 foot swell. Then I realize it is not just my lack of a good angle. (Here is where I quote Snatch..."It was at a funny angle." "What do you mean 'funny angle,' it was right behind you.") The were two additional 1/2" through bolts below the usual hand screw mounts. Two wrenches (one lost at sea), a screwdriver and hammer later, the bolts were out. Then I try to unscrew the hand screws and lift again. For those unfamiliar, outboards are heavy. They require two hand for big guys when pierside. I was not going to budge this thing. We then rigged the mizzen halyard to a sail tie. I took a single wrap with the sail tie around the handle and put a half-hitch in it. As tension came on, I unscrewed the hand mounts and on the lift I push the engine out and pull the loop on the hitch. One Yamaha overbaord, sail tie intact! Why waste a good engine? Well, we thought of craning it over to a spot amid ships aptly named the "garage" for all the random stuff piled there. However, if you read the ad above, you will notice that it was seized anyway. The only reason it came with us is because I was debating on trying to rebuild it completely when we hit Hawaii. Now, maybe I can get that new RHIB...

On watch the winds died out,and the engine starting having issues. So, guessing the post tomorrow will be about overcoming that and hopefully my final day of mending the main sail...Oh, and my husband and his brother replaced the screws in the davit while I cooked dinner. Bravely entering the kitchen once again.

Until then, Poseidon is happily crawling around on the floor with better balance than most of you on a good day on dry land. :)

Posit: 22 50.500N 146 53.308W

Day 12 - Chinese Ant Torture

This is the lesser known cousin to Chinese water torture. It begins when Poseidon's aunt and cousin start singing "The ants go marching..." to Poseidon. It still hasn't ended. They are marching in 2s, 4s, 5s, and every other number through my head. I was stitching the sail and became so tired of them that some not so nice things were happening to the little ant in the rhymes I was creating in my head. If you have absolutely no clue what I am talking about, just Google the kids song. But, don't say I didn't warn you.

Poseidon loves this song now. He will put his arms in the air at "Hoorah!" and try to clap. While him giggling is cute, I may lose my sanity. Those who know me may not think I have much left to lose. This experience has taught me that there is still a little left. I made the ultimate mistake of having my niece and sister-in-law teach the song. I know, you are now saying, "What were you thinking?!" Well, at the time I was thinking that when aunt and cousin left, Poseidon was going to magically learn the word "ant" and request the "ant" from me. Not knowing it myself, I would have been on the phone to Virginia begging my sister-in-law to sing it over the phone so I could learn it and stop the crying of a little man. That is what motivated me. Now, I wonder if he had just cried a couple of times, would he have forgotten it?

The water is great, the skies are clear and the air is not quite oppressively hot.

I love this trip.

Next time, burns and how not to get them :)

Posit: 23 19.04N 145.06.887W

Day 11 - Generator Gods hate hubris

After running fine for hours yesterday, it won't start today. I don't know what kind of gremlins are living in this thing, but it it not on my list of favorite engines ever created. Silly German engineering...who would name an engine company after a panda bear anyway...

Alright, rant aside, we do have the engine and enough diesel to keep running from this point. So, we should stay in contact (barring any HF radio issues).

Overall a fairly uneventful day, save the generator not starting right as I sat down to write this. We will see what else we can do with troubleshooting, but options are getting slim. We have basically re-built the entire salt-water cooling system and the exhaust system. The thing keeps getting overheated exhaust temperature. I am down to guessing either the thermocouple needs replaced (is just reading wrong) or there is a bigger problem with the oil flow through the heat exchanger causing the entire unit to run hot. Not so fond of the second answer though. The oil temp at the heat exchange inlet is fine (at least it is cool enough to not cause a shut down). Oil is fine in color, so after the last manifold bleed, think we are good there.

Okay. Engineering vent done. :) Thanks for listening.

Poseidon has been spending a lot of time with Daddy; which they both enjoy. However, both Poseidon and I have been missing each other on a 50' boat. I guess I am more attached to spending time with the little man than I realize or admit at times. It feels so nice to be working on something, but I keep thinking of him at the same time. I love being the mom. So, I will sign off now and go back to caring for him for a few more hours before I cook dinner.

Posit:

Day 10 - The Blue Ninja

The generator problems lasted all day as the swells built. The winds are now a constant 20-25 knots and we are running in 8-10 foot swells. I love this boat...

Poseidon is back (finally) to his standard nap schedule. So, we lock him in his berth with a lee cloth and let him sleep while we get stuff done. The boat is staying much cleaner and there are fewer flying objects that have not been secured. He is being an absolute angel. He ate half of my raspberries this morning and almost as much of my yogurt. He is trying to walk around everywhere. And, since daddy was watching him while I worked on the generator (just wait), I made sure he had his full allotment of prunes! Poseidon has also become a fan of the sparkling apple juice in the small glass bottles that I brought onboard as a treat. He is currently taking the floor apart as I write this. Remember those foam letters I said I put down? Well, they are now puzzle pieces to him. You never know what you are going to get walking through the companionway and main cabin. Oh, and daddy...look at this plastic bag of "O"-rings I found... :)

I saw 9.03 knots today. It was a split second, but I saw it. We are still running under a double-reefed main and half-jib during the day (jib in at night). It's gotten rough, but nights are worst. The day winds are getting just as strong, but the direction is actually helping to keep us slowed down a bit from the front in the running seas. At night it shifts aft, and creates those beam waves that I have come to accept ironically as a partial shower when they crash over the side every so often. Auto-pilot is not as amused.

As far as repairs go, I am batting a .999. I won't give myself a perfect 10 as the main is still unfinished...the husband says we'll work on it when we are becalmed. I tell him that will be Hawaii. I refuse to go into port without it done. I may try finishing the first two in lighter winds while it is still up. There's a good preventer on it. I stitched up a tear in the dodger that is holding. I reseated/tightened the auto-pilot, and we haven't had to top off the reservoir again (from a past post). And, the beginning of the blue ninja...I guess it was just ninja yesterday...I climbed up the wind generator pole. Think one pole that is vertical with two small supports making a tripod of sorts. I used my toes to hold on and leaned my knees in. Yes, we have pictures. Why, you ask? Fishing line. I was not going to go into port trailing fishing line that had popped out of the water and wrapped itself around the shaft, securing it. After much pain, lots of cutting and unraveling, it was in so close to the shaft, and my toes hurt, I decided to see if it would work itself out or go back up this morning. Well, 25 knots last night freed it. Which was lucky as the generator remained a casualty. The wind generator kept the batteries high enough for all of our navigation, lighting, etc. through the morning. Then, today was my day with the diesel generator.

In my trusty blue ninja suit (aka wool long johns that are over my silkies) I stealthily leaped into the lazarette. The generator didn't know what had hit it. The case was off and the punctured water hose was taped with the "stretch it and it seals itself" tape (I am sure it has a real name.) before the generator could come to terms with the fact that it was being started for a 5 minute test run. 5 minute run complete, and the blue ninja rejoiced...basking in my happily purring generator. That is until the oil pressure light started flickering, it dropped the load and we had to shut it down...

Everything back out of the lazarette again. Case off, and restart. I literally climbed down with a fire extinguisher there was so much smoke. Turns out as we started to crank it, the exhaust manifold bolt almost flew all the way out. Somehow, it had eaten a relatively new gasket for breakfast. Apparently my penance for waking it before 10am. Bolts out, new gasket with some RTV installed, and some extra loctite. She is purring away happily over my shoulder now. Though we have left the lazarette clear until the batteries are charged just in case. (The crew's request.) The generator and I have come to terms of agreement...no more work before 10am. I think we were meant for each other.

Posit: 24 15.473N 140 04.99W (1370nm down!)

Day 9 - Halfway and HAM Radio

In the dark of the early morning hours, fog creeping over the boat, the halfway mark overtook us. The half-asleep watch-standers realized this the next morning as the rest of the crew roused. There was a cheer and then the day went on. So, for any emergency from here on out...Hawaii is the closest port. YAY! And, to celebrate, the hubby made the most amazing chicken fajitas for Mexican Monday! If you wonder why so much of this blog is about food and repairs, that is what most of the day has been spent doing. As for the rest of the halfway day, the generator went hard down, and repairs are ongoing. So, I am going to devote the rest of this blog to the HAM and HF radio stuff on my mind.

Thank you. To all of the people out there who have taken the time to become amateur radio operators. If you know any of these people, please thank them too for us. If it weren't for them, you would not have heard a word from us on this voyage. For those who are completely unfamiliar with the technology, we are sending emails to the blogs via a single side band data connection on an HF (high frequency) radio. As the radio spectrum goes, HF is lower frequency, but has a longer range because of this. We have to check atmospherics and propagation, etc. Within two months of studying, we were able to get to the test and my husband passed the first try. (I had to go out of town, so did not get to take mine yet.) It is an amazing method of communication, and, as long as you follow some simple rules, you can talk to anyone anywhere in the world for free!

Anyhow, I am going to stop here as we are keeping the HF off until the generator is fixed. This may not make it out for a day.

Posit: Halfway to Hawaii!!

Day 8 - Relax!

Leftover lunch crepes were followed by chicken cordon bleu. mmmm...not much else to the day. We spent most of it sitting around outside in the sun and cleaning up the inside of the boat. It is amazing how junk can accumulate. I have laundry sorted, and once we get the generator up and running for the day, we are going to run a batch through the washer. Clean clothing again! To minimize the generator time and still stay fairly decent, we are on a shower rotation. Tomorrow is mine, and then three days from then.

Poseidon had a great time yesterday "helping" clean. I was moving items forward primarily, and he would randomly move some of them back. At least the overall progress was in the correct direction. He took a nice long nap locked into the crew bunk (his usual bed that has been usurped by his cousin for the trip) so the adults hung out in the cockpit and rested. As much work as the days have seemed, this was a welcome break. Afterwards we all were inside for the start of a Phase 10 card game. There are currently two people on phase 5 two on phase 4 and one on phase 2. Poseidon was happily rolling an empty water bottle around and gnawing on legos while we dueled it out until dinnertime.

Watch last night was choppy. We were running under the double reefed main and half-jib...not sure if I mentioned that we brought down the mizzen Saturday when we started running. It tends to destabilize in that situation. We had ~8 foot following swells with a wind-generated beam wave on a periodicity of about 5 minutes. Most of these were breaking about 20-30 feet before they hit us, but every so often one would break close and we would get quite a ride. Not the ideal seas, but we made it through unscathed...windward lookouts were a little damp by morning. It looks like we will continue running most of the way over. We should hit half-way before my next post. So, I will let you know how the celebration goes! Oh, and we set clocks back this morning one hour for the first time. Probably a little late, but daylight was getting off with the sun not setting until 2200 and rising around 0700.

Posit: 24 24.042N 34.12.489W

Day 7 - Overboard, the Perfect Loaf and the Cockpit Gnome

Before anyone gets worried, it was just a hat. But, it was Poseidon's hat. And, it was my favorite. We used the opportunity to conduct a man overboard drill (though a little delayed). No hat recovered, but we did a better job the second time trying to practice on a garbage bag. We are now confident that should someone go overboard, there is a strong chance we will be able to pick them back up. Poseidon is still out a hat, but at least he has a few more! He is crawling around the cockpit right now, with the cockpit garden gnome reading out loud (just hold on a paragraph) to everyone while I hide out inside to type. I am missing the nice warm air again...hopefully it is still there when I get back. Gorgeous day, 8 foot swell with chop. The generator won't even stay on due to the salt water feed coming out of the water at random intervals.

As for cooking, it is Sunday. For those who know us...that means brunch of crepes and Champagne. Every Sunday. Everyone in town is welcome. Just call. :) That is the way it always is here. Amazingly the only additional guest (plus the crew) was a swallow. It looked like one at least, but how it made it all the way out here tells me my aviary identification prowess is lacking. Anyhow, thank you to Jess O for the great Champagne. Since we didn't drink it at the Hopping the Pond party, we drank it today. Our second Sunday underway, we'll pass 1K miles...thought that will be tomorrow's post. If you haven't figured out I am running posts about 1000-1000 for the 24 hour periods. Just the easiest for me. As for the perfect loaf: I make a loaf of bread every other day out here for sandwiches. This is the first perfect one. I almost don't want to eat it. Can we bronze it and put it in a bakery museum? We took a picture for posterity as it may never happen again. It will disappear at lunch tomorrow. I think lunch today is left-over crepes...brunch extended. That tends to occur on Sunday.

You know the garden gnome from Travelocity ads? Well, one crew member spent a week sleeping in the cockpit due to some aversion to rolling waves and enclosed spaces. Who knew. Anyhow, with the sweet, mature nature typical of sailors we nicknamed her. Everything from the bag lady...covered in blankets and looking so sad at first that your heart went out to her...to the cockpit version of the garden gnome. They just sit there. She took it all in stride and is now up and happy. :D Though, in another fine sailing tradition, she will never hear the end of it. We may let off occasionally, but, at the most inopportune times, it will be remembered. I can't pick on her too much though. She is the one washing dishes for which I am eternally grateful.

For those of you who aren't here and are saying "Bah...I should have gone. I could have done better.", I give you the following to try. If you can do it without getting sick, maybe we will invite you along as crew in the future.

Items required:
Bathtub full of ice cold salt water.
Silk longjohns.
Foul weather gear. (not just your camping jacket...but ones that cover your face and get oppressive in the heat)
A kitchen sink on one end of a teeter-totter; A two-year old strapped to the other.
A mechanical bull.
Two pieces of wooden sheeting stapled to the sides of the teeter-totter creating a small corridor.
Six people worth of dirty dishes.
A diesel engine with a generator and a small hydraulic system with the intended purpose of stabilizing the teeter-totter. (make sure the servo is just one size too small to complete the job.)

Once you have attached the servo to the teeter-totter, add the sink and kids to opposite ends draw a 3 foot circle around each in chalk. Place the engine and generator where you can only reach them by stepping off the teeter-totter to the mechanical bull and sitting there. Ensure that enough of each are in the bathtub to give you a constant dousing. Make sure there is a pressure switch on the bull so that as soon as you put any weight on it, it turns on. Place the dishes by the two-year old where he can scatter them randomly. The goal is to do the dishes while repairing the engine (requiring you to read the manual) and making sure no dishes go overboard (outside the circle on either end). Stay here for 48 hours while attempting to cook meals, eat, sleep and randomly fix anything that breaks...something will.

Once complete with this exercise, post a comment and let me know how it went. I won't be able to read them until we are in Hawaii, but this could be entertaining. Oh, and I forgot. When it feels cold put on the foul weather gear and turn on a heater. Once you feel hot, take off the foul weather get and immediately turn on the A/C as high as you can.

Until then...