A Call To Arms: Crackheads Stole Matt’s Clothes, GPS & Accordion Case

12 Jun

A Call To Arms: Crackheads Stole Matt’s Clothes, GPS & Accordion Case.

 

I’m interrupting my normally scheduled broadcasts to reblog on behalf of Dirty Bourbon River Show.  The link above explains what happened…I caught these guys a few weeks ago @ Taphouse in Hampton during Blackbeard Festival, and they are amazing.  My jaw dropped when I read that the brand new accordion they had just purchased was stolen, but luckily, it was recovered.  Sadly, they’re still out about $1000, and could use some love, if you can spare it.  Check out their tunes as well on the website @ http://www.dirtybourbonrivershow.com

 

- CC

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You’ve Got 20 Minutes to Change Your Life. Go.

10 Jun

You’ve Got 20 Minutes to Change Your Life. Go..

So…this came across my desk a few months ago, about the time I was getting ready for my trip across the Caribbean,  and I sat down to “change my life in 20 minutes.”  Like a great many other things in my life though, this never came to fruition.  I never made it past step 3.  At least not until now.  I am reviewing my list, putting it up here for public scrutiny and comment; a window in to the mind of Monsieur Clownshoes.  Without further ado, 100 things:

1.Bentley

2. Rolls Royce

3. Gulf Stream

4. Aston Martin

5. Ferrari

6. A Castle

7. BASE jump

8. Circumnavigate

9. See both poles  (North and South, you perverts)

10. Go to Space

11. Write and Produce a Song

12. [a repeat]

13. Harley

14. Vintage Triumph

15. Beach House

16. Dockside Bungalow

17. Hunt in a Foreign Country

18. Find the End of the World

19. Find Myself

20. Fly a Helicopter

21. [repeat]

22. Get Banned from a Foreign Country

23. Take Over a Country

24. Write a Book

25. Act

26. Drive a Tank

27. Learn Drums

28. Learn Guitar

29. Learn Piano

30. Become a Sharpshooter

31. Master Photography

32. Save a Life

33. Spare a Life

34. Save a Village

35. Destroy a Tyrant

36. [Repeat]

37. Take a Shot with a Celebrity

38. Make a Living from Blogging

39. Be a Celebrity

40. Graduate College

41. Design a Self Sustaining Grid

42. Invent Something

43. Blow up a lab in the process

44. Get Quoted

45. Visit a Country

46. All of them.

47. Sink a Pirate Ship

48. Find a Treasure

49. Find Atlantis

50. See the Northern Lights

51. Teach Someone Something

52. Burn Down a Building

53. Create Art

54. Hit the Front Page of YouTube

55. Race Jay Leno

56. Get my A License (Skydiving rating, for those not in the know)

57. Finish my Pilot’s License (that I started 15 years ago)

58. Get my Captain’s License

59. Become a SCUBA instructor

60. Go tech. (Technical Diving)

61. Kick Asthma

62. Quit Smoking (I’m not a regular smoker at all, but I’d like to quit altogether.)

63. Hotwire a Car

64. Break the Sound Barrier

65. Hold an Office

66. Destroy a Government

67. Own a Supercomputer

68. …A Mega Yacht

69. …A Vacation Home

70. Sleep on top of a Mountain

71. Work as a Taxi Driver in a Foreign Country

72. Smuggle Something

73. Hack a Computer

74. Snowboard Like a Boss

75. Be Debt Free

76. Solve the Energy Crisis

77. Name a Boat

78. Name a Child

79. Conquer a Fear

80. Shape Up

81. Meditate like Buddha

82. Brew Awesome Beer

83. Fight for a Cause

84. Rebuild a Reef

85. Climb a Mountain

86. Take a Cruise

87. Bike Across a Country

88. Hike the Appalachian Trail

89. Drink the Water in Mexico

90. Don’t Drink the Water in the U.S.

91. Run the Baja 1000

92. Use a Molitov Cocktail

93. Incite a Riot

94. Become a HAM operator

95. Drive the Autobahn

96. Run @ Bonneville

97. Rig a Ship

98. Sail a Square-Rigger Across an Ocean

99. Respond and aid a natural disaster

100. Build a motorcycle

and a bonus…

101. Fart in Public.  Blame an old lady.

My own thoughts will follow in the next post, but I’m leaving it at this for the time being so that opinions can be formed without my coercion.

- CC

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A/C rewire con’t

7 Jun

The leg bone’s connected to the hip bone, and the equipment leakage circuit interrupter is connected to the main A/C distribution panel.  To that end, I’ve just ordered an ELCI distribution panel, specifically the Blue Sea Systems 8101 pictured below.

8101

Essentially, the ELCI measures differentiations  in current levels between the circuit paths going in and out of the boat.  If there is a short in the system equivalent to greater than 30ma, the ELCI will shut down the circuit.  While GFCI outlets protect individual branch circuits at a level of 5ma, the ELCI protects non-GFCI branches such as refrigeration or air conditioning.  This becomes important because a ground on one of these paths could potentially energize parts of the boat at up to 30 amps.  At least, that’s how I understand it.  Anyway, panel is on the way…should be here next Tuesday.  In the meantime, the Smartplug boat connector and the galvanic isolator have both arrived, and I’m waiting on the panel in order to place the wire order.  Coupled with the Smartplug dual configuration cable, this will subsequently complete the rewire from shore power all the way to the panel.  This means refrigeration will follow shortly, and the A/C circuitry will be complete.  Until then, I’m waiting out the mighty Andrea and all the rain she has to offer.  We’re taking an ad out in Cruising World for the Alliance trip south…current plan is Puerto Rico for Xmas, USVI for New Years, then off to the San Blas Islands for a few months before we hit Portobelo, Isla Providencia, Guanaja and Corn Island.  This past weekend was the Blackbeard Pirate Festival in Hampton, and we were aboard Serenity.  This coming weekend is the Cape Charles Tallship Festival, where Alliance will meet with Sultana, Apostle and Virginia.  See you there!

- CC

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This is an expensive habit…

29 May

So I’m still plugging away on Alliance/Serenity, and spending what I can of my free time working on Nautilus.  The mast is down now…I went ahead and pulled it so that it wouldn’t continue to do any more damage.  Here’s a shot of the mast coming down via gin pole here at the marina.  Photo credit to Lauren.

Mast downrigging

The mast being downrigged via a gin pole.

While I’m still waiting to really get started on the wood projects, I picked up a Haier portable A/C unit in the meantime.  I went all spiffy…the unit is rated @ 12k BTU for a/c, and also does heat.  Furthermore, it has a discharge vent, so it doesn’t require a drain pan.  Now…there are a few problems with this solution.  Firstly, it was $500.  It would have been $400, but I procrastinated and missed the sale I didn’t even know was going on.  Second off, it’s a massive unit, and essentially cuts off all access to the V berth and the head.  I can live with that…I don’t need access to the V berth, and anything to prevent Lauren from getting to the head is always a plus.  She has no concept of black water tank capacity.  Or fresh water tank capacity.  Or electricity conservation.  OR paper towel conservation, for that matter!  Lastly though, going super over-sized was counterproductive.  I figured if 8k BTU could do the job, 12k would turn my boat into an ice box.  Not so the case, however.  Having an over-sized unit means it short cycles, and doesn’t actually run like it is supposed to.  In other words, it doesn’t really cool as well as it should.  Also, it requires a 15 amp feed, which never really turned me on either.  Back to Walmart it shall be going, and in its place shall be a small, more appropriately sized unit.  So much for keeping the black tank from overflowing.

My shore power system to date has consisted of a Marinco 30a to 15a GFCI protected pigtail.  The output is standard 110 three prong.  I’ve been running two extension cords through the hatch…one for computer/cell phone/misc charging, and the other, heavier gauge for the air conditioner.

30 amp GFCI_0Besides the hassle of this, I just don’t consider it a safe plan.  The cords are heavy duty, but not designed for marine use.  I’ve been pouring through guides and books in the meantime planning out the newest iteration of the a/c shore system.  The boat currently has a single 30a system, and while I briefly toyed with the idea of upsizing to 50a, I’ve decided to keep it as 30a.  I do not forsee my electrical requirements being greater than 30 amps, and I can always add a secondary 30 amp feed if my needs increase.  To that end, I’ve started buying up bits and pieces, which is where the title comes in.  A few bucks here, another hundred there…off we go.  Besides a few reference manuals to fill up my reading time, I pulled the trigger on a ProMariner Prosafe Failsafe galvanic isolator.

Promariner Prosafe FailSafe 30a

This sweet little piece isolates my boat ground from the marina via diode.  For those not in the know, diodes are the check valves of electrical wiring.  In other words, if a boat next to me in the marina has a bad ground, I in turn will NOT have a bad ground.  Without the isolator, my boat would be at risk because of someone else’s poor maintenance.  The Failsafe model from Promariner eliminates the ABYC requirement for a monitoring system, as it is backed up and self checking.

Literally starting from scratch, I’ve also decided to make the switch to Smartplug.  To that end, the Smartplug inlet is inbound from a supplier in Racine, Wisconsin.  The short list of benefits that the Smartplug offers is; increased terminal contact area, onboard thermal protection, positive orientation and increased weatherproofing, among others.  The next wave of ordering will be for the appropriate gauge A/C wiring, the shore power cable and the A/C distribution panel.  I’ll also be sorting out GFCIs, ELCIs, chargers and inverters.  Lots of fun…

As to my sailing schedule, I’ll be aboard the schooner Serenity this coming weekend for the Hampton Blackbeard Festival, and then June 14th – 16th, we’ll be aboard Alliance for the 2nd Annual Cape Charles Tallship Festival.  See you out on the big blue!

- CC

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Downrigging continued…

8 May

So, I’ve started working through things in lists.  It seems easier that way, and tackling a project at a time means that I’ll have a sense of accomplishment as I move along through all the systems to be dealt with.  Originally, I had intended to haul out immediately and soda blast the bottom for repair, barrier and paint.  With the mast issues, that makes no real sense, so I’ve been pulling her down up top.  The sails have all been downrigged and are in storage.  The boom is on deck.  I’m still working a scheduling the crane around my work schedule.  I had intended to give shears a try, but a few rough calculations determined that building shears tall enough would essentially be the same as hiring the crane to pull my stick.

With that project as far as I can personally take it, I’ve started looking at what I’ll need to make it through the summer living aboard.  With the Whitby, I was spoiled.  Twin a/c units onboard, as well as a reefer and freezer.  Nautilus touts none of these.  Already though, it’s become apparent that ice in the cooler isn’t going to cut it.  I need refrigeration, and intend to add it anyway, so it’s moved to the forefront of the list.  Engel makes a really sweet unit that’s [relatively] inexpensive and extremely reliable.  It’s simply a matter of measuring and ordering, as well as re-insulating my icebox until I can whip up some aerogel.  I’ll hopefully be ordering that in the next week, but it’s also become apparent that I’m going to have to upgrade my electrical system sooner rather than later.  To that end, I’ve been shopping distribution panels and trying to make sense.  Should I keep the panels (12vdc/120vac) separate?  Should I get a combined panel?  Do I like the current installation, under the companionway?  Would I be better suited redesigning the layout?  Should I redesign the whole boat?  I think I need to slow down a bit.  As it stands, I’m leaning towards simply replacing and rewiring the existing components.  While I very much enjoy Nautilus, I don’t know how long I’ll ultimately have her.  I also don’t want to gut her and end up with a floating “basket case.”

Lastly, and as much as I hate to admit it, air conditioning is a necessity.  I say this because I live with my dog.  While I’m off sailing tall ships during the day, he patiently waits at home, chewing up my blankets and rummaging through the trash.  It hits upwards of 100F here during the summer, and he simply won’t last without a/c.  Admittedly, it helps me sleep better too, after being outside all day pulling on halyards.  With that being said, I do not want integrated a/c.  I bought Nautilus because she is not complicated.  The last thing I want is a ton of onboard, unnecessary systems.  As far as I’m concerned, once I set sail, I’ll simply find a different latitude if I find myself too hot or cold.  Therefore, I’ll be either modifying a window unit (super trailer park, I know) to fit the boat, or going with a removable hatch mounted unit.

Enough for now, I’m back on Alliance tomorrow.  Come see me and let’s go for a sail.

- CC

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So…

22 Apr

You’re probably wondering where the heck I am.  I say it so many times, but once again, I’ve been lax in my blogging.  What should have been an easy task of finding wifi while cruising the ICW was not actually the reality.  Unless I was in a marina, WiFi was scarce, and even in the marinas it was not guaranteed.  So what’s going on?

Well, as mentioned in the last post, I’m back in Virginia.  We tied up last Thursday @ Riverwalk Landing in Yorktown.  I started back on Alliance on Monday, working back in the daysail circuit.  For those that don’t know, Alliance is the three masted schooner upon which I was employed last summer.

Schooner Alliance

So I’m back at Yorktown now…Nautilus is currently berthed at Crown Pointe Marina.  Crown Pointe is a little further of a drive than Yacht Haven was, but it’s a good bit cheaper with close to the same amenities, so I’m there for a month to check it out and see if I’ll stay.

So we had the mast issues coming across the Bahamas (I’m still working on seeing if I can get good pics posted) and that prevented a jaunt around Hatteras on the outside.  This basically meant the ICW route north, which meant a longer transit.  Running the ICW at night is difficult, and wind is rare.  The tides and currents frequently drop speeds below 4 knots.  Erik had work…he went ahead and came back via rental car.  Lauren flew home for work, and off I headed, north via the ICW.  From North Palm Beach to Savannah, I was solo.  Savannah saw my grandfather flying in from Norfolk…he was a captain on the west coast, and always wanted to do the ICW.  He flew in, and off we went.  I’ll post more pics and such but, in the mean time, here’s the list of things that broke during the transit.  The thing about boats is that they tend to fall apart when no one is around to love them.

Here it is:

Windvane – kicks off to the side and won’t stay in line.  It worked for a while, but no longer steers the boat

VHF – poor reception and transmission.  Appears to either be ground plane issues or antenna connector corrosion

Starter Switch – faulty corroded wiring causes issues

Fuel gauge – works intermittedly

Tach – not reading

Lighting – cuts out when hot

Nav lights – LED bulbs suck.  Need to revert to standard bulbs

Windlass – literally fell off.  Bowsprit appears soggy

Oil Extractor broken – need to replace in order to change oil

Water pump – leaking, needs rebuilt

Packing gland – leaking around shaft

Ports – leaking

That’s immediately what comes to mind in terms of the things broken in transit.  There are many other projects, of which I’ll compile a list.  In the meantime, come see me aboard Alliance!

- CC

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I am officially back in the great state of Virgini…

10 Apr

I am officially back in the great state of Virginia for the first time since mid January.

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