January 2014 Sailing update

Everyone is most likely wondering what has happened to this blog.  It is now January 25, 2014 and there is snow on the ground and we are in a polar freeze. Not a time to think about sailing. Unless I look to the rear of the house to see Lil Provo waiting to be set up for the coming season. The problem is, it may not happen. During the sailing season last year I had an accident on my Harley and broke a number of bones. I need surgery, but due to my condition the could not do any surgery for twelve weeks following the accident. When finally having surgery, I was told it did not go as good as expected. Stainless steel plate, pins, and screws could not hold me together. I have been battling intense pain for months and really have not though too much about this blog.  However, after looking out back and seeing Lil Provo sitting and waiting for the season, it has given me hope my bones will mend soon.

I just watched the movie ALL IS LOST.  I do enjoy any movie that has sailboats in it.  However, while watch this movie, I just keep saying "what the hell are you doing?".

I found ALL IS LOST was a far from the normal reactions of a sailor. After the accident there were no signs of urgency Robert Redford's part. Though he did many things correct, he did many things wrong. Being the hole was just above water line, he could have stopped water from coming in with a simple patch of pillows, anything playable, a cabinet door and a mop handle to keep these things under pressure. There was also an emergency location Becan on the back of the boat. That red thing with the short antenna. Why did he not take and attach to the raft, or better yet on a blue water vessel, the life boat usually contains one.  Also, where was his handheld VHF? Seems to be lacking equipment to be a blue water vessel. The lack of urgency was the same throughout the movie.  I did enjoy it just because it was about sailing as many will. Just realize this is not a movie directed by a sailor.

We visited the bay last weekend and saw lots of ice floating out there.  No fishermen, boaters, or sightseers around. Hoping to start posts on a regular basis and hoping my health holds out to allow me to do so.

First Sailing of the Season

6/16/2013
We got up early and loaded the dinghy onto the top of the truck.  I had already loaded everything else we needed and was just waiting for a hand in getting the dinghy on top.  We got her sitting there and used the tie downs to lock her into position for the drive to the bay.  We arrived in Keyport about a half hour later and proceeded to remove the dinghy from the top of the truck.  Lil Provo was sitting in her annual spot and sitting high in the water.  I could tell this as the water line was about 6" above the water. This is due to a couple things.  First off there really isn't much inside yet.  That will change over the next few weeks.  Today we brought fishing poles and tackle, the cooler, and our bag with GPS and VHF, plus some tools.  That is just the beginning of things to get on board.  I will have a couple cases of water, changes of clothing, rain gear, wetsuit, etc... The list goes on. At the end of the first few seasons I said I don't need all of this stuff on board, but by the end of every season it is all back on board.  That tells me I need it on board.

I went and installed a new line on the rolling furling, changed the position on the boom halyard to not keep wearing the same spot, and checked the rigging.  The rigging is in real need to be tuned.  Last year was the first year I did the tuning myself and it was better than any year in the past.  I guess because I put more time into it and made sure it was to the specs.  I will tune the rigging when down by myself working on the boat.

Our mooring ball is setup with a chain and a pendant and our float has a five foot fiberglass whip with reflectors on the top.  This will help making it easier to identify as we pull into the mooring field.  I believe I have the best position in the mooring field as I am straight out from the ramp and the first boat in the mooring field. 

I started up the motor and had Blue drop the mooring, we were off in a flash.  It was like we never had a winter and we were just continuing where we left off last season. We even tried some fishing and caught one fluke.  It was after twelve and I needed to get home for my Father's Day dinner.  We got back to the mooring and secured everything, jumped into the dinghy and motored to the ramp.  The wheels worked great and there was spot at the top of the ramp where we parked her. 

It was a pleasant day and we are looking forward to next weekend.

Finishing the Dinghy

Today we have to finish up the dinghy.

Blue and I turned her over and I cut a hole in the face of the bench seat large enough to get my arm I side with a wrench.  I figured out where I wanted the wheels to be ans marked the transom. The bolts you get with the wheel kit are not long enough to make an easy installation.  I used a drill the next size smaller than what the bolt would require and screwed the bolts into the transom. After screwing a bolt into each hole I removed the bolts and pumped silicon into the holes.  With the kit they give you o-rings and washers to help seal out any water. Being I had no room for washers or o-rings, placed a glob of silicone on each hole. I placed the wheels on and screwed in the bolts which tighter right up.  I then went inside and put the self locking nuts on each bolt.  I was really surprised how much silicone came through each hole.  After all the nuts were tighter I ran a bead of silicone around each wheel plate to give some added protection from leaking.

Later on after the silicon had dried, I put a coat of paint on the transom.  And other fiberglass work I had done.  The dinghy is now ready and rolls along perfectly. Just the way I planned.

We will bring the dinghy down next week in hopes there is some room.  Today the place was still a zoo with absolutely no place to store the dinghy. Maybe with high tide during the mid-day time this week they will get more boats in the water and giving us some room for the dinghy.

Bringing Lil Provo to her summer home

6/1/2013

As i sit in front of the gym waiting for them to open this morning, I am starting today's blog. It will be a busy day and this is the best way to do a brain drain prior to actually starting things. 

Today is the day where Lil Provo heads down to her summer home sitting on the water in Keyport Harbor.  She is all clean in and out, has the basic required gear on board, and is packaged up and ready for the trip east.  I have to pick up my salty dog buddy Blue and bring him back to verify the tail lights are working and just in case there are any issues on the trip, it will be nice to have someone who can help or share the pain.

Need to verify we have the right ball on the hitch as we tow a few different trailers.  Check the lights and make sure they are working properly. Run over the tie downs and load straps making sure they are secured and tight. Throw a couple extra ropes on the mast just to make sure it doesn't go anyplace. Make sure we have gas and oil in the back of the truck, a case of bottled water, and tools. 

In looking at the boat the other day I noticed the boat was not all the way forward to the stop by the winch.  Nothing I can do about this at this point, she must have slide back an inch or so on the trip home. We'll just make sure we have her secured pretty good.

It may be a challenge to find a home for her at the boat yard as it was still packed with boats last week with very little available room.  If there are people working on their boats, the little space available will be used for parked cars. We have to get there early to beat this possibility. Then take off the tie downs, remove the ropes, get the boom out of the cabin, and make sure they have everything they need out and ready to raise the mast with the hoist on top of the building.  Then she can be placed on her mooring which is about 100 yards off the KYC dock. 

Over the next couple weeks as I come down to take her out, I will bring more of the summer supplies down.  Things like the fishing tackle, snorkel or dive gear, portable radio, DVD player, cooler,  change of clothes, and whatever else I remember.

It is now time to pick up  Blue and start this mornings adventure.  First thing is to hook up the trailer to the truck and inspect everything TWICE.  I back up to the hitch and make sure we have the right size ball and plug in the wiring.  No tail lights!  Time to now see where the problem is. I pull out the back up wire from the back of the truck and change to a new trailer wire hookup. Ahhhh, some lights are working. Time to check bulbs.  Another 5 minutes and all seems fine with the lights.  Time to jump in and take our time towing the boat to the bay.  No rush!

The ride is uneventful. Thank goodness.  We pull in and look for a place to park the boat.  Blue gets out and helps with directions as I try backing her in and getting her in a safe spot.  Sometimes leaving her in the way makes them put you in right away. Hmmmm, should we?  I back her in and then take a walk to the office to confirm she is fine where she is and John tells me that is fine.

I have Blue grab a nearby ladder and I climb on board to remove all the lines I have holding the mast in place. Blue removes the tie downs and load straps. I go into the cabin and bring out stage boom which I leave in the cockpit along with a baggy of Clevis pins and round cotter pins I case they need an extra.  Next we get the rudder attached to the back and are pretty much done at this point.  We undo the hitch and I move the truck up a little to we can load the truck with items taken off the boat. I then walk around the boat and take my annual pictures of boat as dropped off.  This is a good practice to get into! 

Instead of lea ing we take a walk down to the ramp and notice there are now about 20 boats in the mooring field and KYC dock is finished and the launch is an horde right off the dock.  This means the mooring field will begin to fill over the next week or so. I take a few pictures out into the harbor and we return to the truck and boat.  Blue puts a cinder block under the front of the trailer so we don't have to reply on the crackdown wheel.  I go the fridge in the back of the truck and pull out a couple nice cold waters for Blue and I.  We head on back and detour along the Keyport water front which is very active.  We notice that Pedersen's has put in a bunch of new docks on the old pilings and still adding more.

Another successful beginning to another season.  We head home.

Next project is to finish the dinghy.  She's pretty much ready, but I want to replace the wheels on the transom with new wheels and relocate them so we don't have to turn her upside down like we have for years.  The idea is to set the wheels up so we can just pull her up the ramp with everything still inside.  Previously, we would unload her and turn her over and pull her up the ramp.  I began to think how inconsiderate this was for others waiting to use the ramp. So I plan to change that this year.  It will require some major work on the transom and rear bench seat, but it will be worth it.

First thing to due is turn her over and cut some holes in the front face of the bench seat so I can use bolts and not self tapping screws.  This will also allow me to back it with an aluminum plate to add strength. When done I can fill with foam.

This method will allow me to turn the boat upside down when I get her up to the spot I store her in the boat yard.

GETTING READY

Mother's Day weekend is here and Lil Provo is still sitting on the Hard.  The inside has been cleaned out and really just needs a cleaning which has been partially done, but getting in and out leaves dirty footprints on the cockpit and cabin sole.  So this will wait till she is on the water where I can clean her good without the worry of tracking in more dirt. She needs the bottom paint finished and then she will be ready to go to her summer home sitting on the water and bringing with her our million dollar view.

The fish are here and I need to become part of the fishing fleet. This is the prime season with bunker flowing into the bay and stripers, blues, and fluke feeding.  The cast net is ready and so am I.  Last year the bunker were so thick you could walk on the water.  I learned a lot about catching them last year and could catch them for bait.  However, they stink and make a mess in the boat.  The peanut bunker are great to keep in a live well and as long as you circulate the water they will last a long time.

Last year our movie camera could not take being around salt water any longer and bit the dust. I am hoping I can find a replacement at the flea market. It was great taking video on the water and the regular digital cameras just seem to give me the same results.  I have found the IPAD to me a valuable tool on the water, it just bothers me taking such an expensive piece of equipment on board and subjecting it to the salt water elements.

The weather is rainy this morning and maybe we will not be able to finish the bottom.  Sand paper doesn't work well when it gets wet.  If that is the case I will check out the wiring on the trailer and see about a new cover for the gas tank locker.  If it is raining it might be a good time to use comet on all the teak trim.  It brings the color back and gives it a new look.

The water line of the boat gets heavy brown stains every year and I have tried everything to get these stains off, but have not found that magic solution that you can spray on and rinse off taking the stains with it.  This year we tried ZEP and ended up with bleached shorts and shirt, but the stains remained.   I then used a scrubby with the ZEP and after letting it sit for a while it did remove some of it.  So far Comet bathroom spray has worked the best.  I was thinking about the Mr Clean Eraser pads they advertise.  Simple Green works when the boat is in the water and has been kept wet.  It is just such a hassle while on the water.  The ZEP works excellent on the inside removing any mildew and leaves a nice clean finish when wiped off.  This is where I can really recommend the product. It cleaned whatever I sprayed it on inside the cabin.

I need to bore a hole in the mast to run the anchor light wires and VHF wire through. Every year the wires seem to get pinched from running under the bottom of the mast.  You get sick of replacing wires every year so I am hoping this will be a fix that will last for years.  Plus if you turn on the anchor light and the wire has been pinched it pops the breaker letting you know of a problem.  if you are on a trip and need that light your may be out of luck in repairing it while on anchor.  what i've done before is to grab a LED flash light and haul it up on the halyard for the night.  It usually lasts the entire night.  Two 12 volt wires and a RG58 cable should not require too large of a hole.

A quick wax job on the hull and Lil Provo will be ready.

Recovery from Sandy

Many of those who sailed last year will not be sailing this season. There has been no posts on this blog in a few months. Some of this is related to the storm, some related to no sailing, no work on the boat, and busy with many other things.  I have been visiting the shores of Raritan Bay tracking the recovery of the storm.  Many, many boats will be in for repair, many  have been damaged beyond repair, and many will just throw in the towel.  There are areas still devastated from the storm with most marinas in the rebuild mode. Some areas have done little to rebuild and some have already rebuilt.

I decided to start a blog about Raritan Bay. Yes we will keep going with this blog about Lil Provo, which will begin shortly for the 2013 season.  She is getting moved to my driveway to begin this seasons preparation.  This should happen Monday or Tuesday of this week.  So if you would like to get filled in on the past few months, visit us at http://raritanbaysailing.blogspot.com .

This will give a good idea where my time has gone.  Enjoy and we will begin Lil Brovo blogs again this month.

Follow us for 2013.

Hurricane Sandy's Rampage

It is now weeks since the hurricane hit us, most the towns have power back nd are business as usual.  The DPW trucks are still out taking care of branches and such, the Police are back to normal patrols, the fire departments have all the trucks back in their building, most are back to work, but the residents near our shore waters are still dealing with many problems and some without a home.  Then there are those that had their love of the water damaged, wrecked, or gone.  It is ll a terrible loss and I believe this has caused many to join together in order to deal with this disaster.  My heart goes out to those that lost their home, belongings, or just damage from the storm.  Excuse me, was it Super Storm, Mega Storm, hurricane, tropical storm, but the consistent fact with all the names was SANDY.  She hammered us like no other storm with damages exceeding billions of dollars.  It is the storm we will all remember.

What happens going forward?  Will they stop the rebuilding of those homes along the coast? How many years will it take for us to rebuild? Though we will never be the same due to the loss of many landmarks along the coast, it did teach us a very valuable lesson about respecting Mother Nature when building.  In Mantolokin they used a steel bulkhead after the storm to stop the ocean from passing through to the bay. How many other places had to go to these extremes?  Now we have a huge challenge coming next spring.  It is the challenge of sunken vessels that have not been found.  Most wouldn't think too much about this, but those of us who have a keel hanging below our boats must think about this.  Raritan Bay is a shallow body of water with a few channels for larger vessel traffic.  In speaking with many officials over the past few weeks, most advised the changes that took place in the depths of water along our coast.  They have changed!  Going forward we will all need to tread lightly until we feel out our sailing grounds.