A Cold Winter in Maryland

As everyone knows, this winter was unusually cold for a Maryland winter.  The West River, in the Chesapeake Bay (where Abake is kept) froze.  We broke down and bought a bubbler to keep her from getting damaged.

We didn't get that much snow -- just a couple of snowfalls that worried us a little.  But, we would go check on her (and shovel a path on the pier to Abake, who is in the 2nd to the last slip) and she would be A-OK.

We thought we'd show you a couple of pictures of the marina this winter:

The ice creeping toward the dock

Ice at the dock

The bubbler is just a small motor with a "fan" blade that is lowered into the water near the hull.  The motor is turned on and the blade spins, circulating the water around the boat and keeping the ice from forming.  This is a picture of the effect:

Bubbler working

The river was frozen so much that for the first time in ages, we saw an ice boat sailing along across the frozen water.  People were even out standing on the ice on the river!  We didn't think it was THAT frozen, but thankfully no one fell through.


With Mike working during the winter, Jenny kept plugging away on cushions.  She feels that pictures would be boring here, so when the last cushions are done, a whole blog will be written about the cushions.  Suffice it to say that as of now (mid-May), 9 of the 16 cushions are done and foam for the 4 in the aft cabin are on the UPS truck as we speak.

So what else do we do in the winter?  Well, Mike shops on the web.  Our outboard motor wasn't big enough (6hp four-stroke) to get our dinghy planing, so he found a wonderful deal from a place in Delaware (which has no state sales tax) that gave us a discount for picking it up.  It's a Tohatsu 9.8hp four-stroke.  It should get us up on plane!

Since it was near Rehoboth Beach, we took advantage of an unusually warm and sunny day in February and went for a drive to the beach.  Also, Mike was able to taste his first Thrasher's French Fries!  They are an institution at the Maryland and Delaware beaches, so we indulged.

Forward Head Plumbing

We're catching up on our blogging about previous work, now that we're getting snowed in for a bit.  Last year we had purchased an Electro Scan waste treatment unit for the forward head.  It is categorized as a Type I marine sanitation device that treats waste and allows it to be flushed overboard in areas like the Chesapeake Bay.  There are some areas that do not allow any waste discharge, so yes, we still have holding tanks.  But when we are allowed, we flush overboard, thus not continuing to fill our waste tanks.  Hey, no complaints!  The big ships do it!!!

The head (toilet) that was already on board remained in place, but the output was re-routed to pass through the Electro Scan device.  This involved finding a place to put the unit that was not in the way in the forward head.  We decided to install it underneath the floor of the sail locker, which is just forward of the head.  (If you're confused, the "head" refers not only to the toilet, but the actual bathroom, too.)  The existing 33-year old tank was removed and the Electro Scan was installed.  A false floor had to be built for the Electro Scan unit.  And, while we were up in the sail locker, it got a new paint job. 

Electro Scan installed

False bottom shelf for Electro Scan

Sail locker painted

More plumbing was done in the forward head:  There was a shower pan (and a hand-held showerhead) already on Abake in the forward head.  Because we didn't want any showers draining into the bilge, Mike installed a pump and control for the shower sump.  Now, if we take a shower indoors, the water drains from the shower pan through a new hose to the pump, and is then pumped overboard via the sink thru hull. 

Readying for Winter In Maryland

As we mentioned earlier, we are in Maryland for the winter.  Because we had planned to be South, in warmer waters, we hadn't made plans to haul Abake.  Regardless, we decided to leave her in the water and haul her in the Spring or next summer for some bottom work.

To to prepare her for the winter, the usual anti-freeze was abundantly used (engines, heads, water tanks).  And because she had not been hauled in a while, Mike wanted to check the through hulls to ensure that nothing crusty had grown in them.  So, he took a plunge with a scuba tank in October. All looked good and she got her bottom scrubbed.  Well, at least one tank-full of her bottom was scrubbed.

Mike cleaning the sides In Oct.

She also had not been waxed for a while, so her entire topside was given a good cleaning and a coat of wax in November.  Luckily, there were some warm days.  It not only protects the fiberglass but also means that the snow will slide off of her easily this winter.  We also left the dodger in place and covered it and the cockpit with a tarp for the winter.  In the past, on Namida (our Westsail 32), we found this to be a challenge:  keeping a tarp in place while she was on the hard.  Maybe it's our location or the fact that we haven't had strong winds from the wrong direction, or maybe we just secured it properly this time, but the tarp is holding up well and remains in tact .  The way it is set up, it makes it easy to walk in the gunwales and crawl into the cockpit and down into the cabin.  We will have good access to her while she's in the slip this winter.  Doesn't she clean up nicely?

Waxed beauty

Waxing in November

Fast forward to our first snowfall accumulation and we are pleased that the tarp is holding up.  We are currently predicted to get more snow (up to 6") at the time this is posted (Jan 21), so the tarp engineering will be tested further.

First snowfall (in January)

So while it snows and gets cold, we work on other jobs inside.  For instance, we had purchased a MaxProp (a feathering, 3-blade propeller) for Abake about a year ago.  It was a good price, but needed to be refurbished.  So, we sent it to MaxProp for refurbishment.  You can see here that it looks close to brand new!  When Abake is hauled in the Spring/Summer, we will install the new prop and give it a try!

Refurbished prop

Teak Decks Are Done!

We'll bet you never thought it would happen, but yes, the teak decks have been completely refurbished now.  There are people who have told us that we're crazy (like many of our marina neighbors!), but we like the teak decks.  After we've been out cruising a while, we may feel differently.  But for now, we really like them and are proud of the refurbishment results.

The last few parts of the decking involved the scupper grates and the decking under the windlass.  You can see the boards that have been refurbished (they're lighter in color) up to the decking under the windlass.  With the windlass disassembled and removed, the remaining boards were finished.

Windlass Disassembled For Removal

Removing the windlass was not as easy as we had hoped.  But then, it's a boat.  So "easy" is a relative term.  "Easy" to us is still land-easy, not boat-easy.  We found that the windlass had been installed using 3M 5200.  For those of you not familiar with 5200, it is a permanent adhesive.  But, perseverance prevails and we removed the windlass by drilling out two of the six bronze bolts.  (This "we" really means "Mike".)

The inner forestay (which is used with the staysail) also had to be removed, so the last triangle of decking could be refinished.  You can see the two pieces furthest forward that form a triangle.  The inner forestay is bolted onto these decking pieces.  Then below the deck, the original installation used fender washers on the bolts.  Mike reinforced this by installing a backing plate (using 3M 5200, a good application here) on the underside of the deck.

Without forestay (topside)

Reinforcement for inner forestay (underside)

And finally, the finished product was something we are proud of.  Whether or not you are a fan of teak decking, you have to admit that it looks pretty good.

The last little pieces that were refurbished were the grates over the drains to the scuppers.  They just didn't look right as they were.  So the boards and screws were replaced and new plugs over the screws.  Now everything looks like (and almost all of it is) new.

Before and After Scupper Grates

Our Sadness

We haven't blogged in a while, and for that we apologize.  This Fall has been packed with many family activities.  If you're wondering where we are, we are still in the house, on land.  We have decided to postpone our Southern journey for this winter (2013-2014) due to family matters.  That said, we are still in Maryland for this winter, making the best of the weather. 

We also want to tell you how sad we are that Zander, our mackerel tabby, became ill and took us on an emotional 3-week ride in September and October which ended with an obvious, yet painful decision.  We miss him so much and really loved our short trips with him and looked forward to having him on board with us full time.  RIP Zander.  You left us way too soon.

 

We will attempt to catch up on our blog with the work that was finished in the Fall and what we are planning for the winter.  Mike is back at work for a while, so we're also re-building the cruising kitty after having gone a little over budget.  But hey, it's a boat, so it's what is expected.

We Have A New Cushion!

Yes, Mike is still working on refurbishing the teak decks (and he is nearly done), and, he mounted the Tack Tick displays on the helm guard (shown here).  But because he's trying to keep the interior clean, Jenny has the chance to make some new cushions.

Tack Tick displays

We decided on the Sunbrella Dupione family.  Sunbrella is waterproof and breathes, so if a cushion gets damp, it will dry out and not mildew (provided that the air's humidity factor will allow it to dry).  After watching all the necessary videos (and then some) on Sailrite's web page (sailrite.com), she was ready to take on the project.

While we were in the Sassafras River, we measured the size for cushions around the dinette.  We decided to start with the three that were the seats next to the table.  The old cushions were well worn and soft so that we felt like little kids at the table.  The cushion behind the dinette and the insert cushion will be tackled later.  (The current ones are in decent shape.)  Armed with the measurements (from a tutorial online), we proceeded to order 4" Lux Foam HQ cushions wrapped with dacron from The Foam Factory (foambymail.com).  It arrived fairly quickly and came packaged very small.  Then it expanded:

Foam arrives!

Supplies

 

The fabric was ordered too, along with foam piping, and zippers.  (You can see all the supplies above.)  Once that arrived, the project was underway.  Making the piping was not too difficult.  A 1 1/4" piece of fabric is cut and sewn around the foam piping.  Because we have an LSZ-1 Sailrite sewing machine, the pressure foot has a cut-out for the piping along the left side, so it made it fairly easy to make the piping.  Many pieces had to be pieced together, but the video showed the easiest way to do that to avoid creating too much bulk at the seam. 

Piping strips cut

Piping finished

Then the piping is sewn to the front and back panels of the cushion.  When sewing the corners, the piping needed to be snipped in order to lay smoothly around the corner.  Tacking it in place we took the video's advice and used our hand stapler, taking care to remove the staples after the seam was sewn.

Sewing piping to panel

Piping sewn to panel

Making the zipper boxing came next.  This part was a little scary, having never used a continuous zipper before (but having installed zippers in my younger sewing days).  But it turned out to be easy.  The trick was remembering to open the zipper before sewing the last panel to the boxing, and closing the cushion.  Otherwise you had an inside-out cushion cover and no way to put it on.  On this first cushion, I remembered.

Sewing the zipper

Opening the zipper

Attaching the boxing

Cushion cover sewn (inside out)

So there you have it ... a finished cushion.  And, it looks almost professional!  Just one down and two to go (before ordering more fabric for the settee, the aft bunk, the salon bunk, and the remaining dinette cushions).  We will be experts at cushion-making before this is all over!

Finished cushion

Watermaker Panel

Yes, the watermaker panel arrived and Mike put it together and installed it in the galley.  Some of the lines have been run, but not all.  So it is not ready to be tested.  The panel allows us to monitor and control the water production (using the Kubota or "Frankengen" engine and reverse osmosis).  Reverse osmosis involves drawing in salt water from the ocean and running it through a filter to get rid of large particles.  Then it uses high pressure to force it through a molecular sieve to separate the salt water (the total dissolved solids) and produce drinking water ("RO" water).  There are many commercially available watermaker systems on the market, but Mike preferred to make his own.  This way he understands exactly how it was put together and where he can get parts.

On the back side of the panel, you can see the pressure gauge connections on the lower right (with an upside down "U"), the turquoise color hose on the lower left is for the brine flow meter connection (the salt water coming in to the watermaker), the blue and red wire connectors are for the TDS (total dissolved solids) monitor, which lets us know when the water is pure enough to drink and can start filling our tanks.  The white tube is product water (drinking water) from the flow meter and runs to the selection valve for choosing whether to dump overboard or to fill the tanks (once the TDS is low enough). 

Back of watermaker panel

This is the panel from the front, installed in the galley on the bulkhead that backs to the engine room.  The tube on the left is the product flowmeter and the one on the right is the brine flowmeter.  It tells how many gallons per minute are being pushed through the system.  The rectangular meter at the top is the TDS meter.  The red toggle switch turns the pump clutch on and allows us to flush fresh water through the system when we're done making water (cleansing for the next use).  There is a small meter in the center that tells us how many hours the pump has been used. 

The round gauge at the lower left is to measure membrane pressure.  The knob on the lower right is to regulate the membrane pressure.  And between those two is the test/tank selector valve for directing the output (overboard or to the tanks), as mentioned earlier.

Front of watermaker panel

Does this all make sense? 

We also have done smaller projects such as making a "look bucket", a cover for the outboard, and deciding on fabric and ordering foam and fabric for the three cushions around the table/dinette.  Once these turn out successfully (*cough*), we'll order foam and fabric for other areas where it is needed.  The foam was ordered from The Foam Factory in Michigan.  What's nice about this place is if you order it with the dacron wrap, they will even wrap it and staple it for you, so it is ready to go. 

And of course, the never-ending deck refurbishment project continues.  But there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  Most of the decking has been refurbished from the stern forward.  We are just finishing the starboard side up to the point where the boards we have left all are caulked (touching) to the king board on the foredeck.  This last big part of the project will require removing the anchor windlass and toe button.  When we decide to do that project, you will see more decking pictures.