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.

Maiden/Shakedown Cruise

Yes!  We finally took Abake out of the slip.  And she loved it!  It goes without saying that we did, too.  We tried leaving on Sunday, but had too many things to take care of, so we left Monday afternoon (July 29).  We had decided to go North in the Chesapeake and explore the Sassafras River, but the forecasts were for wind out of the North.  So we thought we'd still try, because heading South meant a long trip or heading over into Eastern Bay, which we've explored with Namida.  Since we were getting away late in the day, we decided to stop somewhere along the way on Monday night. 

Once we got out and moving (motoring), we thought about Rock Hall, but we've been there, so we anchored in Whitehall Bay instead.  It was a quiet little Bay and only one other boat was anchored there (on a Monday night).  They eventually left and a work boat came in after dark and anchored.  Otherwise we pretty much had the place to ourselves.  We could see the lights and the traffic on the Bay Bridge through a little spit of land (Hackett Point and Goose Pond).  It was peaceful and quiet.

Tuesday morning we headed up to the Sassafras River, again motoring.  Winds were 5-10 and directly out of the North.  Waves were ... well ... let's just say it was a power boating day.  So we had a smooth ride up to the River.  We slowed near Betterton and scoped out the beach and the docks.  Then we decided to head up to Turner Creek and anchored near the entrance.  Again, only one other boat was anchored, and we had a beautiful view of the neighboring cliffs and both directions on the river.  The Sassafras River is fresh water and thus had no sea nettles (jellyfish).  It is bordered on the North by Cecil County (MD) and on the South by Kent County (MD).

We spent the next couple of days anchored there, exploring, by dinghy, Turner Creek and Back Creek.  We also dinghied up toward Georgetown, saw all the marinas and buildings and turned around before we got too close.  We walked around Turner Creek park and learned that it is "dominated by the regionally endangered American lotus, whose 8" flowers are the largest in North America".  http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=64294

Turner Creek landing

Lily pads at Turner Creek park

View of lily pads

We enjoyed our solitude (the other boat had departed, but another had anchored on the other side of the entrance to Turner Creek) and were entertained by activity at one house on the cliff where they were removing a tree and the stump at the edge of the cliff.  (What's wrong with this picture?  Hint:  zoom in to see no climbing gear or safety lines.)

Our view at anchor

Stump removal show -- reality tv

Abake at anchor

The next day we were entertained by their neighbors bailing out their small power cat.  We watched it list farther and farther to port and finally someone on land noticed it and started bailing.  It was reality tv at its best!  We also enjoyed some home cooked meals:  stir fry (with all leftover veggies from our home fridge!) and our first pizza in the new oven:

Stir fry

Homemade pizza

We're not the only ones lazing ...

 

Our trip back to Galesville was quite a bit more fun.  You may not have guessed, but by this time a front had come through during the week and the winds had clocked around 180 degrees.  So, now they're coming out of the South -- again on the nose.  But, the winds were blowing 10-15, so we unanimously agreed to raise the sails and just sail back and forth across the Bay for most of the day.  She handles beautifully, although she doesn't point into the wind very well.  We were able to sail about 45 degrees to the wind and sometimes push it to 40.  This meant tacking, but above the Bay Bridge it is pretty wide, so we could stay on one tack for a while.  We found that the sails are pretty stretched and that we definitely need to tighten the leech line on both.  But they are in good condition.  We also need some ties in the mainsail for reefing, along with a reefing line.  And, Mike said the genoa luff looks to be a little too long, so we'll have to take a look at that, too.  But this is what the shakedown cruise is for!  We wouldn't want to have to deal with this stuff at anchor somewhere or at a marina other than ours for now.

Under sail, as she should be!

So we're quite pleased and fairly comfortable on board.  We are in the process of finishing the watermaker installation, ordering foam and fabric for new dinette cushions, have already ordered and picked up a lifting sling for bringing the dinghy on board when necessary, and are working on other little odds and ends that need to be completed.  Time is ticking and we are trying to keep up with it.

ChainChainChain ...

Yes, it's a line from the song "Chain of Fools".  But we're not.  We really needed to find out how much chain was on Abake and mark it.  Using the anchor last year during the SSCA GAM, we found that the chain in the locker was WAY too short.  After researching options for marking it we found that zip ties and parachute cord seemed to be the best options.  So we opted for the parachute cord (different colors for each 100' of chain, marked every 25'.)  We found that 50' (of 3/8" chain) was in the anchor locker, a 100' section was in the bilge, and another 300' section was in the bilge.  Guess which one went forward into the anchor locker.  Yup!  And here's the pile of it, along with our "oh sh**" mark (at the end).

Pile of 300' of chain

"Oh Sh**" mark

The heads have been rebuilt, the hose replaced, and the "Y" valve that was installed in the aft head after the vacuum break (remember it was just a rising stem valve?) turned out to be a little aged, and it leaked.  So we ordered another one and replaced it.  The head now works just as it should.

New "Y" valve for aft head

We also started on getting the dinghy ready for the davits.  We replaced the 2:1 pulley set with a 6:1 set.  This is a huge savings on muscle (and can be operated by one person), and the new set includes a cam to easily lock the line in position.  We spliced the line onto the blocks and it is ready for the dinghy.  We pulled our dinghy off of the rack at the marina and found that it has been used by the neighborhood strays as a litterbox.  Pee-yew!  With permission, we moved it to a top rack (not the one we rented) and hopefully it will not provide a private bathroom for the cats any more.  (We came home and had to leave shoes in the garage and then had "cat scans" done by Zander.  He felt we had been cheating on him.)  We measured for stainless steel bridle cables (for the aft) and will test them before ordering the forward bridle.

New dinghy block

Floor of dinghy

Aft bridle

And, we had another 3-day break in the weather (rain), so the port side/aft portion of the decking was taken up, refurbished, and replaced.  With heat indices between 105 and 109, it made for a miserable job, but with a tarp cover, it made it more bearable.  This time Mike tried caulking the outside boards first, so he had a place to stand when caulking the inside boards.  It worked much better and his back was thankful.

Caulking the inside boards

Before caulk

Getting "Sidetracked"

So the hoses for the watermaker arrived -- just in the midst of many other projects that had been started.  For instance, we spent a couple of days and an overnight (in 90+ degree heat) at the marina for July 4.  The cat was with us and we found we had to keep an eye on him or he would go forward.  At anchor this is not a problem.  But at the marina, this is where he can make his escape.  He's not an outdoor cat and didn't fare well the one time he did get out/lost in our neighborhood.  He would not fare well with all the marina cats so we try to keep him on board.  He seems satisfied here, or here, or here:

zzz

...

Shhh

To remedy this, Mike designed and built our "CCS" or cat containment system.  He built two screens for the hatches and built a teak frame with screen for the companionway.  It works beautifully.  The little stinker now sits on the aft bunk and stares up at the screen trying to figure out if he can jump up, wrap his paws and grab/hang on to the hatch frame, and pull himself up and out of the cabin (as he has done before).  He's almost 11 years old and he's not lost a step.

Companionway screen for CCS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hatch screen for CCS

Because we want to go cruising for a few days or so at the end of July (yes, we set a small goal), we needed to have a good working head.  Abake has robust marine heads (toilets) that are made of bronze and porcelain.  They are built to last a lifetime if maintained properly (and spare parts are available).  Because we haven't used them in 3 years, it meant that (first) we would need to disassemble and re-build the aft head.  Luckily we had a rebuild kit and it could be done in a day or two.  Ha!  That's what any normal person would think!  Now Mike is another story.  He didn't like the diversion valve in the engine room as it is in an awkward location.  Additionally it is not a true diverter valve, but a common rising stem hand valve.  So he has a "Y" diverter valve he wants to install after the vacuum break, whereas now the valve is before the vacuum break.  It would have been a task -- now it has become a project.  But, it will be much better-- using the proper hardware will make for a much cleaner installation.

You can see here that the joker valve had hardened and would really only allow liquids to pass.  This is between the pipe off of the actual bowl and the hose carrying away the waste.  It prevents backflow.

Stiff joker valve

Rebuilt head (minus bowl)

Head disassembled for cleaning

And, we relaxed on July 4 and watched fireworks all around from our marina.  We didn't really do any work that day and enjoyed the laid back day.  Then July 5th we were hanging out in the cockpit and keeping an eye on the cat and staring at the decking.  The next thing we knew we were digging out plugs, cutting caulk, unscrewing screws, and prying up decking.  Sigh.  Yes, a section by the port scupper has now been refurbished.  It required that some new teak slats be cut, and as usual, Mike did a wonderful job.  You can see it here.  (Ignore the smeared caulk -- it was really hot that day and it got messy.  It will be sanded off.)

Rebuilding some teak deck slats

 

Decking (minus fuel and water fill holes)

 

 

And, just for grins, we're showing you the reason we had to buy a new wire brush.  That's what we use to clean the old glue and caulk from the fiberglass decking before re-gluing the refurbished decking back to the fiberglass deck.  I think we could call this "being frugal".

New and old wire brushes