Can you see my attempt at titling this post alike with Bennie and the Jets.  It’s a great song here ya go, listen while you read this post.

Bennie and the Jets, Elton John:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5rQHoaQpTw.

It’s Monday, MLK Holiday, and we have a short list of items to complete today.  The main items are to complete the installation of interior light fixtures upgrade to red/white, bend the Genny, paint the interior of a small locker with mold resistant paint, and install remaining courtesy lights (pictures to come).

Chris worked on top completing the annual maintenance of the furler mechanism (bearings & pins,).  We plan to keep up maintenance because problems seem to pick moments when it is least convenient and most dangerous to occur.  We are currently developing an all systems maintenance sheet for this reason.  He also was setting up the sail to bend onto the foil. Then we went to work bending the genny; and after a short bit, she was on!

Notice the calm water.  The wind picked up about 10 minutes into the bending exercise.

The new stiff canvas on the headsail prevented a smooth wrap.  After a week of being wound up, we will furler her again.

Meanwhile, I completed my light fixture project.  The project included updating 5 old LED style lights with LED Corn Light Bulbs that put out more light with considerable less voltage.  This upgrade will meet out electrical requirements when we are off the grid.  The last two light fixtures I wanted to switch these to white/red LED bulbs.  The task was as clean as switching the previous 5 bulbs.  The fixtures on in the head and aft cabin.  Having the option to use red lighting will support night vision when night sailing.

I learned the extreme basic electrical.  You need a power wire and red and black to complete the loop.  Once I understood that I cut out the old LED bulb, set up the wires to receive two individual bulbs, and cut the loop wire so the toggle switch will turn from red to off to white.  Oh, and my new favorite wiring tools are these wire strippers and ratcheting crimpers.

Nautical Term:

The term genoa (or genny) refers to a type of jib that is larger than the 100% foretriangle, which is the triangular area formed by the point at which the stay intersects the mast, and deck or bowsprit, and the line where the mast intersects deck at the rail. Colloquially the term is sometimes used interchangeably with the jib.

Why Use Red Lights for Night Vision

Within your rods lies Rhodopsin, the chemical that actually allows night vision. When exposed to light, Rhodopsin bleaches and takes around 30 minutes to regenerate. Despite taking so long to regenerate, most night vision returns within about 5-10 minutes once the bleaching (or being exposed to bright light) occurs.  The Rhodopsin contained within the rods in your eyes are less sensitive to the color red within longer wavelengths of light. You may have seen the Military using red light to read maps and preserve their night vision. Although, there has been a shift recently to using green light or a blue-green light instead of red.

More info: https://www.itstactical.com/intellicom/tradecraft/navigating-the-dark-how-to-preserve-your-night-vision/

I’ve become acquainted with Mold.  We live in an environment that Mold loves to reside and grow.  After some extensive research and chatting with fellow sailors, I pulled up my sleeves and dove right in.  Today, I worked on a small locker located in our v-berth.

After scrubbing the mold away with simple green, I dried out with cloth and a heat gun.  Then sprayed with an anti-fungal tea tree/water mixture and let dry naturally.  Once it is dry, I applied the first coat of Zinnser Mold Paint.  Zinnser Mold Killing Primer is a water-based fungicidal protective coating that can be used to paint over and kill all existing mold, mildew, moss, fungi, odor-causing bacteria and any other fungal organisms. So, I’ll learn quickly in this environment if this effort will work.  If anything, the locker has a fresh coat of white paint.

Before

After

I also learned, better yet reminded, that cats are always curious and wet paint will not deter their curious minds.

Last November we accomplished our first and traditional Thanksgiving dinner on Dharmagirl. With Macgyver like thinking, I used one pot to complete each dish.  Using cereal bowls and a measuring cup covered with aluminum foil, they stayed warm at the back of the top as the turkey breasts roasted to a golden yet crispy finish.  Viola.

This is basically what the galley looks like when it’s clean.  The photo is from our broker.

What you see on the stove and counter is I had to work with.  The six-pound turkey was a bit too tall and I had to cram it into the over by pushing the top of the foil-covered breast and slide it in.  Fortunately, and to our surprise, it didn’t burn.

The galley after I completed dinner.

Our dinner menu included baked yam, stuffing, homemade cranberry relish, Brussel sprouts with blue cheese and candied walnuts, and turkey with gravy, and a lovely bottle of Wind Walker Cabernet to tie the meal together.  We picked up wine from Mom and Ray’s favorite winery, Wind Walker Winery, a couple weeks before.

Next Thanksgiving I’ll have a fully equipped galley, purchase a five-pound breast, and have a full table setting.

Finding a new home for your boat is much like finding your perfect home in the ideal neighborhood.  While your home location may be typically the top of your criteria list; it’s similar to finding a marina for your boat/floating home, yet the pickings are much slimmer.  And unlike the freedom you have with the upkeep of your own home and property; when living at a marina you are at the mercy of the marina management.  I’ll tell ya this, the last couple of weeks of researching and visiting marinas have been insightful.

There are three marinas, that allow liveaboards, available for us to choose our liveaboard enjoyment.  One is in Vancouver, WA, the other two are in Tomahawk Bay located on Hayden Island.  Of the two in Tomahawk Bay, our first preference is Salpare, Salpare is a small marina and has a limitation on the number of liveaboards. Our second is Columbia Crossings, with a reputation, are willing to take pretty much anyone that passes a background check and willing to pay the slip fees.  Salpare has a 10 boat waiting list vs Columbia Crossing can take us now.

Fortunately, Salpare has a non-liveaboard slip for us to rent when we begin our boat projects.  We are going to take advantage of that until we move onto our boat.  We are gambling that since we are already in Salpare, we could get the next available liveaboard slip sooner than later.  Otherwise, we motor over to Columbia Crossing and live there until we can move back to Salpare or cut the lines.

With a morning like this one, I don’t care what marina I’m residing at. 

Sounds like a lot of effort, perhaps.  But once you visit each Marina, all questions are quickly answered.  The following photos of K Row in Columbia Crossing Marina will be a little telltale why we pref Salpare.  We ask ourselves; why it would take 3+ years to repair these docks.

(A Video will come at a later date)

We love our new home.  The apartment holds our belongings in a nicely laid out 825 sf floor plan.  The abundance of windows is lovely.  Being on the second floor, we keep the blinds open most days.

Downsizing was no easy task.  We downsized from a 1900 sf home to 1/2 the size.  Over the years we collected more ‘stuff’ than we ever could have imagined.  We were surprised because we don’t collect trinkets, collections, souvenirs and such.  But it was the books, the CDs, the gear, and all the materials required to maintain your home in good condition.

We started over a year before the house went on the market.  We were so proud of ourselves with the amount of ‘stuff’ we donated, gave away, sold, and trashed. Three months before we put the house on the market we completed the same exercise again but with no mercy.  At the end, more ‘stuff’ was removed from our ownership, we staged our home with our furniture, and we moved into our apartment.

We’ll be doing this exercise again when we moved onto the boat!

It took three trips to St Petersburg, FL to conclude that Journey is the boat for us.  Chris went out first to view her after his CD business trip, April 22nd.  Two weeks later we flew out to spend all day on May 5th for Carrie to view Journey for her first time, be part of the Boat Survey, and to participate in the sea trial.  However, none of that happened on the 5th because weather delayed our outbound flight.  So we arrived in St. Petersburg the evening of the 5th.  Gratefully, the surveyor Lee Taylor, of Taylor Marine Surveying, had to returned Saturday to finish the survey.  We spent most of the Sunday with Lee as he completed his survey, educated us about the boat, and share a handful of tips.  I highly recommend Lee Taylor.  I hear sellers don’t like buyers to use him.  hee hee

Though we felt the boat was a go, for our own conscience we needed that ‘sea trial’.  So Chris went back to St. Petersburg May 20th.  Jonathan, (Journey’s owner), Chris, and Joe Z, our broker, of Preferred Yachts, went out to sail on Tampa Bay.  All went well even without wind.  Chris spent that time with Jonathan learning the ins and outs of Journey.  It was time well spent.

Thumbs up!  Let’s do this and become official boat owners.

Now where is that dotted line?