All the systems on a boat need to be working properly for a vessel to be ship shape and safe. If you have a sailboat, of course the first means of propulsion ideally are your sails, powered by the wind. Having a fuel-powered auxiliary motor also is necessary for a boat the size of Sundown. (more…)
Archive for the ‘Boat Maintenance’ Category
Alternative lifestyles may require new alternators
Posted in Boat Maintenance, How to Live Afloat, Lessons Learned, tagged Alternator, Bellingham, boat maintenance, ElectroMaxx, Yanmar on October 2, 2015| Leave a Comment »
Boat busy-ness = forward progress
Posted in Boat Maintenance, How to Live Afloat, tagged bimini, boat building, dodger, Hans Christian 33t, Honda, live aboard, sailing on September 27, 2015| Leave a Comment »
It has been a busy week! It started with water system leaks, a motor that was not completely bolted down, no tender, no outboard, no lifelines and no dodger.
Today we have a 99 percent complete water system. (more…)
When meetings run your life…
Posted in Boat Maintenance, How to Live Afloat, tagged adventure, Bellingham, boat maintenance, Hans Christian, Hans Christian 33t, sailboat on September 18, 2015| 2 Comments »
…you feel a bit disoriented when you don’t have any to attend. Thus, I feel like I’m operating on hospital time. If you’ve ever hung out in a hospital for days with a loved one, you probably know what I mean. One hour runs into the next and then the next and before you know it, a whole day has gone by. That’s how the past few days have felt. We get up, start working, work all day and then we notice the boatyard’s gone quiet, which means it’s closed. Another day is done.
I’m also starting to feel a little land sick whenever I run errands ashore, which means my body’s getting acclimated to being on a moving surface. I’m feeling a little woozy when on terra firma.
Beyond that, I’m feeling a little homesick. I miss my boys, my dog, my mom, my coworkers and my friends. I know you’re all out there and that we didn’t see each other every day or even every week, but just knowing I can’t see you when I want makes a difference.
Alright, enough about feelings. Let’s update the list of things we’ve accomplished lately. We:
- Unpacked and organized the galley (kitchen) and salon (living room)…although you wouldn’t know it by looking at either spaces since every project seems to cause an explosion of tools and stuff everywhere!
- Installed the pulpit
- Moved 550 feet of anchor chain and loaded into the anchor lockerout of the propane
- Determined that a propane generator won’t work on our boat, so we took it
system loop so we can use our stove without the gas
leak alarms going off - Commissioned the water system so we can have
running water. We had to riddle out why we couldn’t get the system to pressurize; one of the connections wasn’t totally secure, so it was sucking air. Now we just need new gaskets for both faucets so they don’t leak. - Rebuilt the toilet so we can use it rather than pee in a bucket in the middle of the night. (While Clay did this once already, the gaskets and whatnot probably got ruined by cleaning the system with bleach after the fact
- Removed old varnish from the safety line stanchions and secured them to the deck
- Contacted a safety line contractor to construct new ones for us. (We were going to make them ourselves, but decided to pay someone to make them since we don’t really have the correct tools and don’t want to purchase more.)
- Bought a dinghy. Now we just need an outboard motor.
- Bought new dock lines (the ropes we use to secure the boat to a dock). We’ll use the old ones as back up.
- Visited the local Apple store to learn why I couldn’t update iPhotos on my new Mac. It’s because iPhotos was replaced by just Photos. Good to know.
- Did more that I can’t remember. Go back to the top of this blog to understand why.
So we’re making progress every day, even if all the days feel like they’re running together.
It’s a date
Posted in Adventures, Boat Maintenance, Boat Renovation, tagged adventure, boat building, Fort Collins Colorado, Hans Christian, Hans Christian 33t, sailboat, sailing, yacht on January 21, 2015| 1 Comment »
About a month or so ago, Kim and I were dining at our favorite restaurant, Los Tarascos. Kim has been ramping up her already well-established business, KBC Communications, and is settling into the groove. She felt so “in the groove” that she stated, “we need to set a date.” I agreed that we should and with that she said, “How about September 1?” (more…)
12 years and sailing strong
Posted in Adventures, Boat Maintenance, tagged anniversary, boat maintenance, Colorado, Hans Christian, Hans Christian 33t, Lake Granby, sailboat, sailing on June 29, 2014| 3 Comments »
Clay and I are celebrating our 12-year anniversary today. In some ways it feels like we got married only a couple years ago. In another, it seems we’ve always been together. Either way, it’s all great! (more…)
The perfect mess
Posted in Boat Maintenance, Boat Renovation, Lessons Learned, tagged Anne Lamott, boat maintenance, Hans Christian, Hans Christian 33t, how to clean a boat, sailboat, sailing, yacht on June 9, 2014| 2 Comments »
When people ask, “How’s the boat renovation progressing?,” I cower and feebly mumble something I think will appease their curiosity like, “Oh, you know, it’s a big project” or “It’s coming along.” If they say they want to see it, I cringe and politely change the subject or pray my phone rings so I can feign annoyance that we’ve been interrupted and will have to set a viewing date another time.
I react this way because s/v Sundown is a mess (view more photos in the gallery). There’s crap everywhere. It’s dusty, dirty and greatly disturbs the sense of order I need to feel balanced. But I’m reading a book that’s giving me a new appreciation for the boat’s disheveled, nasty state (more…)
Red dorade parade
Posted in Boat Maintenance, Boat Renovation, tagged boat building, boat maintenance, dorade, Hans Christian, Hans Christian 33t, sailboat on June 3, 2014| Leave a Comment »
I wrote the title of this post with “Raspberry Beret,” a song by Prince, playing in my head. While Sundown won’t wear a cute little French hat (which is just a silly thought because sailboats don’t wear hats), she will wear these shiny, freshly painted dorades. I love visible progress like this. Stay tuned for more!
Plans, progress and promises
Posted in Bicycling, Boat Maintenance, tagged bicycle, Bicycle Ambassador, biking, boat maintenance, Colorado, Cycling, Fibre Glast, Hans Christian, League of American Bicyclists, sailboat, Traffic Skills 101, yacht on May 24, 2014| Leave a Comment »
While we’re still land locked, bicycling is a big part of our lives. As League of American Bicyclists certified instructors, we often teach Traffic Skills 101 classes. As Bicycle Ambassadors, we give presentations in our community on the same subject. I also am a member of a women’s bike commuting team sponsored by Hottman Law Office. (more…)
Boat progress, bicycle safety and television shows
Posted in Boat Maintenance, Boat Renovation, This & That, tagged bicycle, biking, boat, boat maintenance, Colorado, Fort Collins, Fort Collins Colorado, Hans Christian, Hans Christian 33t, Health, holidays, League of American Bicyclists, sailboat, The Coloradoan on January 12, 2014| Leave a Comment »
We’ve been accomplishing much work, both in the boat as well as in our community. Boat work includes a new, hinged refrigeration compartment lid; galley sink fixtures, remaining marble tile counters and teak counter edging installed; companionway stairs are being remodeled; shower tile is being removed; shower pump is installed; aft and forward water tanks are plumbed; and interior woodwork is being stripped and prepared for new varnish. You can check out much of this work in the Photo Galley. (more…)