Monday, 19 February 2018
Sunday, 18 February 2018
How do you do laundry on the boat?
While I'm here alone I've been keeping myself busy with daily chores since even simple chores take a long time on the boat. Take laundry for instance. The yard we are at doesn't have laundry and while I could go to a laundromat or my friend Ginette's house I have been doing it on the boat. I figure it is good practice for the Bahamas where we could be away from civilization for fairly long stretches. Since I don't have anything really exciting to blog about right now I thought I would show you how I do it - maybe this will help some other future cruisers.
Although we have a water heater it is fairly small so I like to supplement using solar showers. Down here in the Keys a good one can get the water really hot by mid-afternoon. This is the one I use (as recommended by Carolyn from theboatgalley.com - a great resource for cruisers):
I put my clothes in a bucket with warm water from the shower and a pinch of oxyclean. That sits overnight until I'm ready to wash in the morning. The overnight soak is needed because the water isn't warm in the afternoon but by then there is no time to line dry. In the morning I agitate the clothes using a fancy laundry plunger:
I was skeptical that this hand method would actually get the clothes clean but it is amazing how much dirt comes out of the fabric:
Next step is to rinse in fresh water. I use the washing wand again to get the clean water through the clothes. After that is wringing and hanging the clothes out. It would be helpful to have something to wring the laundry as doing it by hand isn't very effective. I'm thinking about making something like this to help push the water out:
The only thing I'll change when we get to the Bahamas is that I'll use seawater for the wash as water is a precious and costly resource in the Exumas.
Although we have a water heater it is fairly small so I like to supplement using solar showers. Down here in the Keys a good one can get the water really hot by mid-afternoon. This is the one I use (as recommended by Carolyn from theboatgalley.com - a great resource for cruisers):
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| Advance Elements 5 gallon solar shower. $30 US on Amazon |
I put my clothes in a bucket with warm water from the shower and a pinch of oxyclean. That sits overnight until I'm ready to wash in the morning. The overnight soak is needed because the water isn't warm in the afternoon but by then there is no time to line dry. In the morning I agitate the clothes using a fancy laundry plunger:
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| EasyGo Washing Wand. $19 US on Amazon |
I was skeptical that this hand method would actually get the clothes clean but it is amazing how much dirt comes out of the fabric:
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| After washing clothes I didn't think were that dirty. Gross, right? |
Next step is to rinse in fresh water. I use the washing wand again to get the clean water through the clothes. After that is wringing and hanging the clothes out. It would be helpful to have something to wring the laundry as doing it by hand isn't very effective. I'm thinking about making something like this to help push the water out:
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| Thanks, Pinterest |
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| Line drying. In a busy marina you have to be OK with everyone seeing your underwear |
The only thing I'll change when we get to the Bahamas is that I'll use seawater for the wash as water is a precious and costly resource in the Exumas.
Overdue for an update
It has been pointed out by a few people that I'm getting pretty lazy with this blogging thing. Truth is the engine repairs are sloooooow and I've been sulking about it. Here's the update:
The engine I bought in Punta Gorda was no good. The gear case had been damaged (in a different spot than mine) so was no good as a replacement (the man who sold it to me gave me half my money back and I can still pull all sorts of other parts from it to use as spares). My mechanic and I spent some time brainstorming ideas and putting calls in to Westerbeke. We have finally settled on welding my original gear case which was always an option but a better repair would have been replacement. Unfortunately replacement is off the table right now.
The welder has been on the case (punny, right?). It was supposed to be finished on Thursday but he didn't get it done so I had to wait (impatiently) over the weekend. My mechanic is due on Monday to put everything back together.
Reg and the boys have been at home this whole time. They are heading back here on Tuesday morning and should be back on board by Wednesday night. I'm really excited about having everyone here again.
The engine I bought in Punta Gorda was no good. The gear case had been damaged (in a different spot than mine) so was no good as a replacement (the man who sold it to me gave me half my money back and I can still pull all sorts of other parts from it to use as spares). My mechanic and I spent some time brainstorming ideas and putting calls in to Westerbeke. We have finally settled on welding my original gear case which was always an option but a better repair would have been replacement. Unfortunately replacement is off the table right now.
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| My mechanic, Carl, looking annoyed with the engine. |
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| The broken corner of the case |
Reg and the boys have been at home this whole time. They are heading back here on Tuesday morning and should be back on board by Wednesday night. I'm really excited about having everyone here again.
Wednesday, 7 February 2018
Walking in a Winter Wonderland
Here is a post I wrote a few days ago when I thought I had the engine problem solved. Turns out under the timing cover/gear case are some factory set pins and shims that require secret knowledge from Westerbeke and also tools that even Westerbeke licensed mechanics don't have access to. So, I am still trying to figure out a solution but I didn't want to waste this great post with some really awesome pictures of animals behaving like people.
So the engine saga continues. The cracked gear case has been difficult to fix due to the unavailability of parts. The engine is a Westerbeke 30b built on a Mitsubishi LE3. I was able to find the part from Mitsubishi in Japan but couldn't confirm that it would work with the engine after Westerbeke's modifications. After many phone calls I was able to find the part from Westerbeke for $1200 and a 6-week delivery time frame! At that point we decided to drive home for a visit. No point in sitting in a boat yard in Key Largo sulking.
Eventually I was able to find a used engine for sale in Punta Gorda that my mechanic could strip the gear case off. On Sunday morning I flew into Fort Myers, rented a car, picked up the engine, and drove back to Key Largo. As I type this my mechanic is taking that engine apart and should be here tomorrow to start installing the case on our engine.
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So the engine saga continues. The cracked gear case has been difficult to fix due to the unavailability of parts. The engine is a Westerbeke 30b built on a Mitsubishi LE3. I was able to find the part from Mitsubishi in Japan but couldn't confirm that it would work with the engine after Westerbeke's modifications. After many phone calls I was able to find the part from Westerbeke for $1200 and a 6-week delivery time frame! At that point we decided to drive home for a visit. No point in sitting in a boat yard in Key Largo sulking.
The time at home was a salve for our stress. I got to visit with a few friends and the kids got to do the winter things they miss. Remember in the early days of the trip when I would post pictures of animals when I didn't have any of my own? Here's what we got up to at home (the active ones are the kids. The lazy ones are me. The hard working one is Reg):
Eventually I was able to find a used engine for sale in Punta Gorda that my mechanic could strip the gear case off. On Sunday morning I flew into Fort Myers, rented a car, picked up the engine, and drove back to Key Largo. As I type this my mechanic is taking that engine apart and should be here tomorrow to start installing the case on our engine.
The rest of Binary's crew is still in the cold waiting to be summoned back when we have a functioning boat again.
Monday, 22 January 2018
Maybe that wasn't my last post before the Bahamas
We have decided that the fix on the engine isn't good enough. We did a few tests today and what had so much promise earlier is now leaking more and more with each minute we run the engine. So, we are keeping the boat in Key Largo and getting it fixed properly.
Here's the problem:
Here's the problem:
Sailing Away to Key Largo
Despite all our problems (including one teensy little almost engine fire) we made it in time for my regatta in Key Largo and got to race:)
We also had a chance to get a proper mechanic to look at this mess:
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| The engine with the alternator and some other things removed. See the dark crack to the right of the belt? That is a crack in the gear case that leaks oil. |
The good news is that the crack is stable (there is a steel plate bolted behind it) and the oil that leaks isn't pressurized (just oil spraying off the gears). The bad news is that we will eventually have to replace the gear case. In the meantime we can keep our eye on it and it should hold up fine so long as we keep the oil level up. I include this link for my friends Ed, Shannon, and Ben: Captain Ron
While getting the engine looked at and waiting for a weather window to cross to the Bahamas we had some time to kill in Key Largo. Sam got the most out of the time by learning to sail a Moth. For the uninitiated, this is a moth:
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| No, this isn't Sam |
Unfortunately for Sam I could only spare one morning to go out and take pictures and there wasn't enough wind to get the boat out of the water so I got lots of photos like this:
He assures me that he did get the boat out of the water on the second day so I think we can just Photoshop him in to the first picture!
I've been keeping myself busy with plotting our course across the Gulf Stream, provisioning the boat, and watching the traffic go back and forth in the canal we are tied up in.
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| It was certainly difficult finding space for this lot: |
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| We have to aim 30 degrees east of our destination to make up for the push north from the Gulf Stream. |
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| The African Queen goes by with tourists several times a day. Yes, that is the one from the movie. |
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| I found this on my camera roll. I don't recall where I took it. Wish I'd stopped - who doesn't love monkeys? |
Monday, 8 January 2018
Life is a Marathon, not a sprint
We left Fort Myers on December 30th in the afternoon to do a non-stop run to Marathon in the Florida Keys. We got to sail a little and motor a little and the whole trip was pretty uneventful but the peace didn't last long.
We arrived about 15 minutes after the harbour had closed for New Year so we couldn't get a mooring ball assigned to us. After hum-ing and ha-ing and consulting with some locals online we decided to pick up a free ball and check in with the office when it opened on the 2nd. Boy did we get an earful at check-in! Apparently the mooring we were on was damaged in hurricane Irma and the woman at the office was surprised it had held for the 2 nights we had been there. Oops! Speaking of Irma, there has been an impressive amount of rebuilding in the Keys over the past few months but there are signs of damage everywhere.
x
Our first stop in Marathon was at West Marine to pick up the kayaks my parents had bought us for Christmas. West Marine is a mile west of Boot Key Harbor and without a car it was a long walk with 3 people and 2 kayaks through a construction zone! Riley missed out on this adventure because the cold he has had since before Christmas was really taking the stuffing out of him.
Day 2 in the Keys saw Riley and I at the hospital as his cold had turned into some pretty severe breathing problems. The local hospital looked straight out of M*A*S*H* as the main building has been condemned since Irma and replaced with trailers and tents. Riley was diagnosed with Bronchitis and released with a stack of prescriptions to be filled the next day when the local pharmacy reopened.
Day 3 involved walking to the grocery store for provisions and prescriptions. The store is a mile east of the harbour which a few locals had told us is much too far to walk! We did quite a large shop and learned the meaning of "island time" when we called a taxi to go home and the 5 minute wait became and hour. Island time sounds so great when you are imagining lazy days at the beach with a margarita but it isn't so much fun when you are sitting on the sidewalk outside Walgreen's.
By day 4 we figured we were going to be in Marathon for a while. Day after day of strong NE winds were forecast which is precisely the direction we want to go. After all this time on a mooring ball we were beginning to realize that with all the alternator troubles we were having we just aren't comfortable idling the engine to recharge the batteries. What we really need is a generator. Have you ever tried to source a generator in a town devastated by a hurricane? We decided to rent a car and drive 2 hours to Homestead to get one at Northern Tool (the US version of Princess Auto).
On day 5 we booked a car only to find out that just because you have a confirmation in the Keys doesn't mean there is actually a car waiting for you. We were able to get one on day 6 and head out (after waiting an hour for a taxi, we are on island time after all).
Day 7 and 8 - with the new generator working we had a happy crew waiting for a weather window to head to Key Largo for the Dead Dog and Tin Whistles sailing regatta which I attend every year (http://www.upperkeyssailingclub.com/).
On day 9 we finally had the window we were looking for. We could leave for Key Largo and get some much needed engine work done (mainly pulling out our 100 amp alternator and putting the original 50 amp back in). It was going to be a long day so we set off just before dawn. We got about a mile and a half down the harbour when we noticed a burning smell from the engine. Opened the lid to see a sparking and smoking alternator. We were very lucky that we were next to a fuel dock and could drift into it without power. A few hours later we were towed to a restaurant dock where we can stay for $3.50/ft (!!) and be seen by a mechanic only a few hundred feet away. As I type this, two lovely men are reinstalling the old alternator and hopefully we can be on our way tomorrow. There is still a chance that a full repair can't be done without pulling the whole engine which would be a delay of God-knows how long.
On the bright side this marina has a cat called Buddy who is happy to visit on all the boats.
Cross your fingers for our good engine health!
We arrived about 15 minutes after the harbour had closed for New Year so we couldn't get a mooring ball assigned to us. After hum-ing and ha-ing and consulting with some locals online we decided to pick up a free ball and check in with the office when it opened on the 2nd. Boy did we get an earful at check-in! Apparently the mooring we were on was damaged in hurricane Irma and the woman at the office was surprised it had held for the 2 nights we had been there. Oops! Speaking of Irma, there has been an impressive amount of rebuilding in the Keys over the past few months but there are signs of damage everywhere.
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| A boat from the mooring field, now in the parking lot thanks to Irma |
Our first stop in Marathon was at West Marine to pick up the kayaks my parents had bought us for Christmas. West Marine is a mile west of Boot Key Harbor and without a car it was a long walk with 3 people and 2 kayaks through a construction zone! Riley missed out on this adventure because the cold he has had since before Christmas was really taking the stuffing out of him.
Day 2 in the Keys saw Riley and I at the hospital as his cold had turned into some pretty severe breathing problems. The local hospital looked straight out of M*A*S*H* as the main building has been condemned since Irma and replaced with trailers and tents. Riley was diagnosed with Bronchitis and released with a stack of prescriptions to be filled the next day when the local pharmacy reopened.
Day 3 involved walking to the grocery store for provisions and prescriptions. The store is a mile east of the harbour which a few locals had told us is much too far to walk! We did quite a large shop and learned the meaning of "island time" when we called a taxi to go home and the 5 minute wait became and hour. Island time sounds so great when you are imagining lazy days at the beach with a margarita but it isn't so much fun when you are sitting on the sidewalk outside Walgreen's.
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| Spotted at Publix |
On day 5 we booked a car only to find out that just because you have a confirmation in the Keys doesn't mean there is actually a car waiting for you. We were able to get one on day 6 and head out (after waiting an hour for a taxi, we are on island time after all).
 |
| I feel like a bit of a sell out. Surely running a generator at anchorage is something only annoying power boaters do! |
On day 9 we finally had the window we were looking for. We could leave for Key Largo and get some much needed engine work done (mainly pulling out our 100 amp alternator and putting the original 50 amp back in). It was going to be a long day so we set off just before dawn. We got about a mile and a half down the harbour when we noticed a burning smell from the engine. Opened the lid to see a sparking and smoking alternator. We were very lucky that we were next to a fuel dock and could drift into it without power. A few hours later we were towed to a restaurant dock where we can stay for $3.50/ft (!!) and be seen by a mechanic only a few hundred feet away. As I type this, two lovely men are reinstalling the old alternator and hopefully we can be on our way tomorrow. There is still a chance that a full repair can't be done without pulling the whole engine which would be a delay of God-knows how long.
On the bright side this marina has a cat called Buddy who is happy to visit on all the boats.
Cross your fingers for our good engine health!
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