"Dirty Jobs"

Yesterday we stopped at the pump-out station to empty the holding tank and flushed it with water several times so that Leonard could work on the tank's level sensors with as little foul order as possible.  Leonard had to crawl through a space occupied by drawers to reach a hatch, where the tank and sensor unit are located.  With his face a foot or so from the top of the holding tank, he removed the sensor unit for cleaning, using 409 cleaner and an old toothbrush.  The sensor unit consists of three floats on probes; and if not working properly will give false readings on the tank gauge located in the "head" (bathroom).  Cleaning accommplished, the gauge now reads properly: empty, low, medium, or full.  Ugh, a dirty job but somebody has to do it.  Some engineer that put moveable floats on holding tank sensors is still laughing at all the boat owners having to maintain this system!        

Rust vs Leonard

On a nice warm, sunny afternoon Leonard began work on the dinghy's frozen steering.  It appeared challenging enough, that even money conscious Leonard was considering pitching the entire outboard motor overboard.  Deciding not to give up, he kept at it and finally was able to free the stainless steel sleeve that actuates the steering mechanism on the motor.  The reward after 5 hours of diligent work -- we can now motor the dinghy without going in circles.  Leonard is savoring his victory for now, but rust has been around alot longer than he has, although not by much.

"Three Hour Tour"

Wisdom dictates that a shake-down cruise is a smart thing to do before heading too far afield from home port.  We felt fairly confident that things would go well and invited our friend Rob to join us for a trip to Cypress Island, a short distance from Anacortes.  We connected the battery for the dingy so it would be ready to use once we reached our destination; and in doing so, we discovered that the terminals needed cleaning and new electrical connectors installed.  Our guest, Rob, was put to work and the job was completed.  We departed in fair weather reaching Cyprus Island without any major issues with "Got d'Fever."  However, when we got the dinghy down and shoved off, we soon discovered that the dinghy's steering was inoperable, sending us in circles! Thank goodness for the oars.  We rowed to shore, took a short walk on the island and then rowed back to the boat, hoisting the dinghy back aboard.  Lesson confirmed, be sure to do a shake-down cruise on the "other boat," namely the dinghy that may need to serve as a life raft.  Next morning, we headed back to Anacortes to drop off our friend for his curling match and we started making repairs on "Hot Flash," an appropriate name for the dinghy.

Water Management

Boating is all about water - keeping the different types of water in their correct place:  salty sea water off the boat; rain water out of the boat; keeping plenty of potable drinking water in the tank and ready for use; keeping the gray water discharging overboard; keeping the stinky black water in its holding tank; keeping the engine coolant water in the engine and not in the bildge; keeping the distilled water for the batteries in jugs; keeping a supply of salt water coming to the water maker; keeping the water for the heating system in the pipes and not in the bilge; and keeping all the bilge water out of the bilge!  We have been checking these water systems in preparation for our voyage, and what do you think we found?  That's right Water.  We found fresh water, raw water, coolant antifreeze, and some salt water in the bilge.  After several day's of crawling around in the engine room, all the waters are in their designated locations - - - for now.  We are ready to head out for a shake-down cruise, keeping as much water underneath us as possible!    

Launch Day

Our boat, "Got d' Fever!" saw sunshine after she was moved from her four-month indoor storage on-the-hard.  On today's launch, this 20-ton vessel was lifted with ease by a "Sea-Lift" launch & haulout service provided by North Harbor Diesel in Anacortes, Washington and carefully backed into the water before minus tide.  The sun brought out other boats as well; and for a while it looked like "westward ho the wagons."  Such a strange sight to see large boats cruising down a main road in town, and it feels even more strange standing in the boat's pilot house looking down at the cars.  If you want to ride along, check out the attached movie.

Ship's Poop Deck

Ok, I know that I used the phrase "poop deck" tongue-in-cheek in my previous entry.  A poop deck is actually the roof of a poop cabin located in the rear (aft) section of a sailing ship's main deck and comes from the Latin word puppis, meaning "stern" and the French word la poupe.  Sailing ships often had a poop cabin in the very rear of the ship and officers could observe their crew while standing above the cabin on the poop deck. Today, the captain and his/her officers command a modern ship from the Bridge or Pilot House.  Though the "poop deck" has nothing to do with a bodily function, we have applied this term to our Dachshund's need for space when not able to go ashore.  She uses a section of the bow covered with a piece of astro-turf to perform her duties.

Preparations Underway

Preparations are under way for our voyage northward from Anacortes, Washington to Southeast Alaska aboard our 45 foot DeFever.  We are loading supplies, checking systems, taking an inventory of spare parts, and working on maintenance items.  Wax and polish to be completed by Noah's team at "Complete Marine Services."  Our seven-month journey will take us through the San Juan Islands of Washington State, the Canadian Gulf Islands along the east coast of Vancouver Island then northward through Johnston Strait to the Broughton Island Group, and along the west coast of British Columbia, reaching southeast Alaska.  Our southbound return trip will include cruising the outside (west side) of Vancouver Island rounding the south tip back to the San Juan Islands and our home port of Anacortes.  Boxes are stacking up for the trip and even our dog, Java, is looking forward to exploring the islands, walking the beaches, and using the "poop deck" when underway.