No blogs until Nov 1 from me

Hi all, I'll be in MN for 10 days for work. So look at Bens blog for pictures and fun.
I hope to see a few of you while in town.
Smile
Pam

Whole foods makes me happy

Lazy day Friday

We started out our traditional Friday morning ritual with the St. mary's yacht club meeting at the cedar oak cafe. Dad got to meet some more sailors and then play on wifi. Ben gave him a little lesson about iTunes and amazon mp3s while I did emails.

Then we piled in the car to Bens eye dr appt. He is all good.

We went to the west marine store for primer and paint for the bow sprit.

Here was the highlight!!! I love whole food! I can get kombucha, dark yummy chocolate and raw nuts not to mention bunch o other stuff!
So happy! No MSF, no high fructose corn syrup and no caffeine!

Ended the night with taco salads!

See Ben for pictures. 

Much blessings abound

same o same o

no pictures to show so no blog... same o same o
and you guessed it...
I'm tired can you tell?
thanks for the comment Kris!
Pam

Winches to Windlasses

This morning I wrote out a list for the men to pick from.  I looked at the schematics for the windlass and thought... it looks way easier than a winch so that should take about 1 hour or so...

I had to go to town to use wifi. I was gone from 10 - 2pm.  When I came back they were still working on the windlass.  (A windlass is the mechanism/machine that we hand crank to pull up the anchor. Many a times Ben is doing this... it is a lot of work!)

In the pictures...Those guys faces look happy but... i'm not so sure... i've heard a few swear words come out of my dad.

There was one screw that would not come out!  I stood around thinking with them... I was so hot and thirsty... i actually had a pop from the boatyards pop machine... normally water will do it but i'm not so hep on the water here.  I'm sure Ben can explain the details....

... as I went to the pop machine to "think"... Ken said, "How are you Pam?"... I frowned and said... we can't get a screw out of the windlass... we have it half stripped... bob sitting next to him said he knew what to do.

When bob got there he asked, "have you tried this?" yes yes "have you tried that?" yes yes "have you dont this?"  the guys proudly continued, "we have tried all the tricks to getting out a tight screw"  Bob ran away and came back with the funniest tool... Both Ben and Dad had seen them before but not me.

It worked!  Now it was getting to 6ish.  The three-some (dad, Ben and me) cleaned the differential (gear thingies) and put it all back together except that - well - it didn't work so I said, "Let's go out to dinner to cheer you guys up for working so hard on a project all day!" And so we did.... plus I did not feel like cooking!

tomorrow we will take it apart and put it back together.  It was really good we did this so if the windlass falls apart we know how to put it back together.  I love things like that.  I don't like electrical  -  don't get me started on that!  i'll cry my more woes on a different day.

here are pictures.  I love pictures. I'm sure Ben can explain better the day than I can.
peace Pam

Papa Jerry Arrived!

Papa Jerry at Cricket

My dad arrived Sunday late afternoon. We just chatted sunday night and no blog was written.

It has been raining and last night the winds were up to about 50 knot winds or so they say from the river. I believe it.  Our boat on the hard was trembling with the winds and we had one bad-boy halyard clanging which is a naughty thing in the boating etiquette world. It only clanged when the winds piped up and by the time I thought, “Ok ok I’ll go and figure out which one it is.” Then it stopped only to return again. So I did not get enough sleep.

Today we started out with our “Dad” list.  We all had fun cleaning the last 4 winches. We packed bearing and talked about the proper way to pack them.  My dad’s dad taught him one way and Ken in the boat yard taught me a different way.  Then Mabel (the owner’ sister) came up and agreed with my dad… she said her daddy taught her the same way my dad was taught.  With all this pressure to conform to the old ways to pack bearing, I still liked the way Ken backs bearing best.

Not much to talk about really… I made lasagna from the propane oven… I pulled the treasure chests from the deck so I can strip them… I did some work accounting…

So any questions from the viewers? It helps when people ask me what they are interested in me blogging about.  Being on the hard is just like everyday living except that I have to use a go-girl at night to pee standing up to put in a bottle and then empty the cup in the bathroom the next day.  We don’t have a toilet working when we are on the hard.  No one does. I wonder what other women do in the middle of the night?

The bugs are driving me crazy! There are no-see-ems, tiny black flies AND tiny misquitos that are so small that you can’t feel them land on you but you can feel them bit you!!! Grrrr  2 nights ago we were getting eaten alive while in bed by misquitos! Only to find out the next morning it was cuz we left the screen open.

You know anyone should be able to comment on the blog now!  There was a setting that I clicked wrong so now I have allowed anyone to comment. Oh and it should send me an alert in my email that there was a comment.  So try again to comment. Even if it is to say HI.

Oh, I'll try to talk about the Life and times of Lila next time.

That’s all for now,

Peace and love

Pam

storm tactics handbook study

Storm Tactics Handbook

Yelp today was predicted to be rainy and windy.  We got up and went to the farmers market for fresh food.  There was only one stand for produce and one lady that sold cookies and pies. We did not get skunked, no sirrie.  WE got all our produce from this vendor AND we got fresh shrimp.  This guy, Rick was so funny… he said, “This shrimp does not get any fresher! Look behind me… there is the boat… we go and pull up the shrimp… shovel them in the hole where the ice is…. They wiggle for 2 minutes and they are frozen.”  Who could say no to that?

We bought our produce, shrimp and cookies. We drove back to the boat where rain influenced my decision to do indoor preparations.  I surfed for manual bilge pumps online. They cost from 28 to 1000 dollars – no kidding! All depends on how much you want to pump and how fast the water comes out.  I’m still deciding on which brand.

Then I read a little of “Storm Tactics” which Ben has pretty much read the full book and has highlighted important areas for me to know.  It was time for me to crack open the book.  The couple, Lin and Larry have sailed 189,000 miles in 30 years!  They have lived through 2% of storms.  They are very comforting sounding when Ben reads the book to me outloud at night.  I wonder if Ben has been softening the book and picking certain places to read.

He has read all about hove-to a maneuver that we will be so skilled at once we get out and practice more. There have been some big storms that have blown over the years where there have been significant people out sailing.  The people that hoved-to all lived, the people that did not do that didn’t have such a 100% happy ending.

I opened the book to read a bit about our drogue anchor. (A sea anchor that keeps you from sliding down big waves and turtling or tumbling or rolling over.) Ben has been researching which anchor to get and how to use them.  So I like lists, I went right to the list area…

With pen and paper in hand I wrote what they wrote in big letters on my paper…

            “Everything WILL get wet!” then proceeded to read on.

This exercise is to prepare us for a roll over or a rogue wave hitting us unexpectedly. Let me say that if we follow the hove-to we will not roll! But we might get a wave to slap us and pour down the hatch.  We want to be prepared as possible. 1 % is not that big of an amount but it could be a longggg 1% while in the mix of it all.

So I made more of a list of things to batten and prepare.  Things like keep your batteries in a waterproof case (easy I can do that), put one set of clothes in a double Ziploc (easy again), prepare for no electronics and engine failure (not so easy). I need to download all the celestrial navigation charts for a sextant (which we do have, and both Ben and I have sighted stars, moon, land, sun but need the chart and the mathematical equation for success.)

Enough of that for now. I went out on deck to continue stripping wood. That will be a full time 3 month project.  The rain just never poured like it was supposed to do so out I went to get in a few hours stripping wood.

Back in the boat now in the dark to study more things to do. I am trying to bake banana bread for the second time… no promises. The oven is weird! It has no temperature control so now I know you have to watch it closely.

After one full week being here I feel like we are on schedule. I’m not holding my breath.

I love Winches!

There is a quiz once it is apart.  Looks easy until you have to put it back together again.

It is like doing a craft,  a Mensa puzzle and getting my hands dirty.  Reminds me of my father and fun times in the garage.  I call cleaning winches, Man-Knitting. Packing Bearings is always fun.

Now you can call me the Winch Lady.  I have a few more to do.  Ben has a picture of the winches totally apart.

Back to girl-knitting after I finish balancing my work checkbook. argh.

Peace Pam

Rain and Chai

today was a network day which is just as important as our to-do list.  We went to the local St. Mary's Yacht Club that is once a week to greet and meet at a coffee shop all the locals and transients like us.  We learned so much about anchors put in series.  I wish we would have known that while in Bahamas.  We did put an anchor in series but it was too close to the working anchor.  I get it now! Invaluable!

We sat and soaked up the many stories and antidotes from accumulative years of all the Salts (seaman) that were there.  We found out that 2 other boats will be traveling to the Panama around the same time we will be going. This is good in that we can gleam from their past experiences!  You can not get these kinds of lessons in a classroom but only from those that have experienced it! loverly! Oh Great Teacher we are your students ready to learn.

After sitting at the coffee shop from 9 am - 2pm enjoying the conversation and wifi with a bit of work, we set back to the boat.  The rains were big enough for us to tuck in our ship.  I made Chai! Amazing! Chai from scratch with all the spices! I can't wait to make it again. this will be a big treat on the boat while sailing! I'm just so happy with that recipe! If you want it I can post it.  I got it from Ben's nephew Ivan from Oregon.  Ben's sister Ann made it for us while on our last visit and it was too yummy!

Well I baked for the first time but I don't want to report the results... let's just say I am married to the most kind man who loves all my mishaps in cooking expeditions.

So today one more thing on our list was accomplished... learn to cook with the stove and learn to make Chai.  Check off my list!

Keep reading I have yesterday to blog about I'll post that next.  well you don't have to read it if you don't want to but the pictures will be fun... if you  like winches.

Peace Pam

I'm such a Yankee.

I'm such a Yankee.

Accomplished 3 out of 8 winches complete

Give me grease and sprockets with little pins to set in place and I am happy. I love puzzles. Ben n I hired a winch lady but it came out that she has never done our kind before and she is self taught. Ben and I think we had her just to give us the nerve to do it even though we might have done it faster than her "teaching" us. All-in-all it was good to have her and we would hire her again for projects we are unsure of. 

I also stripped the top of one hand rail - 3 more to go.  More sun tomorrow then rain. I'm getting as much done outside and in rainy days we will go inside.

The most amazing thing today was the boatyard people here are so loving. Today Ken on a boat "Sparrow" made us all crab cake sandwiches from crabs he caught in the river!!! But first Bob our rigger guy walked by and asked if we wanted shrimp! He caught the shrimp from his boat up stream ohhhh 50 pounds or so I think he said. I was amazed at the food right here in the river! How do they do it? I'm such a Yankee. We only know fresh water fish and that I don't even do but once every 10 years.

Tonight not sure what we will learn, more storm tactics? Weather online course? SSB equipment? So little time. Or just knit.
Peace Pam

10/4/11 sanding - stripping - winches

10/4/11

I was so tired last night that I think my eyes were closed at 9:30pm and out in 2 minutes.

Why was I so tired you ask? Physical labor is great for ones sleeping – don’t you think?

Yesterday we adventured in our skills. Taking things off is one thing but we all know that it is the putting them back that is important. How many times have you taken something apart only to find you can’t remember how to put them back… well unless you are Paul Nygren who has a photographic memory for things like that… which I don’t.  BUT I do have a camera!

So Ben took off our stern pulpit (we are gradually doing wood stripping and sanding as we gain more confidence.) Well if you talk “wood” – then I am all there! Wood and I are happy together unlike machines and me. (more on that a little later)

Ben and I went through the boat yesterday and pointed out what wood we are going to strip to it bare-ness and leave it (or possibly only teak oil it).  This varnish stuff is for the birds. Yes we knew that when be bought the boat.  We still love our beautiful wood look.  We will just have 2 looks – natural and varnished.  Teak stands up in any weather as long as it does not sit in water… well then it could rot. Left to its own nature it will last for a super long time – How does God do it?

We pulled out the heat gun and bubbled the varnish then stripped it with a knife. Easy and fun for the first hour… actually we had fun all day. It was Ben’s first time with the heat gun so he was so happy.

We bought a Fein tool.  An amazing sander and tool to strip the black strips they have in teak decking.  I can’t wait until we use that a few time.  The sander is none like I have used!!! Why don’t they make them all that way? Germans – they know their tools.

At 1:00pm we had this cute lady come (the Winch lady, Gina) to show us how to maintenance our winches. BUT none of us could get off the break band. Well to our credit we did not have the right tool. She could not find her tool.  She went to town and there was no tool to be found. Her brother, Rocky, manager of the boatyard said he was going to make a tool today for us. Sweet.  If not we drive to Jacksonville about 40 minutes or so away. (seems not far when you have to drive that just to go to church like we do in mpls.)

So for most of the afternoon we went back and forth from trying to get off the break-band to stripping and sanding.  By 3:30pm I had enough of manual labor for my first day back after being a desk jockey for so many months this summer.

Sooooo I looked on the master list and thought… “what can I learn about now?”… Bilge pumps are important and seem like they should be easy. So google here I come.

I read about why you need them… how many one should have aboard… what size… but I was looking for repair.  I searched and searched… So I stopped my search until after I open up some lockers and look below to see what we have then I’ll better get a grip.  I went back to something easy and needed… started balancing my business checkbook which is no small affair!  Each month the bank has mistakes (I never thought they made mistakes but for some reason Quickbooks software and Usbank don’t talk to each other in how they process deposits. When I accept visa the bank puts them in funny batches so I’m not sure which deposit from which person is in that amount.)  Blah blah blah…

I made egg cheese sandwiches – a favorite of mine. We went to a coffee house for wifi to see if the signal is strong enough for a web meeting with the staff for today.  It was.  I’m trying to get skype to work… well gmail webcam works.  So if you want to chat with me on skype or gmail or webcam just let me know.

Oh yesterday Ben was working on pulling off our Stanchions which many are bent.  Those are the short poles that hold the safety lines around the boat so we don’t accidently fall off.  He had a funny joke but too embarrassed to write it so I will, “My stanchions are kept straight while watching my wife strip.”  Or something like that…Ha ha I was stripping wood and he was straightening stanchions. Ha ha ha

Ben just woke up and he said he blogged last night so I'm sure he has the pictures. He is the night owl and I'm the morning dove.

I'm ready to start my day!

smile

Pam

Bens blog

I'm tired! Ben now has a blog so read his tonight. Ha ha. No seriously. I don't know what it says but it's about today I guess.
Www.sailblogs.com/member/cricket/

That was so cheap of me. I know. Isn't it his turn to do a few blogs?
Blessings
Pam

A day of lists

Remember yesterday I told you about my drawers and lockers.  Well here is proof it is neat... or so for a week or two.  I can also shove more clothes all the way up on the inside.  where the panels go about 6-8 inches is pack sweatshirts that you can't see and neither can I.  If I want a winter shirt I have to dig until I find it.

One way to get to know people of the area is to go to church. So we biked six miles to church. Then hung out for wifi at a new coffee shop most of the day. While there we created the master list. When I look at it I get a little overwhelmed as there is also Pam-office work as a first priority.

So for those that love lists .... Here it is... And I know I have forgotten things and some things I did not put Down each step but the end results...

Things to check and do

bildge pump, the old is on its last days
bidlge pump manual does not work
cape horn check lines
Sail mail set up with SSB
weather classes
Rogue wave research it's like a wifi sniffer
Boat cards - to pass out to other boaters
Call Walt & Connie to help with RO Water
new insurance - research world insurance

         Electrician stuff:
check batteries - they again were dead when we came! grrrr!
SSB VHF anntenna check, it does not seem to work all the time
Buy generator - we sold our old one it was not the right kind
Course computer - it makes us stay on course and it is off, of course
Auto pilot make work - it follows the course computer
electrician hours - to help sort this out
Extra solar panels 2 - buy
Make RO water system
Specific charts paper and garmin electronic charts
 have our GSP-garmin to talk with computers, they say it can but we shall see

      Engine/shafts:
1000 hr engine tune up
Stuffing box rudder n engine
Steering system lube n check

       Sails/Anchors:
Sail kit buy,
    with adhesive strips for rubs.      Or get fluff things on the stays
Drogue anchor-parachute for super rough weather
bigger cape horn vane for super light winds
Tri Main Storm sail

      To Sew:
Water proof cover bags for bikes
Crafts yarn to bring along
check all sails for repair
Lee cloths - so we don't fall out of a bunk during our off shift
Fruit hangers, small hammocks

      Dinghy preparation:
Outboard overhaul and maintenance
Out board mount out on stern
find holes in dinghy - an endless job

      Rigger:
Boom vang tap and install - why does it keep bending the anchor plate?
Safety bars and lines redo - they are old and rusty, we would like the safety lines to catch us when we need.
Roller furling replace or fix (from the dragon mishap)
tune rigging
jib cleat redo - it keeps falling off
Jib lines - new

       Things to google and do:
Fuzzy stay to keep sails fresh
how to sprouts seeds while sailing
Bimini - fix and install
Bottom coat
Chain plates - take off and chalk
Water on floor bow cabin - find where from
Lube all sea cocks
Lube all bearings for winches

       Misc To gather & Buy:
extra this and that for back ups
   nuts bolts
   cotter pins
   tape of various sizes
   repair kit for dinghy
   Boathook
   Better handheld VHF

       Wood work
Treasure chests fix
sand teak to raw wood
cockpit cracks
sand varnish
make teak table
make shelves in shower
Kitty litter box
fix door hardware for swingdown doors
Lashing boards for water jugs on railing
Coffee grinder manual to be mounted
Floor under companion way make new
 
       Natures Head:
Put in new toilet
plumbing etc…
electrical fan

So that is an idea. It's not as much as building a house and Paul and I did that in six months.

If any of you want to lend a hand come on out! Anytime!

Miss you all
Pam

Oh ps I will be switching this blog to Bens new blog cuz it is made for sailors so you can see our route and things. Plus we can post from the ocean! I'll let you know the big switch.

just another day on the hard

Ho humm another day - Wrong! Ben and I were so excited yesterday as we pulled into the boat yard! We are home once again with our little Cricket. Lila knew exactly what to do when we got here.  It looked as if she was just as excited as we were. she scurried up the latter and checked the whole boat.  She seems to be content looking down at her world from the edges of the boat as there are 3 dogs and 5 other cats in the boat yard for her to contend with not to mention the alligators that lurk near the dock.   and owls about hooting at night oh Lila better be a little smarter than the average cat - oh I know she is!

so many things to do.... I know many of you love my lists and someday I will look back at them and reuse these list cuz I will have forgot what to pack and prepare the next time.

Since this list is so extensive I thought I would wait to post it until tomorrow when we have split the list into categories.  It is a long list!

So today was a day of putting things in their right places.  I know why in the Army they make you be neat and tidy and even your underwear gets rolled up nice and tight.  (or at least i think i know they do that cuz my sister taught me how to roll my underwear a habit i do only when traveling to get everything to fit into the suit case.)

this next trip will be a bigger and longer trip with weather I have no idea how to pack for so I brought enough clothes or so I hope... Soooo in getting it all to fit - well let me tell you my drawers and lockers look so nice and tidy something that will probably only last until I find other hiding spots for unruly clothes that won't fit anymore into the drawers.  we shall see.

every nook and cranny will be crammed with food or other necessary duplicates of things we think we will need. extra this and thats. I'll send that list when we get there.

so today was grocery shopping. i'm so spoiled at home with food from co-ops and wholefoods. It is so hard to buy crackers without MSG! or real peanut butter. we did look up a farmers market is every saturday... so next week we will try to get farmer john food.

Ben's has been doing most of the lifting since every year we get to the boat and my back is out for 3 weeks.  so i'm trying not to lift everything the first few days.  thanks Ben - he's such a good guy. and oh my what big blue eye he has now that there are no glasses on his face except when to read. (lasik)

so after hunting and gathering at the grocery store we have been working on this and that and writing up our list of things to do and get.

there you have my blog for today... i am tired... the weather here is perfect 75 and sunny and at night 57 or so.

that's all for my first entry. no pictures yet but will try to do more.

smile and tons of blessings,
Pam