Up in the air

The last week has been a scramble getting ready to get out of Westpoint Harbor and on to Alameda. The part that makes it interesting is that I won’t be going back to Westpoint. I have to clean out my storage locker, find places on the boat to store all the stuff in the locker that I am taking with me on the cruise, get rid of the rest of it, sell my car, etc. I am going to Alameda to get the boat hauled out of the water, the bottom cleaned and repainted with anti-fouling paint and a few other miscellaneous items. After that, I hope to go to Angel Island for the Sequoia Yacht Club cruise-out and on to Half Moon Bay. The best laid plans…

The following is the blow-by-blow account of the last week.

20 Nov 2013 – Wednesday

I put the car up for sale on Craig’s List. The response was amazing – lots of interest. I thought I had priced it a bit high but the interest suggests otherwise. The first interested party to show up tried to bargain the price down despite my statement in the ad that the price was firm. He pulled out a wad of bills, started counting out money and discovered that he was about $1500 short. He said he would run down the road and get the rest of it from a friend and be back in 10 minutes. I told him I would give him 30 minutes then I was going to sell to interested party #2 who had promised to give me a non-refundable deposit of $100 via PayPal if I would hold the car for him. Half an hour passed and the first party had not returned so I called party #2 and told him the car was his if I got the deposit. It showed up in PayPal in a matter of minutes. Shortly after that, party #1 returned and was highly incensed that I hadn’t waited. I pointed out that he hadn’t done what he promised nor had he returned in the time period I specified. He spluttered on about traffic, etc, but never explained why he hadn’t called to tell me he would be late. Party #2 showed up at about 9:30 PM with a pocketful of $100 bill, counted out the asking price and the deal was done.

Farewell to my beloved Prius

I am carless for the first time since 1975 – the last time I was living on a boat. I have mixed feelings about it. This was by far the best car I have ever owned. It has been comfortable, reliable and economical to operate. In 144,000 miles, the only significant repair has been the water pump that went out a couple of weeks ago.

Still, it feels like I shed a big weight. I know it will be a bit inconvenient at time, but my load of possessions is getting lighter. I have long said that my personal freedom varied in inverse proportion to the number of keys I am carrying around in my pocket. I am down to five keys and an electronic key that gets me into the facilities at Westpoint Harbor.

In the midst of all this, Mike Manlove (from Agilent) and his wife, Mary Lou, came by to get the boat tour. We had set this up a week earlier but despite the advance planning, the boat looked like a junk yard with stuff strewn about the cabin from projects in progress. In addition, it was raining off and on. Still, I enjoyed the visit. I hope I am forgiven for my disorderly house.

Mike has been helping me figure out why my two VHF antennas don’t seem to work. The best we are able to figure out is that there is a break in the transmission line somewhere. I emailed Glenn Hansen (the rigger who replaced the antennas) and described the problem. We will get together next week while I am in Alameda and fix it.

21 Nov 2013 – Thursday

Out on the bicycle for my first shopping trip. I went to Trader Joe’s and then on to West Marine. West Marine has been trying to sort out my last order for a bunch of cleats and a few other items. It never seems to quite come out right. Today was no exception. I hung around the store for about an hour while they tried to figure out what had gone wrong and how they could fix it. I left the store with part of the order. They promised to have the rest tomorrow.

Back at the boat, I sorted through the clothing I have on board. I have more clothes than I have space to keep them. A couple of shopping bags of clothing are going to charity. The rest of the day was spent tucking things away into various cubbyholes. At the end of the day, the boat looked worse than it did the day before. The cabin interior and the cockpit were littered with stuff that still needed a home.

22 Nov 2013 – Friday

It is the 50^th anniversary of President Kennedy’s assassination. It was a Friday morning. I was a sophomore at West Virginia University. I was walking from a class toward my off-campus housing when I started hearing that he had been shot. I hurried home and turned on the radio. (I was a penniless student – no television.) It wasn’t long before the announcement that he was dead. I was among the people who had bought into the JFK/Camelot legend. His death felt like a physical body blow. The bizarre events of the next few days were so unreal that it seemed like we had taken a turn into Alice in Wonderland. It was hard to believe that LBJ would possibly fill Kennedy’s shoes. He was old-school, backroom politics and JFK was a plain dealing, knight in shining armor.

I’ve come to have a somewhat different view of things. I doubt that JFK could have come close to the hopes we had for him any more than Obama has. JFK’s overly aggressive foreign policy and his inability to persuade Congress to go along with his civil rights agenda would have severely tarnished his image. There is also the possibility that his womanizing would have come to light. In those days, it would have been a fatal blow to his political career. On the other hand, things like that didn’t get reported back then.

But I digress…

More agonizingly slow progress getting things stowed. I haven’t even looked at the storage locker yet. I made another shopping trip in the afternoon for groceries and for my remaining items at West Marine. I got groceries. I did not get any more of my order. The store manager was sufficiently embarrassed that she asked Done, one of the staff, to give me a ride back to the boat with my 12’ long sections of stainless steel tubing. That was quite helpful. I had planned to strap the tubing to the bike and walk the bike back to the boat – about 3 miles.

Back at the boat, I invited Don to look over the boat. He is a sailor and marine salvage person from way back. He looked over the boat and said some nice things about it. Then he said something to the effect of “I would feel a lot better about your trip if I knew you were making the trip with Jesus.” My reply was “Don, let’s not go there.” Of course, that didn’t stop him. I told him that in my mind the premise that God exists is not supported by the facts. We spent another five minutes on the subject before he dropped it. Naturally, neither of have changed our position about the subject.

23 Nov 2013 – Saturday

Time to panic! I am going to be pulling out of here sometime around 9 AM tomorrow and I haven’t even touched the storage locker. Hurriedly, I stowed a few more things and went to the locker for the first load. This promised to be a long process. The locker is a five minute walk from the boat and all I have to carry things with is a two wheeled cart. I estimated there were five or six loads. Fortunately, another of my Agilent friends bailed me out. Jennifer Sanderson had scheduled a visit and boat tour in response to my email to my former co-workers. She showed up driving an SUV and volunteered to help transport stuff. It took two SUV trips from the locker to the top of the gangway to the pier. It took five cart loads plus some hand-carried items to finish off the locker clean-out. Some items went straight to the dumpster but most of them went on the boat. The foredeck was piled high with bags of sails and the rest of the cockpit and cabin top were littered with things that needed a home.

Mike Manlove came by in the midst of this with another diagnostic tool to try to localize the antenna problem. After about an hour of climbing the mizzen mast and trying different combinations of cables and dummy loads, the diagnosis had not changed. There appears to be an open spot in the transmission line. Bummer! If I have to replace the transmission line in the mizzen mast, the mast will have to be lifted off its base to get access to the connector that hooks the line to the short section of line that runs under the deck to the transmitter. That translates into more money and more time. Both are promising to be in short supply.

After Mike and Jennifer departed, I fixed a minimal dinner and started tidying up the cabin. I worked at it until just short of midnight. By then I had everything tucked away somewhere. I had two shopping bags of items that I couldn’t deal with at the moment and another three shopping bags of parts for projects that need to be finished over the next three weeks. But – the bags and everything else were stowed well enough to make the trip to Alameda.

A big thank you to Jennifer for the help moving stuff and to Mike for helping me diagnose the antenna problem. It would have been much harder to get through the day without your help.

23 Nov 2013 – Saturday

I set the alarm for 6 AM. Since I retired two months ago, 6 AM has been unimaginably early. But I had a lot to do before I could get under way. Howard Brunnings was going to show up at 9 AM to help me move the boat and I wanted to be ready to depart shortly after he arrived.

Storing the sail bags was not too difficult. All but one of them went into the V berth in the bow. It is queen size at the top of the berth and about two feet wide at the foot. The sails filled the berth. The sail left on deck was the big genoa jib that I thought we might use. The forecast was for light winds.

A little after 8 AM, I got a text message from Howard. He had lost his car keys. I replied that I could wait for him until 10 AM and went back to stowing things.  

Somehow, everything else went into cockpit lockers and into the shower stall in the head. I took a short break to go to the harbor master’s office and turn in my keys – the electronic key and the key to my storage locker. Now I am down to four keys – one for the bicycle lock, two for the boat and one for the house in Placerville.

Howard texted a little after 9 that he had found his keys and was on the way. I pumped out the holding tank and I was in the process of filling the water tanks when Howard showed up a few minutes before 10. Doug Furman, the harbor master for the day, came down to say good-bye and help cast off. Around 10:15, we got under way.

There is not much to report about the trip. There was no wind - and I mean none! The water was glassy calm from the time we cleared Redwood Creek until we got to the entrance to Oakland’s inner harbor. There, we picked up a light breeze that it wasn’t worth trying to sail in it. We pulled in to The Boatyard at Grand Marina a little after 3 PM. Howard called for his ride. We relaxed with a glass of wine while we waited and worked out some more details of the upcoming trip to San Diego and did our best to solve the problems of the rest of the world. A glass of wine after a day on the water is very inspirational!

A pot of spaghetti, another glass of wine and the evening phone call to Judy wrapped up the day.

25 Nov 2013 – Monday

I was up a 6 AM again so I would have a chance to have breakfast and do a few little chores before the boat got hauled. It was scheduled for 8 AM and shortly after 8 AM there were yard workers at the boat pushing it into the slings of the travel lift.

This is where the “up in the air” part starts. In a few minutes, Laelia was hoisted into the air and moved to a location where one of the workers could use a high pressure spray to remove as much of the marine growth on the bottom as possible. See picture to the right.

Another half hour and Laelia was parked with blocks under her keel and big jack stands to support her. Then, nothing happened. I had expected that since I was first in line, they would start immediately with the sanding to clean up the bottom and get ready for painting. I made a trip to the office to find out why there was no action.

This is where the next part of the “up in the air” comes in. Surprise, surprise! Although I was first in line today, there were boats left over from last week that were before me in the work queue. They wouldn’t be able to start until Tuesday. That meant that they would not be finished by Wednesday PM. The yard will be closed from Thursday thru Sunday for Thanksgiving weekend. I would be back in the water Tuesday or Wednesday next week. I am literally high and dry – living up in the air - until then.

That put the kibosh on the Angel Island plan. I was left wondering how I would live on the boat for the next week. I had visions of not being able take showers for the coming week. I would have no heat because I had no power. Even washing dishes was going to be a gigantic hassle. The sink normally drains into the outside water. If I drained the sink in my new situation, the dirty water would run out onto the pavement. This was obviously unsanitary and would certainly attract adverse attention from the boat yard operators.

But the yard is used to dealing with live aboard boat owners. They hooked up power and gave me a key to the showers at Grand Marina next door. I figured out how to wash dishes by stoppering up the sink, washing dishes in a big bowel and dumping all of my wash water into a bucket on board. I emptied the bucket into the toilet in the men’s room. No problem!

However, this begins to put a crimp in my plans – even beyond missing the Angel Island cruise-out. Originally, I had hoped to move out to Half Moon Bay after the cruise-out. The antenna problem had already changed that plan since Hansen Rigging couldn’t look at it until Tuesday. The boat has to be in the water so it might even be a day later. Also, I needed to have two other important items taken care of. The big one was the setup for anchoring. I haven’t been able to find a readymade, bolt-on anchor roller with the functionality I need and the robustness that would withstand having the boat pitch and yaw while the anchor is being pulled in. The second thing is installing a tubular steel section in place of the lifelines in the cockpit area. It is needed as a mount for the solar panels.

I spent the rest of the day working on hooking up the AIS unit to the VHF transceiver so I can have a constant GPS position displayed on the VHF screen. I don’t understand why the manufacturer (Icom) makes these two units that are supposed to work together but there are no connectors to make that happen – only unterminated wires. Now I have an ugly bundle of wires hanging out of the AIS and running across the back of the navigation station.

26 Nov 2013 – Tuesday

Made a trip out on the bike for some groceries and the inevitable trip to West Marine. Spent the day installing stuff on deck – an additional cleat on the main mast, cleats on the cockpit coaming, a mast steps near the base of each mast – the first step to climb the mast was too big a step. I’m trying to get work done on deck in case the weather turns unpleasant.

 

I have some work to do that requires access to the cockpit lockers - so, once again, everything comes out of the lockers and the cockpit becomes a disaster area.

The yard got started on the bottom job today. They sanded off the remaining marine growth and applied paint to all of the areas they could reach. There are still some spots where the support stands touch the hull that they won’t be able to do until the existing paint dries and they can move the stands.

I contacted Mario Gonzales – the owner and sole employee of Alameda Marine Metal Fabrication and asked him to look over the anchor roller installation and the railing modification. He said he would come by in the evening but didn’t show. Not a promising beginning!

27 Nov 2013 – Wednesday

Another shopping trip – West Marine and Home Depot for bits and pieces I need.

Mario Gonzales came to the boat and looked over what I need to have done. He gave me an estimate for the work. It will leave me with way less money in my bank account than I was hoping for when I set sail but I don’t have a lot of choice in the matter. These are both essential items. But this leaves me still further “up in the air.” Mario was kind of vague about when he could finish. I explained that if I didn’t have the work finished on time, I would lose my crew for the trip to San Diego. He said he thinks he can have it all finished by the end of next week. That leaves me with about a week to do some shakedown and to move out to Half Moon Bay.

The picture to the right shows the area where then new bow roller is supposed to be installed at the far end of the teak platform. Imagine a set of rollers that allow chain (with an anchor attached to the end) to roll over the end of the platform. It has to be more than a simple roller because the boat may be bobbing up and down and slewing from side to side as the anchor is being lowered or retrieved. Open rollers would allow the chain to jump out of the rollers and jam between the platform and the bow pulpit. Not good! The assembly has to be strong since Laelia's design weight is 17,500 lbs and because the masts and rigging create a fair amount of windage. Between the two, the forces acting on the assembly can be destructive if the assembly is lightweight. More on this later when I get the new assembly mounted.

I am supposed to supply the actual rollers for the assembly so I went shopping. My first stop was a place called Blue Pelican Marine Nautical Consignments. I wish I had found this place before I started buying boat parts. I could easily have saved myself over a thousand dollars by buying used parts. I may still be able to use them for some remaining items. However, they didn’t have the rollers so I walked on down the street to Svenson Marine’s chandlery. They had the rollers. I have been told that their prices are better than West Marine’s but for this item they weren’t. But then again, the rollers are made of a different (and hopefully better) material.

The big accomplishment for the day was getting the masthead tri-color navigation light wired and working. It is a multi-function device that has the red, green and white navigation light as well as an anchor light (shows white all around) and a flashing white light. I had hoped to put the function selector next to the companionway where I could reach it from the cockpit but that would have meant tearing up the boat to string three wires behind various panels. I am not up to doing that right now so the switch ended up at the base of the mast in the cabin. It’s not ideal but it is workable and doable in the time I have available.

The last of my botched order from West Marine was delivered this evening. Lauren, the manager of the store, delivered it personally after she got off work. I am impressed! Keep in mind that this is Thanksgiving Eve and she had to drive up I-880 during rush hour to do it.

28 Nov 2013 – Thursday – Thanksgiving Day

So, here I am - still. The good news is that it looks like all the work is done that needs to be done before Laelia goes back into the water. In addition to the bottom job, Laelia got waxed. She looks better now than she did when I bought her two years ago. She had accumulated quite a collection of scuff marks from docking attempts that rubbed against the rubber bumpers.

I decided to use the holiday to take my time getting started, take a shower and get caught up on this blog. So that brings me up to date.

Things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving Day:

I am thankful for a sunny day on what was forecasted to be overcast with a chance of rain.

I am thankful for Judy. She brings warmth and joy into my life. She has chosen to stick with me and support me in this endeavor even though it is not something that she wanted.

I am thankful for my four daughters. They have been my teachers as well as my children. They have grown up to be people I respect and admire – as well as love.

 

I am thankful for my three granddaughters who are also becoming wonderful adults. I wish it were possible to see more of them.

I am thankful for my good health and this opportunity to pursue a 40 year old dream.

I am thankful for my friends, co-workers, acquaintances who have encouraged me on this venture.

I am thankful for pancakes – hot off the griddle, slathered with butter and drowned in syrup.

 

There is so much more...

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.

I expect the next weeks to be pretty busy but I do hope to update this blog at least once more before departing to San Diego sometime around Dec 15^th.