Month: May 2016

In my last post, (whiny though it was), I mentioned that we would be moving on the Misty Lady and my next post would come from her bridge.  Sadly that will not be the case, this post is still coming from our hotel room!

Seems the laying of floors in a yacht is different than laying floors in a house.  A subfloor must be installed and aligned, a layer of luan plywood (specially water resistant) is then installed and then a layer of moisture proofing compound must be laid down covering the subfloor. Finally the flooring is installed.  Not a one or two day affair.  Especially considering the almost 1,000 square feet of the Lady’s living area.

So we signed up for another week in the Bates Motel!

Lucky for us also is that Delyn Gruver, the diesel specialist will be here tomorrow to get started on the removal of the cylinder heads of our starboard engine. This will make a major determination as to the state of the engine overall.  We are hopeful that Delyn’s discovery will be positive and the length of time for repair will be short and timely.

Our electronics guru Mark Pringle, chief of Nautical Systems International, will be doing two installations over this next week.  The first will be to replace all the outdated control systems, computers, GPS, old no longer functional LORAN systems along with the old nonfunctional radar system, and replace them with highly efficient up to date electronic control systems, including a new GPS, Sounding Unit, VHF radio, state of the art Radar unit and an AIS system that will allow me to see all the craft around me for a 25 mile radius.  Included in these units will be a new digital chart plotter integrated with the GPS and RADAR that will compliment my IPad based system.  This unit will also connect to the new auto pilot.

Secondly, we will have a state of the art Satellite TV system, using DISH TV service, installed on the Misty Lady, which along with our new Internet/Web access system will enable us to communicate over the web, and have our favorite television shows available where ever we are staying.

Why are we doing all this one might ask, primarily because this yacht will be our home and hearth for a number of years in the future.  Obviously we want to have a home that we can be proud of, that our friends and family can visit comfortably and that we will be able to cruise the Atlantic coastal waterways in comfort and style.

I have temporary space for the Lady on the DC waterfront while the “transient” yachts are in town.  So we will have a place to berth the Lady and can enjoy the area around the DC waterfront.  Our hope is that the work will go forward with timely dispatch and we can cast off the lines, pointing her bows toward the Potomac River and home.

Next major task, mechanically speaking will be to have a specialist company come out and “polish” the diesel fuel that is currently in our tank.  See, unlike gasoline diesel fuel can continue to be effective and usable for years, long after gasoline has turned to solids.  The fuel in the Lady’s tank (over 500 gallons) has been in there for over 6 years.  So the polish process will remove the fuel, run it through a series of filters and treatment components and then the clean fuel will be returned to our tank and we can use it as if it were just fresh from a pump.  A bit costly, but far less than draining and refilling with new fuel by a long shot.

Two people have indicated a positive outlook with regard to the diesel problems, indicating that from their observations of our information about the trip and the shut down, is that the odds are very favorable that the engine suffered no catastrophic damage.  I can only hope that they are “smarter than the average bear” in this regard.

Once the flooring is completed, we will move on board with the two “sea cats”, Duchess and Penny.  Once we have an idea of the work effort for the two engines (I am going to have the port engine checked out just to be safe), we will start work on the other facelift aspects, and then have the Lady hauled out and the bottom painted with anti-fouling paint.  While she is out of the water a crew of folks will begin the process of doing a DETAIL of her structure.  Washing, scrubbing, polishing and buffing every inch of her fiberglass exterior.

The yard management and staff will then install our new appliances, including a stacked washer and dryer, a new refrigerator, a dishwasher, a new gimbaled stove (with a glass top), and a new ice maker for the wet bar.

Then when all these have been accomplished, and the old Captain has written the last check to our contractors, we will turn in for our last night aboard in the Edgewater/Annapolis area.  Very early the next morning we will cast off her lines, fire up her engines, start up the generator set and slowly move out of the slip, the harbor and head down the South River to the Chesapeake Bay.  We will then turn south toward the mouth of the Potomac River.  Then a 95 nautical mile run up river to the Washington DC waterfront and home.

Keep good thoughts ladies and gentlemen.  Even though it may sound like we are anxiety ridden, frankly I am having the time of my life and living a dream I have carried around for more than 40 years.

More to come

I have often heard all sorts of analogies about the actions surrounding the acquisition of a boat or yacht.  Most of them involved the money that would be spent.  I have been educated as to the meaning of the letters BOAT.

Bring Out Another Thousand.

Truth that.

Sunday, May 22, 2016

When we motored into the Gingerville Yacht Center in Edgewater, MD we expected to be in this facility at most two weeks.  It has been three weeks and we are still here.

We are currently staying in a long term hotel (meaning rudimentary facility), and had hoped that the stay would only be a week or so.  Again, three weeks later we are still in that single room and the two girls are not happy campers.  Charlotte and I are not exactly filled with joy either.

The major delay is due to Mother Nature, the capricious old broad that she is, and her delight in sending tons of rain to this area.  In the three weeks we have been in the Edgewater area, we have seen two days of not rain.  That is TWO DAYS of dry.  Every day otherwise has seen rain, misting rain, torrential downpour, and gray wet skies and surrounding air.  I thought I was getting a tan, turned out I was RUSTING.

For most of the time we have been in the Edgewater area we have been waiting for a diesel mechanic to show up to give us a diagnosis of what we encountered during the initial trip from Dundalk to Annapolis/Edgewater.  Always too busy to stop by and take a look.  During one of my visits to our home base (the Capital Yacht Club), I mentioned to several members the problem we were encountering with getting an evaluation of our engine problem.  On my last visit, I found a note on the members board with a name and phone number for a diesel engine person (Delyn Gruvener) who was the primary for the Yacht Club members on their boats.  I was informed by a member of the Yacht Club staff that this guy might be able to help, and that he had said we should give him a call.  Folks at the Club trusted this guy with their boat propulsion so I made the call.

The diesel specialist listened to what I had to say regarding what we had encountered.  He indicated that it could very well be a simply coolant hose problem and said he would meet with us and do a diagnostic for our starboard engine either Saturday evening or Sunday morning.  This morning, Sunday, at ten am, Delyn showed up with tools and a professional demeanor.

After a few initial minutes discussing the situation as we knew it, we lifted the hatch to the engine room and he began the diagnosis.  The news was not good.  It was bad, but may be worse.

Best case scenario, we have a blown head gasket and a minor overhaul will have to be performed.  Worst case scenario, we have a damaged engine, beyond repair and a reconditioned engine will be required.  Cost?  Between 5,000 dollars and 30,000 dollars.  Ergo the deal about the letters in BOAT!

Facing this situation, Charlotte and I decided that as soon as the flooring was installed (less disruption for the kitties if we wait until then), we would be moving on to the boat and simply rough it as the other work was accomplished.  The engine work will be done as Delyn has time in his schedule.  He has committed to working on the weekends to get us back seaworthy as soon as possible.  So we will probably move on board sometime mid to late this coming week.  I have a couple of electronic things to get accomplished and some items to purchase before we can actually take up resident, but if things do not go to hell in a handbasket, my next posting to this blog will come from the bridge of the Misty Lady.

BOAT, remember those initials!

More later.

Today, Monday, May 9, 2016 was one of a great excitement as well as one of reflection on loss.

The reflecti0n on loss was the fact that today was the 7th anniversary of the passing of my son, Mike to the disease, Bacterial Meningitis.  We shall miss Mike with every fiber of our being.  We have decided to have a plaque made to dedicate the Misty Lady to his memory.  The plaque will be installed on the bridge where Mike would have loved to be, were he still with us physically.

The great excitement was due to this being the first day of the Lady’s upgrading.  I met with the companies who are going to be major influences on the Misty Lady’s appearance and functionality.  The major influencer was the gentleman who runs the shipyard, and whose actions will mean about 60 percent or better of the work to be done.  Another was the company that will be responsible for installing the flooring and possibly revamping the walls of our floating home.

I met with the owner of a shop that specializes in the canvas sections that make up the bridge walls.  A great wind tore a large segment of the canvass from the rear of the bridge along with the door that led to the after deck.  A critical component in restoring the Lady to her former beauty.

A team will converge on the Lady when she has been “hauled” (removed from the water on huge lifting machines), and they will wash, scrub, polish and in general give her a beauty treatment to all of her external surfaces.

We also made some tentative selections of appliances designed for marine use (washer/dryer, refrigerator, dishwasher, and possibly a stove.  Critical aspects of these items are that they are small enough to fit down the companionways of the yacht yet large enough to be worthwhile in owning.

My plan tomorrow is to take my camera down to the dock and take some “before” pictures of the boat in her maintenance slip.  As things evolve I will be taking more photographs of the progress.

Oh yes, today we also received the temporary documentation certificate from our Coast Guard “Documented Vessel” process.  So now the yacht officially will be known as the Misty Lady and her home port will be Washington, DC.  We also received our insurance binder to the Lady is covered by insurance as well.  I purchased a Sea Tow policy that will protect us, should some catastrophe befall us and we need to be towed in to a port.

So, as I watched that large amount of money leave my account in the Credit Union, I realized that the Misty Lady was truly the property of the Captain and the First Mate.

 

We took possession of the yacht, our new home, this morning in Dundalk, MD.  This is a photo taken of the First Mate and myself (The Captain), as we were preparing to board her for the first time and the owners.  She needs some TLC and some mechanicals before we move fully on board.

At 9 am we began the process of unplugging her shore power lines, the television cables and the dock lines holding her into the slip.  The First Mate was selected to perform the pre-start checklist, and she did a journeyman’s job of it too.  The boat broker was on site to assist in training and advice and coached the first mate in the prelaunch fluid checks (oil in the diesel engines, the transmission fluid levels to ensure that our propulsion would be smooth and steady.

We left the marina and headed out of the harbor area toward the Chesapeake Bay and our ultimate destination, the Gingerville Yacht Center on the South River.  The start was picture perfect, with a beautiful sun, blue skies and a temperature in the upper sixties.  Aboard were, in addition to Charlotte and I, Walt the Yacht Broker, my son Cliff, daughter in law, Becky, our grand daughter Cammie and her little friend, Peyton.

The seas were slight and we moved through the waters very smoothly, partly owing to the stabilizers that this yacht came equipped with.  Our projected arrival time was around 1:30pm.  I was truly enjoying the feel of this large vessel under my control and watching the other boats moving about the Bay.

Suddenly, there was a shuddering, and an alarm sounded.  The starboard engine shut down.  We pulled the throttles back on the port engine and began to investigate.  Turned out some we believe a cooling line popped off, and once the engine reached a certain temperature, it shut down.

We aired out the cabins, calmed the young girls and began to motor on down to the South River (at Annapolis, MD), and the shipyard.  Since we had one engine and the yacht center assigned docking slip was rather tight, Walt the yacht broker was designated to bring the yacht into the yard and into the slip.  All hands were on station and helped Walt as spotters, directors, and shovers (keeping us away from the pilings).

Walt performed admirably and his extensive yachting experience was truly of value as we moved her into the slip with the able assistance of another yachtsman who was on the dock and giving us a hand with sight lines and helping to handle the lines as we snugged her up into the dockage.

We now have added another task to the list of high priority.  Finding the problem and fixing it.

After we had the yacht snugged, and all her lines in place, the folks began to disembark.  My wife drove my son, daughter in law and the young ladies back up to Dundalk to pick up their car.  I remained behind, on the boat and commiserated with her for the injury she received.  We both hope the situation is a reasonably simple solution and she will be shipshape starboard engine wise on Monday.

But, all in all, the lady made it to the yacht center, all of us are healthy and well, and the trip was completed with the boat still above the water.

As my old flight instructor taught us, any landing you can walk away from is a good one.  Same with a yacht.  Any voyage where you reach safe harbor, is a good one.

More later as the mechanical and physical folks take over the lady and give her lots of TLC

 

This morning we will finish the paperwork for the closing and the Coast Guard Documentation of the Misty Lady.  Tomorrow morning, around 8 am we will travel up to Dundalk, MD to the Anchor Bay East Marina and take possession of the yacht.  After a check out, we will start engines, move carefully out of the slip, where she has resided for several years, and point her bow toward the South River, near Annapolis and the shipyard where she will undergo some upgrading, updating and a face lift (clean and polish).

Once we have her in the work slip, the professionals will take over and will perform the miracle of transforming the boat from what she has been to a new, sparkling gem of the Chesapeake Bay and inland waters.

Aboard her initial voyage, will be the first mate (Charlotte), myself, my son Cliff, the yacht broker, Walt, and possibly my daughter in law, Becky and grand daughter Hattie.

Photos will be taken at the point of taking possession, then we will post them.  Fingers crossed that the rains will stop, since the skies have been overcast and raining for over 4 days straight.  Supposed to be clearing a bit and temps in the low 70s.  That will be nice considering that the highs over the past four days have been under 62 and mostly in the mid 50s.  Some May weather, huh?

Charlotte and I, along with both of the Sea Cats (Duchess and Penny) are stuck in this blasted hotel until the work is far enough along that we can move onto the Lady.  Probably (hoping) sometime later part of next week.  Yikes. Although Charlotte will leave for Nashville on Monday for a conference and will return on Saturday, so we probably will wait until her return before moving onto the Misty Lady.

The fur babies are less than pleased at this turn of events.  They had started as part of our family in a three story town home, then a much smaller condo, and now a single hotel room for their living quarters.  Needless to say the cramped quarters are not promoting of a happy pair of kitties.  Perhaps this experience in the hotel will make them appreciate the spaciousness of the Misty Lady more?  Probably not, you know how finicky cats are!

More later?  We have to leave shortly to meet with the broker to sign and notarize papers, then head for the Credit Union to wire the final payment funds.  And then FINALLY we will be yacht owners for real.