Category: A New Lifestyle

No, the engine is not back in the boat, the mechanic is still working on it as the components come back from the outside specialists.  But we are making progress, while forward progress is slow, we are moving forward consistently.  The big hurdle is completing the build out of the starboard engine and its reinstallation in the Lady’s engine room.  Once that has been accomplished, the Lady will go back into the water for a sea trial to shake the new engine down and ensure that all is well with it.  We will leave her in the water and move into a maintenance slip for the rest of our stay at the Gingerville Yacht Center.

The Port Engine diesel guy has informed us that things look promising with regard to his tasks and the engine looks well situated.  We also asked him to replace the water pump impellor (it is on the bulkhead side of the engine and difficult to get to) and he is also going to replace all of the hoses to ensure that we have no mishaps with cooling hoses on our voyage home.  In order for the mechanic to access those areas, we will have to remove the galley settee to open the third hatch in the galley floor.  Which means the yacht center crew will have to pull the settee up and cut the covering fiberglass that is over the hatch.  So, for the time that the port engine is being serviced, we will have three large square holes in our galley floor!  Ain’t life grand?

All of our new appliances have been shipped and arrived!  They are currently being stored in the yacht center’s warehouse until the engine work has been completed and the galley floors have been restored (hatches reinstalled).

Most of you have read of my ranting regarding responsiveness of the folks who do the majority of our work to refit the Lady into our vision for her eventual look.  But we have had some really great interactions from some, certainly our electronics guy for one.  He is always responsive and does a timely and efficient installation and check out of any work he does for us.  Tomorrow, Friday the 15th, he will come down to the center and begin the process of installing and check out of the new digital yacht control system with integrates our GPS, Charting, Radar, AIS, VHF Radio and depth sounders into one comprehensive system.  He will also install our satellite television antenna system so that when we are ready to move on board, the old Captain and his First Mate will not have to miss any more PGA golf tournaments.  Other folks have also been timely and exceptional in their responsiveness.

Obviously I can’t say enough about the yacht center’s crew of specialists.  They are always ready and willing to go the extra mile to ensure that the Lady is not wanting for anything from their perspective.

The diesel fuel in the Lady’s tanks had been in there for several years and was in need of “polishing” which is a term for filtering the fuel, agitating the fuel tanks and restoring the fuel to almost new fresh from the pump status, ergo the “polishing”.  The company that was contacted to do this task called me back and scheduled an appointment (HORRORS. an actual appointment?) for 10 am on Thursday last week.  At 10 am exactly, they arrived and began their work.  Within a couple of hours, the approximately 300 gallons of diesel had been restored and my fuel tank was clean of any pollutants or particulates.  YOWZA that’s what I am talking about.  Can you imagine having to remove that much diesel and properly disposed of it, THEN having to fill the tanks with new fuel?  Performing this diesel “polishing” was a true fuel saver for us.  Lucky for us we only have to pump in about 200 gallons when we start our voyage home.  Great service, professional demeanor, good job.

So based on that bit of good news, here is a funny happening regarding appliances for marine environments.  The electric stove and dishwasher were removed when the boat was being prepared to pull  the starboard engine and they were placed beneath the boat for storage, a large tarp was laid across them to protect from the elements.

Once the new appliances were delivered and stored in readiness, I decided it was time to get rid of the old stove and dishwasher.  The refrigerator has already been given to one of the yacht center crew.   There is a business entity here in this Annapolis suburb area that deals in consignment of boating equipment that the owners no longer want or need.  This business basically takes in the items (sails, lines, power cords, you name it, they might have it).  Rather than send the stove and dishwasher to the local landfill, it was thought that this consignment operation might be a place to take these items and let someone else get some use out of them for a very, very cheap price.  So, I called these folks today and described what I had and that any price was acceptable because I really would rather see them reused than trashed.  They did not want the dishwasher at all, but then I described the stove as a three burner, electric marine stove.  The man on the phone said certainly, bring the item down and they has someone who could take it off the truck for me (my yacht broker loaned his large pickup truck).

A small note, today was in the high nineties and low one hundreds in temp and 80 or so for humidity, altogether a pretty crappy day to be out and about period.

I drove the stove over to the store, a member of the staff came out to the truck to look it over.  Then they told me that they only handled propane stoves, so they couldn’t take my electric stove…..  Bear in mind the old man has been out in the sun, heat and humidity for several hours at that point.  So after a few choice sentences, I closed (gently) the tailgate on the pickup truck and left that establishment.  Need I say that I shall never darken their doors again?

Upon arriving at the yacht center and parking near the Lady, I didn’t see anyone around who could help me with removing the stove from the truck, so, with the use of a boat hook I pulled the stove up to the tailgate and then shoved it off and onto the concrete.  Guess it goes to the landfill now, huh?

Now one other little thing and I will let you go, as you may know our yacht came with a davit (marine lifting crane) and a dingy with an 8 horsepower Honda outboard motor.  I noted that the dingy did not have a cover and was exposed to the elements.  I bought a boat cover and an air pump and decided to cover the boat from these rainstorms.  Turned out there was a lot of old water standing in it, the wooden floor had been water damaged and the float sides were showing leakage of the air.  I asked the yacht center crew to remove the boat and check out the Honda engine, since it had been laying in the bottom of the water filled boat.

Turned out the motor was just fine, it started with the first pull of the starter cord.  The boat itself however, was not so lucky. After taking the dingy to an inflatable boat dealer/repair show, it was shown to have a trashed transom and between that piece of wood and the floor, plus the labor involved in finding and repairing the four pin holes in the outer sections, the bill was just under 1500 dollars.

There was a new inflatable dingy in the showroom, that was the right size to replace our old damaged boat.  The guy sold it to me for just about what it would have cost (estimated) for repairing the old boat and we would have a new dingy for the Lady.  Made perfect sense to me and as a result, the Misty Lady has a brand new dingy with an integrated floor (no more plywood floor to get damaged), plus it has a warranty on the boat and all the attachments.

Yeppers, a new boat will rest in the cradle atop the Misty Lady!

We had a recommendation for a person to come to the Lady and reupholster the settee in the dining section of the galley.  His name was Captain Canvas and he was reputed to be quite the character!  Well, he missed our first appointment on Saturday, and called to apologize, saying he would be at the boat on Monday morning.  After hanging around until after noon. I bagged it, telling the center owner that I was done with this guy.  Turned out two days later, the yacht center guy who operates the huge TravelLift told me that Captain had committed suicide that Sunday.  Oh great, now I felt really bad for all the rotten thoughts I had been thinking about his lack of attending.

Still rather unsettled over this, everyone was surprised saying that he was a strange person, a bit weird but a nice guy and very talented.  One just never knows, do one?

Okay enough for now, we are hoping to have the new bridge canvas installed next week and the engine returned and installed next week and the sea trials done, finishing up with the reinstallation of the galley furniture ad the installation of the new appliances.  THEN the Captain, the First Mate and the two Sea Cats will board the yacht and settle in.  We will still be in this area for a while but will be out of the hotel and on our own yacht home!

Fingers Crossed?  Thanks

 

 

 

On Tuesday this week, the diesel mechanic showed up with a sack of tools and an A-frame to begin hoisting the engine out of it’s mounts in the bottom of our boat.  He had a long trailer attached to his truck and gave me the impression that he might be leaving the trailer in place and removing the engine in actuality on a different day.

The focus he said was to get the top parts off to allow the engine to slip through the window of the galley. and then to lift it up and out of the engine bay.  The picture below shows the engine on the A Frame and note that it is out of the hole!

As you can see, by comparing the engine to the large mechanic who pulled it, the Cat Diesel is a rather large engine.  At the back of the engine, is the transmission.  A friend said that the transmission looked awfully small for such a large engine and boat.  I reminded him that the thing only had two gears, forward and reverse.  D’oh

I spoke with the mechanic at the time of this picture and was given to believe that it might not be removed that day.  Said more work needed to be done before takin it out of the boat!  I left the yard and worked on some other tasks (no not another phone thingy).  Later that afternoon, I drove back to the yacht center and as I drove down the hill into the yard and noted the mechanic’s truck backing up from the hill road, out of the center.  When I got to the bottom of the hill, I pulled over and spoke with two of the center folks asking what he was doing.  They told me that they had already pulled the engine out of my boat, loaded it and the new one I bought on his trailer.  He couldn’t make the hill climb the first try and was backing up to get a better running start.  See with TWO diesel engines on the trailer, along with heads, and other misc components, his truck just didn’t have enough power to move that load up the hill.  On the second try, he made it to the top and my engines were on their way to the guy’s shop.  There he will send some components out to be scanned and evaluated as to whether they are still viable and can be returned to service on the new engine, or if not, they will have to be replaced.  So, because I was not aware that it was coming out, I missed some truly exciting photos of this process.  BUT, you can bet your bippy, that I will be standing there with both my phone camera and m big Canon camera.

At this point we are expecting approximately a two week period until the engines are returned with the new one to be reinstalled and the old one to be sent off to the company we bought the new engine from to receive a refund of my 2,500 dollar “core” charge.

Also, the diesel fuel that had been in the fuel tank for around 7 years was to be polished and prepared for our new engines and our initial voyage home to the DC waterfront.  The fuel service company had scheduled a time of 9 am on Thursday.  Naturally, my inclination following weeks of minimal commitment by contractors, was to disbelieve them.  Funny thing, at 9 am exactly the guys showed up with their trailer and equipment.  They went straight to work and ran my fuel through their system three times, each time getting the fuel more clear and clean.  The entire process tool slightly over an hour and the cost was the smallest fee I have paid yet!  What a day?

The yacht center crew also removed our dingy from the upper after deck and cleaned it up/  The took the Honda outboard engine into their shop to check it for ability to start and run/  The photo below is a picture of the outboard engine on a work rack without the engine cover.  Turns out with all the exposure to rain and wind, that little Honda engine started right up, after they pulled the plugs and cleaned them.

The cover is on the bench right behind the engine.  The floor wood of the dingy was not so lucky.  It was significantly water damaged and will need to be replaced.  Not a costly thing however.

The yacht center crew also started the process of treating the bottom of the boat in preparation to apply two coats of anti-fouling paint.  This will keep those pesky sea critters from attaching themselves to the boat and making a meal out of the paint.

The new washer and dryer have arrived and will be installed as soon as the technicians can get to them and on board the Lady.  Some structural modifications will be required to install these two appliances since the boat was not originally designed for this type of appliance combination.

Then once the engine has been reinstalled, the yard crew will replace the floor panels  install a fiberglass repair to stabilize the panel insertion, we will begin the process of preparing the Lady to receive her owners and the two sea cats.  The yard crew will reinstall the galley cabinet, the new stove, dishwasher and refrigerator in the galley.  We will then install a new granite countertop on the galley cabinet.  The bottom painting will be completed during this phase.

At that point we will then hoist the yacht with the huge Travelift and put her back into the water.  The picture below shows our new GMC Terrain Denali but in the background you can see the actual Travelift.  It is a huge blue beast.

Those big straps will be placed under the Lady’s hull and she will be lifted up into the air and then moved over to the “haul out” slip and lowered back into the waters.  She will be very happy to return to her natural habitat and so will WE!!

Another good thing that happened this week is that the graphics people sent us final proofs for the name plate and the stern name graphics for our new name.  So shortly her old name will be permanently removed and her new legal name will be posted for all to see and marvel in awe.

Our new bridge canvas is scheduled to be delivered and installed around the 15th of July and the Misty Lady will begin to shine under her new color scheme of White and Navy Blue.

We still have some decorative things to accomplish but these can be done while we are back living aboard.  The owner of the yacht center has reserved a slip for us that has a good side finger pier and access to the stern which will accommodate the movement of items from the shore to the boat along with all of our personal belongings.  AND most important, the coffee pot!

More to come as things progress.  We are looking at a sea trial to evaluate the new engines and some refresher lessons for the old man (new lesson for Char) on piloting a yacht of this size.  We will learn how to use the engines rather than a rudder to move into a slip and most daringly, up to the fuel dock for taking on new supplies of diesel.

Stay tuned for these upcoming events, should be interesting.

 

 

Well quite a few things have happened with the Misty Lady since our last posting.  Let me bring you up to date.

First, the saga of the IPhone.  I am now using IPhone number 4 since I purchased the first one at the beginning of May.  I know, what the heck right?  Anyway, phone number one suffered a cracked face when I was talking with the yacht center manager and a boat owner brushed by me heading into the office.  My IPhone was bumped out of my hand and wouldn’t you know, instead of landing on the protected back, it fell face down on the gravel lot.  CRACKED face lens,,,,

I foolishly took it to the Verizon store, expecting that they would immediately replace this new phone (paid 700 dollars for it).  Was told that I had to file a claim with the insurance company, Assurian.  Suffice to say a lot of back and forth, a remanufactured IPhone from the insurance company (was a piece of trash), and finally the acquisition of a new phone from the Apple store and their protection program ensued.  During this process I let the phone store manager know that they were in danger of losing a 35 year customer.  Since he was less than 35 years it evidently didn’t matter to him.

The replacement phone sent to me by the Verizon insurance program insurer was a REMANUFACTURERED device, not a new phone.  So I paid them 199 dollars as the difference requirement (the phone wasn’t worth the deductible amount actually).  I gave them a phone that was less than two weeks old and they gave me a piece of garbage with a failing internal component.

Now, I am on IPhone number 3 at this point!!!  When the Yacht management indicated that we would haul the Misty Lady out and put her “on blocks” for the major tasks of removing and replacing our starboard engine, the yacht broker and I began the process of removing the lines, disconnecting the shore power and preparing to drive the boat out of the slip and into the haul out slip.  While coming down the ladder on the afterdeck to get to the swim platform and remove the stern lines, I head a clunk noise and turned in time to see new IPhone number 3 bounce once and drop into the water off the stern of the Lady.

Was I upset?  Of course.  A thousand dollar’s worth of phone (not counting the original 700 for the first phone, was just swimming down toward the bottom of the slip.  YIKES!  Well you can imagine my consternation!!  Had a couple of cards (not credit cards thankfully) in the phone cover (nice well constructed leather case).  After we got the boat out and on blocks, I left to see what Apple was going to do for me.  NOTHING unless I brought them the phone!  Seriously?  The fact that I informed him that the phone was in the water?  Said he needed the phone, no matter what it’s condition was.

I purchased an ultra cheap phone at the Verizon store and I noted the store manager stayed very far away from me.  I didn’t realize I was that angry but I guess it showed.  One of the folks at the yacht center saw the new phone and asked about the Apple IPhone.  When I told him the story, he said surely I wasn’t going to just leave the phone in the water.  Told him that I really wasn’t ready to go swimming looking for that phone.  He then introduced me to the benefits of DIVERS!!!

Gave me a phone number and when I called the guy actually came out that day!  Wonders!  We now refer to him as Diver Dude.  He pulled out his equipment, put on his wet suit, tossed a “bell” anchor into the water at the spot I indicated the phone went in.  He then put on the air mask and jumped in the water.  After about five minutes, he started to surface and I though that he couldn’t find it when he actually popped out of the water and slapped my IPhone on the dock beside me.  YEA!!!  I wrote him a check for 150 dollars and took my soaked phone back to Apple.  They actually gave me a brand new phone and helped me set it up.  I had to take it back to Verizon to get the phone number reset from the cheap throwaway phone to the new IPhone and I was back in business. Now am using IPhone number FOUR!!  Four IPhones within less than a month.  Should have stayed with my old standby Android Samsung units!  But also, now I know that if I ever get another cracked phone screen, I will go to Staples and pay them the fee to replace the screen instead of paying hundreds upon hundreds for a series of new phones.

But thanks to Diver Dude, we are back in business with our IPhone and IPad duo.

More later about the boat, but folks were telling me that I should relate the IPhone experience!  Really?

 

 

 

 

Well it has been a few days since my last entry and some things have changed, some for the better and well, let’s not go there.  Positivity is the watchword right now.

We moved the Misty Lady from her maintenance slip around to the “haul out” slip to be lifted out of the water by the huge Travel Lift machine.  Getting the Lady out of the slip, around the point and into the haul out slip was a true herculean effort and I applaud our yacht broker, Walt for excellent seamanship to move this huge boat with only one engine (designed to move with two, not one), and get her around the tight spaces and into the slip.

Actually we stopped her about 20 feet from the slip to let Walt and I disembark (not allowed to have human beings on a boat being hauled).  Then we all gathered together to push, pull and say a few words until she was bow first into the travel lift pickup.  The operator halted our forward movement and then asked me if she had stabilizers, when I answered yes, we had to pull her back out a bit so the straps could be adjusted for the additional function of our stabilizer units.  Then we repeated the process to move her into the haulout slip.  The travel lift operator started the process of lifting the Lady up, up and out of the water.  Unfortunately at the time, I could not photograph that process. Because at the time, my iPhone was resting on the bottom of the slip waters where it fell as we were removing the lines.  Yikes!  That is another story altogether… later!

When the boat had been lifted high enough to clear the area of the dock/piers, the Travel Lift operator moved her further on land and into an area where the yard technicians would perform a powerwash to clean her bottom of little critters that like to cling and eat away the paint, not to mention slowing the boat speed.  This process took another 20 minutes or so but the creatures, the water slime and mud stuff were finally washed off and on the ground cover designed for this process.

Once the Lady’s bottom hull had been washed, she was moved to a section of the yacht center where she was “put on blocks” so that maintenance functions and eventually the bottom painted with anti-fouling paint could be performed.  This is a picture of her sitting on the blocks:Doesn’t she look rather sad just sitting on those blocks on DRY LAND?  BTW the car sitting in the right foreground is our new GMC Terrain Denali small suv.

Once the lady was on the blocks and the stabilizing stands were positioned under her hull, the yacht center technicians began prepping her for the removal of her starboard engine.  The original plan for cutting a hole in her side was sacked because of the position of the engine and that the hole would actually have to be partially below the water line.  Bad news for boats of any size.  So the decision/plan was laid out to remove the galley cabinet along with the stove and the dishwasher to expose more of the galley floor over the engine.  Then a hole would be opened up over the engine to allow the diesel technician access to the components and enable them to raise the engine straight up and out of the galley floor section.  This is what the galley floor hole looks like and you can see the engine on the right.  It is painted white.  The hole on the left is the normal engine room hatch and the red engine is the AC generator set that provides electricity while underway.  We actually have two of these generators.

This photo below, shows the panels that were cut from the floor and which will be replaced and new fiberglass sealing will be performed when the new engine is in place.  They are leaning against the bulkhead with the orange bucket in front of them. You can see the port galley window just to the left of this shot, this is where the engine will actually be removed from the boat.  A forklift will be use to insert the forks, lift the engine in the cradle and slowly and carefully back away until the engine is fully clear of the boat.  Of course the guys will have to remove the entire window (frame and all) first.  Once the new engine is prepped with the good components and any new replacement parts, it will be installed in a reverse of this removal process.  Care and professional expertise are critical to avoid major damage to the yacht bulkheads, flooring, and the windows.

The photos below are a close-up of the blocks that the Lady is resting on for her time out of the water.  The steel thingies are stabilizing units that can be adjusted to ensure that the yacht stays in place and does not slide off the blocks.  Disaster if that happens!  Photo 2 shows a close-up of the stabilizer for this yacht.  There is one of these on each side of the hull.  They move under sea conditions to maintain the stability of the yacht underway.  She will not rock from side to side when the stabilizer system in turned on.

Yeah, I know her bottom looks pretty bad. But when the guys finish sanding and applying the anti-fouling paint and the replacement of gelcoat where needed she will look brand new under there.  Those little sea creatures that attach themselves to the hull can really screw up the looks right?

We ordered the new appliances and they should arrive shortly.  We were given a delivery ship of two weeks which would have fit perfectly with the replacement of the new engine and the reinstallation of the galley cabinets.  Wouldn’t you know!  These guys were super efficient and yesterday we received notification that the appliances (except the washer and dryer, naturally) have shipped.  They will have to sit on the floor in the yacht center’s storage until the major repairs have completed and the cabinetry is ready to go back into place.

Now if only the contractor workers could be that efficient!

And oh yes, we are STILL in that darn hotel.  Needless to say, cabin fever is starting to bite us in the fanny and the “sea cats” are not amused.

More as the things progress.

 

Well, folks, you can count on the fact that this old man is not full blooded Irish.  That Irish luck has eluded us with the status of the Misty Lady.

The diesel technician pulled the head on the starboard engine only to find that one of the pistons had melted the aluminum top into the compression chamber of the head.  The starboard engine is TOAST.  Break out the check book.

Thanks to the internet and to a couple of sharp diesel advisors, I just this morning ordered and paid for a replacement engine to be mounted in the Misty Lady.  As this process transpires, I will try to photograph the steps.  Delyn has determined that the port engine is okay, just needs some work and it will be good.  The compression is well within tolerance and the exhausts do not smoke.  The engine does have a fuel delivery problem, since we have to spray ether to get a start.  Delyn has indicated that the fuel pump system will need to be repaired but this should not be a huge expense.

So, the starboard engine will be removed, the functioning components removed and installed on the new engine.  How do they accomplish this, since the engine is well below decks and beneath the galley sink and work cabinets?  First, they must cut a hole in the side of our yacht.  The mechanic will work with the yard technicians to identify the area of the hull that will need to be cut.  They will then use a special saw and cut through the side, opening a hole large enough to have a chain attached to the engine and a fork lift to hoist the entire engine up and out of the hole.  This hole thingy did not please us, but evidently it is a standard process to change out one of these large yacht diesel engines.  The diesel and the yard specialists tell us that the closure after the engine work will maintain the entire hull integrity, so we feel better about a huge cash in her side.

The remanufacture company president assured me that the engine will ship first thing this coming week.  Given land transport, expecting about five to six days from the shop to our location.

My goal is to ensure that work on other aspects of the Misty Lady’s upgrade will continue while she is hauled out and on blocks in the yard.  We still have flooring to be laid, fuel to be polished and a washer/dryer combination to be installed.  We will also install a new refrigerator at this time.  Wall treatment options are being evaluated at this point as well.

Good wishes and thoughts as we move through this time and trial.

 

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.