(OK! Here's the deal, it's now 5/6/2003. I know, I lost 2002. I am not that
good at writing to begin with. I kept thinking I could bring the log up to
date. IT'S NOT HAPPENING! Andi suggested I start from now. At least that way
there would be something. I agreed.
I will try to
bring you up to date on some of the neat stuff in the past as we go along.
By-By.
05/06 Key West, FL, USA
(24.34N 81.48W) - We arrived in Key West at 1:45 on 4/15 and anchored just
north of the Cost Guard Station. We are just over 1/2 mile from the dinghy
dock in town. The cost is $20 week / $60 month to land the dinghy.
Bed race through down
town.
Mallory Park Daily Sunset Gathering
The weather has ranged from sunny and clear to rain, 60 mph wind, 6 ft seas
in the anchorage, and hail. Yes hail, ice from the sky.
The day of the storm, we were in town. We came back during a lull, just before dark, to
find DNA had drug about 500 yards. A lot of boats had moved, four that we
know of had there dinghies flipped upside down by the wind. DNA's main cabin
was a shambles. The only thing that was still in it's place was the TV and the
computer. The TV was tied down, the computer was luck. The aloe plant on the
map table was up side down and dirt was every where. DNA had been anchored on
the edge of the anchorage and drug into the turning basin, along with two
other boats. Because another storm was forecast for the following day, we
moved a little closer behind the island and set a second anchor. The
first storm came out of know where and was not in anyone's forecast.
Some new friends,
who was also in town, had taken a mooring in the city's mooring field. It was
also missing when they returned. She had snapped two mooring lines and sailed
through the field, across a shallow area and hit another boat in the next
anchorage. Estimates to repair both boats is in the thousands thousand.
Another boat was chained to a mooring. The chain snapped and they hit two
other boats. It makes you think twice about taking a mooring when bad
weather is coming.
Update 05/12 - We are in Key West waiting for a window to run out to the Dry Tortugas. The wind has been 15-20 for
2 weeks. We started once and came back, after an hour. It was like being in a 2-3 foot wake from a big cruiser, with no end sight.
"IF IT AINT FUN, DON'T DO IT." It's a boat rule.
Oh, by the way, Never anchor at 24-34.163N 081-48.056W.
That's just north-east of G-31. That's where we re-anchored after the storm.
The next evening we felt a jerk and the sound of the anchor chain. When we
went forward, we found the snubber line snapped and the chain pointing
straight down. I let out another 20ft and rigged another snubber. The next day we got out the compressor and diving rig we
had built in Jacksonville (see the "New equipment:" section at the
end of Log 2000-2).
When we dove on the anchor, we found the chain was interlaced with a ship
wreck about 15ft down. Our new friend wanted to try out our new diving system
so he spent about 20 minutes un-lacing the chain and another 15 exploring. The
only one that wasn't happy, was a lobster living under the wreck that was
holding the chain. There is a wreck showing on the chart. Either it has moved
just south-east of it's marked position or we found another one.
05/13 Marquesas Key (24.33N 82.12W) - Pulled anchor about 8AM and headed for the Dry Tortugas. The Marquesas are a small group of islands, and a safe anchorage, about a third of the way there. We dropped anchor at 1:15PM, 2 miles west of the islands, and got DNA ready for a heavy rain that was starting. When it was over, we had taken a good shower, on deck, and collected 10 gal of drinking water. After the rain, we noticed a disturbance in the water next to the island. It was like a small tornado about 50 ft high and growing. When it was about 100 foot, we saw a black tail coming down from the ski above. Luckily, if fell apart before connecting with the water.
05/14 Dry
Tortugas (24.38N 82.55W) - We dropped anchor in front of Fort Jefferson at
3PM, an 8 hr motor trip with no wind. The weather is nice, the water is clear,
and Fort Jefferson is cool.
Update 05/20 - We have been here a week, and had a
ball. We spent one day exploring Loggerhead Key. Loggerhead is about 2.5 miles
from the fort and has a working lighthouse and several reefs. The couple that
live there, volunteer to stay for one month a year and take care of the place.
They are boaters like us. They live on there trawler traveling the rest of the
year. The volunteers receive no pay and must provide everything except water, electric,
and a place to stay. There is a seven year waiting list for the job.
We spent the day getting acquainted, exploring the
island and exploring the reef. I did make one small mistake that you may want
to avoid. The front side of the island has a steep sandy beach and that day
the water was a little ruff. When I beached the dinghy, the bow went UP on the
beach, the stern went DOWN, and the waves started coming OVER the transom flooding
the dink. We managed to get her back in the water and walked around the
other side of the key where the water was calm.
This was our first time snorkeling on a reef. In the
past we have used a glass bottom bucket from the dink. Not being a strong
swimmer, I elected to wear a ski vest. I couldn't have went as far or
stayed as long without it. Andi had only mask and fins and had no trouble. The
reefs were super and there were several fish that looked as big as we were.
Another couple from the anchorage joined us and we had a ball.
We snorkeled around Fort Jefferson's outer mote wall,
relaxed on the boat, explored the fort and it's grounds, and attended a
pot-luck with some of the other boaters.
The park is open from sunrise to sunset. One night
after the park was closed, a ranger dressed in the wool dress uniform of the
period, gave the boaters a lantern tour and history lesson of the fort. He
even gave a demonstration of rapid (3 times a minute) firing a mussel loading
rifle. For working in the dark, he did a super job. It was cool experience for
us. The ranger, on the other hand, lost about 10 pounds under all that wool.
We had planed on leaving today, but another couple we
wanted to travel with wasn't ready. We now plan on leaving at first light in
the morning. The problem will be the wind. It is beginning to build and will
be right on our nose.
05/20
Marquesas Key (24.32.547N 82.09.017W) - We left the fort at 6:30AM and dropped
anchor at 6:30PM. 12 hour's with the wind on the nose. Once we tried to fall
off and sail with the jib the wind shifted, the jib ripped, and we went back
to motoring.
When we arrived, thunderstorms in the area made our
previous anchor spot a little to ruff. We moved to the south side of the
island where we had 8ft of water with shallow water on three sided. Holding
was good and there were three boats with lots of room.
05/21 Key West,
FL (24.33N 81.48W) - We arrived in Key West after another 7hr motor trip
with the wind on the nose. The trip to the fort took 13.25hr with no wind and
the trip back took 20hr with the wind on the nose. We anchored across from Key West beside
the islands. The view is nicer.
Update 05/22 - View isn't everything. While the view was
good, the holding wasn't and boat traffic seem to come from everywhere. We
move to our old spot at the end of the harbor.
Update 06/12 - Still in Key West. We made two, disappointing,
trip's out to the reef. One trip the water was cloudy and the next trip the
water was too ruff. We have ,made several trips to town to take in a
movie, do laundry, ride around on the bus to get groceries and shop. When we do
go in and pay the $4 for the dinghy dock, we usually make a day of it,
finishing up at Mallory square to watch the street performers put on there
shows.
We are about ready to start heading north. It seems everything
is beginning to break. Our small digital Kodak camera quit focusing.
Andi's daughter found a replacement for about one forth the cost Kodak wanted
to repair it.
The dinghy motor is on the blink again. The
needle valve in the Nissan-3.5's carob is falling apart. The same thing
happened in Jacksonville and the local mechanic said he had never seen it
before. They don't have a replacement here so I got out the old one I had
saved. After a few modifications with the rotary tool, and adjustments to the
float system we are back running again. It hasn't stopped once in the last
five trips to town. I took the motor apart so many times, Andi wants to give
it a try next. She says it looks easy.
The main Volvo 2003 is also having it's troubles. The
heat exchanger starting leaking water on the starter which caused the motor to
quit charging and sometime starting. Again there is no parts available in the
area. I don't want to rebuild the motor at anchor in Key West, so again we had
to make some temporary modifications to resolve the problems. We currently
have everything working with string and jumper wire.
The jib we ripped, on the way back from the Dry
Tortugas, was not repairable. We plan on using it as a trade-in or as
material for some special projects, like a riding sail. We replaced it with a
spare that came with the boat. It's much bigger and made of a lighter
material. Can't wait to see how she sails and holds up to the stress.
While I was writing this the stove quit working. It
was only out of fuel. After putting in our last gallon of kerosene it finished
cooking supper without a problem.
We were planning on going back to the Bahamas in
November, after everything is fixed properly. We heard over the SSB this
morning that the check in fee is going from $100 to $300. If it's true I'm not sure
what we will do. I don't believe in going where you're not wanted and I'm sure
we can find
other places to spend money.
Another major problem. Before leaving Jacksonville we
got a Cingular cell for the computer. Because of the cost of minutes, for the
most part, we have limited it usage to banking, e-mail, and looking for repair
parts in the evenings. It has worked perfect until the 5th, When the data link
to the Cingular Network quit working. After several calls and many hours
of working with various levels of very friendly tech support people here is
where we stand. While there was a new system installed at Cingular on the 5th,
tech support has determined the problem is in the phone. All I have to do is
take it back to the service center, where I purchased it in my home area
(Jacksonville FL), and have them check out the phone. It was not a surprise
that no one could relate that we were on a boat that travels an average of 4
MPH in good weather and that our "Home Service Center" was over 400
miles away. We may be back in Jacksonville before you get to read any of this.
06/17
Marathon,
FL (24.42N 81.06W) - We left Key West Sat, the 14th and motored up to Bahia
Honda state park. The next day we got out the snorkeling compressor and
cleaned about 90% of the DNA's bottom. We both took turns until the current
got too strong to dive under. When the tide changed, I felt it was getting too
late to go back in the water.
The next morning we got under way with a noticeable
increase in speed because of the cleaner bottom. After three hours of pounding
into choppy water on the nose and bad weather moving in, we decided to stop at
Marathon till the weather changes. We are also still thinking about heading up
the FL west cost and Marathon is the fork-in-the-road..
Update 06/18 - We took the day off from travel. At a local
marina, we did a load of laundry, took a long hot shower, and Andi exchanged
some books. I was about to carry the computer back over to download the
e-mail, but I decided to try our phone again. You guessed it! The phone has
repaired itself and is working again. I will try to update the page tonight.
We have made the decision to go back to Jacksonville. We
plan on getting underway early tomorrow.
06/23
Miami,
FL (25.45N 80.10W) - We are currently anchored in the Marine Stadium just
south of Government Cut. The anchorage is well protected from bad weather but
the bugs are a real problem. We are using our screens for the first time.
From Marathon we motor sailed to Tavernier Key. There
we returned a chart book to a friend got a long awaited mail run. We also got
the part to repair the dinghy motor. The motor is running good now.
07/01
Titusville,
FL (28.37N 80.49W) - On
6/24 we left Miami heading north on the outside. Wind was good, so we motored
sailed to Fort Lauderdale where we spent the night in Lake Silvia. The next
day was another good motor-sail to Lake Worth. Thursday the 26th was our last day on the
outside. We motor-sailed to Fort Pierce. From there we traveled up
the inter-costal to Cape Canaveral and anchored next to the NASA causeway. A space launch was scheduled
for
Saturday the 28th. The launch was canceled Saturday and Sunday, so Monday
morning we got underway for Jacksonville.
Just before
entering the Haulover Canal, the transmission went out. With the help of Tow
Boat US we are in a slip at the Titusville Municipal Marina.
Update 07/09 - Our original plan was to first remove the
prop shaft that runs through the Volvo V-drive transmission. When we found out
the cost, at a near by boat yard, was almost three times the cost in
Jacksonville, we went to plan "B". After a week of planning, work,
and some help from new friends we met in Key West, we removed the
transmission from the motor and shaft.
We rented a car
and took it to a friend in Tampa that works on Volvos. The same one that
helped us locate the transmission in 1999. After we dropped it off we headed
for Green Cove Springs to get Andi's car out of storage. When we hooked the
battery up, the car started on the first try. We replaced the tag, aired up a
low tire, and Andi started the car and found there were no brakes. We got some
fluid and bled the system. The peddle still went to the floor, so we gave up
and headed back to Titusville.
Update 08/18 - Well, it took two more trips and a $200 repair
bill to get Andi's car. The transmission is still in Tampa being rebuilt. We
hope it will be ready this week. On the 10th, Andi took a bus back to
Chattanooga. The house is currently empty, so she will be working on fixing it
up and making some much needed repairs while I work on DNA.
Update 09/28 - Well Andi took a bus and went back to
Chattanooga TN to do some much needed work on the house. I kept the car to
pick up the transmission and get DNA ready to travel. New sailing friends we
met in the Keys this year, live in the area. The offered to take care of the
car while I take DNA to Jacksonville.
12/31
Jacksonville,
FL - Ortega River Boat Yard (??.?N ??.?W) - A lot has happened in the last
three months. Let me bring you up to date.
When I
got the rebuilt transmission back to DNA in Titusville, the new drive plate
looked nothing like the old one. At first I thought there was a mistake so I looked
up the new part number on the net. That's when I found out exactly
what and why DNA's trans had failed. There is apparently a known problem with the older Volvo
2003s, like the on in DNA. At one point the article stated that the trans has failed with as little
as 500 hours. I checked the log and found DNA's trans had been in operation for
about 535
hours when it quit. If you want to see the detail go to:
http://www.westerly-owners.co.uk/html/body_volvo_gearbox_splines.html
Installation
of the new transmission went pretty smooth. I did it three times so I got good
at it. The second time was to adjust the spacing of the new drive
system. The last time was for safety. When I finished installation number two, I put away all
the tools, cleaned the area, put everything back in it's proper place. While
accounting for the old parts, I noticed one of the 2'' bolts from the old
drive system was missing. After several hours of frantic searching, the bolt
was still missing. Removing the trans for the third time did not yield the
missing bolt. It did restore confidence about where it wasn't.
On 10/1 I moved from the marina to the anchorage to wait
for a weather window. On 10/4, I headed north. Every thing went smooth for the
next 9 hours and I dropped anchor on the north side of Daytona Beach around
5:30 PM. The next morning I got underway around 8AM and arrive at the
Bridge Of Lions in St Augustine about fifteen minutes before the 4:30PM
opening. That's when things started to go wrong.
When I started through the bridge the tide was at
full flow in the opposite direction. Just as I reached the bridge, DNA stopped
making way and began losing ground. A quick trip below found DNA was taking on
water which was almost up to the cabin floor. I powered back, made a U turn
and headed for the anchorage. I quickly dropped anchor and went below to
locate the problem.
The first problem was to keep DNA from sinking.
Because the regular bilge pump appeared not to be working, I began using the
large 2" manual backup pump to lower the water. Two things became
apparent quickly. I was lowering the water and I was very much out of shape.
Pump, rest, pump, rest, pump, rest was the drill till the water level was
under control. I had to remove the starter battery and box to access the shaft and
trans. The shaft key had come out allowing the shaft to turn in the coupler. While
spinning inside the coupler, the prop had driven the shaft forward in the boat and away from the drip less bearing.
This allowed water to enter. I
first I had to remove the coupler and free the shaft so I could slide it back
and stop the water. Once this was accomplished I turned my attention the to
why the bilge pump wasn't working.
The first thing I did was to bypass the
float switch. The pump started working but the water wasn't going down.
After some more investigation I found the hose was appeared clogged. All attempts
to clear it from inside the boat proved unsuccessful. I had to launch the
dinghy to access the drain from the outside. Using a modified coat hanger and pressure from
the bilge pump, the line was unclogged and DNA was soon floating high in the
water again.
Over the next four days, and another failed attempt to get
through the Bridge Of Lions, I worked on DNA. I replaced the float switch with
a spare, only to have it fail after two days. Even the DC charger for the cell
phone quit working. Using hose clamps, I was able to come up with a locking
system to prevent the shaft key from combing out again. Finally, the weather,
tide, and DNA was ready to try again. After about 5 hours of smooth motoring,
the auto pilot drive belt broke. At 3:30Pm I anchored for the night and
replaced the broke belt. It began to rain so I decided to take the next day
off. On 10/14 DNA finally arrived at the Ortega River Boat Yard.
I asked Andi to write the ending entry for the 2003 log.
Andi: We bought an RV.
--- Main Menu
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Ship's Log 2001-2
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Ship's Log 2004
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For awhile now, we have been thinking of buying an RV for traveling during hurricane season. Well, we
finally got a good deal, we couldn't let pass us by. So we are now RV owners too. It's a 1984 26 foot
South wind (Fleetwood). It did need to get the brakes fixed, and the refrigerator
needs work, but overall it is in good shape.
Our first outing we went to Hanna Park and stayed
there a couple of nights.
It really is a different kind of life. Our second outing we went back to Hanna
Park and stayed 3 nights. I enjoyed it, but I think Don is attached to the boat.
On Dec. 28 I took the RV back to Chattanooga.
That was a good experience. I left at 8 a.m. from Jacksonville.
Traffic was light and the RV was running great. At 11:55 a.m. I heard a funny noise and then a flapping
sound. So I pulled off to the side and found that the left inside tire had blown. So there I sat waiting for
someone to stop. About 12:45 a policeman stopped and said if I went slow I could make it to the exit and
call for help. We belong to Good Sam's Club, so I told them I was just off I-75 on exit 149 at the Chevron station about
13 miles south of Macon, GA. They told me it would be about an hour for the guy to get there. Well, an hour
and a half passed, so I called again, and the lady said he's a few blocks away, he'll be there soon. A
few minutes later he drove up and asked if I could drive right across the overpass. That's where the
station is. I was a little upset. The guy said the lady told him I was in Macon on exit 143, stupid lady.
Anyway, the tire got changed in 20 minutes and I was on my way again.
Now it is 3 p.m., which was supposed to be the time I would get there, so now I figured
about 6 or 6:30 p.m. But, SURPRISE! Atlanta was bumper to bumper and inch by inch which took over an hour,
just to get through Atlanta. There was a bad wreck. I
finally pulled in the driveway at 7:30 p.m..
The End.