The old taps are gone!

A tiny quirk that has bothered me since we bought the boat has been fixed!

I know, they are just taps.  But, for me, they were like that first scratch on a brand new vehicle.  They stuck out like a sore thumb.  They had to go.

My idea of going like brand for like brand,  even after calling Moen for technical advice, still resulted in brute force and ignorance.  Those old taps just didn't want to go.  In the end, I took a saw to them and cut them out.

Old tap.  New soap dispenser already in place.

New taps.

In a related story.  Kerri has wanted to get the cockpit combing pads re-upholstered.  So, we started removing them.  Port side, starboard side no problem.  This is easy.  Then the transom???  How did they bolt these on?  We got one nut off, but how were we going to get the others.  Even if we get them off, how would be reattach them?  The only access to the nuts was from down below decks and up inside the transom.  About a 3 ft reach.  I would never be able to thread a nut back on.  It's time to call Ocean for some hints.  Well...  you don't remove all the nuts.  The one we had removed was a locking point.  The others, were in a key hole type arrangement.  Slide the whole unit to the left about 3 inches and there are holes to pull out each bolt.  Thirty seconds later the final pad was removed.  Thanks Tom!

Good thing I hadn't resorted to my usual brute force and ignorance.

Ian

It's good to be home.

Even though the folks at Bay Moorings in Penetanguishene treated us well, it sure is nice to be home.

I have got stuff to do!

Those old taps are almost gone.  They are now damaged beyond repair.  It's not that I wasn't committed before, but there is no turning back now.  I thought that by replacing Moen taps with Moen taps, that this job would go smoothly.  Plug and play?  In the last 10 years, they have even changed the thread on the soap dispenser bottle.  Nothing is the same.  So much for that brand loyalty idea.  Back at the Ocean factory, it looks like they installed the plumbing and taps before dropping in the sink.  I REALLY, don't want to have to remove the sink to complete this job.  I will say that they made this job a little tougher than it needs to be.

I have a set of dinghy davits in the front living room.  They have been there for close to month.  They have to go.

Not to be out done.  Kerri has a new table that she bought for the cockpit.  It is set up in the front living room as well.  I won't lie.  I am not a fan of this table idea.  My money says it finds it way to a beach fire somewhere.  I bet it never sees the Bahamas.  It too, needs out of the front living room.  After that, it had better be on it's best behaviour.

We have got three Icom VHF radios onboard Knot Yet.  I have heard nothing but good things about their radios and couldn't be happier to have them.  Except one of them, it's mic cord has degraded terribly and the sheath is all but gone.  Just the individual wires remain, it's not long for this world.  I met the Icom Canada rep at the Toronto Boat Show.  He set me up with a contact to get me a new mic.  Except, the guy sent me the wrong mic.  Come on, man!  It looks like I have to box that up and send it back.  We have surprisingly little marine support in our area, considering that we live right on a lake.

My to do list hasn't got a whole lot smaller.  Still lots of purchases to be made before we leave.  Unfortunately, the boat name suits me.

If anybody can point me in the right direction regarding PLBs vs. EPIRBs or both, I sure would appreciate it.

Ian

Having a boat that is 'ship shape' is only part of the adventure.

Kerri and I both took this past week off.  The objective was to take care of some of the finer details that require our presence.

Insurance.  We all know how much fun insurance is.  Naturally, it got shoved to the back burner.  But, the time has come and it is all taken care of now.

OHIP (that government provided health care that we all take for granted), well it turns out they are a lot more flexible than I ever gave them credit for.  And, thanks to a very knowledgable, pleasant and easy to understand Customer Care Representative at Ontario Services, I was soon on my way to printing out the required forms and applying for my 1 year out of country coverage.  It turns out you can apply for up to 2 years of out of province coverage as long as you meet their exemptions list and maintain a primary residence in Ontario.

Travel insurance was just as easy, thanks again to another very knowledgable, pleasant and easy to understand Customer Care Representative.  Life is not always this easy and that is why it was worth noting.  My union provides it members with a policy that allows 60 days per trip, out of country travel insurance.  I called them up and coverage was a simple as paying the difference to extend it for a full year.

Vaccinations.  Don't put these off!  We have just enough time to get ours in before we leave.

Now that that is out of the way, how about some fun stuff.

It is time to turn the fishing boat into a cruiser.

Davits.  New dinghy davits are on order.  After much debate, we decided on St. Croix Marine Products Model 820 roll-on davits. http://www.davit.com/roll-on820PullOn.html  As Macara grows bigger, the old 9.8hp complains more and more about putting the three of us up on plane.  (Mom and dad haven't changed a bit, it is all the kid's fault.) A new engine is in our future.  So, we wanted a davit system to match.  Roll-on seemed to be the answer, but I didn't want a system that would launch from only one side.  I guess we will soon see if I am happy with my choice.

Anchor system.  The windlass has a new wildcat (chain) capable of 3/8" rather than the wimpy 1/4" chain that the boat came with.  Last spring, I purchased a very pretty 55lbs stainless steel Delta FastSet anchor, but it doesn't fit the bow roller properly.  I am currently getting that rebuilt.  The original 22lbs Fortress anchor has been demoted to a second anchor.  Sleep is easier with better ground tackle.

The head.  As a fishing boat, you are either at the dock or out in the ocean fishing and as such the boat's  head system has only two choices, to the holding tank or direct discharge with each flush.  The Great Lakes and Intracoastal Waterway are No Discharge Zones, so during that period of the trip we will be valved directly to our holding tank and seeking pump out stations as we get full.  The Bahamas are a different story, pump out stations are few and far between.  The accepted practise is to pump overboard.  I don't want to do that at my anchorage.  I have no interest in swimming right beside were I just flushed.  The plan is to re-plumb the boat so that the only choice is that every flush goes to the holding tank.  Only then I will have the option of pump out station or to go out to sea and 'take the dog for a walk'.  For those that know me, I have a very weak stomach when it comes to this subject.  Watching me work will be quite entertaining (if you enjoy watching a guy suffer).

Communications.  We are having a Wi-Fi and cellular amplifiers installed.  Extending the range of the comforts of home will make the trip more enjoyable.  She is already equipped with satellite TV, I just need to reopen an account.

Making her all pretty.

Taps.  I have always hated the galley taps.  I could never understand with all the appointments this vessel has that it was built with such ugly taps.  This is no longer a problem.

New bolster cushions.  10 years of Florida sun and salt air have taken their toll on some of the exterior fabrics.

A full hull buff and wax.  I used to take great pride in this job on the 30' Sea Ray.  I am going to get Knot Yet professionally done once and then see if I can't keep her up.  She is significantly more fibreglass and on plenty more inconvenient angles.

We should be on the water sometime in April.
As I write this our count-down timer keeps on ticking.  Only 120 days until this is all real.

Toronto International Boat Show

It's winter, well sort of.  We might as well have left the boat in the water if this is all we are going to get.

Just like the last 15 boat shows, once again this one has snuck up on us.  It's like you wake up with a hangover from New Years eve and it is instant panic, "The boat show is in 2 weeks"!

The fine folks at Bay Moorings (www.baymoorings.com) have sent us Guest admission passes to the show.  They sure know how to make you feel like your business matters.  They are now working on getting us in for the Friday night VIP show.  It would be nice to see the show without all the tourists, just real boaters.

Our goal this year is to turn that Sportfish into a Cruiser.  Even though most will never talk to us, because we look like a Sportfish.

1.  We have the anchor and upgraded windlass, still need upgraded rope and chain.
2.  Dinghy davits.  It's novel that a couple RIBs fits in the cockpit, but that is not how I want to live my life.
3.  EPIRB.  We are going to be a long way from help.  It would be nice if we could tell them where we are.
4.  WiFi and Cellular amplifiers to stay in touch.
5.  DC water pump.  I understand we have showers and washing machines now, but I would like to be able to wash my hands without running the genny.
6.  VHF antennae.  Both sides need to go!  Isn't that going to fun to walk around with.
7.  Clothing to protect from the sun, the wind and the rain.

Finally, those aweful white taps in the galley need to go!!!

It's 2012!  We leave this year.  What was once a dream is quickly becoming reality.

Summer of 2011... in pictures

Knot Yet is safely put away in storage as winter threatens to dump down on us any day now.  The days are so short.  There is lots of time to stare at the count-down timer.

Then it hit me.  There is still plenty to do going forward, but I haven't posted any pictures from this summer's trip to the North Channel.

So, like I posted earlier we had guests onboard for the first week.

Some relaxed...

Julie enjoying a book.

Some relaxed maybe too much...

Somebody lost a bet or bet him he couldn't...
but why do I always have to take the pictures?!?! 

We stopped at the mandatory stops...

It's like this all day long for a reason.

Apparently there is more than one way to get there...

It's not just a boater's paradise.

We enjoyed some quality family time...

Learning to blow the sun down with a conch shell.

At least she looks good doing it.

Painting on the rocks with Honey.

We enjoyed the beauty of it all...

Making our way into "Rat Covered Portage".

Not a bad view while you're fishing.

Because I couldn't get the loon picture that I wanted.

The real reason for going...

Look at the size of that fish!

Haul Out :-(

We left a couple weekends open for taking Knot Yet across to Penetanguishene for haul-out.

Yes, Penetanguishene.  Our home port, Wiarton, cannot handle us over the winter.  We do not fit in their indoor storage.

Normally, we try and push our season on to get the end of October in.  But, seeing as we now have to make a trip across Georgian Bay before haul-out, we decided to cut our season a little bit shorter.

Our first choice weekend blew a gale.  Winds blew 40 knots, gusting close to 50 knots.  Waves on Northern Lake Huron grew to 15 feet.  Not quite as big on Georgian Bay, but still no place that I want to be.

Our second choice weekend was Thanksgiving weekend.  Apologies to our family, but we needed to take care of our boat.

Wow!  Did we ever luck out.  Shorts weather and calm winds.  It's hard to appreciate that we need to get this done when the weather is like this.

Saturday is so nice.  I keep telling myself we should get going.  I keep checking on Sunday's Marine Forecast.  But, good things come to those who procrastinate, so we wait another day.

Instead of making our way across the bay, we loaded up for a fall colours tour around Colpoy's Bay for the afternoon.  Fabulous!!!

Griffith Island Lighthouse

Saturday night we have boating friends over for dinner, tell lots of stories and stay up way too late.  I sure hope the weather is nice on Sunday.

It is a charmed life we live, because Sunday is every bit as nice as Saturday was.  Our 9am planned departure crept a little to become a 10am departure, but that could happen to anyone.  ;-)  Regrettably, it is time to leave.  We say our good-byes and cast our lines for the season.

Wiarton Marina.  We have never seen this many boats in the water after us!

The trip across the Georgian Bay and around to Penetang is 62nm.  In conditions like this, it feels like we should do it way more often.  It's hard to remember that it is the middle of October.  We don't see a single boat between Griffith Island and Christian Island.

Christian Island Lighthouse

I have to put a plug in for Bay Moorings marina (http://www.baymoorings.com/).  This was our first time actually meeting the staff and seeing the facilities.  I must say, I have a hard time recalling ever being treated better at a marina.  First impression is I like this place.

The problem with storing your boat almost a 3 hour drive from home... how do you get home?  Easy, phone a friend with a plane.  Thanks Gerry!!!

Kerri getting ready to board our flight home

BTW, the following weekend blew over 40 knots again.

Knot Yet to the rescue.

We got to pull a fellow boater off the rocks today.

Next Tuesday is Macara's birthday, so we suggested that she bring a girlfriend up to the boat for the weekend.  Barely 15 minutes out of town the poor girl gets car sick.  Uh oh, is she going to be okay on a boat.  Turns out she was fantastic!

Saturday we take the girls for a cruise.  We put Knot Yet up on step and ran her out to White Cloud Island, she needed a good run.  Then we put her in sightseeing mode.  We drifted back in along the north shoreline, doing crafts, watching movies, having snacks... down stairs.  Dad had a great ride up on the flybridge :-)

The girls had planned that we would spend the night on the hook.  A south-east wind and a girl that gets car sick.  I don't think so.  Back to the dock.

Sunday morning starts with "let's go for another boat ride."  So, we take them for a short trip to go swimming, do lunch, paint some nails.  All good stuff.  I changed the oil in the genny.

We were almost back to the marina, when we overhear a radio call to the marina requesting help.  A sail boat had been blown up on the rocks and was taking a beating in the surf.  The marina doesn't really have a rescue boat and there weren't a whole lot of power boats on the water.  Lots of sailboats, yes???

We interrupt their call and offer our assistance.  Come on girls, let's go!

We arrive at their location, and yes, they needed help.

A swing keel sailboat, so they had managed to get themselves blown right up on shore.  No place that I wanted to be.  So, I found myself a place in about 9' to 11' of water and proclaimed that I was not coming any closer.  Kerri grabbed one of our spare anchor ropes and a large ball fender and floats it out off the bow.  The rest was pretty much up to them.  I did my best to hold our position backing into a breaking surf while the one poor guy makes his way out over the slippery rocks and through the surf.  The life jacket was a good idea, because he took a beating.  After about 15 minutes he has the line back to their boat.

I start to back away and they aren't moving an inch.  With both guys naturally clinging to the high side, they were driving their keel down and into the rocks.  I couldn't get them on the radio and they couldn't hear us over the wind and the surf.  What we were trying to tell them was to get on the leeward side of the boat.  They thought we were motioning for them to get off the boat.  So, the one guy obliges!  Jeez, now we got one guy in the water, but the boat has broken free.

So, now we are sitting there asking ourselves, "what just happened?"  Were these guys together or was he a cottager that came out to help.  The guy makes his way to shore and starts walking to the nearest cottage.  Nope.  Our rescued boat tosses us our line back and circles back to pick up his buddy.  OH NO!  This doesn't look good at all!  You see this tiny little dock was only 200m or so from where we had rescued him.  Largely the same conditions.  It took 3 or 4 tries, but the guy finally gets on board.  It was pretty much a horror show to watch.  The boat was bouncing wildly!  Bouncing off the dock, probably off more rocks.  Luckily nobody got hurt.

Remember my little birthday girl and her car sick friend?  Well the girl friend is fantastic!  Actually helping out and being a sweetheart.  Macara isn't enjoying this at all!  Too rough, too much drama.  She is worried to death the other folks aren't going to be okay.  She is pretty certain we are in pretty big trouble ourselves.  I am grateful she had her friend along to talk to her, because that would have been just one more distraction for Kerri and I.

Knot Yet is a fine vessel!  I don't think that I could have done this in the Sea Ray.