October 2013

It’s Wednesday morning at 07:30 and today is the day.  It’s the day that my crew arrives and we depart for our run to Annapolis.  With unfavorable winds scheduled to hit Cape May on Friday it is important that we get out of Dodge today, and as early as possible.

That will be a bit tough for me as I lost all of yesterday to last minute mechanical issues on Pandora.  After tense and awkward discussions with the yard manager, we finally agreed on the “who pays what” details (I find out exactly what I owe today) and a mechanic, or two, attended to Pandora off and on all day.  The problem is that there was a miss-communication about some vibration issues in the engine early on so they were never adequately addressed.  As a result, when Pandora went back in the water there was a moderate vibration in the engine and shaft and it had to be fixed.

After much discussion we decided to pull Pandora out of the water again and have the shaft straightened.  As I had to take the $%^& Max Prop (I am not loving that prop right now) off AGAIN and then remove the shaft to have it straightened at the machine shop.

After the prop was removed, the shaft was pulled out.  They used a neat slide weight to pull it from the coupling and out of the boat.   Now the clock was really running!  Let the payments resume!Luckily, Paul, at the machine shop, who had done some work for me while Pandora was on the hard, was very accommodating and dealt with it right away. Interestingly, when he saw the shaft he recognized it immediately as a shaft that he had made years ago.  I had this shaft installed in Bridgeport at Captain’s Cove.

It’s a small world.  While he doesn’t normally allow folks to watch him work, he let me observe as he worked his magic.  These massive pieces of equipment are really impressive.  To watch him put the shaft in a press and twist it was fascinating. This lathe was a monster.  I won’t go into nauseating detail about the process but it looked like art as he bent the shaft this way and that, finally declaring it true and ready for the high seas.   

However, big equipment and all, the real bills started piling up as the mechanic messed around in the aft cabin tweaking this and that to get the shaft out and back in again.  I don’t know how many times he ran back and forth to his shop to find just the perfect bolt, or two, several times.  While he looks uncomfortable squirming around I can assure you that I was squirming more, not knowing how it would all end up or how much it would cost.  So, when all was said and done, and plenty was said and done, I can assure you. Much of the vibration was gone and Pandora declared fit to head out to see.   Actually, the yard never said that as they won’t take on the liability.  Such is life. 

So, now what?  The plan is for crew to arrive in New London just before noon today.  My good friend Rodney agreed to pick them up and deposit them and me at the marina for our departure early afternoon so I can clean up Pandora and do some last minute shopping. 

As I don’t want to leave my car sitting at the marina for a month till I return from Florida, I have to have someone deposit us at the boat so my car can stay in the garage at home, but I still have to contact door opener experts like A-Dependable Overhead Door Company since it’s currently stuck. Back to the land home for an errand I guess.

It’s about a 36 hour run to the Delaware River entrance from Essex, so let’s hope that the weather holds till we get to Cape May and head up the river and into sheltered waters.  Yesterday was long enough, so I hope that all runs smoothly from now on.  I don’t need too many more vibrations, engine or otherwise, in my life.

I had better wrap this up as I still have to secure groceries and a few last minute items to prepare for our departure.

Don’t forget to watch on “where’s Pandora” if you are interested in where and when we are.   For inquiring minds…

When Brenda and I took Pandora to Newport a few weeks ago for a shake down cruise after all of the work I had done and had done this summer, we wanted to be sure that everything was in perfect order prior to heading south for the winter.

When we left the marina, bound for Newport, I noticed a vibration in the prop shaft at cruising speed.  Now that Pandora is back in Deep River, I had the yard check into the problem.  After several hours of messing around with things, about everything was ruled out except for a bent prop shaft.  Unfortunately, the only way to really determine what the problem is is to haul Pandora out of the water again.  Ugh… No make that double ugh…

Well, on Tuesday morning Pandora will yet again be on the hard.  Paul, from the local machine shop will come down and do a rough check while the shaft is in the boat and then, if he thinks that the shaft is bent, I will remove the Max Prop, AGAIN, and the yard will take the shaft over to the shop for review.   Fortunately, Paul at the machine shop, has agreed to work on it right away to identify what he thinks the problem is.

I really hope that it’s the shaft as just about everything else has been ruled out with the exception of the Max Prop, which I would hate to think was a problem yet again.  Recall that I had the prop completely reworked in July by the manufacturer.

Fingers crossed.  To make the pressure worse, if I am delayed more than a day or so I will miss the weather window to make it to Annapolis in time for the boat show.  With all the plans we have for that event, I’d hate to miss it.

I am still hopeful that I will get going as planned on Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning at the latest.  If not, I risk loosing my crew as their own deadlines conflict with being underway later than planned.   Double fingers crossed…

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Brenda and I have been shopping for provisions as putting them aboard now will be easier than when we are in Annapolis or Miami. Here’s a shot of what we put on board on Sunday.   The pile looks a lot smaller than it is.  That’s about 400 items.  Each item had to be categorized in a spreadsheet so we can find them again when we need to.  You’d be amazed how deeply buried things get on board.  I think that the computer cataloging work took a lot longer than stowing things.  Today we shopped for meat and yet more stuff.  I vacuum packed about 30lbs of chicken, pork and some lovely steak fillets to take us through the winter.   Funny how little the pile looked when I put it on the counter in the galley.  And, it didn’t even fill the freezer.  My routine is to pack everything into the freezer unfrozen so I can really pack it tight.  Then everything freezes into a big block.  And, you can’t get anything out without eating the top most food first.  If you try and dig, everything gets “fluffed up” and won’t go back in.   Not good.  

The freezer still has room for more and the size of the bill for all of it made me think that it should have been 60lbs, not 30lbs.  Alas, such is the nature of inflation…or deflation, as it were, with the vacuum shrink wrap machine.  Perhaps I should have used my compressor to fluff them up so they would seem like enough to justify the $$$.  Never mind…
Here’s hoping that Tuesday’s re-haul won’t prove to cost me mucho bacon as there’s already plenty in the freezer, three pounds, actually.

Yes, double crossed on my fingers, and toes.   All I want to do is to go sailing.  IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?  

I guess that it’s true, bigger boats means bigger trouble.  I sure hope that Pandora is “little” tomorrow.