April 2015

It’s Thursday morning and today we should see the final paperwork in order to transfer ownership of soon-to-be Pandora to us.  It seems like much longer than the week it’s been since we first arrived here in Ft Pierce on the 21st to become familiar with Ariel and have her surveyed, the Aerodyne 47 that we have purchased. 

It’s been since mid December since we first learned that the boat was seriously for sale and that Miles and Loreen were going to move on from the boat that they had lived aboard for the last seven years.

Ariel, as she has been known until now, was built about the same time that we took delivery of Pandora, our SAGA 43 and she was only about a year old when we first saw her in Great Salt Pond Block Island.  She’s a very unique boat and I was attracted to her design as a standout from most of the “Clorox” bottle boats that are so common these days.   I would have never imagined that we would one day own her, or should I say “she would own us”.

Well, now we are owners of an even larger “money pit” and I expect that dollars will flow as fast as she sails, which is pretty fast indeed.

I have been living aboard here in Ft Pierce since Brenda left on the 23^rd, about a week ago and have been slowly acclimating myself to the many complex systems aboard.  One particular issue that came up in the survey was that the muffler was leaking.  I agreed to take the boat and make the repair myself although it was anything but clear as to how I was going to get the old one out and replaced.

At first I had hoped that I would be able to do a temporary patch to the rusted area and save a more permanent repair for when she is hauled in Ct after I get home.  However, what was a slow but steady drip became a gusher as I used a wire brush on the suspect area.  Here’s what the muffler, about 2’ long looked like when it was FINALLY removed from the boat.  Such is the life of “stainless” steel. It was in a very inaccessible spot and required some surgery and a good amount of cabinetry removal to coax it out.   As hard as it was, I was expecting that it would be much worse.  I am very glad that I am a “handy guy” as to pay someone for the whole job would have cost at least one “boat dollar” perhaps more.

As you get closer you can see the hole, a nasty gash about 2.5” wide.  Imagine what sort of mess this would have created, had it given way when we were at sea.  It would have been a bad day indeed.  Finding this leak that wasn’t clear at all unless you were really looking for problems, shows the value of a good surveyor.

Here’s the new muffler, made of fiberglass.  Note the sleek delivery vehicle.  I have made many runs to local stores with this great set of wheels.   It’s such fun to ride around on this with temperatures in the low 90s.   Happily, it’s now all set and things are back in order and it went back in a lot easier than the old one came out.  As near as I can tell, and I sure hope I can tell well,  that’s about the worst of it.

As I have mentioned, a big draw for us in wanting this boat, is the hard dodger to keep us comfortable and out of the weather when things get nasty.  How about the night lighting?  “Beam me up Scotty”.   I love it.Yesterday as I was doing some errands I happened on a farmer’s market at the Ft Pierce waterfront park. There weren’t a lot of farmers in evidence but there was one vendor selling carnivorous plants that he grows from seed.  I understand that, as they sit in 3” pots, they are about 4 years old.  That’s a long time to grow something that you sell for $10.   I hope that he has a day job too. 

This one is the well-known Venus Fly Trap.  Really neat.  How about the veining on this pitcher plant?   Love it.  For over 20 years we had a greenhouse at our home tried our hand at growing various pitcher plants.  However, they were the tropical variety and not these delicate more temperate varieties that require pure rain water to thrive.

So, with all of the paperwork scheduled to be sewn up today I will move Pandora over to another yard tomorrow for a few days to have davits put on to hoist the dink as well as to serve as a platform for more solar panels.  It’s our plan to put enough solar on board to make her as self sufficient at anchor as our last boat was.  The new logo will also be put on and the name, Ariel, will be taken off.

Crew arrives on Sunday and it is my hope that a good weather window will open up by mid week so that we can get going on our run north to CT.

It’s been a while since I posted a sunset shot as it’s hard to get one in a marina.  However, I was struck by how dramatic the clouds were last evening as a backdrop to all the masts in the marina.  Well, it’s certainly the beginning of a new era for us.  Let’s hope that it’s smooth sailing.  actually, Brenda’s counting on the “smooth sailing” part.  Wish us luck.

It’s Tuesday morning and it’s still dark out as I sit down to begin this post.  I seem to be waking early these days as there are so many details to be worked out prior to beginning our run north with our “new” Pandora. 

After a number of posts about what’s on the horizon with “new” it’s pretty clear that different names for the boats, beyond old and new, would certainly be easier.  However, I am not a particular fan of the designation of “1, 2 or heaven forbid 7” as a designation on how to keep track of the progression or yachts.  However, it would certainly be easier if our new “Pandora” was named something, well new, like “Fred”.  Then the distinction of which boat I am talking about would certainly be easier to follow.

So, for now, let’s try to just go with Pandora as the “boat of the moment”.  The “old” Pandora, well, I’ll just remain silent on that one for now.  Ok, here goes.

A boat like Pandora, an Aerodyne 47, is a much more complex than anything that we have ever owned and I have to say that it is going to be a while until I get used to that.  Right now, I am feeling pretty overwhelmed by all of the systems.  We have never had air conditioning on a boat and this one has two zones, one for the main cabin and a second for the master cabin.  That’s nice but it means that everything is duplicated. How do I reprogram the AIS?  It currently says “Ariel”.  I have no idea but am pretty sure that it involves my laptop.   And, the number of hoses and wires going every which way, is staggering.

As I mentioned in a prior post, the surveyor uncovered a few issues when he went over the boat but fortunately, none will be a particularly big deal.  The biggest one, that we found, and I am sure that the owner had no idea about this, had to do with a leaking muffler.  The surveyor pointed out a slow but consistent drip from the front of the muffler that didn’t look to bad.  However, when I “cleaned” up the area with a wire brush, the drip turned into a gusher as the hole gradually grew large enough to fit three fingers.    I expect that the owner had no idea of the problem as it was buried in an area that was very tough to see.

Some suggest that a boat should be professionally surveyed every 8-10 years and seeing the muffler problem has certainly convinced me that having someone go over things periodically is a very good idea.  It’s pretty clear that more time we spend with something, boat, house, car, the easier it is to overlook certain details that somehow blend into the woodwork over time.   However, had the rusted area in the muffler been missed and broken through…  Well, let’s just say that a LOT of water goes through a muffler.   No doubt, we’d be “dead in the water”  with an engine pumping hundreds of gallons of water per hour along with loads of hot and smoky exhaust.  And, just try getting into an inlet, against the tide, with no motor.  I don’t want to think about that.  Can you say
“Boat US unlimited towing”?  Check!

There are other minor issues that have cropped up like a small leak from the washer/dryer that I expect will be quite tough to fix, if it can be fixed at all, as the unit is shoehorned into the cabin.    And, there is a minor water leak, perhaps best called a “weep” in the water heater.  I suspect, or at least hope, that it’s around a fitting and not something more substantial.   However, over all, Pandora passed her survey with excellent marks.  In fact, at the end of the day I asked the surveyor, a very nice Australian guy, how this boat compared to the many others that he had reviewed over the years.  His answer, “one of the best I’ve seen”, and then he added, “and I have to admit that I am a bit jealous”.   As I was about to take a huge financial leap, that was good to hear.

However, as I struggled, over the last two days, to get a very recalcitrant muffler loose and out, I expect that there aren’t many that would envy me tackling that project.  Happily, the muffler is now out, with a bit of help from a $75/hr guy and an electric saw.   Well, “muffler woes”  should be behind me later today when I install the new one.  Let’s hope that assembly is easier than the demolition. Fingers crossed…  (Ever notice how often that phrase comes up in boat ownership?)   Yes, I am hoping to exclaim as I put on the last clamp, “now, wasn’t that easy?”   Wish me luck.

A few years  ago, I wrote about Tanya and Jay who live aboard their big cat, Take Two, with their 5, count them 5 children.   Well, they are here in the marina and tied up just behind me on the dock.  They are spending a few months here at the marina while Jay and the rest of the family do some work on their boat.  It has been fun to catch up with the “clan” and see how things are going.

I have talked about our plans to head to the Caribbean next winter and I understand that the Take Two gang will be going there as well.  However, their run will be for several years and will take them to South America, the western Caribbean and Panama prior to returning to the US.   I do hope that our paths cross again soon.

As Brenda has headed home to CT, I am alone aboard and anyone that knows me knows that I am not too big on the “alone thing”.    I was also thinking that it might be tough for Tanya and Jay to find someone to watch five kids so that they can get some alone time.  Yes, their oldest Ely, is old enough to watch the younger ones, but with me on the scene the parents could go a bit further afield and enjoy a night on the town “grownup style”.  Anyway, I offered to have the five kids over for a movie night on Sunday.  It was a real treat, let me tell you.

We watched a movie, one of only two that I have that are rated for a “G” audience.   I even provided chocolate candy that won rave reviews from all.   When I passed around the bowl of chocolates it was very cute as each carefully chose a single piece and passed the bowl.  Then one of them tentatively chirped, “can we have more than one?” “Yes,of course, eat as much as you want but not so much that you make yourself sick.  I don’t want your mom to be angry with me”.

They ate everything except the Almond Joy.  I guess that coconut wasn’t their favorite.   That’s good for me.

What a nice group of kids in rapt attention.The youngest, Rachel, born after they moved aboard, is getting big.  She still reminds me of Dr. Seuss’s, Cindy Lou Hoo.   Very cute.  I wrote about the Take Two gang back in 2012, when I last saw them.   A very nice family. 

One more thing before I break.  I saw this manatee sleeping near a boat the other evening.  There are several living in the area but this one should certainly be easy to spot with the “prop scars” on his back.  He’s nearly 10’ long.  Huge.  With all the boat traffic in their home waters, it’s remarkable that any survive. Well, I guess that’s about all I have today but there’s plenty to keep me occupied between now and Sunday when my crew arrives, to get the boat ready for the run north.  Let’s hope I can get everything done in time. 

Next, we’ll need a good weather window.

It’s Sunday morning and I am here in Ft Pierce aboard the “new” Pandora.  With “Pandora” up in New Bern and under the care of the broker, I have turned my attention to Pandora (soon to be renamed from Ariel) and getting her ready for the run north to begin around May 4^th or so.  With crew arriving on the 3^rd, I have about a week to get coast guard documentation, ownership fully transfered and become familiar with the boat prior to heading out. There are also some modifications and repairs needed to get everything in order.

The survey went quite well but a few items did show up that need attention.  In particular, the muffler, that was inexplicably made of aluminum, had corroded badly and was leaking.  Hoping that I could stabilize it so that I could make more permanent repairs when I got home, yesterday I set about opening things up to be able to get an epoxy patch in place.  However, as I went at it with a wire brush, the “hole” opened up to a thumb size and it was painfully clear that more major surgery is needed.  So, I had someone over to take a look and I’ll have a mechanic here on Monday morning to remove the old one.   Getting the old one loose is going to be a major exercise and will require some tools that I don’t have. However, putting the new one in should be pretty straight forward.   Let’s hope that this repair ends up being less than a “boat dollar”.  Fingers, and toes, crossed.

I am also having a set of davits put on as I want a way to get the dink out of the water and as an added bonus, I’ll then have a spot to put an additional 300 watts of solar, on top of the 340 watts it already has, which I hope will obviate the need to run my little Honda generator to keep the batteries up to snuff.   The boat has quite a large electrical load.  And, speaking of “boat dollars”, that will certainly add up to a few.

Another issue that came up was with the bottom paint.  The owner had been dutifully getting the bottom painted each year, having it sanded and a new coat of fresh paint applied.  However, as I had painfully discovered myself, too much buildup of an ablative bottom paint leads to adhesion problems as the paint gets thicker over the years.  After a while, the paint will peel badly and that’s exactly what it is doing here.  What is really needed is a full strip of the paint and a fresh start.

Oh well, I guess I should expect to have a lot of work to do in the first year.  Perhaps I’ll just haul it in CT and plan on devoting a bit of time to making it (mostly) right.  I don’t think I have the stamina to take all of the paint off this summer but certainly some touch up and fairing is in order.  Time to sweat, I guess.

I won’t think about that right now.  Perhaps better to focus on what works and to enjoy the view.  Happily, all of the stuff from “Pandora” was swallowed up handily aboard so it’s now fairly livable.  I think that there is perhaps three times the storage on this boat.  However, oddly, we seem to be short on coffee cups, as I can only find three.  Good thing there will only be three aboard for the run north.  As the owner left all of their dishes and anything that was color-coordinated with the boat (can you say green?), we now have all of their dishes as well as those that we moved and let me tell, you there are a lot of dishes.

Happily, everything is now stowed (I expect that Brenda will have something to say about what I put where…) and I can enjoy the view.

Indulge me while I provide a tour of the boat…

Here’s the main salon looking forward.  It’s cavernous compared to our last boat as she is 14.5′ wide verses 12 for “Pandora”.  You wouldn’t think that the extra 2.5′ would make that much difference, but it does. The same view looking aft.There’s a very nice nav station with a proper seat that swings out.    And, there is even room for my sideband radio.The galley is really nice with granite counter tops.  Interestingly, they are granite
“veneer” over a honeycomb base, the sort used on luxury aircraft and they are very light weight.  Notice the washer in back.  I think it can be used with the inverter for washing but certainly not for drying when we aren’t on shore power as the house batteries total over 100 AH.   Brenda’s pretty excited about that, the washer, not the batteries, that is.  The aft cabin is at the bottom of the companionway to starboard.  Here’s the entrance to the cabin.The aft cabin is quite large and has loads of storage under the bunk as well as drawers and a generous hanging locker, one of five on board.  “Pandora” had only one.The forward cabin, the one that Brenda and I will use, has loads of storage and the bunk is a bit larger.  And, believe it or not, there is even a small workshop that has storage to swallow up a huge amount of stuff.  The owner was fastidious about keeping spares on board and there appears to be a backup for nearly every pump etc, aboard. That’s encouraging.  Yesterday I went through everything to get a feel for what was there.  The amount of stuff is a bit overwhelming but will certainly come in handy at some point.  Alas, no spare muffler…And, last but not least, the hard dodger is wonderful and long enough to lay down out of the weather.   It’s a great spot to tuck up in when the going gets rough.  There’s even a remote plotter so you don’t have to stand at the helm to monitor where you are and a remote for the autopilot.  There are instruments for everything at the helm and repeater instruments under the dodger, at the nav station and there’s even a repeater in the master cabin.  I can’t imagine the complexity of all of this.

I guess it’s a good thing that I have a week to sort through everything as I am going to need every moment to get a handle on all of the systems.

Well, the real fun will begin on Monday when we wrestle the old muffler out and order a new one.  Let’s hope that this is the worst “wart” what I discover as I become familiar with the systems. I am certainly happy to be following a fastidious owner who did his best to keep things in proper order.

So far, so good.  Let’s hope that not too many “boat dollars” flush out prior to leaving.   So far, so good.  However, it is a boat… 

It’s Thursday night and it’s been a while since I have posted.  Since we left Pandora in New Bern, we have driven from NC all the way to central FL and the “new” Pandora.

Brenda flew out this morning and I FINALLY was able to return the rental car that we have driven around for nearly two weeks.   We were both getting sick of driving around in an overstuffed van.  Brenda was so pleased to be able to step aside from the OVERPACKED van after so many miles traveled.

Poor Brenda had to ride in the back seat for a good portion of the run south because, our son Christopher, who’s pretty susceptible to motion sickness, opted to ride up front.   We “carved” a small spot out in the back for Brenda.  Pretty tight but she was a good sport.  At least the boat hook was in place to keep her from falling out if the door was opened. Yesterday we had the survey on “new Pandora” and the owner, even though I have not transferred all of the funds, agreed that I could move aboard and begin to get ready for the run north.  My crew, Jim and Michael are due to arrive on Sunday the 3rd. 

Yesterday was really long with the surveyor on board for nearly the entire day.  Following the successful survey and my signing of the acceptance document, Brenda and I shared some champagne with the seller to toast the successful completion of the deal.   As it took since late December to bring everything together it did feel sort of like a “what took so long” moment but it was also pretty exciting to have it done, at long last.

She was hauled briefly to inspect the bottom.   Nice bulb keel.  You can see how she would be so fast.  Interestingly, the bulb is lead but the keel itself is composite carbon fiber construction.  Very strong and it gets the “righting moment” down low. Nothing particularly traditional about her.  Very modern. I am particularly enamored with the retractable bow thruster to help maneuver in tight places.  And, with nearly 50′ of boat length, EVERYWHERE is tight.   It’s pretty neat.  When deployed it’s in clear water but when retracted, flush with the hull so there is no drag.  After the survey, and a toast with our friends and sellers, we began to move everything out of the van and aboard.  Whew, I was bushed.Actually, even before handing all the stuff down to the deck I had had enough.   Did I mention that I turn 60 in June?  How pathetic. I made a little progress today but expect that it will take the better part of a week to get all the stuff unpacked and stowed aboard.   What a mess.   About 2/3 of the stuff fit in the aft cabin, about as large as all of Pandora.  The salon not looking to “salon like”.  However, she looks pretty nice at the dock.  And, I just love the hard dodger that’s long enough to sleep under, out of the weather. Thank goodness that she has two zone AC as it’s in the high 80s during the day here.   However, we have to manage the energy use as the 30amp service isn’t good enough to run both zones as well as the washer dryer.  Feel sorry for me?  I didn’t think so.

Well, I guess that’s about enough for now as it’s getting late and there’s a t0n of unpacking on the horizon tomorrow.   So, here’s looking forward to selling Pandora and getting “Pandora” underway and north to CT in a few weeks.

 

 

 

It’s Saturday morning and we are in Columbia SC for a wedding of the son of an old friend.  It will be a lovely day and how convenient to have headed south from New Bern, where we finished “re-formating” Pandora so she can be sold.  After this weekend we will head to Ft Pierce for the survey and delivery of our “new” Pandora, currently Ariel, the Aerodyne 47 that we are purchasing next week.  As much of the survey work has already been done, I am pretty confident that all will go smoothly, and the purchase will be finalized as planned.

Anyway, as I write this I can’t believe that Pandora is all cleaned up and ready to sell.  Well, she’s as ready as she will be.  All we need now is a buyer.  ALL?   Yes, that’s a big ALL.

This is a photo of me standing next to the clean Pandora after nearly a week of packing and scrubbing. Wasn’t that easy?  NOT!!!   The process felt more like this…It is remarkable what can accumulate on board a boat over 7 years. Canned goods, soup…I can’t tell you how much soup I found.   Spare parts.  This is a shot of just some of the stuff that I had packed away for a rainy day.   Yes, it was nearly this bad.  And, it wasn’t that well organized.  Well, at least it didn’t feel organized when we started digging in.  We needed a LOT of boxes.   It was chaotic.   And we had to, sort of, clean up each evening as we were staying on the boat.

Well, I won’t go on about this for too long “Bob, it’s already been too long” but it was a very tough week and when we were done Brenda said, and I quote,  “I AM NEVER DOING THIS AGAIN!” and she really said it in ALL CAPS.

Anyway, Pandora looks pretty clean and even I think that she is up the “Bob’s proper anal standards”.

A few glamour shots of the interior. Now, wasn’t that easy?  “So, where did all that stuff go Bob?”

Well, some went to Jim’s home in Williamsburg VA but the rest, well most of it, went into a rented van.  Big pile…And that was only the first time I put everything in the van only to take EVERYTHING out and try again, this time more carefully.  However, in the end.  Most of it fit with the “extra” items going to the broker’s garage to be picked up at a later date.

Finally, packed.Not an inch of space to spare.Not so easy, not at all.  And certainly tougher than I had expected but Pandora is now “reformated” back to factory specs and ready for her new owner.

Oh yeah, about that bag of catfood that we “lost” aboard for the last few years.  The one I put on board to feed reef fish in the Bahamas.  Nope never found it.

Now we get to drive around in a packed van for a week till we get to FL and the NEW PANDORA.  We are excited…