Big Sweet Tooth

In Times Like These, I MUST Remember My Boat

What a pretty, pretty boat. 

Some day, in the near future I pray, I will sail her to a faraway land and never look back~

Navigating the High Seas - A Very Good Skill to Have.

Chart Navigation 101 - last weeks class was absolutely bananas.  So much math goes into chart plotting, I tore out of the Del Rey Yacht Club with my mind reeling and my head justa throbbing.  Ahhhh, but nothing a steaming hot pile of fried rice couldn't fix (I'm telling you, the secret is grapeseed oil).  This weeks class, however, was way more up my alley.  That's cause we did all sorts of hands on exercises.  We figured out how to literally determine where we are on a chart without using any sort of GPS intel.  Nothing electronic.  All just lat/long coordinates and if you do xx and go xx where do you end up and how deep is it?

God, I love this stuff.  Incredibly empowering - especially when I remember - like baby bolts of lightening - "OH YES! I own a sailboat! How could I have forgotten you??"

Thanks USCG!  Oh - and I had to register my boat in LA the other day at the DMV and those fools, those crazy fools.  The batty old loon was like - So....we're gonna need you to bring the boat in here.  I was like - where?  She's like - the DMV.  WTF?  I said - LADY, the boat is 41' long - you mean to tell me I need to pay thousands to haul it out of the water and get a 50' 18-wheeler to bring it over to Culver City so you can make sure it's actually in the state of Cali.  OK - no problem!  That's what the USCG is for - they come verify the vessel, duhhhhhhhh....

Left in a fury.  Then I made shrimp ceviche and all was well in the world again.  

And, for all of you out there that think you might get lonely sailing to remote lands - read this bit that I spotted in the LA Times this week.  You are never, ever alone out there.  And, don't forget to go see "Oceans" on Thursday - it's Earth Day!

Enola Rockin' All 3 Sails...

Haiti devastated.  I can't even get past the horrificness of it all.  Yet, a cupcake still eaten.  A faraway trip still planned.  A pal still about to cross the Pacific.  A TV show still made.  A book still read.  A laugh still had.  A workout still sweated thru.  A bargain still sought after.  A boat still cleaned.  A dream still realized.  A movie still watched.  A wall still painted.  A life still lived.

In times like these, it's just best to be on the ocean.  Period.

Boat Projects & Mexicans

Not only do the Mexican's run the kitchens of the USA, they run the boatyards.  My mechanic is Mexican, my rigger is Mexican, my canvas guy is Mexican.  They do great work, and they do it quick and cheap.  Which means I can pull off all kinds of little boat projects for a quarter of the price.

Like say...a custom cushion for my V-birth on my boat.  Fernando busted out the wood insert.  Miguel hopped on the custom cushion.  And, now I have a nice, comfy complete V-berth that feels like a full size bed on a little bitty boat.

That kind of stuff makes me incredibly happy.  As I told the Budro, I ain't headin' east of the Rockies again
unless somebody's payin' me a wad of dinero.  I like South and West - where the Mexican's are.  

 

Varnishing a Boat = Brightwork

 

Weeks have gone by since my brightwork dude started the job.  By the end of it, he desperately hated my sweet little boat.  So much wood, so much sanding.  Poor guy. 

But, all's well - he's finally done and the wood just gleams. It makes my heart swim just to look at it.  Piece by piece it all comes together - and when I get back from my upcoming shoot on the East Coast, I fully expect my mechanic/all-around handy man to have ripped through his list of Enola projects.  To the sheer delight of me on the road.

Life is good.

 

 

Enola Gets New Cockpit Cushions

Yesterday my mind was wandering and I was trying to conjure up thoughts on when I was/am most happy.  Cruising thru Mexico alone for long stretches of time was a huge one; feeling my spirit come resurrect itself in Indo is a biggie as well; so are things like becoming PADI certified, finishing up TV shows, figuring out something on my boat, the feeling I get just after a killer workout, my constant need to be exploring new places, and the bliss I encounter curled up in bed at home in TN with a good thriller in my paws. 

However, this morning, when I rounded the corner to check out my new green cockpit cushions that Manuel the canvas guy had made - well let's just say happy is an understatement. 

Little by little and dollar by dollar, the good ship Enola comes together.  

How to Rehab an Old Sailboat - At Least My Take on it All

Here's one more goodie I penned for Matador; seems I'm all about B-T-S lately...the link is here.

How to Rehab an Old Sailboat

You’ve bought a sailboat. It makes your heart flutter and sets you dreaming about escape.

None of these things matter if you don’t understand the inner workings of your vessel and exactly what you plan on doing with it.

I’ve gone down that road three times now, going from 25’ to 30’ to 36′. If you’re thinking about making the same decision, learn from the lessons I’ve picked up while on my own personal quest for freedom.

‘On the hard’

Most likely, the boat you buy will be “on the hard”, which is sailing lingo for “perched in a dusty corner of a boatyard”. Your job is to bring it back to life.

The first thing you need to do is give it a good bottom paint job. This goes double if you’ll be sailing in saltwater: there are all manner of sea creatures waiting to cling to the bottom of your new toy and eat away at the fiberglass.

Check all your thru-hulls (various holes in the hull designed to bring in and flush out water) and seacocks (small handles that open and close said holes). Make sure that the fittings are secure: there’s nothing more horrific than a hose popping off and flooding the engine room.

After stepping the mast and giving the engine a tune-up, oil change, and systems flush, you’re pretty much ready to put your boat in a slip and form a plan of attack.

LESSON LEARNED: I stayed in the yard way too long because I was intimidated to put my boat in the big Pacific Ocean. But I also met and bonded with a cast of salty characters who have proven indispensable to my current foray into boating mechanics.

Take inventory of the madness on board

The first step in developing your soon to be encyclopedic knowledge about your boat is to rip it to shreds. And I mean really tear it to pieces.

Don’t just look in the lockers – get in there and pull out everything you see . Cupboards and hatches hold incredible amounts of tools, manuals, old parts, lines, cleaning supplies, and electronic equipment.

You have to research what you have, ditch what you don’t need, and come to know the rest of the gear you’ve been blessed to inherit.

After you’ve pulled out your boat’s innards, organize your items and create a master list with photos. That way, when you are freaking out and needing a zip tie, you’ll know exactly where the rascal is stowed.

LESSON LEARNED: I spent hundreds of dollars and uncountable hours at the store buying stuff already buried somewhere on my boat. If I’d inventoried it to start, I’d have been one step ahead.

Systems Management 101

Everything on your boat connects in some small way, and there is a correct way to assess and interpret this blueprint. It is most definitely not by killing a 6-pack and gazing at the stars from the cockpit.

Trace electric lines and figure out what your battery bank is connected to. Rap on tanks and see what corrosion they might have. Check all your hoses and clamps. Read your manuals. Simply put, fiddle with shit.

Once you become good pals with the wildness that lays just out of sight, things become clear. Suddenly, all that mechanic mumbo-jumbo ain’t so bewildering.

LESSON LEARNED: Getting a proper survey is crucial, not only for insurance purposes, but for learning about your boat.

I was tossed 32 pages of cryptic chaos and hundreds of photos after my master surveyor departed. This incredibly detailed document has been invaluable in learning about my craft as well as figuring out what I need to do to bring it around to its prime.

Plan ahead

Be realistic about your future jaunts. Are you sailing around the world? Are you island-hopping in the Caribbean? Are you day sailing in the Great Lakes?

Each of these adventures requires a different schematic and breakdown. If you are tied to shore power in a nice slip in Chicago, you don’t necessarily need a bunch of solar panels, wind generators, and autopilots.

But if you are going on the escapade of a lifetime and hitting the high seas, you absolutely want all of the above, and then some.

You may think you want to take off into the unknown, but get a little practice on the home turf first. Do a night passage. Hell, spend a few nights on the boat – they definitely aren’t spacious, and sometimes not even comfortable.

Imagine downsizing your life in a severe way. Can you do without the giant flat screen and handy washing machine? Can you handle squalls that make you want to piss your pants? All these things have to be considered. Take it one step at a time so you don’t feel overwhelmed.

LESSON LEARNED: The very first thing I did the moment I bought my boat was purchase a watermaker. I’m currently hooked to shore power and have a nice hose that fills my tanks. When I sail around the world in a few years, my Power Survivor will probably be discontinued. I could have used that 3k for a myriad of other upgrades. Point being, prioritize.

Get to know your local ship store

The chaps at the ship store are a bunch of grizzly think-tanks. They have knowledge about boats that would blow your mind, the sorts of nuggets that only come from years of experience on the water.

They’ll rattle on about hose sizes and sail plans until you’re panicking. Sometimes you’ll leave thinking “will I ever know anything at all?”

Most times, though, you’ll leave thinking, “God, I love free information.” Pick brains, scour bookshelves, park yourself in unfamiliar aisles, and study the backs of random boxes.

This, my friends, is how you learn.

LESSON LEARNED: Don’t be afraid to ask advice. Just take it all with a grain of salt. Everyone claims they have the best diver, the best rigger, and the best mechanic. You just have to meet these people yourself.

Bookmark these useful sites:

-practicalsailor.com
-landlpardey.com
-cruisersforum.com
-goodoldboat.com
-navagear.com

A Full Boat Flip Out

You can see that I had quite a project on my hands when I unleashed my coffee-fueled fury onto sweet, unassuming Enola.  I plowed through every single hatch/locker/cabinet and ripped it all out.  I had to get the bottom of EXACTLY what all was on my boat. 

It's funny, a month ago, I wouldn't have recognized half this stuff.  But, now I can call it off, no problem and was able to mad organize into certain categories:  electrical, plumbing, engine, galley, paperwork, cleaning supplies, tools,WTF is this drawer, etc...words can't even describe how thrilling that is.  Now, I'm out to create a nice little booklet with photos so I know precisely where to locate a zip tie when I need one (seeing as how my memory tends to fail me on a daily basis). 

You gotta do stuff like this, with extreme TLC, if you really want to understand your vessel.  I started tracing out all the wired to the battery, then flipped out when I met some dead ends...so, that is to be attacked on another day. 

The one good thing is that just like my dad said, 'Enola is apparently, the gift that keeps giving.'  Cause, you know what? EVERYTHING I have bought in the past month, repair-wise, was already on the boat, tucked deep into her bowels. Friggin' amazing.  Let's just say I have lotsa spare parts now...

 

 

 

The Kid is Back - Zac Sunderland Returns Home!

This youngin' went from a kid to a man in 13+ months.  How?  Well, he joined the  small army of intrepid folks who've blasted around the world via sailboat -- and he made history doing it!  Fewer than 250 people have done that hair-raising task and Zac is now the youngest person in history to have traveled the 28k alone.

Can you FREAKIN' imagine?  He left when he was 16 and just yesterday, he returned to his home port via his 36' Islander, Intrepid (at the tender age of 17).  What a beautific feat...me and my pal Chez rode our bikes over to Fisherman's Village and witnessed the whole thing.  Talk about tingling in the soul.  He came flyin' in with sails raised and all these boats had gone out to meet him; which meant they were plowin' in right beside him...just escorting him home. 

The media we're everywhere and I just am so delighted to have see that historical moment.  A true hero.  A kid.  Now a man.  What?

You know what I mean.  Check out his site:  zacsunderland.com
All kinds of blog entries/video/etc...on there.  I can't wait to see what he does next.  He's talking Everest or Arctic Circle. What a gem.  His parents must be quaking in their boots...I know mine woulda been~

Still the boat projects loom.  That said, lots is getting done including taking her out today--which has to be one of the best SoCal days in history.  It's all very epic, if not exhausting stuff.

Fixed the AC (filter just needed to be cleaned) and dove in with my snorkel in hand to make sure the sea strainer I'd had put on in the yard was working good...it was working perfecto, which meant a crank up of the AC and a bit of a nap.  I never nap, so just goes to show how comfy I am on the boat. 

Literally broke down my to do list like I'd break down a movie and now it all feels much more doable.  When it floats in my head and on scraps of paper, forget it.  It's all I can to do keep it straight.  The to do list is imperative broken down into categories/people/mechanics/me/etc...

Also am in the progress of fixing the wee little leaks in some of the ports; got my boom fixed (my dockmaster is literally a champ of all champs); getting it full finished rigging soon; fixed the ignition switch; cleaned under the cockpit grates (which required a full movement of the helm); and about a trillion other things.  People have no idea how hard boats are.  Everything, each and every tiny project, is epic in the fact that it even gets done.  Especially on old boats.

Also, got new dock lines; took a drive out to Minney's (think boat thrift store); and today--just jacked around on it getting all jazzed up.  That's the important thing cause I'll tell ya this--this vessel is WAY different than my last boat, the C & C 30'.  Hugely different, in all the best ways.  I can actually see myself making way on this mama.

Meanwhile, that kid (17) Zac Sunderland gets home to MDR this week.  He's the youngest cat to sail around the world and I just found out that he bought the boat he did it in for $1500.  Ya better believe I'm gonna see this one roll in. So exciting.  What the hell do you do after that feat?  Probably crank up the AC and go to sleep!!