Inertia Goes Away

It finally happened. Inertia was finally picked up and shipped to her new owner in Wisconsin. It took all day to pack her up - removing the boom and vang, getting all her equipment down and packed, and finally loading on the trailer took another day.

There are any number of boat shippers, and all of them will promise the world. Delivery, however, seems to be a problem. Joe, Inertia's new owner, had to cancel a contract with one shipper and get another because the first was a no-show. So, she shipped out a couple of weeks late.

One of the really, really, important things about shipping a boat is you or your agent should be there when the boat is dismantled (mast taken apart, tall things removed, etc.) and when it's loaded on the trailer.

I dismantled and packed Inertia. Normally, the former owner won't do that so it may end up being you, the yard, or your agent. If you are capable of doing the work, make every effort to be there to supervise or do it. Expect it to take at the very least one full day for dismantling the rigging and packing the boat and another for putting on the trailer to ship.

The hardest part is dismantling the mast. Our yard charges $350.00 to do it. They remove all the rigging and label it. You can also wrap the mast with bubble wrap, lay the rigging against that, and wrap again. I pulled all the halyards all the way up to the masthead and coiled them at the bottom of the mast. I also removed the spreaders and wrapped them, placing them in the quarter berth.

On shipping day, everyone was unsure if the truck would make it, but it did, albeit an hour late. Stan, the driver, was great! Full of sailing stories, very helpful and knowledgeable. Working with him made the day go quickly. My friend Leigh helped as well because, foolishly, I left my tools at home so had to give him an emergency call because I needed to remove the sissybars in front of the mast. Apparently, there is a 13' 6" height limit for non-permitted over-the-road travel. Inertia without the sissybar came out to 13' 4". Good as gold!

Getting her ready was bittersweet, as I'm sure you can imagine. She looked as good as any of the new boats coming in on trailers. Well, I think Joe and Kathy and their children will enjoy her for a lot of years to come.



On the upside, however, last Friday was the sea trial and survey for Pelicano, the 424 I'm looking to buy. As lovely a boat as she is, there are hundreds of projects that I need to do to make her mine.

The Adventure Begins

I find myself apologizing once again for the time that has passed since last I wrote- but in my defense, as weak as it might be, I've put a binder on another boat, packed Inertia for shipping, gone for training in Covington, KY and Oldsmar, FL for a week each, sold my house, and a million other things (including, of course, the odd party).

I was hoping to have some photos of Inertia being loaded for shipment, but, alas, the shipper has, apparently, not been able to make his target.... Inertia was supposed to be in Wisconsin by today, Memorial Day 2007. I'm wondering if she will get there by Labor Day. Still, Inertia's all packed to go.

This brings me to a point that never ceases to amaze, amuse, and cheer me. As a boater I know that my friends stand by to help with anything - as I do for them. That is almost a truism. However, the kindness, interest, and helpfulness of strangers continually surprises me! Also, the curiosity of people. If there is anything going on in a boatyard, no matter how trivial or how esoteric, boaters will stop by, help, kibitz, question, offer opinions, and generally mess about.

Case in point is wrapping Inertia's mast for shipping. My friend Leigh had offered to help - making the job simpler and much faster. As we were working people stopped by to watch for a few minutes - but halfway into the job, Ray, an American born Aussie, stopped by to ask about a rigger (he was looking at a Prout Catamaran), and stayed to help finish the job. Then Cory showed up and we all went to lunch! What could have been an onerous job turned out to be a lovely morning of camaraderie and light work. And a pretty good lunch!

The new boat I'm in contract for is a 1978 Pearson 424 that has been lovingly maintained and upgraded. Although the installed equipment is pretty standard, the engine is new and has about 500 hours on it, and the hull has been stripped of gelcoat below the waterline and had fiberglass reinforcing installed to fix the spots where the hull is known to 'oil can' and then barrier coated. The standing rigging has been all replaced, and the cabinetry has all been re-done.

Nevertheless, there are a bazillion projects on my list to do, including new instruments and an autopilot that's independent of the Monitor windvane.

The sea trial is on June 1, so there will be some new things to report! It's exciting!

My friend Lou has just purchased a 35 foot Freedom. It's a well built and extremely easy to sail boat with a self tending jib and a huge main raised with an electric winch. It seems to be a solidly made boat, with a great deal of thought going into the layout and equipment. I hope to get some more time on her to really sail her hard!

More later. If all goes well I should have the 424 by mid June! I'm so excited! Then I hope to see you all on the water!

Inertia Sold and That Damn Keel Joint

It's been some time. So much to do - and so little time. Life proceeds apace. I'm working very hard towards a life more dedicated to sailing and boating and writing or failing that, bottom painting. I've cleaned out all the crap in my house (or a large portion of it) and Inertia, and put both up for sale.

Happily and sadly, Inertia has been sold. It means that I can buy the Pierson 424 I've been lusting after. Why the 424? It's reasonably priced, pretty well put together and has a good reputation for cruising. Since a plan is forming to sail ultimately to Scandinavia and take a couple of years to do it, a boat that is comfortable and strong is just what the doctor ordered. Oh, and it has to be less than $90,000. Much less.

In the meantime, I've waxed and painted Inertia so that she looks very nearly pristine. She will be transported to Wisconsin to her new owner. I feel as if I'm letting my child go. Or a really good friend. I will take pictures of her departure and share them when it happens. It should be interesting.

So, back to the interesting stuff. Every sailboat with external ballast will have a crack that forms around the hull to keel joint. Famous for this is Ericsons and Beneteaus. It's not a structural problem or even a design one. It's really only a aesthetic problem. But anytime you use a filler to fix it, next year at haulout there it is again!

Don't mistake this for an ever-widening crack. That indicates the either a failure of bolts or hull form. My repair won't fix that. And losing your keel while sailing is very bad. End of the world (for you) bad.

So when I got Inertia, I decided to fix the crack once and for all - remember a fiberglass hull, no matter how strong, flexes. And because it does, any joint between it and something else will also flex, especially a heavily loaded one like the hull to keel joint. Hence, the crack.

You'd think off the bat that the manufacturer should use something like 3M 5200 and slather it on all over the keel before bolting it on. At first blush, it sounds good. But if you ever have to remove the keel (like after a really hard grounding), you're screwed. Really, thoroughly screwed. So it's not a good idea. Even using any other adhesive isn't good. There is a school of thought that says sealing the joint will promote chloride stress corrosion ( stainless steel under stress immersed in warm, oxygen depleted water ). True, all those could exist except that 'warm' in this case is relative - it's a worry in steam generators for power plants, or pressurized water nuclear plants. A little out of the range of temperatures you or I are likely to sail in.

So the solution I came up with is to make a flexible seal all around - using my favorite adhesive/sealant - 3M 5200. I'd be lost without it! Popular belief is that it's impossible to remove. It isn't. It's difficult, but not as difficult as silicone. More to the point, silicone will virtually guarantee that whatever you're trying to seal will leak and will leak forever. Think of capillary action. But more on that later.

The first thing to do if you're going to fix this clean up both the joint and the surrounding area, about an inch to each side of the joint. Clean it down to the fiberglass or gelcoat. Make sure it's all dry and clean.



Next, run a piece of blue painter's masking tape about 1/2" to 1" parallel to and on either side of the joint. Get a pack of inexpensive sqeegees. Evercoat makes a three pack. They're flexible and cheap. Good thing, because they're one use.



Finally, with a caulking tube of 3M 5200 or 4200 in the color of your choice (I use black), put a bead all along one side of the joint in the keel. Don't be afraid to use more than you need. With the sqeegee spread the 5200 evenly and smoothly from front to back. The bead should be spread evenly between the tape filling to the thickness of the tape.

Make sure it's over 50 degrees F. 5200 behaves very poorly below that. You'll have about 15 minutes before it skims over, so work it quickly. Unless you're racing and are particular about the surface smoothness, don't worry too much. Pretty smooth is smooth enough.

Before the 5200 sets, pull the tape away carefully. Now do the other side. And resist the urge to touch it to see if it's dry. It isn't. If your joint was cleaned deeply do this in layers. Put a bead in, wait until it sets ( four or more hours ), and put another bead. If you make it too thick all at once it will a; run and b; bubble as it sets creating something like a foam. It's still watertight, but I don't like it.


That's it. Wait 24 hours, and paint away! The joint will flex with the boat and next year when you haul, it'll still be tight. It isn't forever. It will eventually start to pull away. But after 6 years in the water, Inertia's needed only some minor repair (that's what the pictures are from).

Silicone in boats. Silicone has really one use in a boat and that's tacking wires or hoses to some structure. I use it to tack the wires going up the mast to the mast so they don't rattle. I also use it to tack wires that run along a stringer so I don't have to drill through it. Finally, I use it to hold cotter pins to the fitting they're in. Just a dab at the end and you don't have to bend them all the way open - just spread them a little and put a dab between the legs.

Why not on a port? Because although it bonds tightly, it is not very UV resistant and will eventually pull away a little bit from the glass making a capillary action pump - more water will leak than it did before it was put on. I hate seeing a boat with layers of silicone around the ports. It stops the leak, but makes it worse so the owner puts more on, which works for a bit, and then it gets bad again. And so on and so on.

Use it with head or kitchen fittings if you must, but not outside.

The new boat promises so many more projects! I can't wait. And I can't wait for this summer - this year, maybe I'll be the mama boat!

See you all on the water!

The Master's Course and Various Endorsements

Since the Coast Guard requirements for the Master's license are exactly the same as those for the OUPV (Six Pack) license, and the Master's is a tonnage (25, 50 or 100) that allows you to captain a boat up to that tonnage in either inland or near coastal waters up to the maximum passengers it is rated for (based on your experience), I figured I'd just go ahead and take the course.

So I did.

Once again Captain Keith Jackson gave the course at the Nyack Boat Club, just north of the Tappan Zee bridge. He made a stultifying course entertaining!

The first day was looking up stuff in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Apparently it's a skill the Coast Guard wants you to have. If you have a question about boats, ships, tugs, or anything marine, and someone somewhere cared, it's in the CFR. It describes everything. What's on the Certificate of Inspection (inspected vessels) and why. Load lines, Plimsoll marks, loading marks, fire and safety, lighting, you name it. It is, apparently, horribly expensive to have your vessel inspected, too, because of all the requirements. That's why the Six Pack - for uninspected passenger vessels.

That said, though, the CFR is not, and I repeat this, not, written for the faint of heart. It is at times very difficult to wade through. But that's lawyers for you.

Anyway, in addition, I took the towing endorsement (so I can, in theory, run a towing vessel) and the sailing endorsement (meaning, in theory I know how to sail). Interestingly enough, the test for the towing endorsement didn't contain any questions about towing. That was sort of amusing.

The first day, Friday, was from 9:00 am to 9:30 pm because of the towing endorsment class. Sunday, too, was long because of the sailing endorsement.

Of course, the weekend was very pleasant - too pleasant to stay indoors.

Now, all I have to do is get my logs together, a physical and urine test, and I'm off to the Coast Guard office at the Battery (New York City) for swearing in (at), and Bob's your uncle!

I can't wait!

See you on the water!

de re Cogito

Amazingly, this post is not about boating.

Before I start, I'm so pleased to find out someone somewhere has actually gotten some useful information from this blog. Even to the point of contacting me (in what I have to assume is a state of partial disbelief). Thanks! I sure hope I've helped more than one person, but it's a start! It's so cool!

One of the most amazing things about getting older is that wisdom really does increase! Clearly, the ability to use that wisdom is limited on one end by youth and the other by senility (or death). So now that I'm in that narrow band of life where my thoughts are actually meaningful, I will share some with you now.

The first thought that forms a foundation for almost all that follows is this: Original thought is very rare, indeed. Almost anything you can think about, any opinion you can form, and situation you can imagine, has been already thought about, formed, or imagined already. Who can be accused of original thinking? Archimedes, Leonardo da Vinci, Newton, and Einstein are examples. Why not Darwin? Because he had contemporaries who had similar ideas - he just published first.

That said, perhaps something I have to present will be, if not original, original to you.

I was having dinner with two of my very close friends the other evening in a nice Cajun restaurant in New York City (9th Ave and 48th Street) when we started to discuss politics. One friend, Don, indicated that finally, the country is swinging more towards the Democrats and that we'll see more liberalism in the coming years. All would be well again.

I agreed, certainly because it's obvious, but posited that even though Bush will be out of office, there will be left on the law books 'hooks' as a result of the War Powers Act that allowed the current administration to wiretap without a warrant (illegally in my view), start the Department of Homeland Security, and incarcerate people who may be terrorists, but who also may not be , without proof or legal status, and the various other procedures put in place using the umbrella of the aforementioned act.

What will these 'hooks' mean to us? Sadly, it will mean that some politician, political action committee (PAC), subversive group or lawyer will use a hook to further their own cause to the detriment of 'the people'.

Not originally, I will predict a horrible economic downturn (or failure) when the true cost of the war in Iraq is known and the current administration is out of office. The 2008 elections almost guarantee a short term for Democrats in that they will have the helm when the economy does collapse.

America is tottering on the point of no longer belonging to Americans. The national debt has almost risen to an amount such that our taxes pay the debt service and little else. It is not too far in the future that that will be the case.

Other nations, such as China, are investing huge amounts in the United States. They are providing the loans to cover our costs (think of China as the MasterCard of the United States Government).

In the meantime, although I'm not opposed to a centralized intelligence and policing agency, the Department of Homeland Security has been given responsibility and power that is only a short step to the kind of power the SS had in World War II Germany. If that sounds alarmist, it should. The DHS can arrest and hold people, including American citizens without warrant or cause, without legal counsel and without limit. So far, that power has not been abused too much, but that's a policy thing, I suspect.

Finally, think about this: If you want to control a populace the best way to do so is to 1. keep them ignorant, and 2. limit their access to information.

So far, the Bush administration has gone to great lengths to push "No Child Left Behind", which is an idiotic idea to begin with because it puts social needs before educational needs, and puts a drag on educational funds that the Federal Government is not making up (as promised). So schools are between a rock and a hard spot.

There is also no societal appreciation for education. Parents relinquish their responsibility to the schools but not the authority. The net result is that students are not getting an education, and even worse, they are not learning to think critically.

Second, 'the media' is typically owned by mega-corporations who value profit over information. If you want to find out what is happening in the world, listen to the BBC or NPR or PBS. If you want to find out what's become of Anna Nicole Smith's baby, watch the major news outlets. You cannot get a good picture of what's happening with any of the all news stations (MSNBC, CNN, or Fox News) because they all have an agenda. Often one beyond making money.

Incidentally, the Bush administration has been driving Congress to reduce public funds for National Public Radio and Public Broadcasting.

At the beginning of television, news was considered a non-profit public service. Now it's a profit center just like any of the various shows. So the only news that is shown is the news that titillates. One minute of a judge taking a bribe, five minutes of Brittany Spears' bizarre behavior. The biggest news of the last week was bad pet food. Not the hundreds or thousands of people murdered in the Darfur conflict.

So, an ignorant and arrogant administration, lack of education, lack of information and a lack of critical thinking heralds the beginning of the end of the Republic. When the population is credulous and tractable it is ripe for control. And that's where we're heading.

Well, this is my annual rant, I suppose. The season is starting and I have to get the boat ready. This weekend is my Masters License course (with towing and sailing endorsements). Yah! I'll report on that.

In the meantime, I'll see you on the water!

March is Already Better Than February

February was a month that could have been done without here in the Northeast. It was cold, dark, and depressing. The only thing that made it bearable was the two weekends of work at the yacht club. It was nice to help out, and great to see all the people that I hadn't seen since Fall.

But yesterday, Sunday, the 11th, it was beautiful - in the 50's and sunny and just right for easing into the whole start of the boating season.

Since Inertia is currently for sale, I didn't do many of the projects that I wanted to if I were going to keep her. But one that really needed doing was replacing the fuel injectors.

What made me think it was needed? Well, for one, the engine ran rough at idle and wasn't capable of going over about 2200 rpm at full throttle, even unloaded (just so you know, it's not advised to run the engine at full speed unloaded so if you're going to try this, make it quick). There was no smoke to speak of, but it ran rough. Nothing had changed so there was no reason to think the fuel pump or filters were contributing to this problem. The engine did start ok. Also, the engine has approximately 2200 hours on it (almost 20 years of 100 hours per year).

The least expensive thing to do other than changing fuel filters (done already) is to rebuild or replace the injectors. The cost of rebuilding is about $45.00 each, and if you insist in purchasing them from the Westerbeke/Universal dealership expect to pay $185 each for new ones.

Universal diesel engines since about 1977 are all Kubota. The hard part is figuring out which model as Universal kindly ground off all Kubota part numbers and stamped their own. Not terribly helpful. I found that my 25XMP is really a Kubota D-950 and could order parts that way from the distributor. Brand new injectors from Kubota are $59.00 each. So rebuilding is hardly worth it. Make sure you also purchase new copper gaskets for the injectors, too. They're $.70 each from Kubota. $10.00 each from Westerbeke/Universal.

Based on all that, I decided that it wouldn't hurt to replace them and it very possibly could help!

The first nice day (yesterday) was perfect for the job. Diesels are intrinsically simple engines - the most complicated part is the high pressure fuel pump with the injectors coming in second. They are pretty forgiving about fuel with the one exception of dirt and air entrained in it. You can even have some water in the fuel!

That said, first I had to disconnect the three small lines from the pump to the injectors and remove the return fuel rail. Easier said than done. I've found that the way to do this is to remove the front connections first, then the second and finally the third - each give room for the next.

A word about these fuel lines. They're steel and the compression fittings are moderately delicate - you don't need too much force to make a good seal so you don't need too much to undo them. Don't force them. If they seem to be stuck, take a minute and make sure you're turning them in the right direction. It also helps to have what are called 'gas line' wrenches that look like box-end wrenches with a slot cut in the box to go around a gas line (like on cars). Fortunately they work on diesel fuel lines, too!

Other fittings may try to loosen, too. the line is connected to a check valve at the high pressure fuel pump, so hold that fitting to make sure it doesn't turn as you're loosening the fuel line fitting. When you've got the fittings off, cover the open holes with tape or a clean rag to keep debris from falling in. Move the fuel lines out of the way - I loosened the two brackets that hold them neatly in order to do that and then rotated them away from both the pump and injectors.

You'll have to undo the nuts that hold the return fuel rail to the injectors and disconnect that hoses to the rail. If your rail isn't solid, then just disconnect the hoses. Remove the rail. Since these are the old injectors, don't worry about dirt too much.

The injectors come out just like a sparkplug, but with a bigger wrench. They, too, are not cranked down tight. If they're stuck, a couple of light taps on the wrench handle with a hammer will break the seal. I do that because I'm not interested in banging my knuckles hard on the cable brackets and intake manifold. If you have the right size deep well socket, then you're way ahead of the game.

Remove the injectors one at a time and make sure the copper seating gasket is also removed! You should have a clean hole into the cylinder from that point. Make sure the seating surface at the bottom is clean and the threads are also clean. The new injectors come with plastic caps - remove the bottom one and leave the top one on until you're ready to re-attach the fuel lines. Drop the copper gasket into the injector hole and make sure it's flat at the bottom. Then screw in the injector. It should go in pretty easily, like a sparkplug.


When all three are done, remove the plastic caps, replace the return fuel rail and the nuts that hold it in place. There is an aluminum gasket under the rail - make sure it's on and you've put the rail on correctly. It should be smooth on top and grooved underneath. Tighten the nuts that hold the rail on - they should be snug, so don't force them. Remember, everything on the fuel system is snug, not tight. I'd be really surprised if you'd put more than 10 or 15 foot-pounds on any of the fittings. Reconnect the return and bleed lines.

Now, you can replace the fuel lines. Make sure before you do that the check valves on the fuel pump are snug, then replace the fuel lines on the injectors. These compression fittings are delicate - don't force them. They seal with very little pressure, and if you over torque them you will be purchasing new ones. Once again, snug is the key. I'd say 10 foot-pounds or less. Don't force them. I can't stress this enough. If it leaks when you're starting the engine, tighten them a little more. It's better to do that then to have them ruined.

Finally, when all is back together, turn the ignition on so the electric fuel pump runs and purge the system. Then you can start the engine - it will crank over a little longer than normal because the fuel lines from the high pressure pump to the injectors will have to fill. If there are no leaks, the engine will start within about 20 seconds or so. If it doesn't, check for leaks. Leaks in the high pressure lines will prevent the injector from providing fuel to the cylinder.

If the engine starts and runs roughly, wait a minute (unless it's really rough) for all the injector lines to fill. Remember, a diesel uses very little fuel - the line consists of minutes of fuel in volume. If it smooths out, you're good. While it's running, check for leaks. You may see some smoke - especially if you've gotten fuel on the engine head (I'd be surprised if you didn't). It will clear. Make sure there are no leaks around the high pressure pump or the injectors - it will be obvious.

If you see a leak, stop the engine and tighten the thing that's leaking. Try again. If you've tightened it more than once, you've probably ruined the fitting. That's bad, and you'll have to take that section apart and evaluate the problem.

That's really all there is to it. It took me an hour and a half to do the job, and that's because it took me an hour to get all the fuel lines out of the way. The injectors pictured here are the old ones - expect to see some carbon on the end, but you should see the little pin that comes through and there shouldn't be a huge build up of carbon on it.

Injectors are pretty forgiving, but they do wear out. If you've noticed a decided loss of power or heavy smoking from your diesel, this might be a way to get it back and stop the smoking. It's cheaper than a rebuild!

When I was done, the engine idled smoothly, started easily, and was once again able to go to its max rpm! I'm a happy guy!

It's getting warm, and I can't wait to see you on the water!

Captain's School Part Three & The Test

The final weekend of Captain's School is all about what's called 'Deck General'. It's about lines and knots, deck hardware, fire fighting, survival, and some other stuff. I have something of an advantage because most of the things taught at this level are the very same things the Navy made a fairly serious attempt to teach me.

For the OUPV, it's a pretty light brush with some fairly serious subjects, not the least of which how to maintain command of your vessel. Since I'm typically a crew of one, it's not too hard, but if you have passengers, it could be like herding cats.

But compared to the first two weekends, it was fun and games - with video's and discussions and so forth. Of course, the practice plotting and questions.

Other than lunch at O D's in Nyack, there was no excitement to the three days.

Last night, Jan 29th, was the test. It started at 6:00pm and you could work until 10:00pm if you needed to. It consisted of four sections - three multiple guess, and one plotting.

The three multiple choice sections were nav general (like buoyage and chart information), deck general (like basic environmental issues, firefighting, line handling, knots, and anchoring), and finally Rules of the Road (right of way, collision avoidance, lighting and dayshapes). These tests are created from a subset of the Coast Guard's 16,000 or so questions.

The Mariner's School makes their tests from a random selection from 200 or so questions per section. If you can answer all the questions in the back of their books, you are guaranteed to pass (actually, get 100%). I could, and did except for one question that I changed my answer to the wrong one. (Test taking tip: Never change your answer on a multiple guess.)

Finally, the 10 plotting questions contained two of each of these: 3 bearing fixes, speed & course made good, Estimated Time of Arrival, and Drift & Set. There were also two multiple guess questions about the chart itself.

Fortunately, the test was on Long Island Sound, so I didn't have to do a lot of searching for lights mentioned in the problems, like Horton Point, Duck Island Roads west, Bartlett Reef, and so on.

I worked quickly and turned in all my tests in two and a half hours. More than that, I passed with flying colors - after I finish all the damn paperwork, I'll be a Captain. For real!

In March, I'll be taking the Master's course, with towing and sailing endorsements because the sea time requirements are the same so it doesn't make sense to do it twice.

Well, it's cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey (and that's not a sexual reference) here so no sailing.

I visited my friend, Gene's Whitby 42 to see what they're all about last Saturday. They seemed like an interesting boat. I think I'll have to see one in better condition to make a final judgement on the boat.

More on that later, of course!

I hope it warms up soon! I want to see y'all on the water!

Captain's School Part One & Two

I'm sure there are a million (or ten, anyway) books that tell you what you have to do to get your Captain's license. From my perspective, the course and test are just the beginning of the flurry of paperwork necessary to actually get the piece of paper in your grubby little hands.

But for the past two weekends I've been attending the Mariners School course led at the Nyack Boat Club, who has graciously allowed us to take over the clubhouse for three weekends.

Captain Keith is our instructor, and if nothing else, I'd like to approach his level of competence, grace, and good sense.

The first weekend which was denoted by spring-like weather (72 degrees and sunny), was devoted entirely to navigation. This includes buoyage, lights, and marks. A great proportion of that weekend was devoted to plotting - 3 point fixes, speed made good, set and drift, and so forth. Also, because all the problems' answers are given in true course (the outside ring of the compass rose), there are at least one conversion from ships compass course to true.

I've known since Boy Scouts that this conversion is necessary but have heard or read several different means of doing it. My reaction has been to just use the magnetic compass rose on the chart and assume my compass is spot on (which I know it isn't). Then I had LORAN, and then GPS, so I've had even less inclination to use this information. But here I am getting an OUPV license and needing to use it.

So for all of you who are dying to know, here it is: True Virgins Make Dull Company, Add Whiskey. Or, TV Makes Dull Children. This is what it means:

W+ E-	True Course	Ever wonder why there's a 'true' ring on the compass rose?
	Variation	The difference between True North and Magnetic North
	Magnetic Course	A corrected magnetic course
	Deviation	The difference between what the compass reads and what it should read
W- E+	Compass Course	What you read on the compass

What this all means is that you add west, subtract east down and add east, subtract west going up. Easy, huh? More to the point, it's useful information to know.

But wait, there's more. Three bearing sights, estimated time of arrival, set and drift, little known facts about how channels are marked. Lots of information that apparently no small number of boaters don't know or understand.

I found it fun and interesting. Although I knew how to plot courses and so forth, I exclusively used the magnetic compass courses. Converting to true is easy, and more precise.

The second weekend, however, was not as much fun. Rules of the road, lights and sounds. I can guarantee most boaters have no idea what the rules actually are. They do one of two things: ignore them or misinterpret them. Sailboats do not always have the right of way, for instance.

Although the rules are well defined, you could use this rule of thumb, called 'The Rule Of Tonnage'. The bigger boat has the right of way. Just go with that.

The rules have some logic involved - it's easy to figure out who had rights over whom. Lighting, however, and shapes have no such logic. It's pure memorization. There doesn't seem to be anything to link them together. Oh, and Inland rules differ ever so slightly from International rules.

The Mariners School site has practice tests - thankfully the Coast Guard uses the multiple guess form of testing, so for the most part you can figure out the answer. We'll see when I take the test on January 29. In the meantime, I take their random question tests at least twice a day.

Other than the fact it's a lot like work, I really enjoy the school though. It's been over 30 years since I learned anything in a group setting. Although I can go much faster by myself the social part of the learning can't be overlooked. A good instructor is absolutely essential, and we have that in spades.

There are four general categories resulting in four tests - Rules of the Road, Navigation, Deck General, and Plotting.

Plotting is the most time consuming and a pencil width can change your answer enough to get it wrong. As easy as it is to perform on a large table in a brightly lit room in a yacht club, you could imagine how it would be plotting on a small, poorly lit surface at some moving angle other than horizontal. You can really appreciate electronics give that scenario! However, if there's anything Captain Keith has beaten into our collective brains, it's that even with electronics, you'd better keep track on your chart of where you are, especially if the weather is deteriorating.

It seems like common sense. However, as Voltaire said, "Common sense isn't so common." But that's a whole other post.

This weekend coming up is the final class - Besides plotting, we'll be going through Deck General, which contains safety, fire fighting, and survival basics.

It's cold now, so I'm not on the water, but I will be soon! Hope to see you there!

Welcome to 2007!

It's a new year, one filled with hope and dreams and a craving for sailing, chocolate, Yukon Jack, and fun. Not necessarily in that order.

As the winter wears on, in the eastern United States it's been relatively warm - seldom below 40 degrees, with some stunningly beautiful days. December 31st was one of them. My friend Jack and I went for a sail, short as it was.

December winds are like June winds, except colder. There's usually a good morning breeze and a fair one late in the afternoon, but between noon and three or four, nothing. There is a symmetry between November and May, December and June, January and August, and so forth.

Sadly, Inertia is empty of all the little toys and comforts that normally exist on her due to the sale. So no coffee on the water (no pot or cups) and all the systems are winterized.

But a sail is a sail.

Normally, January first is the day I go out with friends, but it was cold and rainy. So not this year.

For the next three weekends I'll be occupied with the OUPV Captain's License course given at the Nyack Boat Club. It should be interesting, and I'll keep everyone posted on how that goes. It's being given by the Mariner's School. It should be fun, informative, and if I can manage to remember everything and get all the necessary paperwork done, I'll be set.

That, incidentally, is the reason many people don't get their license - after passing the test, there's the physical, the eye exam, the proof of time on the water and a slew of other things.

Also, since I'm on the hunt for a new boat, there will be more on that front. As it is, I've decided that there's nothing about a Gulfstar that could possibly interest me.

I've found a new boat to consider - a Whitby 42. So I'll be looking into them, too. There are several on the market. We'll see.

But the days are getting longer, and warmer, and sunnier!

I hope to see you out there!

Thinking of Buying A New Boat?

If you own a boat you will at some time, want a new one - different, more suited to you or whatever. Usually, this occurs after a major trauma - engine problems, electrical or electronics issues, plumbing or whatever.

I am looking for a new boat, or new one to me. But part of the process is selling my boat. Part of that process is cleaning it up by removing all the stuff I don't want to sell with it and getting into all the nooks and crannies to clean them up.

There is a point to this discussion even if you're not selling your own lovely craft. First, you will be amazed at the crap you've accumulated. I mean, you'll find stuff you never knew you had. Or things you've been missing for years. Things you thought you threw out or wish you had.

For example, in cleaning out the head, I found a brand new tube of toothpaste that I actually needed at home preventing, or at least delaying a trip to the local Wal-Mart for same. How long had it been there? Could be up to five years. I don't remember putting it there. Not that that's any criteria to go by.

To clean your boat properly, though, means removing everything. I mean absolutely everything - all your glassware, cookware, personal items, books, videos, CD's, clothing, tools, little bits of batten material, screws, washers, spare parts, rags, flares, first-aid kits, and whatever else you have on board. As you might surmise, this is best done at a dock.

Doing this is not only fun, in that you get to see everything, but helpful because you get to throw stuff out (if you don't you're not being honest with yourself) and you find things that might be unidentifiable and moldy.

Next, you need appropriate cleaners - I use either Clorox wipes for interior gelcoat fiberglass liners or Fantastic or some other home cleaner. Where there's mold, Clorox or anything like Tilex will work, too. But nothing too strong or you'll make your life worse. After cleaning it, I usually use some detailing wax, like Meguiars or Turtle Wax spray on to seal the surface.

Naturally, you'll want to dust - with the bilges closed, dust down to the sole. Make sure you get all the horizontal surfaces, including under the stove - that collects the most gross stuff you can imagine. It may even be worth the effort to lift the stove out of its gimbals to clean underneath, but mostly you can swing it and reach everything.

Inertia has oiled teak and mahogany interior wood - the entire cabin is almost entirely wood. There are two products I use on unfinished wood - once every couple of years, I'll wipe it down with Penetrol and then buff it quickly. That seals the wood below the layer you see. Twice a year, however, I'll wipe it down with teak oil. Follow the directions for both.

An interesting tidbit about Penetrol: If you buy a quart of 'Marine' penetrol it will set you back nearly $13.00. If you go to Home Depot and buy a quart of regular Penetrol, then it's about $7.00. You may think to yourself, "Hmm, the marine stuff must have something interesting about it." You'd be wrong. A call to the company that makes Penetrol by Herb garnered the following fact: It's all the same. The line that cans 'marine' Penetrol is exactly the same one canning the standard stuff. What changes? The label. And the price.

Another surface in the boat is Formica - the bulkheads in the head and the surfaces in the galley and work table are all laminated. For that I use Clorox to remove stains and then wipe it with Fantastic. Finally in the galley where all sorts of cleaners have attacked the surfaces, I'll use the spray wax again to help seal it.

If you have Lexan or acrylic windows or ports, DO NOT use chlorinated cleaners on them - they won't affect the structural strength but they'll destroy the surface and make it look all crazed. Windex is chlorinated. Most cleaners are, but you can use specialty cleaners (check to make sure they say they're for plastics). I'll use soapy water or vinegar.

My final job is cleaning the bilge, since that contributes to the overall 'boat smell'. Some people like it, some don't. I don't. I've found a pine oil based bilge cleaner, and since mine is gelcoated or epoxied (I don't know which), a sponge, water and this cleaner does a terrific job.

Now is the time to put everything back - if you can, vacuum the cushions and rugs if you have them. Personally, rugs on a boat are a breeding ground for damp, moldy, sticky, smelly stuff. I don't use them. More to the point, in a seaway a rug can slip with you on it.

Before you put something back on the boat, think about whether you need immediately, need it occasionally so it doesn't have to be aboard, or don't really need it at all. In the first case, put it back aboard. For the second, store it at home or in a storage locker. For the third, sell or toss it.

Next, is it moldy? If it is, if it can be cleaned, clean it. If not toss it. Bringing moldy things on a boat virtually guarantees a continuous fight with it.

Is it something that can expire? Is it expired or will it soon? If not, back aboard, but note somewhere (ships log?) when it needs replacing. If it is, toss and replace. Flares are a big thing. Police and fire departments usually will take expired ones. What you don't need is expired, non working flares when the seagull poop hit's the fan.

Finally, bedding and clothing that need washing should be washed.

Everyone cleans the outside of the boat during the summer. Herb has come up with a once-a-season wax mixture that really works - it's a little harder to put on, but, boy, does it work like a champ.

Before I tell you what's in it, I'll have to make sure he's not going to trademark it!

I can do Inertia in one day. Two days if I wax the hull.

What's the point and what does it have to do with a new boat?

When you're finished with this project, you will find you've bonded more deeply with your vessel. You'll also see it the way you did when you first bought it - just like the new boat you wanted.

I'll be seeing you on the water!

So Much To Do, But I'd Rather Be Sailing

Other than having another birthday, November is typically a slow month - The occasional day for sailing in the Northeast is characterized either by howling winds or cold rain or both. None of which is conducive to sailing.

What has been going on is the search for a new boat (new to me, anyway). The project is to find one, preferrably a ketch, in the 40 - 45 foot range with a center cockpit and walk under to the aft cabin. As fast as Inertia is, and as much wind as she'll take, she's just too small for a liveaboard for very long. Especially since I need an office of a sort. But no fear, if I sell my townhouse first, I'm there on Inertia for a bit.

There are several boats I'm considering, such as the Pearson 424, Morgan 43, Gulfstar Hirsh 45, and a few others. They all come in sloop and ketch rigs, but as I sail alone alot, a split rig seems more managable in more conditions. None of them are particularly fast, nor do they point very well, but I suspect that's because of the location of the genoa tracks and the fact that most of them don't have very good travelers.

I've even looked at a Beneteau 46 7 which is ocean ready. It's a lovely boat, but draws 8 feet and is a sloop with a huge mainsail. For me, a recipe for disaster. But it is well equipped. Contact Samalot Marine if you're interested. And you have around $125,000.

There have been several incidents in the news lately (at least the marine news). In the last month or so four incidents of Coast Guard rescues have occurred where the causes were either a poorly found boat or poorly prepared sailors. Check out these links:

• http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2006/11/09/boats-rescue.html?ref=rss
  
• http://www.theroyalgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061110/NEWS/111100154
• http://www.openwaters.ca/rochelle_photo.htm
  
• http://www.boston.com/news/globe/city_region/breaking_news/2006/11/coast_guard_plu_1.html
• http://www.uscgnewengland.com/posted/778/11_13_06_LA_BELLA_RESCUE.137984.mov
  

There has been a lot of discussion about how much and how far Coast Guards should go to rescue private yachts in trouble. A number of countries in Europe and now Canada either require inspections of yachts going offshore or are contemplating the same - no inspection, no rescue. There already are strick inspection requirements for offshore racing for insurance reasons mostly. Look at the Newport Bermuda or Marion Bermuda races. It's really hard (read that 'expensive') to pass all the requirement's and inspections...

If you're going offshore, you should be prepared as best you can, your boat should be well found, and you should not be expecting rescue. If you can't meet these requirements you should really think twice about long offshore passages.

How can you prepare yourself? The simple answer is know your boat and its systems - not just that they exist but that you can find and fix them. Know how to navigate with a form other than the installed GPS. Several portable GPS backups and batteries, a sextant and the ability to use it, paper (preferrably waterproof) charts as a backup to the GPS charts.

There are so few things anymore where we're not protected from ourselves by those who believe they know better. Sailing, and especially ocean sailing is one of those things that can't be regulated all that well. Let's all keep it that way.

See you on the water!

Close Enough To An Anniversary

It was just about one year ago I started this blog, and I certainly hope to keep it going - inasmuch as I'm looking to move to a larger boat that will be my home and office. It's not that Inertia can't be that, but it would be very cramped and I'd probably not be able to sail her very much because of the difficulty of keeping stuff stowed.

But that's another story. This one is how you can modify your boat to make winterizing a snap!

Many people really dread winterizing and pay a yard to do it - but with a little tubing, some valves and an inexpensive air compressor you can do the job very easily.

Before we start, safety: If your thru-hull valves are not in good condition, or you can't operate them simply, then you'll have to do whatever you did or do the job while the boat is out of the water. You won't be able to modify the hoses while water is pouring in. Don't even try. Next, make sure you use good quality hoses, valves, and hose clamps- The valves should be stainless steel ball valves or plastic schedule 40 minimum (80 is better). The hose clamps should be all stainless steel. This isn't an expensive job - don't cheap out on the hardware.

Freshwater cooled engine's have two cooling systems - the freshwater (see my post about changing the freshwater pump back in August) and the raw water system. The freshwater system you just fill and check like your car's - it uses either the green stuff or the new red stuff available at auto or marine stores. Just make sure you get the right stuff.

You know this post wouldn't be complete without an opinion. My water tanks are clean. They have no taste and the piping to the faucets is cpvc. It is only on the very hottest days below that you can taste the plastic in the water from the tanks. I use it all the time for brushing my teeth and so forth. I generally drink bottled water, but I don't have to. Because of this, I hate the idea of putting the red potable antifreeze in the water system. It's too hard to get the taste out during the season. So I don't use it.

Now the theory: The only time water will hurt piping is if it's confined in freezing weather. A full cpvc tube will freeze and break. Ditto a water heater or water tank. But if there's just a little bit of water, it's no problem. Also: a dry thru-hull won't freeze.

When I bought Inertia, I put tees and valves at the potable water tank outlets - these are at the bottom of the tanks and and drain into the bilge. I open and drain the tanks and leave the valves open all winter. If you don't have access to the bottoms of the tanks (for instance, they're built into the keel) then you'll need to pump them dry - run all the water out until the pump sucks air. That means the pipes should be dry to the pump, or at least mostly empty. But the pipes after the pump and the hotwater heater will still be full.

Another project I did when I first bought Inertia was to install a shoreside water adapter. You don't need to do this, but one way or another you're going to put a fitting on the cold water side of your water system for a compressor. I made a fitting from parts at Home Depot that joined an male airhose connector to a male waterhose connector. One screws into the shorewater connection, the other connects to an airhose to the compressor.

Note: Make absolutely sure your compressor is oil-less, or oil free and there's no lubricator at or near the regulator. This is extremely important - you don't want oil in your water lines.

If you're going to install a shoreside water regulator, do that - it will require cutting a hole somewhere and following the installation instructions - it's an afternoon job and maybe $100 in parts including the regulator. You'll need to tee into the cold water line after your internal potable water pump. Most of those pumps have check valves so water can't flow backwards through it. If yours does not, you'll need to install one on the pump discharge as close as possible to the pump.

While I'm talking about the potable water pump you'll want to put a tee with a short hose and a ball valve just after the pump and the check valve I mentioned before - if you're not going to install the shoreside water supply, then you can use this valve and tee as a place for connecting the air compressor. The time to do this should be a couple of hours and perhaps $40 in fittings valve and hoses.

You may be getting the idea here - instead of connecting a water hose to the system, we're going to connect a compressor then open valves in the potable water system one at a time and blow the water out of the pipes.

Using a compressor, set the output pressure no more than 40lbs or so. Higher pressure won't work better and could burst a pipe. Most potable water pumps have cutoff switches at 45lbs, so you'll be under that.

On Inertia, I start with the cockpit shower hot water - I run that until all that blows out is vapor. Usually that empties the hot water heater. Then, to be sure, I open the hot water heater's drain valve until all that comes out is sputtering or vapor. Finally I open the head's hot water valve until just vapor comes out, and finally the galley's hot water valve. Only one valve is open at a time, and I wait for each to just release vapor. It doesn't make sense to try to dry the lines out.

Next, I do the same thing with the cold water valves - one at a time until only vapor comes out.

Finally, I open my tee near the pump and run that out - if you're using that to inject air, you don't have to do that.

It took longer to describe this than it actually took to winterize the potable water system.

The engine raw water system requires closing the supply thru-hull, cutting the hose to the engine, installing a tee with a ball valve on the T and a length of hose long enough to reach to the bottom of a bottle of antifreeze - here you need to use the red potable stuff since it will end up going out the exhaust hose.

Simply, get your bottle of antifreeze ready with the hose in it and the thru-hull closed and the new tee valve open. Start the engine- if you have a big engine or lots of exhaust hose, make sure you have a couple of gallons of antifreeze so you can switch. You could also have a friend watch the exhaust outside the boat to see when it turns pink or red. When it does, stop the engine.

Next, connect the compressor to the hose and while the air is blowing open the thru-hull. When you hear air bubbling out around the hull (you will), close the thru-hull and remove the air hose. Then close the valve on the tee. Remember, even if your thru-hull is three feet under water the back pressure is about a pound and a half - don't overdo it with the air hose. The last thing you want to do is blow all your hoses off. Not that I think you can do it. But who knows? I'm certainly not going to experiment with that.

Finally, I winterize the head - I installed a tee in the head inlet water line. I close the inlet thru-hull, open the valve on the tee, stick the hose in the antifreeze container, and pump the head just like it is being used. Then I take the hose out of the container, and pump the head until I hear air going out the discharge, then close both valves.

For the sink drains, in the head I can blow out the drain with air and close the thru-hull, but in the galley, there's no way to close the big drain holes so here's the trick with that: pour enough antifreeze into the sink until there's an inch or so in the sink(s). Open the thru-hull until the sink drains and then close it. Bada boom, bada bing, fuggeddabouddit.

The last things to be winterized are the shower sump pump and the bilge pumps - just pour antifreeze into the bilge (hopefully dry first) and pump it through the bilge pumps. Do the same with the shower sump and it's pump.

That's all there is to it. Total time to winterize Inertia - 1.5 hours, maybe 3 gallons of antifreeze.

Finally! I Get To Use The Spinnaker!

This week was signal for two reasons - well, maybe three. First, it's near peak color in the lower Hudson Valley. Next, Laura and Cory took some guests out on their boat, Cassiopeia and had the foresight to bring a camera, and finally, I got some great pictures from them on the sail which I'll share now.


Sunday was overcast, and started with little wind - so as we left Haverstraw Marina, with my friend Janet aboard, we just pootled around mostly pushed upriver by the current. Laura came out a bit later and we decided to travel up river into Tomkins Cove.

Haverstraw Bay is bounded on the north by Stony Point on the west side and Verplanck on the east side. As soon as we started upriver I decided to fly the spinnaker, and so with great swearing, hopping around, and so forth, I got the asym up and drawing very nicely.

We started to fly up the river to catch up to Cassiopeia, which is a fast boat in light air, even downwind! We passed just north of Stony Point and had to gybe before running aground. Of course, that's when I found out that downhaul (tack) was inside the lazy sheet. You can imagine the ensuing hijinks. A barrel of fun! I sure had Janet hopping about the cockpit as we ran towards the Tomkins Cove Quarry.

Finally, with everything under control, we set off to catch Cassie again near Jones Point where the river turns from northeast to northwest towards the Bear Mountain Bridge, away from Peekskill. We gybed again and realized as we were taking the chute down that we should have paid more attention to the wind behind us. As usual.

The sail back was a rousing beat back down the river - with a final reach into the marina. And as usual, the wind died exactly after we tied up! Cassie had already gotten there and the crew was on the Amistad which is the ship from the movie. By the time we got there, though, the tours were closed. Ah, well.

Hey! News Flash! My First Post To Google Earth! Search for postings by 'Mad Sailor' or L. C. Tiffany!

Look, there's still some season left! See you on the water!

One More Year Under The Belt

Every year has its cycles. Like the swallows of San Capistrano, Inertia travels down the Hudson in the spring and back up in the fall. Last weekend was the trip back to Haverstraw Marina about 32 miles up the Hudson from the Battery on west shore just below Stony Point and Grassy Point.

In the past thirteen years, it usually has been a slog through bad weather - 20 to 25 knots on the nose, short chop, cold rain or mist, and general uncomfortablness. This year, however, was very different.

First, rather than hosting a party on Inertia, we had a convoy - a flotilla, as it were. Herb & Gina, Laura & Cory and Bob & Carol all decided this year to winter in Haverstraw. Mostly for reasons of cost. The marinas on the Long Island Sound have all suddenly gone insane, mostly due to the Brewers Yards. Apparently in an effort to ensure that boaters with a budget don't have anywhere to go they raised prices to astronomical levels.

Anyway, Friday afternoon we all met at the Haverstraw Marina to ride to over to Stamford, Ct. Along for the ride was Aaron and Suzanne travelling on Laura's boat. I went with Laura as well as a hand. Unfortunately, there was wind, directly on the nose - out of the west. That's ok, because all we were going to do was go to City Island for an evening at my club. We arrived at about 8 pm and all picked up a mooring with help from the launch driver.

Off to the clubhouse for a spectacular meal. We all got back to the boats around 11 for a great, if short sleep - Laura and gang wanted to go out for breakfast, so in order to leave at 9 am, we had to get to the Island Cafe at 7:30 or so. For early morning food on City Island, there are really only two sit-down places, the Island Cafe and the City Island Diner. Both are good, and the only benefit of the Island Cafe had this day is its proximity to the yacht club.

Well, after a big, comforting, and filling breakfast we waddled off to the boats to await the departure time of 9 am. I had to wait for Jack to show up, as he was coming along with me. I've been known to do this trip alone but it's always much nicer with company.

A side note, here, about tides. The best way to travel down the East River and up the Hudson is to reach the Battery (southern tip of Manhattan) 2 hours after low tide. Plus a little. The nature of tides in these two rivers is such that going from west to east there is a four hour window. From east to west, only two. Moreover, the currents in the East River can reach 6 + knots. Timing is everything. One trip took me 21 hours because with a fouled prop I couldn't make it through the East River in time.

This trip around the Battery is a bridge lovers dream trip. There are 10 bridges to travel under. If your mast is less than 40' above the water you could add one more. From City Island the first bridge is the Throgs Neck Bridge connects 95 to 295 via 695 and spans the waters from the SUNY Maritime College on Throgs Point to Cryders Point. It separates the Eastchester Bay from the beginning of the East River to the west. Willets Point is just to the east of Cryders Point.

The next bridge traveling west is the Whitestone Bridge spanning the neck fro Old Ferry Point to Whitestone Point. It carries US 678.

As you continue west, you pass Flushing Bay to the south where La Guardia Airport is. A little farther on the channel passes between Riker's Island (the NYC Dept. of Correction's prison) to the south and Hunts Point to the north. Shortly thereafter is the channel between North and South Brother Islands. South Brother is just a bit of rock and scrub, but North Brother is where the sanitarium Typhoid Mary was housed. The island is overgrown, but most of the buildings still stand.

There is a channel that goes north of North Brother Island, but only really big ships go that way. Passing South Brother there's a channel to the southeast into Bowery Bay. Don't bother going there.

The next bridge you pass under is the purple Amtrak bridge named Hell Gate Bridge. Right next to that is the Triboro Bridge at Negro Point. The area called Hell Gate runs from the Hell Gate Bridge past Mill Rock to the mouth of the Harlem River to the north and Roosevelt Island to the south. Although Hell Gate can have some wicked currents and eddies, all but the very smallest of boats will pass without problem. Hell Gate is named after the Dutch "Beautiful Water" rather than the more ominous interpretation.

Travelling south into the East River you'll see Gracie Mansion to your right. Roosevelt Island has an east and west channel. Stay to the west channel unless your mast height is less than 40 feet or you'd like to take you mast down in the most spectacular manner possible.

The East River channels are narrow and can be very fast flowing. I've gone past Roosevelt Island at 14 knots over the ground and 5 knots through the water. Because it's deep and narrow it can set up mogul like standing waves that are really unpleasant to travel over. Most vessels, including tankers and barges go through during or near slack tide. If you're not travelling up the Hudson, you can go at max ebb. It's a real sleigh ride.

At the middle of Roosevelt Island is the 59th Street Bridge (real name: Queensboro Bridge). It's the one from the song by Simon and Garfunkle. It's a beautiful iron link suspension bridge with exquisite tower top ornaments.

A mile or so later is the Williamsburg Bridge. There's not alot to be said about it. It's short and functional, and it precedes the turn west towards the Battery. As you round that corner Governors Island, the Statue of Liberty, South Street Seaport, and the Battery heave into view.

Shortly you'll pass under the Manhattan Bridge and then the famous Brooklyn Bridge. At this point, if you've calculated your tide correctly you'll be fighting between a 1 and 2 knot current. No worries, though, because it's only for a quarter mile or so until you round the Battery with the Staten Island Ferry Terminal to your right. There will be a short way with no current, and then you'll be sucked up the Hudson.

By the time we got to the Battery, we were worried that we would not make it - our speed had reduced to 3 knots against the current. Of course, we did, as planned. The wind was out of the southwest so we set sail as soon as we rounded into the Hudson River. We were travelling at 5.5 knots through the water, but up to 8 knots over the ground in gusts. What a ride!

By 2pm we had reached the George Washington Bridge with the Little Red Lighthouse beneath the east tower. With the wind still more or less from the southwest we were able to cruise up between the Palisades to the west and the Bronx to the east, past Spyten Dyvil, the northern terminus of the Harlem River.

When the river widened out a couple of miles south of Piermont, the wind increased to 18 - 20 knots and away we went in earnest! It was spectacular sailing! A couple of squalls passed, and we still sailed under the Tappan Zee Bridge. Sailed on towards Hook Mountain. Then, in the shadow of the mountain took the sails down in preparation for arrival. Good thing, too, as the wind veered north - or, on the nose for the last half hour.

All of us arrived at the Haverstraw Marina within a few minutes of each other, with Cassiopeia first, Inertia second, Goldeneye third, and Spirit last. No matter - the entire trip was 8 hours and 15 minutes - the fastest I'd ever done it. It was just perfect!

Of course, nothing would do but to have cocktails and snacks aboard Cassiopeia, and so we did. The group broke up around 7:30, and I took Jack to Suffern for a bus - we ate at a little Mexican place called Sal y Limon. It's the smallest restaurant with only a few tables, but the food is good, service is great, and if you like Mexican food, it's the best place in Suffern. The other Mexican restaurants there are to fru-fru or expensive for me.

Anyway, Jack got on the 9pm bus to Port Authority, and that was that. I toddled on home for a well deserved good night's rest.

Inertia may be up the Hudson for the winter, but I hope I'll still see you on the water!

News and News

Well, today I'll be seeing how public transport works from my client in downtown Manhattan to City Island where there will be a yacht club meeting. I just want to see how it goes. Frankly, I was going to try this earlier in the season, but didn't because of time constraints.

So, it's an adventure.

I put up a silly little ad in Boat U.S. for Inertia and not expecting anything from it, I got a call. That was a surprise, let me tell you. It makes the sale of Inertia all the more real. And hopefully, it will result in a view and offer. We'll see.

Of course the buyer wants to see the boat, and maybe this weekend - the problem was that I wanted to go sailing Friday and return Monday, but since the boat's coming up the Hudson October 14th, I thought, no, let's hang and let the person look. So I may not get to meet my friends in Northport for Saturday evening. Ah, well. That's the way it goes. But it was a close decision.

It's certainly sad to have someone come aboard and look at your boat not as a thing of beauty, which it no doubt is, but as a series of repairs and problems. They're looking to see if they could live with the flaws, or at least deal with them within their budget.

More, they'll see all my winter projects as a reason to bargain down the price. And I'll have to take it. Arrrrgghhh!

Last weekend I went to look at a Gulfstar 41 and a Tayana Surprise, which is a ketch with equal height masts. The Gulfstar was inexpensive, but for my needs would have to have the interior redone. The 41 is just a little too small.

The Tayana was nice inside, with some very cool features, but the teak deck (I hate teak decks for so many reasons) and the fact that the mizzen was as large as the main were deal killers. The big thing about the large mizzen is that it takes as much effort to manage as the main. That's not a good thing for singlehanding or sail balance. I hate teak because it's a maintenance nightmare (although I'm prone to live and let live when it comes to that) and because it's hard to repair and finally because it's an endangered wood species.

So, the search is still on. I'm thinking of an Endeavor 42, a Pierson 42, or a Gulfstar 43/44. I really want a ketch, but will do with a sloop if easy enough to manage.

More on this later, and one way or another, I'll see you on the water!

Patience and a Bittersweet Race

It's been a while since I posted. There is some news that I hope to let you follow in, but more on that later.

Last weekend, September 16 and 17 was like an August weekend, sunny, hot, and nearly breeze-less. Still, because of my new sails, I could noodle along at three or four knots in eight knots or so of breeze. And so, on my way to where else, Oyster Bay to meet Jack, I got to sail for six hours. Slowly - Oyster Bay is really only about three hours away!

So, patience was the day's keyword. But it was so lovely, how could one complain?


As I passed Greenwich, CT, I noticed several very pretty boats in something of a race. As I drew closer I recognized them - a fleet of 12 Meters. Before the bastardization of the America's Cup with catamarans and other stupid stuff, 12 Meter yachts were the fleet. They were built to follow the rule that a competitor must be able to sail to the course from their home.

The new IACC (Internation America's Cup Class) yacht is a pure racing machine - a class boat engineered specifically for the race. You can check out http://www.americascup.com/ for more information on them. And in some cases, perhaps not engineered well enough (see New Zealand's boat failures).



But the 12 Meter was/is a boat completely capable of crossing an ocean. They typically didn't, but they were capable of it. True, they had reached the end of their design cycle, but that's what match racing is about. The rule allowed differing dimensions. To compare, 420s aren't changing, and neither are Stars, Lasers, Sonars, or any other number of class racers.

That said, I'm sure we're not going back to the 12 Meter rule. But they were the graceful ladies of the America's Cup. Stately, sure footed, strong, and mostly swift. They were the three-leg masters, that is beat, reach, and run. The new IACC yachts are windward/leeward racers. I say, "Feh!". Talk about boring. Up, down, up, down, up down. Whatever.

Ok, so maybe there are others who feel the IACC boats are beautiful, but to me, they're big racing dinghys. Totally useless for anything else.

But the 12 Meters. They are the Marilyn Monroe of racing boats, curvy, sweet, and beautiful. They take your (well, my ) breath away.

Ok, well, enough of that, since I could go on. So the sweet part of seeing the race (remember the race?) was all those lovely ladies sailing stately around the marks. The bitter part was seeing how low they had fallen. Crappy sails shown, conservative sailing. No longer the belle of the ball, sort of floating amusement parks.

Oh, sure, I know it takes money to keep them up, and one way is to rent them out, like the J-Boats. Still, to have fallen from the pinnacle to this. It would almost be better to have converted them to cruising yachts. Ah, well.

Ok, now the news! I have decided to find a new boat and move aboard. This is a whole new project, and one I look forward to with great glee. Also, I hope to change career. So if you've gotten tired of hearing about projects on Inertia, then be prepared for totally new projects on whatever the new vessel's name will be (probably 'Inertia' as well as I'll make that a condition of selling the boat).

So, all the trials and tribulations of finding and buying the new vessel, the projects and everything else. It'll be fun for me. Maybe you'll all get something out of it, too.

'Til then, I'll see you on the water!

Fall Sailing Is Fun!

Finding a fall day that is perfect is always a surprise. This weekend I had planned to work on a new server install, but it went totally well and I finished Saturday. So Sunday I got up early and headed down to the boat.

I got there around 9 am, and it was lovely with a terrific breeze, and overcoming my natural inertia, I decided to see if I could go the whole day without the engine!

Clearly, if you're a powerboat owner, going a day without the engine is, uh, well, not going. But for a sailor, it's a day of challenge and a rosy feeling when successfully accomplished. Rosy in a very different way when not so successfully done.

Anyway, I sailed off the mooring through the mooring field around the island and off to infinity and beyond!

Almost a guilty pleasure, this found sailing time. A fluke, a gift. Perfect weather, perfect seas, perfect wind, perfect temperature. Another one of the days that makes owning a sailboat such a pleasure.

One of the things I did notice, however, is that my rig needs adjusting. So I'll have a bit to say about that later. It's ok if the leeward shrouds are a bit loose, but they shouldn't be flapping about.

Still, I sailed about for a few hours with nowhere in particular to go and then returned to the mooring to pick it up under sail. Only two tries!

I strongly recommend anyone with a sailboat learn how to perform four activities - sail up to and away from a dock (oops! ran out of fuel!), sail off and back on a mooring. There's books about that, but you know what? I think there are at least two more entries here on those subjects. And no, the day's activities were not experiments. I really do know how to do them.

Clearly sailing into a slip is a bunch harder, but it can be done if there's room to tack or jibe. But most marinas, with good reason, don't allow it. It's one of those activites that lead to good judgement. (Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement.) Definitely and emergency type of thing.

Anyway, more on that later.

And since there's still some great weekends left to the year, I hope to see you on the water!

Labor Day 2006

Here in the Northeast U.S. summer is delimited by Memorial Day and Labor Day. Between those two dates, slips are hard come by, moorings are iffy, and the Long Island Sound is thick with boats on weekends. Before or after, one has most of all facilities to themselves.

This Labor Day weekend started with the remains of Ernesto which left a number of moored boats on lee shores. Saturday was consistantly rainy with winds out of the east. On the Sound, east and west winds are absolutely the worst. There is nearly 100 miles of fetch and the Sound shoals at either end. It can get very nasty with waves in the 10-15 foot range but very close together. I've been in 10-12 foot waves that were little more than 60 feet crest to crest. That's short, steep, and very uncomfortable.

Fortunately for my clubmates and I, City Island Yacht Club is on the west side of City Island, so although there were steady east winds at 35 knots gusting to 50 (or so I've heard), our boats were well protected. The club had its Labor Day cookout, but I spent the day creatively napping.

Sunday, however was a different story. I got to the boat around 8 am. when it was cloudy and threating looking. But as someone's mother said, there was more than enough blue in the sky to make a pair of pants. Also, a nice breeze was filling in from the southwest.

I took a few minutes to install the lovely toerail cleats I purchased (pictures show why - new on top), and then started calling my friends to see if they could come out and play. My first call to Herb went something like this:

"Hi Herb, you coming sailing today? Let's go to Oyster Bay!"

"Uh, I don't know it's looking kinda gloomy here."

"Nah, it's sunny with white puffy clouds - it's heading your way."

"I don't see it - it looks like, uh, wait a minute! It's getting sunny! We'll see you there!"

Essentially the same conversation with Bob and Carol, and Jack. So a plan is afoot. My guest couldn't make it, so I had enough food for an army. (There is nothing wrong with keeping a well stocked boat. Besides, my friends all expect it from me.)

The wind was delightful as I sailed off the mooring around the southern tip of City Island, then up between City Island and Hart Island. The morning had become quite comfortable so I took the opportunity to go shirtless for a last time this year, I supposed.

I sailed through the channel between David's Island and Hart Island out towards Execution Rock Light. The wind was building out of the south southwest, so it was nearly perfect for a broad reach. And so I went. A lovely day, a lovely sail.

About three hours later I arrived at the entrance to the Cold Spring/Oyster Bay harbors. Since there was no rush at all, I sailed almost to the agreed upon anchorage. I know I could anchor under sail, but running the engine for a bit gives me hot water for later. How hedonistic...

Not too long thereafter in sailed Herb & Gina on Goldeneye (a Passport 40), followed by Jack on Barefoot (an Olsen 38), and Bob & Carol on Spirit (an Ericson 35). Since we planned to all leave at different times, we all anchored seperately. Normally, I'll raft up with Jack or he with me.

Anyway Herb blew up his dinghy ( I didn't bring my kyack) and came and got me with all my food and wine and so forth to instigate a party on Goldeneye. So as we waited for the others, we figured sun over the yardarm and all, it was time for wine, cheese, crackers, and anything else we could put out.

Jack showed up, followed by Bob & Carol who had gone to look for the mooring they'd be using for the night after the party. So they rafted to Goldeneye and I took the dinghy to pick up Jack, and all were there for the cocktail hour(s).


The official hors d'oeuvre of Inertia is hot soprasotta, brie cheese and Triskets. Although a new one is being added for variety: smoked oysters with cream cheese on Triskets. Triskets figure prominently in my boating because even if damp still retain the necessary structural integrity to contain the toppings. Your soda crackers and so forth become too mushy. But I digress.

The night was cool and as it progressed it got cloudy, almost looking as if it were going to rain. But it didn't.


Dinner, eventually, was barbequed chicken and salad and other sides - down in Goldeneye out of the cool evening. Very toasty, very comfortable, and very good. It must be the fresh air!

Eventually, even veteran partiers must give in to Morpheus' gentle prodding, and Bob & Carol dropped Jack and I off on our boats on their way to the mooring. After checking the anchor, taking a lukewarm shower in the cockpit and reading for a bit I went to sleep.



Because Laura was having a barbeque on Monday, I had to get up early to get the tide out of Oyster Bay at least and to sail back to City Island. So I got up around 6 am and made my coffee, and because of the lack of wind, started the engine, weighed anchor and started my journey back. As usual I was mildly irritated that I'd have to motor home against the tide, but lo and behold, as I got to the harbor entrance, the wind came up out of the west (feh! Nothing but tacking back and forth!).

Still, I raised the sails and off I went. The problem of going west against the tide and into a west wind is that huge tacks across the sound take lots of time but gain very little towards the goal so when the wind died about two hours later, I decided to motor the rest of the way (still over an hour away).

The surest way to get a fair wind is to lower and cover the sails. I guarantee it. After a half hour of motoring the wind veered to the northwest, a perfect point for sailing back to the club. It also increased to 15 knots or so, so being lazy, I unfurled the jib, and shutdown the motor. Woohoo! Perfect! The Best! Sunny, puffy white clouds, boat heeled in a most nautical way, speeding along with the champagne bubbles sound, breeze in what is left of my hair and flat seas.

What a perfect moment. These moments (ok, hours) are what make all the aggravation of keeping a boat worthwhile. More than worthwhile.

Eventually, I got back to City Island, cleaned up and put away the boat and headed off to Laura's party. Some pictures - all people you may or may not know, but all having a great time! The food was excellent, as was the company.



Laura's only complaint was that we should have done the Vineyard Race - from Stamford, CT. to Buzzards Bay Light and back. It started on Saturday, and all but 4 boats dropped out. She was pissed because we could have won! Yes, well, that's true. But let's see, a day racing in storm conditions or two days gently sailing about and partying? Hmmm, which shall I choose?

You know which one.

Well, Monday ended when I scooted home and toddled off to bed. The weather was so perfect for sleeping I almost didn't get up in time for work. Yech!

Still, there are a lot more weekends to be had this year! So I hope I'll see you on the water for a few of them, anyway!