Archive | April, 2013

Boat Building Photos

April 27, 2013 by

A few more photos were sent to us from Argentina today.   Progress!   We are eager to see the interior, which is a major time sink.  Hull #42 is ahead of us on the wiring and other interior work, but we are ahead on the cosmetics on the outside.

Here are some definitions of nautical terms used in the photo titles.

PORT

Port is left but a port left open is a window and any port works in a storm.

RAIL

Boats have rub rails and toe rails.   A rub rail is a metal strip that runs across the side to prevent docking dings to the hull.  Check it out on your car, you may have one running across the middle of the doors.   Toe rails are at the edge of the deck and serve a few purposes.   Firstly, they create a lip on the edge of the deck to prevent sailors from slipping off the boat.   They also are a great place to attach blocks and other sailing bits.

BRIDLE

Bridle DrawingAnchors hold boats in place.   There are entire books* written on the topic of anchors, but I will offer up the 4 sentence version  (warning: this is copy-written content of the Two Fish Corporation).  Anchors hold because: 1) the anchor sets (digs into the sea bottom), 2) the anchor chain  (anchor rode) provides weight to hold the anchor in place,  3) the anchor rode is a shock absorber, and, 4) when the anchor is set, there is an angle from the anchor to the boat (scope).   Scope is the ratio of anchor chain to the depth the boat is anchored in and reduces the strain on the set up.  More scope means your boat will hold better but will also take up more space in the harbor.   Many times sailors settle for 5 to 1.   So in 20 feet of water they have 100 feet of anchor rode.  Yikes, I am sailing and still having to do math!  The anchor rode is attached to a windlass which is on deck.  The windlass is a powered winch that helps raise the anchor. Did I mention that our anchor weighs 33 kilograms, not including the heavy chain?   Catamaran owners have a trick when it comes to scope.   Since the deck is 5 feet above the water,  to achieve 5 to 1 scope in 20 feet of water one needs 125 feet of anchor rode (5 * (20+5)).   The trick is that the bridle allows the anchor rode to be attached at the water line.   No need for the extra 5 feet and  now you only need 100 feet of anchor rode.   And there is less chance of taking up the whole harbor and “making” friends in the middle of the night.

Enough sailing lessons.  Enjoy the weekend.

*  I read “The Complete Book Anchoring Handbook“. 

The Complete Anchoring Handbook

 

A decision is made, maybe?

April 25, 2013 by

The crucial offshore sailing gear decision is almost completed and it will be an Epson.   Yes, we are getting an Epson printer and now are equipped to cross the seven seas.  A scanner / printer is key when dealing with paperwork in foreign ports.  On decisions probably more critical to the performance of a blue water cruiser I have barely turned my head away from the crossword puzzle, but the $79 printer decision has become an odyssey.  The first set back was when we discovered that the printer space under the settee was smaller than our existing printer.  After 2 hours on hp.com, some prospect printers were chosen.  I do not trust the specifications online so brought the tape measure to Staples and Best Buy.   My distrust of the online specifications was warranted since the printers were slightly smaller in person.   The measurement confusion created the need for a second round of visits, a second round of web surfing and a trip to a west side store with Jason.   A skilled diesel mechanic could have changed a head gasket with all the time I have spent on the quest for the printer.

So why have I gone over the top on this simple printer while being a passenger on some more critical boat decisions?   I’ve always tried to follow this mantra at work – focus on the things that you can influence and try not to get too bothered by the things that are out of your control. If there is a corollary to this, it may be “focus on what you know”. I realized last week that I have taken that to extremes.  Because I know the parameters needed for the printer decision, I have focused on it. There are lots of core decisions to make on the boat – navigation systems, charts, and sails. Fortunately, Antares has already made most of these for us and we are happy with their choices.  I’m not sure that I know the parameters of those decisions yet.

So what printer have we decided on after the many hours?   Well, it is not fully locked down but it will be either the Epson 400 or 600 Small-in-One. I think I’ll wait until my next boat visit to make the final call.

You Can See an Antares from Space

April 24, 2013 by

As a child I was told that the only man made object you can see from space is the Great Wall of China.  I was misinformed.   I now have photographic evidence that you can also see an Antares.   Using recently released former cold war technology, I have acquired photos from space which clearly show an Antares.  These photos are openly available from Bing maps.   Prepare to be blown away.

This photo below is of  the yacht basin and the YCA (Yacht Club de Argentino).   Having lunch here is one of the perks of buying a boat from Antares.   I recommend the salads, which are a nice alternative from the frequent Argentine asados.  The club has a wide collection of boats.   Some almost mega-yachts are being worked on in the yard, a bunch of classic plastic monohulls from the early days of fiberglass are in the water, and a few classic motor yachts and an equal number of sexy hi tech racing monohulls reside there too.   But, most importantly, there is often the most recently splashed Antares 44i.     The club has a feeling of an oasis but I often feel that way at yacht clubs.   YCA is protected by train tracks on one side and large trees on another.   I can imagine spending a few lazy afternoons relaxing at the club during our commissioning.

I now know you can see more from space than the Great Wall and a childhood lesson has proven to be untrue.   At least I know the tooth fairy is for real – I have the quarters to prove it.

Space Photo of an Antares

Zoom of Antares

Gail’s Trip to BA is Postponed

April 23, 2013 by

Gail is packed for a factory trip but has postponed her flights. She packed 2 crates, 1 long box for poles (fishing and man-overboard), and 1 duffel.   The duffel is heavy and has the density of a dead body but I have been told it contains fishing gear, day mark signals and our ensign.

I am the reason for Gail’s postponement. I have been on the road for work for 4 out of the last 5 weeks.  (Singapore, India, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Germany, France,and twice to UK ).   Instead of bringing home a snow globe, I brought home a decent fight with the flu.   So I was banned from work by Doctor Gail.   After spending a bunch of days in the apartment my head is clear enough to type-progress from shivering while covered with 3 blankets and blasting heat.   Hopefully the health czar will issue a go to work pass soon.

Our Antares friends sent us photos updating us on the progress after hearing of Gail’s postponement.  Our boat (hull #44) is being built in tandem with #42.   This helps both boats since we get advantages of scale.  If the builders are installing a water maker they get to do it twice in a row.   Faster and easier.  Kind of like when you assemble IKEA furniture.  The first chest of drawers is slow but by the second you are slapping it together faster than a NASCAR pit crew changes tires.  I know this for a fact since I watched Gail put together tons of IKEA stuff for our London apartment.   If you need help with your IKEA assembly, email me and we can negotiate Gail’s rates.

Earlier in this rambling post I mentioned that the duffel contained day mark signals.   What the heck are day mark signals?  They are a way of communicating to other boats about your status.   During the night this is done through a selection of running lights.   During the day lights are useless so day mark signals are dictated by the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972 (COLREGs).   We purchased a cone to show when we are under sail and power.   When a sailboat is running the auxiliary (motor) and has a sail up it is considered to be a motor boat.   When we raise this cone we are making it clear to others what are the navigation rights we deserve.  We also purchased a ball which indicates when we are anchored.   At night the ball is lowered and replaced with the anchor light.   We did not buy a cylinder (constrained by draft), 3 balls (aground-I bet we will need it one day), or, a diamond (being towed).  Using day mark signals is not common but we strive to be as seamanship-like as possible.  Let’s see what happens when we hit the water.

Day mark signal – “at anchor”