Another cold day

In the 50's and very windy again.  Not much work gets done outside due to the weather and we're getting close to the end for interior work.  The boat goes into dry dock next week for the new bottom job in Tarpon Springs.  The manager there says they will have it up to a week depending on what they find when the bottom is stripped.  They will also fab up a new hause pipe for the new windless.  We are also having them check out the through hulls and exhaust outlet.  A second set of eyes doesn't hurt as we don't want any problems later on. Over the next few days I will be working on a spare parts list and probably service some of the systems just to get experience.  If I'm going to mess things up I would like to do it now and not on anchor some place.

Harry our SeaRay has had it's first showing and the broker is confidant that it will sell at a reasonable price in a reasonable time period.  While his prediction is pretty open ended I have confidence that he will do his best considering the horrible economy in Florida.  If anyone feels the economy is not all that bad come to Florida for a reality check.

Dan was able to hook the Garmin 192 GPS into the radar system this week.  While the radar is old it must have been one of the first ones to be able to hook into GPS.  While this will give us position on the radar he is going to work on having a track and course overlay along with track up or north options.  We also trashed the Loran navigation system as the government shut it down and have no plans to bring it back up.  If the feds ever shut down GPS we're in trouble although we are reading up on dead reckoning just in case.

Currently we have 4 GPS units on board.  The one that came on the boat for the inside helm,  one that we took off Harry that will go on the fly bridge,  one in my computer that Chris uses to plan and check up on me and a hand held that will be my anchor drag alarm when I'm in my berth.   Dale, this is the one that you gave me years ago. 

I better get back to work.

Capt. James T. Kerm

Water Spouts

When I said we were battening down the hatches today it turned out I wasn't kidding.  A good-sized line of squalls pushed through this late afternoon/evening.  There were heavy winds and water spouts were sighted out in the Gulf close to Hudson.  We tied several 'insurance' lines and made sure everything was tied down.  When the rain and winds came we were glad we had a safe shelter.  The surge tide was very high.  Everything turned out okay and now there's just a gentle rain that will make sleeping very sweet.

Here's a picture of Graham, Mary,Erin, Dan and me on the flybridge when they were here for their recent  visit.

Catching up

Hello to family and friends-

We have been busy and that's my lame excuse for not updating sooner.  I'll try to do better in the future.  Since my last entry we have had the Belle out several times.

Wednesday, 1/19  went out at 11:00 am and headed straight west.  A couple of miles out we ran into fog.  A good thing because it gave us a chance to use the radar and learn how things look using that tool.  Wonderful to have Dan on board for his experience and teaching skills. Visibility was about 1/4 mile so it was not dense fog.  We identified and passed two sailboats.  Radar is cool!!  We were back at Port Hudson Marina at 1:29pm according to the Ship's Log and our run was 9.17 miles long.

Friday, 1/21 Mary, Graham and Erin were our first guests on board for a cruise.  The weather was not great but the company was.  We were only out for 1 1/2 hours, cruising at a lightning average speed of 5.4 knots!!  When we returned to our slip we had steaks on the grill, delicious... and exciting since the grill handled the steak juices poorly and caused a little bit of a flare-up.  Kerm and Graham had a game of cribbage and I forget who won.  It was wonderful to have family here to see our new home.

Yesterday, Monday 1/24.  Left the marina at about 4:00pm and cruised down to Port Richey.  Longest cruise so far, about 20 miles.  Dan contacted two boats on the radio...a large Coast Guard barge and a Casino boat which passed us in the narrow channel.  The Casino boat pilot slowed down as he passed us to minimize his large wake and complimented us on our nice boat. (picture me beaming with pride)   Dan is great on the radio and I learned a lot just from these two quick encounters.   I am also learning how to steer so that I don't wander all over the course.  It's harder than it looks.   Saw dolphins...always a joy.

Today a storm is predicted so we are battening down the hatches.  No cruising today.

Every day we are getting jobs done.  Departure date is anticipated to be on or about 2/23.  Kerm is heading north for his annual snowmobile trip on Feb 11 and will be gone for about a week. Dan and I will stay here and wrap up preparations.  Exciting stuff!!

Signing off for now with love to all,
Christie

Dinner on the Belle

Last night, Dan joined us for a nice little dinner on the boat, at our slip.  I've attached some photos for your perusal -

This was taken from the top of the fly bridge, looking west out into the Gulf of Mexico.  It looks warm but we've been having very cold weather.  There was even ice on a little puddle the other morning!! 

 Here's our little propane grill that attaches to the railing for convenient use.

Here's Tinker Belle...our dinghy, in her storage spot at the rear of the fly bridge.  You can see the hatch to the rear deck at the right.

 Dan doing some fancy grilling magic with the ham steak we are having for dinner.

 After dinner, Dan is giving me some lessons on navigating using charts and navigation tools on the computer.

We are working every day to prepare for departure, but the weather has been cold and some outdoor projects must wait until warmer temps.  The Ship's Log is up to date and I'm detailing all the improvements and work being done.  Also, I've begun provisioning (grocery shopping to landlubbers) so I'm figuring out what goes where like you do with any new home.

Mary, Graham and Erin will be coming down for a visit next weekend and we are very excited to see them.

Signing off for now with love to all
Christie

The list is getting shorter

Kerm here.  The list is of things to do on the boat is getting shorter although unplanned and iceberg projects seem to pop up on a regular basis.  Iceberg projects are those that seem small but grow bigger as you get into them.  This week the water system developed a leak and I ended up replacing all the plumbing between the pump and the pipe going to the cabin.  The irony of the situation is that the old way it was plumbed was almost identical as the system I put on the Gypsy Tart and I was always chasing leaks on that system and was going to be replaced if I kept the boat.
I also replaced the fresh water pump on the engine as the coupling was going bad and according to the internet this was a weak point when they marineized the engine.  The original design was also going obsolete so replaced with a unit that did not have the coupling design flaw.  Mo money.
Had to also replace the anchor light along with the wiring as the salt air pretty much rotted it out.  With the exception of general maintenance and some cosmetics the work is almost done.  The new windlass, chain and rode will be here this week so will have to install that along with a new haws pipe to the chain locker plus the wiring.  I have not figured out the haws pipe yet and struggle between doing it on the cheap or yacht quality.  The answer is somewhere in between.  Now if I had a TIG welder...
Harry the SeaRay and the Nissan 240SX are advertised for sale.  When they are gone we probably have no need to stay in Florida.  When that happens we will have the Belle pulled for new bottom paint and away we go.  It looks like the boat yard will need about a week to do the job.  They will blast the old paint off,  put on 2 to 5 coats of epoxy and then 2 coats of bottom paint.  At the same time they will replace all zincs. We may have to put on 2 types because we will split our time between salt and fresh water. 
Chris thought we would have more time to sit around (and nap) while waiting to clear out.  My slave driving is starting to wear on her but I keep telling her that if we do everything now (and the right way) we'll stay out of the pits during our trip.  PLUS at 7 to 8 kts there will be more than enough afternoon blanket time.

Windy days

Christie here:

Windy days and the curtains are a'blowing in the salon tonight.  Doors are banging and we are hoping for a calm day so we can go out and play with the Southern Belle in the Gulf. I'm wondering why I left MN if this is what I'm gonna get...Kerm says to be patient it's all relative...I'm not shoveling snow. I'll be cuddling up in the v berth tonight!!!

The list is getting smaller.  Kerm and Dan are getting things accomplished...here are some pictures...

Kerm replacing the water pump in the engine room

Dan in the yardarms working on the anchor light wiring

Kerm and I went over to the marina  bar/restaurant for dinner tonight...appropriately named Hurricane Hank's.  Hamburger and ribs..yummm.

I'm glad we are in a nice little enclosed spot tonight.  You cuddle up, too!

signing off for now
c

Update and pictures

Entry by Christie

It was Sunday today so Kerm and I figured we would take it easy on the boat work.  I made french toast using thick slices of bread and it was sinfully good.   Then we both seemed to get super motivated and as a result we had one of the most productive days so far.  

I squished into a compartment that needed cleaning under the steering cowling on the fly bridge.  It was mildewed and dirty so I had a great feeling of accomplishment when it was all spic and span.  The  rear sliding door in the salon leading to the back deck was sticking and hard to move...I got that working.  I also took down our Christmas lights and removed the Florida registration decals. Southern Belle is now a nationally documented motor vessel and she doesn't carry state stickers any longer.  I was an over-achiever today.

Amongst other things, Kerm and Dan worked on wiring the anchor light which has been acting very unreliably...after much effort and high mast work by Dan it was finally decided to replace the offending thing. 

There have been some requests for pictures.

First one is from our maiden voyage from Clearwater to Hudson

These are various inside shots-

 Napping in the Vberth...great stuff

 Shower...all conveniences included

Dan enjoying the back deck

Christmas lights...note how low the tide is.  You can't even see her hull.

Table set for Christmas dinner...we are using good China, silver and crystal on board (paper plates and plastic cutlery have their place too)

New Year's Eve

And lastly, look what I found in my kitchen...a DALEK. 

Signing off for now with best wishes to all for a Happy New Year.