Wheelpilot Repair

We have one of these Raymarine Wheelpilots, not the fancy below-decks autopilots like our fancy friends have but a wheel pilot.     We don't use it too much.  For one thing, Fujin is on the high end of the size boat you can get away with a wheel pilot on.  Any bigger and we would have had the below-decks thing (for many more $$$).   Mainly, it's just freeking noisy.   Any relaxation that is gained by the extra set of hands is offset by the wrrrreeee wrreeeeee wreeeeeee wreeeeee wreee wreee wreeeeeeeee.   So we don't use it much.

I did a lot of single handed sailing last year to get my hours in for the Captain's License.  Even then, I tried not to rely on it when I had to leave the helm for short periods of time (like to raise and lower the main).

On the last day of the season, we took Fujin up to Salem, MA for the winter.   I singlehanded and Linda drove.   I had way more fun.   On this day, I had some pretty heavy wind and I really had my hands full on the trip.  It was quite thrilling.  As I approached Salem, I flipped on the autopilot to go do something.  It worked perfectly as usual (wreeee wreeeeeee wreeee wreeee) for a few seconds and then suddenly made a god awful grinding noise and stopped turning the wheel.   RIP Autopilot.    Now I had a pretty fun time getting the sails down that day with no autopilot.

I brought the wheel and drive assembly home for the winter and finally got around to working on it.  I separated the motor from the gearbox and applied 12VDC to it.  The motor spins just fine.   The cheesy plastic gearbox is that culprit.   Looking around online, it seems this is a common point of failure.  It took a while to find the part number (A18088 - this is committed to memory now for some reason).

Anyway, the part came today ($120 + p/s), and I replaced it.

From Autopilot Repair

The disassembled drive assembly.  I did not lose any of the 21 ball bearings.

From Autopilot Repair

The ball bearing retainers and drive ring re-assembled.

From Autopilot Repair

The motor and gearbox assembly re-attached.  The Old gearbox is the black thing between the two halves of the drum.

From Autopilot Repair

And all put back together and ready for April!

Captain Bob

The Off Season

During the winters, I usually concentrate on more serious stuff like working on my little software projects or music or some such thing.   In the winter of 2011-2012, I had big plans for some of these projects.

Then I got this email from Boston Sailing Center. It said "Earn your Captain's License at BSC".   Ok this is something I always wondered about but would probably never do anything about.  I knew there were various online courses around, but it seemed that a classroom course might be a good idea.  I thought if I committed to it (and paid the tuition), I'd probably stick it out and and finish.  So that's what I did last winter.

The classes were two nights per week for nine weeks.  Well that's what the email said but it actually went into 12 weeks start to finish.

How to get a coast guard captain's license

• First, chose a coast guard accredited school and take the classes.  Pass the tests and earn a diploma.  The tests are in four parts.  Basically two really hard parts that you have to score high on and two easier parts that you only need 70% to pass.  The hard parts are the chart-plotting and the rules of the road.  I was well prepared for the chart-plotting part because Linda and I had just taken (and passed) ASA-105 at Black Rock Sailing School which is mostly... chart-plotting.   I was the only one in the class to get 100% on this part.  The rules of the road is tricky.  There are LOTS of rules.  You have to practice and practice and practice some more.  I found several really good iPhone apps to help.  It's mostly memorization - a LOT of memorization.  I missed two questions on this test and got 96% (you need 90%).  Some of the others got 100% on this.
• Now, the rest of the fun...  You need a TWIC (Transportation Workers Identification Card).  This is the same card that the guys who work at the airport behind security have.   It's also required for some truck drivers (depending on what they truck and where I guess).   This should be a fairly straightforward process.  But in Boston it absolutely sucks.   There is one regional facility where you apply for this.  You book a "15 minute appointment" online and show up.  Then you wait in a waiting room with a lot of very angry people for hours.   Once you finally get your time with the examiner, the equipment they use to scan your documents and fingerprints... well it just doesn't work very well.  I don't even want to write about this experience anymore.  It was a nightmare.  I'd suggest NOT doing this in Boston.  Cost $135 and a LOT of aggravation. 
• CPR.  Ok cool, you need a CPR/First Aid certificate.   Linda and I signed up and got it done in one night.  I think it cost $150.  Shortly after taking it, my employer offered it for free at work!   I could have saved $150 AND gotten out of work!
• Drug test.  This should be pretty straightforward too but it's a bit of a pain.   In Boston, you can have it done by the same people who do the TWIC.  But there was no way I was going to go back there.  I ended up at a Quest Diagnostics office in Boston who then sends the samples out to some lab in Colorado.  Anyway, they liked my pee enough to pass me.  This cost around $100 I think.
• Now all that's left is... you have to sail a whole bunch!  You need 360 documented sea days since your 15th birthday.   The pain here is that I had to go back to people I'd sailed (or motored or fished) with and get them to fill out a form.  I also had to get Boston Sailing center to sign off on all the days I had when we were members there.   I needed to get about 50 more days in on Fujin before I could reach the 360.  So I did a LOT of single-handed trips at night after work last summer.  

I walked into the Coast Guard office in Boston on August 6 to submit my application.   Here is what the process looks like:

I was immediately put into "awaiting info" status.   I had checked "yes" to several medical conditions and I was supposed to have my doctor write a little blurb about them.  Ok so I got them that and  within ten days I was through the first couple orange boxes only to hit the big snag.   I was put in "Awaiting Info MEB" status because of two the aforementioned medical conditions.  I had to get my doctor to write more detailed documentation about these.   A week later they had it, but put me right back into the same gray box.  They sent me a letter with a detailed request of medical procedures and exams they wanted me to undergo. I needed consultations from two different specialists.  Here is where I considered giving up.  For one thing, these were going to be seriously expensive tests and would my insurance pay?  But I called around and got the appointments set up and started.  I had to wait over a month for one of the doctors to have an opening.  I sort of put the whole process on the back burner.   So far, so good with the insurance!

About two months later, I had all the requested reports and results in hand and I submitted them.   I was fully prepared to get put back into a gray box or just be rejected.   But what I got instead was an email saying they had granted the waivers for the medical conditions and now I would be in "Professional Qualifications Evaluation" (you know the part about if you know anything about boats).    Things went fast through the rest of the orange boxes.  Within a few days I was "Issued".  Notice the first word in the letter "Congratulations!".  This is the first and only communication from the coast guard that is not totally dry and procedural.  But right after that word the letter gets very dry and procedural.

So this winter, I'm recording Music

Bogus Journey - the rest of the trip

Blogging blogging blogging... it's all I do.    How about I just share the whole photo album:

The September Trip Album


We did a total of about 280 nautical miles.  Used about 17 GAL of diesel.  Not bad for traveling for 2 weeks!  We paid for slips just 3 nights.  The rest we anchored or got moorings.  Most of the money went to food and tee-shirts!

Where we last left off, we were at Jamestown, RI.   This was the last destination of the trip that we had not previously been to.   From Jamestown, we went to Red Brook Harbor near the Canal.  We were a cheap date in Red Brook.  We anchored (free) and then walked to town for pizza for dinner.

Here's some photos of Redbrook:

Swimmer (bob) in the water

At anchor for the night in Red Brook

Sunrise the next day

Sunrise behind the lighthouse

Redbrook to Provincetown
We left at 6AM and went through the canal and on to P-town.   Provincetown is another place we've been several times.  This time we stayed on a mooring at Provincetown Marine.  Bob returned to SNIP for his day of beauty.   This was also the first time we used a self-service pump-iout!  (TMI?)

Some photos in the canal:

Entrance to the canal ahead under the RR  bridge

Exiting the canal near Sandwich Power Plant

Provincetown - Home:
From Provincetown, we decided to just head home on friday.  We discovered we had a clogged raw-water intake and attempted unsuccessfully to clean it out.   P-town had all the docks pulled for the season and no place to get a water hose to blow it out.   We tried the dinghy pump and also went swimming under the boat to try to dislodge the crap in there.  No luck.  So, the trip home would have to be 100% sailing.  Fortunately, we had a nice wind.  In fact this was the longest time under sail for any leg of the trip.  What a way to end it!

leaving provincetown

Minot Light up ahead

Multitasking

Charlestown (home) ahead

Still going: To Padanaram

... and now we know how to say it


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We set off from Jamestown about 08:30 with Plan A being Panadaram (South Dartmouth), MA and Plan B being Red Brook harbor.  There was very nice wind blowing us out of Newport Harbor into the sound and once we rounded the corner into the sound, we were in pretty high winds.  Eventually we ended up reefing both sails.

Leaving Jamestown

House on an island in Newport Harbor

As predicted on our various iPhone apps, the wind died in the sound and we un-reefed the sails.  Within another hour, it was totally dead out there and we were motoring.  Well - plenty of hot water tonight.

On a mooring in Panadaram

Sunset in Padanarum

The Bogus Journey: CT to RI

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We left the Mystic River and entered the sound and picked up some really great wind.  This was the fastest leg of the trip so far.  The knot meter was showing over 8kts often and rarely under 7.  Pretty good for our little ship!

Reefed sails and still doing over 8kts

Bob relaxing and watching Linda do the work

Tied up at Jamestown

The Trip: Just say "Noank"

After enjoying a breakfast with the CT crowd at the little restaurant at Brewer's marina in Essex, we headed on down the river with an unknown destination for the day. We planned on sailing somewhere around Fisher's island - maybe Fishers itself or Mystic.


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They dropped the bridge for the Amtrak as we approached

A green can in the CT river current

Saybrook light as we approach the sound

We found ourselves in a light breeze and opposing the strong current in these parts for most of the trip. The good news is we charged up the batteries, and made lots of hot water. The bad news is we did this by running the engine quite a bit.

This power boat had a sail up at the same time our sailboat was motoring!

Finally some breeze.

Lord Dumpling
Just north of Fishers are a pair of islands called North and South Dumpling islands. North Dumpling island is inhabited and owned by Dean Kamen - the inventor of the Segway. More about that here

Dean Kamen's Island

As we got near Fishers, we started picking up a nice breeze. This was around 14:30 and the current was now past peak against us so things slowly improved. We decided we would just stay the night in the harbor at Fishers but the sailing started getting so good, we just wanted to keep going. It was getting late though so we started calling around for a mooring for the night. The only place that answered the phone was Haring's Marina in Noank. $30 for a mooring. Sold!

Entering Noank. LOTS of sailboats in here

Classic Southern CT

Linda waiting in line for her CT Lobster Roll

And what a nice surprise Noank is. This is about the most beautiful harbor I've been in so far. And it's very dominated with sailboats. What an awesome home base this would be for a sailor with so many great destinations within a day sail. Maybe we'll do some realestate searches.

View the whole Photo Album

Bogus Journey... Linda sails home to CT

The plan today is to head to the CT shore and up the CT river to Essex CT. Linda is from these parts and the wheels were already turning for family and friend visits.

We booked a mooring at Brewer's Dauntless for $50, but as the forecast started to deteriorate, we tried to get a slip instead. Note: there are tornado warnings in CT for tonight. We figured it would be no fun to ride the dinghy back and forth in that. Brewer's slip price is $4.00/foot. Yikes. Oh well - maybe someone will buy us dinner!

We had a couple time constraints today:

• Slack current in the Race was not until 11:00
• The weather was forecast to turn to crap as the day went on

So we wanted to leave as early as possible from Montauk for Essex, CT but we also didn't want to get to the Race too early and have a nasty current opposing the wind. We ended up leaving at 08:00 and getting fuel.


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Leaving Lake Montauk

Looking back through the channel into Lake Montauk

Weather
Wind was up as soon as we left Montauk. We started out with a reefed main and jib. The waves were not so bad yet. Eventually we unfurled the full jib and were doing a nice 6kts on a broad reach.

Ooops... no chart
We realized that we never bought a chart book for all of Long Island Sound. Our current book only shows as far west as New London CT. So Linda bought a single chart for the sound at Star Island YC's marine store. They didn't have the whole book in stock. They mostly cater to power boaters in there so not all that surprising.

Linda studying the new chart

The Race!
We conquered the notorious Long island Sound Race. We arrived at it a little before slack with an opposing current of about .8kts. The wind was really up but just as we were about to cross it, the wind gusted very high. We took a quick break to re-reef the jib.

Back with our people
The further north (away from Montauk?) we got, the more sail boats we saw in the sound. In fact on our second day at Montauk YC, we were the only sail boat in the whole place.

Some crappy weather up ahead?

The Old Lyme RR bridge

Linda poses with her dear brother

Full photo album of this trip