That four plus months is now down to five weeks. Where did the summer go? Well, much of it went to Guatemala and working on the house here in Palm Springs. Not much went to Astraea. However she has sat patiently waiting for her turn, and that time is coming very quickly.
I was on her for a couple of days this week to do a couple of projects from the punch list of things to do before leaving. She is such a great boat. Her bilges were bone dry, no smells or mold or mildew anywhere, everything working. She is a good old girl and I am lucky she found me and I found her. For someone who has never owned a boat is difficult to describe the special relationship that boat owners can develop with their boats. It is almost as if the boat is a living breathing thing. Like many sailors I have always felt that boats have a soul. There is something very special about them. I have also always felt that there are few things than man builds that are as beautiful as a sailboat. She and I are both itching to get underway and seek out our next adventure. There is much to do before we leave, however, so now at the end of the day I sit aboard her in San Diego at the pier and think about being aboard in a warm anchorage somewhere watching the sunset and swimming and just enjoying life aboard. But there is a lot of work to do first.
On Wednesday of this week I drove to San Diego and visited all of the major boat supply stores. West Marine in San Diego is awesome, much nicer than the ones in San Francisco. I also visited Downwind Marine and the San Diego Marine Exchange, which I had been introduced to briefly by my friend Jacob of Pisces.
Thursday found me working HARD on Astraea doing a couple of high priority projects.
Refrigeration or no refrigeration is always a big issue of debate for cruisers, right up there with water makers. Astraea came with a major big time reefer and freezer installation. It is almost 20 years old, but is top notch quality from Technautics and would cost at least $15,000 today. If I did not have such a high end system already on the boat I would just go without refrigeration, as many cruisers do - including Beth Leonard . However since it is there I might as well use it and enjoy it.
The system consists of a good sized 110V compressor for when on shore power, and an engine mounted compressor for underway. There are two holding plates in the freezer, one being a giant four inch thick model, the other two inches thick. Together they really can keep the freezer cold. On the trip down from San Franciso the system stopped working and after some simple trouble shooting I discovered that the old Technautics analog thermostat inside the freezer box had failed. This became obvious when I removed it and connected the two wires that went into it and the system suddenly worked again. However I have found that the engine mounted system is not putting out much cooling, so I have requested a service visit from a local San Diego company. This system was removed when the engine was replaced, and it probably lost some of it's charge. I have all the tech manuals but these marine Technautics systems are so complicated that I think it best to hire a professional. Several places in the tech manuals on the instructions on how to recharge the system are big WARNING paragraphs about blowing out the seals or doing other grevious danger to this expensive system. Not worth the risk.
I called Technautics and of course they no longer offer a simple little manual analog thermostat. They now only offer a $300 digital thermostat, which is probably ten times what the original cheapie cost back when it was new, and which will probably not last 20 years like the one that failed. I did get the new thermostat installed and I must admit it is pretty kewl. One sets the desired temperature and the thermostat provides a constant digital readout of the reefer temperature and controls the compressors. It was made to install on a control panel or in a bulkhead. I did not want to cut a hole in my teak, so I found a nice little electrical box at West Marine and used it to mount the thermostat. It did require running six wires, two for power, two for the temperature probe, and two for the compressor controllers, however it was pretty easy to do with a very long drill bit that would reach through the thick freezer walls.
Fancy new digital controller for the freezer/reefer. I installed it where it would not get wet and where I could see it easily. Excuse the sawdust. I had to drill several holes to install this thing as it has six wires involved with it that I had to run through the cabinetry.
The next project was rough on the old back. I had decided to put in a second GPS system as a backup, and to install it in my cabin where it can provide me course, speed, and position in the night, and also function as a back up anchor alarm when I am asleep at anchor. This involved installing a new GPS antenna on the stern rail and running 25 feet of coax under the cockpit. This involved removing two large anchors, and two chain/rope rodes and other heavy gear from the starboard lazarette. It also involved taking up deck boards inside the boat and emptying several storage lockers. Nothing on a boat is easy. Nothing. However I like the result.
Astraea has a new Furuno NavNet system with integrated radar and GPS with a large monitor at the navigation desk and a smaller remote monitor at the helm, however this simple GPS in my cabin provides a backup and also lets me glance up when I am sleeping to see position, course, speed, and also provides a backup anchor alarm when at anchor.
The third project that I was able to complete on a very busy day, and which also was rough on the old back, was installing a salt water faucet at the galley sink. I had already installed a new faucet for hot and cold pressurized water, and also a small faucet with a Whale foot pump for fresh water when the water pump is turned off. This is important as when far from water sources it is not a good idea to have the water pump on as a leak can quickly result in pumping all the fresh water into the bilge and thence over the side. This happened to me on the shake down trip from San Francisco to San Diego. This was not big deal as I was close to fresh water sources, but out in the ocean, without a water maker, it could be a serious problem. Hence the foot pump for fresh water.
I also had decided that I needed a salt water pump at the galley sink in order to be able to reduce fresh water use. One can wash dishes in salt water and then rinse in fresh, cutting down on precious fresh water usage. Also, when cooking pasta, once of my favorite things to eat on the boat, why use fresh water and then salt it when one can boil the pasta in seawater? I had the boatyard put in a new thru hull during the last yard visit for this salt water faucet and for a possible future water maker. Here is the new faucet. It is Swedish made and supposed to be really good quality.
Anyway, here is my new salt water pump. My young friend and experienced cruiser Jacob suggested a bucket and a rope. Ah, the energy of youth. The new salt water pump is on the right. Pretty kewl! The small faucet on the left has a foot pump on galley deck and provides fresh water without the need for the water pump to be on.
This will be all the work for a while. I am heading back to Palm Springs to spend some time at home, and then making a trip to Little Rock to see my mother and sister and friend Carol. I am also attending a high school reunion. (I won't say which one!!!!).
Will be back on the boat on September 29th ready to finish the final projects for the October 26th departure!!!!
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