Bristol Channel Cutter Elizabeth

I always wanted to mount it this way. Makes it easier to walk on the boomkin to get to the  vane changes and removal. Plus I think it looks alot better, it hides alot of the SS tubing. One thing about the Monitor, it’s not the prettiest contraption on a BCC in my opinion. I’d love to have a Freehand Vane, they are  visually slick, and don’t disrupt the beautiful lines of the BCC quite like the Monitor does. However, my plan is to install a wind generator pole on the boomkin, which would inhibit a Freehand vane from spinning fully.

I solved my slipping gear issue on the Monitor by hammering the bronze gears closer together, as recommended by Scanmar. Looks like it will do the job.

The new head hose arrived, I can now complete the head & holding tank refresh…from which I’m currently taking a break to pen this post.

It’s a proven fact, time moves quicker when the ambient temperature is higher. Winter in New England tends to drag on, one dreary month after another. Whereas winter here in sunny Florida is flying by, everyday is busier than the last. Our winter of warmth is beginning to wind down. Well actually, Mr. Warmth has been on vacation this year, so really, our winter of below-normal-temperatures is beginning to wind down.

My boat is a mess. Open projects abound:  wind generator install, Monitor windvane repairs, bilge pump rewiring, tri-color repositioning, backstay re-making, refrigeration repair, etc. I’m into push mode again… pushing to get it all done before weighing anchor and heading north.

I’m looking forward to getting underway again.

To follow up on the previous post. All the boats willingly moved from the anchorage. None were towed. Today I noticed, one boat is back in the same anchorage now. No further info.

I returned back to my boat today to find this notice. Evidently the Marine Patrol stopped by all the boats in our neighborhood, threatening vessel impoundment in less than 24 hours if we do not move our boats. However, it looks like this notice they left me says within thirty (30) days. I was told by some neighbors that the claim made by the Marine Police is that we are anchored over city owned bottom. According to the note at the top, I “must removed vessel to avoid towing”.

There are plenty of documents explaining the new anchoring regulations put into effect in 2006, this being one of them. According to these laws, Florida makes a clear distinction between liveaboards and cruisers. Cruising vessels may anchor anywhere - within reason; for example, not in a mooring field, not in a channel, not within 500′ of a fuel dock, etc…

This Boat US document explains it very clearly.  Anchoring Information for Florida Cruisers

This notice appears to be an attempt to get the 5 or 6 cruising boats out of this anchorage and into the new and 50% empty, city owned mooring field, a 1/4 mile to the south, at a rate of $21/day or $340/month.

To the Marine Patrol’s credit, there were two boats anchored in the channel. As neighbors, we can only suggest to those cruisers that they move their boats, we can’t force them. However, for their carelessness and negligence, we all pay the price.

Right now, I’m still anchored here. We’ll see how this plays out tomorrow…

Rowing my dink ashore one day, I overheard this…”What’s that smell? Oh, it’s that damn Bristol Channel Cutter Elizabeth anchored upwind of us.” That’s how it started one day. I knew it was time to rebuild the head and replace it’s associated hoses. But I kept putting it off. I mean, who willingly wants to get shit all over their hands, legs, arms and face? The real wake up call came the other day when I climbed aboard Elizabeth late one night, slid open the hatch and nearly threw up in my mouth from the stench of rotten piss and shit… all over my salon. How was I ever going to have guests over? What a mess. I waded through the disgusting sludge and crawled into my bunk without even brushing my teeth or cleaning off my shit dripping feet. I don’t know how I fell alseep that night, but it reminded me of a time in college when my roomates had a party with tons of hot girls and all these fat dudes. Of course they all got obscenely drunk, and naked, then one by one, as if on cue, they all started puking on each other, sorta like a chain reaction. The morning came to find them all sleeping on the floor… in their own vomit. Not just the guys, the girls too. Beached whales and mermaids in a brown sauce.

Anyways, actually, none of that happened at all… but I do need to rebuild my head and replace the hoses. I pulled out the head to find it lived firmly bolted to a lovely piece of plywood encased in epoxy then painted. Despite the head always leaking and it being generally a nasty moist place 24/7, this piece of plywood looked unscathed. Sam L Morse knows how to make a good perch for the throne.

So I’m into it a bit now. The Raritan PHII is out on deck, enjoying the South Florida sunshine, and my rebuild kit has been ordered, along with some Sealand odor-safe hose ($7.99/ft) for the run to and fro the holding tank. I love starting projects and taking everything apart and then stalling out. I wonder how long the head will sit on deck before I get around to rebuilding it and replacing the hoses. Another few weeks? Shall we start a poll?

There are good days and bad days for doing laundry. It’s something you have to plan ahead for. The nearest laundromat is about 2 miles away. No bike. I’ll be recycling my underwear tomorrow. Today’s forecast:

Can’t wait to find some time to rip into some varnish projects. Pick up where I left off, then round the corner and start all over again with the boomkin and rudder cheeks, the first varnish projects I tackled all the way back in 2008. I only got about 5 coats of Epifanes on the Boomkin. I’d say for only 5 coats it has held up well. I did keep it covered 50% of the time.

The latest item to shit the bed aboard Elizabeth was the engine control. The button that allows me to throttle up in neutral seized in the depressed position (that’s rather punny), such that I could neither start the engine nor get the non running engine into gear (moot point I suppose). New control unit ran me $158 from go2marine. There was a nice discussion at the Sam L Morse forums about various control units, their longevity and construction. I chose to simply replace my existing unit with the OEM Teleflex brand. If this new one lasts 20 years, like the old one, I think it will have been a good choice.

Three months later I finally hung the two prints which Adam gave me in the main salon. He is a fantastic artist and these two paintings help add alot of cozyness to my sometimes lifeless cabin. Adam’s use of light and his ultra-realistic style amaze me everytime. You can see more of his art at his website.

Into a money making mode has begun. No longer a cruiser, once again a liveaboard. A cold liveaboard. Didn’t think I’d be running my kerosene heater in Florida, but the record breaking low temperatures are dipping into the 30’s tonight. Good thing I didn’t pack away those woolie underwear just yet. But when I do go to pack those bulky winter clothes away (at some point in my life) I will be sure to use a Space Bag…vacuum packed clothing! This is a new discovery for me, thanks to old Rosie.

Besides work to be done and money to be made, there are BOAT PROJECTS. It’s uncanny just how many things need repair. My immediate and PRESSING list includes:

1. Zinc placement (notice it’s not REplacement; there aint no mo’ zinc left!)
2. Refrigeration repair
3. Throttle/shift cable replacement
4. Varnish
5. Rebuild head, and replace all hoses & valves to holding tank

One benefit of becoming a mere liveaboard again is the routine which allows for regular exercise and healthy diet. While cruising I found I ate ALOT. Mostly due to boredom while on watch alone. Peanut Butter, cereal, chips & salsa… lots of junk mostly, cheap filler. I’m looking forward to losing that 3rd chin I’ve developed this winter.

Merry New Year! I’m vacationing in New Hampshire, where the sun barely rises and the snow always falls. It’s been a lovely holiday taking care of family, pondering the meaning of life, contemplating the future, the best cell phone, my retirement, and of course the trip to France.

Here’s a new video short…

Here’s how it breaks down this month…but I ask why. Why bother posting this? I think the reality of it is worth illustrating. It’s not really about how I can save more money on groceries. I certainly could avoid higher priced options, but I didn’t. I could learn to cook some more-cost-effective meals; I will. I could eat more beans. I do love beans. I could shop in bulk - oh no wait, I can’t… the basement floods often. But I’m more interested in this month’s data because I had a few unexpected expenses. And you have to expect the unexpected.

A fellow named Steve, who I shared a mooring with in Velcro Beach aboard a 28 O’day named Searcher said it best. After my starter finally gave up the ghost, on a Friday afternoon, I was complaining that there’s always something that needs fixing, and how I wish I had a spare starter aboard to avoid the delays of a rebuild. He replied with,”Ya know what the secret to successful cruising is? Carrying a spare boat.” That tickled me. I got stuck in Velcro Beach because of my starter, not because of the mandatory raft ups on the mandatory moorings, the 9:05  #1 bus, the Publix, or the food court. But it’s not a bad place to get stuck I suppose.

The unexpected:
1. Group 31 battery meltdown. ($194)
2. Bad alternator bearings. ($140)
3. Going for an accidental swim with my phone in my pocket. ($19.49)
4. Flipping the dink and sending my bike to the bottom of the Ashley River. ($12 for the diver; the bikes… well…we didn’t recover them)
5. Starter armature meltdown ($150 - not a Nov expense)

Everyone’s got one nowadays. “Hi, I’m Ben, here’s my card”. Not sure what I’m selling, but we are often trading email addresses and phone numbers. So Boat Cards, as they are called, make it easier. It’s really just a calling card. I had no clue! Seems a bit presumptuous, but anyways I made some…and people really exchange them! I put my credentials at the bottom, just in case someone needs a delivery captain, some graphics or what-have-you.