S.V. CAMBRIA: May 2010

Memorial Day

Monday, May 31, 2010TheCambrians

One of the many batteries at Fort Flagler

We drove up to Port Townsend this morning leaving the gloomy skies of Poulsbo behind for a few hours to pick up our lifelines (the wire cables around the perimeter of the boat that help keep a person from falling overboard) which had to be remade to accommodate the rails for the solar panels. On the way home, we drove to Fort Flagler, a former US Army fort (1897 – 1953) turned state park, on Marrowstone Island and walked around the old barracks, officer's homes, and batteries – a fitting way to spend Memorial Day – before strolling down to the beach to see the lighthouse. It was really nice to be outside again and get some fresh air after days of being cooped up because of the rain.

By the time we got back to the boat, the sun was out and David was able to go out on deck and reattach the lifelines which, of course, we're made to incorrect lengths (one was an inch too long – so much for professionalism). He managed to switch things around and make a few adjustments to complete the job, once again, turning a five minute task into an hour's work.

I'm done and ready to move on. I've had enough of Poulsbo. There's no particular reason. I'm just ready for a change, but the forecast is for another unseasonably strong front to arrive tomorrow and stall through Wednesday bringing rain with it. And, according to the marine radiofax chart, there's going to be a stationary high inland with a large low approaching from offshore, so it's better to stay here in the comfort and convenience of the marina. Maybe next week....

Let the Wiring Begin

Thursday, May 27, 2010TheCambrians

The aft cabin during the wiring process.

It took close to a week, but the solar panels are now mounted and operational! The electrical cable finally came in last Wednesday afternoon, and we spent several days finding open paths to feed it through from the deck, to the space behind our bed, under the bed and flooring, into the engine room, to a breaker box, into the salon, up into a storage cabinet that's part of our dining table, into the MPPT, down again, and over to the battery box (something that's a lot more difficult and complicated than it sounds). Meanwhile, the boat was torn to bits with mattresses, tools, cushions, and floor board littering every available space and David looked like he'd been in a cat fight (and lost) because his arms were torn up from sticking them into small places and getting caught on cable ties on the way out. Now if we could just get the sun to come out, he could finish commissioning them but, according to every forecast we've read, won't happen any time soon.

We only have a few last-minute jobs left – finding a place to store the truck, buying final provisions, doing the laundry, cleaning the boat inside and out, etc. – and we can be on our way. We've been keeping an eye on the weather and, with a little luck, we should be ready to drop our lines the minute it settles and clears. Unfortunately, that's not going to be for at least a week because there's another unseasonably strong weather system approaching that's expected to bring more rain and wind.

Boat Maintenance Boat Systems Solar Panels

Number Three

Monday, May 17, 2010TheCambrians

David's working platform and third solar panel.

David and I mounted the third solar panel on top of the radar arch this morning. The procedure was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be but not something I want to repeat any time soon. If you can imagine a painter's ladder on the dock leaning up against the radar arch (which is about fifteen feet in the air and attached to a floating, moving object) as the working platform and a man carrying a 30-pound rectangle that's 60 inches long and 26 inches wide as he climbs up, then you can surely understand why. I wish we had pictures because they'd speak volumes compared to any words I can type, but it was a matter of safety first!

Now all that remains is the wiring and installing the MPPT controller (a Maximum Power Point Tracker that takes an electrical load from a solar panel array and produces a suitable voltage to the batteries), but that's no small task. The cable David ordered last week was supposed to arrive four days ago but, because of an ill-timed mistake on the merchant's part, won't be in until late tomorrow afternoon. Unfortunately, the forecast is for three fronts to pass through this week bringing wind and rain along for the ride, so it'll be a few days before we're able to get back to work and finish the job completely.

Boat Maintenance

Work, Work, and More Work

Wednesday, May 12, 2010TheCambrians

It's seems the marina office has either gotten to the point where they pity us or are tired of checking us in everyday because we've been assigned a berth in permanent moorage for the next month. It's not as nice being surrounded by boats as it is out at anchor; but it's much easier than coming and going, so we'll take the good with the bad.

The weather continues to be settled and the work continues. I'm close to finishing all of the varnishing and David ordered the electrical cable to wire the solar panels yesterday – the last major job of the project!

Boat Maintenance Marine Weather

Change In The Weather?

Saturday, May 08, 2010TheCambrians

There's been a distinct change in the weather. After weeks of watching the barometer bounce back and forth between 1020 and 1000 millibars and bringing heaving winds along with it, it's now sitting steady at 1017 and the weather has settled so we've been able to accomplish a lot of work – sanding, varnishing, and reinforcing the side solar panel mounting straps. But not having a marina berth has turned out to be a bigger inconvenience than I originally thought it would be and is interfering with the amount of progress we're able to make. For five dollars, the marina allows you to tie up in a berth for four hours, which is wonderful because it gives us a working platform and electricity for tools, but isn't enough time to accomplish much of anything. And, with this beautiful weather, we're wasting precious hours fiddling around – upping-anchor, motoring in, tying up, plugging in, pulling out tools, and the reverse process at the end of the day. But we're getting there. Slowly. But surely.

Seattle

The Mariners at Home

Sunday, May 02, 2010TheCambrians

Our first night at anchor in more than six months was fantastic! Although we're only 200 metres or so away from our former berth, it's so much quieter out here – no battery charger whirling away, no people walking past, and no fishing trawler for a neighbor. The only downside is that the weather is still fairly cold and unsettled, but the holding in the bay is excellent (mud) and the central heating system keeps the boat nice and warm.

This morning, we took the dinghy in to shore and drove to the ferry terminal on Bainbridge Island where we met Jeff and Karry. The four of us went over to Seattle for a Mariners' game against the Texas Rangers. My brother's a big fan of ballparks, so I wanted to take a look at Safeco Field because I had heard it's among the top three parks in the country (with Fenway in the number one spot, of course). The day was overcast with a chance of rain, so they had the roof closed which is probably the main reason Safeco stands out from the rest. Other than that, it was quite ordinary as was the game – the Mariners lost 1-3 in extra innings. It didn't really matter though. We always have a good time with the Bices, and the best part of the afternoon came when we stopped in one of the pubs for a few drinks and a lot of laughs on the way back to the terminal. By the time we got back to Poulsbo, it was close to 11 pm and raining making for a very cold and wet trip back to the boat (one of the few downsides to living at anchor), so we tucked in and called it a night hoping the weather clears soon so we can get to work.