Whirlwind Work Weekends
Saturday, June 12th, 2010 /

Lack of activity on the blog certainly isn’t reflective of lack of activity on the boat, as we have been hard at work over the last 4 weekends. In fact, we spent more time aboard in the last month than the two previous months combined!

Our whirlwind work weekends began on May 14, when I headed to the boat alone, as Christie was traveling for work. The plan was for her to fly into Houston and join me for our anniversary weekend. (Yes, I have a committed wife because she agreed to spend our anniversary aboard.) Unfortunately due to flight cancellations she wasn’t able to make it to Houston. I drove back to Dallas where we had a fantastic celebration at Hotel Joule, the place we stayed on our wedding night.

But before I left I was able to:

  • Unpack the Cape Horn self steering
  • Become completely intimidated by the installation process
  • Attend the annual Kemah swap meet to sell and score some boat gear


We returned on May 20 for a great 4-day Memorial Day weekend and to celebrate my birthday. While there we managed to:

  • Remove the old name (Fiona) and polish the transom
  • Sand and re-varnish the forward cabin handrails
  • Celebrate hard work, being debt free and my birthday with champagne
  • Get the neighbors and family involved in deciding how to mount the Cape Horn
  • Measure and drill the test hole in the transom for the Cape Horn
  • Enjoy some family time at the Legend Point Craw Fish Boil
  • Prep the boat for a new bottom job and drop it off at South Texas Yacht Service


The next weekend aboard began by returning Kaleo to the water where she belongs. We also:

  • Had Casey, Christie’s brother, aboard to help strip and sand the coaming tops. Thanks Casey!
  • Remeasured the mounting location of the Cape Horn (to be sure), then drilled a 2 1/2″ hole in the transom
  • Test fit the Cape Horn and fiberglassed the interior supports inside the lazzerette


And finally our most recent weekend aboard allowed us to complete the longest ongoing boat project yet.

  • We finished installing the cowl vents on the dorades, which were rebuilt last summer. On this note, do not deal with Blue Water Hardware, as Scott, the owner, took our money, didn’t deliver the product and will not return emails or calls!
  • Matt spent more time in the lazzerette working on the Cape Horn and the install is now about 60% complete
  • Attended Christie’s cousin’s graduation at Dayton High School


We’re taking a break in Dallas this weekend, but we’ll be back aboard this summer for more projects, family time, friends visiting and of course, sailing!!

Category: Boat Life, Family, Haul Out, Maintenance, Refit  Tags: , , , ,  2 Comments
Companionway Doors Complete!
Wednesday, May 19th, 2010 /

As Christie and I are learning, boat projects always take much longer than anticipated. But that means it feels even better when a project is finally complete. We crossed another item off the list with the final hanging of the companionway (a boat’s front door) doors.

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This project has been a cross-country build as:

These will provide a more pleasant living experience when we are anchored or in easy sailing weather. For rough weather we will use still the drop boards as they provide better protection against boarding seas and heavy rains. I really enjoyed this project in particular because I was able to work alongside my Dad, learn from his experience and have his craftsmanship aboard.

Category: Boat Life, Family, Refit, Seattle  Tags: , , ,  One Comment
A Big 0 Means We’re 1 Step Closer
Monday, May 03rd, 2010 /

We recently had a red-letter day in pursuing the cruising dream! As of April 29, 2010 we officially own Kaleo and no longer owe the bank a dime on it. More importantly, it was a red-letter day in life – We are officially debt free! We don’t owe a dime to anyone. No ifs, ands, or asterisks involved.

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Screen shot of our loan account

Not only is it great to have paid off the boat, it feels even better because we did it earlier than planned (thanks to the payback of a generous interest-free loan we gave the government last year – aka our tax return) and a dedicated savings plan outlined by Crown.

Since before our marriage we have both been following the biblically-based Money Map (which is available for free right now) from Crown Financial Ministries. Following its steps have guided us to this liberating day of being debt free. The Money Map outlines specific steps to not only becoming debt free, but achieving true financial freedom (being able to use the resources we’ve been given to help others and live enjoyably).

Of course, our intention is to stay debt free as we follow the remaining steps of saving for a future land house, our future children’s college funds, and … well you’ll just have to order a Money Map to find out!

Obviously, we’re big fans of Crown, their Money Map and the daily money management tool we use, Crown Mvelopes. Whether you’re 6 or 60, Crown has advice, tools and live counsel to help you easily manage money successfully.

We are shifting our boat payment into the cruising fund and will build it up as much as possible before we take off. Now we just need to keep working on all the boat projects!

Category: Cruising, Finance, Inspiration, Refit  Tags: , , ,  2 Comments
Rightsizing: When Less Becomes More
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010 /

One of the most significant changes from a land-based life to cruising will be moving into approximately 100 square feet of living space aboard Kaleo. Fortunately the backyard will be the size of an ocean.

This week we made a significant decision that will help us better prepare for the move aboard and more importantly, help us rightsize our life. We are moving from our 1,400 square foot town home to a 650 square foot studio apartment.

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We’re betting that life will be just fine with less. Less to distract, less to clean, less to maintain, less to worry about. And most importantly “less” will allow us to focus on the “mores” in life. More time together, more chances to experience the world, more money to help others, more focus on the joys of life.

Here are a few tips we’re learning in our rightsizing adventure:

  • Have a friend or family member help you. They don’t have the emotional attachment or remember the price you paid for something that you never use.
  • Make a deadline (moving helps that) in which you have to reduce the stuff in your home by 30%.
  • Start treating space as a commodity rather than your things.
  • Before you buy something, decide where it will go. Loving it in the store doesn’t usually translate to loving it three years later when it’s stored in an overcrowded closet.
  • Shop your living space. Would you re-buy that chair? That lamp or rug? If not, it might be time to release it and not replace it.

This process may sting a little now but we believe this intermediate step will be an easier adjustment than going from 1400 to 100 at once. Gotta get back to packing and Craiglisting.

Category: Boat Life, Education  Tags: ,  3 Comments
A Step Closer & Staying On Course
Tuesday, April 13th, 2010 /

The presence of wind powered self-steering is one of the surest ways to tell if a sailboat is used for passage making (sailing for extend times to different destinations). And Kaleo will soon enough be among the ranks of those boats. A wind powered self-steering system uses the wind to steer the boat on a steady course and once set, doesn’t require anyone to be at the helm. When sailing somewhere more than a few hours away, hand steering can be tiring and it’s hard to stay on the correct course after hours at the helm.

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Cape Horn – Integrated Self-Steering System Schematic

We recently ordered our Cape Horn self-steering system and are now in the 6-8 week build window, anxiously awaiting its arrival. We did a lot of research on self-steering gear (in fact Matt read up on this topic before we even owned a boat) and considered many brands and types – Monitor, Hydrovane, self-made. We ultimately landed on the Cape Horn for three reasons:

  1. Its reputation among the blue water sailing community
  2. Its integration into the hull structure
  3. A recommendation from an Aloha 34 owner who sailed with it to the South Pacific

Custom made for each vessel, the Cape Horn is built in Canada and will arrive via UPS in the next few weeks. Expect some pics of us unwrapping the system and a post or two detailing the install.

For the crusing inclined, read on about our reasoning for going with a wind vane over an autopilot. There are advantages to both systems and since they both cost about the same we chose the wind vane because it:

  • Requires zero power
  • Functions no matter what the boat systems are doing (important if you’re offshore for extended periods of time)
  • Requires crew dilegence in monitoring the wind and course (There is potential that an autopilot gives you an excuse to be lazy)
  • Doesn’t involve a computer. After all, part of going cruising is to get away from daily dependence on computers :)
  • It makes the boat look like a true blue water cruiser, which is very important for your in-port credibility!

Lastly, I can’t say enough about how great Yves Gélinas, owner, designer, and builder of Cape Horns was during the research and order process. Matt had so many questions that Yves answered and he even had numerous phone calls with Matt to talk him through the measurement and optimal install for Kaleo.

Category: Cape Horn, Cruising, Gear, Refit  Tags: , , ,  3 Comments
Alternative Energy Sources?
Tuesday, April 06th, 2010 /

Our vessel, as with most cruising boats, is powered by 12-volt batteries that hold enough electricity to run the boat systems for 2-3 days without a charge. Many cruisers use alternative energy sources (i.e., solar or wind power) to help charge their batteries. We’ve been discussing the pros and cons of both for the last few weeks and are reaching out to other cruisers like you for advice. Do we need solar panels, a wind generator or neither?

Solar panels or Wind generator?

The pros/cons of solar panels:

Pros

  • Self-managed system
  • Works on sunny days, with wind or without
  • Acts as extra shade installed on the bimini

Cons

  • Operates only 8 hours at best
  • Overall less efficient than a wind generator
  • Big installation on top of the bimini

The pros/cons of a wind generator:

Pros

  • Generates more electricity than solar
  • Operates 24 hours a day (when the wind’s blowing)
  • Doubles as a water generator when sailing (DuoGen)

Cons

  • More expensive than solar
  • Noisy (compared to solar)
  • Large installation on the transom

This decision is informed in part by our cruising destinations of which the first season we’ll be sailing the route from Florida to Trinidad. And for our comparisons we are assuming two 90-watt Siemens solar panels or the DuoGen wind/water generator. We have a 90 amp alternator on the motor which would need to run for about 1 hour per day to keep the system charged without any alternative energy source.

Thoughts?

Category: Electrical, Refit  Tags: ,  13 Comments
Water Pump Weekend
Sunday, April 04th, 2010 /

This Saturday we wrapped up the fresh water system refit that has been ongoing since last summer. Matt installed the fresh water pump and accumulator tank, which now supplies water to the recently installed galley double sink and bathroom sink and shower.

We also managed to wash and scrub the entire deck, cleaning it of winter grime and dirt. Scrubbing 34 feet of boat deck took the better part of the morning but Kaleo shined like she hasn’t in a long time. Christie finished the to-do list by installing one of her Valentine’s Day presents, a new stainless throttle handle.

All this work was capped off by a great sail in Galveston Bay, where we saw Captain Kidd, a two-masted schooner. The sail also reminded us of how well the Aloha 34 is designed as she balanced herself (stayed on a course without any input from us) on the tack out and back in. The sail was capped off by the best slip-parking job to date, if only they all went that smoothly there would be a few less scratches on the hull.

On Sunday, we spent the afternoon at Christie’s grandmother’s house celebrating the most important date in history, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Everyday we thank Him for our talents, abilities and the desire to pursue this dream.

Category: Galley, Galveston Bay, Head, Plumbing, Refit, Sailing  Tags: , , , , ,  Leave a Comment
Our Dream On Paper
Saturday, April 03rd, 2010 /

Just received the latest newsletter of the Christian Boaters Association. We were reading through the stories and stumbled upon a feature about our dream! It’s really exciting to us that it was shared with others through an organization we hold in high regard.

The CBA Newsletter, Shipmate

Category: Cruising, Inspiration  Tags: ,  Leave a Comment
AIS Class Report
Saturday, March 27th, 2010 /

As mentioned in an earlier post we’ve been taking classes offered by the Seven Seas Cruising Association‘s university “SSU“. Matt just wrapped up watching the recording of the free session “AIS”.

AIS, which stands for Automatic Identification System, is a standardized navigation safety system originally developed as a collision avoidance tool to enable vessels to electronically “see” each other in all conditions and improve the helmsman’s information about the surrounding environment. For vessels equipped with the system, AIS provides such information as vessel position, course, speed and navigational status (under way, at anchor, etc.), as well as its name and type (sail, power, tug, ferry, etc.).

ais

While Matt already understood the basics of AIS and was planning on including the system in our navigation equipment refit, this class helped him make some final decisions on the right equipment and the right setup.

This course went into much greater detail (differences in AIS class types) but some noteworthy things we took away were:

  • Receive/broadcast (Class A) AIS systems aren’t really worth it for small recreational vessels. Receive-only (Class B) is our best solution.
  • VHF antenna splitters are not a good solution, it’s best to have a dedicated AIS antenna.
  • VHF antennas can not be mounted closer than approx. 3 feet apart.
  • And most importantly, no matter how advanced safety equipment is on board, it’s never an excuse to stop following basic safety protocols (like consistently scanning the horizon while sailing and maintaining active watches).

This is a fairly technical subject, if you’d like to know more we recommend further reading at Vesper Marine and GTS Consulting.

(Steven Gloor of GTS taught the SSU AIS class)

Category: Education, Electronics  Tags: ,  3 Comments
Cruising Curriculum
Monday, March 22nd, 2010 /

Every time we visit Kaleo, we learn a lot. Sometimes it’s about how to best trim the sails for the fastest speed or for a more comfortable ride. Sometimes (everytime) it’s about how a planned project takes more time and money than expected. And often it’s about loving the idea of a life aboard with each new experience.

But when we are away from the boat (which is most of the time as we don’t live in the same city as our beloved vessel) the education doesn’t stop. Of course we learn a lot from books we’re reading and blogs we follow but the latest addition to our education stable have been classes from the Seven Seas University. SSU is the online education portal of the Seven Seas Cruising Association.

SSU offers a number of online courses on various cruising subjects that can be taken online in a webinar format. These classes allow an instructor to take students through a slideshow while they voice over and sometimes teach via video. We will post topline learning from each session but in the meantime here is a list of the courses we’ve taken so far:

  • Celestial Navigation
  • What you really, really need to know about yacht insurance
  • Emergency Protocols You Must Have
  • Non-Emergency Use of DIGITAL SELECTIVE CALLING (VHF DSC)
  • AIS (Automatic Identification System)
  • Island Hopping to the Caribbean
  • First Aid Afloat

Stay tuned for the highlights of what we’re learning.

ssulogo
Category: Cruising, Education, Resources  Tags: , ,  2 Comments
Set and Share Life Goals
Saturday, March 20th, 2010 /

A big part of our dream, and any dream for that matter, is writing it down and setting steps to achieve it.

We’ve recently found a web service that helps us jot down, track our progress and share these dreams as they come so we can make room for even more. mySomeday is designed to help you achieve those goals and dreams you’ve always said you’d get to ‘Someday’. It even goes a step further by letting you share and connect with others that may have similar dreams.

Twitter response from MySomeday upon creating our MySomeday

Features:

  • Record your life goals
  • Share your goals with friends and family
  • Receive encouragement to achieve your goals
  • Similar tools: GoalBot, 43Things, GetGoaling and stickK
Category: Cruising, Inspiration, Resources, Sailing  Tags: , , ,  Leave a Comment
A little work and a long overdue sail
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 /

Over the past few months our time aboard Kaleo has been spent working on the boat, measuring for parts and anticipating our first sail of spring.

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This past weekend we got the best of both worlds by getting some projects checked off the list and getting to go for a great sail in Galveston Bay. We both were able to take Friday off, drove down Thursday night, and had three full days aboard. Friday was spent finishing the install on the head (bathroom) sink counter, setting the actual sink in place and hooking up the water lines. We also picked up our dinghy from Triad Marine, where it had been repaired.

Saturday we had hoped to go sailing but the tide was far too low to get the boat out of the slip. During the winter a strong North wind blows and forces a lot of the water out of Galveston Bay. This gives exaggerated low tides and our keel is literally sitting in the mud, so we can’t go anywhere. Nevertheless it was a beautiful day so we fit the companionway doors, cleaned up the mess left from rebedding the chain plates, finished up some misc. projects, took the dinghy for a test row, visited our broker Carolyn at their new office and got the boat ready for her first sail of the year.

Sunday turned out to be a perfect day for sailing so we made for the open ocean (really just Galveston Bay) at first light (really about 10:00). The wind was 6-9 knots and blowing from the East. In fact the wind was blowing from exactly where we wanted to go. We had decided to make for Houston Ship Channel #59, the best entry point for pleasure craft headed to Galveston Island. It dawned on Matt that this was the first time we have ever had to tack Kaleo to a destination. All the other times sailing her we just went at the best angle to the wind with nowhere in particular to go to. This was good practice for us as you can see below the track we recorded on iNavX, an iPhone navigation app, turned out the be pretty spot on. We also practiced our two bearing fixes for coastal navigation.

greattacks

Our tack path to Marker 59 & back

Category: Dinghy, Galveston Bay, Sailing  Tags: , ,  One Comment
Refit-To-Date Wrap Up
Saturday, March 13th, 2010 /

Part of the fun of boat projects is crossing them off the list and we are finally seeing some big progress in getting some crossed off. Over the last few months we got quite a bit done, though it was all planned to be done months before that. One of the details about refitting a boat that we’ve learned is that every project “costs twice as much and takes three times longer than planned”. Boat friends had warned us of this reality but it didn’t really sink in until we started experiencing it.

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Matt installing solarvent above head

Often times what takes so long is waiting for parts. Matt makes an order and sure enough they get delivered the Monday after we had already been down to the boat for the weekend (we travel 4 hours each way to work aboard Kaleo about every other week). Along with waiting for parts to arrive comes the truth that every project takes longer than planned, no matter if you plan in extra time for it. That means there were quite a few Sundays we leave the boat with projects partially done. And there are of course the times we have all the parts and all the time but weather (too cold or too wet) manages to get it the way to see bigger progress.

We’ve even dropped the car keys in the water (not unlike the wedding band a few months before) but luckily had the Davis Key Buoy on the keychain, which floated the key to the surface just as promised.

Over the last few months we’ve crossed of the following (but there’s still plenty of work we’re in the middle of and ahead):

Head

  • From hand-pump low quality to bluewater-worthy Lavac electric toilet
  • Waste tank monitor
  • Granite counter top
  • Faucet
  • Shower head
  • Shower head cabinet

Galley

  • Double sink
  • Pressure water faucet
  • Sea water and fresh water foot pumps & faucets
  • Water filter
  • Sink fillers
  • Reglued galley drawers

Salon/V-berth

  • Upgraded to LED lights
  • Nav station R/W LED light
  • V-Berth fan
  • V-Berth mattress from Riverside Mattress
  • Cleaned A/C filters
  • Removed old velcro from salon cushion backs
  • Hang photos

Deck

  • Find chain stripper
  • Weld chain stripper
  • Install Solarvent
  • Re-hung shore power cord
  • Had dinghy repaired
  • Re-bedded chain plates
  • Re-bedded whisker pole holder
  • Replaced windlass footswitch
  • Replaced mainstay tangs
  • Replaced dorade box tops
  • Cowl vents (on order)
  • Proved the Davis Key Buoy will float keys to the surface

Category: Refit  Tags:  One Comment
Some Gear That Keep Us Going
Sunday, January 10th, 2010 /

We’ve certainly started more projects than have finished lately. It seems that in the boating world parts take longer to arrive than the time it takes to do the actual project. We’re currently waiting on the delivery of items such as dorade cowls, a finished bathroom counter top & revamped companionway doors.

So while we have less completed project updates, we do have a few tools that we’ve started relying on time and time again. The first is a custom screwdriver called a Picquic.

Matt first read about this at Navagear and I (Christie) got him the Mariner for Christmas! It’s especially handy because it was custom ordered with the bits we need most (e.g., a square bit because our Canadian boat was built with square screws).

A second tool that sees a lot of use is the Power8 Workshop, basically the most common power wood working tools combined into one flexible unit. Another holiday gift (it was a good Christmas for Matt), this makes it easy for him to handle projects and fabricate parts that he would normally have to pay someone to do. A bonus for boating life is that it packs into a small case and is powered by batteries, meaning it can be used in remote anchorages or when away from a power source.

Category: Gear, Resources  Tags: ,  Leave a Comment
A Christopher Cross Kind of Afternoon
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 /

Our first solo sail adventure aboard our Kaleo in Galveston Bay. Looking forward to many more!

We were intrigued by the shrimp boat & wished they’d share with us. A little afternoon dancing on deck. We tossed aside the dock lines this afternoon & set sail for nowhere in particular … just a relaxing, fun & confidence-boosting adventure.

Category: Cruising, Galveston Bay, Inspiration, Sailing  Tags: , , ,  Leave a Comment
Fueling Up
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 /

We fueled up manually over taking Kaleo through the marina station to save some cash in prep for our 1st solo sail around Galveston Bay. To date we’ve had the company (and security) of friends and family aboard so we’re looking forward to our new mini adventure.

Category: Cruising, Maintenance, Sailing  Tags: , ,  Leave a Comment
The Engine Gets New Zincs
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 /

No, we’re not smuggling hot captains across Galveston Bay. Today I walked up into the cockpit to find Matt down in the port side lazarette changing the zincs in the engine (prevents the sea water from corroding the cooling system). Just when I’m convinced he’s contorted himself into every nook & cranny of our boat, he always seems to find new places to explore. I love this face!

Category: Cruising, Inspiration, Sailing  Tags: , ,  Leave a Comment
From Single to Double in the Galley
Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 /

Our original single-basin sink in the galley.
A little caulking romance.
Casey brought me to meet up with Matt while he was working on the new sink install. Looks like he found Kaleo to be pretty relaxing amidst the minor construction. The original single-basin sink in our galley was too shallow & small for any real dishwashing so we went on the search for the right double-basin. After months of research & an exhaustive search for an affordable option, we finally found one on eBay that fit the bill.

After a few weekends more than planned Matt got the old one removed, the counter cut out & the new one in place. In between all that, he managed to add fresh and salt water spigots (for greater water conservation), a new sprayer faucet, and plumbed all the necessary hoses. A now we have a fully functioning sink and an experience Matt hopes to only do once.

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Category: Cruising, Galley, Plumbing, Refit  Tags: , , ,  Leave a Comment
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