HideAway Makes a Cover

On a day when we realized all of our navigation gear has gone missing - Really how can you lose navigation instruments and expect ever to find your way home again??

Don't know but they are lost - Gotta appreciate the irony I suppose.

On a happier note the HideAway has made the cover of Boca Ciega Yacht Club's 2011 Directory - Cool eh?

We had just returned from a week long cruise to Anclote Key and Tarpon Springs arriving close to sundown we secured the boat in our slip at BCYC and went over to another dock to visit when I snapped this photo which has become a favorite. 

SV HideAway

Don't Let Your Current Stray - Zinc It

Pennies do have some value after all. Leave one in an aluminum power boat and it will eventually sink the boat from corrosion. Suppose there is a market for aluminum jet skis with copper coin holders?


Stray Current Corrosion occurs when unprotected metal boat parts are exposed to stray current especially in salt water. Stray current comes from electrical faults in other boats or from the dock power system. Sacrificial anodes, zincs, protect the valuable boat parts in the water such as outboard motors from attack by the electrolysis fiend.



In this case the aluminum part of the kick up rudder was slightly submerged in the salt water marina aka battery fluid.

Keep Your Metal Protected - Zinc It! 

Where are the Sacrificial Anodes when you need them? On the outboard motor that was raised out of the water to keep sea creatures from making a home on it of course.

Another reason not to swim in marinas.

The OOPS Factor - The HideAways Turn Oil Into Cream

Awhile ago we chronicled rebuilding the lower end of our 1994 Evinrude 8hp outboard motor in a series of videos on HideAways Utube channel.

The good news is the motor keeps its cool during the most stressful of times such as running horizontally during a recent heavy weather event on Tampa Bay as HideAway buried her rail for a lot longer than one would think possible.

Her exhausted, salt encrusted crew took two days to return HideAway to her trailer and two weeks to sew up her damaged sails and glue her dink back together.




Linda sews while two crew members watch

 



HideAway and the Dink locked rub rails






Then someone asked why Mr E, our faithful outboard, was hemoraging a cream colored substance from his lower end. The answer to which can be found below

SMALL BOATS ROCK!

Compac 23 V Berth Conversion

The V berth in my Compac 23 is a wide and spacious place originally designed as a double berth separated from the main cabin by a full bulkhead. For the cruising couple the V berth has one major flaw common in most boats of this size. Smack dab in the middle of the berth lurks the head which in most cases is a self contained Marine Sanitation Device. No doubt this is the best and only practical place to install such a device but it is a real pain in the neck if one of the berth’s occupants needs to use it at night. In addition, if you are using the V berth for sleeping where do you put your other stuff?



I happened upon the plans for a Cape Dory 25D.  The concept of sleeping in the V berth is abandoned in favor of using the space for the head and storage. Applying the concept to HideAway, I replaced the original porta pottie with a larger one rigged to use dockside pump out equipment. Not only does this mitigate the worst of the undesirable chores on HideAway it also provides an outside vent for the MSD. Then I developed and installed a sink with a cabinet added an electric water pump and plumbed the vanity to an unused thru hull.




SV HideAway Vanity

In cruising mode the V berth area is home to our main jerry jug water supply, extra sails, tools and supplies. Now all of our cruising gear and small coolers labeled by day of use can be stored in one place.





The early Compac 23s had no cabinetry beyond the sink/ companion way steps. While a bit stark compared to the Compac 23/IV that feature a slide out sink and galley with additional cabinetry along the settees.


Compac 23 IV port side

 The HideAway has human size settee berths that are comfortable for sleeping.


A fair trade off to me as the thought of cooking something below decks makes no sense to me and with the reconfigured V berth space the settee cabinets are unnecessary.





HideAway is the earliest known Compac of this design in existence.  


SV HideAway Compac 23 Hull #2

Now I can stand up to put on my pants – A decadent luxury.

Small Boats Rock!!

A Word from our cruising kitty-

 

Classic Sailboat & Dink Mousepad by SailingHideAway

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A nice thick mouse pad is hard to find.  

This on fills the bill-- 

Add your boat and text.  It's easy!  I did it!



Boca Ciega Yacht Club Open House

Looking for something fun to do Saturday?  Come on down to our sailing club for free sailboat rides and more at Boca Ciega Yacht Club’s Open house  1- 4pm Bring the kids old and young- go sailing – have a hot dog – paint your face – learn about the sailing life style and more!  www.sailbcyc.org

4600 Tifton Drive South
Gulfport Florida

Gulfport Marina

Pine Island II

It’s only 17 miles from HideAways berth in Gulfport Fl to Pine Island near Apollo Beach according to our ancient GPS. The math is easy; distance divided by speed concludes the trip will take about 4 hours. Factor in the weather and wind speed and maybe add an hour or so for the safety factor and we find a mid afternoon arrival in the realm of some reality.




The HideAway carries her navigation table in a three ring binder containing large font course plans for various expected wind as well as tide and weather forecasts for the period. In addition each course has been plotted on a water proof paper chart with detailed notes. Her crew are equally well versed in the plans’ details and are prepared to take over navigation duties at a moments notice.



Despite passing St. Petersburg and anchoring fairly close to Apollo Beach there is little opportunity to replenish supplies of gas on this cruise. A refueling stop would add too much time to the trip therefore the HideAways carried nearly nine gallons of gas, should extended use of the motor be required. She returned with less than one gallon in her tank.



Sailing like a scalded cat across Boca Ciega Bay at 6 kn/GPS while pulling our East Port Pram brought large smiles to the HideAways. Seventeen other boats of the fleet sailing out of Boca Ciega Yacht Club stretched across the bay like a work of art Saturday morning. After a slight delay getting under Structure “C” the fleet proceeded along the ICW past St Pete Beach to the next drawbridge to the East with the inspired name of Structure “E” that separates Tierra Verde island from the mainland.



In the good old days each bridge raised on the twenties so a boat would have little delay making both bridges. Given the strong currents around “E” this was an important benefit. Then some Bozo from the State of Florida decided to put “E” on the halves in favor of the wealthy home owners on Tierra Verde. (We have the best government money can buy apparently.)

To be continued...

A Pine Island Plan for Treasure

Somewhere in the vast wilderness of Tropical Western Florida lies a point in paradise code named Pine Island.  Local legend asserts the island formed not from discarded clam shells as many are, but from cast aluminum apparently in the shape of pine trees if the fable is to be believed. 

Always up for an adventure especially ones that involve sailing, legends and aluminum treasure, Gold is sooo heavy you know!  The HideAways mission is to seek out the truth of this local tale with gusto.

The Plan

Steal away in the darkness of a predawn day ahead of the other sailors on faster boats with the same gleam in their eyes, secure the vast aluminum treasure in Hideaway's hold of secrets and hide the treasure in South East North Dakota far to the west.

The Problem

Where the heck is this place?  The parable states it is in a  "Est toou airey"  where fire sticks are seen in the sky and the ground trembles with fear and no canoe returns from the forbidden shores of Pointy Glad.  Why can't legends be written in plain language?

A massive search of the known archives of the universe reveal no such place or island.  Nor is it named on any chart produced by the US Government. A conspiracy perhaps or just the usual negligence?

The Breakthrough

Late on a night with a ringed moon the capt received a communication from his shady past concerning a map buried in an old whiskey bottle long ago under a carrot tree at a local well known sailing establishment.

Now we all know you cannot just show up with a shovel in hand and start digging something up at a well known sailing establishment.

 A Deception Needed was Found!

"I know just the thing,  We'll build a huge brick patio and call it the Sea Breeze." The First Mate espoused "Nobody will suspect a thing!"

A carrot tree????

To be continued . . . .

HideAway Has a Postage Stamp!

Yep - It's true the HideAways now have a real US postage stamp -- How cool is that?

I didn't know this was in the realm of possibility but it is.  Just follow the link to see it and make your own.

SV HideAway US Postage Stamp

Sailing with a Loose Foot - Compac 23 - Update

SV HideAway - Compac 23

Most sailboats including the HideAway, a Compac 23, arrive from the factory with the main sail foot firmly installed in the boom.   Most have some sort of adjustment for the outhaul but in the real sailing world it is often slightly better than non-functional.

Last spring we freed HideAway from the bonds of the in-boom foot, attached a three part tackle to the clew and set out to explore the strange new world of the Loose Foot.

Well, the results are in and I won't bore you with the degrees of improved weather heading or knots gained except to say that our most favored sail, the 150 genny stayed bagged all summer.  For the first time in sixteen years we did not need it.




The immediate result of the loose foot
 is the taming of the weather helm beast that inhabits shallow draft fixed keel boats like the HideAway.  The second is a noticeable ability to point embarrassingly high for a boat of this nature and the third is the ability to leave the tiller for long periods of time with the rustic self steering unit consisting of a spring and some lines in charge.   The last was the ratio of wind speed to hull speed.  Consistently turning 5 knots in light air.




New Outhaul Adjustment HideAway - Compac 23


What We Have Learned So Far

As the apparent wind approaches 15kn the mainsail must be flattened bringing along with it a taste of weather helm.  As we approach 20 kn weather helm monster returns mollified somewhat by reefing.

Worse, the stock configuration of the outhaul adjustment is located at the rear of the boom. The real adventure begins standing on the transom without hindering the helmsperson and hanging onto the back stay while the boat heels to its 25 degree sweet spot.  Since the capt is not inclined to enjoy swimming with the sharks, yet nearly did so, a solution became a high priority.

You can throw a ring farther than a horseshoe

The issue of involuntarily leaving the boat has long been ignored on HideAway  

After some research and advice, the addition of a throw ring gave the HideAways a hint of peace of mind and something to hang onto when deployed swimming on a hot summer day. 

Adding a cleat on the boom just abaft the vang removed the thrill of hanging from the end of said boom in exciting sea conditions in favor of adjusting the outhaul from the secure cockpit.

A fact of life on a 23 foot sailboat, no matter how well designed, is scarcity of transom real estate what with the swim ladder, rudder and outboard.  The least objectionable space for the throw ring proved to be to port just above the outboard and apparently too close to the GPS antenna. The new throw ring had either confused the GPS or magnetic North had moved a significant distance East, and interestingly, South.  Another story for another day.

Perhaps a NACA12 rudder redesign should be the next project to tame the weather helm beast.   Stay tuned...

BCYC Hootenanny 2010 Gulfport Florida USA

I didn't intend to make this video.  I left the good camera at home and was stuck with my ancient Kodak (dx6340 if you must) that suffers from some of the same conditions I do in that it hardly opens one eye in the morning and makes strange sounds at inappropiate times.

This video will likely disappoint those interested in the fine blue grass sounds of the Ibuprophan Band since I didn't find the video button in time, however the Generation Gap has been picked up by Florida Music Videos and are gaining popularity in some pretty far flung places.  Road Trip!

Another disappointment is that the World Famous Cooler Drop didn't film well even though the camera is very experienced the operator sounds like an over-served popular big band leader from North Dakota 60 years ago who may have had a rock in his remaining shoe..... anddaa Onnnnnnnne  ANDA twurp..

The Ibuprophan Band and the Generation Gap are all BCYC sailors who love to play music when they aren't sailing and do a great job of both.