The HideAways Are Still Here!

I wish I could say the same about my brand new hopped-up state of the art computer. It blew up like whatever is in the photo below!  We've had two Lieutenant Wizards out to the house.  So far we have a new keyboard, new hard drive and not one, but two, new operating systems installed.  No dice.

UFO over Gulfport Fl ?

Are there Mountains in Texas?

We spoke to the Wizard of All Electronics in the Known Universe the other day and he/she/it sent a ticket for My Computer to fly to the Chief Geek of Computer Wisdom high in the mountains of Texas.

SNOW CAPPED TEXAS MOUNTAINS?

Things are looking up.  I've been able to coax my old clunker computer back to life.  The one where I can click on a link then have some lunch or a nap while I wait for it to come up.  No stress there!

Have You Seen This?

Sometimes the lines are so bad the text is unreadable and in one case a document printed with the lines. The lines shimmer and shake like a bad pole dancer. The other problem is not having a key board that works full time!  Sigh!

At least now I can watch my sailing videos albeit in slow motion!  Stay tuned!

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Reserve your place in the swamp! Fine Tourist Cuisine Served Daily

An American Birthday

A long held tradition of the HideAways, on this day, is to be found tearing up Boca Ciega Bay flying the largest US flag we can find.  

We are compelled to do this to celebrate our heritage

 as citizens of  the

United States of America.

Hard aground - Still flying!

The full meaning of this, for us anyway, was not apparent until we travelled abroad. Try it. You'll see....

But, for now, Let's PARTY!

One Mistake & HideAway Sails Away-Sans Her Crew!

Sun set on the second day of a three day cruise found HideAway rafted with SV Miandros in the usual fashion.  Both crew and guests occupied with sun-downers and dinner.  

The capt commented that a boat was passing to starboard uncomfortably close to the raft. Then realized it was HideAway sans her crew!   Her bow line dragging as she pivoted on her stern line blown by the strong winds.   The line held leaving HideAway stern to Miandros. WHEW!

SV HideAway- Stern To

Always Double Check Your Lines!

 Always

 No Matter Who Attached Them!

As HideAway’s capt I take full blame for the incident. I had forgotten one of the major rules of raft up.  Due to the difference in size of the boats the bow line was attached to a stanchion.   This arrangement worked well the night before anchored in the Gulf of Mexico, but was not adequate the higher winds we were experiencing.  

Had the stern line not held, HideAway likely would have run aground a few hundred yards in the general direction of rocky rip rap.

The Video:

SMALL BOATS ROCK!

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Sailing's Other Side: The Refit!

Secret Anchorage Dunedin, Fl

Settling in for another night at anchor.  The boat gently rocks.  The full moon, framed by two empty wine glasses on the bridge deck, dances across the cool night sky.  A fish jumps from its prey.  A no-see-em calls to its’ mate.  Soft jazz wafts from the stereo.  The snoring begins.

 A Shriek!

“Something fell on my head!” she panics knowing well the HideAway’s reputation concerning reptilian creatures of the night.

“Is it moving?” Queried the sleepy capts mind.  “How many legs does it have?”

 “I don’t know --- I don’t care --- Where is it?!!!” 

“Here it is --- Right here” 

“Where??”

“There! “

“It’s only a paint flake”

“Whadaya mean ONLY?”

“THAT flake fell flat on my forehead!”

“It just fell from the cabin top…”

“You mean the cabin that top looks like a chart of the islands?“

“It’s not THAT bad is it?”

“Then why don’t you try having an island fall on your flat head?”

Islands of the Green Fiberglass Sea

And that, my friends is the precise moment when the “To Do” list emerges from its chrysalis to become a full-fledged REFIT 

Refitting is a Voyage of Discovery

SV HideAway's Rudder with Acne

The rudder casing developed a serious case of salt water acne. 

Certainly not a major project, however, on both sides of the rudder lurk the cockpit drains.  





Unprotected by scupper valve baffles, they have long been the source of flooding in the cockpit when HideAway sails with a bone in her teeth.  

Baffle Me Please

And what about that pieced together boarding ladder to starboard and the motor mount to port, the one with the broken springs?  Where do you start? What do you do? It’s really simple; you just…

Bust Your Nuts

Did you know that unlike most boats of this size, a Com- Pac 23 has eight separate stays? Each of them are held in place by two or more hardened stainless steel bolts with personal oxidation issues.  

Rusted Nuts

Hearing stories of chain plate bolts rusting through from the inside, then finding the malady on your boat adds some urgency to the project.     
                                               

     Living Below the Deck

 The biggest part of the refit is overhauling our below deck living space, if it can be called that on a 23 foot boat, and we do.  Humans are a lot like gold fish when it comes to adapting to living spaces.  We are both happy in the smallest spaces if we don’t think about it too much.  Ignorance, or at least inattention to detail, is bliss.

Below Decks SV HideAway

The aforementioned falling paint flakes take center salon at first. Then we will build some storage, a hanging closet, maybe a chart table with chart storage.  New lights and maybe a quieter fan.

The Usual Suspects

 Repainting the non-skid area of the deck, a general clean-up, a new boarding ladder, sole, replacement of a cleat or two, and a host of yet to be discovered joys fit to be refitted.

So join in the fun of sailing’s other side - Here’s the latest video update

The North Coast Of Imagination

SMALL BOATS ROCK!

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Used Trailer Rust - A Hot Dip Into Galvanizing

In all the years of sailing in fresh waters of Nebraska and South Dakota the subject of used trailer rust never reached consciousness of this sailor.   After all, salt is for icy streets.  It has nothing to do with water, unless your cabin fever is so severe that you take your boat and trailer for a drive in snow country. 

The Magic Pearl

Upon relocation to a hot place with lots of salt in the water we did not take much notice that our newly acquired Sea Pearl had a hot dipped galvanized trailer strapped under it.  Years upon years passed before the capt noticed the port side trailer wheel leaning inboard at an alarming angle as he backed the trailer into the driveway.    

 “This sort of thing happens a lot in Florida” My trailer parts guy declared.  “Just cover your new axle completely with axle grease and you’ll not have a problem again”.   As he wrote out the bill for the axle and the grease.  True to his word, we didn’t and we learned how difficult it is for no see ems to penetrate the axle grease that found its way to our extremities.   Winners all, we were.

Then Came the HideAway – A Trailer-Less Com Pac 23

As the rent on my little patch of salt water increased from $100 per month to just north of $230, it became economically clear the HideAway needed a home on the hard or worse -The Hook.  Of course she would hear nothing of this nonsense and held out for leaf springs and four, mind you, four, soft cushy wheels.  

It mattered not the least to her that a new trailer would cost, at minimum, the same as the HideAway not including the full sized pickup truck needed to tow said trailer.    Boats are like that you know.   Ahhh, but Florida is nautical place.  A trip to the local Marine Salvage yard was in order followed shortly by a similar journey to a local used truck emporium to find a Big Red Truck.  (Well, you know – Nebraska and all…)

 

A New Old Trailer

A substantial looking former power boat trailer was found, measured and priced to include an additional axle and a drum surge braking system to accommodate the capts dreams of far away and certainly exotic, if not romantic destinations.   (This from a transplanted Nebraska/South Dakota sailor living in Florida – The land of no winter to speak of).

A Problem Solved

In the passing years the HideAways followed the same ritual.  Launch, Sail, Recover and Wash.  In summer the washing included the crew.  In winter, not so much, however the motor and the trailer always had a good fresh water bath. 

Cast off all lines! SV HideAway

Then one hot summer’s day one of the trailer wheels refused to turn. The brake shoes had rusted to the drum!  Then the other brake equipped wheel got in the habit of making loud protest noises littering the parking lot with a trail of red every time it rolled.   Click here for the shocking video!

One of the holy fenders

 Added nuisances included the giving away of all staples holding the carpet on the bunks not to mention the appearance of the holy fenders.  How could a hot dipped galvanized part rust?  After all, wasn't that the purpose of the hot dip in the first place?

“I thought that hot dip galvanizing formed a bond between metal and stuff that stopped rust from forming” I stammered to my trailer parts guy.

“Well, this sort of thing happens a lot in Florida”

 he said.  “It’s a lot like lovers breaking up… You see, what happens is that any injury to the galvanized parts allows air and metal to mix it up with the salt… you see and…rust forms…. that breaks them apart….” His voice trailed off then continued.    “You have to repent……err…. Repaint… you know” his eyes glazed a bit just then “…to get the bond back you see….. Just a minute… I have to make a call….”  He said as I watched his back disappear into a maze of trailer parts.

Southward bound - Sailing HideAway

 So that’s why I spent a beautiful warm winter day on my back with an electric drill, the one with the wire disk on it, grinding my galvanizing off  when I should have been sailing on salty water to some exotic destination.

Don’t Let this happen to you!    Repaint my friend - often

Cheasapeake Light Craft St Pete 2015 Report

CLC Boats came to the Gandy Bridge, St Petersburg side this weekend bringing with them a large selection of kayaks, canoes, and rowing craft.  While there were no sailboats, several of the boats can be sailed and there was a private owner with a beautiful rendition of a Northeaster Dory on display.

During a previous visit I had the opportunity of sailing this work of art.  Although it’s fast and remarkably stable, the narrow stern will not support a human therefore it requires a tiller several feet long that operates on the arm you see to starboard.  I found the  push-pull steering tiresome.  The boat rows and sails well- It’s just not for me. 

Beauty VS Art

Another old salt admiring the workmanship and design of the boat told me that he has built thirty boats in his time, some as pretty as this and others not so much.   He said the pretty boats, usually bright finished, were seldom used for fear of disfigurement while the less so saw great use. 

He brought one with him, a sort of shallow draft trawler about 20 feet loa, recently painted using home center deck paint using a cheap foam roller.  It looks sharp at 30 feet, he bragged, but he has no fear of the usual dings and marks associated with normal use.  It brought to mind HideAways encounter with large commercial fishing boat whose wake threw us into a fuel dock at John’s Pass.  A repair that required a new rub rail  --- Here's the link- Rub Rail Installation SV HideAway

We have been looking for an extreme shallow draft kayak for exploration and photography of our area’s back waters and rivers.  The Mill Creek 16.5 double kayak looked interesting, but the online photos didn’t show a good, dry place for camera equipment.  A quick paddle out proved this to be true.  We tried some of the row boats and found them either too large or cumbersome for our purpose.

Then we discovered the Wood Duck 10 and 12.

Both are available in different woods.  The strip planked Wood Duck 12 Hybrid shown feels heavier than the website weight comparison for both hybrid models of 4 lbs. However our WD10 featured the sable wood option that felt much lighter than the WD 12 Hybrid. At 40 lbs. maximum either one is easy to transport.    Both have a large cockpit that is easy to get into, with plenty of space for gear and are very responsive.  The wide beam keeps them comfortably stable.  While the 12 takes more effort to paddle either one will move with little effort.  Both track well. Basic handling between the two boats is what you’d expect for the water line difference.   

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We will need two- but which?

 
In any event, if Chesapeake Lightcraft comes to your area be sure to make the trip - It's a lot of fun

And who knows- you may end up with an addition to your fleet! 

 

Single Axle Trailer or Teeter-Totter?

One of the cool things about being a member of a sailing club is the sailboats and owners of same spending weekends together working on their boats.  After HideAway acquired her trailer, her capt, that would be me, has a fine view of such endeavors from her deck.  

A yell followed by loud crash brought me up the forward hatch to see a Catalina 22 bow reaching high into the air as her owner hung from her transom in an unsuccessful attempt to slow the boats' return to sea level. The single axle trailer usually had concrete blocks to prevent the teeter totter effect but something went awry.  Neither the capt nor the equipment suffered any injury more serious than embarrassment.




AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN

 Concrete blocks are made to support things that cannot move, like house foundations, the blocks are not the best choice for things that often do, such as single axle boat trailers.    Concrete blocks are strongest when the two holes vertically support the load on its exterior walls, rather than horizontal as above. Not to mention their weight.  Using concrete blocks is an accident waiting to happen.

 Other than finding a double axle trailer, that doubles the fun, auto jack stands are popular.  I often use jack stands when working on my trailer.  While they don’t move easily with a load on them, I would hesitate to employ them to steady the trailer while I’m on the boat for fear that my movements may knock them over.

I'm much too old to be  riding a nautical teeter-totter

 

Auto Jack Stands Help

Today I noticed that I have a new slip neighbor. A 22 Capri sitting on a single axle trailer.  I haven’t met the owner yet, but he has come up with a interesting solution to the teeter totter problem. 

 

Folding Trailer Tongue Jack 



Folding Trailer Tongue Jack

Since the tongue jacks stay attached to the trailer you don’t have to be concerned knocking one over as you move about the boat.  The jack stand features a swivel to allow trailering. It might be better to have a jack with a flat foot rather than the wheel since you really can't move boats of this weight around much.

Looks like a winner and it's less costly than a second axle.  Such a deal!

Your results may vary.  

See a video about installing a trailer tongue jack among other fun things!

SMALL BOATS ROCK!

 

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Florida Wildlife Commission Anchoring Survey

FWC, Florida Wildlife Commission, also known by less flattering names, has decided that a survey of Florida boaters’ use of Florida waters might be helpful in drafting legislation. A scary thought or a good idea?

I Took the Survey

The survey begins with an informative video outlining the next 30 minutes of your day.

Each section, there are six, is preceded by a short audio recording explaining the reasoning behind questions that follow. The topics covered are relevant to all boaters using Florida waters. The survey’s first question deals with Florida residency.  A good start.  

A Thought Provoked

The questions are difficult.  For instance, one asks if all local governments should follow whatever the state legislature passes with little or no ability to adapt the law to local conditions.  On the surface the local governments, city & county, probably should have a say in how their waters are managed.  There are 22 communities in my county.  How can anyone be expected to know and comply with all the variables likely to develop?  From my perspective I’d rather have one set of rules than 22, but then I don’t live in a coastal community.  Wait, yes I do, but the waters are only suited for kayaks and canoes. Hmmm…

Looking for Common Sense

Quite a bit of the survey is common sense or at least an attempt to achieve it.  Did you know that you can anchor your boat at the end of the boat ramp, travel lift or as close to someone’s house as you like?  With the possible exception of the travel lift, I can’t imagine anyone would want to in the first place.  You are then asked to specify the number of feet from the house/ramp/boat lift that would be acceptable.  (The survey loudly hints at 150 feet)

A Nit Pick or a Bias?

One thing I did not like about the survey is the example photos.  The section that deals with derelict boats features a photo of a mostly sunk sailboat replete with beard, a good example of the derelict boat problem.  The section that deals with the length of time a compliant boat can “stored” at anchor uses a photo of another sailboat that has obvious cosmetic damage, but not neglect.   Most compliant anchored boats I have observed are not damaged while many derelicts’ conditions are pretty obvious, if not by sight then certainly by smell.  The photos infer that there is not much difference between the two.   There are no photographic examples of power boats.  Surely there must be at least one power boat of questionable condition in this large state.

In any event, as a responsible Florida boater you should take the survey.  It raises important problems you need to think about. 

Besides, if you don’t participate in the answer you loose the right to complain later.

 Here’s the survey link 

FWC, Florida Wildlife Commission Anchoring Survey

Remembering Elaine

Many years ago Elaine and I sat on the porch at Boca Ciega Yacht Club in Gulfport, Fl.discussing something about the finer points of sailing the old Day Sailor I boats used in the Sailing School at the time.  The discussion rambled on as they are wont to do.  Then Elaine backed her chair away from the table, stood up and announced that we were going sailing. 

A Bit of Perspective

I grew up on the Great Plains; North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas.  They all have one thing in common. There are no natural lakes in any of them.  Not one.  Sailors were as common as Hippies at a National Republican convention.  Elaine and Pim lived on a boat larger than several of the dwellings Linda and I had occupied.  Elaine sailed the oceans, we “sailed” in gravel pits aboard a Styrofoam boat with a large hole in the bottom.  Elaine was a licensed ships Captain with a capitol “C”… I possessed a North Dakota driver’s license circa 1962. 

Intimidated??  OH YEAH!

We grabbed one of the O’days docked at the pier.  Somehow I was the first at the tiller; must have been a moment of gallantry or something.  I managed to sail out of the channel keeping the crew and vessel intact.  (Fear focuses the mind.)  Out on the bay we found the most perfect day there could ever be.   Sunny skies, warm but not hot, a light chop, and most importantly, a robust westerly with no calms.  Perfection that meant screaming reaches clear across the bay on one tack.   We took turns at the helm, hiked out as far as we dared, tacking and gibing, with big grins and loud hoops we tore up the bay all afternoon.  Tired, drenched, and happy we were eventually forced to sail back to the dock.

The last time I saw Elaine we were relaxing on the Sea Breeze Patio when she asked me if I remembered that sail we took so long ago.  I said yes, but before I could say more, she told me how intimidated she was asking me to sail with her.  As I continued my very good impression of a deer in the headlights, she went on to explain that compared with all my sailing experience (Ha!) she was the novice!

We laughed long and hard when the truth was known!   Neither one of us could remember the original discussion, but it really doesn't matter.  We had shared a special time together and were friends ever since.

 I miss you Elaine.

I know when the sun is out and the wind is up you’ll be with us on those screaming reaches on Boca Ciega Bay.

Fair winds my friend..

A 200 Yard Cruise – Blowing Away on Labor Day

Sailing on the Labor Day weekend in Florida pretty much guarantees steamy heat with no wind and bath water temperature in Boca Ciega Bay.   For the HideAways it means a three day weekend during which, by golly, we will be sailing and spending the night at anchor sleeping on deck pretending to be cool.  

SV HideAway Goes To The Sea

After a deliberately late launch in the hot sun Mr. E, our sleepy outboard motor, delivered us to Boca Ciega Bay at a slow idle to allow for the sail raising-deck clearing ceremony we all know by heart.  Full main and the 150 genoa were ordered by the capt.  While the crew fidgeted with the big genoa, the capt tied off the tiller and set about removing the dock protection devices, stowing the sail cover, and running the jib lines.  Up went the main sail – then the jib, followed closely by the dismissal of Mr. E.

The Legend Has It Wrong: The Moon Is Not Made Of Swiss Cheese.

Boca Ciega Bay is. HideAway found one of the holes.  Cat’s paws and ripples circled the windless waters around the HideAways.  The sails hung like wet laundry.   The crew had a lot in common with the morning dew.   Mr. E chuckled, or maybe it was a burble, the capt was too miserable to investigate.  Boats not far distant were heeling over, their sails filled with wind. The HideAway filled with heat.  Finally, we drifted close enough to the wind to exceed 2kn of exciting forward motion.  Then more and more until HideAway slid to a stop in another slice of cheese.

Hope was building East by South.  The summer storms promised cool sailing-quality air soon.  Mood on board picked up with the freshening wind.  After a delightful reach to the eastern bay we dropped the jib when we neared the anchored fleet of holiday optimists.  The capt sailed around the boats, found a choice spot and tacked up wind to let the crew drop anchor just off Clam Bayou.  Then, back-winding the main sail, set the anchor.  The depth finder read 5 feet at mid tide and we were off the Gulfport channel far enough for only the most persistent wakes to find us. 

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Only two things matter when you’re sailing –

The Here and The Now – Especially the Now Part

We enjoyed an early supper as the sky darkened and began to swirl.  The first water spout formed a few hundred yards away bearing down on us.  The ugly, evil thing was large and strong; a true “Oh s---” moment.   The crew ducked below.  The capt grabbed his camera. The water spout vanished.  The VHF blared another warning.  

The bay turned angry throwing waves and white caps with abandon.   HideAway heeled over 30 degrees and spun on her anchor in the wind.   A wall cloud slid by dangling two large funnel clouds from which several small tornadoes hopped out and back like hairy roots on a carrot.  Chaos reigned.  The capt noticed a bird flying, against all odds, directly into the storm.  We watched as it gained then lost ground flying backwards.  Still, the bird pushed on.  

The storm passed.  Cool air, by Florida summer standards, prevailed accompanied by one of the most dramatic sunsets in memory.

The HideAways sunk into soft air mattresses in the cockpit and pondered the night sky.  The wind slept.  The no see ums flew over from Clam Bayou to snack on exposed skin. The HideAways retreated to the protection of the fan below.  The night seemed much longer than normal. 

Up Early

After breaking fast the crew, unable to raise the anchor, wrapped the shortened rode around the big forward cleat as the capt sailed over the buried anchor under main sail alone.  The anchor broke free.  Falling off the wind we sailed through the fleet on the cool-morning land breeze raising the genoa underway.  Soon HideAway reached the breath taking speed of 5kn touring the bay until the solar-powered furnace fired up for another attempt at baking the foolish.  The HideAways beat a hasty retreat to air conditioning. 

On the way home the crew observed that we had been on our 200 yard cruise exactly 24 hours. 

Fire In The Sky Gulfport FL Aboard  SV HideAway 

 SMALL BOATS ROCK!

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