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Our Sailing Hideaway Blog and YouTube videos will remain active. Join the HideAways as we tell, through blog stories and videos, what life really is like on a small, 23' Com Pac sailboat. We'll show the joys, thrills and chills of the sailing life, but also what it takes to maintain a boat, trailer and truck. You are just as likely to learn how not to do something correctly as to do it right. That's important too! New! The Hideaways take to the road! Follow Traveling Hideaway: Winds of Wanderlust Transitioning from Sailing Hideaway to Traveling Hideaways as sailors learn to travel without heeling, well, not much, anyway. The Paint Wasters Society unlocks the art of paint squandering with sheer delight, free from the shackles of remorse or guilt. Trust me, a century down the line, nobody's going to bat an eyelash, so why not indulge in some paint splattering shenanigans today? Let's turn those pricey pigments into a canvas of laughter and joy.

Sunday, September 28, 2014

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.  

Launching SV HideAway
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. 
Sailing HideAway Navigation Binder
Check out more Sailing hideaway Binders at Zazzle
 
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. 

Sunset Gulfport Fl SV HideAway
Fire In The Sky Gulfport FL Aboard  SV HideAway 
 SMALL BOATS ROCK!

Thursday, September 25, 2014

When Is It Time to Stop Sailing? Consider This..

Does your boat looks more at home on a sea of green grass than a sea of green?

Day Sailor I hard aground in a sea of grass

Sailing in a sea of green -- grass!



Sometimes Its Important to Get Away. .


Get away from sailing. Develop other interests.  Ponder deep thoughts. Consider your place in the universe. Smell a rose. Kiss a gnome. Find a guru. Trouble your mind.

Be Thee Warned!


Photo of weeds growing in a sailboat by SV HideAway

The Weeds Of The World Invade


If you stay aground too long the weeds of the world may invade your cockpit or worse; take root in your mind.  The next thing you know you’ll be growing grapes on your back-yard clothes line.

Chasing the Dream is One Thing...


Small sailboats racing- Original water color by Matt Maloy

Member: Dream Chaser's Anonymous 

Sailing Towards One is Quite Another


Go Sailing  Now My Friend - Before It's too La


Keep Calm - Sail On!


Saturday, July 26, 2014

GPSMAP 640/ Depth Finder Swing Mount


I set out to design a swing arm for my Garmin GPSMAP 640 that would include the depth finder. There are, no doubt, more expensive and modern solutions available, neverthelessI like the look of wood on a boat. Especially if it lives out of the weather.   
  
First Off  -  I am Not a Carpenter!

Garmin GPS MAP 640 w/ Depth Finder Swing Arm

 Considering the cost of the GPS, the risk of damage to the unit is an important concern.  The design is a simple "T" made from 1 x 4 fir, ship lapped and epoxied, then attached to a solid brass door hinge mounted on a home made magazine rack.  Be sure to leave space between the companion way access and the edge of the GPS and plan your wire and cable route carefully.  It would have been better, in this instance, to mount the arm on the starboard side to be closer to the panel box and transducer however, the magazine rack is on the port side and readily available.   Note how the GPS cable extends into the companion way creating a possibility of snagging it on something.  So far it has not been an issue. 

 The ship lap does not extend to the end of the vertical piece. There is no reason for this, I just liked the idea of an undisturbed edge.   I'm sure anyone with average skills can produce a better looking result but this side of the mount is not visible from the cockpit.  If anybody notices it - Well, the Complaint Department is located at the end of the plank, starboard side, should anybody  want  to comment about my  carpentry skills. 

SV HideAway GPS / depth finder swing mount

The arm swings fully back on its hinge and is held in place by a line from the back of the mount to a wood inspection hole cover.  The line is loose to allow some movement if bumped.

Yes, those are hinge screws protruding on the face of the unit.  They have been filed smooth and are not visible when the arm is deployed. (Comments are accepted at the Complaint Desk above.)

Solid brass door hinge - reversed pin -note angle
The magazine rack follows the slope of the cabin wall.  In order to compensate I angled the hinge to produce a level arm.  Some day I may finish the end of the arm, but not today.

Line from back of display keeps the unit to front
 The line holding the arm to the front has a bit of slack that serves as a sort of warning should you collide with it.  The mount looks crooked in this photo, but if memory serves I made the correction later.   On a small sailboat such as HideAway, level and plumb are more concepts than reality.

Line from back of display secured 
 When not in use the line used to hold the arm open is employed along with a shorter line to hold the arm inside the cabin.  That way the arm does not swing wildly about during launching and it keeps the expensive stuff out of the weather.

In the interest of maximum security, I thru bolted  the GPS mount with stainless steel bolts rather than using wood screws.   I let the bolts run long so I could attach the swing arm control lines.

GPS Mount is Thru-Bolted
 The electrical wires and cables are not contained. I routed them under the sink top edge, around the back to the panel box or in the case of the depth finder, along and under the settees.  Since I installed the depth finder on the starboard side, the depth finder cable and wiring had to run through five bulk heads.  A real pain to accomplish, however the potential hole-in-boat problems, the vanity sink drain and the transducer, are isolated from other storage areas and have good access in case of an emergency.  See the Video Here

GPSMAP 640 Swing Mount w/ Depth Finder 

The GPSMAP 640 plastic mount has a interesting feature.  The mount swivels at the center.  (See the knob in the center of the mount.) The knob allows the unit to turn when you bump it saving damage to the GPS and mount.  A nice feature on a rough day. 

This is a simple woodworking project that someone with little carpentry skills, that would be me, can complete to a reasonably functioning level.  The swing mount has been in service for more than a year without difficulties or safety issues. 


Sunday, July 20, 2014

Electrolysis and Your Out Board Motor

Do you tend to leave your lower end in the water?

Here's something to think about:

Sailing HideAway
Electrolysis Damage to Lower End 

Salt water, in particular, with a little stray current and time can be a real pain in your lower end.
Notice the angle of the damage- The motor was not tipped fully out of the water.

Sailing HideAway
Maybe the Top End can be saved
 The only good news here is the top end, the thing with  the electronics and pistons, look pretty good.  Still, this will put a smile on any mechanics face and a frown on the owner's.