It seems the care and maintenance of a boat is never ending...
Yesterday, I kept hearing the bilge pump kicking on and would say to Mel that I need go down into the engine room and tighten the shaft log to stop the drip. My thinking was the cold might have loosened the packing a bit, but other things kept me busy so I don't go until late.
We have a little ceramic heater that we use for cold mornings when we aren't using the main AC system, we had looked everywhere for it except the engine room.
I go down and hear a rapid dripping of water... so let's take a look at that shaft now... Nope, not that. So I continue to search for that sound... Ah! one of the watermaker water lines has a small leak. Oh! the bilge under the engine is full of water.... Oh Shit! I touch the elbow that has the leak and the whole things explodes and starts spraying water everywhere. Holy Shit!! I can't stop it from spraying.
I bleed the pressure water system and still water is spraying, slower, but still steady.
Finally I find the cutoff valve for the watermaker and... Ahhh.... now it stops.
So that's the project du jour.
Boats are kinda like children... you gotta love em.
Anyway while waiting for some folks to return some calls this morning I found this video.
Enjoy...
Adios,
Istaboa
Friday, January 6, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
Making preparations... for the New Year and Next Adventure
Crew Istaboa has not put any plans in stone as of yet and we probably won't. We enjoy being a bit fickle about our cruising objectives. Freedom's just another word for not sticking to plans. (sorry Kris)
But, we've been busy making preparations for a move. One reason for going to Fort Myers was to find out what'd stopped working since our return from the islands last year.
There weren't many.
One of our original GPS transducers had finally gone on the blink. Circa 2002
Our VHF antennae seemed to have put on fur coats. So those had to be replaced. Also almost 10yrs old
We've decided we need to finally add that Isolation Transformer we've talked about for years... and If anyone has any thoughts or ideas along those lines, please send us an email or comment. Istaboa@gmail.com
When we get back, an autopilot calibration is in order. Loaded on new versions of, both, Nobeltec and Coastal Explorer and they aren't speaking the same language as the autopilots.
Been tinkering with the WiFi bridge aboard in hopes of speeding up throughput. Mainly because we've hooked up an Apple TV system for downloading movies... I know, I'm a geek... Mel tells me daily. I want my HDTV!
Also gonna try out MacENC just to see how the Apples handle the navigational tasks... Probably very well.
Going through our inventory to be sure we have the spares required when visiting the islands.
Rule #1: When in the islands, if you don't have it, you probably can't get it. Unless you pay a fortune to fly it in.
Rule #2: Read Rule #1.
So plans.... Maybe not the islands and go up to the Northeast instead? Never done that past the Chesapeake. Maybe go to the islands and do some more WiFi work? Maybe both? Who knows?
We'll see...
A Happy New Year Video (you have probably seen) Cute...
better ... Happy New Year
Adios,
Istaboa
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
R.I.P.... Cheetah
I loved watching this guy on Tarzan. My favorite was, "Tarzan goes to New York", when Cheetah uses the telephone.
Cheetah the chimpanzee, who acted in classic Tarzan movies in
the early 1930s, died of kidney failure Saturday at Suncoast Primate
Sanctuary in Palm Harbor, a sanctuary spokeswoman said.
Cheetah was roughly 80 years old, loved fingerpainting and football and was soothed by nondenominational Christian music, said Debbie Cobb, the sanctuary's outreach director.
He was an outgoing chimp who was exposed to the public his whole life, Cobb said today.
"He wasn't a chimp that caused a lot of problems," she said.
Cheetah acted in the 1932-34 Tarzan movies, Cobb said. Movies filmed during that timeframe starred Johnny Weissmuller and include "Tarzan and His Mate" and "Tarzan the Ape Man," according to the Internet Movie Database.
Sometime around 1960, Cheetah came to the sanctuary from Weissmuller's estate in Ocala, Cobb said.
In the wild, the average chimp survives 25 to 35 years and at zoos chimps typically live 35 to 45 years, she said.
Cheetah, the most famous of the sanctuary's 15 chimpanzees, liked to see people laugh.
"He was very compassionate," Cobb said. "He could tell if I was having a good day or a bad day. He was always trying to get me to laugh if he thought I was having a bad day. He was very in tune to human feelings."
Ron Priest, a sanctuary volunteer for seven years, said Cheetah stood out because of his ability to stand up – shoulders tall, back straight – and walk like a person.
Cheetah also stood out for another reason, Priest said: "When he didn't like somebody or something that was going on, he would pick up some poop and throw it at them. He could get you at 30 feet with bars in between."
It doesn't appear Cheetah had any children, Cobb said.
Cheetah put a lot of thought into his art, though if he was tired he would give up easily and not play with it much.
He wasn't into watching animal shows on television, but he enjoyed watching all the color and movement when football appeared on screen. Cobb wasn't aware of whether Cheetah had any favorite teams.
"I couldn't ask him that," she said. "I'm not a chimp psychic."
Cheetah was roughly 80 years old, loved fingerpainting and football and was soothed by nondenominational Christian music, said Debbie Cobb, the sanctuary's outreach director.
He was an outgoing chimp who was exposed to the public his whole life, Cobb said today.
"He wasn't a chimp that caused a lot of problems," she said.
Cheetah acted in the 1932-34 Tarzan movies, Cobb said. Movies filmed during that timeframe starred Johnny Weissmuller and include "Tarzan and His Mate" and "Tarzan the Ape Man," according to the Internet Movie Database.
Sometime around 1960, Cheetah came to the sanctuary from Weissmuller's estate in Ocala, Cobb said.
In the wild, the average chimp survives 25 to 35 years and at zoos chimps typically live 35 to 45 years, she said.
Cheetah, the most famous of the sanctuary's 15 chimpanzees, liked to see people laugh.
"He was very compassionate," Cobb said. "He could tell if I was having a good day or a bad day. He was always trying to get me to laugh if he thought I was having a bad day. He was very in tune to human feelings."
Ron Priest, a sanctuary volunteer for seven years, said Cheetah stood out because of his ability to stand up – shoulders tall, back straight – and walk like a person.
Cheetah also stood out for another reason, Priest said: "When he didn't like somebody or something that was going on, he would pick up some poop and throw it at them. He could get you at 30 feet with bars in between."
It doesn't appear Cheetah had any children, Cobb said.
Cheetah put a lot of thought into his art, though if he was tired he would give up easily and not play with it much.
He wasn't into watching animal shows on television, but he enjoyed watching all the color and movement when football appeared on screen. Cobb wasn't aware of whether Cheetah had any favorite teams.
"I couldn't ask him that," she said. "I'm not a chimp psychic."
Monday, December 26, 2011
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