Tuesday, October 1, 2019

Finally, we get off


We were supposed to go in the water last night but we were after this beautiful, wooden boat. The owner had worked on it for three months over the summer in 95 degree heat. For a wooden boat, that’s a very dry environment. Once launched, the water came in since the wood had shrunk. The yard had to leave the boat in slings overnight for the wood to absorb water and swell - and hopefully become waterproof once again. The owner spent a fretful night listening to the bilge pumps but ever so gradually, the flow lessened. I came back the next morning.




Now itwas my turn. I looked pretty puny in the enormous slings used for all the big boats in the marina. At my yacht club in New York, I am one of the biggest boats in the yard - not here! So I floated through the air and was launched once the wooden boat was moved to a side dock (the flow had lessened to a point that it was manageable and seemed to be decreasing).

Everyone in the yard at Stingray Point Boat Works was very professional. They obviously knew what they were doing. They even put fresh plastic on the slings before lifting Fleetwing. They had a big roll for just that purpose mounted on the travel lift. Once in the water, Fleetwing started right up and we were off, heading south to Hampton. 

Along the way, I turned on tracking and when I arrived at Hampton, I uploaded the first track of my fall trip south, T_10_1_19.gpx. I will be doing that daily each day I move. I plan on being at Hampton for three days so we can get Fleetwing organized inside. The yard did a great job on the exterior but the inside is a mess. We just piled stuff in the aft cabin so we could shove off. You can access the track for downloading at the link. 
bobicw

I updated my iPad Pro to iOS 13 and so far it hasn’t shown the GPS loss of fix problem. I was running Aqua Map and Navionics SonarChart and discovered that the Navionics app also will use the external GPS when connected to an AIS receiver that sends such info over WiFi like the 
Vesper Marine XB-8000. So the moral of the story is that if you have an external gps source over WiFi, both the Aqua Map and Navionics apps will use it for GPS location instead of the internal GPS chip. In order for me to test for the iPad Pro loss of GPS problem, I have to periodically turn off the WiFi connection from the Vesper unit to the iPad Pro. 



So I walked Hoolie, filled the tanks with water and ran the fuel tank down to almost empty. I was pretty sure I had enough to reach Hampton but I wasn’t positive. Unfortunately, I shared that concern with Ann who wasn’t pleased that she had to join the captain in worrying.  I will have a new record (for me) in the amount of fuel I will be taking on when I leave. Hampton is also the home of Hampton University pictured above. 

Now it’s two days of inside work but at least we are on the water again! It’s a great feeling!

9 comments:

SV Puffin said...

Glad you are back on the "road" again. Safe travels.

Bob said...

Been waiting to follow you all summer. Hope you had a good time off the water, best wishes for a great cruising season!

Lawrence Leonard said...

Elaine and I love following your adventures on and off the water. By the way, Karen & Jeff on M/V Red Head are just ahead of you at Great Bridge at AYB. Stay safe and have a great time.
Elaine & Lawrence C.L.O.D.

Changes in L'Attitudes said...

As the saying goes, Underway is the only Way. Enjoy the end of your refit and fingers crossed for a successful sea trial followed by yet another great trip down the ditch. We'll wave as you pass by on your travels.

Anonymous said...

Thanks again for all your input and detailed descriptions of your jouney. Fair winds & following seas!

Cutting Class said...

Was nice to meet you both in Hampton. See you down the “road “!

SV Puffin said...

More on the leaky boat. https://www.waterwayguide.com/latest-news/news/10086/waterway-guide-flagship-en-route-to-annapolis-shows?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news_10-02-2019&utm_content=News+10-02-2019

Rosie Phillips said...

Safe sailing! Hope to see you out there on the water! Bruce and Rosie, Summer Breeze, Charleston

Nile said...

Bob, good to have your daily blog back. This a ski year for us, so our sailboat, MaƱana, came out last week after a 15 months in the water from Lake Champlain to the Bahamas. Nice to finish with a couple months in freshwater, the bottom came out clean. Will be living vicariously in Utah for the winter, enjoying your travels.