Weather window arrives next week...will we be ready?

Two dinghies are passing each other, next to our boat. The one guy says to the other one that is headed towards him, "You look unhappy. Did you buy a boat?" We get that joke, having experienced the ups and downs of boat ownership.

With a working generator and engine, we had basically been waiting for a weather window to get back to the Bahamas. It seems that winds from the west are few and far between this time of year. We also wanted to get one of our fuel tanks cleaned out but that could wait if necessary.

Later this week, our much anticipated westerly's are forecasted to arrive and last for 3 whole days. So we are definitely out of here, right? Well, last week we discovered an issue that we didn't know existed. The generator (now that it's running), wasn't charging the batteries. The solar panels are great, but without a backup source of power, we run the risk of not being able to do little things like start the engine (and less importantly but still really nice to have--run the freezer/fridge, water, electronics, and toilets) if we have a prolonged run of cloudy days.

We had to replace the charger but before we put in the new one we need to address an issue with the 230V wiring that Matt discovered. This issue might be what killed the charger in the first place. AC wiring on a boat is a bit more complex than AC wiring on land so we want to get a marine electrician that knows both 110V (which we also have) and 230V to come look at it for us. We hope that can happen early this week, freeing us up to leave later in the week. There is pretty much nothing that can go wrong with that plan (just kidding--refer to the first paragraph again).

On the beach the other day, there was a topless woman (sorry guys, no picture). Not the kind of topless woman that is laying on her stomach and covers up when she gets up. Full glory topless. Most likely she was European. Not surprisingly, Matt noticed her first. Public nudity is a rare sight for us, but didn't really bother us. However, after a couple of minutes a woman (who we will unkindly refer to as "Sheltered Mom") who's family was 20 yards away walked over to have a talk with her. As "Sheltered Mom" gestured toward the 10-year old boys that were with her, we deduced that she was uncomfortable with her boys looking at the topless woman. After "Sheltered Mom" left, the topless woman laid on her stomach for awhile but 20 minutes later sat back up to talk to her friend. "Sheltered Mom" then promptly sent her 10-year old son up the beach to report the woman to the lifeguard. The lifeguard then walked over and had what had to be an incredibly awkward conversation with topless woman, who eventually covered up. Um, "Sheltered Mom", unless your son doesn't get the internet good luck keeping him away from nudity.

Forcible eviction

Ft. Lauderdale Air Show. No U.S. military this
year due to budget cuts but we had great seats.

Matt replaced the tank selection valve in the fuel line, which solved the air leak issue. Since nothing is ever straightforward, he had to go to several different locations all over Ft. Lauderdale to find the proper fittings that could convert the new American valve to be used with the old metric fittings and lines. All of this was on foot, over the course of 4 hours in the heat and humidity, while dragging around a couple of boat friends that didn't realize what they were getting into. So after the Bataan death march concluded, we have finally have two working engines.

We discovered that one of the diesel tanks has water and algae in it. I will spare you the picture of the slimy protoplasm that we (by "we" I mean Matt) extracted from the bottom of the tank. The engine won't even run on the fuel at all, which makes us wonder just how old it is. We think that the diesel itself may have gone bad. There are services that will test the fuel, "polish" it, and clean your tank.  So we will look into that.

I will however publish this picture of the bits of the creature that was blocking the water line for our freezer. Some sort of sea slug or other slimy little critter decided that our thru-hull opening was a perfect little cave in which to set up a home, which it probably was until it got smooshed up by Matt with the drain unclogging stick.  Of course, the non-functioning water line was discovered right at bed time, and the freezer couldn't wait until morning, so there was nothing to do but to get to it and start the repair. Add that to the list of things you don't have to worry about when you live on land. Sorry, I know it's gross but it had to be done.

Probably would have made great bait....

 

 

 



After we get our fuel tank cleaned and holding tank fixed (it was installed with the pump out valve in the wrong spot), we just need to wait for a weather window to head back to the Bahamas. In the meantime, we are enjoying the weather and having fun with great boat friends.

How to troubleshoot a generator without really knowing what you're doing

Yawn alert for those of you who don't care about mechanical stuff.

Our Northern Lights generator, which (when it works) provides us with power for our water maker (and dive compressor) and a backup power source on cloudy days, was sick. When we started running it in the Bahamas to desalinate water, it would run for about 15 to 20 minutes and then stop. It wasn't clear whether or not it was overheating.

The mechanic looked at it and gave Matt some leads on troubleshooting it.

These are shots of the heat exchanger from our generator. Matt took apart the generator to get this piece out to see if it was blocked. He looked at it and told our mechanic that to the untrained eye, it didn't seem to be blocked. Well, after taking it to a place to have it ultrasonically cleaned, the professional there confirmed that Matt does in fact have an untrained eye when it comes to generators. He said we should buy a new heat exchanger, which we did. Although the tubes aren't really blocked, there are a number of pin holes that could be causing our issue.

Matt also took out the thermostat and boiled it to see what temperature the water reached before the thermostat opened up. It turns out that the water was getting much hotter than it should have before the thermostat opened. So we also purchased a new one of these, as well as various gaskets and switches.

We had the mechanic put everything back together because she has tools to clean everything really well beforehand (which is important). Matt observed and learned so that next time we (hopefully) can do it ourselves.

So now the generator is working. We also have the new transmission in. Unfortunately, there is an air leak somewhere in the diesel lines so the engine still needs some work. Matt is going to change a valve tomorrow to see if that is the culprit.

Music on the beach

The other day we headed to the beach, which had a large section closed off and stages set up for concerts. Lynyrd Skynyrd and Kenny Chesny were some of the big names (definite country bend to the event). The docks were filled because of the concert. Here's a conversation Matt had when he was looking for the guy in charge of the docks:

Matt: Do you know where Tom (not his real name) is?

Unknown guy: Hm, no. [Glances over to the pool area and something catches his eye.] I think I know where he might be.

They walk over to the pool and the guy stops right behind an attractive woman wearing a piece of dental floss as a thong and stares at her behind as he says, "No, I don't see Tom anywhere."

This hotel that has the docks is known for its high concentration of hot scantily clad women. For some reason, Matt was gone for quite a while looking for Tom. Also, they make a mean (but pricey) Rum Runner.

Some boats decided to just anchor out to hear the tunes. It was
a little wavy but they didn't seem to mind.

 

You could hear the music all up and down the beach. Playing on the beach while listening to the concert was fun. It was a far cry from the deserted beaches in the Bahamas.

 



Tow, tow, tow your boat

We ran into a sailboat here in Lake Sylvia that had gotten itself into a bit of a pickle. The man, his pregnant wife, 2-year old son, and infant had been towed to Lake Sylvia because their engine wasn't working and their dinghy had been stolen (the one in the picture was donated to them). Apparently there was no money for a marina or engine work.  The sailboat was a new endeavor: an escape from a previous life and meant to be a fresh start.  The only problem was that they had virtually no sailing experience.

They were trying to get up to a relative's home north of here but couldn't get out of Lake Sylvia into the intracoastal. The tow company wouldn't tow them out into the ocean where they could sail, but would only tow them to someplace safe where they could get their engine fixed. For good reasons.  So they had been sitting on their boat for a week waiting for...well, we're not sure, but it ended up being us I guess.

Initially, they flagged us down and asked us to pick up some formula for the baby.  Eventually we agreed to help tow them out of Lake Sylvia with our dinghy. From there, the boat planned to sail its way through the ICW to the ocean and sail to where they needed to go. I know, the whole thing (including our involvement) seemed like a bad idea to us too but we felt bad for the kids ('Won't somebody think of the children!' was exclaimed plaintively in our mind's ear). 

Along the way, another boat (thanks Joe!) got roped into spending considerable time trying to charge the boat's batteries, and help out with the fuel system--all to no avail. They also gave the boat some additional water because they had run out. When we picked up some additional supplies for them, we were paid back in $8 worth of nickels in rolls. We're still scratching our heads over that one.

So ultimately Matt rafted our dinghy onto their sailboat and towed it into the ICW. After untying, the guy managed to get about 500 yards down the ICW before having issues.  He got the boat into irons after tacking, narrowly missed wrapping the boat around some channel markers and promptly got stuck on a sandbar. Matt and the another dinghy pushed him off the sandbar. He tried to tack again and got stuck again.

After getting him free for a second time, it was decided that the best option was for the two dingys to push him from behind so that he wouldn't have to worry about tacking (which would have been very interesting, especially through the narrow channel for the 17th street bridge).   So Matt and the other dinghy pushed the boat all the way down the channel and out into the ocean--but not before getting stopped by the police boat for inadvertently straying to close too the cruise boats (or entering the  "Federal Security Zone" as he called it).   After hearing the story of the dead engine, the kids onboard, and the rest of the cluster, the Marshall let them go, figuring 1) no one could make that up and 2) the quicker this boat gets out of my jurisdiction, the better. Once in the open ocean, the sailboat was able to maneuver with less chance of hitting anything and was sent off on its way.

After about forty minutes, we got a call from the sailboat on the VHF saying that they were doing 5-6 knots and that everything was fine. Hopefully they get home safely and we don't hear about them in the news.

Weebles wobble but they don't float free

It's hard to tell from the picture, but this is the entrance to Lake Sylvia with two sailboats stuck on a hump at low tide.

The first boat was stuck there and then the other boat was being towed into the harbor only to get stuck right next to the first boat. We took note of this for when we leave because we have a pretty deep draft for a catamaran (6 feet). The sailboat on the left draws 6.5 feet. Being grounded in full view of a crowded harbor full of boats and houses has to be one of the more embarrassing things for a boat.  Not to mention that there's really nothing to do for a couple of hours other than to sit there, tilted, waiting for the tide to come back up.

This is a picture taken by our friends on Pendragon. This morning, Matt took over some homemade cinnamon rolls that he whipped up (I call them 'frosted bundles of cinnamon happiness') and now Joe keeps calling Matt "Martha Stewart" (yelled at the top of his lungs from his boat to ours in his Boston accent, "Mah-tha Stewaht! Mah-tha Stewaht!). Joe's a fun guy and he would give you his shirt off his back.

We took the dinghy up to the Lauderdale Marine Center to pick up a book we left behind the other day. We probably spent about $10 worth of gas to pick up a $4 book. Our friends from Waterbug were packing up to go home but let us loiter in their air conditioning while Matt went to pick up the transmission and run some errands. He walked back the 3 miles carrying a 30-pound transmission in the oppressive heat and humidity. These things were much simpler with a car...but this way is probably healthier than sitting behind a desk all day, if you can get past the risk of heat stroke.

Ooh ooh, that smell, can you smell that smell?

Notice the blue gloves. I think if I had that job, I might want one of
those for my whole body (including my whole head) because
you never know what could escape and slime you. But that's just me.

We had our holding tank pumped out today. For those of you without boats or RVs, "holding tank" is an innocuous sounding name for a disgusting box of fermenting excrement that accumulates over multiple days (in our case, 10 days, 4 people--if you get the picture, then I apologize). We are too close to land to dump our human waste, so it goes into the tank.

Here at Lake Sylvia, there is a boat that comes around and pumps your poop out for you (in many places you have to dock). I'm not squeamish, but I don't even like to check the tank to see how full it is (you just look at the translucent tank, but still), so $20 for boat-to-boat service to pump out 25 gallons of week-old stinky slime seems very reasonable. Of course pumping it out means you have to open up said disgusting box...I used to think garbage trucks smelled bad.  Trust me, they have nothing on the smell of the pump-out boat in action.

We had a great evening with some boat friends (Waterbug and Spirit) back at Lauderdale Marine Center and the boys got the chance to run around with other kids for a change. It was fascinating to hear about the experiences of more seasoned cruisers. We learned what an ocarina is and that New Zealand requires that you have a bucket on board your boat.

We were also able to pick up some packages that we had shipped from various places. Among the goodies were Easter chocolate, board games, and books sent by both sets of grandparents (we were forced to confiscate some of the dark chocolate--because it's...bad for the kids.  Yeah, that's the ticket). The boys loved it.

Here is a picture of Conrad swimming/taking his needed bath off the back of the boat. While the water isn't poop-filled,  it is far from the crystal clear azure waters of the Bahamas. The picture doesn't do justice to the brownish tannic water of the intracoastal waterway.  It will be good to get things fixed and move on out of here...

Powered by the sun...or not

Since we left the dock over a month ago, all our power needs (other than the engines and cooking) have been met with solar panels. This includes our freezer, fridge, toilets, lights (mostly LED), and various tech toys (auto-pilot, AIS, laptop, pads, phones). We have been off the grid and, we are coming to find, we have been spoiled a bit.

Our four panels (820 watts total) have more than satisfied our needs. By early afternoon on most days, our 12v battery bank (which holds 840 amp hours for those of you who care about such things) is fully charged. When the panels are really cranking, they give us an output of 55-60 amps, which in non-technical terms is "really good." Even on party cloudy days we get good output (in the 30s).

However, most of our weather in the Bahamas was sunny and cooler (70s and 80s), which are ideal conditions for the panels. Here in Ft. Lauderdale, we had one completely overcast rain-out day and several mostly overcast days where we did not fill up the batteries. The boat did get a nice freshwater rinse, which was long overdue. But we were concerned for a day or two that we might get too low on the batteries.

Once our generator is fixed (which we need to use for our water maker and dive compressor), that will be our backup power source. Many cruisers use wind generators but we will forego that expense for now.

The obvious solution is to stay in locations that are nice and sunny. So we're working on that avenue.

Young, drunk and half-naked

No, not us of course. Since we're clearly not young.

Lake Sylvia gets a hopping weekend crowd and apparently around Spring break that includes party boats blaring house music and loaded up with young people having fun. It's definitely a change of pace. And, with the music more than loud enough, we didn't have to use battery power playing our own stereo--so we had that going for us. We did cringe a bit when they moved their boat with a bunch of people still swimming around it, but they managed not to chop anyone into pieces. Later we had to lend a knife to one of  the party boats that got a line wrapped around the propeller. There were three dudes onboard that looked like they spent most of the day in the gym, but they made the girl dive in and cut it loose. You've come a long way, baby...or something like that.

On a dingy trip to the store, we randomly came across a festival with carnival games and bouncy houses, which was a fun time for the boys. They came home with a bunch of junky little toys that they got as prizes. It reminded us of summer in Chicago.

Kids say the creepiest things

Here is an exchange that I (Jen) had with the boys last night at bedtime.

Mark: Mommy, when you die I want to put you in a jar so I can look at you whenever I want. [Followed by a big hug and and kiss.]

Conrad: How is all of Mommy going to fit into a jar?!
 

Right, because whether or not I can fit in the jar is the main problem with Mark's thought. Unfortunately, we don't get to blame TV as a bad influence. No one to blame but ourselves, I guess...

We have been hanging out at Lake Silvia, cooped up on the boat because Matt has been off running errands. Lake Silvia is nice because it's free but there are not a lot of options for getting onto shore because most of the property around it is privately owned. The Southport Raw Bar is what many of the boaters use (you can tie up for $10, which gets applied to any money you spend there; they have a great happy hour). There have been battles between homeowners (mostly of the multi-million dollar value persuasion) and boaters wanting to anchor in the water (which is owned by no one).

So besides school, the kids and I have been making corn starch goo and swimming off the back of the boat. We are making progress on our engine and generator issues. Sher, the mechanic, has diagnosed our engine issue to be a bad transmission and is looking into our generator problem as well. Hopefully we'll be out of here in another week or so.

Back in the US of A

No more deserted beaches for now

We are back in Ft. Lauderdale after a month and it feels like we just left. Spring break season is winding down and it seems so crowded here. It's nice to have cheap, plentiful produce and all the modern conveniences that life here offers. But we feel like we have unfinished business in the Bahamas. We are looking forward to getting our engine and generator fixed up so we can head back for another month or so.

If you feel like getting away from it all, you can buy a
fixer-upper in Bimini...

Sea hares

We discovered these things after accidentally dropping the dinghy anchor on one. It is a sea hare or sea slug After Matt asked what they were, a woman pulled him over to the side to whisper the local name for them out of earshot of the children--sea pussy. We wanted to know if they were edible and the answer is a resounding "no". Apparently they have poisoned dogs who ate them. Before we knew what they were Matt kept saying just poke at it with your finger, they're harmless. Um yeah, you touch it.

It's not clear whether the ink is a defense mechanism or just the slug equivalent of peeing its pants from fear. Yes, we stopped torturing them.

Living off the land

We returned to Frazier's Hog Cay and again tried to get some of the best conch in the Bahamas. However, when we got there it was closed. Foiled again (a few days later we did get some and it was amazing). But we hit a conch bonanza and found a ton on our own.

Berry Islands Club. Howard makes a mean cracked conch. It looks
like someone's house when you're walking up to it.

We took the six biggest ones and then Matt battled mightily with the conch to separate them from their shells. Generally, you hit the spiral with the claw side of the hammer and then cut the foot away from the shell and pull the conch meat out. Specifically, there are conch guts everywhere and you break your favorite paring knife. It is definitely an art and a boatload of work. It makes $12 a plate at a restaurant seem like a real bargain.



My friend Karen asked what we eat on the boat when we are not eating fish. Well, we pretty much eat the same things we ate at home. In preparing to go to the Bahamas, we stocked up on everything because food (and everything else) is so much more expensive than in the States. To give you a taste, each piece of fruit that we purchased was a dollar (including small oranges). Bananas and limes are cheaper. Meat and other food is even pricier. We bought one loaf of bread for $6, which prompted us to start making our own bread. When we're somewhere with cheaper food, we will probably eat more of the local food.

In our costs page, you can see that we spent a small fortune on groceries before departing. Here is our provisioning spreadsheet, which lets you see pretty much what we took and what we used in March. Not everything is in here--notably liquor, spices, and produce. You will notice that the spreadsheet is silent on the amount of beer consumed. All I'll say about that is we are living in a confined space with two small boys.

In March, we caught a good amount of fish to supplement our meat supply. We made granola, yogurt, and bread. Yogurt freezes into a nice approximation of ice-cream and canned mandarin oranges make refreshing Popsicles.

Oh, and we finally got to use our machete. So we have a source of fresh coconut. And we still have all our fingers.

Snorkeling, Kid Snorkeling

Here is a video that we took while snorkeling at Thunderball Grotto, where scenes from the James Bond movies "Never Say Never Again" and "Thunderball" were filmed, as well as "Splash". Unless you are a strong swimmer, they recommend you go at slack tide because at other times it completely fills with water. As you can tell from the video, at least a couple of us are in the "not-a-strong-swimmer" category right now. Unfortunately, the video doesn't give the best view of the tons of colorful fish.