Rig:
- Elise has a brand-new shiny rig (and according to a weird email about some bulb needing to be changed, the shrouds might be glowing in the dark)
- There is now a second reefing line (and associated turning block), the chafe problem with the external halyard is solved and the lead issue with the outhaul is fixed
Electrical:
- The two batteries are now connected by a switch, which is now solidly bolted. It is therefore possible to switch from battery 1 to battery 2 without cutting the power (through 1+2). It is also unnecessary to disconnect the battery by hand to avoid leaks. All that is required is to put the switch in the 'off' position. Easy or what??
Communication:
- The SSB has now been tested in both receiving and transmitting mode and has been shown to work. It now needs to be mounted, grounded, etc...thank you Brian for being on the other end of the line(less) conversation
Just in case, it isn't very apparent in the picture. Nathan is talking to the SSB and has bought a Harry Potter-approved broom as an emergency escape mechanism if I get too boring.Navigation:
- The remote control unit for the autopilot is now ready (last thing to do is to bolt on the receiver, but the holes are already drilled for that!). You can now control the autopilot (on, off and any direction, as well as MOB alert) from anywhere on the boat with a small waterproof remote which you can tie on to your gear. This can be quite helpful short-handed!!! Later, it will become possible to install a MOB relay connected to the boat EPIRB. In addition to carrying your own personal EPIRB, it is a nice safety touch if you are single-handling. Also the MOB function of the autopilot is programmed to 1) store the coordinate where the event happened, 2) bring the boat head to wind to stop it ASAP and will calculate the compass course to return to the victim. That can come in handy for people alone on watch who for any reason are not tethered in.
Space Management:
- The anchor will now sit next to the engine
- The space left by the anchor below the port settee will be used to store spare parts. Quite logical since it is right next to where the toolbox is stored
- The leecloths are ready to be installed
Safety inspection checklist:
- We measured anchor length (and will verify with inspector to see if that's OK)
- We counted our flares
- Listed heavy equipment that needs to be restrained, equipment using batteries and Nathan filled out our "energy plan"
- Elise's pole is relegated to the "spare parts" category
- Our water bladders (including the two borrowed ones) will meet the water requirements. We will carry water bottles around too. They are easy to store and easy to carry
- We can borrow a safety kit with up-to-date meds
Measuring the anchor line required knowing how many inches there are in a foot...No one taught me this at school.Cuisine:
- The eggs rancheros suck
- The "dried freeze" ice-cream sucks. Glad we're not astronauts.
- The pesto pasta tastes nothing like pesto but otherwise good
- The meatball spaghetti tastes good (we had established already that the Jambalaya was OK)
And our specials tonight are some tasteless gelatinous pasta with a creative pesto imitation and 'spaghetti infierno' adding the flavor of confetti spaghetti to the mystery of unknown meat (small) ballsInteresting finding, worth publishing in the journal of medical discoveries that very few people care about:
- The hormone replacement therapy I have to take has "nausea" as a noted side-effect. I have noticed an increased sensitivity to certain kinds of food, car sickness, etc...much more so than before. It may have contributed to my recent adventures.
And we have a a long shopping list ready for West Marine Fleet Night on Thursday.
And Dayne stopped by to say hello!! We pulled Elise out of the water and rubbed her tummy :)
Oh, and summer has come. It is cold, foggy and windy. I am glad we have the stove now!
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