We moved onto Zephyr at the end of April and have been working on her ever since. We had planned on having her standing rigging(holds the mast up) replaced due to her age. We had spoken to Brion Toss at a boat show and decided he was the person to do it. He's been at it since 1978. We knew the electrical systems on board were a bit iffy so we set off to have it checked and repaired by Sea Marine--right next door to Brions building here in Port Townsend. In addition, we knew there were a few through hulls that needed replacing and that we had an SSB radio to be installed. We arrived back on July 25 and have been here ever since. We blew the transmission just as we were backing onto the lift to take us out but only in reverse. Forward was fine. Go figure--you use forward a lot more than reverse but reverse failed.
We figured on three weeks--since the transmission went--add on 2 more weeks. Well, we're at 8 weeks with more still to come. Jack--our electrician told me last week, he thought we would be done in another week. I figure that means at least two. Jack is a great electrician. Very thorough in his work. If he sees a problem, he'll discuss it with us and then fix it. We both feel it is better to have it fixed and avoid problems in the future. We knew there were problems when as we came up the coast from Newport, OR, when I pushed the button for the macerator in the forward head and the radar and chart plotter went off line. It's not supposed to do that.
The original plan was to have the work finished by mid-August and then head South back to Newport and close everything out there and then head South before the nasty Winter storms start hitting the Oregon/Washington coast. With all the extra time we have spent here, we have pretty much missed that window. Our plan now is to spend the Winter here in the Puget Sound. In the Spring, take off for Alaska for a few months and then head South in late July or early August. A year late, but who cares. This extra time here will allow us to better learn the new systems on Zephyr and what she is capable of. An important factor in any cruise.
For those of you who wonder why I have put in this bit of history, you'll see a link to several blogs that we have been following for many months. Tom and Amy on Sandpiper have added us to their list so there should be lots more people reading our blog. Tom and Amy on Sandpiper have been out there cruising for the past three years and are currently in Malta in the Mediterranean Sea heading for Gibraltar. The family on Wind Dance set off earlier this year from Mexico across the Pacific after leaving Alaska about a year ago. Imagine traveling with a young daughter--8 and a son--11 on a Catalina 36 footer. The adventures both have had are amazing. Tom and Amys fight to get up the Red Sea a few months ago was incredible. We highly encourage everyone who reads our blog to check theirs out. It make for a great read.
Yesterday, I fixed the forward sail locker so that the water that comes into it will now go out a new fitting I drilled through the hull. The water had originally gone down into the bilge
instead of overboard due to a trough that went around the perimeter of the door frame collecting the water and feeding it down hoses. Now it goes overboard.
Once that was done, I put on the "baby" storm sail we had brought with us from Denver. It goes up the forestaysail about half way. The other storm sail goes up about 2/3 of the way. There is a big difference in the quality of the sails. The original storm sail that came with Zephyr is a tough well built sail with lots of re-enforcements at each edge of the sail. The one we brought--made for inland lakes, is about as heavy a canvas as is on the regular jib sail for Zephyr. I'm not sure how long she will last in a big blow but we will find out eventually.
I stripped out old wires for Jack last night from the electrical circuit box as far as I could before I lost them as they went through a bulkhead near the engine compartment. We'll see what Jack wants to do when he arrives.
Tracy comes back this evening. I even shaved and took a shower in honor of her coming home! I had a nice growth over the past week. Shame it was all grey in color. It used to come in red--go figure that one. My hair is brown--or at least it used to be.
The riggers are on Zephyr filling the holes in the mast left by previous riggers. Not really sure why. They claim it will make the mast stronger. Brion is due back later today and should be on Zephyr tomorrow. Wednesday at the latest. The rigging is almost there.
To all of you that are new to our blog--Welcome! To all of you that have been reading us over the past months, Thanks!! Have patience. We'll get out of here eventually.
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