An air headed dinghy

Got a new inflatable dinghy yesterday and got it pumped up today and out on the estuary. It's 8' 10" with an air floor. Light enough that I can lift it from the water to the dock and probably to my boat's deck without a winch. And the 5 hp outboard got it to plane with just me on board no problem. I need to get a couple cable locks to secure it whether I keep the dinghy and motor on the dock or up on the upper deck. 

I also enjoyed the view of Hideaway from the water. Here are a couple photos. 

Best sail yet

Yesterday, Uncle Thom and I went out with just us. Motoring out of the estuary, there was little white smoke so I wasn't at all concerned. We did, however, get a temperature alarm midway in the estuary after pausing the diesel to 3,000 rpm or a tad more. We talked about pulling the sensor today to make sure it's not just a bad one. But after some online research, it turns out that this Yanmar's sweet spot is 2,400 rpm with a suggested max of 2,700 rpm. I do still think I'm not getting all that out of the 3GM30F and need to do more work on it, but at least I know I'm getting it close to its limit before it overheats. Need to figure out the inline mechanical temp Gaige soon so I can better monitor what's going on down there before I spend hundreds on mechanic fees to pull the mixing elbow or head.

Well, anyway, I labeled this post best sail yet, and it was. I've had a lot of great fun and great company on the boat so far. But yesterday, it was about sailing and exploring. We close hauled from the mouth of the estuary toward McCovey Cove then tacked twice until we got a course that brought us by my office at Pier 9. I texted a coworker to say wave to us, which she did. She texted, "Are you the boat leaning over?" I responded, "Yes, it's 26 knots out here!" 

Then we headed past Alacatraz and to the windward side of Angel Island before falling off toward the leeward side of the island. The winds, while strong for the day and especially in the Slot, were favorable directionally to us. We rounded the East side of the island and headed to what Thom calls "Hospital Cove" but is officially called Ayala Cove. We saw a number of porpoises in that vicinity, which was cool. Then we put the eninge on briefly so that we could sail in with a bit of back up safety to check out the cove. There are a number of slips and then many mooring buoys. If we choose a day to leave early enough to get there in the morning of a weekend or during a weekday, we might get a slip. But more likely, we'd need a dinghy and I need practice mooring to enjoy the cove for lunch or to hike the island. Apparently you need to moor bow and stern which is a requirement in other very busy coves in CA like Avalon Bay at Catalina. 

Here are some photos from our 6 hour sail.

John, the mechanic

Today I had a friend's mechanic over to Hideaway to check out the Yanmar. Since the white smoke is a relatively new symptom, I wanted to check things out with an experienced pro. Thom said I was making too big a deal out of it, and maybe I was. But I'd rather be safe than sorry. 

John came out at 10:30 and y 11:30 we were shaking hands. We ran the engine in neutral and under load in both forward and reverse. I got her up to 2500 RPMs for several minutes and no white smoke. Of course. His diagnosis was that it was probably algae or some condensation in the fuel tank when I added more a month ago. Basically same thing that Thom had said. 

But John checked out all fittings, hoses and gave me some suggestions on maintenance, including greasing the prop shaft stuffing box and nuts, and wire brushing any corrosion and spraying with rust inhibitor. 

He also gave me a much better understanding of what it takes to install oil pressure and temp gauges. Not much to it assuming I can get the right parts. Those being T valves and a vapor bulb thermometer with a temp gauge, and and oil pressure gauge, both mechanical not electrical.

Photos below are what these parts need to connect to.

ASA 103

Things I learned and practiced in ASA 103 yesterday. More to come next weekend.

ANCHORING

Need: Right Location, Good Depth, and Good Bottom

Determine 7:1 ratio factoring in freeboard + water depth + tidal change

Motor into the wind slowly and bring to a stop.

Then as you begin to reverse very slowly, shout to anchor deploying crew to deploy anchor.

Have them let out anchor chain and rode to desired length then bring to a stop or even move forward slightly so they have slack to clear off the rode.

Then into reverse very slowly to challenge or set the anchor.

Once set, challenge in reverse further for 1 minute at low RPMs but above idle.

Once complete cut engine.

Deploy Sentinel by carabiner clip to rode, and holding bitter end release to depth that is enough to be below boat's keel.

Open a beer. 

MAN OVERBOARD PRACTICE

Reinforced that the proper technique is to Point, Assign a Spotter, Move to a Beam Reach, Go 8-10 Boat Lengths, Tack Back Toward Victim (keeping victim on windward side), Reduce Sails to Slow, Head Up to Victim and Reduce Sails Completely, Pull in Victim.

USING THE HEAD

Tradewinds uses only fresh water to flush, which requires some extra steps. We can use a gallon jug of water in the head to make this easier.

Keep valve turned toward Holding Tank.

Before using the head add fresh water to bowl.

Do not dispose of paper in bowl. Throw them away in plastic garbage bag.

Flush on Dry setting because we do not want to use saltwater to flush.

Respect the tug

I've learned to respect tug boats. Not only because they're working vessels and therefore have right of way status over us. 

They aren't enormous vessels, but they have tons of power. Those screws move water with so much torque that two times I've been impressed and intimidated by them.

The first we passed astern of one that was turning a large container ship in the estuary's widest spot. It pushed our sailboat almost completely sideways around 15 feet in a blink of an eye, putting us closer to shore and the dry dock for the repair yard than I would've liked. 

The second was last weekend. We were sailing back down the estuary by the lee and wing on wing. That point of sail is already the trickiest, trying to maintain correct position of the wind to not accidentally jibe. Well going by a tub on the starboard side, I expected once again to be slid to the port laterally. But no. His prop wash pushed our bow first to port causing that dreaded jibe. Unprepared for it, I was glad our boom is above head level and that the wind was light so we didn't bust any gear. It was a little embarrassing since I didn't call the move. But we weren't any worse for the wear so I chalke it up to learning. 

Tugs need to be respected. And a little distance is a good idea.

Feeling a little dinghy

No sailing but I got a little outboard and tried it with the small fiberglass dinghy at Thom's house. Worked pretty well. I even brought my dog along and she settled into it after awhile. The only problem is that a motored dinghy has to be registered so I'm debating buying an inexpensive inflatable. For now here are some doggie dinghy photos. 

A great day on the Bay

Yesterday, we took out another family. A good friend of my daughter, her parents, and her sister. The father and I have talked about sailing a lot. He's been through the full ASA certifications series, and at the most notable sailing school around here. I say notable because the instructors have also been called the "sailing nazis." So, in all honesty, I was a little intimidated to have him aboard. I love finding people who share the interest and like to get out myself whenever we can. But I was a little worried about looking foolish for not knowing enough and still buying a boat. 

Well, now I'm kicking myself for not inviting them sooner. Both husband and wife are Kiwis, and they have the typical fun and chill personalities of the Kiwis I've met before. The kids are both nice and get along with my daughter well. 

And most importantly, he had some suggestions and tips, but wasn't at all pushy about it. In fact, I told him to feel free to offer ideas, and he said he was interested in learning about my particular boat's set up. I operated the wheel most of the day, and he took some turns. He was likeminded about resting the sails and ensuring the easiest ride for the three kids 11 and under. 

We sailed the Bay just South of the Bay Bridge, and had no particular destination. The dad, Mike, noted that he enjoyed just sailing where the wind worked out best for us since before he's beat into the wind just to make it to points of interest but it wasn't always the most fun sailing. He was also highly complimentary of my boat. That sounds like vanity on my part to hear it, but he mentioned that when we first talked about my boat I had emphasized it was a 1977 vessel and needed work, so he thought I had an ugly tub. It just reinforced my own opinion that you don't have to buy a $100K newer boat to enjoy nearly all the same things. 

After returning to dock, we kept the nautical theme going by having dinner at Quinn's Lighthouse, a local place on the water with its own marina. The have a nicer dining room downstairs but we and the kids always prefer the bar and grill upstairs where you toss peanut shells on the ground and if you're lucky you get a great view from one of the outside deck tables. 

All in all, one of my favorite days on the water so far and more to come.