The continuing adventures of Koinonia

[Bob23]

To all:
   Tha last we heard from Capt. Bob23, he was indeed basking in the Mexican sun, soaking in the Sea of Cortez, sampling repeatedly Margaritas and other hydration tools, and just generally having a tough time of it. But we should pity the old guy. You see, his Saturday flight back to NJ was cancelled due to the blizzard/Nor'easter there and he had to endure yet another day of perfect weather, friendly people, crystal clear watersand, wel...you get it. He finally arrived home last night at 0130 hours to about 2 feet of snow. Talk about climate change! Something should be done about this!
   Conditions here don't look good for a Christmas day sail about the famed Force5, "Linda Gale". Heck, the Capt. didn't even get his Christmas lights up yet and with 2 feet of the white stuff on the ground, it's not looking good. I be Christmas will arrive just the same.
   Right now, I'm cozy-comfy with my canvas winter pj's on. The way the Capt has set up this winter cover thing, nothing touches my perfect body. Just some 2x4 framing on deck to support the mast as a ridgepole, more 2x4's atop the stanchions and a array of pvc tubes set up like hoops to support the cover. Embarassingly, I look mor like a covered wagon than the beautiful Compac 23 that I am.
   Considering that I'm about to hibernate for the winter, I'll probably let the old Capt himself take over this thread. I'm really sleepy and I do need my beauty rest at my age. In a week or so, I'll be 25 years old! Like fine wine, I just keep on getting better with age! G'night! 
s/v Koinonia
   

[HideAway]

Bob, 

My sister from Nebraska was visiting a couple of weeks ago and had the same situation - cancelled flights and a blizzard.  She wanted to take the flight to Omaha - and the 2 hour drive home from there.  I told her she could do that or spend a couple of days more on the beach--  Quick study that girl!

Merry Christmas Bob ----   Matt

[Craig Weis]

Goes to show.

When you have time to spare. Go by air.

With my luck, when my ship comes in...I'll be at the aeroport!

I would rather wait in the aeroport then become a smoking hole in the ground because the plane fell out of the sky in a blizzard.

Motor vehicles are much worse. Every seven and a half minutes someone in the U.S. is killed in an automobile accident.
Many more injured. About fifty people a day are shot to death. One per state per day.

It's amazing! NASA' s 2007 Land mass Satelite Survey finds only between 2% to 3% of the fifty states is paved in someway. Roads, malls, parking lots, swimming pools, driveways, runways, side walks, and buildings on foundations with roofs.
That leaves a lot of fly over country.

skip.

[Salty19]

Bob--  Welcome back to winter.  Try Patron Silver or Don Edwuardo for hibernation.  I think you'll like them!


BTW, Happy Birthday, Koinonia!!!

[HideAway]

Yeah - it had been rainy the whole time she was here -but on the last day of her delay it was 78 and sunny - We ran the AC on the way to the airport - more for bragging rights.   She got home two days later to two feet of snow and a snow blower- I swept the leaves of my drive way. 

Merry Christmas All   Matt

[Bob23]

I came back with a bottle of Jose Cuervo Reserva 100% Agave Extra Anejo. Apparently real Tequila falls into 4 catagories: Blanco- aged less than 60 days.  Resposado- aged a minimum fo 3 months. Anejo-aged for a minimum of a year. Extra Anejo-aged a minimum of 3 years. Of course, there is so much more to it than this but I read up on Tequila before I bought. Just like I read up on sailboats before settling on a Compac 23.
Tequila falls into 2 main catagories: Mixto which by law has to contain on 51% distilled Agave. And 100% Agave which, well, is made from 100% agave.
Life is too short for ugly sailboats and cheap wine, beer or Tequila. I'll keep you posted on the Tequila tasting as soon as I crack open the bottle.
Bob23...sailing sober

[Bob23]

Men:
  At this writing, Koinonia sits patiently under her winter canvas cover, waiting for the sometimes lazy Capt. Bob23 to start her winter projects. The plans for this winter are: try to build in the porta-potti just forward of the starboard bulkhead. I hope it fits.
  Install a dorade box with cowl vent on the foredeck. I have the stuff but am having second thoughts- will it be too big for the foredeck? I can't bear to ruin the good looks of the boat.
  Maybe redo the main sheeting from end of boom to mid-boom via a traveller and track mounted on the bridge deck.
  High hopes here, men. Sometimes I have more ambition and not enough persperation!
Bob23   

[Craig Weis]

"Install a dorade box with cowl vent on the foredeck. I have the stuff but am having second thoughts- will it be too big for the foredeck?"

I'd forget that. It's just something else for the headsail sheet or big % lapper sail itself or something the skipper can trip over.
Why screw up the foredeck and chance a leak. How much 'sun time' do you spend below deck?

Be mindful that ventilating air flows from fore peak to exit at drop board grillage, which nobody usually has. Otherwise it's fighting nature making hot air go down.

skip.

[adifferentdrummer]

Bob,

I have the 3" low profile pvc Nicro cowl vent from Marinco installed on the foredeck of my 16, without the dorade box. I don't have a hawse pipe, so I run the anchor rode down through the cowl vent into a bucket. If there was ever a drip or splash to get down the vent, it would be caught by the bucket. In a heavy rain or a heavy chop, or when leaving the boat stored on it's trailer, I rotate the vent so that it is facing the stern. I have never had a problem with water getting down the vent. I could always pull the vent and put in the deck plate if I felt the need, but never have.

The cowl vent has such a low profile (4 1/2") that the jib sheets or headsail never come in contact with it, so snagging is not a problem. I think a dorade box would be a nice addition to eliminate the worry over leaks, but then I wouldn't be able to run my anchor rode down through it. The vent affords pretty good ventilation down below and helps to mitigate the stuffiness and the problem of mold. I feel that it was a very helpful addition to the boat and it looks very 'salty' up there on the foredeck. Even though the fore deck on the 16 is small, I have never felt the cowl vent was in the way and have never had a problem working around it. For $35, it was one of the best investments I made on this boat.

I can't really comment on changing the sheeting setup for the main sheet, although bringing it forward from the end of the boom to the middle seems like it would put it more in the way of things in the cockpit and the companionway. It also seems that end-boom sheeting would offer a better mechanical advantage over mid-boom sheeting because of the extra leverage effect of the full length of the boom.

Milt

[newt]

I went for a compromise Bob. I put one of those solar vents in that space. Ventilates the boat fine, but I do not stumble over it when I am on fordeck. I would put the traveller in first- that should make a big difference in your boat handling...

[brackish]

Bob, When I bought my boat it had one of those low profile cowl vents (rubber cowl, plastic flange base).  Four seasons old the cowl was split and the base was crumbling.  This boat was not winter covered, stayed in the water, so that impacts longevity.  Since I already had a hole in the foredeck, replaced it with the smallest nicro solar vent, with a stainless cover.  I think it looks better, and certainly it ventilates better, at least when the sun is shining.

[Bob23]

My current ventilation situation is thusly: I have a Nicro solar exhaust vent mounted on a custom teak box scribed to the sliding hatch. Looks great and works. Problem is forward- I installed a passive vent, thinking this would work as an intake. But seems to me that as air flows over the forward vent, it tries to exhaust it out. Keep in mind my boat is moored so there is always air flow.
But you guys are right: that giant box on the foredeck would be too large. Maybe just the cowl vent. "Koinonia" says: You just keep your clumsy ideas off my shapely foredeck. It's just fine the way it is.
So be it.
And, yes, Newt, the traveller should be first. By the way, how was your Cabo trip? Do share, bro-we all want to know!
Bob23

[newt]

The decadence of my trip down to the Mexican Rivera- riding the Mariner of the Seas instead of my own boat- is not something I am proud of. Can I say that my wife twisted my arm because she wanted something the whole family could go on (including my mother in law)? Anyway- I kept a close eye on sea state and shoreline with a attitude of returning as a real sailor. My family enjoyed the nightlife and the great food...wait was that me in the middle of them?
Cruising in a cruise liner can be so confusing!
Your on the sea but 50 feet above it!
You have someone cleaning your yacht 3 times a day!
And the captain is not interested in your running fixes...
I kept on waiting for a situation that would demonstrate that there were sailors on board (besides the staff) but it never came up.

[Bob23]

Newt:
   I've never been on a cruise ship and have no intentions to doing so. While I was at Cabo, in between Margaritas and swimming, eating and taking naps on the beach, I could not help envisioning myself aboard "Koinonia" sailing on the torquoise waters of the Sea of Cortez. That would be a vacation to be remembered. I began wondering how long would it take to trailer her from NJ to Mexico. If time and resources allowed, it could be done. But I either have the time and no $, or the $ and  no time. For now,  Barnegat Bay  in NJ will have to do.
   Like you, I prefer to be closer to the water. I prefer to be a part of it, not just use it for enjoyment. I did enjoy the people and the opportunity to be a part of a different culture, at least for a short time.
  Bob23

[Bob23]

   Well, spring is coming soon and with spring- launch time! Except I can't find my mooring. I put a float on the chain in the fall but some underwater gremlin untied it and now all is hiding on the bottom of Manahawkin Bay. So, having a nice blow-out low tide today and some time off from work, I rowed the old Walker Baya out to try and find it. Clamped and extendo onto the Admirals garden rake. Now, understand that I only have a vague idea of where the chain has slept on the bottom all winter but, hey- how hard can this be?
   Turns out, plenty hard. I rowed and raked and rowed and raked and actually had it once, but it slipped away back down to the murky depths.  Oh well, next blow out tide I'll try again. In any event, it was nice to be out on the water, even just for a short row. One won't set any speed records in a Walker Bay 8 footer, but it makes a nice tender for the yacht.
   More later, friends. Springs is in 26 1/2 days! Yay!!!
Bob23...off to row on the Concept 2