Ramblings from an initial overnighter

[brackish]

Finally got to take Arion on an overnight shakedown cruise.  Delightful.  Weather perfect cloudless sky, high sixties during the day, dropped to about 40 overnight with a full moon.  Went about five miles up lake on a beam reach, wind 5-10 out of the west doing 4.5 to 5 knots most of the time.

Went single, Admiral couldn't go, prior commitments, maybe best on a shakedown, test assumptions on single handling and equipment.

Came back south a ways and went into one of the many branches off the lake and anchored in blue flower cove. Thank you Rumsey family for the cruising guide that rates about seventy five anchorage coves for protection and beauty.  I picked one of the all fives.  Anchor is an improper term, tied across to trees is what I actually did.  Coves are deep enough to stick the bow on the bank and still have four foot of water showing on the depth instrument.  Hop off, tie off the bow, back across, tie off the stern. Center in the cove in nine foot of water.   Pics while moored, first two at sunset, third at dawn.








On the way out I spotted two bass boats and one barge tow locking through and going up the Tenn-Tom.  Overnight, no one came down my chosen branch.  The next morning, going in two bass boats.  Kind of like having the whole lake to myself.

Original plan to stay out until the wind came up, but minor crisis, I left the coffee in the truck, so decided to go in under motor early, had some work to do on the boat anyway.  My 9.9 at 25% throttle and calm water pushes 5 knots very quietly.  At 40% throttle it pushes about 5.7 knots, still fairly quietly.  At full throttle it pushes about 6.3 knots very loudly.  Guess I'll be staying between 25 and 40% as I don't need to get anywhere fast enough to put up with the noise or fuel consumption.

I will have to do something with the fuel storage cover.  It binds when raising and lowering and it vibrates at any motor rpm unless you sit on it.  Thinking of either hinging it and adding vibration dampening pads or doing away with it and making a teak drop board (with bottom clearance for drainage) and a teak hinged cover/seat.  With that, lifting to open the tank vent, check the fuel gauge, or removing the tank a much simpler process.

Back at the Marina, met some other sailors and we talked about some joint cruises near future.  Did some work on the boat, and as I was getting ready to leave one of the marina hands came by and said I should come up to the shop, they were frying fish, anyone around was welcome.  And boy was it was good.

Frank

[fafnir]

Wow, beautiful pictures and it sounds like it was a nice outing. 

[nies]

FRANK, YOU WILL NEVER BE SORRY ABOUT HAVING PLENTY OF H.P., ACCORDING TO SCIENCE WE CANNOT EXCEED HULL SPEED, BUT POWER FOR TIDES, WIND, AND RIVER CURRENTS FOR A SAFETY MARGIN IS A GOOD IDEA. SEVERAL YEARS AGO WHILE WAITING FOR A RAILROAD BRIDGE TO OPEN, NARROW SPOT ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER , WE CIRCLED(MOTORING) ONCE TOO OFTEN TOO CLOSE TO THE BRIDGE AND THE CURRENT WAS CARRYING US CLOSER AND CLOSER TO THE BRIDGE,( I THINK THE BRIDGE OPERATER WAS SLEEPING). TURNED BACK UP STREAM AND THE BOAT WAS STARTING TO SLIP BACKWARDS, AT LAST WE STARTED TO MOVE INCH BY INCH AWAY FROM THE BRIDGE.I WILL NOT REPEAT MY MESSAGE ON THE RADIO TO THAT IDIOT. BEING SWEPT UNDER A LOW BRIDGE THE BEST THING THAT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU IS THE MAST BEING TORN OFF, BECAUSE IF NOT IT TAKES THE BOAT OVER. HAD SEVERAL FRIENDS GO FOR A NIGHT SAIL ABOVE THE ROLLER DAM /RAILROAD BRIDGE , AT ROCK ISLAND,ILL.,WIND DIED AND NO ANCHORS,MAST HELD AND ALL WERE LOST AFTER BOATS WERE TURNED OVER.....PHIL

[brackish]

David, thanks for the pictures of the vibration dampers.  The current cover requires two hands to lift off and if it doesn't come up perfectly straight side to side and front to back it will bind and lock up. Maybe the guides are misplaced or have swollen.  I want something I can lift with one hand, and open the vent with the  other.  A little extra teak there wouldn't hurt from an aesthetics standpoint, and I'm itching to get in the woodshop and start another project I can call half done <G>

Tucked in like I was, completely out of the traffic lane, I used a lantern on the boom.  Masthead light was up in the trees.  I'm not big on Colregs taking precedent over common sense.

Motor does have electric start and plenty of HP.  It's nice, but wish it were twenty or so lbs. lighter.

I also forgot my mini-cast rod and reel.  About dusk there was a lot of feeding going on around the boat.  Oh well, next time.  As far as the deer, probably.  Bay Springs Lake is a Corp of Eng. lake, federal property, and the surrounding land has no development.

Frank

[nies]

FRANK, ALL US CANDLE MAKERS ARE WONDERING IF YOU USED ANY HEAT SOURCE OTHER THAN YOUR OWN BODY ON A 40 DEGREE NIGHT?........PHIL

[brackish]

Phil, as I had stated I would, I used a couple of hurricane candles until I turned in then put them out and crawled into a twenty degree mummy bag.  Never got cold.

Frank