The adventures of Adagio - A tempo having slow movement; restful at ease.

[jthatcher]

one more video up.    my friend and colleague  took the helm  for a while..   
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5M73kZ0gxU

[Bob23]

Thanks for the videos, JT: Really helps to rekindle the fire during the winter doldrums.
   I love my Tilley although it's looking a bit beat up. This Christmas past, the Admiral surprised me with a new hemp Tilley. Like all Tilley hats, it still has the SPF 50 rating, something we all like, hair or not.
Bob23...counting the days.

[Salty19]

Counting the days here too, Bob.  6" of the white stuff is on the way, and I'm starting to wonder what the spring will bring us here.

Will be picking up the boat on Easter from her winter hibernation barn, and have a huge project list to attend to.
Of course, like most of us, the project list never quite gets done before launching, and we end up making new lists for later on.

I'm more interested in taking care of items that need to be done on the hard, and that, according to Zen and the Art of Sailboat Maintenance, bring me great joy and satisfaction, now.

Bottom will be painted, woodwork redone, hull polished and waxed, trailer extension install, detail the interior and move the battery forward, new motor mount board, canvas (vent screens for sliding hatch and drawboard area), lube moving parts, tracks, mast grooves, etc, etc, etc. 

My big decision right now is should I make an aft bimini or figure out a better way to hold the Magma umbrellas?  Like welding in a tube to the aft pulpit.   I'm leaning towards welding in a vertical stainless tube to the aft pulpit with a slit strategically positioned to hold the umbrellas (slit is for the little spring loaded pin to hold the umbrella down) but still considering. The pulpit has two horizontal bars which the new vertical tube could be passed through and welded, making a pretty clean install with good positioning of the umbrellas.  Most importantly it would be very easy to use once done.

After using the umbrellas for three seasons with the stock clamps that tend to move around, especially one of them, we love the umbrellas but am tired of messing with the clamps, to the tube idea seems appealing.

[Bob23]

   Unfortunately, we never got much snow this winter. A few teasings of an inch or two and one blizzard of 4 inches. Got out cross country skiing once but it got warm so snow was sticking to the skiis.
   I'm chomping away slowly at my list. This winter the boat spent  her hibernation in my driveway much to the admiral's dismay. I tried to reason with her, noting the opportunity to observe beauty in fiberglass each time she looked out the window but she didn't buy it.
   I also tried the poor mans bimini last summer. Clamp-on beach umbrellas worked pretty good while under sail and a painters drop cloth boom tent worked well while at anchor. I'm such a hopeless cheapskate!
Bob23

[jthatcher]

Good morning everyone!   it looks like another bright, clear, sunny spring day is about to unfold here in northeastern PA.   I am a bit sad that it is already May, and I have yet to make it down to visit Adagio at the marina.  Life has been hectic, as it always is in the spring at school.   But, we have had some additional distractions..   

I remember hearing Robert Ballard speak at the Franklin Institute a number of years ago.  The main topic of the discussion was NOT the Titanic, but how can Ballard speak without that coming up?   In fact, he revealed at that time that the quest for the Titanic was a cover story - that in fact he was checking on the USS Thresher and the USS Scorpian, both sunken submarines.    Well,   I am reminded of this story because the trip to Maine to visit the boat show in Portland, had a secondary objective as well..  or, perhaps the boat show was a secondary objective?  no way!    At any rate,  we took advantage of that time to look at some property in the mid-coast region, and I have made two additional trips to the area since then.  If all goes well, we will close on  a piece of land by the end of this month..   and why am I reporting this on Adagio's page?

Well, it may come as a surprise to Adagio, but it is looking like we are not going to make it to lake champlain after all..  but thanks so much for the invitations to stop and visit along the way!!!  instead,  we are leaning towards reverting back to the plan of heading up the coast and making Maine our destination for the summer.    It makes total sense to have the boat close by up there..  it will give us a place to stay before I am ready to take on another construction project ( gotta finish the house I am building now before i start a new one) ,  and I don't think that we will ever run out of sailing destinations along the coast of Maine!   It is looking like I will be making most of the trip on my own..  unless Marty and Bob want to break free and join me!  it would be like an extended BBB  2012     

So..  any thoughts or pointers about sailing along the coast of CT, RI, MA that little tiny piece of NH and ME  are welcome!   I am still hoping to leave during the last week of June..  still need to do some work on the boat..   lots to do before I can head north.. but I sure am looking forward to, what will be for me, a major adventure this summer!   jt

[philb Junkie19]

Congrats on finding the land!  Sounds like an exciting and memorable journey. I have an extra copy of Tafts' Cruising Guide to the Maine Coast you're welcome to. It's older but includes still good info on that long open stretch between Portsmouth and Portland that begins out of Gloucester. 

[jthatcher]

Hi Phil, 
  that is awfully thoughtful of you!   that would be very helpful.   if you would like to send me your address, i will send a check to cover postage...  jt

[Bob23]

JT &J:
   I've been wondering where youv'e been. Been thinkin' about you guys for a while and now I see your'e becoming Mainiacs! Many congrats! Now I have a place to crash when I visit Maine!!Hahahaha...!!!
   I admit I have no offshore sailing experience but I think you don't either so maybe we can learn together. I always learn best by doing something. Reading books on building houses helped a little. Building them is how I really learn. Of course, a screwup on a house construction doesn't send it to the bottom!
I'll give it some serious thought but if I were you, I'd buy one of these for the trip:
http://www.portlandpudgy.com/
   You need a dingy anyway and this make perfect sense as it  does double duty as a life raft and tender. You probably remember seeing it at the show.
   Let me know if you and Janet are gonna be down to the marina some time soon...breakfast at Shutup would be nice before ya move yaself and ya wife up to Maine. Ayuh.
Bob23

[jthatcher]

hi Bob,  good to hear from you!   i am hoping to get down your way in two weeks..  this coming week and weekend I am pretty consumed by the dance show here at school..  after that, i should be able to sneak away for a bit...   thanks for the  tip on the dingy..   i am still hoping to drag the bolger dory behind..  i will have to give that a try before  too long.    looking forward to catching up with you soon!  jt

[jthatcher]

" ok,  so here is what i will do.."  i said to my wife back in late May , having already allowed a month of  valuable sailboat prep time slip through my hands.. "  I will  forget going down to Jersey,  finish getting the house ready for the graduation party, and then get ready for our trip to Cape cod.."  the trip to cape cod was immediately followed by a trip to Maine..  and before one knew what happened,  most of June was in our wake..

   This was supposed to be the year to sail to Maine  ( yes, I know, first it was lake champlain, but  guys are allowed to changed their minds too! and until this past saturday night,  Maine it was to be!  )    Not only was it the year to sail to maine, but i told a lot of people that i was headed to Maine.. ( somewhat unlike me..)   The last straw was the marine forecast for this week..   4 - 7 foot seas  most of the week for the area from Manasquan to  Sandy Hook.  just the  area of open ocean that I would need to negotiate early in my trip..    and so,   the trip would be delayed..  I had worked hard to  prepare the boat..   first the hole in the hull needed to be repaired..   it is not pretty, but it is solid..  .  and then  the lifelines  ( ended up replacing the broken stanchion  thanks to  our friend in florida!   and i was able to salvage the old pelican hooks and use just  sta set line for the life lines..  i tied knots so i will be able to take them off and  wash them at the end of the season along with all of the other running rigging..   

  i got the new tohatsu engine.. the one that everyone raves about..   but found that the back stay had been mangled in the storm..  could not find a shop close by, so i ended up sending the stay to massachusets , overnight. to Rigging Only.  - yes, this is an endorsement.   had a new one back by friday..  another obstacle cleared..   did the initial two hours on the engine with no mast.. waiting for the backstay..  engine worked great..    backstay came friday afternoon.   and the crew at the yard rigged the mast..    boat looks so much better in the water with the mast in place!

    Put the name on the transom - we are officially  Adagio      replaced the line on the roller furler..  took the boat out for a second shakedown cruise -  still breaking in the engine..  stopped to fill up spare tank.. asked the girl to fill it up. noticed the  handle on the pump was green. my favorite color..  matches Adagio's colors..   and that was were the analysis stopped..    hooked up the spare tank and ran about 10 min out of the marina  before increasing the throttle .. but  , instead of a steady increase in RPM's the engine faltered and died..  my first thought.. what if this happened in ny harbor?   next thought.  what am i thinking to embark on a long trip with a brand new engine?   third thought..   i have to sail back to the marina..     we never sail into the marina.. we always drop the sails  in the little cove just down river and motor in.      set the jib only and turned around..     noticed two big cruisers headed for the fuel dock..   can't land there while they are there..   tried to tack. not enough momentum..  failed a second time..  gybed instead..   how am i going to  make this trip work if the engine is a lemon?    fuel dock is empty..  sailed in ,, practiced dousing the jib to see how much momentum i would have..   got lucky and made a very nice landing..     

  one of he owners at the marina took a look at the engine..  could not diagnose it on the boat and suggested that i needed to  take it to a tohatsu dealer..   hmm did i mention that my wife dropped me off  two days earlier ..  no car..   rental agencies closed saturday afternoon.    the guy's son  ended up taking me down, but not  until i took a good deal of ribbing over the phone when talking with the tohatsu dealer..   " where did you buy the engine"  he wanted to know..  " on the internet"  "OHHHH  so you can't take it back can you?  all you bought was a box.."     he had about 10  pre-packaged thoughts that i had to listen to..  wanted to know how much it cost..  then assured me he would have sold it to me cheaper..   

  so, with my tail between my legs..  i showed up at his shop..  he was working on a small 2 hp  outboard at the time..   when he got to mine.. he wanted to know why the gas was orange..   i mentioned that the guy at my marina said the same thing. but figured it was that val tech additive..   he pulled the  filter off and smelled it..   " this isn't gas"    the green handle..  all of a sudden it made sense..  diesel    oh no..   i had 3 gallons of diesel in my tank!!    the kid who drove me down immediately got on the phone and called his dad  and relayed the story..   i immediately began to feel sorry for the young girl who put the diesel in my tank..    it was not entirely her fault..  i put the tank down at the pump and i watched her pump .. 

    after a total cleaning  and lubrication   and fine tune adjustment  and  $130   the engine  was in fine running order..   it really was awfully nice of him to get it going  on the spot like that on a saturday afternoon..   the other engine that he was working on... it had water in the gas..   "  what are people thinking?  one wants to run his outboard on diesel and the other wants to use water!!"   all in a thick  german accent, i might add..   

   another hurdle  cleared,  but the forecast  was what it was..  no getting around it..   I was not about to venture into the ocean for the first time with anything less than a favorable weather pattern..   and the weather pattern here  in the east has been anything but favorable!   So what to do?  I was stuck in Jersey with no car.. my wife had plans to return to the shore  in a week with a friend..   i could sit around the marina for a week and read some good books and curse at the thunderstorms that were predicted every day.. or..  i could go on a trip..  the other direction! 

   And that brings me to the current  plan    -  sorry that this is taking so long ..   Cape May..   90 miles from Toms river via the ICW.. great experience in navigation..   always wanted to do it anyway..  never been to cape may..  why not?   well,  the marine forecast predicted winds from the south at  18-20 knots..   kind of exciting for sailing , except that south was exactly the direction i would be headed..    as soon as i turned the corner , coming out of toms river, i began to experience  winds  18-20 on the nose..   The previous owner had warned me about this situation..   I have watched all kinds of  youtube videos  in which the skipper says.." we will stay in port for the day and wait for more favorable winds.."   within a minute, i knew why. i was drenched..    i went below and took off the wet t shirt and donned my foul weather top..  the one that i bought for the trip to maine    ( along with all kinds of other stuff)   thankfully, the water was actually warm..   i had on a bathing suit and a raincoat..  and for two hours, i was the only boat on the bay..    anyone that happened to see me probably thought i was crazy..   but, at the south end of the bay, the course gets narrower..  and  I banked on the  seas smoothing out a bit..  i was fortunate.. that is just what happened..     i had preplanned and made a sandwich and a thermos of tea before leaving the dock..   that turned out to be  a wonderful idea..      the PO  actually suggested that i get ski goggles  for going to windward.. i kind of chuckled.. but , maybe not such a bad idea..  my glasses were nearly useless.  and  taking them off rendered my eyes nearly useless.     all of this is good experience..   

  so, with 30 miles of motoring behind me, I am in Beach Haven tonight..  quietly anchored at a very nice marina.. which charges a hefty 3 per foot for transient slips.  but that warm shower this afternoon was worth the extra dollar a foot   maybe..    I got to walk around Beach Haven ( never been here before )  and got a nice cup of tea..   and scoped out a nice place for breakfast tomorrow morning..  i was planning on an early start, but i have to wait around to get the  20  deposit on the bathroom key from the guys when they come in at 8

tomorrow, the destination is   Ocean City..   after a good nights sleep here at the dock, where I can hear the surf of the ocean , just a few blocks away on the other side of the  island..     Hopefully, i will have more to add tomorrow night!    if you have made it this far, thanks for reading     jt

[Shawn]

Glad you got the Tohatsu sorted out!

Enjoy Ocean City! We spend a week there every summer, great place! Grab a slice at Prep's and finish off the day with a waffle sunday at Johny B Goodes.

Shawn

[Bob23]

Great tale, JT:
   I know Beach Haven well...used to live there on 5th and Delaware many moons ago. Stay away from Country Kettle Fudge in Bay Village if you value your waistline! South of you is Beach Haven Inlet which has undergone some serious changes compliments of Sandy. Do you have a depth sounder? I don't think the paper charts are not all that reliable but you should have no problem as the ICW has been pretty well dredged. BTW, you are closer to Cape Horn than you think! Have a great trip...hope to catch you on the weekend on your return trip north!
Bob23

[jthatcher]

thanks Shawn.. the engine is purring away just fine..

bob.. i will keep in touch..

just had a delightful breakfast at  Chicken or the Egg..   plan to stop there if you ever happen to be in Beach Haven..    I just made my lunch time sandwich and packed it away for later..   made a cup of tea for the  beginning of the trip and  a thermos for later in the morning..    not sure where all of that teepee will go, but  i will figure that out later       

I realize that this is a bit more like RVing perhaps as opposed to cruising.. but i am loving it     jt

[Eagleye]

jt,
We were really disappointed when the Hudson voyage didn't pan out but I'm sure what you are doing now is the better choice.  It sounds like a real adventure.

We hope to meet you in the future...maybe at the BBB 2013.

Allen

[jthatcher]

thanks allen..  even if i had stuck to that plan..   i would be stuck in jersey     the ocean is really rough!  i just got back from a walk to the other side of  the island..  checking it out..     would not want to be out there in a 23 foot boat   

i hope that everything works out this year for  BBB  13..  it would be great to meet you,  and , if not,  maybe i can get in touch sometime for a cup of tea on my way to vt...   thanks for the note!   jt