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

[jthatcher]

Well, it has been a while since i have posted.  I made it to the marina this week.  It was a solo trip, so it was not quite as muchfunas it might have been, but i feel good about what i accomplished.  The first order of business was to replace thedeck plate on the bow.  The old one was cracked and leaking.  A while ago,i ordered some butyl tape for projects like this!  I picked up a replacement at west marine  (along with a few other goodies) and went to work.  Iscraped all of the old silicon away and carefully applied the tape and then put the new plate in position.  The holes lined up perfectly (i wish that all of my projects worked out like that)
,

Next project!  New  led interior lights.. I wish that i had thought to bring my wire stripper.  I bought one at the hardware store, but it was sub-par and frustrating to use.  Eventually the job got done.  It sure works besr when one connects the hot wire with the hot wire!  One would think that black goes with black...but that is not a!ways the case



So,  here is a photo of the boat in the slip.  We have a new neighbor..very close!.  I hope that the new cove stripe  shshoshows up inthe photo..

[jthatcher]

I replaced some rivets on the stanchions and on the little cleat on the back of the ruddder, beefed up the vang by replacing the little piece of line thatwas attaching to thebase of the mast with a shackle.  At this point, i amfeeling pretty confident.and that is when i usuallyget into trouble.

Idecded to take off the main hat ch so that i couldclean and wax underneath it.  It makes a pretty loud screeching noise when i slide it back and forth.   It came off easily.and iscraped all of the old si!icon off before beddingg the wood pieces with thebutyl tape. Everythi g went backtogether well,but igot a fair aamount of squeeze outwhen i screwed it down...easy to clean up on the outside,but the i side is a different story!   Some of it is still there, andit is tawcky, and the hatch is worsenow than ever!!  Ohwell, i will adddress that during the nexr trip.
Itwas time to sail

An evening cruise was a great way to end the day



More to follow tomorrow!

[Bob23]

Looks like you were sailing near Island Beach or the Dike at High Bar.
I did the same thing when I reinstalled my hatch guides the first time. Had to remove, scrape the inside excess squeeze out and to it again. I hated that grinding noise too, so I put felt furniture pads on the underside of the hatch. There's enough room and it slides smoothly and quietly.
Hope to catch you out sailing now that I'm officially in the water and sailing.
bob23

[MKBLK]

Bob and Jt,

Glad to see you're both out on the bay and actually sailing! JT, the boat looks great. Looking forward to seeing both of your 23's at BBB-2012.

Marty K.

P.S. I heard a rumor that some guy named Alex is planning to crash the BBB-2012 party in his Bristol 24 out of Cedar Creek. Just look for the boat with all the gizmos!

[jthatcher]

Hi bob and marty.  Nice to hear from you guys.  Looking forward to catching up with you and whoever else shows up at the end of july.. But, there is a lot to do before then-both at home and at the marina...  Bob, thanks for the idea on the hatch - gotta try that the next time i am down.

So, on the second day at the marina i figured that i should replace the light fixture in the v berth as well, but not until going for a sail.  John, the fellow from maine (island packet 44) came out with me.  We left at 9:30 in the morning and came back in after lunch.  What a great time - lots of good conversation and plenty of much appreciated tips from a fellow who has spent the last six months on his boat.  It is inspiring to hang around folks who are doing cool things with their lives.

We talked about going under the seaside heights bridge, but we were running out of time, so we simply sailed close to it and checked out the clearance gauge.  At 30 feet, there is little doubt that we would need the bridge to be raised
with only 28feet showing...at least, that is what one would think, right?

I spent the rest of the day puttering around the boat, and i had a nice conversation with a couple in the evening who were at the marina for the wed evening race series -i am hoping that i can crew with them one of these weeks.

The next morning i got up early, ate breakfast and set out on a journey.  I figured that i had better get a feel for being on the boat with a destination in mind, and i figured that it was about time to sail (motor actually) under a draw bridge for the first time.  I set out under power at 7:50,  thinking that i would make the 8:30bridge...the plan went well..i picked up the radio to communicate with the bridge and hesitated.. What if he said "No"..don't be silly, jason, of course he is going to open the bridge!  I hesitated a second time..why am i getting nervous about this?  I am 52 years old..i talk in class all of the time..ok, so the third tome i pick up the radio and contact the bridge..requesting an opening.. Got a very short answer "ok  captain"  wow, he addressed me as captain..that was cool




Next i hear"you know, capt.  You have 28feet of Clearance".  "yes but i am at 30feet" i reply.  Then i hear a grudging"OK, it will be 10 minutes".  "thank you bridge".  I really do not want to get on this Guy's bad side.  The day before john told me that the least amount of communication was best, so i opted not to proceed with "you know,  i was watching all day esterday, and you did not open that bridge once..what do you do up there all day"  of course, that would not have been my style anyway!   

I hear the siren, and the bells, and i watch as the gates come down and the traffic stops, and then i begin to inch forward.  The bridge Begins to open, and i press on,steering for the middle of the channel. Watching for any adverse currents, but i take a second to take a pic as i make my way under..my first bridge




First time in the upper part of the bay,   re.Remembering the manners that my mother taught me, i call the bridge to say thank you...and what do i hear in response? "just so you know,capt, you could have made it without opening"
Uh-oh..does this mean that he is going to challenge me on the way back??   Why did he have to spoil my first experience?  Being one who does not like to make waves     i knew that i was  going to fret about this all morning..



I spent the rest of the day puttering around the boat and chatted with a couple who rac

[MKBLK]

Jt - If you had Pegasus as a tender, you could have parked Adagio and passed under the bridge with 9 feet to spare! Seriously, I believe that the clearance markings are for mean high tide. But, who wants to take chances like that? I watched an episode of Distant Shores and their mast (on a 49' Southerly) is 69 feet high! Serious business.

Marty K.

[Bob23]

JT:
   Great story and you did the right thing. Remember, it's your mast, not his. If I go under, I'll ask him to open it also...and add that you sent me! haha. With my vhf antenna, I guess I'm over 30' from the water.
bob23

[jthatcher]

Well,  for better or worse,  the story is not quite over .  We had friends over for dinner last night and I had to quit writing..   So,  heading north after the bridge,  wondering what the conversation with the bridge operator  will be like on the way back...  But thatconcern fades as I turn my attention to the chart as I am now in unfair waters.   I decide to stick with the channel because there is a Fair amount of skinny water in this area.   It is still pretty exciting exciting to see osprey up close!


Still no wind to speak of,  and it is a weekday morning so there is very little  traffic so I figured that it was time to try out the auto tiller.   It wasgreat to be able to point theboat towards the next markand then move forward and sit in the companion way,  keeping an eye all around,  but putting a little distance between me andthe motor.


This thing works pretty well!

I went as far the mantaloking bridge.  The wind began to pick up so I unfurled the jib,  but that did not last  too long.   Soon I was surrounded by a fleet of optimist prams in a channel that was getting narrow with another bridge a short distance  away..  Decision time!  I decided to check the gas before turning south.. Figured I should probably get some fuel so I headed into the marina close by which obviously had gas..    My first visit to Hinkley marina..  Probably my last.   It was expensive and they didn't have any candy bars!!   What kind of marina is that


Headed south -directly into the wind,  but no matter,  I had fulltank,  and the motor was purring perfectly.   Not long after turning back,  I heard a fie! Low who was headedsouth,  towing an a-cat,  requesting an opening from the mantaloking bridge.   Soon after,  the bridge opened,  and I spotted the boats.   He was moving a little faster than I was,  but it quickly dawned on me that if I followed him through the seaside bridge I could totally avoid any kind of uncomfortable discussion with the bridge attendant    he was staying in the channel,  but I decided that I could cut some corners in order to keep up.. That worked for a time,  but,  as we got nearer to the bridge,  it looked like we werenot going to. Make thenext opening.. Well,  maybe I was not going to make it. He Just applied more power!   I was feeling a it left behind. So I cranked the throttlewide open, knowing that this was terribly inefficient, but already succumbing to my first case of "bridge fever"!   I wasready to throw in thetowel when I hearted guy contacting thebridge..  "when is your next opening? " he inquired..  It was a few moments before twelve.  Of course, he all ready knows theater to the question. What he is really saying is..  I'm a few minutes late, but will you open the bridge anyway?   After my initial contact with this bridgeguy,  I expected a terse response.. But no.  In a really friendly tone he responded "no problem.. Well get you through"  hmmm,  maybe I need to be sailing an a-cat!

A minute later ii contactedthe bridge andasked about the Clearence "28 feet" camethe response.   I was a few hundred yards behind at this point.   "it looks like I will shoot for the 12:30opening then"  "where are you" he asked..  I told him that I was right behind the a-cat.   Maybe he heard the hint of defeat in my voice.  "no problem,  keep coming,  we will get you both through"    what we're all of those thoughts that I had earlier about this guy doing nothing all day?   Behind me a few powerboats that did not need the bridge to be opened at all were closing in on me.   In front the boat towing the chat was doing a circle till I caught up.   I could hardly believe what happened next.   The bridge began to open.   The boat ahead of me started making further bridge and the powerboat overtook me on the starboard side.   I figured that he was going get to go under the spanth starboard,  but no.   He continued straight ahead.  The boat ahead of me was entering the channel under the bridge when the powerboat squeezed between him and the bridge and then gunned it to pass him.. I am not sure if he heard the curses hurled in his direction over his motor noise,  but the guy doing the towing was not too thrilled.   I was warned about inconsiderate people at bridges!

The rest of the trip home was uneventful.   All in all,  I covered 19.2nautical miles.   I made some mental notes about the benefits of having good a marina guide aboard -even when just sailing home waters!   My sense is that covering 20-25nautical miles a day should be very doable for my wife and I.   I like the idea of early departures and finishing up early in the afternoon. 

That is about it for this trip.. Except that I found that I had locked the keys to my truck in my truck..
That was a bit of a setback,  but it turned out ok.   I washed down the boat very well while waiting for triple A! L

I can't wait for my next visit to the marina..   Jt








after I turned around.  I heard a southbound boat calling the mantaloking bridge.   He was towing ana-cat

[Bob23]

Great story, JT:
   A few comments: Expensive gas at the Hinckley Marina? Figures...they sell Hinckleys. But I'm surprised that Hinckley owners don't eat candy bars! Too highbrow for candy bars maybe? I've always wanted to stop at that place- that would be my secret post-retirement job- working for Hinckley. Guess I'll bring my own snacks.
   Your experience with the powerboater at the bridge is not unheard of. Some of those stinkpot owners can be real jerks. Some are ok. Seems the classier the powerboat, the more respect I get from them. A few years ago, as I was sailing north toward your area, I was being overtaken by a dark blue hulled powerboat with classic Maine lobster boat looks, a Hinckley jet boat with a distinguished looking older gentleman standing in the cockpit. They slowed, as they should have and as he approached and tipped his hat, he said "Pretty boat". I replied the same to him, with a tipping of my Tilley. I guess when you own a Hinckley, you know a good boat when you seen one. And maybe they tend to be a bit more respectful of smaller sailboats than the average Coors light- gulping, Jersey Shore- watching yahoo out there.
   I have a great book here called "The A-cats" given to me by a good friend after her husband passed away. Signed by the authors, it covers the history of the A-Cat with great photos and articles. I'll bring it to the BBB 2012. I see them often under tow when they move North for the annual races. I think the masts are somewhere around 48 feet tall. They look impressive, even under tow.
bob23
http://www.hinckleyyachts.com/Jetboats/t40/t40_gallery.aspx

[Shawn]

Nice write up, the tiller pilots are really nice to have. Great for single handing to keep the boat pointed into the wind to raise/drop sails.

If you haven't tried it yet it also has a tack function. Press the +10 and +1 together and the boat will turn 100 degrees to that side. If you are single handing that will free you up to work the jib sheets.

If you have a GPS that outputs NMEA data you can use that to keep the tiller pilot on a track, not just a heading. My wind meter outputs NMEA but in the wrong format for the autopilot. I'm going to write some software to convert that to the correct message for the tiller pilot. That will let the tiller pilot run on a specific wind angle too which would be nice.

Shawn

[jthatcher]

Thanks for the info,  Shawn.   Nice to know about the tacking feature,  and I had not thought about using it to keep the bow into the wind for sail handling.   I do not have any  modern nav instruments.  Just a hand held gps.,  a compas  and a depth sounder.    We like to keep things simple! 
  Any idea how much power it draws?    Jt

[Shawn]

If that is the ST-2000+ I believe it is rated for 0.5 to 1.5 amps when in Auto mode. It varies depending upon how often it has to correct and how well trimmed the boat is. In standby mode the draw is almost nothing. If you have a fully charged deep cycle battery you could run the autopilot for many hours (over a day) before hitting 50% discharge. On a sunny day my solar panel puts out more than the autopilot draws.

"Just a hand held gps.,  a compas  and a depth sounder.    We like to keep things simple! "

Simple is good too. My GPS is a Garmin 478 which is a dual mode automotive/marine model. It works nice but the display is a little small. Gives all the right data (including cross track error) for the Tiller Pilot which is nice.

Shawn

[jthatcher]

How does one know when he has been away from his boat for too long?  Well, i imagine that there are many answers to this question , but this morning when i started to take the sail cover off and found a bird's nest..  well, that was a clear indication that it has just been too long! 

On the way down yesterday, i encountered a number of storms.. not unexpected, but pretty powerful just the same.   It was obvious that it had rained here earlier in the day, and it was humid!   my glasses fogged up when i came out of the grocery store!    the marina was very quiet..   i guess that is typical for sunday evenings.   i got everything stowed in its proper place and then settled down for the night.   there was a fair amount of lightening in the sky, but no rain, so i left the drop board out and the hatch ajar.. and some of the port holes open - in an attempt to get some cooler air below.   of course, i was just kidding myself, because there wasn't any cool air anywhere!    at least, until the wind began to blow - which it did with a fury, but that also brought rain    the boat was rocking like crazy, and  i had to tighten up the screws on the ports and put the drop board in and close the hatch.   i could still feel a breeze coming from under the hatch, and from the hatch over the v berth which i was able to leave slightly open..

perhaps, with all of that rocking and rolling, i did not sleep as well as i might have..  it was nearly 8 am when i awoke this morning!    i never sleep that late.. but it was a beautiful morning, and I thoroughly enjoyed my tea and the granola which my wife sent along with me for breakfast..     I had been thinking that I would head south today.. towards Bob's domain, and that i might even stay at a marina over night down that way, but  i put that idea on the shelf after such a late start and decided to just head  a little ways south and then return home.    I motored down the river, and the put up just my jib as i turned the corner into the bay..   not long after killing the engine i hear from behind me.. " hey, is that a compac?"   turning around, i find a couple not too far away, fishing..  we had a brief conversation.. he has a compac 16 in his driveway that he takes to the Chesapeake..   i should have been polite and invited him to the Barneg at bay bash at the end of the month, but soon i was out of earshot..   

i was feeling a little lazy, thinking that maybe i would sail with just the headsail.. not that there was that much wind..  i was making about 3 knots maybe.. but i forced myself to get up and raise the main.. and just in time.. a fresh breeze arrived, and the boat surged forward.. and life was good!   i took a pic and sent it to a colleague of mine who happens to still be teaching summer school.    he and his wife were hoping to come sailing this past weekend, but we postponed due to the impending storms..   so i sent him a pic and wrote.. too bad you are not here today!     it reminded me of when my dad and i used to go deep sea fishing..  when we had a bad day the crew would always say.. " it is a shame you were not here yesterday - we were killing them!" 

the wind did not hold for long..  so i turned into lanoka harbor and motored in to check it out..  then i turned for home.. motoring a good part of the way..   but..  as i turned into tom's river, the wind picked up.  right on my nose..    i was tired, but it was too good to pass up..  so i killed the motor and raised the sails.. and had a wonderful hour of tacking my way up the river..   got back into the marina..  tidied up the boat and took a nap in the cockpit    and now off to the Mexican restaurant with rich.. the previous owner of the boat .. life is pretty good on the water !     jt

[Shawn]

"   I had been thinking that I would head south today.. towards Bob's domain, and that i might even stay at a marina over night down that way, but  i put that idea on the shelf after such a late start and decided to just head  a little ways south and then return home.  "

What kind of ground tackle do you have? Have you used it much yet?

If it is suitable try sleeping on the hook. It will open up more possibilities and save you money at other marinas.

Shawn

[jthatcher]

good thought, shawn..     i have one danforth anchor .   the previous owner had it mounted on the side of the bow pulpit where the headsail chaffed against it..  i was not too concerned as it was obvious that i would soon need a new headsail anyway, but, now that i have a new one..  i have yet to put that anchor back!    i just asked him this evening about why he set it up that way..    i am not sure that i got a definitive answer..  so,  i am thinking of moving the bracket to the middle and hanging it straight down..      as far as i understand,  a danforth is appropriate for Barnegat Bay,  but  it does seem to make sense to have two anchors aboard for any kind of extended cruising.    i will have to work on that!     i have followed the posts of a couple from the west coast. similar size boat.. they  hang one of their anchors on the stern pulpit..    i agree that it would be fun to spend the night on the hook..  and considerably less expensive!