Boat Hair - KJ's First Hair Cut

When should a child get their first hair cut? I believe the answer depends on the child. In the case of crew member KJ, she was 4 years 8 months old. It was KJ's decision to cut her hair and Bill agreed.

Bill and I believe that we should teach our girls about how to make decisions, as soon as they can comprehend the concept. KJ and her Dad have been getting close to making a decision on when she should get her first hair cut, for the past year. But we knew that her hair would be cut before we started our adventure. Very long hair gets really tangled in the wind and on a sailboat there is usually wind (we hope ;)).

The decision to cut her hair came after our long 4th of July weekend, at the boat. KJ's hair was really tangled and a bear to brush. So many tears :(. A couple of days later, KJ told me she wanted her hair cut and Bill gave me the go-a-head.

One pony tail and a couple of snipes from the scissors and KJ's hair is 9" shorter, but still well below her shoulders. With the baby hair gone, her hair looks and feel healthier and is a lot easier to brush. KJ love her shorter hair.

Tupperware

In the cruising world, one major nemesis is trash. Most of the books and blogs that I have read on cruising suggest taking food out of its original container and store it in some kind of reusable storage. This not only cuts down on the amount of plastic and paper trash, but also helps keep various insects off the boat.

Based on recommendations from cruiser forums, blogs, and books the best solution for us is Tupperware. Continuous usage of an item requires it to be reliable and durable. Testimonials from the above mentioned references, all highly recommend Tupperware over any other brand of storage.

With the solution in hand, we started pricing new Tupperware and developed a case of sticker shock. New, just a couple of pieces can run upwards of $50. Based on our storage plan, we were going to need a lot, but we weren't willing to drop $500 or more on new Tupperware. We decided to try ebay.

While searching on ebay, I could not believe how many results came up for Tupperware, over 30,000. That's a lot of Tupperware! After looking at a lot of listings, we bid on a few and won a listing that had over 70 pieces of vintage(used) Tupperware for a total of $50.82 (included shipping).

The Tupperware was in great shape and I was amazed at how much each container could hold. We have filled and labeled all of the various pieces of Tupperware. They now reside on Ariel.

Ground Tackle Acquisition - Chain, Rode, Claw

With all of the modifications and upgrades that we have made to our Gemini 3200, we thought it was time to upgrade some of our most important equipment, ground tackle.

When we purchased our boat back in June 2009, it came with 2 fair sets of anchor, chain, and rode. Our future plans call for us spending most of our time at anchor; therefore, additional chain and rode are a necessity.

The upgrades to our ground tackle include: 100 feet of 5/16 BBB chain with 150 feet of 1/2 nylon rode, 60 feet of 5/16 BBB chain with 150 feet of 1/2 nylon rode, stainless steel anchor shackles, and 33 pound claw anchor.

You know, insurance companies are always reminding people to re-evaluate their insurance as it relates to changes in their lives. We believe that ground tackle is the most valuable insurance you can have on a boat. With the additions to our ground tackle equipment, we believe that we are more than adequately insured ;).

New Wraps for Lines and Shore Cord

Have you ever thought, I need something to keep "X" from coming uncoiled? On our Gemini 3200, the "X" is numerous.

I've been thinking for some time on how to keep things from coming uncoiled that would not cost a lot, if any, money.

The idea of the wrap came from a marine chandlery that we call "Tiffany's," because of their prices. I was browsing through their catalog when I came across wraps priced from $1.99 to $6.49, depending on material. The wrap looked so simple, I decided to make them.

Using webbing, velcro, and Beulah, I made two wraps in less than 5 minutes for less than $.25 each. The wraps are a piece of 12" long webbing with 2" of velcro. Just sew the loop part of the velcro on one side of the webbing, at the end, and the hook part of the velcro on the other side, at the opposite end. That's it. (Note: Make sure to sear the ends of the webbing or cut it using a hot knife, because it likes to ravel.)

Cleaning Boat Grill

Above picture is after the cleaning. I wish I had taken a before picture.

Before you think about throwing a grill away, try cleaning it with Easy Off Oven Cleaner (in the yellow canister). You will be amazed at what it can do, I know it amazed me.

Preparing for our adventure, we knew that we wanted the ability to grill. Not only because we like to grill, but it gives us a backup to our stove and not cooking in the galley will help keep the boat cooler, when it is hot.

We acquired a Magma grill when we purchased our Gemini 3200 , a year ago June, but we never used it. The reason we never used it was it looked terrible on the inside and it would not stay lit. We were considering throwing it away, but we thought that we should try to clean it.

I cleaned it using Easy Off Oven Clean, in the yellow canister. Basically, I sprayed (coated) the inside of the grill with Easy Off, closed the lid, and allowed it so sit in the sun for 4 hours. When I came back and rinsed the grill, I was amazed. The grill almost looked brand new and now appears to be working. I guess it just needed a really good cleaning.

I'm so glad that we tried to clean the grill before throwing it way. The $3.54 cost of a canister of Easy Off saved us from purchasing a new marine grill with prices starting around $150.

Tip: I would not use the Easy Off near anything that is painted. It took the green paint off the propane canister.

Igloo 165 QT Cooler

It is hard to keep things cold on a boat. That is no longer the case on our Gemini 3200. Other day, we purchased an Igloo 165QT MaxCold Travel Cooler for Ariel.

Igloo advertises that this cooler keeps ice for 7 days in 90 degree temperatures, holds up to 280 -12oz. cans hold, has a quick-access hatch, and is made with Ultratherm insulation for maximum cold retention. The durable outside has UV inhibitors incorporated into the plastic, I desire that this translates into longevity.

This cooler is approximately 42" long, 18" wide, and 22" high and will take up valuable space in the cockpit.

Like almost everything that goes on our Gemini 3200, it has to have more than one purpose. The cooler will not only store things that we want to keep cold, it will also double as a helm set. Our existing helm seat is a Garelick pilot chair (looks like bar stool). The reasons we are making the change are that we felt the chair would be a hazard in rough seas and one of the seat welds broke on our last cruise.

We are looking forward to putting the cooler on Ariel. With this addition, the cockpit will be safer, we can keep cold things longer, and more than one person can sit at the helm at the same time. (Cup holders are a bonus ;))

Cockpit Cushion Covers

N0w that the settee cushions on our Gemini 3200 have been refreshed, I wanted to do something to brighten up our boat cockpit without spending more than $50. The solution was to make covers for our existing cockpit cushions.

The existing cockpit cushions are closed cell foam covered in a designer phifertex fabric. The cushions are fantastic, because neither the phifertex nor the close cell foam absorb water. So they not only serve as seat cushions, but also could be used as flotation aids. The cushions would be perfect, except they look drab and the phifertex fabric is not comfortable.

After exploring different options, I happen upon a project posted to Sailrite's facebook page were someone used beach towels to recover their cockpit cushions. The great thing about using beach towels is that the towels could be used for multiple purposes and they wouldn't take up valuable storage space.

I started my search for the right beach towels. I was fortunate to find towels that matched the interior color palette at Target for $9.99. I purchased 4 towels.

To make the cover, I wrapped an existing cushion in a towel and pinned it in place. Then I pinned velcro to the towel and sewed it into place using my LSZ-1 Ultrafeed sewing machine.

The cover installation takes only a minute. Just place a cushion on a towel and wrap it in the towel like a present. The velcro functions as the tape.

I love the new look and can't wait to try them out the next time we are in Savannah.

Settee Cushions Redo - Materials and Cost

Recently, I completely remade the settee cushions for our Gemini 3200. I did not go into details about how to make the cushions, because Sailrite's dvd gives all of the detail and they are the experts. I do want to share with y'all the list of materials and cost. Maybe this information can help someone looking at redoing their settee or other large upholstery project.

Our Gemini 3200 has six large cushions (3 back and 3 seat cushions) that make-up the settee. The back cushions are basically rectangles and two of the cushions are mounted on plywood with a teak back plate, so no need to cover the back of the cushions with material. The three seat cushions were irregular in shape and a little more challenging.

All-in-all, this project took 65 hours for me, to complete. (This was my first big sewing project and the first time I had ever installed zippers. The Sailrite dvd was the only reference I used and it was the only one that I needed.) I think that now that I have some experience, this project would take less time for me to complete.

All of the materials for this project were purchased from Sailrite, except the foam which was purchased from my local Joann's. Note: I was able to use coupons/sale discounts to purchase all of the materials.

The list and quantity of material below was sufficient to make 2 back cushions - 65"x14"x2", 1 back cushion - 74"x14"x3", 2 seat cushions - 62"x20"x4", and 1 seat cushion 69"x24"x4".

Materials from Sailrite:

12 yards of Naugahyde Universal Pure White 54" - $155.40

180 yards Deluxe Vinyl Emossed Welting/Piping Pure White - $ 99.00

1 1oz Spool plus 25yards of V92 White Thread -~$ 5.00

2 #10 White 72" Zippers - Single Locking Plastic - $ 19.90*

2 #10 White 60" Zippers - Single Locking Plastic - $ 17.40*

1 Sailrite "Make Your Own Cushions" DVD - $ 19.95

Shipping from Sailrite - $ 15.24

Minus 10% Discount ($ 31.66)

Total from Sailrite: $300.23

* Note: Single locking zipper is hard to sew around, at the ends. I recommend using non-locking zipper for this type of project. That way the slider and lock don't get into the way. (Wish I had known.)

Foam from Joann's: (Note all of the foam was purchased with 40% to 50% off discounts)

2-2"thick x65" long x 24.5" wide $ 67.22

1-3"thick x 74" long x 24.5" wide $ 52.78

2-4"thick x 62" long x 24.5" wide $114.57

1-4"thick x 69" long x 24.5" wide $ 58.44

Total from Joann's: $293.01

Other Materials/Instruments Used:

12 1/2"Brass Grommets

1 #18 Sewing Machine Needle for Ultrafeed Machine

Beulah (our Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ-1 Machine)

Good Office Stapler

Box of Staples

Heavy Duty Stapler and Staples for Cushions with Plywood backs

Staple Puller

1/2" Die Set to install Grommets

Hammer

Flat Head Screwdriver

Scissors

Yard Stick

10' Measuring Tape

Seam Ripper

Time: ~65 hours

Total Cost of 6 extra large cushions $593.24. This cost does not include the cost of time or my Ultrafeed LSZ-1. However, with the completion of this project, Beulah (my Ultrafeed LSZ-1) has more than paid for herself, my sewing skills have improved, and Ariel feels and smells fresher.

Settee Cushions Redo - Part 2

Six large cushions later, the settee is fresh and new! I finished the last two seat cushions just before we left for the July 4th weekend in Savannah and assembled them, as soon as we arrived.

The assembly consisted of me shoving the foam into the cushion covers I made. (I did not assemble the cushions in Atlanta, because we had to travel with them and to make the best us of space, I had to fold the foam.) You can see from the photo that I needed to work the foam, so that the it fills in all of the turns. The bottom cushions looked smoother after working the foam, with only one or two rolls in the fabric. If these don't smooth out within the next month or so, I will add a little batting. This will make the cushions fuller, thus removing the rolls.

I finished off the settee with two outdoor pillows from Cost Plus World Market.

We wanted the boat for feel fresh and tropical. I think that we have accomplished those feelings in the main saloon.

Marking Anchor Chain With Electrical Tape On Dock

[KJ and I marking anchor chain lengths with electrical tape]

Our 5/16th BBB 100 foot chain came in! It is a brute! Perfect! After inspecting all the links, KJ and I sat down to measure off 20 foot lengths and to mark it.

There are many systems for marking chain, and there are plenty of "devices" you can buy to mark both the chain and rode. KJ and I marked the chain and rode with electrical tape. This approach will require maintenance (e.g. retaping periodically), but didn't cost us any additional out of the pocket money as we already had 5 colors of electrical tape from other work I had done.

Our procedure was rather simple. We marked our dock with 2 pieces of tape 20 feet apart. We then ran the chain back and forth between the marks. At each turn of the chain, we put some tape on. Not just a turn or two, but multiple wraps. For the rode, we unwound the rope strands enough to insert flags of tape.

Coloring on chain markings is another one of those areas where there are lots of opinions and approaches. Some folks have tried to standardize the approaches, and while they make sense, I went with a technique that is simple enough for our family.

Every different color on a given section represents 20 feet. For example, at 40 feet, you will find 2 different colors of tape. The colors don't matter in our system, just that there are different colors. At 60 feet, you will find 3 different colors, at 100 feet, 5 colors. We did the same approach with the rope. When all the chain is paid out, plus 2 colors of rode, we know we are at 140 feet of total ground tackle out (100 feet of chain plus 2 colors of tape on the rope).

Keep in mind, we don't have a windlass, so there are no binding issues.

In addition to the maintenance issue noted, if our chain ever has to be cut, then we would have to peel off some of the tape on the chain as well as keep the new length in mind as we spool it out if we get into the rope section.

Sail Versus Power Boats: The Great Boat Debate

Over the past 3 years, as we've initiated ourselves into the world of boating, we've learned of a few battles that are as contentious as religion and politics. Some we've explored on our blog, such as anchoring and build -vs- buy. Others, such as power versus sail, we haven't yet. Well, today I'm going to poke into another one.... sailboats versus powerboats. :)

Sailboats are superior. Oh, now thems fightin words! But that is my opinion, based on our needs and desires, sailboats are simply superior. Within the previous sentence is the key, “based on our needs and desires.”

For us, being solo agents and completely self reliant, having redundancy is critical. A sailboat has 2 sources of propulsion. In addition to sails, a sailboat typically has a redundant propulsion source by way of an outboard engine. Powerboats are limited to, well, their combustion engine.

Unlike others who rail against having an engine, I think it is great to have one (heck, we have 2 on our boat now, one for Ariel and one for the dinghy). I, however, think having propulsion limited only to petroleum is too risky for our adventure. 1 engine, 2 engines, 3 … doesn't matter …. we are after different options and wind plus petroleum is the way to go.

Beyond this point, you have all the other “arguments.” Speed, noise, range, electrical power creation, hull shapes for suitability of conditions, and more. These are all valid issues from someones perspective, and based on the someones weighting of each, the scales could be tipped in favor of power over sail or vice versa.

At this point in our journey, powerboats simply are too limited for our tastes. In our weighting system, the value in propulsion source options is such that with all the other factors combined, a sailboat is definitely the way to go for us.

Time to put the sails up and slowly make our way back to the marina, with only the sound of fish jumping, wind though the sails, and the waves lapping up along the boat. Ultimate peace. Well, that and KJ and Dy screaming “Look! Look!” as the dolphins swim along side.

Independence Day - Boat Style!

This is our second 4th of July on the boat. Talk about independence! Last year Ariel was new to the family and we were sitting on Lake Lanier taking in all the fireworks. This year, as we progress on our journey, we are on the Atlantic Ocean preparing to enjoy more fireworks. Tybee Island is said to have one heck of a show, so we will be sailing to another location this afternoon for prime viewing.

Independence. That is ultimately what we are after. This adventure, this throwing off of the shackles of "normal life", is proof that we are truly independent. The USA threw caution to the wind in 1776 and told the mother land it wasn't needed any more ... that the USA could survive on its own. This was gutsy. The world was (is) a turbulent place with nations all vying for more land and power.

Fortunately for our family, the USA succeed in its quest for independence and we've enjoyed all the fruits that come with it. It was that initial risk, that moment of braving it solo, that we are thinking about today. Independence Day for the USA, the 4th of July, serves as an awesome example of courage.

The edge of decision, the moment of facing that final choice to go. We are on the edge. We are about to embark on a style of living that is so counter to the currents we live in. It is different, it is far more independent.

Will we have the guts in the end to push off from that marina dock and say, "See you later!"? We believe so. Compared to launching an entire nation on a new path, ours seems easy.

The mental hardening of the "YESification" process continues.

Provisioning the Boat for 4 Days

This weekend is the 4th of July and we are going to take Ariel (our Gemini 3200) out for her first cruise in the Atlantic. We are planning to spend 4 days out on the boat. We are very excited!

One of the biggest challenges is how do we provision the boat for 4 days. Since we will be leaving our marina this afternoon and will not be returning until sometime on Monday, we need to (at minimum) provision for 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, and 3 dinners plus snacks.

Breakfasts will consist of pancakes, oatmeal, and fresh fruit. The big decision is whether to make lunch or dinner the "big meal". This will dependent on the heat. Our main lunch and dinner menus are steaks with mash potatoes, hot dogs with buns, steak burritos, chili with rice, chickpea salad, and gazpacho.

In addition to the menu for this weekend, we have our galley staples consisting of canned tuna, lentils, extra chili, canned corn, canned tomatoes, extra rice and potatoes, extra oatmeal and pancake mix, onions, spam, mixed nuts, dry fruit, powder milk, chicken stock, variety of beans, garlic, salsa, basic staples (flour, sugar, salt, pepper, and spices), and a 4lb bag of M&Ms and Twizzlers. Theses staples serve as our food safety net. In the quantities we have on our boat, we believe that we could live off these staples for 3 weeks, if we had to.

Soups On! Time to clean the grill. I can almost smell the steaks now ;).

Dinghy Engine Mount For Our Gemini 3200 Sailboat

One of the ornery pieces of equipment to find a proper place for is the dinghy engine. Where does one store a 5 hp outboard engine?

Many of the boats in our marina have them mounted on the rails around their boat, and in fact many of them have a mounting board on their rails just for this purpose. Ariel had this same mounting board (a 7 inch by 9 inch plaque), but it wouldn't support our dinghy engine. As we test mounted the 5hp engine, our mounting board just spun around.

Inspecting the other boats, we could see that nearly all of them had their mounting boards such that a pipe ran through the center of them preventing the spinning. Ariel's dinghy mounting board wasn't configured this way. While looking at what I would need to do to have a pipe in the center, I saw a problem: our rudders would potentially bump into the dinghy hanging off of the mounting board. (Recall that on a Gemini 3200, the rudders are off the back of the boat and can be adjusted based on a desired draft and the shallower the draft, the higher out of the water the top of the rudders are.)

The other issue we noticed during the test mounting was that the propeller of the dinghy engine was perfectly situated to gouge the side of our boat if, say, the boat were bounced around. That would be bad news.

The solution to both issues (the spinning mounting board and gouging propeller) would be found on 2 different boats we saw in the marina. These boats used a long board to serve as a backing board. The longer board effectively created a wall that runs the length of the dinghy engine and protects the boat from the engine banging on the side.

We went to HomeDepot and bought a PVC Viranda board; a lightweight, low maintenance, moisture resistance, pre-colored board. After cutting it to the desired length (40 inches), I bolted it onto the dinghy engine mount on the rail and viola! we now have a secure place for our dinghy engine to mount.

Marinas are awesome .... lots of examples on how to solve challenges.

Settee Cushions Redo - Part 1

Over the past couple of months, I have been making new settee cushions for our Gemini 3200. Given my limited sewing experience, I have been taking my time making the new cushions. I want to do a really good job, because this is our home.

Before starting this project, I did a lot of research on making cushions and the different materials to use. Sailrite's website has been an invaluable resource to me. This website not only has all of the material, sewing aids, and notions, but also terrific "how to" videos. When I purchased everything to make the cushions from Sailrite, I also purchased their "Make Your Own Cushion" dvd. This dvd is definitely worth its $19.95 price. I have completed 4 of the 6 settee cushions and have referenced the video each time.

All of the materials used to make the cushions were purchased from Sailrite, except the foam. Foam is very expensive and even more expensive to ship. After a lot of thought, we decided to purchase the foam at our local JoAnn's store. It did not hurt that I came across a couple of 5o% and 40% off coupons. For the material we chose Naugahyde Universal, which is a durable outdoor marine grade material. The reasoning behind picking it was that if it can hold up to the outdoor marine enviornment, then it should do fantastic inside.

The plan is to finish the cushions this week. After I finish the last cushion and place it in the boat, I will post before and after pictures of the settee renovation.

Windex 15

Our Gemini 3200 is a sailboat and it is important for us to know the direction of the wind, as it relates to our boat. One piece of existing equipment, on the boat, that give us wind directional and speed information is our Horizon Wind Indicator. However, the information from the Horizon is not always correct and is hard to see from our cockpit.

Based on the recommendation from Dick at Sail Harbor Marina, we had the boatyard install a new Windex 15 on the top of the mast. The cost was around $50.

With the new windex, existing Horizon instrument, our flag, and coupled with some homemade telltales made from vhf tape we should always know the wind direction.

Masthead/Steaming Light

USCG navigation light requirements for any recreational boat under 12 meters (39 feet) include a red port sidelight - visible 1nm, green starboard sidelight - visible 1nm, white stern light - visible 1nm, white 360 degree anchor light - visible 1nm, and white masthead/steaming -visible 2nm. When we stepped the mast back in April, we found that our masthead/steaming light was non-existent, only bare wires. (For anyone not familar with a sailboat, the masthead/steaming light is not on top of the mast, but about 1/3 the way up the mast.) Given that we had to buy a new light, we investigated installing a combination LED masthead/steaming/deck light fixture. The cost for a new LED light fixture was way out of our budget, so we purchased a Forespar Combination Steaming/Deck light.

The Forespar light was chosen, because of the rugged construction, ease of changing the light bulb, and price. We had the boatyard install the light, while the mast was down. Now all we have to do is wire it to our Gemini 3200's DC electrical panel.

Soldering Iron - Its Many Uses

Before the boat, we had a project car called Blue Moon Dune. She is an Allison Daytona Beach Dune Buggy on a 1965 VW pan. We sold her back in May 2009, in preparation for our sailing adventure. One piece of equipment that we purchased for working on Blue Moon Dune was a soldering iron. Now that same soldering iron is being utilized on projects for our Gemini 3200. We won't be using it on anything electrical, because the solder is not marine environment friendly. We have however, used it to cut Sunbrella fabric, sail cloth, twine for the lifelines, searing the ends of the lifeline netting, lines, shock cords, and anywhere you would need a hot knife. It has worked great and the nice thing is that it was a piece of equipment that we already had.

We are always looking for multiple ways to utilize existing tools, equipment, and anything that will be put on the boat.

Fathers Day On The Water

Ahhh, amazing .... nothing like waking up on fathers day and having 2 beautiful daughters give you kisses and hugs and boatmade Fathers day cards. Yes, this fathers day, I've woken up on the boat. This is my first fathers day afloat, and it feels oh so good.

The past two days we got a lot done on the boat. 2 more cushions in, radar system is getting closer to operational, supplies loaded, stuff organized, radios tested, generator fitted, and more. We will be spending the next hour or so cleaning up the boat and then we will be back on our way to Atlanta.

The "YESification" process continues full bore.

Back to Savannah for Boat Time

This seems like a re-occurring theme for our Friday posts, but we are back on the road to Savannah! More boat time!

The car is packed with our new generator, clothes, new cushions, toys and more. We are also taking our portable air conditioner to help cool off the boat at the dock. We saw a lot of other boats at the marina using portable ACs, so we thought we would try ours.

You may recall we had an AC in the boat when we bought her last year, but it was heavy, it didn't work very well, and it took up a lot of valuable space so we took it out. Our little portable 9,000 BTU LG unit does great, so we shall see. I'm curious to see if running it trips the dock side circuit breaker or not.

Each trip brings us closer to Yes!