I was planning to change the oil in the generator. I pulled off the sound shield and started it up, warming up the oil, when I noticed water streaming from the raw water pump. This pump pulls sea water into the heat exchanger to cool the coolant/engine. I shut down the engine. I have a... Continue Reading →
Our trip to Alaska is upon us! Well, in the next day or two anyway, depending on when Alec's passport arrives. He renewed it in plenty of time but it was lost somewhere, despite the post office tracking information saying it was delivered to his apartment mail room. It apparently wasn't. So he filed the... Continue Reading →
The last set of seat cushions/sponges I replaced are for the flybridge seating. The original cushions were foam with a zippered vinyl cover. The zippers were not watertight and had rotted away from the covering. When it rained (this is Seattle), water soaked the foam cushions. They were essentially not useable. Plus they stained easily.... Continue Reading →
We bought our boat from a couple that bought it new and named it Vamos a ver, which means "let's go see" or "let's go to sea". The name is not a bad one and we didn't dislike it. However, whenever we said its name over the radio or in conversation, we would be asked... Continue Reading →
The Coast Guard Auxiliary is the volunteer arm of the US Coast Guard. They are usually boaters with an interest in the Coast Guard and volunteer work or retired Coast Guard officers. They provide the Coast Guard with support for many activities, including safety patrols and search and rescue. However, the Auxiliary does not have... Continue Reading →
Why have a watermaker? We use a lot of fresh water on board. Laundry, dishes, showers, head flushing, drinking, and cooking. Without conserving, we each use about 20 gallons of water per day. With a 250 gallon water tank, we have about six days before we need to refill it. Usually, that means paying for... Continue Reading →
We like to anchor, whether overnight or just for an afternoon. We prefer anchoring to docking at a marina because it provides privacy and excellent scenery as the boat slowly rotates around with the wind or current. If you venture very far north of the border, anchoring is required as marinas become rare. To get... Continue Reading →
If you don't think you need anything for your boat, just go to a boat show and you will quickly find out what you didn't know you needed. Just like computers, boat electronics are continually being upgraded and one could spend a fortune upgrading radar, plotters, auto pilots, fish finders, etc., even though many boaters... Continue Reading →
Fiddler 