WIND GENERATOR INSTALLATION

Well, I finally got around to installing the 400 watt wind generator.  I've had it for about a month now and finally decided to start the installation.  It took about the whole day to almost finish it.  Tomorrow, if weather permiting I will go back up the mast and install the blades.  Yesterday the wind was really brisk and I did not want to  try installing the blades in that kind of wind so tomorrow I will try.  I put on the frig. to bring the batteries down so the when testing the wind generator it will sense that the batteries need a charge and if all goes well it should put in the necessary amps into the batteries.  We will see.  I will follow up with the finialization of this project.

WIFI INSTALLATION

Well, I just finished installation of a wifi antenna and hookup so that I can get free internet while on the boat.  I mounted the antenna on the davits and ran the coax to the chart table.  Now I can get the internet while on the boat and don't have to lug the laptop ashore to an internet cafe.  I tried out the system back in May while cruising and only used a temporary antenna setup and it worked perfect, now with the permanent installation it will be eaiser to just plug and play.  If you would like more information on this type of setup just drop me an email.
Fairwinds & Following Seas

GOGGLE ADSENSE A SCAM ????

As all you viewers to my page have noticed that their were google ads posted for your convience and now they are not there, well in the beginning I was told that if I had google put some ads on my page that I would get paid for the clicks to the ads. Sounds good doesn't it well, I was informed that it was a scam and google after awhile wouldn't pay, but I did it anyway. Over time I acummulated a few dollars about $150 or so. See google makes money from the advertisers and was to pay me a small %. After I reached the min. $100 I would recieve a check, I did and got one check and I said ok this is for real so I had more google ads put on my page and I acummulated more than $200 and thats when google decided not to pay up and pull the ads for whatever reason they make up. I think that is not fair that they make money using the viewers to your page then decided to cut you off so they do not have to pay you. It is like taking advantage of my page and those viewers that visit. Like they don't have enough $$ anyway. Just remember that every time you click on a google ad on the internet you are making Google that much more money. And what are you getting for of it ? So that's what happened and is why you see no ads anymore. So you be the judge, is it a SCAM OR NOT. YOU HAVE MY OPNION...............BUT ANYWAY,


THANKS FOR VIEWING MY BLOG, I WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP ALL YOU CRUISERS UP TO DATE ON MY TRAVELS AND PROGRESS, WE DON'T NEED THE GOOGLE ADS TO BE SUCCESSFUL. SO STAY TUNED FOR FUTURE UPDATES AS THEY PROGRESS.

PVC PIPE FOR PLUMBING

PVC PIPE FOR HOLDING TANK PLUMBING


I am always amazed that more boats are not plumbed with ordinary PVC pipe, but then again we never thought of using it either until I had to replace me holding tank and all its plumbing. During the installation I added PVC sch. 40. I feel some of the benefits are:

1. Economy:. PVC pipe ist cheap. The total at the cash register after you buy several lengths of pipe, together with the fittings and glue to go with it, comes as a surprise—a pleasant one; a lot cheaper than the sanitation hose you find in the marine stores. Availability: Even a small corner hardware store has enough PVC plumbing fittings in stock for most jobs and the bounty in the bins of a large building supply store will let you build almost anything.

2. Flexibility : PVC does not bend, or at least not much, but the variety of PVC pipe fittings allows you to solve some very vexing problems surprisingly easily. Want to connect a 2” line to a 1/2” line and then T off a 1” line? A quick trip to a hardware store and a bit of ingenuity and you are done.

3. Fast Assembly. With a little practice and a pipe cutter you can assemble a plumbing system amazingly quickly using PVC pipe. (You can cut the pipe with a saw or a pipe cutter. It us long lasting. Even good quality hose only seems to last five years or so, but PVC pipe will last decades.

4. Impervious to Most Chemicals:. You can flush a PVC pipe system out with muriatic (hydrochloric) acid; the quickest and, as far as I know, only effective way to get rid of the scale that builds up in head discharge lines. Don’t try that with hose.

5. Impervious to Odors: You can spend a fortune on sanitation grade hose and your holding tank system will still stink, but it won’t if you use PVC pipe.

One caution: I do not recommend PVC pipe for piping that is open to the ocean and below the water line where a crack could sink you.

TOP TEN REASONS TO BUY A BOAT

1.     Financial Consultant advised you that hemorrhaging a fortune into a depreciating  asset was  a sound financial strategy.

2.      You want to become intimately acquainted with every single working part of an engine.

3.      You find constant scraping, painting and waxing to be very therapeutic.

4.      You feel a moral obligation to help support OPEC.

5.      Instead of sitting on shore not catching any fish, you prefer to sit on a boat, not catching any fish.

6.      You want complete strangers to call you, “Captain.”

7.      If you drink all day in a bar, you are a “lush.” If you drink all day on a boat, you are “enjoying life to its fullest potential.”

8.     Aren’t some of those knots really cool?

9.     You enjoy using a toilet the size of a saucepan.

10.   A million skippers can’t be wrong.

Prevent Bugs from Getting Aboard

There’s nothing worse than opening a food storage locker to find it infested with bugs, particularly cockroaches. Ugh! Bugs aboard can be a real problem, whether you're cruising in the tropics or weekending in the temperate latitudes. Here are some simple precautions you can take to prevent the little critters from getting aboard in the first place.

Screens are the first line of defense and will keep mosquitoes, flies, wasps and other common flying bugs out of the boat’s interior. Oceanair makes the best retro-fittable screens (www.oceanair-marine.com) or you can make simple frame screens that will fit hatch and porthole openings. Lewmar and other companies have screens that can be adapted to their products (www.lewmar.com). In the tropics, burn mosquito coils on deck to keep the flying menaces (that carry Malaria and Dengue Fever) away.

Crawling bugs are more of a problem. They live and lay their eggs in corrugated cardboard cartons, so avoid carrying groceries aboard in containers other than those you bring to the store yourself. Even cardboard beer and soft drink cartons should be left left on the dock as the cans and bottles are stored aboard.

Finally, be careful of fruit and produce bought at famer’s markets or the open air markets in third world countries. Cabbages, lettuce and other leafy items are often home to larvae that can and will hatch at some point, so make sure you inspect and wash the produce before storing it aboard. Bananas and other fruit, particularly if bought on the stalk, can deliver to your boat such fruit gourmets as scorpions and tarantulas hidden deep within the bunches.

GALVANIC CORROSION

Galvanic corrosion is the corrosion that results when two dissimilar metals with different potentials are placed in electrical contact in an electrolyte.
A difference in electrical potential exists between the different metals and serves as the driving force for electrical current flow through the corrodant or electrolyte. This current results in corrosion of one of the metals. The larger the potential difference, the greater the probability of galvanic corrosion.

Galvanic corrosion only causes deterioration of one of the metals. The less resistant, active metal becomes the anodic corrosion site. The stronger, more noble metal is cathodic and protected.

Galvanic corrosion potential is a measure of how dissimilar metals will corrode when placed against each other in an assembly. Metals close to one another on the chart generally do not have a strong effect on one another, but the farther apart any two metals are separated, the stronger the corroding effect on the one higher in the table.

This table lists the potential differences for various metals in water. The order of the series can change for different electrolytes (for example, different pH, ions in solution).

I have omitted Stainless steel alloys from this table as they can significantly change their potential and become much more active if exposed to stagnant or poorly aerated water.

Electrode Potential at 77 F (25 C)

Anodic end (this is where the corrosion occurs)


Element Standard Electrode Potential (Volts)

Lithium -3.045

Potassium -2.920

Sodium -2.712

Magnesium -2.340

Beryllium -1.700

Aluminum -1.670

Manganese -1.050

Zinc -0.762

Chromium -0.744

Iron; Mild Steel -0.440

Cadmium -0.402

Yellow Brass -0.350

50-50 Tin-Lead Solder -0.325

Cobalt -0.277

Nickel -0.250

Tin -0.136

Lead -0.126

Hydrogen reference electrode 0.000

Titanium +0.055

Copper +0.340

Mercury +0.789

Silver +0.799

Carbon +0.810

Platinum +1.200

Gold +1.420

Graphite +2.250

Cathodic end, passive - (no corrosion here)

Affordable Boat Insurance

Affordable Boat Insurance


Your boat deserves the best boat insurance on the water. Get an affordable boat insurance quote. Boat insurance from Allstate offers a variety of coverage options that can help protect your boat, jet ski, personal watercraft, trailer. Boat insurance quotes are easy to obtain from GEICO and protect you, your boat and your PWC with excellent coverage.Get a boat insurance quote from Progressive.com and protect your investment.

Boat Insurance Quotes and Coverage Cover your boat on the water and on the road with trusted boat insurance from Nationwide. With improved boating insurance coverage and competitive pricing, we can cover 95 percent of all pleasure boats including bass boats, ski boats, performance boats and more.

Protect your boat with boat insurance Request a insurance quote to get the coverage that’s right for you. Coverage options include:

•Physical damage


•Personal valuables


•On-water towing


•Rental reimbursement


•Roadside assistance


•Fishing equipment


Liability boat insurance protects yourself, your family and others Nationwide liability boat insurance can help pay legal and medical expenses if you’re at fault in an accident.•Bodily injury payments

•Damaged property payments

•Payment of the cost of defending claims against you

Posted by CaptnRon at 1:39 PM

Check out my Google Ads for more boating information.

CAYO COSTA CRUISE

The month of April brought on alot of projects, the biggest was installing Davits for the dinghy.  All projects needed to be complete before we set off for our 30 day sail.  May 1 rolled around and we left the marina and headed south for Boca Grande.  Our destinations were somewhat undesided after Boca.  We sailed the first day out to Egmont Key and stayed a couple of days, exploring and swimming and just getting into the cruising mode.  We left Egmont after a few days and headed south offshore towards Boca Grande arriving about 14hrs later.  It was just getting dark when we arrived and went up to Useppa Island and anchored.  We ended up staying off Useppa for about two weeks, we went exploring each an every day, some days to the some of the many barrier islands and many days to the Tunnel of Love.  After about two weeks we moved over to Pelican Bay and stayed their for another week and a half.  Here we went to Cayo Costa beach almost every day and then to the Tunnel of Love every other day or so it seemed.  So after a restful three and a half weeks we decided to head back north, had to be back by June 1.  So an early morning departure and off we went sailing north back to Egmont Key.  At first it was a nice sail for about 15 miles then the wind change and freshened out of the wrong direction, NW. and we were going north, so the motor was started and was not shutoff for just over 28 hrs.  We were having very confused seas hitting the bow, a strong breeze and current all against us as we proceeded north.  Once I rounded southwest channel entrance at around 0300 the wind shifted to the east at abut 18mph and naturally I was now going East, just couldn't win.  Finally arrived back at the marina around 0730.  After I got My Lady Too secure at the dock, I went to bed after being awake for more than 25 hrs.  Next time I will break up the passage into more frequent stops since we are just coastal cruising.
Until next time..............fairwinds.  CHECK OUT SAILING STUFF FOR SALE ON EBAY AT "OCEANSAIL36". 

Another Project Complete

This was a busy weekend, the boat show was in town, so I had to make my presence.  And I completed another project.  After seeing the show, not all to thrilled, seen one you seen them all, anyway after I left the show I went to my boat and completed my shower curtain track installation.  It took about a couple of hrs. to complete, it is going to be a big improvement.  Hope to go sailing next weekend.  Until then..........fairwinds........

Engine Maintaince

Another project complete, did an oil change on my faithful Perkins, changed all fluids and filters and added new zincs.  The next project is to make a shower curtain rod for the shower/head.  Will proceed after Thanksgiving.  Hope all of you have a good Thanksgiving, including my friend Jacek an Basia.......until next time.

Fairwinds & Following Seas

Next Project

Well at last the holding tank and head plumbing is finished and all is well and the area is buttoned up.  Next project now that it is getting alittle cooler during the day is to tackle my teak toe rail, it is in need of varnish or should I say Cetol.  I am going to probably start this shortly.  In the meantime I am going to be looking for a Manson 35# anchor to put in place of my CQR.  After that or maybe inbetween I need to do an oil change on my Perkins, will be do real soon now. I try to do it every 100 hrs. and I am about 12hrs. away.  So for now I will keep focused on the tasks at hand....... Until later

Fairwinds, and Following Seas.

Project Complete

Well, the holding tank and plumbing is finished, I water tested all the plumbing from head to holding tank an all went well, no leaks, now after the paint drys, I painted out the area in and around the H.T..  I will start to reorganize the much boat gear that will go into the space left from the old holding tank, I should have enough room for my storm anchor CQR and lots of line that now takes up space in the sail locker. Maybe by weeks end things will be better organized and the boat sail ready. My good friend and cruising buddy Jacek always busts my balls on all my gear, spares and not enough storage places for the stuff, and for taking too much time to finish a project. I think now he will be somewhat happy to see this project done and an area of space has opened up for storage. I  do say that he is right most of the time, but I am a perfectionist and like to do things right the first time or at least try to. Rube Goldberg and I don't see eye to eye.

Project Complete ??

Well after a considerable number of days working on the holding tank and head plumbing I can say that it is almost finished.  The holding tank is in, the PVC piping is done and now I just need to test everything to make sure their are no leaks, lets keep are fingers crossed.  In a couple of days I will water test it.  I water tested the tank before I installed it to make sure their are no tank leaks, the new tank is quite abit smaller than the original but it was also alot cheaper too.  The construction seems to be real good, 3/8" thick which is nice a strong.  I will be glad to get this project overwith and get the boat put back together, their is alot of stuff everywhere, including tools.  I will update when the water test is complete.

HOT!!!!! HOT!!!!!! HOT!!!!!!!!!

We decided to take My Lady Too out for the weekend and head out to an island in the Gulf.  By the time all lines were castoff  it was already 85 degrees and of course the wind on the nose, always seems to be that way, wind never right when you want it to be, anyway I motored on, some 5 to 6 hrs later the hook was dropped and a swim call was imeaditaly in order, it was very refreshing. Later once the sun set, the stillness and the HEAT set in and it was stiffeling HOT. Cabin fans pulled duty all nite.  The morning came with a nice sunrise and the heat continued.  I took a dingy ride just to cool off but it was short lived.  Back on the boat I decided to venture offshore but once out the wind died and so I decided to head back home and would you know a breeze filled in and it was you guessed it, on the nose so Mr. Perkins rumbled on for the next 6 to 7 hrs.and once back in the slip the heat still had its grip on us, it would not let up. I got everything secured and headed for the AC.  This is October and it is not supposed to be in the 90's but it is and the humidity is everybit of 90% and no moving air on top of that.  I am going to just have to wait for cooler weather, for me and my crew or everyone is going to jump ship.

A Day On The Water

We finally left the dock Sunday morning and headed out for a sail. Once we passed int marina entrance we had a little breeze starting to set in from the east.  We started out on a port tack and sailed for an hour or so then tacked and headed south for the rest of the afternoon, had a nice smooth sail, the wind never did get over 10kts and speed never got over 4kts but it was nice to just get out away from the slip. My Lady Too likes to be free from the constrains of the docklines, an me too for that matter.  We came back in late afternoon to a hot sweltering marina, was better offshore with a breeze, anyway it still was a good day.  Look forward to the weekend when I go for a few days.  Stay tuned.............

Cruising Information

Here is a kewl website for those looking to cruise or are cruising, check it out.
http://cruisingresources.com/

Getting Ready

The holding tank project continues and I am getting closer to finishing, removed the orginial molded cradle that the old tank rested in and cleaned and painted the area where a new tank will set. Fisnished running the plumbing from 'Y' to where holding tank will rest, I used PVC instead of hose so I should not have any oder issues, have read about using PVC from other cruiser's and it is better than using hoses, just have to use them in runs that do not connect to a seacock and attach with some flexibility.  Now I have to order the holding tank. Today was a beautiful day weatherwise, took down the suncovers, hanked on the genoa and started straighting up inside, I hate a messy boat. Slowly everything is coming together, hope to get out an do some sailing in a week or two. Stay tuned.........

The Projects Continue

The head/holding tank project will continue, in the meantime it is time to get the sails hanked on and the boat ready for some day and weekend sailing.  October is nearly here and the weather should start to cool down real nice and the sailing season will begin.  Like previous years, I sail and still do the work on the project list trying to complete those projects that are necessary before setting off for long distance.  The next big projects will be a redesign of the dodger and new canvas for the dodger and bimini, want to add some solar panels and I have an xtra wind generator that I would like to add too, I have one already.  Hopefully, next weekend, the sailing will begin.

Refitting for Cruising

The latest project is head and hose and tank replacement. I needed to replace the head so I went with a Raritan PHll. While the head was out it was a good time to replace the 10 yr. old hoses. Then I decided to check the holding tank since it is 30yrs. old and found some cracks so it also needed replacing. I got the new head installed and some hoses what is left is the hoses to the H.T. and the tank itself. I am hopeful that I can get this project done in a few weeks. Stay tuned for updates.