Servicing the Windlass

A bit of work on the windlass: making sure the manual override works, adding a bit of grease, changing the gear box oil ... took us no less than 8 hours!  But we should be good to go...

at 8 am

by 3 pm....

A trip to Oxford, MD cut short by... seasickness

We were so happy to take our friends for a 2-day sail to Oxford, MD. But yet again, seasickness showed its ugly face, and so we had to abort our trip.... but not everyone fell ill....

Alej not feeling well at all; Pedro taking a nap

Ailyn felt great-I had given her Stugeron..

Kids enjoyed thoroughly

Different ways of sleeping on a cat

Catamarans are just fabulous...

Here are many ways to sleep on them:

on the main sail in the stack pack...

once you lower the cockpit table

once you lower the saloon table

of course on the trampoline

more to come....

It's hard to do it all with this kind of to-do-list:

After having lived in this country for over 20 years, we realize we've made lots of friends.  We would have loved to be able to give them all a chance to experience sailing on Agave this summer.  But we just updated our to-do-list, and a wave of urgency washed over us: we're running out of time as we are trying to get the boat ready to cruise all the way to the Caribbean in November. Sayan will start his football season in a month, and soon after that, all our Saturdays will be taken with his games and many weekdays of practices.  Sailing will be a rare opportunity, and so will the time for fixin' things...

As this boat owner eloquently expresses:

Here is our current to-do-list (and I'm forgetting some points I am sure) - in no particular order:

- Engine rooms: replace insulation
- Engine: change impellers
- Engine: change some deteriorating hoses
- Generator: insulation issue too.
- Generator pressure cap
- Generator coolant leak
- needed badly spray/rain dodger
- making a sun awning for the stern/transom
- fix the windvane - not working
- fix the speed indicator - not working
- fix the autopilot screen (Raymarine ST7001+) - damaged.
- fix the engine RPM indicator - not working
- clean lubricate all blocks/rails and such
- lubricate mast/main sail cars
- replace anti-chafe boot on spreader (fallen off)
- service all 4 winches
- get and install a 2nd reef line
- improve on sail pack and bimini?
- windlass needs service and gear box oil change
- relash trampoline
- remove net all around
- jib lines: reverse them to prevent chafe
- main sheet: same?
- hook up GPS to VHF via NMEA 2000 network
- fix 2 burners on the Force 10 oven (waiting for spare parts)
- install/set up storage in stbd hull next to fuel tank and both fwd hulls
- preempt stbd fuel tank leak by soldering it where weak.
- install light in stbd fwd head (waiting for part)
- window shades on all portlights (10 of them)
- fix port side air condtg.
- fix leak in stbd fwd head (intake seal and valve)
- fix stbd aft shower pump - not working
- replace trim in some cabin doors (waiting for parts)
- polishing / waxing side port hull - not done completely
- put the permanent Agave decals on side hulls and transom
- need to polish the upper deck
- fix the electric shore power cord and set up fix outlets on transom.
- reinforce or get a secondary anchor bridle

..... my head is dizzy just thinking about all of it...

 But here's a few items that got knocked down the list ! yeah !

Replaced this old and leaky cold transom shower with...

a brand new hot&cold one ! Special ordered from replacementboatparts.com

New hose runs from the shower...

I had to hunt for the special fittings to adapt the 15 mm water hoses to the 1/2" shower fittings (I despise the US measuring system, their inches, fractions and such!@#*%$)

... to the hot water heater in center of Agave.

And Capt Avi figured out a few electrical issues.

Sayan affixed the registration number

and the decal on the dinghy

I fixed up a locker door with broken hinges and lock in the port aft head. It came with its own series of challenges...

And, of course, some got added immediately back on the same day:

one of our shore power outlets burned down... we were drawing too many amps on a too small of a wire: 12 awg instead of 10 according to marine standards... hum...  good thing we were around when that happened.

Ben, Jesmin, Fatima & Yusuf onboard

Saturday afternoon, we went to pick up the Gunter-Rahman family from their hotel in Solomons, spent the afternoon on the boat and walked around town or dinghied around, then had dinner at the Captain's Table.  Next morning we went sailing, but our photographer, Jesmin got seasick as soon as we exited out of the harbor up til we came back - poor thing, so we have no photos of the actual sail...duh !

 Thank you guys! Come back soon.

Visitors from up the creek

Our most fervent supporters and like-minded sailing friends: Todd & Kim paid us a visit with Andrew & Michael at Vera's.  Since they were staying in their vacation home up the creek, we blessed the boat (yet again!) in the evening, and hang out in the morning. We're also trying to find time on our calendar to sail together this summer.  Plans are for mid-August.  That afternoon we had plans to meet with our American University friends.

Morning arrival from the Bay house on Rock Star