7.22.9 Kemah Tx - return

We made the Gulf Crossing. Arrived in Key West after 6.5 days, then motored up to Marathon, Fl. from there i caught a shuttle and flew out of Ft Lauderdale home.

It was a non-stop adventure.

We untied from the dock (they were my neighbors in slip J7) and departed 2:30pm on a Sunday. This is a motorboat, hand made by the owner - Warren Gloss. (8 years and several modifications later it's now ready to travel to the Bahamas...) Crew: Captain - Warren, First Mate - Caroline, night crew - me, and Matt McDonald - Caroline's stepson.

First stop Galveston to top off the fuel tanks for the crossing. So about 7:30pm we are heading out the ships channel from Galveston with 1,000 gallons diesel chugging along at max speed six knots on a straight line toward Key West. It's getting dark, just past sunset and there are so many large ships around, the radar looks like a Polka Dot Pattern. We motor by anchored ships sitting just outside the channel waiting their turn to offload in the Houston harbour for over 2 hours. Huge huge tankers and cargo vessels as far as the eye can see and our little boat weaving along through them all straight as a string toward the Keys.

I worked nights 2a-8a. At 4:30am our little lifeboat Casper breaks it's lines as we tug it along attached to our boat. So we have to retie it and tow it all the way across the gulf. The next night we are somewhere past new orleans way out in the gulf and it's early morning hours, pitch black dark with just stars and oil rig lights around. i climb out on deck and count 42 oil rigs in sight - this from just their lights.

We were blessed with calm seas every day. it was smooth and flat. our daily routine was 6 hours on and 6 off. i worked the 2-8 shift. 2p-8p and 2a-8a. the other time i went below and slept. i also ate and we fished some. after a few days the routine took over and it's just another job...

We spent one night anchored out off Key West and had some hours out walking Duval St. It was a great adventure and i'm glad i went. I think i learned a lot.

-SKIP the pirate

Sat. 7.11.9 Helping Move Iron Maiden

My neighbor on slip J7, Iron Maiden, needs help moving his boat to the Bahamas. i have volunteered to help him as far as Marathon Florida...

We leave at 1pm today. that's all i know for now. i hope to write more later.

well it's 'later.'

we were supposed to leave on Wed, 7.8th. but -but -but now yesterday i heard it was 1pm today. ....

(we are not leaving today.) 2:30pm and they just came over to ask about my 'food choices.' (allergies or preferences)

NO we aren't leaving today.

i had already emptied my fridge. (poured 1/2 gallon milk down the sink) threw out eggs, corn and salad stuff only to find we are not leaving till tomorrow... i sat here and slowly ate a 1/2 pint of ice cream for lunch. so, it's not all bad.

im packed and ready to go any second. but if they have not yet gone to the store, they aren't ready! food is a big part of a pirates day. (she asked "do you like coffee in the morning?" "is it part of your day?" as if i would say - oh posh, dont bother...) this is gonna be BLOG fodder for sure. i can tell.

if i survive, there will be crap to write.

-skip the pirate

Duhhh i did what?

7.6.9 Boat Work all day. i was finding a small drip of water in the engine room. so something in the cockpit is leaking. i pulled all 4 Cockpit drains and even removed the ice box off the deck. (found some holes drilled through the deck for the ice box) this all takes two days. i remove and clean everything. next reapply 3M brand 4000 UV sealant glue under everything.

after my fourth and last cockpit drain is all glued down and i am about to put in the screws i notice the paper towel i had wadded up and jammed down into the drain hole to keep debris out while working and cleaning...

so, i go back and remove all four drains and pull the paper towels out.... idiot me.

it's not easy working alone, with an idiot as an assistant! -pirate skip

Prodigal repair Mizzen Mast fix

7.2.9 Kemah, from the water... My sailboat is a Morgan 462, built in 1980. The original boat design had the mizzen mast sitting on the bathroom floor. (bolted down on the wood floor) After about 30 years it finally rotted through the wood and was falling through the floor boards. So, for safety, function and general maintenance i had the Mizzen fixed this week.

First; you go in and cut out the old rotted wood. then you cut new 'good wood' filler pieces to install in the gap. (like a dentist fills a cavity) plus you add additional parallel boards for more support. then you mix up epoxy to glue everything together. then give it 24 hours to harden.

Second; Fit all the parts together to check the fit. get a carpenters Plane and plane down all the high spots so that it's all level. then wood glue and epoxy everything plus several screws to bolt it all down. in addition you throw in a 'fiberglass pad' that the mast boot drills into. (take 5 separate 1/4" thick fiberglass plates and glue them together into a very heavy solid base for the mast to sit on. it's massive and sits across all the support beams and cant rot.)

Last; after giving it another 24 hours for all the epoxy and glue to harden you pilot the sailboat back over to the marina so a crane can lower the mast back into place. then all the rigging is reattached and it's again a sailboat.

To check the rigging he tied his drill to the halyard, thus creating a plum bob. then he would slowly tighten each side till they measured the same distance. (this gets the Masthead centered over it's base. makes the mast straight and tight.)

It's just another little slice of heaven here! Every day is Saturday and the world is at Peace.

- Pirate Skip