Summer Life in Baltimore
Aug 3 thru Aug 8
—Blogpost written by Bob
Friday, August 3
We were up before sunrise this morning to get Maggie to the airport in time for her morning flight—she is visiting her adult kids for the next two weeks while I stay behind with our two cats, Captain Jack, our 14-year old and, Lola, our recently spayed 8-1/2-month old Maine Coon kitten.
From the airport, I drove to Annapolis for an early breakfast, to refill a propane tank, and to pick up my new iPad 6. I came back to the boat for lunch onboard and then began to setup my new iPad in the Boater’s lounge—it took about 1-1/2 hours to get everything switched over to my new iPad but it was completely painless due to the cloud storage of my data and apps.
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| The main reason for getting a new iPad was my running out of memory--I only had 16 GB. Now, I have 128 GB and a pencil! |
In addition to sanding and staining a sun-damaged area on an interior shelf on which I intend to mount a new subwoofer, I spent a lot of time organizing my massive music library on my new iPad during the evening rainstorms.
Saturday, August 4
I awoke to overcast skies again but clearing is expected as the day progresses. While it was cool in the morning, I made the final connections to the galvanic isolator. All it required was connecting into the green (ground line)--It actually is hooked up between the incoming shore power ground and the ship's ground. Everything that runs on AC inside the boat is working fine and I have to assume that the galvanic isolator is doing its job protecting the metal components in the water from stray currents.
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| The final connections for the galvanic isolator involved removing the shore power receptacle and connecting into the green (ground) line. |
I was surprised that the AC cable that runs inside the boat was good tinned wire--I didn't think it was available when this boat was built in 1983. (All the wires that were recently replaced within the mast were un-tinned. Almost everywhere that I have replaced wiring, the old wires were un-tinned and corroded at the ends.)
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While I was out making the final connections to the galvanic isolator, Lola had ventured out
in the cockpit (with Captain Jack) and wandered up onto the cabin top--this was a first time for this little excursion for her. I used the opportunity to train her to come inside by clapping my hands, a command Captain Jack knows well.
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About mid-morning I began to work on re-wiring the forward running lights. I previously ran 14-gauge 2-conductor cable from the electrical panel to the anchor locker. Today, I routed 18-gauge 2-conductor cables from the running lights down through the bow pulpit to the anchor locker. (One was easy the other one took about a dozen tries to get the cable through the bow pulpit.) I joined both 1098-gauge red wires to one side of a yellow crimp connector and likewise for the yellow wires. (I used 18-gauge wires between the running lights and the anchor locker because it was easier getting the smaller wire down through the bow pulpit.) Then I connected the appropriate colored wires from the long 14-gauge cable to the opposite end of each crimp connector. After wrapping the junction in electrical tape, the job was complete. By this point, it was 1 PM and very hot outside. This was one of those projects where you work hard for several hours and you can’t see the results. This was the 76th boat project completed this summer—I have 18 more to go (unless I add a few more along the way).
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After a dinner of a roasted pork chop and a baked sweet potato, I applied another coat of varnish to the previously sun-damaged shelf in the main salon.
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Probably not many people have seen yesterday's late night tweet by DJT but here it is for those who missed it:
DJT is referring to an interview of LeBron James done by CNN’s Don Lemon (both men are black and are well accomplished in their careers). The interview focused on LeBron’s charity (donating over $41 million to start a school for underprivileged kids which includes scholarships to University of Akron)—it has an extraordinary impact on the community of Akron, Ohio, where LeBron grew up in a single-parent household.
There were many tweets in response to the above (disgusting) tweet, some from other famous athletes defending LeBron James (including Michael Jordan) and others from journalists defending Don Lemon.
How can anyone justify this kind of behavior from the President of the United States?
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Some readers may think that the above paragraph doesn't belong in a sailing blog. However, this blog is much more than a sailing blog. Many different subjects that affect my life are included in this blog. When I see things around me that go against my sense of ethics and morality, I have to speak out.
Sunday, August 5
When I first got up I got right to work and lightly sanded and applied another coat of varnish to the built-in shelf in the main salon where I will be placing our new powered subwoofer, a speaker that will bring out the bass in our new stereo system.
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As of yesterday, my modest goal for today was to install the engine water temperature sensor and hook it up to the temperature gauge in the cockpit. Despite my good intentions for the day, it was hot and humid as early as 8 AM. After a nice hot shower I came back to the boat and allowed the cats some “outside time” in the cockpit. They love it!
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| Captain Jack (left) and Lola (right) enjoy their "outside time" in the boat's cockpit. |
I began formulating a new plan for the day as I was eating breakfast, my own concoction—a fried egg quesadilla with my low-carb orange juice (diet orange soda). (Of course, the quesadilla was a low-carb version.)
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| My fried egg quesadilla consisted of two fried eggs, two slices of Colby jack cheese, some shredded mozzarella cheese, and a dash of mustard. |
I decided to work inside the boat this morning and clean up the quarter berth and the navigation station area--it really needs it!
Lately I've downsized my daily camera from my Nikon D700 with a 24-120mm lens to a Nikon V1 with a 10-100mm lens. (Both cameras were previously owned.)
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Lately I've downsized my daily camera from my Nikon D700 with a 24-120mm lens to a Nikon V1 with a 10-100mm lens. (Both cameras were previously owned.)
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| I've downsized my daily camera from my Nikon D700 (top) to a mirrorless Nikon V1 (below). |
When a photograph really counts I will use my Nikon D700, of course. However for my daily camera needs I will be using the much smaller Nikon V1 camera. I also occasionally use the greatly improved cameras on my iPhone and iPad.
Monday, August 6
My morning activities included applying another coat of varnish to the subwoofer shelf (after feeding our hungry cats) and cleaning the raw water strainers (a weekly maintenance activity). (I've noted that the sea cock under the galley sink was corroded shut—my first thing on the list for next year’s haulout.)
With a weather prediction of “hot and humid with chance of afternoon thunder showers”, I decided to drive to Annapolis in the morning and pick up power cable for hooking up our new TV (to arrive early next week), cardboard to make a full scale model of the TV so that I could better judge the needed mount, and to buy some speaker cable. (I still need to buy some more coaxial cable for the antenna.)
I made a full scale cardboard model of the 19” TV I recently ordered. I taped the cardboard model in place in our main salon and tried to make estimates of the requirements for the TV mount. I narrowed it down to five mounts. Because there was insufficient measurements provided to be sure which one was best, I ordered all five mounts and I will return the four that are least suitable.
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| The cardboard model of our new TV taped in place in our main salon. |
I’ve decided to use straps to secure the TV against the starboard windows rather than rely on a locking mechanism on the mount.
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In the late afternoon a thunderstorm blew through the harbor. There was no rain but lots of dark clouds and plenty of thunder.
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As I was working on some photographs today, I ran into an old photo that I used in this blog on November 5, 2015.
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| This photograph of our living room furniture being taken away by someone who purchased it from us was taken on November 1, 2015. |
The photograph shows a truckload of our living room furniture that was purchased by someone. When I think back on it, it was a courageous move to sell our house and most of its contents to live out our retirement on our sailboat. I’m sure a lot of people thought we were crazy, rather than courageous. Time will tell if our lifestyle change will carry us through our retirement but right now, almost three years later and at age 71, we still feel very positive about living on our sailboat. It has been more costly than we anticipated but this lifestyle has been very rewarding. The continuation of our chosen lifestyle strongly depends on our continued good health. The only regret I have that we should have made the move sooner.
Tuesday, August 7
In the morning, it looks like another day of heat and humidity—the weather prediction is for a 93-degree high temperature. Of course, afternoon showers appear likely.
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As I’m working on boat projects, I keep thinking about how to make them better. Shown below is the starboard cabinet area that I’ve cleaned out (and varnished an area on the left of the image that was damaged by sun exposure from the forward hatch). The cabinet opening on the left side of this image was the only original opening to this cabinet area. Many years ago, I added the larger opening (on the right side of this image) and made to look like original design on the liquor cabinet on the opposite side of the boat and also added the shelf as shown.
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| This cabinet near the ceiling on the starboard side of the boat is where I intend to mount our new stereo system. |
My latest thinking is to add another teak shelf above the current one so that I could fit one of the new speakers (positioned horizontally on the current shelf) and the new stereo amplifier on top of the new shelf. I’m not yet sure where I will locate the second speaker of the new stereo system. (We will have two separate stereo systems: the old system with two inside speakers plus two outside speakers connected to our satellite radio, and the new system which will be connected to our new TV and could also be connected to our various Apple devices with our big music libraries. Our new TV will be mounted on an articulated arm in front of this cabinet.) I will know more when the new stereo amplifier and speakers arrive later today.
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My morning's task was to install a newly purchased water temperature sensor (in the glycol line going from the engine to the water heater) and connect it to the existing water temperature gauge.
Like most projects, a lot of "stuff" normally stored in the quarter berth had to be moved so that I will have sufficient access to the engine room. I decided to move most of this "stuff" into the trunk of our car, rather than to another area on board which will restrict our normal (very small) living space.
Before it got real hot outside I climbed into the starboard cockpit locker and cut the glycol hose from the engine to the water heater and inserted the sensor subassembly I hade made for this purpose. (I managed to do this without spilling and glycol mixture!)
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| This sensor tee subassembly made installation much easier. |
I connected the cable to the sensor, including a ground wire attached to the base of the sensor since the rubber hose on each end would insulate the sensor from the ship’s ground.
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| The sensor tee subassembly is mounted against the star- board engine partition. |
I routed the cable forward and around the engine, then aft toward the instruments. I had to make the final connections from the quarter berth.
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| After only a few minutes of the engine operating, the temp gauge climbed to about 140 degrees. It's working! |
While I had the quarter berth all cleared out, I changed oil and oil filter in the engine and checked the transmission fluid level (it was fine). All told, I was in and out of the cockpit locker six times, despite my excellent planning, and even more times in and out of the quarter berth—this is what makes boat projects take so long. (This little project took a little over 3 hours.)
After the late afternoon thunderstorm blew through, the temperature and humidity dropped dramatically. Our cats welcomed some “outside time” in the cockpit.
When I thought it was time for them to come inside, they both ignored me. Oh well, I’m just the resident can opener I guess.
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After the late afternoon thunderstorm blew through, the temperature and humidity dropped dramatically. Our cats welcomed some “outside time” in the cockpit.
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| Lola ignores my request to come inside the boat. |
When I thought it was time for them to come inside, they both ignored me. Oh well, I’m just the resident can opener I guess.
Wednesday, August 8
Our new stereo amplifier and speakers arrived late yesterday. I unpackaged them and set them in place to envision the additional shelf I need to build in the stereo cabinet.
I drove to our storage unit in Annapolis to get the shelf material (plywood with teak veneer both sides). While in Annapolis, I picked up 12-gauge 2-conductor cable for running the 12-volt power from the panel to the stereo cabinet. Power for the stereo amplifier, TV, and TV antenna signal amplifier will all come from the electrical terminal in the stereo cabinet.
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| The new electrical terminal block in the stereo cabinet. |
When I returned to the boat I started to work on the upper shelf supports. (The upper shelf will support the very small stereo amplifier.) From the shelf supports I progressed to making a cardboard template of the new shelf.
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Stay tuned for the completion of the stereo cabinet and the TV installation...
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I agree with you completely about LeBron James
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