Summer in Baltimore
June 4 thru June 7
—Blogpost written by Bob
Tuesday, June 4
Wow! Another cool day--I'm loving it! The first thing on our agenda this morning is meeting Dan of Annapolis Custom Yacht Canvas who will be templating for our new dodger windows and bimini top. Dan arrived at about 9:30 AM and immediately began the templating process.
The templating process was completed by noon--it took 2-1/2 hours for the dodger windows and the bimini top.
Dan took both templates back to his shop in Annapolis for making the four major pieces. It takes 2-1/2 days to make a dodger, that is, without interruptions. I have to add two more struts to the bimini, both of them between the forward bows and the stern pulpit. (I ordered more materials in the early afternoon.)
During the templating process, we determined that two more rigid struts are needed on the bimini--one on each side between the forward bow and the forward edge of the stern pulpit. (This will greatly stiffen up the entire bimini frame.)
In the afternoon I turned on all the instruments including the secondary chart plotter. I found out that the AIS signals showed up on the secondary chart plotter but not the primary one. I also had an indication of water depth on my secondary chart plotter (conveyed from my older depth instrument) but I had no AIS on my primary chart plotter plus I had no data on my wind instrument (which was a newly identified problem). I also found that I had no communication between the two chart plotters. So, it seems that the remaining problems are related to software or settings and not wiring. More thought is needed on this problem.
The new small Mason jars I ordered came in today (one out of four was broken) and I transferred the two infused vodka samples and added one more--watermelon. Now I have three samples of infused vodka being processed--they should be ready for tasting in two weeks (which seems to be an on-line consensus). I can't wait! (My previous attempt in 2015 to make an infused vodka is at this link. Last time, I only allowed the infused vodka to sit for a week--this time, I will allow 2 weeks.)
Well, I was off to Annapolis again this morning (I was just there on Monday) to pick up a few items at Fawcett's. The morning was nice and cool and rain was expected in the afternoon. (For purposes of my boat projects I'm treating today as a rainy day since it will probably be raining by the time I get back from Annapolis. The start of the rain was later postponed until 2:30 PM.)
By the time I returned to Baltimore it was just about lunchtime and Maggie and I had leftover pizza for lunch. Finding a pesky fresh water leak was on my agenda for the afternoon but I just didn't feel like ripping apart the whole boat (again) to look for it. So, I postponed it until another day. I don't make such postponements often but today it just seemed like the right thing to do.
This morning before leaving for Annapolis, I made an entry in my maintenance log about the 2-1/2 cups of anti-freeze that I added two days ago. In fact, looking at my log, I've consumed (or lost) 2-1/2 cups of anti-freeze in 215 engine hours. This can be broken down to 0.09 fluid ounces per engine-hour or 0.0015 fluid ounces per minute--it is a very small rate of consumption or loss. Since I can't see any drips in the area, I have to assume that it is a small leak in the head gasket (loss into the oil pan) or in the heat exchanger (loss into the raw cooling water). For the time being, I am going to tolerate the small leakage rate but keep tabs on it to make sure it doesn't increase.
At times, I feel compelled to take photographs of little things around the boat--they form like "glimpses" of our boat life in a way. The following photograph is one of those "glimpses."
Whenever I sit down at our navigation station I see our bluetooth communicators (Maggie calls them "head things) hanging on their hook right in front of me. Lola likes to chew off the little foam covers over the microphones--I've had to replace them a couple times already. The communicators allow us to communicate hands free up to 900 feet apart. (Of course, there is still the need for occasional hand gestures during normal boat operations, some of them are R-rated.)
The DYMO embosser I ordered arrived yesterday. For the next couple of weeks, everything will be labeled, whether it needs it or not.
We totally changed our day's plan this morning and drove to Fallston, Maryland (about 30 minutes away) for Maggie to look at a new sewing machine. She bought the new (Janome-brand) sewing machine without too much convincing on my part.
After our big purchase, we stopped for lunch at an interesting Mexican restaurant (it is located inside a building that used to be a Denny's) called Plaza Mexico Restaurant in Fallston. It was one of the best Mexican meals we have had in some time.
As an update on the infused vodka samples, all the materials we have used to infuse the vodka (cantaloupe, watermelon, and cucumber slices) are now floating in the vodka. Originally, they sank to the bottom. Apparently, the specific gravity of the vodka has changed during the infusion process.
After a light breakfast at Starbucks (just across Boston Street), we pulled the bow over to the dock so that we could drop the anchor and chain onto the finger pier. I piled the anchor chain on neat little piles so that the three 30-foot markers were accessible for taping and painting.
The biggest part of the job of repainting the anchor markers is the taping. Each link that is not to be painted has to be thoroughly taped with masking tape. Since I was only repainting the first three markers (the most used) the taping only took about an hour. (Last year I was not so particular with the masking tape and, as a result, the markers were not as distinct and didn't last as long. This is another example of the need to always do the job right and not to take shortcuts.)
The spray paint dried to the touch in about 30 minutes. So, I applied about 3 coats of the bright yellow zinc primer about an hour apart, turning the chain between coats to get the best possible coverage. (We will allow the paint to cure overnight before removing the masking tape tomorrow morning.)
The most anchor chain we have ever used is 120 feet and that was during tornado warnings in Adams Creek in North Carolina (as described in our blogpost at this link). We carry approximately 225 feet of 5/16" high-tensile chain.
Because I was turning the chain and applying another coat about every hour, the chain marker repainting took up most of the afternoon. In the late afternoon, the outside temperature reached 90 degrees and the sky was overcast--it looked like a thunderstorm was on the way but it never showed up.
Stay tuned for more boat projects to come...
Thanks for following our blog!
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| Dan used a translucent plastic sheet to make templates. Above, he is templating the front dodger window, making marks from the inside of the dodger. |
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| Above, Dan is marking the perimeter on the outside of the dodger. |
The templating process was completed by noon--it took 2-1/2 hours for the dodger windows and the bimini top.
Dan took both templates back to his shop in Annapolis for making the four major pieces. It takes 2-1/2 days to make a dodger, that is, without interruptions. I have to add two more struts to the bimini, both of them between the forward bows and the stern pulpit. (I ordered more materials in the early afternoon.)
 |
| I have this love affair (or a fetish) with colorful rope. |
During the templating process, we determined that two more rigid struts are needed on the bimini--one on each side between the forward bow and the forward edge of the stern pulpit. (This will greatly stiffen up the entire bimini frame.)
----------
In the afternoon I turned on all the instruments including the secondary chart plotter. I found out that the AIS signals showed up on the secondary chart plotter but not the primary one. I also had an indication of water depth on my secondary chart plotter (conveyed from my older depth instrument) but I had no AIS on my primary chart plotter plus I had no data on my wind instrument (which was a newly identified problem). I also found that I had no communication between the two chart plotters. So, it seems that the remaining problems are related to software or settings and not wiring. More thought is needed on this problem.
-----------
The new small Mason jars I ordered came in today (one out of four was broken) and I transferred the two infused vodka samples and added one more--watermelon. Now I have three samples of infused vodka being processed--they should be ready for tasting in two weeks (which seems to be an on-line consensus). I can't wait! (My previous attempt in 2015 to make an infused vodka is at this link. Last time, I only allowed the infused vodka to sit for a week--this time, I will allow 2 weeks.)
 |
| Watermelon-infused vodka sample initiated today. |
Wednesday, June 5
Well, I was off to Annapolis again this morning (I was just there on Monday) to pick up a few items at Fawcett's. The morning was nice and cool and rain was expected in the afternoon. (For purposes of my boat projects I'm treating today as a rainy day since it will probably be raining by the time I get back from Annapolis. The start of the rain was later postponed until 2:30 PM.)
By the time I returned to Baltimore it was just about lunchtime and Maggie and I had leftover pizza for lunch. Finding a pesky fresh water leak was on my agenda for the afternoon but I just didn't feel like ripping apart the whole boat (again) to look for it. So, I postponed it until another day. I don't make such postponements often but today it just seemed like the right thing to do.
----------
This morning before leaving for Annapolis, I made an entry in my maintenance log about the 2-1/2 cups of anti-freeze that I added two days ago. In fact, looking at my log, I've consumed (or lost) 2-1/2 cups of anti-freeze in 215 engine hours. This can be broken down to 0.09 fluid ounces per engine-hour or 0.0015 fluid ounces per minute--it is a very small rate of consumption or loss. Since I can't see any drips in the area, I have to assume that it is a small leak in the head gasket (loss into the oil pan) or in the heat exchanger (loss into the raw cooling water). For the time being, I am going to tolerate the small leakage rate but keep tabs on it to make sure it doesn't increase.
----------
 |
| Maggie calls our bluetooth communicators "head things." |
Whenever I sit down at our navigation station I see our bluetooth communicators (Maggie calls them "head things) hanging on their hook right in front of me. Lola likes to chew off the little foam covers over the microphones--I've had to replace them a couple times already. The communicators allow us to communicate hands free up to 900 feet apart. (Of course, there is still the need for occasional hand gestures during normal boat operations, some of them are R-rated.)
Thursday, June 6
The DYMO embosser I ordered arrived yesterday. For the next couple of weeks, everything will be labeled, whether it needs it or not.
 |
| I realize that this embosser is "old school" but it shouldn't fail when exposed to the marine atmosphere like the newer electronic model did. |
We totally changed our day's plan this morning and drove to Fallston, Maryland (about 30 minutes away) for Maggie to look at a new sewing machine. She bought the new (Janome-brand) sewing machine without too much convincing on my part.
 |
| Maggie's new sewing machine is a Janome #4120. It was designed in Switzerland and manufactured in Taiwan. |
After our big purchase, we stopped for lunch at an interesting Mexican restaurant (it is located inside a building that used to be a Denny's) called Plaza Mexico Restaurant in Fallston. It was one of the best Mexican meals we have had in some time.
----------
As an update on the infused vodka samples, all the materials we have used to infuse the vodka (cantaloupe, watermelon, and cucumber slices) are now floating in the vodka. Originally, they sank to the bottom. Apparently, the specific gravity of the vodka has changed during the infusion process.
Friday, June 7
After a light breakfast at Starbucks (just across Boston Street), we pulled the bow over to the dock so that we could drop the anchor and chain onto the finger pier. I piled the anchor chain on neat little piles so that the three 30-foot markers were accessible for taping and painting.
 |
| We pulled the bow close to the finger pier so that we could drop the anchor and the chain for painting the anchor rode markers. |
The biggest part of the job of repainting the anchor markers is the taping. Each link that is not to be painted has to be thoroughly taped with masking tape. Since I was only repainting the first three markers (the most used) the taping only took about an hour. (Last year I was not so particular with the masking tape and, as a result, the markers were not as distinct and didn't last as long. This is another example of the need to always do the job right and not to take shortcuts.)
 |
| This anchor rode marker is for 90 feet (3 painted links). (The links in between the three painted ones have been completely masked, even though it is difficult to see in this photo.) |
The spray paint dried to the touch in about 30 minutes. So, I applied about 3 coats of the bright yellow zinc primer about an hour apart, turning the chain between coats to get the best possible coverage. (We will allow the paint to cure overnight before removing the masking tape tomorrow morning.)
The most anchor chain we have ever used is 120 feet and that was during tornado warnings in Adams Creek in North Carolina (as described in our blogpost at this link). We carry approximately 225 feet of 5/16" high-tensile chain.
Because I was turning the chain and applying another coat about every hour, the chain marker repainting took up most of the afternoon. In the late afternoon, the outside temperature reached 90 degrees and the sky was overcast--it looked like a thunderstorm was on the way but it never showed up.
Stay tuned for more boat projects to come...
Thanks for following our blog!
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