Light At The End of the Punch List Tunnel

Reader Note: Be sure to check out yesterday's post, "Free at Last - Palm Beach to Stuart."

Background: Pam and I arrived in Stuart on Monday afternoon (March 24) at 3:30 PM.  Diana and Kodi drove up from West Palm Beach in Pam's car and met us when we arrived.  By late Friday afternoon we were finally settled in after switching from a fixed dock to a floating dock.  Then Pam, Diana and I then adjourned to a lovely dinner at the Black Marlin.

Noteworthy: The move from D-dock to B-dock was the first time Diana and Kodi had been on the boat when it was in motion.  The 200 yard move was their first official cruise.

Guided Discovery secured to a slip B25

Present Moment just across the fairway
We will be cruising to Norfolk with Darrel and Sue

On Monday evening I attempted to write the article, "Free at Last - Palm Beach to Stuart," but was prevented from doing so by the malware that my computer had acquired.  So on Tuesday, Pam drove me to UPS so that I could ship the computer to my support tech team in Chicago.  The computer glitch was just the start of a very difficult week made more difficult be being without my computer.  Speaking of glitches, the computer's arrival in Chicago was delayed by the UPS agent's mistaking a 7 for a 2 in the address.   Oh well.

My goal for this week was to work with Outer Reef to resolve seven open and actionable items on the Punch List and to complete our first round of basic preventive maintenance in preparation for the trip north.

A bit of explanation is required with regard to preventive maintenance.  There is a considerable amount of equipment on the boat and much of it requires some level of ongoing maintenance.  Here are some of the items needing attention since we took delivery on February 10:

1. 50 hour generator oil and filter change and valve adjustment
2. Replacement of the water pump on the 16KW generator (Warranty)
3. 50 hour transmission oil and filter change
4. Correction of a leak at the port transmission sensor (Warranty)
5. Monthly air handler filter cleaning (5)
6. 50 hour zinc inspection on both engines (16 zincs)
7. 50 hours zinc inspection on the hydraulic system (2 zincs)
8. Clean HVAC sea strainer (1)
9. Clean engine sea strainers (2)
10. Clean hydraulic sea strainer (1)
11. Clean generator sea strainers (2) 
12. Pump up Hynautic steering pressure to 25 PSI - as required

On Wednesday Diana (with a little help from yours truly) spent the morning preparing DETAILED instructions to fix problems with the protective covers we had made for the settees in the salon and pilothouse.  The seamstress's' design prevented the covers from remaining in place when we sat on them. We then walked with Kodi to the Stuart Post Office to mail the covers.

On Thursday at 8:00 AM Chris, a technician from Performance Power Systems of Florida, the local Cat dealer, arrived to assess the warranty repairs on the port transmission.  While he was there I asked him for assistance with the zinc inspection, which he graciously provided and even helped me remove some of the zincs.

Explanatory Note - Zincs: Electrolysis happens when two dissimilar metals are immersed in an electrolyte and connected together. Salt water is a powerful electrolyte.  As the current leaves one metal to travel to the other, it causes metal to come off one surface and be deposited on the other like battery plates so the higher voltage metal suffers electrolysis. Electrolysis can also occur when an adjacent structure or boat is injecting DC current into the water and that current goes in one end of the boat and out the other on its way to its destination. On boats a sacrificial anode (Zinc) deteriorates rather than the expensive equipment. 

There are 8 zincs on each engine and 2 on the hydraulic system for a total of 18.  Manufacturers require the zincs to be replaced when more than 50% is eaten away.  The inspection must be performed every 50 hours.

We found 5 problems.  Both stabilizer cooler zincs were shot as were both of the transmission oil cooler zincs.  The zinc on the starboard engine raw water pump was missing entirely.  It had never been installed.

Explanatory Note - Missing Zinc: In a conversation with Mike late Friday afternoon he suggested that the missing zinc may have been deliberate.  The zinc sits atop of the raw water pump impeller.  Mike recalls that Pantropic, the Fort Lauderdale Cat dealer, said that if part of the zinc breaks off kit can destroy the rubber impeller.

Explanatory Note - Impellers: Impellers are water wheels that scoop water into the raw water pump. Loss of an impeller can result in engine overheating and the destruction of a very expensive marine engine. This is a serious problem.  I will be calling Pantropic on Monday.

Next problem.  There were no zincs on board.  My initial spare parts shipment had not arrived.

I set aside Thursday to address items 6-12 on the above list.  Good news: My initial parts shipment arrived on Thursday with a bunch of zincs.  Bad news: Wheelhouse Technology, my parts supplier, had the part numbers wrong on the zincs that I needed.  Surprise surprise.  This has been my story since taking delivery. Nothing seems to go right on the first round.

Next problem: The HVAC sea strainers.

Explanatory Note - Sea Strainers: Sea strainers prevent debris and marine life from getting into the raw water systems of the HVAC, main engines, transmissions and hydraulic systems.  Raw sea water enters at the top in the canister and flows through a basket which filters out debris. The clean sea water then flows up and out the strainer to cool the designated system.

Groco model 1500

Debris collects in the sea strainer basket

Sea strainers get clogged at different levels.  For example, the HVAC sea strainer requires the most frequent cleaning as it runs 24/7; most of it in shallow somewhat stagnant marina water.  The generator strainers are next as they run long hours and often in marinas.  The engines while using the greatest amount of water often require less frequent cleaning as most of their run time is offshore.  However, running is shallow water or kicking up mud can change this instantly.

Back to the story.  During Captain Randy's orientation I took detailed notes on how to clean the sea strainers.  I followed Randy's instruction to the "T" as I cleaned out the HVAC strainer, which after running 24/7 since splashing on February 2 was definitely in need of cleaning.  The last step in the process is placing the gasket onto the screw shaft, installing the brass cover on top of the gasket and tightening everything down with the brass wing nut.  As I did this I began to think something was amiss.  Would the brass nut be sufficient to prevent water from leeching up through the grooves in the screw post?  My answer was IMMEDIATE. ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!  When I opened the through hull valve, water flowed out of the unit at the brass nut.  UNBELIEVABLE.

I immediately called Captain Randy.  The conversation that ensued dealt with whether there was a washer between the brass cover and the brass nut.  I found no washer when I disassembled the unit, which I did very carefully.  Apparently, Tania installed the unit without the washer.  Why it did not leak prior to my involvement is a puzzle. Meanwhile, Randy and I debated whether I had lost the washer as I disassembled the unit. We never resolved the missing washer issue but read on.

Randy agreed to 100 miles drive up to Stuart on Friday to address this issue, the zinc issue and the remaining punch list items.

Friday: This proved to be another CRAZY day.  Chris from Performance Power Systems of Florida arrived at 8:00 AM.  Captain Randy arrived soon after.  Chris performed the transmission service while Randy and I addressed the leaking sea strainer.  Randy brought extra washers and gaskets.  While I will not bore you with all the details, I will cut to the chase.  Randy reassembled the HVAC strainer, this time with the washer, and opened the through hull fitting.

Problem solved?  Surely you jest.  Not with my luck.  The damn thing leaked even with the washer in place. It took Randy four tries before he was able to reassemble the unit without a leak.

At that point I insisted that we open, clean and reassemble the other five sea strainers to assess whether they too would leak upon reassembly.  Four of the five did not leak.  The fifth, the 16KW generator sea strainer on the starboard side leaked.  Randy managed to stop the leak by excessively tightening the brass wing nut.

I would like to shoot the engineer that designed this piece of junk!  It is my opinion that this is a poor design.  Having a screw top with a washer between the brass nut and the cover plate is an invitation to leaking when the screw shaft goes through the cover plate.  Further, the shaft prevents easy cleaning.  What is the purpose of having a glass canister if it is not to allow for visual assessment? Unfortunately, the shaft prevents the glass from being cleaned thus necessitating opening the unit to assess condition.  In my opinion this design constitutes a warranty of merchantability issue.  The purchaser of the Groco sea strainer should expect, AT A MINIMUM, that it would not leak after being serviced.  This was certainly the case on my 48 Sundancer which had a solid cover.  It was fool proof.

After finishing the sea strainers we attacked the Hynautic steering pressure.  Doing it with a bicycle pump as he had previously advised during my orientation proved to be futile.  Fortunately I had a compressor (which Randy had advised me to buy) and we were able to achieve the desired pressure.

Two down, one to go.  Now we attacked the zinc replacement with a trip to West Marine to obtain the missing zincs.

By mid afternoon we were finished.  The score: All maintenance items were completed and the punch list was down to one active open item, a Cruisair reoccurring fault that will be resolved on Monday morning. Nine items remain in pending status and will be resolved overtime.

Good news: My computer arrived with the FedEx 3:00 PM delivery and it worked right out of the box. AMAZING.

Saturday: I resolved a flat tire on my bike and visited Ace Hardware to purchase some final items needed to complete the boat's outfitting.  This was accomplished before a line of strong thunderstorms moved through the area in the late afternoon.

All in all it was another frustrating week but I seem to be in the light at the end of the tunnel.  Hence the article's title, "Light at the End of the Punch List Tunnel."  Finally, after almost two months the 63 is ready to cruise.

Life in Stuart:  We spent a week in Stuart in 2011 as we headed north during our Great Loop adventure and looked forward to this visit.  Stuart is a charming city with a downtown on the Saint Lucie River.  In 2011 we stayed on the north side at the Loggerhead Marina on a fixed dock (read as a challenge for Kodi to get on and off the boat).  To get to town we either walked 1.2 miles over the Roosevelt Bridge or dingied over.  This year we stayed on the south side at Sunset Bay Marina.  Besides being on a floating dock, we were just a 15 minute walk to downtown along a very charming river walk.

Sailor's Return restaurant at Sunset Bay Marina

Sunset Bay Marina

The river walk and the Roosevelt Bridge

Free entertainment along the river walk on Sunday

Sunday farmer market just outside downtown Stuart

When I was not dealing with boat issues, we enjoyed the lovely river walk and downtown including on Friday going to see Mark Russell, the famous political satirist, at the Lyric Theatre.  Mark Russell at age 81 can keep a full house in stitches for 90 minutes.

A beautiful sunset and the end of a stormy day

The photo above and my caption is fitting for this particular week.

Written by Les.

Free at Last - West Palm to Stuart

Reader Note: This article was started on Monday, March 24.  It is now Saturday evening, March 29 and I'm finally able to resume.  So, what caused the delay?  If you been following this blog you know that we have been struggling to resolve punch list issues while at the same time trying to get Guided Discovery ready to cruise.

Then on Tuesday morning my computer was finally overcome by malware.  This required that I overnight the computer to my support team in Chicago.  To their credit, they performed their arcane magic and had the computer back in my hands on Friday.  So on with the story.

The title of this article, "Free at Last," says it all.  Our current round of three boat shows finished at 10:01 AM on Monday when Pam and I departed the Palm Beach Boat Show.  Further, today's run from the show's location just south of the Flagler Memorial Bridge to Stuart was the first time that we were cruising on our own with no commitments.

Pam expressing the joy I felt as we cast of lines this morning.

Think about it.  The cruise from:

• Fort Lauderdale to Miami was for the Miami Boat Show.
• Miami back to Fort Lauderdale involved the helicopter photo shoot.
• Fort Lauderdale to Lark Park was to attend the Passagemaker Trawlerfest.
• Lake Park to Fort Lauderdale was to resolve punch list problems and finish commissioning.
• Fort Lauderdale to Palm Beach was to attend the Palm Beach Boat Show and permit Passagemaker to conduct their sea trial

The exodus begins at 9:00 AM as the boats to our east depart
The section of the dock where people are standing will be removed so we can leave

Note the open covers.  Show Management removed the electric lines prior to detaching the fingers

Guided Discovery and the Sea Ray 370 that almost hit us a week ago

The boats locking us in are gone.  Awaiting the starting gun.

A boat backing out of the opening.

We power off using the thrusters - That's me operating the boat fro the boat deck with the remote control

So on Monday, we were truly on our own.  Recall that we were told by Show Management that our departure time was 10:00 AM.  UNBELIEVABLE, we departed at 10:01 AM.  UNBELIEVABLE, we cleared the Flagler Memorial Bridge, which opened at 10:15 and stayed open to allow at least 100 boats to clear the bridge.  We crossed under the bridge at 10:30 AM.  Usually, the bridge opens for 10 minutes.

Guided Discovery pulls into the bridge line after departing the show.

The 39 nautical mile trip from West Palm Beach to Stuart took 5:30 minutes.  Running between 1500 and 1600 RPM we burned 35.3 gallons.  Another first, we did not have a big fuel bill connected to "other activities" like helicopter shoots at full throttle or a Passagemaker sea trial running reciprocal courses to correct for wind and current.

A few words about the cruise itself.  Once clear of the bridge at 10:30 we followed a long line of boats north along the ICW to the Worth Inlet.  At 11:16, we cleared the inlet, turned left and headed north along the shoreline.  The forecast for showers in the afternoon proved to be correct and it quickly became wet and cool on the flybridge.  No problem.  Pam and I retreated to the pilothouse and completed the journey in air conditioned comfort.

This we the first time I had operated the boat from the pilothouse and the experience was WONDERFUL. There is almost no noise.  Milt Baker from Passagemaker measured the sound level in the pilothouse at 60 decibels which is the noise level of normal conversation.  You can barely hear the engine.  Even in the salon, which is directly over the engines, the noise level is only 63 decibels. Outer Reef does an incredible job of insulating the engine room for sound.  Further, the visibility is excellent and there is a lovely work surface just to the right of the helm.  The variable windshield wipers actually work well, which was not the case on the 48 Sundancer.  There is a wiper on each window and each is controllable from its own switch.

We arrived at the Saint Lucie inlet at 2:09 PM.  I had called Sea Tow en-route to take advantage of their local knowledge and had no difficulty negotiating the channel (which was being dredged)

Explanatory Note: All inlets are not created equal.  For example, Government cut in Miami, Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale and Worth Inlet in Palm Beach are used by ships and are well maintained. Inlets that are not used by commercial traffic do not receive the same level of maintenance and can be tricky. Currents and storms tend to move the bottom around resulting in shoaling.  While the Coast Guard stays on top of things by moving buoys to reflect the current channel the charts (electric and paper) are not updated.  Hence, the buoys on the chart may have been moved.  Local knowledge is essential as is following the buoys as you see them.  Running on autopilot on a route through an inlet is not a good practice.

Best practices for running inlets include getting first hand local knowledge from tow operators, like Sea Tow, and using Active Captain, a website that contains up to date information on hazards posted by other boaters (including the date of the report).

Our route to Stuart took us west across the ICW and then north and west along the Saint Lucie River.  Here again we entered tricky waters at the ICW junction where the coast Guard had moved buoys due to shoaling caused by tidal currents at the junction of the inlet and the ICW.  The run up the Saint Lucie River was well marked although somewhat shallow at low tide.

Explanatory Note: The intersection of the Saint Lucie River and the ICW mark the start of the Okeechobee Waterway that connects the east coast at Stuart to the west coast at Fort Myers via the Saint Lucie River, Lake Okeechobee and the Caloosahatchee River.  The waterway itself is 154 statute miles long and saves mariners 165 miles of travel around the tip of Florida (and for us about $1,000: 165 gallons at $4.00 per gallon plus $400 in dockage).  We will use the Okeechobee Waterway next November to reach Sarasota for our winter retreat.

We arrived at Sunset Bay Marina at 3:30 PM.  To get to the marina you go under the Roosevelt Bridge that allows traffic on US 1 to cross the Saint Lucie River, through a Florida East Coat railroad bridge and past the Dixie Highway Bridge that opens on demand (and did for us).  We were met at the dock by Diana and the Furry Kid who had driven up in Pam's car.

We then docked on D-dock as per our reservation.  D-dock is a fixed dock and this proved to be problematic.  The biggest problem was the pilings that force the boat to be some distance from the dock making boarding difficult for Diana and Kodi especially with tides.  We expressed our desire to move and the dockmaster graciously reassigned us to B-dock slip 25, a floating dock.  Hurrah!

Guided Discovery tied up at B25

Guided Discovery stands out from the crowd

Guided Discovery viewed from the Dixie Highway Bridge

Written by Les.

Sarasota Break & Cruising Plans

On Thursday, March 20, I rented a car and drove to Sarasota to catch up with Diana and Kodi who had departed three days earlier.  This trip had many reasons.  Highest on the list was a visit with our friends, Dick and Marjorie Singer.  Slightly lower were scheduled visits with Brett, the amazing dental hygienist that takes care of both Diana and I.  Other benefits included getting away from the Palm Beach Boat Show, where we would have to find something to do from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM for four days and the last, was positioning our car for the trip north.

Standing: Dick, Marjorie, Diana and a cat
Seated: Jake (age 10) , Molly (age 6) and Kodi (Age 6)

We had three breakfasts at our favorite restaurant - Savory Street

Inside view of Savory Street

Every time I describe our plans to friends they say it's a bit involved but it's really very simple.  We would like to have our car up north for the summer.  Dick Singer would also like to accompany me for the trip north to Massachusetts.  So here's the deal.  We are leaving the car with the Singers.  Once I get up to Norfolk, Dick will drive up and meet us.  Then Diana and Kodi will drive up to Hingham while Dick and I (and one more person - feel free to volunteer) will cruise the boat north to the Cape Cod Canal.

The Taurus parked at the Singer residence

The trip from Norfolk to the Cape Cod Canal is approximately 372 nautical miles.  My plan is to wait for a weather window and then go direct from Norfolk to the canal.  At 8 knots we should cover the ground in about 46 hours.  The following day we will cruise north along the Massachusetts coast arriving in Hingham the next day.  All of this is "weather permitting."

Now back to the "present moment."  On Sunday we drove back to West Palm Beach and rejoined the boat. The next step will be our departure on Monday, which is scheduled for 10:00 AM.

This is a big deal.  There are easily over 1,000 boats that need to leave the show.  Fortunately, we are situated towards the outer layer.  The boats on the far east edge of the show need only cast off lines to get on their way.  However, they will have one obstacle to overcome before they can sail off, that being the Flagler Bridge which opens once per hour.  You would think that the the cities of Palm Beach and West Palm Beach would shut down the road and allow the bridge to remain open so that the boats could leave especially given the economic benefit the get by having the show in their area.

Diagram of the 2014 Palm Beach Boat Show

You would think.  Well that was certainly not the case as the boats arrived.  The bridge stubbornly opened once an hour for 10 minutes.  Some boats waited for hours to clear the bridge.

In order for us to depart, we will need to wait for the boats in front of us to leave and hopefully for Show Management to remove of the dock fingers blocking our path (as was the case when we departed from Miami).  Like everyone else, our first obstacle will be the Flagler Memorial Bridge.

Once clear of the bridge, we will head for Sunset Bay Marina in Stuart Florida where we will meet up with out friends Darrel and Sue on Present Moment, their 50 foot Ocean Alexander trawler.  Our plan is to cruise north to Norfolk with them. Present Moment cruises at eight knots, which is perfect for us.  Present Moment is already at Sunset Bay. Darrel and Sue are up north with a plan to return on March 31.  At the moment we are planning on a April 1 departure.  

Below is a synopsis of our cruising plans:

• March 24: Cruise from the boat show to Stuart Florida
• April 1: Begin cruising north with Present Moment
• May 1 to 10: Arrival in Norfolk
• May 10 to 15: Possible departure for the Cape Cod Canal
• May 12 to 16: Possible arrival at the Cape Cod Canal
• May 16 to 18: Cruise to Hingham Massachusetts from the Cape Cod Canal

Written by Les.

Boat Show #3 - Palm Beach

The past few weeks have been filled with activities related to commissioning and addressing deficiencies.  As a result, I have not been able to capture as much of our experience as I would like to on this blog.  So, at the moment, I am still playing catch-up.  That said, as of today, my total "to do list" involving both boat and personal stuff has finally been reduced to a manageable level.

This article will cover the Palm Beach Boat Show.  I still need to write an article covering the cruising related to the return from Lake Park Trawlerfest on March 2 and the cruise to Palm Harbor Marina on the 15th.  So much to do and so little time.

Background: The Palm Beach Boat Show runs from Thursday, March 20 to Sunday, March 23.  Staging for the boat show began days earlier.  We were scheduled to arrive at the show on March 16 at 10:00 AM.  Why four days early?  Well it depends of your viewpoint.  Many boats were already "installed in the show" when we arrived.  Some had arrived several days earlier.

Guided Discovery just after our Sunday arrival

The Palm Beach Boat Show is very different from the Miami Boat Show and the Lake Park Passagemaker Trawlerfest.  This show, which is situated north to south along the ICW, is almost a 1/4 mile wide with four tiers of docks,  It is located just south of the Flagler Bridge and Palm Harbor Marina.  Most of the dockage is created for the show and will disappear when the show is over.

The Palm Beach Boat Show 2013 - Photo credit Forest Johnson

Notice I said dockage and not marina.  Unlike the Trawlerfest, which was held at a marina where every boat was in a slip (after the marina kicked out its tenants for a few days) or the Miami show which was held in four different locations, the Palm Beach show is one location with at least 1,000 boats packed in side by side and nose to nose. I'll let the photos below do the talking.

View from my starboard bow

Looking east from the flybridge

Looking southwest over the boat deck

View west.  Outer Reef's "office" is immediately astern

IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE: It's midnight on Thursday the 19th and I have been frustrated by something called "Bing" that has taken over my Internet Explorer browser.  The most obvious problem is Google BlogSpot has lost its paragraph formatting and I am unable to upload photos.  RESOLUTION: Working with my Chicago support team we removed "Bing," which is a form of malware.  My tech support person, who is also a blogger. said he had the same problem uploading photos and advised me to use Google Chrome for blogging.  Problem solved late in the afternoon on Friday.

On Saturday, I brought the boat from Marina Bay Marina in Fort Lauderdale to Palm Harbor Marina in West Palm Beach assisted by Pam Rose, my friend and part time crew member.  We were accompanied by Milt Baker, a contributing editor for Passagemaker Magazine, and his wife Judy. Milt wanted to perform a sea trial during our trip north as part of his research for a feature article on the Outer Reef 63.  As a result, the 58 mile trip north which would have taken 6 hours took us almost 8 hours.

We stayed overnight at the Palm Harbor Marina, which was literally 300 yards from the show site.  We departed Palm Harbor at 9:10AM and, just like that, we were "there."  Now came the tricky part, maneuvering the boat into position. 

Allow me to set the stage.  We were the first boat into the section of the show where Outer Reef was assigned.  The docking maneuver was tricky.  On the approach we had to pass two steel I-beams that were put in position to hold the large yachts that will eventually comprised the outer edge of the show.  Then through a narrow opening into a space a 160 feet wide by 140 feet deep.  Our goal was to enter bow first, turn south, back across the space and dock to port with our bow facing east.  This would have been an easy maneuver had it not been for a 2 knot current running south and a 18 knot wind from the south (blowing the boat north).  In a perfect world the two forces would cancel themselves out.  As usual the world was not perfect.  The current was winning.

Guided Discovery with the 70 and 65 before our sector filled-in

But I did not know that at the start of the process.  I though the wind would blow me away from the I-beams but that was not the case.  Oops.  Almost hit the I-beams.  Fortunately I saw the problem and aggressively backed the boat to avoid hitting the beams.  Then on the second try I went in bow first with a little speed to get by the beams and through the narrow opening and executed the docking maneuver described in the previous paragraph.  It was not pretty but I succeeded in docking without hitting anything.

Actually, I was VERY lucky as were the other two Outer Reefs (the 70 and a 65).  As the afternoon progressed the current reversed and got stronger as did the winds.  Seven out of eight boats that were scheduled to be stern into the dock to my west dock made it.  Number eight, an Offshore 80, had to wait several hours for slack tide.  My friend, Capt. Jay Brown, was assisting with the 80's delivery.

But it got worse.  The next morning the current was running 3 knots and the winds were even stronger from the south.  This meant that the boats entering our section were in danger of being pushed into the finger.  In the photo below you can see a tow boat pushing an 80 plus footer into place.

Note: That's the gap in the docks that I came through.

Yacht be assisted by the tow boat

Around 11:00 AM, I walked east to try to get a feel for what was to happen next (i.e., we still had room for more boats).  In the process I spoke with a gentlemen who was very frustrated. Turns out he was waiting for 37 foot Sea Ray 370 Sundancer that was later for arrival.  The plan was for that boat to be positioned at slack tide.  The delay had backed up the entire process.  The 370 had to be the first boat in.  The original game plan was to move all the boats in at slack tide (i.e., no current).  Further I learned from the gentlemen that the Sea Ray would be tied with its stern to the dock just to our east and that his starboard bow would be next to my starboard bow.

Awaiting the arrival of the Sea Ray 370

I immediately saw the risk.  The 370 would enter our section and then be dragged by the current and propelled by the wind directly into my boat.  Even if the folks on the dock were able to hold the stern to the dock then chances of the 370 hitting the 63 was very high (if not a certainty).  Working with Tommy Close, owner of the Outer Reef 65, we got out my compressor (bought at Capt. Randy's suggestion - thank you Capt Randy) and quickly inflated three 18" round fender balls that we had used to negotiate 101 locks on the Great Loop.  (Note: I considered throwing these away prior to leaving Chicago.  Mike Walsh of Marine Services advised me to hang on to them - Thank you Mike)

With 5 minutes to spare I was on the bow with the three balls.  Two of the balls were hung 4 feet above the waterline along my starboard bow and one was held at the ready just in case.  Turn out the one in my hand was the key.  Sure enough the 370 entered our section and got caught by the wind and current.  I placed the ball in line with the 370's bow rail and the 370 banged into ball bending its rail slightly.  Fortunately, there was no damage to the 63.  CLOSE CALL!

The 370 off our starboard bow

Note: The 370 is not tied to the 63.  The line coming off the starboard bow is secured to the Offshore 80.

As the morning progressed our area filled up but not without a lot of excitement and minor crashes caused by the difficult conditions. Note: I saw at least 5 boats with damage, one, a 150 footer, to the tune of $50,000 or more from hitting the I-beams.

Staff fending off a 50 foot sport fisherman as it enters our section.
Current and wind moving are the boat's stern into the dock

She's in.  Notice the turbulence caused by the current and bow thruster

NOTE: John the head honcho in charge of positioning boats for Show Management, the show's operator, was totally callous as it related to protecting boats tied up and those entering our area.  VERY DISAPPOINTING.  He stupidly ordered his goons to move my boat back slightly.  The goons did not think about the fact that our boarding stair was next to a light pole.  They came close to snapping the mounts (potentially $10,000 worth of damage).

The dock just to our east now loaded with boats

Once our section was filled I went back to attacking my to do list.  As I heard it from friends, I missed most of the exciting docking and, unfortunately, crashing that took place.

Pam, Tommy and Renee watching the action.  Pam is entertained (she has no dog (boat) in the fight
Tommy and Renee look concerned.  Their 65 is in the line of fire.

Gravitas, a 171 foot Feadship pulls in next to Guided Discovery
She charters for $230,000 per week

Gravitas' "tender" transports their bow line to shore

Guided Discovery next to Gravitas

Written by Les

Kodi and the 63

Kodi is the quintessential (i.e., representing the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class) boat dog.  Kodi has been boating since May of 2007 when she was just six months old.  Kodi has traveled an easy 10,000 miles on Lake Michigan including 40 lake crossing.  She joined us for a 6,150 mile Great Loop adventure and lived aboard for 444 days.  Her name appears on our boat card with the title of Social Director.  She has been instrumental in us making a large number of acquaintances and a few very good friends.

Kodi is at home on the water and on the dock.  She particularly loves exploring people's boats.  Leave your cabin door open and you will get a visit.  Have a dog?  Kodi will jump on your boat, find one of your dog's toys and steal it.  Her goal is to get your dog to chase her.

Our move aboard Guided Discovery on February 10 was for Kodi a "non event."  She staked out her spot on the middle of the salon settee and settled in.  She also likes the pilothouse settee and our new pillows.

This is not a posed photo.  She assumed this position all by herself.

As readers know, Kodi has a wide range of behaviors.  She responds to at least 117 commands and understands well over 175 words.  We are continually amazed at her ability to adapt to new situations and to problem solve.  Three examples:

1. Getting on, off and around the boat:  Kodi has explored every inch of the 63.  She goes to the flybridge via the pilothouse stairs, walks through the engine room and lazarette, negotiates the ladder from the lazarette to the swim platform and visits every space on the boat.  While at the Trawlerfest in Lake Park she had to cope with changing tides that required big jumps both up and down.  No problem.

2. Getting stuff: We do not wear shoes or for that matter socks when we are on the boat.  Upon boarding we remove our shoes and place them in a wicker basket.   When I said to her for the first time get my shoe, she immediately went to the basket, discriminated my shoe from Diana's and brought me the correct one.  She also brought the other one when I said "get the other one."

Her leash and collar are also stored in the basket.  This evening I asked her to get her leash.  She incorrectly brought Diana's shoe.  I told her to drop it and get her leash.  She then brought Diana's other shoe.  Another "drop it" and "get your leash" and, bingo, she brought me her leash.  Then I said "get Diana's shoe and put in the basket."  Did she do it?  Of course she did and on the first try.  She even returned the other shoe to the basket when I gave her the command.  AMAZING.

3. Find your squirrel: Kodi loves find games and has been playing them for almost 5 years.  This evening, I tried an experiment.  I defined the game territory as the main deck (i.e., pilothouse, galley and salon) and below decks (i.e., staterooms, engine room and lazarette).  I then parked her in the guest head and hid the squirrel throughout the boat.  This required Kodi to search a considerable amount of territory on multiple levels.  No matter where I hid it she found it.  I was particularly impressed with her search of the engine room as it is noisy (HVAC) and has very different smells.  I was also impressed that she searched multiple levels on her own initiative.

The squirrel is hidden between the canisters just to the left of her head

Searching in the vicinity of the generator.  Close but no cigar

She found it!

Kodi goes everywhere and loves meeting people.  She has particularly enjoyed the MANY people who have been working on the boat.  She loves Mike Schlichtig, Captain Randy and Deborah Manzi.  She is well know by the Marina Bay staff and the cashiers at West Marine (all of who are dying to give her treats).

Rarely a day goes by when we don't hear "that's a beautiful dog" or "what kind of do is that?"  The latter question is related to her small size, coat and coloring.  People expect labs to be bigger.  Kodi is a very small lab at 58 pounds and unusual due to being the offspring of an America sire and English bitch.

Kodi sunning herself in Palm Beach at the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum 

At lunch with Soph, Elena and Diana on the Las Olas Blvd. Riverwalk

Diana can't resist dazzling people with Kodi's tricks and, for that matter, neither can I. 

no\Diana charming a little girl with Kodi's counting skills

Reader Note: Life is getting better (i.e., I'm writing again).  The punch list is down to four items with the big window re-caulking job coming off today.  We have one more day in Fort Lauderdale.  Then it's off to the Palm Beach Boat Show on Saturday (we have to get there four days early).  Accompanying me will be Milt Baker, a Passagemaker contributing editor, who is writing a feature article on the 63.  He will be sea trialing the boat on our trip north to Palm Beach.  Stay tuned.

Written by Les.