January 22-26, 2020 Rapid City, SD pre Ski for Light

Once again, I decided to be a volunteer for Ski for Light in the Black Hills of South Dakota.  We met Fred and Pati Meyling sailing over a year ago. Fred is physically disabled and uses a wheelchair.  I told them if they attended Ski for Light, I would go to.  Well this was the year.  My sister, Beverly Krause, usually attends and planned to this year.  Our brother, Don Zeller, has been a volunteer in the past.  Once he heard Bev and I were going, he thought he’d join us again.  Then his daughter, Katie Murphy decided to volunteer and bring her 4 year old daughter, Memphis.  Katie had guided many years ago and wanted to join us again.  Then a girlfriend from Groton, SD decided to volunteer.  Nancy Sunsdtrom had heard about this event from me for years and wanted to join us.  THEN, I told to Kaye Leslie from Canada that I was going, and she decided to come as a participant and have me guide her again.  We have had so much fun together in the past.  So this thing just started snow balling.  Besides seeing all of these people, it will be great to see all the people that come year after year. 

I flew into Rapid City on Wednesday, Jan 22, as did Bev.  Tracy Perdue picked us up at the airport.  We borrowed their Jeep while we were in SD.  We stayed at her sister’s house, Tami and John Petersen’s and had dinner with both families that night at Buffalo Wings and Rings. 

On Thursday, January 23, Bev visited band practice of the New Horizon’s Band that she used to play clarinet with when she lived here.  That night, Bev and I had dinner with a good friend, Jackie Killion, at Shooters, another old favorite restaurant. 

On Friday morning, I joined my “coffee girlfriends” at Black Hills Bagels.  We used to have coffee after working out together at 6:30am.  They still meet every Friday, but moved it to 6:45, crazy change after all these years :)  It’s always fun share some laughs with them. 

That afternoon, I met with a couple that are chartering a sailboat in the Bahamas for the first time, Diana and Bob Fuchs.  They had all kinds of questions for me.  They really appreciated picking my brain and just visiting in general.

That evening, Bev and I had dinner at our cousin’s home, Tom and Sharon Zeller’s, with their daughter Lysann.  They are wonderful hosts that love to cook.  It was also Tom’s birthday.  Once again, we had a wonderful evening at their home.  But, I had developed a cough that felt deep in my chest.

Trying to fit in as many friends as possible, Bev and I had lunch with my former alto choir members from church, Kathy, Marcia and MaryLee.  I almost cancelled because of my cough, but kept my distance. 

On Sunday, everyone was packing to go to Deadwood for the week for Ski for Light.  I decided I had better go to an Urgent Care clinic to check out this cough.  Sure enough, I had influenza A and had to avoid contact with people for 2 more days.  So I went back to bed while the others went to Deadwood. 

January 1-21, 2020 Boat Projects

Dave’s projects:  This post is dedicated to the projects Dave worked on between November 2019 and May 2020. It may not be a complete list, but it’s what we came up with after the fact.  If you’re not into the work that is done on a boat, you may want to skip this entry. 

Dave replaced the pump in both the forward and aft heads.  We had black water backing up into the toilet.  There are 2 gaskets that have to be replaced in the pump when this happens.  For a few dollars more, you can get a new pump and have a cleaner job to do.  We had a Jabsco pump and changed to a Whale pump.  He also replaced the toilet bowl in the forward head.  The original one was a “camper size”.  This one is full size, or as Dave would say “for big butts”.  I didn’t realize how uncomfortable it can be for a guy to have to sit on a toilet with all body parts inside the seat and be rocking and rolling at sea.  Enough said. 

We received a new stereo for Christmas.  I think I played about 3 Christmas CD’s before the old one died.  Dave had to rewire the new one.  We can now use bluetooth to play the sound through our speakers from our computer or phones.  We usually watch movies on our computer and run the sound though the stereo speakers.  But we had to pull out a couple wires to make that work.  Now we just have to remember which buttons to push, which can be challenging for our old minds. 

We spent several days at the end of the year lining up new boat insurance.  We used to have to stay north of Florida during hurricane season.  Pantaenius changed our policy to staying north of Florida YEAR ROUND.  We did a lot of research this fall and ended up going with BoatUS/Geico. 

Dave replaced our fresh water pump and ordered a replacement pump to have on hand.  The old one wasn’t pressurizing as it should.  And you could tell by the sound that it was only a matter of time before it would quit. 


Dave replaced our air conditioner/heater.  There was a lot of corrosion in our old one, which was about 4-5 years old.  We run it pretty hard in Georgia during hurricane season.  The new one was supposed to be the exact same.  He installed it and it didn’t work.  He found out they had rearranged some wiring in the control box, which involved more work than originally planned.  He sprayed this one with corrosion control.  He also removed the Mermaid condensator that would collect the condensation.  It sounded like a good plan, but the check valve for one way flow would go bad and the collection pan would overfill.  The water would then flow into the bilge and set off the bilge alarm.  After repairing it a few times, he decided to go back to the original plan of letting the condensation go directly into the bilge.  Now he periodically runs the bilge pumps.  This also gives him an opportunity to check that the bilge pumps are working.  

old Mermaid Condensator

Dave had been working on sewing a new Bimini and Dodger for our cockpit.  When he went back to where he left off, making the holes through the Bimini to mount the solar panels, he stepped back to reassess the situation.  Having the solar panels on top of the Bimini has always been a pain in the @$$ when we want to remove them.  Dave spent some time researching adding an arch.  He ended up ordering one that could be assembled to fit our boat,  Tower in a Box “as seen on TV, get yours today”.  Actually it’s working great.

When the arch was delivered, Dave had to be present to accept the delivery.  He also wanted to be able to inspect it, should it have to be returned right away.  Well, that day happened to be the day of my colonoscopy that had been scheduled 2 months ago.  Luckily, a dock mate with a car offered to take me and wait to bring me home.  If you didn’t have a driver waiting for you, they would reschedule the procedure.   All went well for the delivery and the colonoscopy. 

Dave had to take several measurements to attach the arch to our stern.  With the help of a tall friend, he was able to find the best location to mount the arch on the stern of our boat.

 
 
 

Finding the best place for mounting, also brought with it changes that had to be made to the existing structures.   There are 2 “perch seats” at the corners of the cockpit.  They can be rotated up to move them out of the way.  Dave had to remove a corner of the seat to make room for the arch.  Also, there are clamps on a rail that hold it in place as it rotates up.  One of the clamps was broken.  He replaced all the clamps and the leg mounts.

perch seat with corner removed for the leg of the arch

perch seat leg sits on the teak, but it rotates up and out of the way when you need to enter that locker

old mount of leg to underside of the seat

old hinges

old hinges

old hinge

new parts with solar light on top of it

perch seat with cut out and solar light on top of it

While he was working on the arch, he noticed that the motor mount board for our 20hp Mercury outboard was cracked.  Had he not noticed, we could have found our outboard dangling off the stern of the boat, as long as the tethers held on to it.  This one was made of starboard, so Dave found 3/4” plywood, glued 2 layers together, notched it to fit over the rail.  Then he epoxied the surface and painted it green.

 
 
 
We had a lever arm to raise the outboard onto the the stern or lower it to the dinghy.  It was mounted on the davits.  Dave was able to move it to the arch.  In this position, it is further out over the water, which makes it easier to reach the back of the dinghy.  From the davits, he would have to pull the motor out away from the boat and to the dinghy. 

We have had our grill on the port side of the stern for years.  That had to be moved, too.  Dave was able to mount it more off the corner and to the port side.  We’ve yet to try it out.  Reaching it may be more challenging.  But another concern will be clearing a dock piling as we are arriving or leaving a dock.  These are posts that support the dock that can be close to the edge of the dock.  Depending on the wind and current and space available, the grill could rub against a piling accidentally.  So we’ll keep you posted on that one.

 
 
When Dave had to drill holes into the arch to run wires, he positioned the dinghy underneath him to catch any tools he might drop.  WELL, that also meant the the dingy caught all the aluminum shards.  So that turned int a job just to clean up his mess.  After the holes were drilled, he had to use a tool to smooth the edges, to protect the wiring running though the holes.


 
 

For those of you that have been hanging in there, here is a break.  There was a swan hanging around the marina for over a month.  The marina was asking us to give it a name.  Dave thought it should be Sue short for Suwannee, since the river originates in Georgia

we think it was looking at it's reflection on the boat

After the arch was in place, it had a wobble to it.  Dave called the company, the directions say to have the base of the arch 3-5 inches wider than the top.  They recommended he have an 8 inch spread of the bows. He made the changes which involved unbolting the arch and drilling new holes and cleaning the shards again.  And it still had a wobble.  After calling the company again, they are sending additional parts to brace it.

The next job involved mounting the solar panels, radar, wifi booster and DSC antenna for emergencies.  Some items had to be a designated distance from the radar.  Other things had to be sure they didn’t make a shadow on the solar panels.  It was like putting together a puzzle.  When mounting the DSC antenna, he was concerned about the plastic mount cracking if it wobbled.  He changed it to an adjustable stainless steel mount.  Now he needed to place plastic washers to separate the stainless steel form the aluminum arch to avoid galvanization.  He has seen the destruction of the aluminum in the past.  

leveling the radar

metal vs plastic mount for antenna (adjustable mount came in handy when the boat was hauled out in May)

yellow box is the wifi booster

still need to take the wrinkles out of the new bimini

Once the different units were in place, he had to run the wires for everything and add extensions for some.  The arch added about 5-6 feet to where they had been mounted.  He left a GPS on the davits because he couldn’t extend the wire. He  also had to empty out the aft cabin to be able to attach the wires as needed.  Once everything was completed, he had to go back in and zip tie all the wires in place.  All in all it has been a great addition.

aft cabin with the boards removed that support the bed.  Blue tank is a water tank

November 28-December 31, 2019 Thanksgivning and December highlights

Our marina provided the main turkey, dressing and gravy for our potluck dinner today.  This is usually the largest gathering of the year because many boats are heading south this time of year and stop here for Thanksgiving.  We met a new boater at our marina, Hood.  That’s her last name and that’s what she goes by.  She and I are members of a Facebook group called Women Who Sail.  So we had connected on FB before she arrived, along with 2 other women at the marina.  I spent part of Friday with her and anther boater, Nan from Wisconsin.  It was interesting to hear their different perspectives as female owners of boats.  Nan is selling her boat after about 20 years and Hood just bought her second boat, this one to live aboard. 
On Saturday, Dave and I went for a sail with Hood and one other sailor from the marina for her to check out her boat.  It was fun to be back on the water. 

Women Who Sail Facebook Friends Sherri, Mary and Hood

This is the overturned car transporter, Golden Ray.  It overturned in the St Simon's Inlet in Septermber

There are a lot of things to set up before the ship can be dismantled to protect the environment.

We had a Jimmy Buffett party at the marina to listen to a concert on XM Radio instead of traveling to Jacksonville for the concert.  Fun potluck with friends.

Pete had his first gig in Brunswick on December 15 at Tipsy McSway’s, a bar/restaurant downtown.  About 15 marina friends came for dinner and to hear him perform.  He was awesome, as always. 

 On December 20, I purposely set my alarm to get up and see a rocket launch from Cape Canaveral.  It’s about 200 miles south of us.

Our 42nd anniversary was on December 17.  We had a nice dinner at home then celebrated on the weekend on Jekyll Island.  We decided to stay at the Holiday Inn on the beach this year.  We enjoyed visiting with other guests at the “Manager’s Happy Hour” at the hotel . 
On Saturday, we hiked Driftwood Beach and had lunch at Zachry’s Riverhouse.

I overslept for the sunrise

Pete joined us that evening.  We had dinner at the Driftwood Bistro.  We waited at the bar for our table and met a bartender from South Dakota.  She needed up knowing my niece’s husband.  Small world. 
After dinner, we drove around the island looking at the Christmas lights.  They do a beautiful job on the island.

 
 
 
My long time friend from South Dakota, Cheryl Ulmer, had the opportunity to ride with someone going through Brunswick and spend a day with me.  She helped me do my shopping before Christmas.  Not for gifts, but for food and liquor.  We went to the marina’s happy hour.  She has been here before, so she knew several people here.  Afterwards, we used Pete’s car to tour the Christmas lights on Jekyll Island.  We used to rent a limousine to look at lights and celebrate her birthday on December 21 in South Dakota. 

Pete had Christmas Eve and Day off.  It was great to just spend the day with him on the boat. My Christmas present from Pete was for him to sing with our church choir tonight at the Midnight Mass for Christmas.  He sang two solos, O Holy Night and Ave Maria.  I was sitting behind him while filming him, so pardon the view. 



On Christmas Day, we enjoyed another pot luck at the marina.  Then we watched football with other and played card games with our marina family.

I found the nativity scene on Jekyll Island made of driftwood

On December 27, we had a women’s luncheon at the marina.  It was a potluck lunch along with a potluck bloody Mary bar.  And we had a white elephant gift exchange.  Fun time.

December 30-I had to try out a new vacuum system for my frozen foods.  We bought sous vide bags and an electric pump.  They are used when sealing food in bags to be cooked in a water bath.  But they work great as freezer bags.  The I love the rechargeable pump.

About 3:00 on New Year’s Eve, Hood had a renaming party for her new-to-her sailboat.  Another boater presided over the ceremony.  Then she provided beverages and snacks for everyone.  She is a high school biology teacher, thus the name Symbiont.  She felt that she and her boat were in a symbiotic relationship.

 That evening, we played games with other boaters in the yacht club.  Pete and I made it to midnight, even though I didn’t plan to.