Day Sailng

There are some experiences that are diminished by too much conversation. Today’s daysail to Anacapa Island falls into that category. The wind was between 7 and 11 knots, mostly from the South West. The sea state was normal for the Santa Barbara Channel: a few swells, waves up to two to three feet at 14 seconds. I think that Mary and I may have said 10 words to each other for the whole trip. It was just a perfect day to be sailing. We hit 7 knots, surfing down a swell, but averaged about 6 knots.

I asked Mary what she loves most about sailing. She responded, "Balance". I think that there is much to be said for that, it becomes a metaphor for a life well lived. Balance is everything. We select our sails based on the wind and sea. We elect to become subject to the environment but will select our path through this context. If we do well, we regard the need to allow the boat to tell us what it needs. We listen to what it tells us and provide it. This is the essence of a balanced, symbiotic relationship. The boats will take us anywhere, if we listen.

What more is there to say? 

 Fair winds and following seas,

- Pablo.

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Items of Necessity and Items of Convenience

Some Upgrades Are a Matter of convenience; some are a matter of necessity. The necessary upgrades to SV Tiburón were the propane system and the electrical system. When the vessel was surveyed, Jim Wallace, found precious little wrong with this boat. Given its age, we knew that, despite its glowing bill of health, that changes would have to be made to allow the boat another fifty years of life on the water. On Jim Wallace’s list was the location of the propane tank and slope in the hose that leads this extraordinarily flammable and heavier-than-air fuel into the stove.

This was easily enough accomplished: we moved the propane bottle to an exterior mount on the stern of the boat. The line falls at an acceptable angle and has no curves with low points into which propane could accumulate. The key part of this project was to make certain that there were no attachments in the hose where leaks could occur.

The more difficult problem lay in the wiring of the boat. I am not an electrician. I felt that this was a job for a professional, especially where AC power is involved. We had a combination of fuses that was attached to a buss bar and, upon inspection, betrayed several generations of wiring. The issue rose to the top of the list when a fuse exploded, not simply blowing out but exploded, when the water heater was engaged.

The process began when I had a bypass installed for the heater to an AC Breaker. Now, allow me to say that this was compounding the problem. We were just bypassing a systemic problem; this is a bit like treating a symptom rather than the disease itself. Problems continued. Running lights were dodgy. We had issues with our fridge. We came to the conclusion that it was time to have the boat rewired.

We contracted Beacon Marine Electronics to do three things: Rewire the boat and bring it up to date, update the electronics, and to install solar and wind power. The decision was made to install new AC and DC power systems and to use a system of breakers rather than fuses. The wiring proved to be a major project. The fuse boxes were removed and the wiring reorganized. A veneer was placed over the original teak bulkhead to cover the many access holes that were drilled and that were necessitated for installation of the new system.

 The installation of the new wiring is one of those things that is not “sexy” like a new set of sails. But this is a necessary part of the care for a boat of this age. It is necessary, however. We have eliminated potential fire hazards, and enabled the installation of the new electronics (which will be discussed in our next installment) and solar and wind power (to be done, at this time). I will follow thru with a discussion of our goals for electronics and what has been installed to date to meet those goals. 

Fair winds and following seas!

- Pablo