'Free State' Fitting Out

[Sprig1]

Congratulation! Happy safe traveling

[don123]

End of Free State fitting out post. Away tomorrow.

Good luck!

But . . . . you're supposed to go NORTH for the spring and summer (away from the hurricane belt) and south for the fall and winter. If you're still in Florida this winter, maybe we'll run across you somewhere - We plan on Christmas in the Keys

Don

[nussbda]

Just saw you pass Charleston Crab House before the storm hit. Safe travels.

[Nancy]

Bon voyage! Keep us posted.

[eseyoung]

Keep us posted. we will be heading down that way. my 27fc always sat stern high like yours is. i am not sure why...although my guess is that the front cabin was loaded and aft was empty.

[smacksman]

Many thanks for the good wishes.

After much hassle I am now on broadband with AT&T. I got their hotspot working before I left - no problem - then as soon as I was away it wouldn't work because the month had changed and I hadn't paid. Fair enough but hell to pay if you are not American. Home address has to have state and zip code to match the UK credit card. Eventually spoke to a human being and paid up ok.

So now I am anchored in Salt Creek, St. Augustine and apart from the first day of storms the weather has been lovely. A few dramas including going the wrong way for an hour, the Raymarine SportPilot not able to hold a course for a minute, and forgetting to turn off the pump to the day tank ( a cup full of diesel makes a hell of a mess!) all has gone smoothly.

Passed Albin27fc ChaCha on the way and was so excited I forgot to change VHF channel for a chat.

In four days only one motor boat and two sailboats have been going south. You're right. I'm going the wrong way again. (I did the same with my sailboat Sylvia G)

Some figures:- Engine hours 42.5 and from fill up in Charleston to fill up in Jacksonville 42 gallons.

Testing speed down the South Edisto River :- 1750 rpm 5.5kn ; 2000 - 6.3kn; 2250 - 6.7kn; 2500 - 7.0kn; 3000 - 7.7kn She seems to have a sweet spot at 2400 so that is our cruising revs.

Must go, battery running out on the laptop.

[smacksman]

got the fuel gauge to work - sort of. Measured the tank then measured the arm of the sender. The arm was 1 1/2" longer than half the tank. The float just hit the side. Crop the arm and fit the sender and it works - sort of. The wires are crossed and full is empty and vice versa. It will have to wait till I get some eye and spade terminals.

Ponce de Lyon Inlet now. A good day with the tides.

[smacksman]

Replaced the old 6v deep cycle batteries at Titusville and fitted a single 12v deep cycle they had in stock. I wanted Duracell 6v replacements at about $90 each but they couldn't be found in time. Sadly the Municipal marina no longer runs their mini bus (too expensive to run) so I caught the public bus and saw a different side of America - the have nots and have not a lots. Great chatting to them and getting their views on the US, the world and the Universe.
Anchored now near Wabasso Bridge, just short of Vero Beach. Flat calm and peace. Lovely.

[smacksman]

Woke and checked the engine as usual to find the floor coated in oil. Just what you want before breakfast! The tube that holds the dip stick had come away. It had been soldered before at the nut that screws into the crankcase and that repair had failed.
Checked the oil level and topped it up (again, a cup full of oil makes a lot of mess) and then decided on a temporary measure to get us going. I found some 1/4" dowel on board and pared the end to a taper and pushed it into the nut with a tap from my hammer. 9 hours later I'm at St. Lucie Inlet and the dowel has not let a drop of oil past. I might just forget brazing this time and just go straight to epoxy as the cure.

Florida sailors never seem to reduce their wake when passing. I slowed for a fisherman in a dink and a sport fisherman just blasted pass and nearly tipped us both over. Slow for manatees - some joke.

[eseyoung]

Wait...i thought you were northbound. i should learn to read better.

what are your plans again? we will be in the keys most of the summer.

[smacksman]

Hi eseyoung; Yes, originally I thought of going to Canada to see friends and relations but I read it was still frozen and snowing and generally b...dy cold so changed plan.
I am now at St Lucie Inlet and about to head west towards New Orleans. Not too sure how far along I will get before my visa runs out but wherever I get to it will be an adventure.

Sorry I won't be going to Marathon as I just loved it there. The forums held in the pool at Marathon Marina covering the world and the universe; Salty's Bar across the road (re-built yet?); the turtle hospital down the road; yes, happy memories.

Today was maintenance day. The broken dipstick tube bodge with a bit of dowel was spewing oil again so had to clean the engine room - again. I think I will have one of the cleanest engine rooms in the fleet after all this! The pipe had sheared off above the brazed joint into the bolt head not at the joint as I presumed. Having had problems with the brazed oil cooler bleed valve I have come to the conclusion the the heat of brazing has hardened the brass/copper and made it brittle. Maybe I should have asked for it to be annealed after brazing.

While the epoxy was curing I changed two of the bulbs in the fore cabin lights to LED. I was puzzled why the new bulbs didn't work. When I checked them directly to the battery and they worked fine. Then I remembered that LEDs like the juice to go only one way - tungsten filaments don't bother. So somewhere in the wiring the pos/neg cables have been switched. In my book the light switch is always on the positive lead. So switched the white cable from the ground to the switch and the black cable to the ground and Lo! there was light. Made a two minute job switching the bulbs over into and epic.
Don't we just love boats?

[smacksman]

epoxy joint failed on the dipstick tube. Tried and failed again so gave up. Used a bit of 1/4" o/d plastic tube with a nail to seal the end and pushed it into the hole. When I check the oil I will pull that out and pop the dipstick in.

Sailing on the way to Stuart, Florida, I opened the engine hatch to check the dipstick plug and noticed a fuel leak. Stopped and fueled up at a marina and they let me lie alongside while I biked down Route 1 to Ace Hardware for bits. Very helpful. Sorted the leak and now anchored off the canal before the first lock.

Problems often come in threes. I wonder what will be next.

[smacksman]

Went round the Rim Route of Lake Okeechobee today. Thought I would see more rather than powering across the middle. The highlight was watching an osprey fish. She tried thee times right in front of me, then success on the fourth time, deftly transferring fish from caught position to transport position fore and aft like a torpedo.

Decided to anchor on the edge of the canal for the night. Big mistake! The anchor kept finding old roots and rubbish. Then a thunderstorm squall came through and I motored into it for a while. Then decided that it was too tight a spot for this sort of weather so in a lull, up-anchored. Big chunk of wood jammed in the flukes and a fishing net round everything.
Found the dolphins outside the west lock and tied up for the night.
Plenty of water round the Rim and lake locks are open flow but the canal locks rise about 15 feet on the eastern side (St. Lucie lock) and two locks drop about 3ft. each on the western side of the lake. Lock captains very considerate to an old single hander locking through.
No alligators spotted - well concealed.

[smacksman]

Tied up at the free Town Dock at La Belle on the Caloosahatchee River canal. Love the names. La Belle is in fact tres jolie, the only downside being the noisy bascule bridge next door. The dock can take 8 boats moored Med style for three nights free and free 30amp power. Ideal place to stop and check over the boat. About 6 feet of water, little canal traffic and hardly any current. Low 90's and not a lot of breeze. Clouds building.

[Vic K]

Have you made the trip to New Orleans before? I've made that trip several times If I can help anyway let me know. Do you plan to go further west than NO?

Vic