I did nothing on my list from yesterday. Instead I went for a sail with Guy, a new friend from a Jenneau 50 docked a couple of docks over. Weather was perfect, company great, and he brought out a drone and took pictures of the boat that I can’t wait to see. Now I know why my models like to get same day teaser pictures.
So in addition to some stuff I have to do tomorrow like groceries, I feel the need to hose down the deck. And sort out the pushpit wires, and work on the anchor, which is bloody heavy!
I’m still doing the perp walk from the boat to office to get any Wi-Fi at all. That’s my bitch today.
I haven’t heard if my water pump arrived yet. If it does, that will be my job tomorrow. If it doesn’t, I want to dismantle a few bars on the pushpit so I can access the dinghy and I should sort the anchors out. But the weather is supposed to be outstanding so my plans may get waylaid by an afternoon sail. I need to get at Canadian Tire:
Plumbing tape
A large wide slot headed screwdriver
25’ of dock line
My plans to go south in September are at risk. My doctor says I’m a prime candidate for both knees to be replaced and I have the same osteoarthritis in my L4 and L5 spine. My original plan was to make the decision on August 1. If the boat was ready, and I was ready, then September 1 I head to Oswego. The boat will be ready; the boat came to me almost ready, but I wonder if my knees will make single handing a serious problem. This is depressing but several things can happen.
The wait list for knee replacements is 2 years. Why don’t I go and come back for the operation?
I may find a travelling partner which would give us 4 legs to work the boat. I’d like that.
I may settle in to for the winter here and look forward to the spring and a whole new plan.
What else?
The next 6 weeks are important to this planning and stay tuned. It’s a beautiful boat and I plan many miles below the keel. Having the August 1 decision date means I don’t sweat the decision until that day. No worrying. Simply preparing and planning. It would be painful to worry every day about what to do. I’ll worry on August 1 and not before.
The pump did not arrive today. So I’m waterless for the weekend and don’t have that to install.
I can’t tell you how demotivating it is to have nonexistent wifi when keeping this log up to date. Apparently there are many complaints and the owners are shuffing them (is shuffing a word?) off. After the last conversation they made me feel like it was my fault that their wifi did not work. Well, if you are reading this, thanks for listening.
We did a few more shoots and I’m learning new tricks. Every sunset shoot is different.
I ran out of water the other day. This was bad. Filled it up yesterday and the pump doesn’t run. I checked the breakers, the ball cocks, hoses and bilges and all seem normal. Nothing gets the tap to run. This is also bad. I’m wondering if there is a need to prime the pump but I’m not sure how. This is the current state of the bilge, pump, ball cocks, and infrastructure. The bilge pump turns on ok, but not the water pressure pump.
If you are gonna buy a boat, buy it from Al and Linda. Before I could finish the above description of the problem, Al had sent me back a note that describes a solution. Tomorrow I’ll follow it religiously because in an hour I have a lovely photoshoot with Ashley who has just driven 2.5 hours for the shoot.
But now back to the water solution. As Al wrote:
“ Hi Phil,
Linda said you called about no water coming out of the taps?
First, is the pump on?
If you hear it then it is on. Don’t let it run dry a long time.
If you don’t hear it check that the breaker is on, first on the left I think.
If the breaker is on, check the wiring at the pump, follow it to see if a wire is loose.
If everything looks good but the pump doesn’t work, I connect it to a small 12v battery to make sure the pump is good.
If the pump is running and there is no water, check that the ball valves for the tanks are open.
There are two filters on the water line in the bilge by the pump, it the tanks are dirty they can get clogged. That shouldn’t happen, as I cleaned the tanks last year. But you can unscrew the filter and check it.
Last, if the pump is running and the tanks are open but there is no or little water coming out the taps, listen for water running somewhere in the boat. A pipe may have come loose. That usually only happens when you commission the system in the spring, but it can happen. If there is water running into the bilge, then follow the water back to the leak.
Hope this helps.
The water system is pretty easy, some connections are hard to reach, but otherwise straight forward. I put a new pump in last year? It was during covid, so it has not been used much and should be good.
Ashley is a dedicated fitness guru from the Peterborough area. She drove a couple of hours to visit me for a photoshoot on Cambio. She has shot with me a couple of times, all from a fitness context and today it was a pleasure to shoot her obviously fit bikini body, her infectious smile and general all around good nature.
I didn’t get down to the boat until late today. This morning I ordered an emergency ladder. It will trail a little line and can be deployed in case of man overboard. The boat currently has a solid ladder that fits at the side gates but that is normally stowed deep in the lazarette and since I’ve been sailing with new crew and short handed, getting the solid ladder out and installed fast enough to save a life will be problematic. The new ladder folds up very small and deploys with a tug on the line and instantly. I still must figure out where to mount it but I’m certain that it will make the boat safer.
I am also considering a whisker pole. I don’t have a spinnaker or asymmetrical downwind sail, but I’m going to have to lift the dinghy on deck. The mainsheet is pretty solid and I think that it would be a problem to use it to lift the dinghy (or a heavy, wet sailor) up on deck. This is going to take some thought because whisker poles are expensive and once I buy one I’ll want a downwind sail to use with it. All of a sudden, I’m spending $6000 between whisker pole and sail and I’m going to give that a lot of thought before I open my thinning wallet. And none of this is on the list of things to do that I logged yesterday.
Picture for effect and because the boat photoshoots are turning out wonderfully. Katie is a personal trainer and a marketing guru and we shot a few days ago. I’m over the moon with the way that thee sunset changes the skin tones into rich deep colours.
I’m planning for a trip to Kingston, roughly between July 18 and August 5, including a relaxed travel time each way. Mini trips include Prinyer’s Cove quiet anchorage and Waupoos winery, accessible by dinghy from Waupoos Marina, and perhaps renting a taxi for a day of visiting other Picton wineries to do some research.
I created a bit of a hullabaloo in the Facebook group for Cheoy Lee owners by posting a sunset picture. Most of the comments were positive but one guy decided that I should have shown more of the boat because ‘that’s not what the group is for’. I’m still going to post pictures taken on, of, and around the boat. My theme is lifestyle on a Cheoy Lee. If they don’t like bikinis, they are going to hate the picture of a used joker valve if I’m unfortunate enough to have to exchange it.
I have 2 and possibly 3 photoshoots this July 1 weekend that I’m really looking forward to. And I’m taking a few days off from the boat now because the last 4 days of photoshooting took a toll on my back and knees. I finally got a couple of sets of kneepads to save my knees but I forgot to put them on for the photoshoots. Photoshoots require a lot of attention and I’ve got to remember to use them.
A few new things to do.
Stow the spare anchor and chain so the main anchor is easily usable.
Test the windlass process at least once
Hunt for cobwebs and wipe the surfaces down.
Clean the Fiberglas coach roof.
Police all the lines on the boat.
Put off caulking parts of the deck for a couple of months.
Work out the launch the dinghy/get it unhooked/mount the motor/etc. process and try it out a few times.
Stick some telltales on the main and a few more on the genoa.
Today’s photograph is of Cassie, who is training for a physique competition in 6 weeks. The late sun has given her body a glow that just makes her look peaceful and happy, even teetering on the pulpit.
I’ve been photographing fitness models on the boat for the last 4 days. Thursday was Katie, Friday Charlene, Saturday Leslie and Cassie, and today I left the boat and shot the torch run for the 2022 Canada Games. That was all fun but I’m in muscle pain from dancing around the boat. The boat is an amazing platform to shoot models and sunsets on.
I took the sitting box off the bow. While I liked the idea of a quiet morning at anchor with a piping hot coffee, it blocked a lot of my view and I think it was a hazard. Docking was much better last night without it. As a result I only have two granny bars, one on either side of the mast, since the forward one is gone.
And Tempus Fugit Friday June 24, 2022, Port Dalhousie
Why is it what should be simple and is promised by the marina doesn’t work? And why does it take more time than boat maintenance to try to fix it. I’m talking about the wifi signals. The signal is intermittent and when it does shine, it doesn’t work. The management is not exactly working on the problem and it isn’t worth putting my footyfoot down … yet. Not that my stomp will solve anything, IMHO.
Seizing wire on the topping lift, job complete.
I start 5 days of photoshoots on the boat tonight and I’m looking forward to a meeting of sailing and photography. I have some great models coming and now it’s all up to me.
I’ve docked Cambio twice single handed. Both were good dockings, now that I’m able to walk the boat to the starboard using the prop walk phenomenon.
