March/April Logs

April 26, 2005: Yesterday we anchored out for the first time. Anchoring is a fairly straight forward process given we have an electric windlass to lower and raise the anchor. Despite the simplicity Ken still managed to bloody his hand a bit because he neglected to wear gloves while deploying the anchor. Another lesson learned.

We have heard concern from folks about Ben's overboard adventure and I wanted to let people know we are very concerned about the dogs safety and, following Ben's misadventure, are purchasing halters for both dogs that they will wear while at the dock. The halters have handles on them so the dogs can be hauled out of the water with ease. While underway, be it just to the fuel dock or out at sea, the dogs are either inside or tethered in the cockpit WITH their lifejackets on. A photo of the doggies with their life jackets at China Camp is now in the photo section.

Also, boxes have begun arriving from our boat show purchases, the biggest being our new 23 foot antenna. Fortunately the box is ONLY 13 feet long and we were actually able to get it stored onboard pending installation. We are still awaiting our life raft and watermaker shipment which are due in the next few weeks.

We are also planning to haul the boat out mid-May to scrape, seal, and repaint the bottom. The folks doing the work have access to military surplus bottom paint that should be more effective than paints available commercially. We've been told the paint is so effective that folks using it may not have to haul out to repaint for a number of years. Less work, YIPPEE!

April 21, 2005: It has been a very busy couple of weeks. Last week we spent several days at the Sailboat show in Alameda. The wallet is a little lighter as we purchased a life raft, EPIRBs (Emergency Locator Beacons), a watermaker and a SSB radio setup that will enable us to receive email on the boat. The watermaker will convert 12.5 gallons of sea water to fresh water each hour. With the watermaker we will be able to convert our heads (toilets to landlubbers) to fresh water operation. This will eliminate the traditional odor associated with boat toilets, Hoorah!!!!!!!

Unfortunately the Lagoon 440 wasn't at the show but the dealer indicated it would be here in a few weeks and he'd be happy to take us out for a sail. A better deal than just being able walk around which is all we could have done at the boatshow so we kind of glad it didn't make it in time for the show.

Monday and Tuesday of this week we sailed the bay with the dogs. The only issue that has arisen is that Ben is afraid of the noise when we run the engines and attempts to hide. We've managed to calm him down a bit but it still bothers him, hopefully he'll get over it.

Also, in regards to Ben, today he decided to jump off the bow to the dock and didn't make it. We were both inside working on projects and heard a great splash and immediately knew what had happened. As he struggled along Ken laid down on the dock and got a hold of him while Kim grabbed his life vest. It was fairly easy to get it onto him and then pull him out of the water via the handle on the vest. Needless to say it was and exciting experience. A post-incident photo is in our photo section.

Also in the photo section is a picture of the flag we got at the boat show that Summerwings flies when she sails. We don't think of ourselves as true pirates, more the Disney "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride type. Now I'll have to chase Kim around the boat waving a bottle of rum just like on the ride.

April 12, 2005: Today's is Admiral Kim's last day on the job and we can begin to devote our full attention to the boat. This means, of course, that we'll be spending the next few days at the StrictlySail Show at Jack London Square looking at boats. Something we've quickly learned is that, no matter how much you love your boat, there is the ongoing quest for the perfect boat. The perfect boat, of course, does not exist and is different for every individual but we have both been drawn to the new Lagoon 440 that is supposed to be at the show. But to dream. To see the new Lagoon 440, check out our links page.

April 7, 2005: Admiral Kim's log has shown that we can go almost two weeks before having to pump out our holding tank provided no "unusual activity" takes place. This could be a problem if either of us gets Motezuma's Revenge but we'll deal with that if it happens.

Ken & his friend Rusty took the boat over to the pump out the holding tank. Rusty is a great friend as evidenced by his willingness to even participate in the nasty job of pumping out.

We had Swordfish the other night and had to air out the cabin afterwards so yesterday Ken installed our new BBQ so now we can cook a nice fish dinner without stinking up the boat.

March 31, 2005: Today is a treat for us in that we decided to hire someone to do a complete cleaning of the outside of the boat. We found a great couple who are going to go over the boat with rubbing compound, then a cleaner, then put on two coats of hard wax. We've seen some of the couple's work and we think the boat will look almost brand new when they are done. It's hard work and it is estimated to take 2 people working 10 days to complete. If you live in the north bay area and need someone to do a thorough cleaning of your boat, I can recommend these folks without reservation. If you'd like their contact information, shoot us an email at kkcordes@mindspring.

March 28, 2005: Another nervous evening as the wind rose and was blowing at a steady 25 knots. Our bimini was moving around to the point I was checking the attachement points fairly frequently but they held fast. Then the wind rose to a steady 35 knots with one gust measuring 48 knots and still the bimini remained firmly attached. When the wind backed down to 20 knots it seemed like a mild breeze. I guess it's better to learn sooner rather than later that the bimini structure is much stronger than it might appear.

March 25, 2005: The weather cooperated and we were able to move the boat over to the fuel dock to pump out the holding tank first thing this morning. Admiral Kim, in her role as Sanitation Officer, has developed a log for the head so we can figure out how long it takes the tank to fill.

March 24, 2005: Disaster strikes! This evening we discovered that our holding tank (sewage) was nearly full and we could not use the onboard facilities until we pumped out the tank. So long walks to the marina bathroom until we can pump out.

March 21, 2005: Today was move in day aboard Summerwings. After months of packing, storing, and trashing personal possessions, we are now offically "boat people". Ken & Kim are settling in nicely as are our two dogs, Ben & Dale.