Patty's new spot

Patty's new spot is stretched up in the companion way, seeking to sneak out, now that she's discovered how much more exploring there is to do outside...
Candles on the step out below Patty keep the evening bugs away pretty well... Still, must get around to making screens one of these days...
Oh, the todo list... never ends...

Anchor Line Failure

So... How do you think this anchor line failed....
It's definitely not your typical three strand anchor line...
Click on the picture to see larger version.

I'll be obtaining the West Marine econo pack 150 foot of three strand 1/2" anchor line, then shackling to a 10 foot length of 5/16" (hot dipped galvanized steel) proof coil chain... which I then need to shackle to a new anchor... the anchor I lost was a nice Bruce... WM doesn't seem to sell those, but they do have a "Bruce-like" claw anchor...

Electricity Quest Continues...

If I'm going to cook via electric, or use any electric 120/240 volt device via the batteries for that matter, than I'll need to use an inverter to draw the power from the batteries.
I found a calculation example:
3 amps x 120 VAC x 4 hours = 1440 watt-hours divided by 24 VDC battery environment equals 60 amp-hours.
So, for a proposed hot plate, that may draw 6 amps. Let's assume I have it on for 1/2 hour.
That's 6 amps x 120 VAC x 1/2 hour = 360 watt-hours divided by 12VDC battery equals 30 amp-hours....
I found a single burner hot plate at target for $20. It draws 800 watts. I'm assuming that means 800 watts divided by 12 VDC is about 67 amps per hour or about 33 amps in a half hour of cooking.
Why didn't I pay more attention to all this electrical stuff when I was in college!!!
Who would've known stuff in college could be useful ;p
I still have to double check, but I think my one deep cycle battery is rated at 75 Amp-hours.
I do have two batteries parallel-wired together, which means the amps of the two batteries are added together, if I have the battery switch on "both." I have a battery switch that enables me to use one, the other, or both.
So, let's say I have 150 amp-hours available... hmmm... perhaps I can use a hot plate...
Still... a 75 Ah battery can deliver (in theory) 1 amp for 75 hours, or can that be reversed? 75 amps in 1 hour? If so, then, if i'm looking at this correctly... cooking on a 6 amp hot plate for 1/2 hour just totally drained one of my batteries to "nominal charge." Which probably means I should recharge the batteries after every single hot plate cooking event! Hmmm... The deep cycle battery I have indicates it's capable of 350 cycles... I'm assuming that means discharge/recharge. I wonder if once I use the hot plate I'll probably have enough power left to start the engine to recharge the batteries (assuming I'm in a situation where I might not have solar power availability...)...

I did look at weights of larger amp batteries... upwards of one hundred and more pounds!!!
I don't think there's any way I'd be getting those on/off the boat, never mind in/out of the battery storage area down in the starboard locker!

I'm going to seek advice/council of the math genius in my office...

This power issue is making me crazy. How can I justify using up batteries... that may or may not end up getting recycled depending on what really happens when you drop off a battery somewhere... compared to the justification of an explosive non-renewable energy source of propane... I think I'm still leaning towards........ i don't know. head is spinning.

Other helpful info I found online...
12 Volt battery fully charged should read 12.7 volts on a volt meter.
12 Volt battery at "nominal voltage" or about 60% charge will read about 12.2 volts on a volt meter... not much change. definitely need the digital read out volt meter!

Gratefulness & Thankfulness

Although I lost one of my anchors this past weekend to the Panther Key channel, it wasn't the end of my world. I just accepted it as fact, and was grateful that, if the anchor line was going to break, I'm glad it broke when it did while the engine was already running and ready to go, not when I was out walking on the mudflats of Hog Key far from view of the sailboat with only sailing dinghy as a means for getting back to the boat (the sailing dinghy wouldn't have gotten me anywhere very fast...).
Things could have been much worse than just loosing an anchor. The winds were blowing pretty good that day and the sailboat would have been up on the shallows in minutes.
My mom sent me an email with the following today from the "bratfactor" website www.thebratfactor.com.
"Compared to people who do not live a lifestyle of thankfulness, research shows that
grateful people:
1. Experience higher levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, optimism, and energy
2. Experience less depression
3. Better manage stress
4. Are more likely to help others
5. Exercise more regularly
6. Make more progress towards their personal goals
7. Have stronger immune systems
8. Have fewer symptoms of physical illness"

I'm thinking that being grateful for all that was positive about the situation, helped me deal with what wasn't so great. A good reminder to be grateful and thankful :)

Battery & Solar Power

So, before I make the decision of how I'm going to go about making the choice of propane or electric stove, I need to take a look at power draws, my ability to store power, and my ability to recharge my stored power.
I found a web page about deep cycle batteries...
http://www.amplepower.com/primer/eq/
Concurring with what Russell told me, they state that "As a rule, it is best not to discharge batteries more than about 50% of their rated Amp-hour capacity."
Apparently the book recommended by the website, "Living on 12 Volts with Ample Power, has been a marine best-seller for over 10 years and is a must for anyone seriously interested in electrical and refrigeration systems"... and even recommended by Nigel Calder... hmmm....
Perhaps I will invest in this book.

West Marine Catalog & Cooking

I picked up the 2006 West Marine "Master Catalog" yesterday... The 2007 catalog doesn't come out until Feb 2007 apparently.
I think having this catalog may be a dangerous thing from my pocketbook strings...
While in West Marine yesterday, one of the sailors there gave me a different point of view on the cooking stove situation. He suggested buying hot plates and not going with the propane stove. Propane is a very explosive fuel, and of course, is not a renewable energy source. But... cooking with electricity is no easy deal either... My boat is somewhat small with not much space for solar panels... I'm going to have to get creative and perhaps increase my battery pack. Currently Athena has two batteries. If not recharged by the sun, there's always the engine that can be used to recharge the batteries. Yes, using the engine is using a non-renewable energy source of diesel fuel, but you can purchase a lot of diesel fuel to recharge batteries when compared to the cost of solar panels... although these are coming down in price, and really, one of my goals of the boat, is to be as self sufficient as possible and steer away from non-renewable energy sources.
However, cooking and good food is very important to enjoyable passages. This is very evident from all the different books I've read of sailors documenting their sailing experiences. The discussion of cooking, meals, and food is always prevalent.

Back to the Marina

Heading back to the marina from Panther Key, the day started out looking nice with off-shore winds... As I got out from Panther Key channel and started heading north, the weather started to look a little more ominous.
About a half hour north of Panther Key, I looked back and it appeared to be raining in the area from which I came. It looked eerily like a nasty cold front, so I took the jib in a little bit. With all the barnacles on the bottom of Athena, dragging a dinghy, and jib reefed, we were sailing at about 3 to 3.5 knots.
Still a little uneasy about the engine, it was a stressful motor into Coon Key channel and into the marina... The longest hour ever... Hopefully this will get less stressful as I log the hours "sailing the Athena."

Alone at Panther Key

Lynne and Russell left Panther Key at 8AM on Sunday morning, leaving Athena and I and the cats alone...




I explored the mudflats at Hog Key. There were lots of bird tracks in the sandy area of the flat.





After exploring, I returned to the sailboat and prepared for my departure in the early afternoon....
As I pulled up anchor from Panther Key... The anchor and chain decided they wanted to stay there... the anchor line snapped... Although the anchor line looked old and in need of some repair, an immediate failure did not seem evident. Oh well, another todo list item ;)

Enjoying Panther Key

Spent the weekend at Panther Key.
Lots of time was spent sailing around in the sailing dinghies :)
Sailing the dinghy is a great way to practice one's sailing skills :)
Russell kept wondering why my sailing dinghy sailed so well... perhaps the wider area at the top of the sail and all the fangled "plastic stuff..."

Athena is rafted up to Blue Highway. In the background are sailboats from the Caloosahatchee Marching Chowder Society of Ft. Myers, FL.
Patty was adventurous during the weekend and even jumped onto Blue Highway to take a peak a couple times... Blue Highway's cat, Black Jack, was also curious of Athena and residents...

Watched a beautiful sunset from the shore of Panther Key.
The Caloosahatchee Marching Chowder Society (CMCS) held a pot luck that evening on the beach. We stopped in for a visit. One of the members of the CMCS spotted my "performance edition" sailing dinghy from West Marine. A light bulb went off in Russell's head at that comment, and from then on, he will probably never let me live that down!!! Honest, I had forgotten that fact!
Towed back by one of the members of the CMCS, since there was no wind to speak of, we went back to eat our own dinner on the sailboats.
There were walks on the beaches, having fun with old sculpted by nature mangrove roots, Lynne and I pretended to be "driftwood goddesses"...
There were also two attempts to use the solar oven to cook dinner... Attempts were thwarted by the clouds that moved in every afternoon. I've been convinced to install a propane stove in Athena, probably not an oven though...
So, over the weekend, some todos developed...
The jib is getting caught on one of the halyards up top; a stove of some type would be a nice thing to have; potential for electroplating the bottom piece attaching the rollerfurler to prevent rusting..., and, a second sail and perhaps some modification to the sailing dinghy so the "performance edition" doesn't get overpowered in higher winds...

Singlehanded Sailing to Panther Key

In response to my indication of trying to find someone to go sailing with for Thanksgiving weekend... one of my neighbors said, "Well, you know the only way to get there..." and then he paused, causing me to ask, "how?" His response, "just go."
Keeping that in mind and all the support from my friends, Brian, Beth, Vicki, Russell, and Lynne.
I set off on Thanksgiving day, on my own, to Panther Key. Pics of sailing Athena and sunset at Panther Key.
The sunset every day we were there was just beautiful.
And the stars following, simply awe inspiring.

Low Tide at marina

November 23rd, morning preparations and documenting low tide at the marina. Here are a couple picks, one of the old sunk boat that only shows up at low tide, and one of a side view of the "Snook Light Aquarium."

Almost Ready to Go...

I'm almost ready to go. It's 11:30am on Thanksgiving morning.
The only things left to do are to acquire a little more ice and a little more diesel fuel.
The stores of food are fully stocked. I've got cantalope, bananas (even though some people think bananas are unlucky on a boat, i just can't imagine not having bananas!!), pineapples (2), pumpkins (2), butternut squash, acorn squash (2), pears, apples, cucumber, lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, green and red peppers, celery, vegan fruit/nut bars, lots and lots of granola, canned fruit, soy milk, chips, soda, water water water water..., wheat thins, etc.
Had quite a fun time in the grocery store last night. I love grocery shopping for a trip !!!
And, I hope to break out the solar oven this weekend!
Last night I also cleaned the boat.
This morning I tippy topped off the fuel tank, put the kayak on the sailboat, took the 4 Hp off the dinghy and secured it onto the stern rail of the sailboat, attached the dinghy to the stern of the sailboat, mounted the GPS Chartplotter, plotted way points to Panther Key (where I'm meeting Lynn & Russell, checked the tides on the GPS Chartplotter which has this cool tide function, filled the center fresh water tank, checked to make sure the water pumped would pump more than just water and yes it does!, whistled at the darn Osprey, watched 50 Woodstorks circling in the sky and take off in two v's, watched a dolphin come into the marina behind the sailboat, did some more organizing, finished charging up batteries, fixed the running light wires that Patty keeps pulling out from behind the access hatch to the bow, photo documented low tide around the marina to learn the shallows, cleaned a few remaining dishes, took a shower after two days of not showering ;)
and... I think I'm about ready to go...
Scheduled for Brian, Beth, and Dexter to help see and push me off at 12:45pm...
I'll update this post with pictures when I return. I forgot to bring the firewire with me to download photos off my camera from this morning.
Blessed Thanksgiving everyone.
It's a most beautiful day here in Southwest Florida :)

"The Secret" Law of Attraction...

I'm using "The Secret" Law of Attraction to go sailing this weekend...
I've been telling everyone I'm going sailing...
I can't express how important it is for me to give myself the courage to go out there and just go.
To be confident that this is indeed something that I can very well do and will do.
If I am successful in doing this, I think there will be no stopping me. I will be out and out and out! I need to do this for me.
It's been almost a year since I was last really sailing on a boat :(
Yes, there was the very quick sail when I moved Athena to a new location, but that wasn't really going on a trip.
I do so very much miss the Ten Thousand Islands, my favorite so far being Pavilion Key...
At this point the only thing really stopping me is my fear.
Funny thing... I think the Universe knows I won't be around this weekend... I had ordered my holiday cards rush delivery to get them in time for working on this weekend... I just got a call that they can't deliver them rush to a P.O. Box... and, at this point, I can't give them a street address because I have none and because the office will be closed all weekend, so, they reduced the charge back to normal shipping and I'll get them eventually... definitely not this weekend...
so, the Universe knows... I won't be around....
there is still much i need and want to do before leaving...
I need to clean the boat because of that silly ol' Osprey bird.
I also need to fill the coolers with ice, go grocery shopping, since grocery won't be open on the holiday tomorrow, and i need to get more diesel fuel, just in case ;)
I'm going to try and finish doing some organizing on the boat.
I'm not going to take the dinghy since it's just a lot of drag on the boat and the 4 Hp doesn't work anyways... although, I could use it as a sailing dinghy, and that could be a lot of fun... Russell will have theirs. Either way, I'm going to pack the kayak on board so i can do some yaking ;)
I just want so badly to be out there... I just need to get up the nerve to get out there.
Given that the Thanksgiving trip, as fortunate or unfortunate as it may be, is actually to a point right around the corner from where I currently live, I can't see how I can possibly pass up this opportunity to go. How can I? How can I?
I have Boat U.S. I can call if I run into trouble... How can I not go?
I must go.
If I go, and all works out okay... we are full on for January sailing trip !!!!! So, stay tuned...
Pray and think positive thoughts. the Law of Attraction requires thinking positively that all will be okay.
For tomorrow, the low low tide is at 8:52AM, and the high tide is at 3:20pm.
After noon, I'll probably start watching the pilings to judge the strength of current, and, as soon as it doesn't look too strong, head out...
Tonight I'm going to go home and amoung other things, plot some points on the chartplotter and plan the course :)
Another "funny" thing... i just got a call from someone during which I was reminded that one of the other things I'd really like to do before I leave is see if I can rewire the depth sounder and get that working again...
I wonder if that was a "call from the Universe...."

Motivation... Take Two

I found some motivation...
I used the law of physics...
Something at rest stays at rest until another forces acts on it.
Something in motion stays in motion until another forces acts on it.
I've been at rest. I forced myself into action and worked on the boat from 7pm to 11pm last night.
I ran Athena's engine for a little over an hour before shutting her down and changing her oil.
I didn't change the oil filter this time because I didn't plan far enough ahead to get one. I picked up three today though! Unfortunately I didn't want the oil hanging around over the holiday weekend, so I changed it anyways. It had been a while, and I'll probably change the oil again soon so I can clean her out a little bit and change the filter.

To change the oil I have this handy dandy vacuum pump container (pictured).
I found that the darn Osprey does not like it when I run Athena's engine. Good excuse to keep her charged up ;)
Since I've taken Patty cat out to sit in the cockpit previously, and she learned that it can be fun... sometimes there are earwigs she can play with, she kept "escaping" last night. I'd find her sitting up on the bow looking down... hmmm... I better go get a big fishing net just in case...
I'd put two boards back up in the companion way to try and stop her... I'd look up to see her all stretched out trying to get out... Then she'd cry of course when I grabbed her down.




I also worked on the fresh water system. I installed one of two water pumps, the one for the main galley sink, and most of the tubing for the water system itself. I have a few more adaptors to get to finish the job !! I'll be hitting the hardware store tonight. I hope it's open...
I chose manual pumps, even though more expensive, rather than an electric pump system, to minimize power draw and keep things simple! They work by pumping with foot on the paddle lever you can see at the bottom of the picture.
Ignore the mess of wiring... I'm still in the midst of rewiring the boat...

I took a pic of one area of the water system tubing. I also include a pic from way back when I first started cleaning up the water tubing...

The majority of the water system was made up of garden hose type hose! Not that all my fixtures are perfect... There is some finangling...
The larger circle in the pictures is the access to the water tank. The smaller circle in the pictures is where an old water level indicator use to be. It was all old and corroded, so I just took it out. One less thing to worry about replacing, using electricity, and falling apart later. I replaced it with a self made circular seal (the reddish color) and a circular piece of plastic I had cut by Plastic Specialties when they were cutting the lenses for the portlights.

I cleaned out one of two water tanks. The one being in the center hull of the boat. The only way I could see the one end of the tank was to put the camera into the tank and snap a picture (see pic).
I'd let water sit in this tank too long... yucca (no, not the plant).
It was too late to fill the tank with water to fully test the new system... So, hopefully tonight. The new pump was definitely pumping air into the galley sink though :)

Rainbow

One morning I stepped out of the boat and watched the most amazing thing...
A rainbow form right before my eyes.
It started as a small piece in the west. Then another piece started in the north. Then they joined together to form a full rainbow.


Then, a second rainbow formed. In a little less than the time it took for the rainbows to form (about 10 minutes), they disappreared again before my eyes.

Earth Flag

My friend Vicki gave Athena the Earth flag flying in the picture from Athena's backstay.
It belonged to a Lakota man named Angel Menendez. He is an Indian Activist who "gifted" the flag to Vicki when he got out of jail and decided to get rid of all his belongings. She remembers him saying, "if he has nothing, the Government can't take anything away from him."

Athena is very proud to have such a flag, and it will go well with the new port she will have printed on her stern "Mother Earth."

Motivation...

My motivation/energy seems to be lacking...
But, this weekend I did scrape the bottom of the 8 foot dinghy, Wren, which was covered in 1/2 inch thick barnacles, and scrape the bottom of the kayak, which wasn't too too bad, but did have some barnacles.
I wired up my new GPS chartplotter, very cool :)
I ran Athena's engine for an hour and 10 minutes with no problems evident.
I called Barnacle Bill earlier in the week to get Athena on the schedule for bottom scraping. They're planning to come December 10th, when they do a few other boats in the marina as well.
I also talked to Marilynn of Fine Designs to schedule Athena's new name and "port" for the stern. She's a couple weeks out in getting the signs done. I need to send her some measurements, of which I'm remembering now I was going to get one more this weekend and I forgot :(
Big things left to do for next weekend.
1. Finish hooking up fresh water system.
2. Change the engine oil.
3. Keep running Athena to check for reliability.
4. Wire up the triplex for the tri-color light on the top of the mast.
5. Paint Athena's stern blue, and see if I like it...
6. Get measurements to Fine Designs for name making.
7. Although not necessary, it sure would be nice to install the radio too :)
8. Find some energy and motivation.
9. Get the 4 Hp motor working.
10. Go kayaking...

Engine is running again and VHF hooked up

My mentor, Russell, traveled down to Goodland last evening to help Athena and I out.
We replaced the o-rings on the Racor fuel filter and tightened the cap in hopes that this would seal the air leak the engine seems to have...
Then we had to take on the task of rebleeding the engine, a task that has become all too familiar and is no easy task with Athena's engine. After much angst, she started again, yae :)
Then we let her run. She ran for about 40 minutes with no problems, which is about 10 minutes longer than she ran on Sunday, when she sucked air and shut down again.
So, we'll have to keep her on a running scheduled to see if she really is reliable...
She also has some fuel hoses that could use replacing, so I'll be ordering those from my favorite parts department ;)
While the engine was humming away, Russell finished hooking up and installing the VHF radio.
The weekend is upon us and there's much to do, but I'm looking forward to it :)

4 Hp Dinghy Motor...

In keeping a sailboat going, one also needs to keep the alternative method of travel going...
The Dinghy!
I have an 8 foot plastic dinghy with inflatable ring. I have the accessories to make it into a sailing dinghy, but sometimes that's just not practical, so I have a little 4 hp outboard engine for it too. Thing I've learned about these little engines is that if you don't use them, you need to drain out the fuel.
So, mine had been sitting around unused for a number of months... It probably had some fuel left in it. The person who borrowed it previously thinking they were being "nice" by leaving some fuel for me...
Anywho, in preparing for the potential Thanksgiving trip, I decided I better get that engine fixed. So, I took it to the place I always get parts for the Yanmar engine (Athena's 15 Hp engine). I dropped it off and they called back with a quote to fix the engine for $250ish. I called back to tell them I'd be picking my little engine back up again and holding off on the repair. I was planning to take the thing apart with some of my friends and try to get the thing going. I just couldn't justify paying $250 for repair work on an engine I only paid $300 for....
So, I wasn't able to pick up the engine the day I called to tell them it was a no go. I had to pick it up the next day. I went around lunch time and i followed one of the service guys into the shop to get the engine. As we were walking back he whispered into my ear, "I didn't tell you this, but the engine is already fixed." Apparently one of the service guys was sitting around with nothing to do, so they fixed it !!! No charge to me ! Well, I just didn't know how to thank them and I didn't have any cash in my pocket...
So, I went back to the office and pooled my friends, what should I do...
Brian had this great idea of sending them pizza for lunch. So, the next day I called a pizza delivery place and had three large pizzas delivered to the parts department for the parts and service guys from Jen. I guess there aren't too many Jen's that stop in all the time and get parts and such, so they knew who to call. They were very appreciative of the pizza and it felt good that I was able to do something for them to show my appreciation of the great friendly service they always show me. I definitely don't get that "she's a girl, she doesn't know what she's doing" attitude from them. Even though sometimes I may not be so slick with all the terminology ;)
How cool is that !
Thank you Universe !!

Can't let Patty get all the attention...

Patty Patty Patty !
Can't let Patty get all the attention.
Fluff-a-Nutter is a cutie too :)





In between all the work of the boat, I sure do enjoy relaxing on the boat with my two cats :)


See Fluff on psuedo bed...
One day I left the hatch open over the v-birth and it ended up raining all day... soaked my normal sleeping quarters. Had to set up camp on one of the salon benches. Slept there two nights, not so bad.

Patty's Paper Bag Toy...

Peppermint Patty just loves to play with paper bags :)

Tick Tick Tick

Athena's engine is still not quite reliable.
Started her up on Sunday morning, she turned a few times and puttered along. The new batteries installed last weekend are holding their charge.
I let her run for about a half an hour to see how she would do. I was about to turn her off, but decided to let her run a few moments more... A very telling decision, for not but a few moments later, she sputtered to a stop. Fuel lines full of air again. This time I KNOW for sure she had plenty of fuel in the fuel tank. I heared a humming from the "engine room," the tiny little compartment squeezed between the hull, the base of the cockpit, starboard storage, and port aft birth. What could be making the humming... I crawled down from the cockpit into the starboard storage to access the engine and sleuth out the humming... It appeared to be coming from the Racor fuel filter. I put my ear right up to it, humming for sure. I closed the valve between the Racor and the fuel line to the engine, the humming stopped. The elusive air leak is definitely in the Racor filter. Nice to have found, but bummer to have found that the engine still isn't quite right, so close to the Thanksgiving goal.
Didn't feel like dealing with the engine again this weekend. I was on a mission to clean up some of the wiring.
This weekend I pulled the VHF antenna cable from the base of the mast, beneath the floor, and up port side storage, to near the navigation station. I need to borrow a drill to install more holes between the storage and the navigation station. I also pulled wiring for a future music radio and for the VHF radio from the fuse box above the salon on the starboard side of the boat down under the floor and back up again to the navigation station on the port side. I pulled the triplex wire from the base of the mast, beneath the floor, and up to just behind the fuse panel but realized the wire is about 5 feet too short (so had to make a second trip to West Marine that day and will have to have a splice in the line, oh well, such is life). I also replaced all three running lights (one green and one red at the bow and one white at the stern), ran new wiring to the ones at the bow and reconnected the stern light. They all worked, yae! Much of this wiring work I learned while watching Brian help me convert the Mercedes to run on veggie oil.
Who would ever have believed I'd learn how to use these cool electrical tools... I also found two wires connected directly to the batteries that led to nothing and disconnected those. I'm not sure I'm making the wiring any neater, but at least all the connections will be cleaned up a bit, and I'm not sure yet which lines, but I know Capt. John had mentioned to me that plain ol' household wiring had been used for some, and that's not preferable in the boat environment.

As the time ticks, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to accomplish all.
Things I didn't get done yet that I really should have done, is get the 4 hp dinghy motor into the shop and running again, clean off the bottom of the sailboat herself, and clean off the bottom of my kayak and my dinghy. I'm almost scared to pull those out of the water now... barnacles galore i'm sure.
Still have found no partner to go sailing with, and that has led to nightmares, amoung other mind musings.

Thanksgiving Trip Todos

With Athena's engine running again, yae ! The spirit of working towards the Thanksgiving trip up the coast to Cabbage Key is renewed :)
but... there's lots to do !!!!
There is a little leak in the wiring, Russell and I determined, a small one of 0.05 amps. We did some sleuthing, but Athena's wiring leaves lots to be desired. Behind the fuse board is a cluster of wires that looks like a rat's nest!
Goals this coming week as follows:
1. Trace as many electrical lines as possible and get rid of the miscellaneous ones of no use. Prepare to run new wires and clean up the rats nest.
2. Fresh water system still remains undone...
3. Try to get the running lights running :)
4. Hook up the tri-colored light and VHF radio antenna that were newly installed on the top of the mast this summer. Very important to get that VHF radio going.
Hopefully Russell will help with the running some wiring and the VHF radio and perhaps if time a trip out to the Gulf to practice some sailing :)
5. Also need to find a partner to go sailing with for Thanksgiving!

SV Athena's Engine

Since October 7th, when the engine faulted out, getting her started again has been weighing on the mind...
Russell and Lynne stopped over on Sunday afternoon the 8th to see if we could get things going again, but we were unsuccessful.
She was left to rest as I travel back home to Massachusetts that following week and being away that next weekend, I didn't work on her again until October 22nd.
On October 22nd, I woke up first thing in the morning, got some tunes going, hooked up the charger to the batteries, and started pumped away at the manual fuel feed pump. I got fuel out of all the high points in the engine and decided to go for one more round of bleeding from the engine fuel filter... I was just about to try to start then engine, going for my final tightening on one of the bleeder bolts, I felt a snap.... and there would be no more tightening of that bolt. My work of rebleeding the engine for not :(
That was a difficult way to start the day, and it was hard to jump into the multitude of other tasks that need to be done. I gave up and got coffee.
Eventually I motivated enough to finish removing the letters from the stern, sanding with coarse than fine, and painting two prime coats.
The next day I was into Big Marco River Marina, the guys of which help me often and I've just realized I've failed to get their photos... hmmm... a new photo challenge...
I ordered a new fuel filter for the engine and a bunch of compression rings for the bolts used to bleed the engine.
The new fuel filter was in by that Friday, October 27th, but I ended up taking that weekend off from the boat and converting my land vehicle to run of veggie oil :)
But, time is a ticking if I want to make even an attempt at joining the upcoming Thanksgiving trip up the coast to Cabbage Key.
Saturday, November 4th, was a day of prep and celebration in the renaming of the sailboat to Athena, but Sunday, November 5th, it was time to get back to business !
Charging up the batteries, Russell helped change out the engine fuel filter and rebleed, yet again, the engine. We tried to start her up a couple times and killed the batteries, which we think were dead dead dead anyways. So, we changed the two out for one new and one pretty decent one previously donated by Captain John.
With new charge we charged forward with attempting to use the engine to further bleed herself and start her up... We thought we were once again down for the count. But, we didn't give up, changed a few things we were doing and sure enough, it was the sweet sound of her running again :) aaaahhhhhh....
thanks Russell :)

SV Athena

Sailing Vessel Alexis Dare was officially denamed and renamed Athena on November 4th.
There was much food...
And much ceremony...
An auspicious event !
A good time to invite friends to witness and to party!!



To ensure pleasing the gods... the event was a toga party...
Those that didn't arrive wearing togas... were not without toga for long...
Thank you everyone for helping me appease the gods ;)

Bruce looked great in the Hulk toga, and Rony looked great wearing Superman ;) Rony also did a wonderful job of popping the many champaign corks and serving up the champaign to everyone. Thanks Rony!

One of my very good friends (Beth), a great sewer, who makes some very cool things (http://inthekeyoflife.typepad.com/shop/), made my toga outfit. The fabric sparkles. I absolutely love it!! I felt like a goddess ;)
Thanks Beth :)

I just have to remember not to wear my shorts underneath next time so my butt doesn't look so big!!! It's big enough as it is ;p
Ya, that's right, I've been called "J Ro" before...



Another one of my very good friends (Vicki) arrived as a toga mermaid. She looked great! Vicki has given me tons of help and support with Athena. Thanks Vicki :)


Russell and Lynne also came very appropriately attired ! The fig leaves are awesome! We all especially liked Russell's "bag clip"....

Lynne is a great goddess and reminds me to be my own goddess too! Thanks Lynne :)
Without Russell, I wouldn't be where I'm at now!!!
Thanks Russell :)

Denaming Ceremony
"In the name of all who have sailed aboard this ship in the past, and in the name of all who may sail aboard her in the future, we invoke the ancient gods of the wind and the sea to favor us with their blessing today. Mighty Poseidon, king of all that moves in or on the waves; and mighty Aeolus, guardian of the winds and all that blows before them: We offer you our thanks for the protection you have afforded this vessel in the past. We voice our gratitude that she has always found shelter from tempest and storm and enjoyed safe passage to port.
Now, wherefore, we submit this supplication, that the name whereby this vessel has hitherto been known Alexis Dare, be struck and removed from your records.
Further, we ask that when she is again presented for blessing with another name, she shall be recognized and shall be accorded once again the selfsame privileges she previously enjoyed. In return for which, we rededicate this vessel to your domain in full knowledge that she shall be subject as always to the immutable laws of the gods of the wind and the sea. In consequence whereof, and in good faith, we seal this pact with a libation offered according to the hallowed ritual of the sea."

Renaming Ceremony
"Oh mighty and great ruler of the seas and oceans, to whom all ships and we who venture upon your vast domain are required to pay homage, implore you in your graciousness to take unto your records and recollection this worthy vessel hereafter and for all time known as Athena, guarding her with your mighty arm and trident and ensuring her of safe and rapid passage throughout her journeys within your realm.
In appreciation of your munificence, dispensation and in honor of your greatness, we offer these libations to your majesty and your court."

The sun set and the full moon rose. I think it was a wonderful way to rename a boat and I hope quite fitting for the gods that will watch over Athena...

Thank you Beth and Lisa for the great pictures !!!