MAPERL:

SVMOP:Plans: Getting ready to go south

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 00:38:00 EDT

My stepdaughter Kristen and her boyfriend Pete will be with me as I fly to St. Lucia (January 1) and put the boat in the water. They will crew (standing watch, etc.) for the trip from St. Lucia to Tortola. We plan on going directly, without any island hopping stops. It should take us less than 3 full days.

We are all looking forward to this trip. Trellis Bay, Tortola, is definitely a place we feel at home.. and the snorkeling is pretty good right from the boat! Join us at the Loose Mongoose or Last Resort in the evening.

My wife Gretchen will join me in February.

Meanwhile, the snow and cold set in around us in New Hampshire.

SVMOP:Plans: It is time for Mother of Perl to see the U.S.A., at least the part that we inhabit most

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 21:25:00 EDT

of the year. The current plan (10/1/07) is to relaunch in January of 2008 and sail her back to Trellis Bay, Tortola, BVI. She will sit on a mooring for the months of April through July. Then, Capt. Ben and fine crew will sail her in August, from Tortola, to Puerto Rico, and then north in Atlantic all the way to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, U.S.A.

While in New Hampshire, we will polish her up, and, hopefully sell her to a loving family that can sail her to other parts of the world. She is, after all, a blue water sail boat.

SVMOP:Plans: Current status as of Monday 6 January

Mon, 05 Feb 2007 09:56:00 EDT

I have now consulted with two different spine specialists as well as a physical therapist. The prognosis is that there will not be any significant damage to my spine as long as I continue wear the brace until the vertebra knits and heals, a process that may take up to ten weeks.

The turn of events has confirmed that I should be owning, maintaining, and sailing a significantly smaller boat than Mother of Perl. I love her. She is the creation of my family. She is beautiful, strong, comfortable, but much more of a boat than a singlehanded sailor can enjoy.

So, as my backbone heals, I work on cleaning up these web pages and posting here availability on the Internet.

SVMOP:Plans: Plans fall apart

Mon, 05 Feb 2007 09:46:00 EDT

I did get to the boat on the third and worked on her (replacing windows, chipping, grinding, and painting) for about ten days. I scheduled her to launched on the afternoon of Monday, the 15th of January. It was not to be.

The morning of the launch, I was sitting in the dinghy replacing the lines that secured it from tipping and swinging. As I cut one of these lines away, the dinghy tipped and I fell some ten feet to the ground. I landed on my back. I must have been stunned by the blow because I wan't able to move or call for help.

Once I was discovered (20 minutes later), I still couldn't talk or move. An ambulance arrived, the paramedics checked my vital signs and loaded me into the ambulance for ride to Victoria Hospital in Castries. My friend Kelly Charles followed in his car. Kelly stood by me through all these proceedures, provided food and transportation whenever it was needed. He is a true noble friend.

The doctors tested my reflexes and X-rayed my chest and spine. They couldn't see any damage so I soon was released and returned to Mother of Perl. with Kelly

While at the hospital, I was able to phone my wife, Gretchen, who is working and living in New Hampshire. She booked a flight and arrive Thursday afternoon. The good folks who work at the boatyard had been generously helping doing favours and bringing by food. But having my loving wife by side, especialy when there are personal hygine activities that I needed help performing.

By the following Monday, I was feeling strong enough to move and make the flights back to New England. The airports provided wheelchairs and someone to push me around. My stepdaughter and her boyfriend met us at Boston's Logan Airport.

The next day, Gretchen took me to the local hospital for an evaluation: I had fractured on of my vertebrae. An MRI confirmed the diagnosis. So, here I sit with full a torso brace 24x7. No sailing in the Caribbean this year.

SVMOP:Plans: Packed and Ready to go to the Boat

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 20:39:00 EDT

I have packed and repacked (to get the bags so neither is greater than 50 pounds. Monday moring, I leave for Boston, and Tuesday morning 0630 I leave for St. Lucia. I will arrive at Castries airport in the early afternoon and be at the boat (which is on the hard) that afternoon.

In the meantime, I am working on my Hydrography page. Take a look, if you are interested.

SVMOP:Plans: MOP Commissioning - 2006

Thu, 28 Dec 2006 16:29:00 EDT

The following outline describes what I plan on doing (or have done) for the commissioning of Mother of Perl in January of 2007. She has spent summer sitting on stands on land at Rodney Bay Marinia, St. Lucia. (The percentages refer to the percent completion of that category.)

[50%] While in USA

[50%] Documents & licenses
  [x] (12/3/04) Vessel Documentation renewal
  [x] (12/14/05) Custom sticker renewal
  [ ] Radio eqpt. license check
  [ ] Radio operator license check
  [ ] EPIRB number renewal
  [x] (12/3/04) Captains license
[60%] Purchases
  [30%] Meds
  [100%] Parts
   [x] (12/12/06) Windows
   [x] (12/20/06) Wifi

[10%] At boat

[0%] First check
  [ ] Check for water & rust in bilges
  [ ] Check for dinghy & motor damage or loss
  [ ] Check for signs of vermin
[0%] Prelaunch
  [0%] Structure
   [0%] Hull and Deck
    [0%] Painting
     [ ] Remove rust blooms
     [ ] First prime coat
     [ ] Second prime coat
     [ ] Non-skid
     [ ] Gray Top coat Paint
    [0%] Stanchions & Safety lines
     [ ] Check and/or replace safety lines
     [ ] Polish stancions
    [0%] Deck storage
     [0%] Rope storage
     [0%] Diving storage
     [0%] Paint storage
     [0%] Gas storage
     [0%] Chain locker
     [0%] Sail locker
    [0%] Port lights & hatches
     [ ] Repair gaskets
     [ ] Replace broken \"glass\"
   [10%] Hull
    [0%] Below waterline
     [ ] (12/3/04) Scrape loose material
     [ ] (12/6/04) Replace zink anodes
     [ ] (12/3/04) Clean prop
     [ ] (12/6/04) check navigation sensors installations
     [ ] Check all thru hulls for integrity
     [ ] (12/6/04) Paint bottom paint
    [0%] Above waterline
     [ ] Remove rust blooms
     [ ] Prime
     [ ] Fare dents
     [ ] Second prime coat
     [ ] Paint top coat
     [ ] Paint stripes
    [50%] Port lights
     [x] (12/6/04) Frames & caulking
     [ ] Plastic
[0%] Launch
[30%] Electr/Mech
  [30%] Water
   [x] [5] (12/3/04) Repair hot water plumbing
   [ ] [5] Clean water tanks
   [0%] Install water filter
  [50%] Waste
   [x] [5] (5/6/04) Repair holding tank
   [0%] Repair holding tank pump
  [0%] Steering
   [ ] [5] Install fluid resevoir
   [ ] [5] Wrap wheel
  [10%] Engine
   [30%] Mechanics
    [100%] Pumps
     [x] [5] (11/2/04) Check engine seawater pump for wear
    [0%] Injectors
    [0%] Pistons
   [0%] Fluids
  [100%] Electrical Power
   [x] (12/3/04) AC
   [x] (12/3/04) DC
   [x] (12/3/04) Batteries
  [0%] Electronics
   [0%] B&G instruments
    [ ] [5] Install repaired instruments
    [ ] [5] Install wind sensors on mast
   [0%] GPS
   [0%] Computer(s)
    [ ] [5] Install update to Visual Passage Planner
[0%] Sailing Equipt
  [0%] Sails
   [0%] Repairs
    [0%] Jib
     [ ] Tape at top
    [0%] Stays'l
    [0%] Mains'l
     [ ] Missing track guides
    [0%] Mizzens'l
     [ ] (12/6/04) Chafing at spreaders
   [0%] Bending on
    [0%] Jib
    [0%] Stays'l
    [0%] Mains'l
    [0%] Mizzens'l
   [0%] New sails
    [ ] Spinnaker
    [ ] Mizzen stays'l
  [0%] Rigging
   [0%] Spars
    [0%] Main mast
     [ ] Run conduit & cables (see electrical for details)
     [ ] Check halyards for chafe
     [ ] Install mast top block for spinaker halyard
     [ ] Replace spinaker ring with track
     [ ] Install deck mounted standing block for leading halyard back to winch
    [0%] Main boom
     [ ] Check reefinq lines & blocks for chafe
    [ ] Mizzen mast
    [ ] Mizzen boom
   [0%] Standing rigging
    [ ] Jib stay
    [ ] Stays'l stay
    [ ] Main Upper shrouds
    [ ] Main intermediate shrouds
    [ ] Main lower shrouds
    [ ] Main running backstays
    [0%] (12/6/04) Main backstays
     [ ] [5] (12/6/04) Check lines for chafing
   [0%] Running rigging
    [0%] Halyards
     [0%] Jib
     [0%] Stays'l
     [0%] Mains'l
     [0%] Spare main
     [0%] Spinnaker
     [0%] Mizzen
     [0%] Check cable.for spurs
    [0%] Sheets
     [0%] Jib
     [0%] Stays'l
     [0%] Main
     [0%] Spinnaker
     [0%] Mizzen
    [0%] Adjusting lines
     [0%] Boom vang
      [0%] Boom Vang padeye
      [ ] [1] (11/20/02) Replace boom vang padeye
     [0%] Main preventoms
    [0%] Roller furling
     [ ] Check bearings
     [ ] Check blocks of furling line
[0%] Ground tackle & docking
  [0%] Anchors
[50%] Fuel
  [ ] [5] (12/15/03) Clean and replace fuel filters. Be sure there are no air leaks around gasket & that globes

SVMOP:Plans: Starting the third year of mapping the Caribbean

Wed, 27 Dec 2006 11:14:00 EDT

This winter ('06-'07) will be the third year that I will be developing and testing my low cost bathymetric mapping system in the Caribbean.

During the first year that I used the system, I surveyed Trellis Bay, on the Eastern end of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.

The second year, I mapped Rodney Bay Marina, part of Rodney Bay (both in St. Lucia), and most exetensively, Admiralty Bay of Bequia (the northern most of the Grenadines).

The Admiralty Bay survey made it obvious that bathymetry was not enough. I needed bottom catagorization and depth/thickness of sand where it exists.

The primary client is the cruising boat that is looking for a good place to anchor. Burying their anchor in sand is the only secure mooring method in this harbor.

This year, I will visually sample the bottom using a cable-connected underwater camera capable of going to 60 ft. The samples will be taken on a grid. Hopefully, the result will be a map of bottom classification.