Monday, January 29, 2007

All this down time is giving me itchy feet.

Sunday went pretty well and I finally got the video Adobe Premiere combinations working on the new laptop. The test itself was nothing much to write home about but since the geeg muck of the Matrox I have been unable to edit video with Premiere which is much more the real edit deal than the Windows or Sonic software. It still leaves me without the Matrox super boar, but if I can land the project I will upgrade the entire editor or switch everything to MAC and final Cut.

There is no question that I am not going to have the health to continue the fabrication biz long enough to save for the voyage on my own. I am not sure how, I do know when. I want to take Defiance out for that last cruise before I have to say good-by and pass stewardship of Defiance 100% to another. I am interested in a shared agreement for another one or two persons to join the voyage. This cannot be a charter, nor do I want to cater to someone else for months, with anyone joining Defiance joining a joint expedition, not booking a vacation. I might even sell up to a 49% interest to an appropraite person.

Sunday, January 29, 2007

Dawn arrived at Waupoos quietly this morning. Is is cold again at -20°C and the ice field extends for the entire foot of Smiths Bay to the northern tip of Waupoos Island. This is the nature part of living aboard that I love.

We have finally had enough snow that I can begin banking the hull with this nature's best insulator. The easy part between the doac & Defiance is filling up niceley, leaving only my easter flank exposed. By the deepest cold there will be but a narrow rim of hull exposed for the ports with the rest nicely insulated. I never see residents of the urban marinas take this step and it is a good one that cuts into your heat loss and saves money with very little work. Then in the spring it melts away.

Rufus now maker regular patrols of the hard water perimiter of Defiance on a regular basis as you can see by the tracks. This is all fine and dandy, but Mr. Lobo the coyote whos tracks you see just outside of Rufus's will also know there is a cat meal to be had here.

Once I got out on the ice it bacame obvious that it was a pair of coyote as a much larger set of tracks paralled the ones next to the boat perhaps 50 feet further from the boat.

There is a single set of coyote tracks meandering along the shore and following beside the boat, then off around the tip of the Government dock and beyond. It will not be long before Harinui Farm, Bob Fleguel will begin to loose sheep. Once the ice comes they move down from their summer range of north near The Rock and cross the ice for the captive feast. Bob has gotten a couple of new guard dogs for the flock so with luck a single coyote will have less success than last years pack.

At sometime during the night this wild carnivore was within 3 feet of me separated only by Defiance. There will be a night I end up making eye contact as my port is just about the right height for her. This must be the one that I have been hearing call in the evenings. I think it is a female based on the length of the track. Not that big but a good cat eating size which probably explains why the wild cats moved to higher digs. The carriage would not be safe from one of these coyote on the hunt.

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Marine Forecast issued for Eastern Lake Ontario. Issued: 10.30 AM EST Saturday 27 January 2007 for the period ending At 10.30 AM Sunday with an outlook for the following 24 hours. Forecast: Wind northeast 15 knots. Mist patches and risk of freezing drizzle ending near noon. Scattered flurries ending late this evening then chance of flurries. Waves near 1 metre. Outlook..Moderate northeasterlies backing to moderate northwesterlies.
Text Forecast Issued 11.00 AM EST Saturday 27 January 2007 Today Periods of snow with the risk of freezing drizzle early this afternoon. Temperature steady near minus 11. Tonight Flurries. Low minus 13. Sunday Cloudy. 30 percent chance of flurries in the morning and afternoon. High minus 8. Monday Sunny. Low minus 21.

The temperature during the night was warmer with -12C on deck with light snow falling at dawn. Rufus is out for the second morning patrol after making sure I did not have a peaceful coffee and morning news to the day. There is no inert toy that amuses him more than my pencils. Especially when I am trying to write which is particularly difficult with a cat attached to the eraser?

Visitors to www.cruising.ca or www.trentsevern.ca our cruising guides have been trumped. Another party has taken what was to have been the end DVD product of these cruising guides to market. I lost yet another shot at residual income by not having the finance for the aerial work and the local computer geek screwed up my Matrox when he upgraded it 2 years ago killing that year of video production. This seems to be the story of my life since Edgar died never enough capital to do what needs to be done. Since then I am always left out because I did not have the stake to play for real. This is looking like a good time to go back to the sea.

I am closing in on what work is going to look like for the next few months with a growing desire to haul out and finish the last steel modifications early spring@. So far it looks like I will have reliable help in the spring so completing existing projects on time is guaranteed. However, I need time for a haul out this year and long term I am getting too old.

The more the January has progressed it appears the high bidder for my services is in the Caribbean which has a huge attraction when the world outside is white. Yet I want to put off being away until I finish my welding course as it is that skill which separates me from a financially practical haul out. You simply cannot risk being in an ice pack without an ice cage for your propeller and it is time to see how 3 winters of ice have treated the hull.

Being able to weld will enable me to finish the side deck roofs and make a pretty bridge deck along with a lot of the ice cage. No matter what I think I will still find an experienced pressure welder for the through hulls as you are welding up on old metal and this time no chances. Not to mention after the last experience it’s a 2 person job. Picture right is last haul out.

The picture to the right is the last haul out. Defiance has a very pretty hull of only 11.5', this ratio is that of a slippery sailboat in todays length to beam standards. Given the second mast @ and some sails, people will be surprised at off wind preformance. On Centaur sails cut my fule burn by 50% and Defiance is that slippery.

Next haul out @ is the last before the ice. To begin with there will be a detailed hull inspection & ultrasound, with any issues addressed 100%. Then the last two (outside screw in plug#) through hulls, see picture to the left for the components that make up the Ian Campbell (surveyor) designed ice compliant style T/H . This haul out will be a complete removal inspection of steel below the clam shells. And .... perhaps most important is the ice cage for the propeller and rudder. If you break either of them you are really headed to a spot of trouble you will not soon forget.

.#. In worst case Arctic conditions T/H the outside through hull throat is threaded and a close plug is fitted & stored for use. Then if the time comes you drain the T/H and wolla boat secure. Any water in any fitting can break from expansion in -50, closing the hull is the only guaranteed safe way were the worse come to the worst.

There is no question that I am not going to have the health to continue the fabrication biz long enough to save for the voyage on my own. I am not sure how, I do know when. I want to take Defiance out for that last cruise before I have to say good-by and pass stewardship of Defiance 100% to another. If I am not going to be able to make this last voyage alone, or save enough on my own I am interested in a shared agreement for another one or two persons to join the voyage. This cannot be a charter, nor do I want to cater to someone else for months. There is no question anyone joining Defiance would be joining a joint expedition, not booking a vacation. I might even sell up to a 49% interest in Defiance to an appropriate person. However much talk.

With shop work put on hold and tender craft spring work months from start I feel a warm sea breeze blowing. I think that a spell of shipwrighting in the Caribbean is in order. It has been years since I curled up on a hot rock and crack a cold beer. Below is the project, yet another woodie for a deck and finishing.

I try to spare the driving these days as I always seem to be on the road. As you can tell from the number of cat pictures my social content is down now the snow has come. Rufus is quite happy now that he gets hard water, and he loves to roam the ice. Nature provided him a magnificent coat and he uses it well.