2015-11-28 Status Report

OK, so this is supposed to be a blog about my boat trips, but since Faraway is in the shop I'm not taking any trips.  This posting is about the progress or lack thereof on the 106 tasks on my list.

Readers of this blog may remember that I left Faraway at Dunatos Boat Yard on Lake Union in early September, along with a very long list of things I wanted done on the boat.

In the interest of budget I immediately canceled a bunch of tasks on the list.  When I made up that original list my perspective was if money was no object, what would I like done on the boat?  Of course for us money and budget is always going to be a concern, so the axe came out.  Those tasks may very well end up being done at some point, but Dunatos will not be doing them.

As of the end of November here is a short list of tasks that they have completed thus far.

Replaced the windshield wiper arms.

Replaced the water heater with one of a larger capacity.

Tested all the bilge pumps.

Tested and re-certified the engine fire extinguisher system.

Replaced the ventilation fans at the lower helm station.

Replaced the burned out indicator lights on the AC/DC distribution panel.

Replaced the glow plug and screen and cleaned the Espar/D5 Airtronic furnace.

Performed preventive maintenance on the anchor winch.

Replaced the 110 VAC outlet in the galley.

Secured the trim around the door near the lower helm.

Replaced the starboard engine gauge on the flybridge helm.

Replaced the rubber gaskets on the shore power panel.

Installed Aqua Alarms on the raw water system.

Replaced the gasket and O rings on the Bowar hatch on the foredeck.


Tasks remaining to be done are as follows:

Install watermaker.

Install autopilot.

Install lift system for raft.

Redesign electrical system, including replacing all batteries, installing an inverter/charger, and increasing house battery capacity significantly.

Install new canvas on the flybridge.

Pull shafts and straighten.

Pull props and have them re-pitched.

Perform preventive maintenance on the shaft seals.

Replace the anchor rode with 150' of new chain and 200' of new rope.

Perform all recommended preventive maintenance on the Yanmar diesel main engines.

Replace the toilet macerator and all hoses to or from it.

Set up the TV to run off the inverter.

Flush engine coolant for both engines.

Replace all pencil zincs.

Replace all impellers.

Replace all belts.

Repair numerous dings in fiberglass around the boat.

Install Walker AirSep filters.

Add new LED lighting above the couch and table area.

Replace "Faraway" lettering on the bottom of the raft.

Check all hose clamps and replace as needed.

Clean out all Racor fuel filters.

Install AIS receiver.

Change oil and filters on the main engines and the generator.


One big disappointment was the flybridge cover.
I had hoped to get a hard top on the flybridge to replace the aging canvas.
I wanted to retain the existing stainless steel support system, but they told me that they would need to rip that all out, reglass over the holes and start over with a new support system.  Ballpark estimate was north of $18000, so that is off the list.  I am hoping to replace the canvas with new for a more realistic cost.

Lisa and I are going down to Seattle in late January and I will spend a couple of days at the Seattle Boat Show looking for deals and bargains.

The tentative plan is to take possession of Faraway on or about May 1st.
After that we will linger in the San Juan and Gulf Islands for about a week to 10 days and then head north to Alaska.

Seattle Trip Wrap Up

We have family in the area so we spent some quality time with them.

Lisa had some medical appointments to keep so we took care of those.

We visited the North Acres Dog Park several times and Bina loved it.

Dunato's Boat Yard sent me some help and we went through the Hiram Chittenden Locks, commonly called the Ballard Locks.  I was pretty busy handling the boat, even with 2 experienced line handlers, so I did not have time for many photos.  But I did snap these 2 as we sat waiting inside the locks.

Here's a link to some information and a video tour of the locks:

http://www.seattle.gov/TOUR/locks.htm

And then Faraway went into her winter home, Dunato's Boat Yard:

Mission complete.

Seattle Trip Day 16

Sunday August 30 

We left Friday Harbor about 7 AM in calm conditions.

Of course the destination for today was Seattle, however there is more than one way to get there from Friday Harbor.  I had mapped out a course that took us through Deception Pass, which is one of those places where you are supposed to transit at slack tide.  My neighbor at the docks in Friday Harbor told me he had been through there perhaps 20 times and had never paid the slightest bit of attention to the tides, so I was not too worried about it.

This is the route to Deception Pass, the first leg of our run to Shilshole Bay in Seattle.  I broke the route into two parts because my navigation software shows a very accurate ETA to your destination and I wanted to get there pretty close to slack tide.

 And here's the rest of the route from Deception Pass into Seattle's Shilshole Bay.

We arrived at Deception Pass about an hour before slack tide.  I started to go through but then lost my nerve and turned around and waited a bit.

But then some other boats started to go through, so I got in line and went through a little early with them.

It was indeed challenging, especially near the end.  I could see the boat in front of us, which was roughly the same size and weight, as he was tossed around like a child’s toy.  There were large standing waves near the exit that definitely got my attention.

There had been a small sailboat, perhaps 22’, with a small outboard motor behind us.  I was curious to see how or if he made it through with so little power, but frankly I was far too busy trying to control my own boat to look back to see how he was doing.

We made it through OK, and then ground out the last many miles on the approach to Seattle’s Shilshole Bay Marina.

Here is Faraway in her slip at Shilshole Bay Marina in Seattle.  Finally made it!

This is a huge marina, with more floats than even I could walk, and we stayed here 3 nights.

According to the older GPS chart plotter we covered 768 miles to get here.

The engine hour meters showed about 102 hours for the voyage, and they never missed a beat.

Seattle at last!

Seattle Trip Day 14 & 15

Friday August 28 & Saturday August 29 

Friday marked 2 full weeks that we have been underway.

We woke up to wind and rain, and very poor visibility.  My first thoughts were that I cannot leave this marina under poor visibility due to all the crab pot buoys that are hard to see even when visibility is good.  It seemed as if we would need to sit in Ganges for at least another day.

But, we walked Bina, had breakfast, and looked up the weather forecasts.  By then the visibility had improved, and the wind had reduced, although it was still raining.

According to the forecasts the weather would be deteriorating the next day so we made the decision to make the short 27 mile run to Friday Harbor.

For the first part of the trip we had to dodge a few more BC ferries, and deal with some choppy water, but after that it settled right down into a calm run.

Friday Harbor is a very popular cruising destination in the San Juan Islands, and so as we approached we sort of fell in with other boats also headed there.  It is a large and busy port.

When we got there I called the Friday Harbor port authority on the VHF radio and was assigned a slip. It was a very tight fit, but with our neighbor’s help we got in and got tied up and I breathed a sigh of relief.

Next I called US Customs, since this was our first US port after being in Canadian waters for quite a while.  I got a bit of a tongue lashing as I was informed that there is a Customs dock out in front of the breakwater and the protocol is that you must stop there BEFORE going into your slip in the marina.

So we had to untie the lines and go back out to the Customs dock.  Fortunately he was not busy so he processed us right away, but I did have to endure another lecture on the correct protocol for clearing Customs in Friday Harbor, which I apparently needed.  You don’t argue with people that carry guns.

Back we went into our slip, and our neighbor was still there to guide us and catch the lines, making it much simpler.

Friday Harbor is an amazing place, and not just the marina.  The town itself is right there within walking distance and it seems they always have something interesting going on.

It will be hard to describe all that we saw and did while here, but I will try.

First off we checked the weather for Saturday and discovered that big winds were on the way.  So we made arrangements to stay 2 nights here.

Perhaps going through my pictures will be the best way to describe our all too brief stay in Friday Harbor.

Our slip in the Friday Harbor marina.  Tight quarters.
They told us they have a "no turn away" policy - they will always find a place for you when you come in and request moorage.

I walked all the floats in the harbor.  Lots of sailboats here.

There's always something happening in Friday Harbor.  Uncle Otto and his band played and sang on Friday evening right up above the marina.

This is "Pop Eye" the tame seal that roams the harbor at will.  So named I assume because he has one bad eye.  He gives High Fives, gives seal kisses, and takes food right out of your hand.

A beautiful sunset in Friday Harbor.

On Saturday morning we went up to the Farmer’s Market which they hold every Saturday.  Unfortunately those big winds did arrive with a vengeance and the vendors at the market were essentially blown out.  

They had erected little canopies and tarps to cover their goods, but the winds were playing havoc with them and by the time we got there they had given up and were taking everything down.  We did manage to purchase some wonderful tomatoes and apples before they closed up.

We had a little drama on the dock during the afternoon, after the winds had settled down just a little.  I had stepped off the boat to take a walk and right across from us some men were dealing with a tense situation, so I helped as best I could.  The boat across from us had untied all their lines but had not started their engines.  The winds had blown the boat up against the dock, and I helped hold it off.  

The man and woman on board were too drunk to figure out how to start their engines.  The man at the helm kept muttering that he had to go back to Seattle.  The people on the boats behind them were screaming at us to not allow him to start his engines and pull out.  There would have been damage for certain.  I helped tie him off and the other men convinced him not to go anywhere for a while.

Later we saw some men in uniforms knocking on the boat trying to get someone’s attention.  I think they were from the Sherriff’s office.

In any case we had a good visit to Friday Harbor and we definitely want to come here again and spend a few days, preferably on a weekend when it is not windy.

Tomorrow, Shilshole Bay Marina in Seattle!