Author Archives: Michael

Four Day Weekend

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If you are not old enough to remember Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, a common theme involved a walrus mustachioed Marlin Perkins narrating as his intrepid assistant, Jim Fowler wrestled with the show’s latest demonic man eater. Jim was routinely thrown into some far flung corner of the earth to capture and tag  a tiger, crocodile or carnivorous hedgehog while Marlin coolly narrated for the audience just how dangerous a cornered hedgehog can be. Marlin never seems to get too near the action lest Jim’s screams of terror ruin the narration.

Melissa. Taming the dangerous feral sander in the engine room.

So this weekend, Melissa played a passably good Jim to my Marlin. While Melissa wrestled the wild Andromeda from one to slip to another without an engine, I remained safely at home raking leaves and cleaning the chicken coop. I hauled tree branches, downed after our latest wind storm,  while she got to figure out how to fill the water tanks, use the diesel heater, and witness Andromeda in her natural environment away from a slip. I kept my cell handy just in case she needed to confer with me on which valve empties what. In other words, she got to have all the fun while I stayed home.

To hear her tell it though, she barely escaped with her life. Whether it was being crushed tying off  Andromeda in her new berth or being asphyxiated by BilgeKote, her life was in mortal danger all weekend as she beat that bilge into submission. Some people have all the luck.

That’s right. That’s Andromeda’s bilge now.

Here’s another action shot of that bilge.

See how it gleams after 2 coats?

Between my domestic chores I did manage to complete some boat jobs. Our garage contains enough boat parts to actually build another boat so there were plenty of projects at hand. One engine related project was to clean and paint the oil pan that will sit beneath the engine.

Two coats of BilgeKote took this

Oil Pan Before

To this

Oil Pan After

Oil Pan After

Another small project was to clean up some corrosion on the steering pedestal. We figure that once we get an engine in the boat, it would a nice feature to actually be able to steer the boat. With the steering pedestal off, we have an opportunity to sand and paint the base.

Steering Pedestal Before

Steering Pedestal Before

Sorry, I don’t have a photo of the completed project yet. Please enjoy this photo of Marlin Perkins and his friend while I find some aluminum primer.

Marlin, but not Jim.

Finally, I took on a project to rehabilitate the boat’s Dickinson BarBQue. It’s obviously been well loved but if you’ve seen the prices for new ones, you’ll understand why I wanted to see if this one could be salvaged.  I found a new burner and ignitor at Lowes that will replace the old parts and have cleaned up the body with a product called Spotless Stainless. So, after we get an engine and can steer the boat maybe we can grill a couple of burgers to celebrate.

Dickinson Sea-B-Que Not new, but shiny

Dickinson Sea-B-Que.  Not new, but shiny

Never content to work on only one boat project at a time, Melissa also tackled the quarter berth area. The ‘wall’ in that area had seen better days and she couldn’t take the stress of looking at it anymore. Once again, cleaning the area and putting a couple of coats of BilgeKote on it saved the day. Got to love the clean fresh look of paint.

This wall became…

this wall.

Maybe next time I can be Jim and Melissa can stay home and hold chimpanzees.  I have several electrical projects that will require a good weekends worth of work without AC to the boat. I think Jim Fowler would approve.

 

 

You Win Some, You Lose Some

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Ah, young love. That special time in a relationship when anything and everything seems possible. Pull the old transmission from your engine room? No problem! Repair your propane system? How hard can it be? Open a seacock? Don’t mind if I do!

Down there is a shaft coupling that will not bend to my will.

Most of my weekend was spent staring at the ass end of a Hurth 360 transmission wondering how four simple bolts could cause such woe. So far I have used PB Blaster, Transmission fluid and acetone and every socket and wrench combination in my arsenal to no avail.  Even with chemical help, I can’t seem to muster enough mechanical advantage in the small area available to break these bolts free. I even started, and then aborted an attempt to cut the shaft just forward of the PSS Shaft seal. So, with tail firmly tucked between my legs, I turned to removing much of the old wiring and some of the old plumbing in the engine room. This gave me some sense of accomplishment and a feeling of mastery over some small part of our very long project list.

Trust me. This is progress

Meanwhile, Melissa was going mano-a-mano with the propane system. The regulators and fittings were pretty grungy looking and didn’t inspire great confidence that we would not blow ourselves up. She disassembled all of the fittings, cleaned them up and reassembled with new Teflon tape. Unfortunately, a leak test revealed a failed swaged hose fitting but that is an easy fix. We also need to place a drain at the bottom of the locker and make some other modifications to bring the system up to standards.

The propane system before Melissa’s rehabilitation

And after.

Finally, we have a seacock issue that we are unsure of. I turned the discharge seacock to the forward head so that we could test the toilet there. That toilet pumps directly overboard so we can’t use it until we are offshore but I still want to check things out. When I turned the valve, a dribble of water came from the valve flange. I have deduced that these are Blakes Seacocks and are very well made and easily serviceable. Two bolts are used to tighten the flange down on top of the valve cone and provide a seal but I haven’t quite gotten it to stop the leak. The newer Blake seacocks have a grease nipple but these do not and so I am unsure of whether I need to wait to haul out before I start working on this or if I can somehow attempt to grease and seal these up while still in the water.

Have you seen this seacock?

 

One small victory was in reclaiming the workbench. Andromeda has a proper little shop just off from the entrance to the engine room. Like all proper little shops, it becomes a bit of a dumping ground for the various boat bits that don’t have a home or we are too lazy to put away. With so many wires, hoses and engine parts flying off the boat, the work bench was really filling up. But a few hours each day gained more and more usable space and allowed me to de-clutter and organize the shop. The previous owners left plenty of tools and parts which are quite welcome. Of course, I bring many more tools onto the boat and it is easy to fill every empty space with more stuff than we actually need. We are really going to enjoy having a proper work space for all of the projects.

Happiness is a clean workbench 

Lest you think all we do is work, on Sunday morning Melissa and I found just about the the greatest coffee house ever at the Three Cups Cafe. Maybe we just needed time to lick our wounds, but both of us fell into a plush couch and felt the stress melt away with some of the best coffee we have ever tasted. We are still talking about their Thundermuck coffee two days after our first visit and the only thing we are confused about is why we didn’t buy a few pounds for the house. The Columbia River Coffee Roaster is in the same building so the whole joint smells like some kind of awesome. Andromeda’s former owner was a regular here as well and now we know why.

Man that is good coffee!

Three Cups Cafe. Melissa and I are still talking about the greatness of their coffee.

Likewise we always need dinner, since the propane system is not up and running, nor do we have a refrigeration system yet. Our forays into the wilds of Astoria have turned up gem after gem in terms of eateries. This time we went the way of our friend Steve Yoder who always seems to find the perfect small cafe down in Mexico. We stopped in at Blue Ocean, a small and discreet Thai restaurant off the main drag. What a gem! Tall ceilings, quiet atmosphere, service with a smile, moderate prices, and the best Thai food we’ve had since Silk Thai in Tacoma.  It’s going on our list of regular haunts.

While we would both love to claim unconditional victory over every project we tackle on Andromeda, we know that just isn’t going to happen. So, we re-calibrate our expectations, enjoy our small wins and keep working towards the day when we slip her from the dock and onto the sea. And we drown our sorrows in excellent Thai food and coffee.

Sea Scouts: A Beautiful Odyssey

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Spoiler Alert! Shameless plug for donations below!

 

Melissa recently wrote an article for ThreeSheetsNW.com on the Odyssey,  (SSS Odyssey, Tacoma’s Maritime Jewel) . This ninety foot Sparkman and Stephens yawl is docked on the Foss Waterway and is always a beautiful site underway.  Melissa and I enjoy every encounter we have with her. From Princess Louisa Inlet to Budd Inlet, she makes the Salish Sea a little prettier.

All the hard work pays off on a day like this.

Keeping this jewel looking good and sailing well is no easy task. The Sea Scout Troop 190 works long hours maintaining the boat, taking her to maritime festivals and providing week long High Adventure cruises for Boy Scout Troops around the country. While such efforts are great fun and perfect training opportunities for young scouts, they also raise badly needed funds to ensure that the mission and the boat can continue.

The Sea Scout Mission

Skipper Dan Dawes quizzes a new scout. Yes, Sir, Skipper, Sir!

As a Sea Scout Ship, the adult leaders on board are tasked with educating and mentoring the young scouts in the the safe operation of this historic vessel. If anyone deserves a lifetime achievement award for dedication to our community, it would be these men and women who volunteer their time and experience. Every outing on the Odyssey requires an adult skipper, licensed by the Coast Guard to operate a  vessel of this size. So at a minimum they possess a 100 ton ticket. Many of these professionals have had long careers in the Merchant Marines, Coast Guard or the Navy. In addition to the skipper, there is always one other adult on board to manage the various other operations of the boat, KP,  watch schedules, cleanup and a myriad other functions needed for the efficient, safe operation of the ship.

Such experience on board a ship the size of the Odyssey is vital. The scouts themselves perform all the duties and make key decisions at every turn in the safe handling of the ship. Navigation, docking, anchoring, sail change; all of the the many decisions that must be made on any ship are made by these young men and women, aged 13 to 21. Melissa and I felt some pride in knowing that these young adults will be tomorrow’s capable leaders.

Scouts checking their charts at the Nav Station. Course headings are called up to the helm at least every fifteen minutes, then recorded in the log book.

All Hands On Deck!

In addition to the usual skills learned as a Sea Scout, none can be more important than the quick response to an emergency. Melissa and I got to witness a couple of drills when we were guests aboard the Odyssey on Mother’s Day this spring (see: Unlimited Weekend). During our cruise north to Tacoma,  the ship suddenly slowed to a crawl. I heard one of the senior scouts calling ‘All hands on deck! All hands on deck!’. Just short minutes later roll was called as all were gathered in the cockpit area. Skipper Dawes reported the scenario for the drill:  that we had just struck an object and were taking on water. Then, one at a time he drilled individual scouts on the actions needed to handle the situation. “Where is the damage control kit? Go and put your hands on it.”  “How do you activate the life raft? How many people can she carry? What is the proper radio transmission in this situation? Who will radio a Pan Pan?”. These and many more questions were fired at the scouts. Some of the older hands bit their tongues as the skipper grilled the newer scouts and put a bit of pressure on them. Much better to squirm a little now and learn the correct way to respond to an emergency than to panic when you are needed for the real thing.

We were proud to see our future leaders being groomed aboard the Odyssey

These drills are not just for the fun of it. They are required per Coast Guard regulations and the scouts are preparing to be tested. Soon there will be a Coast Guard representative on board watching and taking notes, scoring the scouts on their performance. Passing the test is critical as Odyssey carries passengers other than crew. During the summer months, in particular, Boy Scout troops sign up to be taken on their High Adventure cruises up to the San Juan and Gulf Islands. This is one of the major money making operations for Odyssey, which spends many thousands of dollars a year on fuel alone.

The ‘Man Overboard’ drill is another important exercise. Shortly after passing Pt. Defiance, the alarm was sounded and the ‘spotter’ claimed his place, pointing directly at the victim, a certain ‘Freddy Fender’. Odyssey slowly circled, the dinghy was lowered into the water and a scout deployed. Another went to the bow and prepared to throw the flotation device.

Nice arm!

All went smoothly until it looked like we might be in the way of the ferry to Vashon Island. Should we give way? Call off the drill?  We were all worried Mr. Fender would be run down. This was a timed drill, and just that amount of slight dithering threw everyone off the mark. I fear Mr. Fender did not live to see another day. It’s obvious the scouts have run this drill many times, but they were disappointed that this time it took just seconds too long. For the Coast Guard, that can’t happen, even if a ferry is approaching. On the long wish list for this troop is a full submersion survival suit that would allow them to practice with a live human being. Sounds like a great plan!

Victim retrieved

 How you can support the Sea Scout program

(Yes, a shameless plug.)

Some serious timber for a serious ship

These kids are the future leaders of our country and, frankly, with kids like these in command we can all breathe a sigh of relief. Many of the senior scouts have goals that include attending maritime academies as well as active duty service in the Navy or Coast Guard. It’s hard to put a price on the experience, training, and discipline that they gain from participating in this program; the kind of learning that schools simply cannot offer for any amount of money. Having this program in Tacoma benefits us all.

A program of this size and complexity runs on the tireless efforts of the scouts, their adult leaders (God Bless ’em) and contributions from many generous sponsors. If you ever go aboard the ship for a visit, you will see the donation box below, ready to accept a donation. But why wait? Thanks to the magic of the Interweb, you can click on the image below and make a contribution to the Odyssey right now. The Tacoma Youth Marine Foundation supports programs like the Sea Scouts and serves as the Odyssey’s home port. As a 501c3 organization, all contributions are tax deductible.

 

Thank you for your donation!

Thanks For Your Donation!