At Work in St. Thomas

Back in the USVI,  we got down to work on the projects that didn’t get done during the summer. 

 Refrigeration:

Shortly after Thanksgiving the refrigerator quit working while on a little getaway in St. John, so we promptly headed back to initiate the repair process.

Randy did preliminary diagnostics on the system, then called the Cool Blue Refrigeration manufacturer TechNautics Inc. in California and described the problem. The owner (another Randy) felt confident that the electronics module had failed.  We ordered a new one on the December 3 and it shipped the same day. When it arrived 16 days later, it took about an hour to install, no tricks.  The lifespan of the module ranges from 1-8 years in the tropics; our lasted 2 and 1/2 years. 



The black unit is the electronic module.

Randy is happy with the service the manufacturer provided but not with the USPS.  While waiting for the part, each day we bought 2-3 bags of ice at $2.50 apiece, hauled the ice aboard, drained the old ice, unpacked and repacked the cooler boxes. We kept the ice in dry-bags inside the refer box to contain the melt water. The upside is that our refrigerated food inventory was reduced and we are lean and mean and ready for a passage.

While the refer was down, Randy repaired some small but significant gaps in the insulation of the freezer and added another two inches of insulation on bottom and another half-inch on the outboard side. The result is a much colder freezer holding temperature (<12 degrees F in the middle of the box) and slower frost buildup.



New refrigerator thermometer- "Mister Frosty"



 

Solar panels:

We purchased two new Kyocera 140W solar panels to complement the two 135W Kyocera panels we installed last January in St. Thomas and June in Curacao.  Randy installed them on top of the bimini, on two new angle aluminum frames he built here in St. Thomas. 

 

 

 The panels are wired to two separate Solar Boost 2000E controllers, one controlling portside panels, the other the starboard, so that energy from the sunny-side panels does not dissipate into the shady-side panels.  A total of 550 W of power is provided now, sufficient for energy needs of refrigeration and future water maker.  The KISS wind generator remains a great alternative power source.

Security:

Randy  installed security bars on our midship and forward deck hatches.  They are designed to hinder intruders while we are asleep. They are made of angled aluminum from here on the island, and can be easily removed for passages.  

Routine maintenance:

The forward head joker valve had to be replaced, the third time in  two years for the forward head.  The aft head is still on the original valve.

 Di did some necessary repair and modification to the dinghy chaps. She sewed extra tabs on it to attach to new D rings –this will secure the aft ends of the chaps in place.  She added Phifertex panels at the ends to allow water to drain out, and added additional vinyl material where unforeseen chafing had occurred.  Amazing how much wear and tear is already evident.  Well, at least the dinghy is protected.

 Comfort and privacy:

In a crowded anchorage, it is hard to have privacy while taking our showers in the cockpit.  Di sewed privacy panels of white Phifertex which roll up and are lashed to the bimini top.  Attached inside of those is a separate panel of canvas, which provides shade (especially welcome on hot passages), deep privacy, and a bit of protection from light rain in the cockpit. Both can easily be rolled up out of the way.



Phifertex mesh for privacy.



 



Canvas for shade and light rain protection.



 

Di made new curtains for inside the dodger, which provide shade and privacy.  She used dacron sail bag material she got at the sail loft in Crown Bay. 

 

Di also made shade panels for use under way.   Our shade canopy, which hangs suspended from the mizzen sheet over the aft cabintop while we are at anchor, must be struck when we are under sail.  It can get pretty hot when the sun beats into the cockpit from behind.  Di sewed two panels which attach to the back of the bimini, separated in the middle to permit use of the main sheet.  They can be suspended higher for shade and open view, or dropped down if it’s raining to keep the helmsman dry.  They can be used one at a time.  We tested them and enjoyed some welcome shade during a hot sail to Salt Pond Bay in St. John.

 

Di sewed and Randy rigged a water catcher, much like a canvas eve trough with drain hose, which zips into place along the side of the bimini and drains into a jerry can.  Since we finished it, it has not rained.  It looks like it should work out.  The design was found on S/V Orion’s blog, dated September 5, 2012.



Rain catcher (darker gray)

 Di has also started work on a helm seat, to boost the helmsman while seated so the view is better for steering.  We do a lot of hand steering.

Pest control:

Everybody gets a cockroach on board eventually if they are in the tropics long enough.  Fortunately, the two inch long “American Cockroach” (Periplaneta americana) that boarded us in Curacao is one of the less invasive varieties. We did our exterminating here, as it involved being off the boat for most of the day. Residual pesticides were available down island (and not in the USVI), and the fumigation bombs of the safer contact-type pesticides, we found only in St. Thomas. We emptied food, utensil drawers, pots and pans and dish cabinets, placing all in tightly sealed garbage bags. Di carefully applied the residual pesticide in the bilge areas, staying away from water tank inlets, and Randy deployed the fumigation bombs and we left the boat for a day ashore.  Then we thoroughly washed and dried all the counters, shelves and cabinets, and around water tank openings, before replacing the contents. It was a lot of work.

YUK !        KILL !!!!   

 

Throughout many of these tasks, there were opportunities for deep cleaning, sorting and eliminating.  We inventoried canned and dried goods stocks in preparation for our next passage from BVI-St.Martin-Antigua to Dominica.  We also discarded several items which seemed needful a year ago, but after a year of cruising, we found unnecessary.  We refilled our propane tanks are pretty much ready to head down island.

Domestics:

While sorting things we did not need, we eliminated Di’s big old food processor, an electric hand mixer, a small smoothy blender, and a small food chopper (the last two bought to try to stand in for the food processor, which overwhelmed the inverter with it’s power demands). We found and purchased a great gadget, the Cuisinart Power Trio High Torque Hand Blender. It combines a detachable motor with immersion blender, small multi-bladed food processor, and a whisk. It is compact and works well to replace all the separate gadgets we got rid of.

 

 Di has been on a cooking binge ever since. Out of our galley have come pumpkin ravioloi, spinach cheese ravioli, sour cream pecan bread, and rum balls for Christmas entertaining, made possible by the handy Cuisiniart.

 

 

Catching Up

It’s been a long time since the last entry!  In late September, Randy’s daughter Astara and her friend Patrick came to visit us on the boat in Bonaire.  Their enthusiasm for living  was so refreshing for us, and it was a pleasure for us to show them around and to see Bonaire and life aboard Sinbad anew through their eyes.  We visited the Washington Slagbai National Park, the southern end of the island with it’s commercial salt ponds of varying shades of pink and red, and did a lot of snorkeling and some scuba diving too, which Astara and Patrick took to like young merfolk.  They used the rugged environment of the windward side of Bonaire to practice acro-yoga poses, while Randy did a photo shoot.

In mid-November, our friend and shipmate Larry “Swabby” Mitchell  came to visit again , his first return to Sinbad after his rigorous introduction to sailing during the crossing from Beaufort NC to Jost Van Dyck through Tropical Storm Sean in November 2011.   It was fun to have him back aboard!  Di and Larry had not done much scuba diving in many a long year, and we changed that in Bonaire.   We did about ten scuba dives while Larry was here, most around 60 feet max., but one day we dove to about 110’ briefly, strictly adhering to the Navy dive charts for time/depth limits for safety.  We did several dives on Klein Bonaire, using the unseasonable calm wind to explore some really nice dive sites. 

When the weather window opened, we departed Bonaire for the Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.  We intentionally did not designate a definite destination, since the wind and weather dictated how fast and how far east we could get. We had easy and uneventful sailing, standing four hour watches by day and three hours at night. When we were in the middle of the Caribbean Sea, around two hundred miles from land in any direction, a little martin bird approached the boat and managed to land for a brief rest.

 She was so far from land, and her rest so brief, I am afraid she did not make it back to safety.

Larry put his new fishing gear to the test, hooking four mahi-mahi and a mackerel, which we happily dined upon while under way.  It was delicious, lightly seasoned with Cajun blend spices and cooked in butter within an hour of being caught! 

 After four and a half days of easy sailing on a close reach with ENE winds, we anchored in Elephant Bay, St. Thomas shortly after sunset on Nov. 7.  In the morning, we headed over to Jost Van Dyck to reward ourselves with a day on the white sandy beach, a nice buffet dinner and dancing at Foxy’s.  After a few days, Di flew home to visit her family.

  Randy and Larry then had some manly sailing time, heading to Virgin Gorda to get some jobs done, to Coral Bay to hang out and eat great cheeseburgers at Skinny Legs, then back to St. Thomas to pick up Di.

Swabby Larry headed home the day after Thanksgiving, and since then we have been at anchor in Elephant Bay, St. Thomas, working on projects.  We had a brief interlude at Salt Pond Bay, St. John, when suddenly the refrigerator broke down.  Back to St. Thomas to make phone calls and order parts!  During this time, Randy has done lots of projects and repairs (replacing joker valves, ordering and building support structures for additional solar panels atop the bimini, etc.), and Di and the sewing machine have made a truce and produced mesh-and-canvas shade panels for the side of the cockpit, and canvas shade panels to attach to the aft end of the bimini for use underway.  Many other projects are on the to-do list.

It has been interesting to be back in St. Thomas.  Last year this was all new to us. This year, we see people whom we recognize and some whose names we remember, and they recognize us too. We know how to get around the island, where to find the things we need, and have even gotten some discounts for being “locals”. It’s a small place, and people on the island get to know faces pretty quickly.  It’s nice to be back in American territory, because all the foods, goods and services are cheaper than in other islands, especially marine parts.  And there’s good coffee and other American foods we like, such as Triscuits, Jimmy Dean sausage, and Johnsonville Brats!  Presently we are waiting for the solar panels and the electrical part for the broken refrigerator to arrive, so Randy can install them. After this, we intend to head to Leverick Bay, Virgin Gorda, BVI to complete projects requiring being at the dock (stitching up torn mizzen sail, deep cleaning upholstery, etc.). From there, we plan to travel onward to St. Martin for French wines, cheeses and baguettes, and then south to Antigua, hopefully before the new year.  This will put us in a good position to move on southward, hopefully before the gusty “Christmas Winds” begin to blow.  If we can reach the Antigua before that, we will be less hindered by weather as we move south to explore Dominica and the Windward Islands.

 Making Dinghy Chaps!      September-October 2012

Ever since we got our new Zodiac dinghy through our friend Matt Bolt at the 2011 Annapolis Boat Show, we’ve noticed wear and tear from the weather and from the non-skid grit on the foredeck where it rides on sea passages. So I decided to make “Dinghy Chaps”, a fitted canvas cover, to protect them.

In Curacao we bought a used sailmaker's sewing machine from friends on SV Seafari, downloaded the guide for making dinghy chaps from Sailrite (http://search.sailrite.com/category/instructions-canvas-awning-boating-patio-upholstery-boating), ordered materials from Sailrite as recommended in the guide, took a deep breath, and began.

First I made the pattern.  Since we were at anchor in a windy harbor, I found a ramp at the nearby sailing club, where they allowed us to haul the dinghy out and make the patterns necessary for cutting the material.   On another day, we took the material to a nearby waterfront restaurant early on a Sunday morning, where they told us it was OK to use their deck to spread out the material, pin and cut it.  It is much easier to do these operations while on terra firma rather than bouncing around in the water.

I did all the sewing in the cabin of our boat, with the sewing machine plugged into the inverter.  It draws a lot of energy, so it is best to get all ready to sew before turning on the inverter , and turn it off right after you finish a piece of sewing.

I sewed on the vinyl anti-chafing patches, and joined the sections.  I added seam binding around the cutouts for the handles, to stiffen them a bit so they would not flap in the wind.  The first cut-out for the handles was too big, so I made the next ones a bit smaller.  Toward the end, a South African sailor recommended that I use bungee cord rather than line for the drawstring securing the chaps to the dinghy.

The cost of the materials was about $200, the cost of the used Sailmakers machine was $325, and I put in at least 50 hours of painstaking work.  I have only basic sewing skills, and the last project I did that was more complicated than mending a hem was in 1978. 

The job requires you to climb in and out of the dinghy dragging your pinned lengths of canvas and fitting it over the dinghy in wavy conditions. You have to wrestle with the heavy canvas a lot and it is hard on your nails and hands, like handing a sail.  I had to tear out yards of errant seams, and we had to oil and adjust parts of the sewing machine periodically.

The only  ready-made dinghy chaps commercially available are for AB dinghies and sell for over $800.  Two professional marine seamstresses in Curacao would not even bid a job for sewing dinghy chaps.  I would undertake to sew a second dinghy cover for the low-low price of about $10,000.  It is a painstaking, frustrating, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants, time consuming job.

Helpful Hints from Di:

1.      Think twice before you tackle this job.

2.      Make a lot of notes and match marks on your pattern. Use lots of colored sharpies to keep track of what your lines and notes stand for.

3.     I made the handle cutout about 3/4 inch wide of the handles on all sides. More than one inch was too wide for our purposes.

4.      Make oval cutouts rather than square ones, for easier sewing. Bungee cord for the exterior drawstring is a good idea.

5.      I original ordered one spool of  dacron thread, and needed two.

6.     Other useful aids to the job were electrical alligator clips  ( minimum of 6), heavy duty sewing pins ( a whole package) and  a pin cushion.  The seam tape recommended by Sailrite was a real work saver.  A seam ripper and needle threader were essential.

7.      Have your partner leave the area (or boat!) while you work.  You'll need the space, and your partner will be pleased to miss out on all the excitement. When I had everything all spread out, there was no room at all in the main salon for a second person. I cut in the galley and pieced and pinned on the settee. Materials were spread out all over the place.

8.     Try to schedule your sewing time without long gaps in between sewing days. It is easy to lose the stream of thought which makes the work easier, and lose your place.

8.      Learn German.  In German you can string together lots of bad words to create new ones, for when the old ones just aren’t adequate to express your frustration!

However, when you're done, it is a satisfying achievement and your dinghy will be protected and its lifespan will be extended by many years.  Our fellow cruisers and seamstress friends were very complimentary of the job--- all acknowledge that dinghy chaps are a really complex task!

Back in Bonaire!

We pulled up anchor in Spanish Waters Curacao on September 13th heading east to Bonaire. A short trip of less than 40 miles and we were back on a mooring in crystal clear waters. Love the water here, world class snorkeling, world class diving. Life is good. So good that we haven't updated this blog in over a month. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words ......so.....

These pictures where shot at Klein Bonaire. Di and I just kicking back enjoying a little snorkeling.

We were here about five days and Jackson and Rico on S/V Apparition  followed us over from Spanish Waters. We have been doing a lot of diving and snorkeling with them, lots of fun!

Girls' Day in Willemstad, Curacao

Claudia and Trish

 

At least once every couple of weeks, two or more of us cruiser women take the public bus from our summer anchorage in Spanish Waters, Curacao, and for 90 cents we ride the bus into Willemstad for Girls' Day.  The men enjoy it at least as much as we do, and have nicknamed it Womanless Wednesday, or Maedchenlos Mittwoch, depending on where you're from.  Claudia from SV Tika (German/Swiss) and I are founding femmes, and friends from the States and Canada also join us.  Here's what we do.

The first place we go from the bus station is the "new market",  a large and airy covered space filled with vendors of produce, fish and meats, handicrafts and jewelry, personal products, and all sorts of items of interest and curiosity.

From there,we wander through the colonial streets of Punda. Willemstad is divided by its wide, deep commercial channel into two sides, called Punda and Otrabanda. Punda was and is the upscale side of town. Three hundred year-old buildings now house businesses like Tommy Hilfiger, Guess, diamond and luxury jewelry and other high end shops, which cater to cruise ship passengers and other, mainly Dutch tourists with money to spend. 

 

I

I love the mix of colors and patterns.

 

Next  we walk on to the old fort, still housing government offices.



From there, the waterfront is only a few steps away, with quayside cafes and coffee houses where you can enjoy a capuccino and watch the people and boats go by.

The hundred-year old pontoon bridge. 

 

But we don't stop here.  We turn back toward the center of town to get something to eat.  Passing an art gallery, more "dushi" (meaning "sweet") local shops....

...and what would Girls' Day be without shoe shopping!

 

By now we are famished and ready for lunch. We head to the Plaza Bieu, the old market which has six kitchens inside, with cheap and cheerful local dishes favored by the people who work downtown. It's the best place to taste generous, inexpensive servings of local cuisine. If you leave hungry, you have only yourself to blame!

 

 (People who know me know I was an epidemiologist and food safety instructor and inspector for 32 years...the food is piping hot and prepared fresh while you watch,and the turnover is brisk. While conditions are rudimentary, it's a pretty safe place to eat!)

And here's what you get! Delicious beef stew, slow-cooked in a mildly seasoned tomato-based sauce, accompanied by rice and sweet fried plantains, and with a side of funchi, similar to a creamy polenta or cornmeal mush, and definitely a great comfort food!  Also available are goat stew (delicious), fried kingfish, grilled whole red snapper,whitefish filets, and chicken entrees, as well as Chinese food.  For dessert you can get a tasty pumpkin pancake, rather like carrot cake, with raisins and spice. Inexpensive, nutritious, and fast service too, which is unusual here in the Caribbean.  There's never a need to cook supper after a lunch like this.

 

Heading back to the bus station, we pass by the floating market, where we can pick up fresh and inexpensive seasonal produce from Venezuela before we head home.

 

     

 

 

 

 

With backpacks loaded, we head back to the bus stop and return to Fisherman's Harbor at Spanish Waters, there to find our men grinning because they also enjoyed their Womanless Wednesday as much as we did.