Caspian’s Journey

Last Monday I met with Sterling Anchor (name changed to protect the innocent.) Sterling is the surveyor who has been helping us make heads or tails of the pre-purchase survey and work our way towards being deemed seaworthy. Sterling has been surveying boats for the last several years and is pretty excited about his career. During conversation Sterling is frequently reminded of past survey experience that he shares freely. Sterling and I are of the same ilk. This can be very dismaying and I will explain why. As we look over Caspian I am aiming the conversation towards down playing certain things that need repair. If you follow this blog you may recall the propane locker, one of the first items on the list that I took to downplaying and my first victory (although the opera is not over.) Of the many other (more than 80) things on Caspian's list some are immediate concerns and some are not although all are listed as immediate. Take fuel lines for example. There is nary a leak or th...

The generator had enough going on to warrant its own dedicated post. Unlike sailboats most motor yachts have a generator of some sort. Motor yachters tend to be more concerned with creature comforts like at home. We're probably more akin to motor homers than the sail boat crowd from where I come. We have things like electric heat, air conditioning, microwave ovens, electric stove tops, large refrigerators and (gasp) big TVs. "We" not including Bernie and I. Well yes, we purchased a motor yacht but we are out to avoid becoming full fledged motor yachters. We prefer a propane cook top over electric and solar power over a generator. We are accustomed to engine noise while underway since most of our cruising time in transit on Vela Via was during light air times while we were on a schedule. But once we arrive we want piece and quiet and fresh air. No generator running unless it is absolutely necessary. My original plan was to ignore the generator putting off any work on...

Sometimes I start out feeling excited about something only to have the what have I gotten myself into anxiety take it's place. Occasionally I've had to block out feelings of such anxiety. I am happy to report we've reached the light at the end of the tunnel stage which brings a relieved excitement. Wednesday we closed on the sale of Vela Via adding some much appreciated cash flow. Today I got a call from Race announcing completion of the engine work and he is confident we'll see good use out of them. I am looking forward to a real sea trial when we launch. Work on the transom is progressing. Everything is cleaned up and ready for the new core material to be glassed in. We deliberated a little about using synthetic core instead of marine plywood but decided to go with the plywood. Each hull penetration will be isolated such that bolts go through nothing but glass eliminating the risk of wood being exposed to moisture. Bernie made good progress down the s...

Work underway DC Power Battery charger replacement. Sort out battery connections so that switches agree (Port, Starboard, House banks). Propulsion Port engine low compression issue being tended to by mechanic Race Turner. The cylinder head is off and diagnosis is a bent exhaust valve causing cylinder #5 compression issue. This is great news compared to the other possibilities. Exhaust valve ever so slightly bent does not seat completely. Starboard engine turbocharger to be removed shortly for rebuild.  Replace fuel fill hoses while turbochargers are out of the way. Minor crack - could last another 10 years but convenient to replace now. Fuel fill hose. Filler above, tank ahead. Shaft seals replaced. Drip-less shaft seal. Safety Remove propane tank for re-certification. Aft bilge pumps replaced and rewired. Mid ship automatic pump switch still needs replaced. Johnson pumps corroded internally to the point of splitting their cas...

For me fixing meals is one of the most enjoyable things about cruising. There is something about reaching the destination, fixing and sitting down to a relaxing meal. As soon as we are underway my thoughts almost immediately turn to fixing that first meal at our destination. Princess 3 burner propane cooktop with microwave/convention oven below. I don't need much in my galley. On Vela Via we had a two burner propane stove and went many seasons with a single pot for all cooking. We made bread in it, breakfast, boiled water for coffee, you name it. On Caspian we'll undoubtedly have a bit more cookware but not much. We'll keep it simple. While shopping for Caspian we knew we wanted a propane cooktop. Caspian came with a propane cooktop and an 8KW genset. 8KW Onan genset - headed home for maintenance We've never had a genset so we can only imagine that running that thing will not be to our liking. We come from sailboat culture and long regarded big power boa...

And, that's ok! Because Tony does. He's very in-tune with all the needs the boat has in order to operate safely, efficiently and reliably. I'm so glad too. He loves that stuff and we could just sit and talk about it for hours. True, I might not understand it all, but his enthusiasm and expertise about "all things boat", is addicting. It blesses me so much how excited he gets about a project. I even like it when the project hits a snag and how his mind can troubleshoot things. Tony's amazing! Well, I get jazzed about cleaning, organizing and making Caspian into our home away from home and that's what this post is about. Last week I spent a few hours on the boat alone and was able to get some things tidied up. Before going I remember Tony saying something about ordering wiper blades, but needing more info about them. Whenever I go to the boat and Tony doesn't, there's usually something I'm taking a picture of for him or we're vid...