08/20/2008, Pago Pago Harbor, American Samoa
20/08/2008 0622UTC 14 16.433S 170 41.620W Day 438 Up at 0600, 27C, Mostly Cloudy, Wind ESE 10-20 Knots.
We pulled it off -- a day without projects or any other boat work. I know what you're thinking: "here are these guys on perpetual 'vacation' and they have the gall to describe a 'day off.'" But, regular readers of this blog realize that long distance voyaging is not a vacation, as such, but moments of pleasure interspersed with hours of hard work. We used this day to burn up some of our cached moments of pleasure (leisure, actually). Today was the first day in over three weeks without a major repair or refit task on the agenda.
While 1st Mate washed the dishes and I did my routine systems checks, that was it. We otherwise spent the morning reading, talking and soaking up our surroundings. This afternoon we met up with some friends -- Jack & Marcia from s/v Tracen J, and Mike & Liz from s/v Argonaut -- at Tokyo Sushi for lunch (marvelous Oriental food). Then everyone hiked down to the yacht club for a beer and yarn spinning; the kids enjoyed the TV there. Tonight, on the way home, we stopped for an ice cream cone.
Now, you just can't have a much better day off than that. Of course the crew is now really into this mode and I can't get them to sit down at the keyboard for blogging. So, we'll catch up with them tomorrow.
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08/18/2008, Pago Pago Harbor, American Samoa
19/08/2008 0508UTC 14 16.433S 170 41.620W Days 437 Up at 0600, 26C, Partly Cloudy, Wind ESE 5-10 Knots.
[Above, 2nd Mate returns from shore this afternoon with one of the three dinghies-full of provisions from the Cost-U-Less big box store.]
The crew was up and away to shore early this morning on a provisioning run to the Costco-clone for our first major re-provisioning since Mexico. Once again, I stayed aboard and tackled a few of the remaining projects on The List.
I made up a new adjustment line for the Hydrovane windvane steering system. The best item I've found to use for this purpose is rubber-coated wire clothesline. However, after a few months the non-stainless steel wire corrodes and the shrink tubing wears through. It's an easy fix -- cut a new length to size, strip off the coating about a centimeter back on both ends, solder together, coat with anti-corrosion grease and shrink tube it.
Next was the final rewiring of the refrigerator circuitry. While the frdige has been working okay, the main fan was not always spinning and the compressor, located in the lazarette, was running hot. I put new wires and connectors on the fan, plugged it in and we're good to go. The fridge ran fine all day and is cycling properly, so I crossed it off the list. The beer is cold, the ice cubes are hard and we've begun restocking perishables.
A safety improvement was also on today's docket -- to plug the 8cm diameter hole in the front of the lazarette where the fridge's auxiliary fan was mounted. This relatively large opening (hidden behind a rubber hood) is only about 15cm above the cockpit sole, so when we get pooped, it allows unrestricted ingress of water. I bummed a piece of Plexiglas from Steve on s/v Linda, fabricated a cover for the hole, and screwed it into place. From talking with other cruisers who have the same refrigeration system, it became apparent that they've all made the same change and the units operate normally. There's enough area inside the lazarette (where the fridge motor and compressor are located) to disperse the heat. We'll feel a lot better the next time a boarding sea fills the cockpit -- all the water will go out the drain holes and not into the lazarette.
Remaining tasks on The List are now dependent upon the arrival of parts and supplies. I actually crossed 'Engine Repair' off this morning after running the diesel for another three hours without incident. Whew. It has been a smidge unnerving sitting at anchor engineless. If we should drag, or someone snagged our anchor, we were helpless to save the boat. Now we can motor away from disaster if the situation gets dicey. Peace of mind.
And, because I didn't come on this voyage to wear my pants low and show my butt cleavage while bent over repairing refrigerators and stuff, tomorrow I plan to return to writing more about the culture and people of this spectacular part of the world.
"Crew Quarters"
1st Mate: It has been quite a day. The kids and I left about 0900 to catch the bus out of town. We got to Cost-U-Less in about an hour. It had been pouring rain when we left the boat and we were still a little wet. We shopped for nearly two hours and filled two carts. The kids found some cool toys and such. I bought a bunch of basic staples, new pillows and lots of snack foods. We got a cab to come home. The driver could barely fit everything in his small vehicle but we made it. I had everything out of the taxi and sitting on the curb.
Grant took the first load and got Captain to come back and help. I took three dingy loads but we didn't get rained on. I spent the next three hours putting it all away; our holds are full now. We got most of the empty boxes and packaging thrown out as well. I plan to make sloppy Joes tonight with the burger I picked up.
Cost-U-Less is more of a warehouse but carries a lot of the Kirkland (Costco) products. What is nice is you don't have to buy twelve cans of some things; you can buy individually. There was a produce section but most of the veggies were hammered. I got a great bag of apples, though. The Tillamook cheese and Captain Morgan's rum was cheaper than back in Alaska.
We plan to watch some new cartoons and a movie tonight and I hope I am able to stay awake. I was a full eight-hour day for me and I haven't put one of those in for a long time!
2nd Mate: Wildlife seen in the last few days: frigate bird, convict tang, isopods (not sure of the specific species).
Woke up around 0620. I slept in as we stayed up late last night watching 'Cabin Boy.' We all knew it had to be good (or dumb as heck) as it was written by Chris Elliot, produced by Tim Burton, and stars both Chris Elliot and Brian Dole-Murray.
This morning around 0900, Grace, Mom, and I went ashore to catch a bus to the big store, Cost-U-Less (or, as the cruisers around here call it, Cost-U-More, because you buy so much there it costs you more than if you just shopped at another store). We found a whole bunch of stuff that we haven't seen since San Diego at the very recent. We bought new toys, canned food, frozen food (now that we have a working fridge and engine, we can buy as much frozen food as we want), clothes, and a lot of other stuff . We found so many provisions that we filled up two whole grocery carts. We bought lunch there and called a cab to take us to the harbor. He helped us get them to the dock and get them ready for loading. I brought the dinghy around to a dock finger nearer to the dock ladder and I loaded some groceries in the dinghy. I dropped them off at the boat and Dad, who was still there, agreed to help us with the heavier boxes. We worked in this manner for about half an hour, making four trips in all (three for supplies and the fourth to get everyone back). Grace and I played with our new toys and cleaned up our room. We're now about to eat a delicious dinner. We plan to watch 'The Fugitive' as our family movie tonight.
Cabin Girl: The weather today: mostly cloudy, showers, light wind, the high was 29C, the barometer is 1012 and steady, the moon is waning toward third quarter. I woke and we went to shore. I had pepperoni pizza for breakfast -- cool! We took a bus out to the Cost-U-Less store where I bought: Blendy Pens, a Soda Pop Girl doll named Pasha Pineapple. Mom got lots of canned foods and toilet paper and a bunch of other stuff. We were there for like two hours because Mom cannot be trusted at a store. She buys more than she needs. We went to the deli and I ordered a hotdog with cheese.
Then, since we had so many groceries, we needed a cab to get back to the harbor. It took four dinghy trips to get all the stuff and us to the boat. When we got back, I opened up my Soda Pop Girl and played with her and my other Soda Pop Girl, whose name is Susie Strawberry. Grant and I used our new foam-disk shooters to shoot aliens. And, I tried out my Blendy Pens -- I made a dog and named him Blendy.
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08/18/2008, Pago Pago Harbor, American Samoa
17-18/08/2008 0741UTC 14 16.433S 170 41.620W Days 435-36 Up at 0640, 26C, Partly Cloudy, Wind ESE 5-10 Knots.
[Above, the new water pump circulates critical cooling water through Wind Dancer's engine.]
For the first time in a month, we have a working diesel engine. The new water pump arrived at the post office yesterday and I installed it this morning. Still unsure if the pump was the reason the engine was overheating, we fired it up. At first it ran cool, but after about five minutes the temperature began rising rapidly. I was really bummed. However, I remembered reading that sometimes after replacing a pump or water hose, an air bubble forms in the cooling system and blocks water flow. The solution is to rev-up the engine to clear the lines. I pushed the tachometer to 2500rpm, and the temperature immediately dropped to an optimum level (I'd tried this trick with the old water pump without success).
I ran the engine for over two hours and it did not overheat; in fact, it runs cooler than it ever has. Apparently the water pump has been weak for a long time. The engine also sounded a lot smoother and quieter, due to the valve adjustment done by Karl the mechanic the other day.
Now, with the engine available for battery charging, we also have refrigeration again. The fridge appears to be running fine, too, now so I have basically finished two of the biggest repair projects. That leaves restoring the genoa furling system as the last outstanding major task. The parts for it should be here by Saturday and I can get it working again.
Yesterday was a major mail call. In addition to the water pump, I received another large shipment from West Marine including a batch of electrical connectors, solar lights for the bow and stern, new LED flashlights for the cabin and cockpit, tubes of 5200 Marine Sealant, assorted stainless steel shackles and other items I've been unable to find locally.
We're slowly but surely getting everything back together and we'll soon be ready for sea again.
"Crew Quarters"
1st Mate: I feel like all I have done in the last three days is spend money and eat!
I took the kids to town to see a movie. Friday, we hung out at the mall and ate at Carl's Jr., our first fast food is a long time. The movies had changed but we were thrilled to see 'Journey to the center of the Earth' with Brandon Frasier. We ran lots of errands and were gone most of the day.
Yesterday, we got more mail! All of our DVDs came in and an awesome package from my cousin with tee-shirts and boxers from Old Navy. Gracie got the cutest 'skort,' rugby style with pink and green and a tank top to match; she had it on in two minutes. We invited Steve and Linda over for a drink and then we all decided to go out for Mexican food. We ate too much but it was so good. I have read over half of 'Fearless Fourteen' and several gossip mags that also came in our Cousin Erin box.
Today we decided to take a chance and install the new water pump that came in the mail and it worked!! It has been very hard on Captain thinking it may not fix the problem, and then what? We have had so many projects here and each one has caused another. We are getting closer, though. I actually have the fridge on and Grant is thrilled he won't have to lug ice anymore. I plan to do a run to the big Costco-like store tomorrow and begin replenishing all the canned and dry foods. I went through all the holds and we are down to about ten cans of stuff left. We were invited to visit on s/v Second Wind today. Bill and Marjorie are very nice and it was great talking with folks from Juneau.
Well, hopefully the engine will keep us charged now and none too soon as the wind has died. It will help to get our blog out again daily; that is if we could just get the dang space bar on the laptop to stop sticking.
2nd Mate: Wildlife seen in the last few days: frigate bird, little blue heron.
We've been busy for the last few days, so we haven't gotten to the blog. So, I'll kind of clue you in. On Friday, Mom, Grace, and I went ashore around 1000. We caught a bus and had a bumpy ride to the mini-mall. We dropped off some disposable cameras at the photo shop and looked around a bit. I had a mouth- watering chili cheeseburger at the Carl's Jr., which I believe is still moving through me. After that, we bought some stuff at a grocery store and checked out a nifty little toy store. Around 1300, we went to the nearby cinema to go see the new Adam Sandler movie, 'You Don't Mess with Zohan.' However, when we got there, we found out that it had left, and, in its place, was 'Journey to the Center of the Earth.' We decided to see it, as we came to see a movie and the only other one showing was 'The Mummy 3,' and we haven't seen the first two. It was really well done, and they used the book (which I'm reading) as a prop. We walked out of the theater filled with buttered popcorn, Bottlecaps, M&Ms, and soda. We picked up our camera pictures and caught a bus home.
Yesterday, Dad and I went to shore for soda, beer, ice, and mail. We went to the post office first and picked up six packages! We loaded them into the dinghy with the groceries and went home. We opened them and found a lot of things we've been waiting for! First of all, Dad got a bunch of new parts, including the replacement part for the engine! We opened a package form our cousin Erin, and found she had sent us candy, mac & cheese, shirts, and some music. Last, but not least, we opened a package marked 'Amazon.com.' We were hoping that it was at least some of the movies we had ordered online. We were right! We got movies, TV shows, cartoons, live-action, classics, newbies; the whole shebang! We still have some to get, but we have most of them now. We had the crew from Linda over, and, after some talking, we all went down to the Mexican restaurant down the street from the docks and we filled up to the brim.
Today, we were able to fix the engine! We got the new water pump in and it ran for two straight hours without getting the least bit hot! Hooray! Actually, we fixed it just in time, as the wind died down to a steady zero knots in the afternoon. We went over to Second Wind, the boat that's also from Juneau. While the adults talked about nothing, Grace and I played cards down below in their boat. We had a blast building card houses. We're now resting and reading. We plan to watch 'Cabin Boy' tonight as our family movie.
Cabin Girl: The weather today: partly cloudy, light wind, the high was 29C, the barometer is 1012 and rising, the moon is waning towards third quarter. Friday, we went to the movies and saw 'Journey to the Center of the Earth.' I ate at Carl's Jr. for the first time ever! We did a little shopping and I bought a doll. We had our cameras' film developed.
Yesterday, we got mail. Erin sent me the cutest skirt in the world! We got a bunch of our videos. Dad got his parts for fixing the boat. Then, Linda & Steve visited and we went to dinner together. We went to Evie's, a Mexican restaurant.
Today, I woke up and had eggs and pancakes for breakfast. Then, Grant and I played checkers and Phase 10 Dice. We had enough power, so we watched a movie. Then, Mom, Grant, and I went ashore and took showers. Then, we went back to the boat and played around. Then, we went to Second Wind. I was building houses of cards, and I built a big one, but it collapsed:(. I had some deviled eggs and we went back to the boat. Then, I started building more houses of cards.
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