Too Much Crap.

This isn't about the airhead, thank goodness.  No, this is about looking around our apartment and then thinking about the boat, and wondering where in the world we are going to put our crap.  It's amazing that with only 650 sq feet of living space that we - or I guess I shall own up to it - "I" - have accumulated so much stuff.  The fact of the matter is that we will have to get rid of a lot of it.  We've already begun doing so - giving things to friends and family as well as multiple trips to the local thrift store.  But still there is so much more.  And it all seems important.

However, I know that isn't entirely true.  Yes there are a lot of things with sentimental value, or items that we've received from family that we just won't be able to part with.  Those items with either be stored or "borrowed" out to family/friends until we find the space to use them once again.  All the other stuff - well - it's going to take multiple rounds around the apartment to slowly purge what I once thought I just had to have.  With all the difficulty in doing so, I truly do feel better when our space is less cluttered - it is so much easier to organize and clean. The boat will ultimate dictate what we can and cannot have - mostly cannot.  But I see this as a good thing.  Hopefully more opportunity to save, pay off the boat, and have more time to experience life.

AIRHEAD

If you thought living on a boat was crazy enough, wait till you read about what we are working on to pass the time. We figured we'd dive head first into our number one system refit.

When we read Ad Astra’s equipment list we realized that the tankage was quite a bit smaller than we had hoped for in regard to the holding tank…the shit can, if you will.  With future turn of events, we knew we were going to have to make some big changes.

A little history on marine toilets:

Most marine toilets empty either into open water or into a holding tank. Some systems exit the holding tank into a macerator that treats the poo before you dump it overboard. Unfortunately, this adds nutrients to the water and can feed algae blooms even if it is devoid of pathogens.  Standard marine heads frequently develope a condition known as "the stinkies." There are many products for sale in marine stores who’s sole purpose is to reduce odors from marine heads (toilets) and holding tanks. In biological terms, there are bacteria at work that make the stinkies (anaerobic) and others that help break the poo-pees down (arobic). The arobic bacteria help to eliminate le odeur.

The trick is to keep these arobic guys busy while chasing the stinkies away. Standard holding tanks don’t perform this job well and also have limited space on most boats. Owners typically drive their vessels over to the nearest pump out station and suck out the junk. There is a clear tube at the end of the hose so you can observe previous meals and make sure you got it all. You get used to it, I’m sure. Hoses are also another source of odors as the plastic material they are made from is slightly permeable and need to be replaced from time to time.

Since we purchased Ad Astra in the winter, we could not check out the plumbing. It wasn’t until our twelve-hour flail to get the boat ready for delivery that we discovered we had a problem. Luckily we were launching from Lockwoods Boat Works and they had a well equipped marine store that had a refurbishment kit for the Japsco toilet. Let the fun begin! With encouragement from our delivery captain we replaced key o-rings and gaskets and the toilet seemed to do the job. A day later on the Atlantic we were happy we grabbed a discarded bucket that was laying around the boatyard because the toilet completely broke down.  After we arrived in Solomons, MD, we realized the problem was calcification. When you suck in seawater, the inner plumbing gets coated with calcium over time and our system was about 50% occluded. This kept the joker valve from functioning. The whole system was sick and the solution required lots of vinegar or acid and patience.  Fortunately for me, I broke a plastic nipple on the valve cover and decided to purchase a whole new toilet from Jabsco. We still had a problem; our little ten gallon holding tank wasn't going to cut it for living aboard use. Plus, we also wanted to install a tank that pumps downhill instead of uphill -  like our current configuration (bad). Since I had no idea where said tank would fit except under the aft bed (sloshing effluence to rock you to sleep?), I began trying to find an alternative.

About three years ago I read about a composting toilet called Airhead on http://www.sailsarana.com/FAQ.php. We decided to investigate a bit more on this option.  Airheads do not require water for flushing. They don't need to be emptied nearly as often (hopefully). And there is no holding tank required. The genius in the design is how the head separates #1 from #2. The #1 gets emptied every few days but the #2 can stay and churn in there for up to a year for weekend use or 6 weeks for liveaboards. Hopefully frequenting the bathhouse can extend our (my) emptying tasks. There is a container under the toilet top that holds peat moss and solids and there is a separate liquid container. There is a small fan that constantly runs to keep humidity down in the container so anarobic bacteria don't become a problem. The composting toilet seemed to solve all of our issues and seemed environmentally friendly too. Airheads are nearly a boat unit ($1000) in price so we decided to check out Craigslist on a whim. There were two for sale; one gently used for $690 and one never installed for $500. It was a tough choice. We bought it from out of state and had it shipped. In the meantime I worked on removing the old toilet, hoses, and holding tank. The tank is still in the back of my truck if you need one (don’t ask why…it’s a pickup).

The install took way too long, which seems to be right on par for me. The unit works by drawing a constant airflow (hence the name) from the bucket (yeah, we are back to using a bucket). I had to fabricate a special plenum to marry up to the fan unit.  We used the existing pump out port in the deck so I wouldn’t have to drill a new whole. A little bit of tacky PVC pipe on the port pump-out receptical is the only obvious alteration. We’ll let you know how it goes…it’s a new movement in sanitation (no pun intended!) Gotta run.

Above is the plenumn with electric fan installed. It is recomended to just have just one hose so air leaks are not an issue but I could not figure out how to flush mount the silver fan housing to the deck under the pumpout port because of curvy countours. I hate drilling into decks anyway becuase of water damage potential.

Hopefully no water goes up. Thankfully Sara kept me from making this a tall pipe. I may install an insect screen at this end instead of down by the fan unit.

The Airhead installed. #1 tank in front.

Ad Astra's First Solomon's Sail

You'd think we'd just want to get right out there and sail our new boat each and every moment the opportunity arose.  You'd be wrong.  Well, partially wrong. Chris was of course ready for such an endeavor but not so much me.  Visions of failed docking attempts mired thoughts of a beautiful sail outing.  It took some time for me to get over this fear.  After weeks of Ad Astra just floating in her slip, we finally threw off the dock lines and headed out for a really magnificent sail.  We carefully planned our departure process from the slip - which dock lines or spring lines to release first and in what particular order - as well as each of our respondsibilities.  I was to call out distances of objects (other boats, docks) relative to the bow and Chris was manning the helm.  Without any drama, we were out of our slip and motoring to the Patuxent River.  We then had to jog our memories on how to get this boat sailing.  Not gonna lie, I was nervous.  The mast on Ad Astra is 64 feet high - that's a lot of sail potential.  Fortunetly, the winds were light, and we were able to get her sails up without much difficulty.  With the evening sun warming our faces and the winds blowing light but favorably, we pointed Ad Astra on a broad reach and off we went.  Chris being the competitive type, had us catching up and passing a nearby Hunter (with 2 Adults and 6 kids!).  He was on cloud nine.  We weren't out for more than an hour when a small front blew through picking the winds up from 5 to 15 knots.  By then we were beginning to feel more comfortable and adventorous with the boat and decided to see how fast we could really get her moving.  Chris manned the helm while I trimmed the sails and we were off!  With a comfortable heel, we were sailing Ad Astra at 7.5 knots in all her glory.  You should have seen the smile on Chris' face.  I didn't think you'd ever be able to wipe it off.

The sun began to dip into the horizon and so we decided to head back towards the marina -  we still needed to practice getting Ad Astra back in her slip.  We had a healthy crosswind and those dark visions of running into neighboring boats crept back into my head again.  Our slip neighbor Jim was at the ready in case we needed any help.  Chris practiced two times heading the boat astern into a "psuedo slip" and felt ready to try it for real. With crossed fingers we slowly motored towards our slip.  I was ready to fend off from the bow if needed, otherwise I was to grab the starboard spring line and get it ready for tieing off.  Chris did a great job - minimal fending off needed! - and Ad Astra was back in her slip!  We tied off the remaining dock lines, cleaned up the boat, and headed off towards home ( the apartment for now) giving ourselves a pat on the back for a job well done.

It was great to finally get Ad Astra back out there sailing - what she was designed to do, and we are gaining more confidence with each outing.

Chris keeping an eye on the sails.

The look of concentration.

A Three Day Tour

Ad Astra has been delivered!  She now floats beautifully in her new slip at Solomon's Harbor Marina in Solomon's Maryland. 

During the trip Chris sent out updates that included most of the technical details of what we did and encountered.  However, some of you requested a little less sailing jargon and a little more of the nitty gritty of how the trip played out.  So here it is, non-engineer style. :-)


Day 1: (4/29/11) The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day for a road trip to New Jersey.  We met our delivery captain Jeremy for the first time, packed his bags in the trunk of our rental car and started out on our five hour drive up to the boat.  Crossing over the the Bay Bridge reality sunk in as we realized in just a few days we would be sailing/motoring underneath it.


We drove into Lockwoods Marina around 1:30 that afternoon and saw Ad Astra in the water for the first time.  Oddly enough, she looked bigger in the water than on the hard (on land).  Chris and I glanced over at each other with a smile - is this really happening? Are we nuts???


Before we knew it we were knee deep in boat work.  Everything that needed to be done took twice the amount of time estimated (this seems to be the norm when it comes to boat work for us). Additional unplanned repairs, including the broken head (the toilet), added to our already mounting list of "To Dos." Our delivery captain Jeremy really dug in his heels, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and honest to goodness, helped us out more than we could have ever asked for.  I learned all sorts of neat things including but not limited to: replacing the fuel filter, checking the oil, and bleeding air out of the fuel lines. I'm finding out rather quickly that sailors learn to do most boat work by themselves.  There are good reasons for this.  Reason #1, it can be quite expensive to have work done on your boat by the boat yard, and #2, it is quite vital to know the ins and outs of one's boat in case something were to break underway (while sailing).  It's important to know how to fix these things because help can be a far cry away.


It was nearly midnight before all was mostly said and done and we fell in to our sleeping bags exhausted from almost 12 hours of work on the boat.


They say you should get adequate rest before heading out onto open water to help stave off seasickness.....


Day 2: (4/30/11) The alarms ring early at 5:30 and we slowly crawl out of our warm cocoons and venture off to complete the last items on our checklist.  Chris drops off the rental car, I take a quick shower at the marina and by 8:00 we are slowly motoring out of our transient slip.  As we glide silently through the water, we hold our breath as Ad Astra comes close to running aground - the water depth is nearly the draft of the boat (6 1/2 ft).  I call out depths from below deck as we slowly motor to two draw bridges we must pass under on our way out to the Atlantic. The soft muddy bottom of the creek eventually comes into contact with our keel and we run aground!  No worries however, a fishing boat serendipitously motors by and his wake helps us maneuver Ad Astra off the bottom.  After all of the excitement of running aground we must now wait 40 minutes till the top of the hour when the bridges will open their gates for us.  Captain Jeremy carefully takes Ad Astra in circles as we wait.


Finally the draw bridges open and we are on our way!  Out into the Raritan Bay, we follow a shipping channel that leads to the Atlantic.  We have our first encounter with a gigantic shipping vessel coming up from astern (behind the boat).  We give ample room by motoring outside of the channel as a signal to the large vessel that we are aware of its presence and they can safely pass us.


On the port side (left side facing forward) of the boat we see the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and in the distance the Manhattan skyline.  What a spectacular sight!


Another hour goes by and we are in the Atlantic.  Not much traffic to worry about here in the open waters but the swells are getting bigger and I'm feeling it.  Trying to use the head (which had the most foul odor already) in the big swells was challenging and going below deck for even a few minutes put me close to the edge of loosing my cookies.  I would immediately venture back to the cockpit, take deep breaths of the fresh air and try to regain some composure.  Keeping well hydrated, eating small bits of food here and there helped, but the best remedy for my nausea were the ginger chews.  Those spicy little candies surely saved me and by evening I was feeling much better - so much better that I no longer felt the need to jump off the boat and swim to shore.  This adventure was starting to be much more promising.


All the while I was feeling lousy, Chris was handling the ocean movements like a seasoned sailor! Captain Jeremy had Chris working on plotting GPS coordinates and planning routes that kept him busy for hours.  I was so proud of him...and a little jealous of his tough stomach.


At dusk we talked about taking watch overnight and I drew the first straw.  I would be on watch from 9 till 11pm, Chris 11-1, and Jeremy 1- 3.  Jeremy slept in the cockpit and was close at hand in case we had any immediate issues.  The biggest task was making sure the boat stayed on course (we had the autopilot on) and to be on the lookout for traffic.  During my shift Atlantic City, NJ was off starboard (right side of the boat facing forward) and lit up the night sky.  The vibrant colors and flashing lights of the city kept me company for my two hours on watch while my tired eyes tried to remain alert for any signs of traffic in the distance.  At 11:00 I gladly woke Chris for his turn at the helm.  I was still unable to stay down below without feeling queasy and decided to bring up my sleeping bag and pillow and camp out on the bench on deck while Chris took watch.  It was finally at that moment where my tired body accepted the motion of the seas and I quickly fell off to sleep.  The next thing I recall is waking up to very calm waters while Chris and Jeremy navigated a narrow channel in search of a place to practice anchoring the boat.  It was close to 3:00 a.m. at this point and we were all a bit exhausted.  The navigation lights and the lights from a nearby coast guard vessel cast a calming reflection off the still water and I crossed my fingers that the boys would want to take a short siesta after the anchoring lesson.  The anchoring took no time at all - Chris was a pro at it - and soon we were all below deck in our gently rocking boat. We all agreed that a nice 3 hours of sleep would do us good.  Jeremy took the forward berth while Chris and I took that aft port berth and we all slept like babies until the wake from early rising fishing boats bounced off the hull of Ad Astra, pounding her sides and sounding like Tyrannosaurus Rex. OK - we're awake now!


Day 3: (05/01/11) We're heading out of our sleepy hollow and motoring toward the Delaware Bay.  Jeremy has decided that today I will learn some navigation skills and so we head down below and have a lesson in charting GPS coordinates at the settee.  Parallel rulers, dividers, and charts of the Bay and I felt like I was back in school once again.  By the way, this charting business did not come naturally to me at all and I accidently referred to the charts as maps - oops!  I've entered a world of foreign nomenclature and it's taking a while to sink in.  The water is calm in the Delaware Bay and I'm able to finally spend as much time as I like down below without feeling ill!  This is progress!


While I'm working on plotting coordinates, Chris is manning the helm and trying to talk Jeremy into raising the sails, even if the wind is light and not entirely blowing from a decent direction.  It's day two and Chris is itching to finally do some sailing. (We did raise the sails in the Raritan Bay to test them out, and we raised the jib in the Atlantic while checking on the engine) . It takes a little persuasion but Jeremy yields to Chris' persistence and the mainsail and jib are raised.  We sail for a whopping 10 or so minutes and then need to turn the engine back on because the winds were indeed very light as well as on the nose of the boat.  It didn't matter though, Chris was thrilled to have sailed, if ever so briefly. As luck would have it,  the winds picked up a little and the motor sailing payed off by adding 1 knot to our speed. This was a big help as we were fighting an ebbing tide (draining current).


After motoring for hours through the bay and watching large commercial shipping vessels pass we finally enter the  C&D Canal.  The canal is approximately 12 miles in length and we determine it would be wise to top off Ad Astra's fuel tanks at Summit North Marina located 7 miles into the canal.  This is great timing as the need to use a "real" restroom is becoming apparent.  I didn't mention this earlier, but the head never did become properly functioning, and somewhere out in the Atlantic we made the decision to go the "bucket" route.  As painful and awkward as that sounds when you're traveling with someone you just met, the need to go to the bathroom trumps the embarrassment and one quickly gets over it when there really are no other alternatives.  Fortunately we were able to hit the the restrooms at the marina and take care of some important business!  This is also our first time stepping foot on land in 36 hours.  Now we realize this is peanuts to seasoned cruisers, but to us (well me) this was a huge accomplishment.  After filling Ad Astra's fuel tank and pumping out the holding tank, we hop back on the boat as the sky begins to spit rain on us and we all wonder if we are in for a wet evening of motoring.


The rain holds off and Jeremy and I take over the helm while Chris heads below to catch a few winks while the motoring is smooth in the calm water of the canal.  It is dusk and the twinkling lights on the shore of the canal cast a romantic reflection as we navigate our way towards the Chesapeake Bay.   During my shift at the helm I notice an odd configuration in the water ahead of us - not knowing what we're about to motor into, I shout to Jeremy to have a look ahead.  He immediately tells me to steer the boat 15 degrees to port as we are about to encounter a large debris field of flotsam.  To the right and left of us scattered all over are small tree trunks and branches.  We manage to avoid most of them, but at night it is just too difficult to navigate totally around them.  Chris wakes from his slumber to sounds of solid wood clunking against Ad Astra's hull.  There was no damage from this debris, but it was nonetheless alarming to encounter spooky floating objects in the water on a starless, moonless night.


At this point sleep deprivation is beginning to set in.  My eyes are crossing and the whole world is a blur. Jeremy finally takes a brake and gets a few winks of shut eye while Chris mans the helm.  My job - and this is all I can muster at this point - is consulting the chart as to the location of where we are and calling out to Chris the type of navigation lights we are about to encounter.  "The next light will be two flashing green or four flashing red," and so on.  Chris does a superb job of navigating through the channel of lights - as from a distance it is difficult to differentiate which one is approaching next.  Finally we were are out of the river and into the Chesapeake Bay.  In the distance looms a dark and menacing object.  It takes a moment for our fatigued minds to figure out that this is a large bridge - the Chesapeake Bay Bridge - the same bridge we drove over on our way to New Jersey two days prior!  It was nice to see a familiar sight albeit in the blackness of night.  The winds begin to pick up and the Bay is becoming choppy and uncomfortable.  Ad Astra's bow would slam into every third or so wave and a cold spray of water would cover the teak deck of the boat.  With the auto pilot on, we all hunkered underneath the dodger to keep dry.  When I could, I would slide into my sleeping bag and lay down on the bench on deck with my pillow to get a few more precious moments of sleep.  Even with the drizzle and the pounding waves, I was able to fall into sleep quickly.  Again, the turbulent movements of the boat prevented me from trying to sleep down below.


In the Bay we had to be sharp on the lookout for commercial shipping vessels - though we stayed well away from the designated shipping lanes.  We passed giant container vessels at anchor, all lit up like Star Wars space craft, so magnificent in size we felt like little ants slowly meandering by.


Dawn broke to yet more overcast skies but it felt good to finally have at least a little light on the subject.  The wind remained strong on the nose and Ad Astra continued to pound away at the relentless waves.  This part of the ride was all about endurance.  Every once in awhile Chris and I would look at each other and ask, "Did you say something?," and the other would just shake their head no.  We were hearing voices.  A bit unsettling, but we new we had to press on.


We were all worn out, but the feeling that we were so close to home helped to keep our spirits up.  At around 11:00 on Monday morning, we were finally at Cove Point.  Visions of a hot shower and a nice, cozy bed were dancing in my head.  But this was not going to happen any time soon.  As we were about to round Cove Point, the sun broke free of the clouds, the winds became favorable, and Jeremy decided we should raise the sails and commence a sailing lesson.  I should have been excited and thrilled to finally be able to sail this beautiful boat we just purchased and take advantage of why we hired Jeremy for our delivery, but I was tired.  Worn out.  Ka-put.  I didn't think I had anything left in me to tack on a few extra hours for sailing.  I'm not sure where it came from - maybe the recharging warmth of the sun - but we were able to find a bit more energy to spend a few extra hours learning how to sail Ad Astra.


We peeled off our layers of foul weather gear, soaked up the welcoming rays of the sun, and headed into our familiar waters of the Patuxent River.  We were getting our second wind (no pun intended)!  For the next hour or so, Jeremy helped us sail our new boat.  We practiced tacking and jibing. We talked about wind direction and broad reaches, beam reaches, and close hauled lingo.  He filled our heads with all kinds of practical sailing information.  His best advice however was to get out there and practice.  One can read all sorts of sailing literature, but to truly become a proficient and safe sailor, one just has to do it!


And so we sailed for awhile and it was simply a dream.  Ad Astra glided through the water and all around smiles were smeared on every one's faces.  This is what it is all about - Mother Nature doing most of the work while we adjust a few things here and there to help her out.  It really is glorious.


After our lesson we sailed up Back Creek and finally saw Ad Astra's new home at Solomon's Harbor Marina. After a few attempts to place Ad Astra astern in the slip, we finally made it in.  We secured the dock lines, set out the fenders and tidied things up.  Stomachs grumbling, I threw together a few turkey and avocado sandwiches and we all sat down for a nice little lunch.  We mustered up even a bit more energy for a quick session on docking the boat and handling her in close quarters.  Both Chris and I took turns with Jeremy close at hand for instruction and assistance if needed.  Chris docked her one last time for the trip and we called it a day.  The final hurrah was an initiation toast of a cold and refreshing Sam Adams welcoming us into the world of sailing and sailboats.  


So there it is.  Our three day tour of the Atlantic Ocean, Delaware and Chesapeake Bays.  We are glad to be home!

Ad Astra at Solomon's Harbor Marina

Photos

A few pictures from our delivery - South Amboy, NJ to Solomon's, MD. Approximately 250 nautical miles.

Chris admiring Ad Astra - this is the first time we've seen her in the water!

On our way out to the Atlantic, but first we must pass beneath two draw bridges.

Container Shipping Vessel.  Always prudent to keep an eye out for these big guys!

On our way into Solomon's!

Chris, Sara and Captain Jeremy.

You're Going to Live on a Boat?

I have found myself asking the very same question on more than one occasion.

I'm a landlubber for sure and quite fond of green rolling pastures, farmland, and lakes - where I can see the other side.  And as most of you who know me well, I am of the "play it safe" type, envying those adventuresome folks who throw caution to the wind, leap first and think later - oh how I wish! I suppose that is why I try to surround myself with those who are of that very nature. But living on a boat? Now that is one giant leap!

If you ask Chris, he'll tell ya he's been trying to talk me into this shortly before we left the great state of Texas two years ago.  Chris began to shift his focus from sailplanes to sailboats as soon as he found out we would be living close to the Patuxent River and Chesapeake Bay. With fond memories of sailing the BVI's with family in his high school years, Chris was bound and determined to get me on the bandwagon.

Bless his heart, (as they say in Texas) he put in a gallant effort! With dreamy visions of living a drastically different lifestyle, I was all for jumping in feet first. But then reality would set in and I would dwell on all of the "what ifs" and my mind would quickly change.  And so it has been back and forth like that, for months and months on end, until I finally caved in, I mean decided to give it a go.

It may have taken awhile but honestly, it was a mutual decision that we wanted to do something wildly different. We wanted to challenge ourselves in a new way and focus on trying to live a simpler life by downsizing - though we upsized quite dramatically from our 25 foot sailboat!  Yes, there are a lot of unknowns out there waiting for us in an exciting, scary kind of way, but I think we're ready for it!

Here's a great pic of Ad Astra with her previous owners!

Lesson Number 1: Weather Rules

Our first trip on Ad Astra, planned for Easter Sunday through the following Tuesday has been delayed. 

Saturday we were to drive up to South Amboy, NJ to provision Ad Astra and prepare her for delivery to Solomons, MD. We got started Friday night by dropping the dogs off at the kennel and picking up the rental car for the one way journey. We had all our dry provisions and supplies set out.  Unfortunately, the Friday night weather conversation with our delivery captain, Jeremy, didn't go well. Phrases like "uncomfortable seas," "wind right on the nose," and "it doesn't look very good," painted a dark and rainy reality. Although the sailboat was designed for conditions described above and the captain was more than confident in slogging through the waves, it was neither of our preferences. It certainly did not meet the objectives of having a fun and educational first sail. On Saturday morning, Chris checked the weather at 0300 and with no significant changes we both slept in. A check of the weather with Jeremy confirmed that the window had closed and the next one would not open up until Friday. So, we returned the rental and picked up the dogs on our "delivery day." Guess this is our first lesson in sailing: Weather rules.