Triangle Cruise - Early Planning

Early Planning: Years ago my husband, the captain, and I took a cruise planning course through the USPS - United States Power Squadron (not to be confused with the US Post Office).  I have the training materials and keep meaning to reread them, but I'm somewhat convinced that the captain has them memorized - at least his portion of the planning.  Thus far I have a mental 'to do' list plus an ever-growing checklist of what not to forget attached to the side of the fridge.  

The captain on the other hand has been very industrious in his planning.  Since his portion of the planning involves a fully-operational boat, verifying we have the required navigation materials, and laying out the route details, he's been actively busy every day with one task or another.  Although no less important, my tasks don't require as much hands-on planning in advance - provisioning the boat with food and clothes are at the top of that list.  However, as the first (and only) mate, I get all sorts of assignments from the captain ranging from cleaning the boat (including the "head" aka toilet and windows) to helping him install impellers in the diesel engine and a number of assorted tasks in between these two extremes.

In terms of boat cleaning, I have assisted the captain with cleaning / waxing the fiber glass to make sure the boat shines, applied SeaFin Teak Oil to the walls of the salon / galley to spruce them up where they show past effects of salt-water spray, and taken everything off the boat that I will not need on the trip to make room for all the items I will need on board during the trip like food and clothing.

 If my husband took care of our house with the care he gives the boat, it would be the cleanest, best operating house in the county.  Everyone who has ever seen the bilge in our boat is in wonder as to how clean it is - no oil stains, no dirt, and best of all - no smells.  He keeps meticulous records on maintenance to the engines (3 including the generator) and strictly adheres to the maintenance guidelines on oil changes, winter-storage prep, impeller replacements, etc.  He sends his fluid (oil / antifreeze) samples away to be regularly (either annually or every other year) to be tested for content / evidence of wear-and-tear on the engines.

Yesterday, the captain decided that he better replace his impellers on both engines starting with "the easy one" dubbed "easy" because for the starboard side engine, he can actually see what he's doing and access the water pump without standing on his head after wiggling his way behind the engine in the bilge.  He has learned tricks from his diesel engine maintenance class he took from Yanmar, the maker of our diesel engines, and we (yes I have to help) have replaced the impellers every 2 years since we bought the boat in 1999.  This should have been easy, but alas, he decided that he didn't want the salt water to drip on the engine mounts, so it took 15 minutes of letting the water drain into a "bucket" before we even started the job.  

Hmmm when we started the job, he said it would only take 15 minutes, and we haven't even really started yet. He eventually attached his "impeller puller" and with a few "turns of the engine", the old impeller was out.  Typically, the new impeller has to be compressed using a hose clamp to get it to fit in the slot, but amazingly this one slid into place slick as anything without even compressing it.  Looking good - my motivation - I get to go to the store and eat dinner out when we are done.  He replaces the cap, and puts in all but one screw which after a brief search for the elusive devil, he finds and discovers he has only a portion of the screw - the head only - the rest of the screw it turns out is in the water pump sheared off from the head.  Now the 15 minute job has become a train wreck.  The screw has to be extracted without the head attached.  It is now 8:00 p.m. and we decide that this is a job for the next day if we are to eat dinner tonight and head out to the store / restaurant with an unfinished job that looks like a potential nightmare to resolve.

With so much new technology and innovation there are lots of "toys" that can be added to make a trip like this more fun.  The captain decided to invest in a few innovations.  One such interesting addition is his-and-her folding Brompton bicycles.  We met "live aboards" showing their boat at the Annapolis Boat Show where we learned about this great space-saving enhancement to the boating experience. Another work-in-progress addition to the boat is a marine WiFi amplifier so that we can pick up wireless signals for our computer wherever we find a hotspot.  Our shopping trip after the impeller 'disaster' was to Best Buy to buy a wireless router for the boat.  To go with the new WiFi antenna, I decided to buy a  Kindle Touch so I can enjoy my romance novels while we cruise. 

In addition to toys, the captain has been purchasing navigation aids and making sure the boat meets entry requirements for Canada.  In addition to the addition to our chart collection for Canada waterways, we have also purchased a Q flag and a Canadian "courtesy" flag to meet flag-flying etiquette requirements.  We have older versions of Northern Waterway Guide  for navigating the Hudson River and Erie and Champlain Canals, and for this trip we purchased the Great Lakes Waterway Guide which includes information on the Great Circle Loop including the Triangle Cruise.  In addition to these the Captain had bought the relevant Skipper Bob books a few years back as supplemental reading.

My husband said it right the other day, "Are we ready to cruise yet?"  Seems like there is so much to do.  Certainly surprises like sheared-off screws in water pumps pop up and cause delays and more activities for planning than one expected when starting.