April 27, 2010

Roll With It

It would have been great if things had gone as planned – if Little Guy was floating in his slip I would have been able to work on the trailer in my driveway and then put it in storage at a buddy’s farm. Instead, I had to work on the trailer with the boat on it. I borrowed my brother’s floor jack, in conjunction with mine, and used them to jack the boat up, providing clearance to get the wheel on the metal cog. I had to use some wood to raise the jacks up so they would be able, in turn, to raise the boat properly. Unfortunately the position of the wheel near the middle of the boat meant that I had to jack the boat very high and pivot it against the bow support. Even with the wood and the jacks at maximum extension I was unable to get the three or four inches of clearance required to mount the new wheel on the support.

Time to go with a plan B. I considered going to Home Depot and buying a smaller diameter wheel that would be able to serve as a temporary replacement for the proper wheel. But really what I needed was something that could serve as a padded support for transport to avoid further damage to the hull, and not be an obstacle for the eventual launch. I searched the garage to find something that could meet this requirement.

I don’t have an inventory of wheels, but I do have a pile of lacrosse balls in a box of sporting goods. I pulled out my drill and trusty collection of drill bits and drilled a half inch hole in a lacrosse ball and wedged it over the square steel support rail.

Pics: a) The problem; b) The solution; c) The next problem; d) The next solution; e) Solved!

Project Expense: $0.00
Say’s Law formulation by John Maynard Keynes: “Supply creates its own demand”
Remaining lacrosse ball inventory: 18
Greg Rynne’s number at TJHSST Lacrosse: 18
Woodbridge lax carpool numbers: Rynne – 18 (voter), Lance – 21 (drinker), Mack – 16 (driver)
Other balls in the box: field hockey, racquet, tennis, soft, foot (nerf and leather)

April 1, 2010

Fool’s Day

A Rose By Any Other Name…
I’ve seen a lot of clever names of boats. I decided that it would be nice to have a name for my little boat – something that would be clever but also be appropriate for the ultimate professional use I’d like to see from this boat. So, trying to leverage the smart people I know I created an email ring with my friends to come up with a name for where my funds will go, and here are the options that my friends came up with (some of the more amusing, yet inappropriate names have been redacted):

Big mack, Little mack, Water beast, Consulting, Consulting fee, The office, Client site, Deliverable, The little woman, My main squeeze, Patriot’s dingy, Patriot’s poop, My dirty dingy, It's a boat time, That's what I'm talking a boat!, Backed Raft, Mack Raft, The PotoMack, N'Sink, Sinking Suspicion, Sunk Cost, SS Minnowtaur, PotoMack, Mack Boat, Mack Beth, Mack the Knife, (Kobayashi Maru), If This Boat's a' Rocking - That's Because It's Small, Fat Guy in a Little Boat, Hanging with the Buoys, The Bro-at, Rod Holder, Where's the Reef?, The Anchor Sore, it's not the size of the boat., luke perry, whatcha talkin' a boat- willis, what's up dock, wake whatcha momma gave ya, mack-in-the-boat, 99 problems, but a boat ain't one, cap-n-mack's-wa-ter-craft, Nasty Bouy

While many were worth a laugh – I settled on “little guy.” It is appropriate for a boat serving as a tender for a larger vessel, it is not unprofessional, it matches how my friends with male children refer to their progeny, and… I won’t be embarrassed to order a decal with the name.

Boat terminology in culture (popular or otherwise)
Above Board: Pirates would hide crew members below decks to fool victims. When all the crewmen were on the deck then -- seeing is believing – the vessel was more likely to be an honest merchant ship.
All hands on deck: Nowadays we gather to discuss some task. Sailors did the same thing, but met on the deck.
Bamboozle: This was the word used to describe the deceit of pirates who flew an ensign of national origin other than their own.
Barge in: Most believe this term, used today to describe a tactless appearance or interruption, came about because barges are hard to maneuver.
Clean slate: Daily logs were kept on a slab of slate. Each new watch officer would erase the previous entries.
Knows the ropes: It took an experienced seaman to know the function of all the ropes on a sailing vessel.
Passed with flying colors: Refers to a sailing ship that distinguished itself by flying all of its pennants and flags (called "colors") when passing other vessels.
Pipe down. Helmsmen told the crew members on deck that they could "pipe down," meaning their chores were done and they could return to their quarters below decks.
Scuttlebutt: To discourage idle chit-chat at the ship\’s water barrel, the drinking ladle had little holes in it so the water would leak if the sailor didn\’t drink it up fast. The holes were called scuttles.
Shape up: This was the term helmsmen used to refer to getting back on course to avoid danger.
Under the weather: The sailor who had to stand watch on the bow taking all the pounding and spray was said to be "under the weather."
Worth their salt: Salt actually was also used to pay Roman sailors. So any sailor "worth his salt" was worth what he was getting paid.


Other Boat Comments / Humor
Boats, Dogs, Women – things that you should borrow or rent rather than trying to own your own.
A boat is a hole in the water into which money is thrown.
The second happiest day of your life is when you buy a boat. The happiest is when you sell a boat.
Why did the new Spanish navy get glass bottom boats? So they could see the old Spanish navy.
What do you get when you cross a street with a boat? A hole in the hull.

March 28, 2010

A hole in the water ... I didn't learn by watching others.

I had hoped to keep this quiet until I was basking in the sun on the Potomac river, but circumstances of a humorousinthepast nature have presented themselves to merit a series of posts. As indicated in my IntraCoastal Waterway post, my primary client these days is in the maritime industry. I have applied for a grant to perform some analysis on behalf of this client that would be well accommodated by having a small watercraft… so I used this confluence of circumstances to fall into the midlifecrisis trap: buying a boat.

In January I found a deal on a 21’ Mako – center console with a 200hp motor that was owned by a nice guy in Muhrland who was looking to move up to a bigger boat. The boat was only $5k (negotiated $500 off), a great price for a running boat, but I knew from the ad that the boat might have challenges (foreshadowing) when the hull is older than Christina Alguilera and the motor is old enough to buy beer. The deal was good, the seller was pleasant, but the weather was not – a series of snow storms prevented me from picking up the boat in Februrary. I waited until March, bought the appropriate tow adaptor for the Beast, and dragged the boat about 80 miles back to HQ in Reston.

The Launch

I waited until a gorgeous spring day during the week to tow the boat back around the beltway to Bellehaven Marina in Alexandria (about 25miles). I paid the dock master $5 (it is an NPS site managed by a private firm – Read: government fixed pricing) to launch the boat. THEN THE FUN BEGINS!

To launch a boat from a trailer, one has to back the trailer down the ramp, loosen all the bindings on the boat (tie a rope to the boat or you’ll be sorry) and then ‘jerk’ the boat off the trailer. This boat had been sitting on the trailer for at least six months, and the trailer has old wheels (one of which missing, but a replacement part of the purchase) so I had to give the boat a hell of a jerk to get the boat to roll off the trailer into the water. In doing so, the hitch came detached so the boat released, and so did the trailer. If not for the safety chains, I would have a trailer at the bottom of the Potomac also. The trailer did pop up and dent the hell out of the back of my truck . The cursing begins.

Once in the water, the engine would not tilt down to put the propeller in the water. It was stuck in the up position and the motor wouldn't engage to lower it. After a brief profanity tirade, I called around and even used a hammer for a while. Eventually a mechanic was walking by and he found a bad connection in the relay. The motor was lowered.

Then I kept the mechanic (via Jackson twins) and we tried to get the motor started - but the boat wasn't having it. He started talking about carburetor rebuilds and then wandered off. I spent another half hour trying to get it started, but at this point I noticed that the large mechanic (with a LOT of asscrack displayed) and me at the back of the boat working on the motor had caused the boat to start filling up with water. Looking through the hatch, I could see the bilge pump (that should evacuate water from the hull) doing its best Good Humor (just chillin). Before I really had a boat at the bottom of the river, I decided to cut my losses and pulled the boat back to the ramp, put the beast back in, and managed to use the manual winch to get the incredibly heavy boat onto the trailer. Since there was a missing wheel on the trailer, and the weight, part of the trailer left an incredible scratch on the hull as I pulled the boat back onto the trailer.

I had to get to a meeting across the river, so I left the boat, on the trailer, at the marina and hoped I would not get a ticket. When I returned three hours later, there was no ticket, but the adaptor for the trailer lights had been swiped by a walker-by.
Incredibly deflated, pissed off, and frustrated, I pulled the hull plug and drained at least two hundred gallons of the Potomac around the beltway on my way home.

I averted my eyes every time I walked out of my house for two weeks before coming up with the list of things that needed to be repaired on the boat before risking part deux of this adventure:
a) Repair wheel on trailer – to avoid damage to hull during transport and launch;
b) Repair any damage to the hull;
c) Repair / Replace relays in tilt motor so it is more than a barge;
d) Repair / Replace bilge pump to avoid large water storage device / sinking;
e) Not to mention get lines and prepare them to appropriate lengths – the plan is to get a slip at National Harbor so I don’t have to launch the boat. I’d rather have the boat waiting in the water for humiliating moments.

Pic: So much optmism. (pay no attention to the damage to the lawn) - other pictures unavailable (thankfully)

February 25 - 28

IntraCoastal Waterway

February 25, 2010
I normally don’t blog about work – but this week I had a client with an adventure that is worthy: I have been working with my client to do ground-up business operations creation and about two months ago, they purchased an 87 foot catamaran in plans of providing sightseeing and event services on the Potomac River in the DC metro area. The boat was purchased after providing service in South Carolina, and spent about 8 weeks in Morehead City, NC, out of the water having mechanical, operational, and cosmetic work performed. I agreed to go with the owner and a recently hired captain, Mike, to do some last stages of work and bring the boat up to DC from North Carolina.

Pics: a) A big barn, with a big guy acting like a little kid; b) I wonder how you get that driver's license; b) Splashing the boat

Feb 22-23
A hole in the water
We met early on Monday and drove to North Carolina (about six hours) in the owner’s car. There was some debate with the yard regarding the price of some of the services that had been rendered, and they kept the boat in the yard, on blocks, pending the receipt of payment. After negotiations, the boat was pulled from a garage required for the bottom paint because the temperatures in the area hadn’t been above the required 40 degrees. With the boat in the water, we were on schedule for a Wednesday morning departure.
We did most of the cosmetic work and waited for the final touches on the two main engines and the two generators on the boat. Late on Tuesday it was identified that when the generators were engaged, they were giving over 20% more power to the electrical panel than they should have. We made calls to mechanics to see if they could get to the yard ASAP.

Feb 24
Because the boat is 87 feet and draws about 6 feet, it is one of the larger boats that would use the intracoastal waterway (ICW). There are few spots along the route that can accommodate a vessel of that size, so to tie up there is some planning involved (sleeping on the boat is not an option as the boat has no sleep, shower, or galley options). The Alligator River Bridge has a rule that if the wind is blowing over 25knots, it will not open – further complicating our route planning. To make any landing site, we would have to get out of Morehead City before 10 am, otherwise, we would only have to turn around and come back.
As lack of luck would have it, the mechanic didn’t make it to the boat until after lunch. There were some settings on the generators that had to be modified. It was frustrating because the settings were adjusted by trial and error – something that we could have done.

Feb 25
The owner dropped transport captain, Pete, Mike and I in the morning, and we left the marina at Morehead City at 7am. The first leg of the trip was about 150 miles. We cruised up the ICW averaging 20knots (taking into consideration some areas that are ‘no wake’) with very little boat traffic in the cold weather. While relatively narrow at about fifty yards across, the canal is well dredged with an average of 16 feet of depth in the channel. About fifty miles into the trip, the boat jarred suddenly – the port engine went dead and the boat pulled to the west side of the canal.
Pete and Mike were able to restart the engines, and back the boat into the canal. When the engines were put forward, the boat began vibrating dramatically when we powered up. Pete shrugged and explained that it was likely that the propeller was bent. The boat wasn’t incapacitated; we were still able to make 10knots without vibration. Because we were in the channel, the likely culprit was a submerged log of some sort – but it meant that the boat was going to need work prior to getting back to DC. We made half-speed to our destination marina.

Pics: a) the wake at 20knots; b) Like any other highway - there are mile markers along the route

Coinjack Marina: we were about an hour out of Coinjock after rocking and rolling across the Pamlico Sound when we called them to see if the motel in town had rooms. It did, but it was closed from Feb 15-28th. The nearest other facility was more than an hour drive from the marina, as was the nearest cab. However, the marina had a room over the restaurant that sleeps six... two beds, two air mattresses, and two couches. We tied up, checked in, and had dinner all within ten yards of each other. Good: The restaurant has a prime rib special everynight (if you eat the 32oz portion it is free) and I got one of the beds! Bad: The restaurant has karaoke on Thursday nights, and the floor is not very well insulated.

Pics: a) it is the Coinjock Ritz (that is Pete having some deep fried peanuts); b) If you don't like peanuts, you can have fresh fowl from the cooler.

Feb 26 (A penguin walks into the auto shop)
We got underway at 6:30, when there was good light to get up the ICW. While we didn’t make good speed, we had mostly smooth water because the winds weren’t too bad, and we were protected by the narrow nature of that portion of the ICW. After going for a few hours, I went up to the wheelhouse to let the captain know that there was a smell of smoke coming from the starboard engine room. Because the starboard prop had not been damaged, this was a real mystery – not only was there some smoke, there was water entering the engine compartment from the shaft – as well as water in the starboard mid-compartment. The smoke was attributed to a seal around the shaft that had partially blown. We made Norfolk by 1pm.
I had made arrangements with a diver to meet us at Norfolk – he would pull the port propeller from the shaft and take it to a shop that I had contacted where it would be reconditioned and then hopefully reinstalled so we could make way on Saturday morning. We tied up and put 800 gallons of diesel fuel in the boat, and waited for the diver – who called at 12:50 to tell us that he couldn’t make it. I made arrangements with a third diver (second was unavailable) who sent a team out and removed the prop. He took them to the propeller shop that worked late into the night repairing the damaged propeller.

Pics: I've been over and under bridges, but this is the first time through a) a draw bridge; b) a side swing bridge; c) a middle swing bridge. My first time through a canal -d) the Great Bridge Locks has a sign to read while you wait to go through

Feb 27
The divers arrived at the dock at 7am with the repaired propeller and their equipment. They gave a confident thumbs-up as they boarded and told us that they would have us out of there in an hour – a requirement because the trip to DC was 10 hours at 20knots, we wouldn’t have a chance to make the trip at 10knots.
Estimated time to install port propeller: 1hr
Water temperature: 40 degrees
The divers, wearing dry suits, attached inflated tire tubes to the 150lb propeller so it wouldn’t sink to the bottom and could be installed, and got in the water. They struggled with the cold water, the mild wind rocking the boat, and the weight of the propeller – and failed to get the prop on. At 9am the original diver called to check on the progress. I told him that we were delayed, but asked what his schedule was – at 1pm I called him and asked him to take over the project. He arrived an hour later with two carts: one that provided compressed air to a mask (non-scuba) and a second that sucked in and then heated water, then pumped the water to his regular diving suit. The two sets of divers worked together until 10:30pm when the propeller was properly mounted on the shaft.
Actual time to install a propeller: 16 hours
Reason for delay: Morning divers dropped shaft key and couldn’t retrieve

Pics: a) cheap joke showing 1. gonads, 2. mental accuity; b) Diver with floats on prop; c) Team C divers helping team A get prop on shaft;

Feb 28 (almost there)
We waited until the sun broke the horizon, and got underway just after 6am. The boat operated beautifully and made over 20knots as we cruised through the navy base, the Chesapeake bay, and up the Potomac river. We managed to cruise 180 miles in under 9 hours and tie the boat up at National Harbor, Maryland.

Pics: a) best 'employee parking' ever. b) Home port - near "the awakening" at National Harbor

The characters:
Pete, the delivery captain - About 67, and makes his retirement living by repossessing boats (he likes to say 'stealing') and smokes like a chimney. A few years ago he had “prostrate” cancer so he doesn’t drink anymore. All stories start with “This one time I was running a [insert number from 30-70] foot [insert manufacturer of boat]” or “I used to go out with a girl named [insert stripper name]”. Average cups of coffee per day: 16. Common quote: “I care an awful lot about me.” Description of most media: “That newspaper isn’t fit to wrap fish.”
Mike is the retired coast guard Captain who served 26 years. He likes to voice his opinions about things with or without solicitation. Major observations: “Winter Olympics isn’t sports – it is crap.” “I hate a weak stirrer. Give me a spoon anyday.”

Nauts:
Knot: a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour
Nautical Mile: a unit of length corresponding approximately to one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian
1 international knot = 1.151 miles per hour (approximately)
Common Name for the ICW: “the ditch”
When portions or ICW were started: 1793
Propeller Dimensions: 36" x 34pitch
34 pitch: Each rotation of the propeller should cover 34” distance
Ideal operating RPM: 1400
ICW marker at start of trip: 200
Norfolk marker: 0
During the Civil War - both the North and South sank vessels in the canal to block traffic
Buoy colors: Red, Right, Return.... and in the ICW, Red, Right South
Drawbridges: 7 (most open on the hour)
Canal locks: 1 (on demand)

January 16, 2010

Something’s Stewing

So there are few things as wonderful as making a good stew while the snow is piling up outside. It is less productive than shoveling the driveway, but it is much more filling. So I took the “Winter Stews” cooking class at the Reston Community Center.

Despite getting up early on a Saturday morning, the class was pretty fun. It kicked off at 9:30am with five people in the class (10 people registered but must have gotten distracted by the tai chi class going on in the main room). It was me, two women in their 30’s, a woman in her 50’s and an older gentleman named Ivan. The class was taught by Chef John Bauhs – a former drummer in a band who now makes his living as a personal chef for people with the means for a personal chef and occasionally for rock bands (he was planning on cooking for Cheap Trick in Charlottesville the next week).

The class dove in immediately to make six different stews simultaneously with sides of breadsticks and cornbread muffins. The chef let the class be free form where no one had direct tasks, and everyone did what they were comfortable with. Whenever there was a question on measuring or techniques the chef had a great attitude like, “you can’t go wrong.” We cooked for about three hours and then sat around enjoying the fruits of our labor. While the recipes were all easy and good (Ginger Carrot Soup, Chicken and Rice Soup, Southwestern Chili, Broccoli and Cheese Soup, Italian Tomato Soup, and Jambalaya) the standout was the Carrot Ginger. We all left with full stomachs and a stapled together cookbook.

Ginger Carrot Soup
6tbsp unsalted butter
1lg. yellow onion, chopped
.25c finely chopped ginger root
3 cloves garlic, minced
7 c chicken stock
1.5lb carrots, peeled, cut into .5” pieces
2tbsp fresh lemon juice
Pinch curry powder
Salt & ground pepper
Snipped fresh chives or parsley

1. Melt butter in large stock pot over medium heat. Add onion, ginger, and garlic: sauté for 15-20min;
2. Add stock and carrots. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered over medium heat until the carrots are very tender, about 45 min;
3. Puree the soup in a blender or processor (fitted with steel blade). Season with lemon juice, curry powder, salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with chives or parsley. Serve hot or cold.

Additional Chef notes:
Most of the flavor in the ginger is near the surface – rather than using a peeler, peel with a spoon;
Unsalted butter is usually fresher (salt is a preservative);
Mir Pois Ratio: 3parts onion, 2parts carrot, 1part celery;
Better Than Bullion is a more natural product;
The spectrum of Roux goes from white, blonde, chestnut, to black;
People who go to swing dance events get mad if the drummer misses the beat.

If you want another great recipe… Caleb has documented the San Diego Variation of Mackattack (http://calebanddana.wordpress.com/2010/02/01/quick-trip-back-to-virginia-for-work/)