Seattle Departure

Goodbye Seattle

Friday Harbor

Buster departing Friday Harbor

We departed Seattle on Friday, April 20^th with mixed emotions, leaving family and friends behind and wondering what new adventures lay ahead of us in the coming year-long voyage.  The seas were calm as we headed north from Seattle for our southbound trip along the Coast.  For those unfamiliar with this part of the country, boaters in Puget Sound must go north and then west around the Olympic Peninsula before reaching the west coast of Washington State.  We spent the first night in Anacortes and then cruised west into the San Juan Islands for a stay at Friday Harbor.  Our friends Chris and Susan (Leonard’s cousin) along with their two boys met us at Friday Harbor aboard their Nordic Tug, “Buster.”  We had a delightful visit and were treated to a bon voyage lunch.  We were also delighted that our son Duane and grandchildren were able to meet us in Friday Harbor for a weekend cruise to Jones Island and Stuart Island.  We had a great time exploring, playing on the beach, hiking to the Islands school house, and building a beach shelter with pieces of driftwood.  We returned to Friday Harbor for goodbyes and final bon voyage wishes.

Mariah & Porter with Friday Harbor Seal

Got d' Fever at Jones Island

Duane Relaxing at Jones Island

Our beach-side Shelter

Communication and Safety Preparations

VHF Radio

SSB Radio

Satellite Phone

Emergency Locator Beacon (PLB)

Communication, weather, and planning for the “what if’s” are important factors in preparation for any boat trip.  The all important VHF Radio is standard boating equipment and is used to communicate with other ships, pick up weather, and call the U.S. Coast Guard or the Mexican Navy (while in Mexican waters) in the case of an emergency.  In Mexico, however, there is no "National Weather Service" or government marine weather forecasts.  Instead, boaters need to rely on outside weather services, including individuals who broadcast weather conditions on a Single Side Band Radio (SSB) and/or by connecting to the NOAA weather services in the United States.  Therefore, boaters cruising in Mexico need a variety of additional communication devices in order to pick up weather information:   (1) an extended WiFi Internet connection, (2) a cell phone data connection (3) a satellite phone data connection, and/or (4) an SSB (single side-band radio).  To take advantage of these different options, Got d’ Fever now has a SSB Radio Receiver, a Satellite Phone, and an Extended WiFi Antenna.  The installation of the WiFi antenna extends the range for Internet connection to distant “hot spots” for email, weather, and blog postings.  In addition to the antenna, Leonard installed a "repeater" and "router" so the signal from distant "hot spots" is amplified on the boat bringing wireless Internet.  Our new satellite phone, similar to a cell phone, speaks directly to an overhead satellite; and like our cell phone, can be connected to the computer for Internet data connection.  And the SSB Radio can be tuned to certain radio frequencies for scheduled weather forecasts and for weather data maps that can be printed through a computer connection.  Carrying survival equipment is also an important part of coastal cruising.  In addition to the rib-dinghy as a life raft, we also carry “survival suits” and a “ditch bag” packed with drinking water, food, a hand-held VHF radio, and a personal locator beacon (PLB).  A personal locator beacon uses a set of satellites to determine a GPS location and is activated manually in the case of an emergency.  The PLB transmits a distress signal to search and rescue (SAR) organizations. 

Pre-Cruise Maintenance

Lifting a Start/House Battery

Toting batteries a few at a time

Cleaning the Heat Exchanger

Cable Wires to Alternators

We inspected the mechanical and electrical systems on Got d’ Fever in preparation for our extended cruise down the Pacific West Coast and came up with several projects needing attention.  We decided it was time to replace the start batteries, which also serve as house batteries.  The batteries were reaching their life span and we didn’t want to experience engine failure off the Pacific Coast.  Since the type of batteries used in Got d’ Fever are supplied by a company in Seattle, it seemed a wise decision to replace them before leaving.  Got d’ Fever has a total of twelve start/house batteries, weighing 67 pounds each.  Thankfully, we were able to lift out the old batteries and place the new batteries in their housing boxes (six batteries per box) by using a carry strap provided by Dyno Battery Inc. and I am pleased to report without any damage to our maturing bodies!  A related project included replacing/upgrading the size of the cable wire which carries electrical current from the alternator to the batteries.  The alternators had been replaced in 2005, but the previous owner or maintenance people failed to upgrade the cable wire so it was overheating when the alternators charged at full capacity!  Leonard fabricated and installed the cable wire by stripping, bundling and routing the wire, and of course added protective ends.  Other important projects included cleaning out the heat exchangers for the engines.  We can now report that using wood dowelling to clean the channels in a heat exchanger isn’t the best idea - the wood can swell in size and/or break off.  Instead, we used a metal rod purchased from a local welding shop to complete the project.  The most odiferous project was replacing the duck bill valves for the toilet and cleaning out the pipes where they attach - a messy job – ugh!  Perhaps the most pleasant surprise completed on our “to-do list” was finding a slow air leak on our rib-dinghy.  We had tried to find this leak earlier as had the previous owner but without success.  One sunny day our grandchildren came to visit us and we decided this might be a fun project - something that would keep them busy and out of trouble.  We inflated the dinghy and instructed Mariah and Porter to apply a solution of soapy water and look for air bubbles.  To our chagrin, Mariah quickly found a big air bubble, then a second one, and a third; Leonard could hardly keep up with the patch work!  Yes, a lesson learned, but for whom?  Other miscellaneous maintenance items included replacing the fuel filter vacuum gauges, adding a bonding cable to the port sea-strainer; replacing the anchor shackle; and installing a new slider for the ship’s salon door.

Duckbill Valves (the clean one's!)

Grandchildren Accomplish an Important Task