There is no way to describe the progress that I’ve made since the last post with words, so I’m just going to explain it with pictures and video (credit to Nikolas and Brian).
In short, Nikolas, Brian, and I initially tried to set out for Portsmouth on Saturday morning, but once we got out of Boston Harbor and into some bigger than expected seas the engine started overheating. After spending 6-8 hours working on the raw water and fresh water cooling systems I was confident that the overheating was caused by an air bubble and that I had solved the problem.
After a successful cooling system test at the dock on Sunday morning we left Boston in 5-6 ft seas and headed north to Gloucester. At full throttle (~2950 RPM) she made about 9 kts, and a steady 8 kts at 2500 RPM for the cruise. We made Gloucester in about 3 hours and spent the night on a mooring in the harbor. The next morning we picked up my dad, headed up the canal to bypass Cape Ann, and then on to Portsmouth in about 5 hours. Everything ran great and I had a hard time wiping the grin off my face.
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| Leaving Chelsea |
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| Goodbye Chelsea! |
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| Cautiously navigating through Boston Harbor |
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| Suited up for some decent swells in the distance |
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| Goodbye Boston! |
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| A taste of the seas on Sunday |
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| Very nervously pushing all my belongings and a couple of close friends into the open seas while relying on an antique engine that has never been run extensively |
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| Clear skies |
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| Land Ho! |
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| Sunset in Gloucester Harbor |
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| Sunrise in Gloucester Harbor |
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| Ayuh |
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| Brian at the helm |
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| Salty sea dog |
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| A successful arrival in Portsmouth where Big Tom met us at the dock |
Looks like a good trip Brendan, I probably would have gotten sea sick. My offer still stands if you make down to calm teal waters of FL.
Bill K.
Looks like a good trip Brendan, I probably would have gotten sea sick. My offer still stands if you make down to calm teal waters of FL.
Bill K.
Congrats Brendan…looks like a lot of fun…enjoy that "creeky" bastard.
Lonnie D.
Congrats Brendan…looks like a lot of fun…enjoy that "creeky" bastard.
Lonnie D.
Congratulations, Brendan! What an accomplishment. It was great to meet you at Admiral Hill a month or so ago. I still can't believe we were at the same conference in Chicago. I told my boss that if we want someone to run our patient advocacy blog, I know the perfect person! I am inspired by the work you've done on your boat. I am nowhere near that proficient or patient, so I think until I retire I will have to focus on my small (but meaningful!) projects on Hypothesis, our 30-year old Hunter sloop. The boat is hauled so I plan on doing a lot of reading on boat maintenance in the meantime. Hope all is well! Cara
Congratulations, Brendan! What an accomplishment. It was great to meet you at Admiral Hill a month or so ago. I still can't believe we were at the same conference in Chicago. I told my boss that if we want someone to run our patient advocacy blog, I know the perfect person! I am inspired by the work you've done on your boat. I am nowhere near that proficient or patient, so I think until I retire I will have to focus on my small (but meaningful!) projects on Hypothesis, our 30-year old Hunter sloop. The boat is hauled so I plan on doing a lot of reading on boat maintenance in the meantime. Hope all is well! Cara
Thanks Cara! Sorry for the delayed response. It was great to meet you too. It all starts with the little projects, or at least it usually should. Short story: When I was in high school I worked at a garage and spent as much time as I could asking the mechanics what, how, and why they were doing each thing as I built up my own confidence in doing small car projects. What I soon learned was not to fear the complexity or scale of a project or be too concerned with the things that I didn't know or fully understand. I figured that I could learn whatever I didn't know and if I got in way over my head then I could call in an expert, or at least get them to check my work. So far in my life that has held true in most scenarios.
I think that most people have the capacity to learn enough about a given topic to get by. If you take your time, pay attention, and check your work you'd be surprised at how quickly you can pick things up. The advantage that you have with Hypothesis is that you can actually sail her and hone that skill as you work on other projects. I look forward to adding that to my to do list this summer. As of now I have never sailed on a boat larger than 24 feet, let alone sailing one as the captain. I have really only docked Creeky once. I've got a lot to learn…
That said, in my self-studying I have acquired a library of really good references on boat building, maintenance, design, etc. Let me know if you would like to borrow any books or would just like recommendations.
Take care!
– Brendan