March Madness -- when you can't watch basketball

The whole college basketball frenzy totally passed us by while Dan's was busy installing the new holding tank and Nancy was polishing brass (just in case you're wondering about my contribution to the boat!!).

March 4:  We got the boat prepared for a US Coast Guard safety inspection ... which we passed (hurrah!).  All that work earned us a USCG sticker for the boat that hopefully will satisfy any passing Coast Guard boats looking for boaters to hassle (opps .. I mean "inspect:").  It was a proud day for us ... if you look hard, you can see the orange sticker proudly displayed on the mast.

March 9:  The cockpit enclosure which needed new zippers finally arrived back on the boat, which has been a HUGE improvement to our comfort level. We now have a complete enclosure for the back of the boat of both screens (to keep out those nasty no-see-ems that arrive just when the weather is getting enjoyable for humans) and plastic which keeps out everything else. It's like having a enclosed patio ... more liveable room for us... and it's WARM!

Our version of March Madness centered around having visitors from Minnesota, for the first time since we left that great state.

March 12: For starters, Michelle arrived to spend her spring break from the UofM with Craig in Savannah.  We were in Jacksonville hunting for boat parts and spending 2 hrs in the Florida DMV trying to get our dinghly registered (even though we bought the dinghy in Florida, and even paid sales tax legitimately there, it still took us 2 trips and 5 hrs to get that precious decal so we could legally launch the dinghy!).... so we picked Michelle up at the airport and brought her to Brunswick, where Craig met us and took her the rest of the way home.

March 16:   We were off to Savannah for their huge St. Patricks Day celebration -- 2nd only to NYC.  Gotta love a city where everyone drinks beer in the street!.  Just a touch of rain fell which was good for the parade watchers.  With all the hype, I was expecting some akin to the Rose Parade, but it was mostly all the Irish families of Savannah (and there's lots of them), and all the NY firemen who didn't make it into the NY parade.  Lots of bagpipe music.  Dan was a hit with his large Irish flag ... Thanks to Sheila and Terry Yule XXOO

Parades really aren't that much fun to watch, unless you are waiting for someone special to pass by ... and fortuately for us, we had the Army Rangers to look forward too (good thing they were last in the parade or we could have beem tempted to bail early!).  It's a tradition for the girls to don bright red lipstick and run out to give the guys a big smack on their face ... and we didn't want to disappoint!  Michelle and several of her friends crashed the parade as their boys approached ...

That's our Ranger! The big guy with the green beads!

Later that night, we partied with a houseful of Rangers until the beer was gone, and then we bar-hopped until the bars closed at 2:30 a.m.  Fortunately, Craig lives in the historic district so we only had a few blocks to walk to make it safely home ... but not before we stopped by Michelle's favorite pizza joint for two big slices of NY-style pizza (testing some theory about grease reducing hangovers ... a theory many others must also believe judging by the long line of people snaking down the street) ... yeeegads, we are definitely tooooo old to relive the partying of our youth!  We had planned to head back to Brunswick the next day, but forgot to allow enough recovery time.  As it was, we arrived back in Brunswick on Friday ... glad that we went, but not sure if we'll be there next year!

March 22:  After spending the weekend getting caught up with the marina crowd, we were off again on Monday to Jacksonville for another attempt to get the dinghy registered ... 2 hrs later, we left with the precious decal in hand, so we're good until June 2011.  We drove on to St. Augustine where they have a great boat-parts flea market of sorts (think huge barrels of assorted screws and nuts for $1/lb!).  We also had time to tour the city, something we've wanted to do since St. Augustine is the oldest city in North America.  It's full of restored colonial buildings, now converted to small shops and bars (think Disneyland!). 

The biggest treat was walking by an Art Gallery and seeing my brother's glass in the window!  Hey, we'd recognize those Jelly Fish anywhere. Of course, we had to go in and brag about our Chico connection with Satava Studios, and definitely marvel at the huge collection of Satava glass the shop had for sale. 

Our final stop of the day was to Mayo Clinic Jacksonville (WTF you may be wondering ...). One of my favorite colleagues from Rochester, Karen Hartman, was in town so I jumped at the chance to get caught up with her since she was on my side of the U.S.  Dan had never been to MCJ, so he wanted the full tour (and of course, the requisite picture in front of the MCJ sign!).  Karen and I got to gossip while Dan toured the rehab facilities ... (don't ask ... no reason to the things that move him!).

It was a great day for a walk on the beach so we strolled down to the one of the few beachside restaurants that managed to preserve space midst all the condo development.  "Bukkets" had the BEST conch fritters we've ever tasted ... Dan finally got the big shrimp dinner he's been craving, and I got the Grouper sandwich that they don't seem to make in Georgia. 

We stayed as late as we could with Karen ... and now she's a permanent member of our blog!

End of March:  March will end with a bang when our son, James, arrives on Friday (3/26).  He is visiting a friend (Ryan Bruns who we'll also make famous in our blog) in Jacksonville and then coming up to Brunswick.  Ryan has never been sailing, and James has never seen Maja, so we promised them both some high seas adventure ... I guess that means we'll have to leave the dock!  James and Ryan will leave on April 1, taking our Suburban back to Minnesota (and yes, we are trying hard to adjust to the shock of being w/o a car!). 

We've had only two disappointments with expected visitors -- We had hoped to be leaving today (3/25) to rendevous wiith my cousin, Sarah and husband Ian, on Cumberland Island -- a lovely day sail from Brunswick.  But fheir home was damaged by the HUGE storm that smashed in NY a few weeks ago, and a fallen tree though their roof forced them to change plans.  We had also hoped to round out this series of fun encounters with our best buddy, Robert, over his Spring Break from Minnetonka schools on April 1st, but we just learned that he won't be able to make the trip.  CORRECTION: Robert has decided to come to Brunswick after all. He's got a ticket to Jacksonville on April 2.  We won't have a car by then, so he's taking the bus!

Looking to April: Even though we have heard from several boaters that Brunswick Marina has the best facilities anywhere on the East Coast, we hope to be counting down our final days here in April.  We'd like to head south to Titusville, Florida where there is a scheduled shuttle launch on April 5th.  The final boat parts should arrive about the time we have to file our taxes, and then we'd like to begin our travels north toward Chesapeake ... The Bay in May is the boater's mantra.   Maybe we'll end up flipping a coin to decide whether to head south or north ... I think we'll let the temperature decide. Vote Warmth!

For the love of a working toilet

Welcome to the story of our first major boat improvement project -- replacing the holding tank for the head (toilet).  We had an inkling when we bought the boat last year that trouble lay ahead with this tank b/c it was constructed from alumininum, which is about the worst choice possible due to the caustic nature of urine (what were those brilliant boat designers thinking anyway?).

The boatyard quoted a price of $6K+, which motivated Dan to go online with his Bayfield Yacht user group to see how other people have handled this issue.  Sure enough, Dan soon became fast friends with Bill who provided him with detailed pictures and directions for how he had tackled a similar project. Coupled with his box of Dewalt tools, Dan set about cutting out the old alum tank and preparing the internal space for a new, custom-built plastic tank (good for another 20 years!). 

Ordering a new tank required precise measurements (which required building a model from cardboard and simulating where all the hoses and connections would fit).  Once the order was placed, we settled into waiting for it to arrive, resorting to a rustic system of putting a bowl in the toilet, transferring the contents to a plastic jug, and carrying the jug up to the boathouse bathroom under the cover of darkness.  The one thing we did not count on was the wind that would whistle down into the cabin from this opening. Brrrrrr!

When the tank arrived, we rejoiced that it fit!  Even though the company made two mistakes with Dan's specifications, Dan thought he could work around those issues.  Ever the optimist.

Next began the many trips to various stores for supplies.  First stop, Home Depot for the wood that would be used to secure the tank in place.  As I'm sure you can appreciate, a full holding tank is the LAST thing you want moving around as the boat heels from side to side!

Stops #2 - 25 were to West Marine for all the speciality hoses and valves and hose fittings required to complete the assesmbly.  Hoses run everywhere -- from the toilet to the holding tank, from the holding tank to the over-board discharge (something that is legal to do 3-miles offshore), hoses that bring sea water into the toilet, etc, etc. etc.  Many decisions had to be made about which expensive part to get -- and this is something we learned that everyone has an opinion about!  So you end up spending most of your time collecting opinions, doing research on the internet, comparing review and prices, and then making the final decision.  Of course, once that decision was made, we invaribly discovered that the part or hose was not in stock at West Marine.  So the routine of waiting for the weekly parts delivery at West Marine began.  Dan would get as much as he could get done before needing to wait for his order to arrive on Saturday.  We spent every Saturday over at West Marine!

As expected, Dan did a masterful job of laying out the hose system to minimize the length of hose required for the installation and to reduce the degree of bends in the hoses as they snaked from the hull fittings to the various openings on the tank.  All good things b/c the less distance the waste has to travel the better, and having fewer bends in the hose where "stuff" can get stuck .... well, that just makes sense!  Considering that this speciality hose runs $10/foot, precise measurements matter and Dan tried several different configurations before getting it just perfect.  And perfect it was!  Actually a work of art when it all came together (I know this may be hard for some of you to appreciate, but that's because you have the luxury of taking a working toilet for granted!  Something I've come to envy!)

We bought a new macerator pump (it does just what you think it does!).

Nice, huh? All shiny and new....

It was no small feat for Dan to come up with secure place to install this new pump in a spot that could be bolted down and yet not interfere with the web of hoses.  The space he is working in is now very tight with the hoses and connectors and wooden frame.  Each simulation of how the whole thing would come together actually required assemblying the whole thing -- checking measurements and placements and bends -- and then disassemblying the whole thing to get into a tight space to secure a pump or hose or connection in place.

See.... I wasn't lying ... a work of art when it all came together!

Sunday, March 7th

Dan is ready to make the final connections and declare this project done!

The champagne is on ice.

I'm ready with camera in hand.

 Uh...Oh...

What's with the look on Dan's face?

Where did that smile go?

Why is he swearing so much?  And not under his breath anymore?

See that black connection on top?

Well, it's supposed to be 4 inches to the right so it will clear the anchor drain connector (the white piece at the top of the compartment -- hard to see).  An elbow connection needs to go there to connect the anchor drain to the main tank assembly. And without those 4 inches, the 1 1/2" elbows do not clear each other and the final hose connection cannot be made.

The company that fabricated the tank made this mistake, and it's not one that Dan can jury-rig an alternative.  There is simply no space.  That top connection must be moved 4 inches to the right. So, the champagne stayed in the refrigeration, and we had a rather glum dinner that night as there were big small success to cheer about.  Instead we discussed all the things we'd like to say to the company that screwed up Dan's precise specifications.  After much unpublishable venting, we sent an email to the company explaining their error and their responsibilty to replace the tank.  Even though the invoice clearly stated that all sales were final and they were not responsble for much in this world, we went to bed with our fingers crossed. 

We are now big fans of companies based in Maine! They do take pride in their workmanship, and customer service is indeed alive and well.  They were truly apologetic for the error and said a new tank would be in the mail the next day.  And it was.  It will arrive tomorrow.  Then, with fingers crossed, Dan will take everything apart (for the hundredth time) and reassemble it (hopefully for the final time).  And, then we'll crack that bottle of super cold champagne!

Finally, March 15:

The new holding tank arrived!  (Actually, it arrived in Brunswick on March 12, but as our luck with this tank goes, the company used the wrong address, so Dan had to go pick it up at the UPS office!).  

With all the practice he's had, it didn't take Dan long to disconnect and remove the other tank (no small feat, considering all the hoses and valves and clamps to deal with!).  Out with the old and in with the new.  So many hoses to account for -- one goes to the holding tank, one goes to the macerator pump, one goes to the overboard discharge, and one goes to the anchor locker (I know it may seem that the anchor locker has nothing to do with the holding tank, but the anchor locker is located in the front/bow of the boat and when we go crashing thru waves at sea, all that water has to go somewhere ... and we'd prefer it not come pouring into the boat!). The two valve handles direct the flow of waste -- to the holding tank or to overboard when we are offshore. 

After several hours spent wrestling everything into the proper place, it's finally Miller Time for the My Hero! (actually St. Pauli Girl Time)!  Dan is one happy man ... deserveably so!

Tah Dah!  Almost a shame to use it because it will never look this good again!

Dan still needs to remount the toilet paper holder and put up the shower curtain rod (shower is on left) ... but we are officially open for guests!

Yes, we have a social life in Brunswick!

Here is a picture of the boater's lounge, one of the reasons we were so excited to get a slip on Dock 10.  This is THE place to be in the marina!  Here is where we gather for happy hour every Wednesday, nightly games of Dominos, free laundry, and watching the Olympics with a bunch of rowdy Canadians (best hockey game ever despite the outcome...)

Meet Ann and Lynn.  Their boat is on Dock 6, so they resort to other forms of transportation to reach the clubhouse!  These two incredibly funny people are from Dallas, Texas originally, but they have lived aboard their 36ft sailboat for ~15 years. Lynn was an architect in Texas, and now they have the most active lifestyle we've encountered -- they own rental property in Brunswick, so spend time maintaining that while they are here; and in April, they travel to Annapolis where they keep their boat in a slip until November while they work the boat shows in Annapolis. Then, it's back south in time for the huge boater's Thanksgiving feast on St. Marys River. It's a small world of boaters, and we hope to run into them again when we make it to Annapolis. 

Thanks to Ann, I got motivated to learn how to use the pressure cooker on the boat.  It's definitely a cool utensil when conserving propane matters. They show up every Wedneday for boater's happy hour with the dominos, and we never leave the lounge before 1:00 a.m. Just name a place on the east coast, and they can tell you were to anchor, what to see, and what marinas to avoid.  Don't let the fact that Lynn is wearing shorts fool you into thinking that the weather is warm -- not so.  He never wears long pants!

Meet Clyde and Sherri, aboard their 46ft Island Trader, "Morada" (which we fondly refer to as a mini-ocean liner because it has so much room inside!).  These two have been cruising for ~12years, starting out on a 36ft sailboat.  Clyde is an electrical enginneer (which we are finding to be a very good friend to have!). They lived in Texas and then moved to Virginia for better sailing!  Both of them are full of good information about boat repairs and shopping and cooking on a boat.  Plus, they taught us two new domino games!  They have been here w/o a car since November, so now that we've cleaned out the GMC, we can go shopping together, which is great b/c Sherri knows where all the best deals are to be found. I like to follow her around the store because while I'm trying not to forget to buy bananas, she will remind me not to pay 69cents/lb at Publix because we can get them at the SaveALot for 39cents/lb on our way back to the marina (and, she also informed me that bananas are bad luck to have onboard while cruising!) ... like I said, experienced boaters are a font of the most useful information!

And speaking of the small world of boaters, after describing our boat to Sherri, she started asking about some details very unique to our boat, and we were surprised to learn that she knew the owners (prior to the guy we bought the boat from) who owned Maja for over 7 years and did all the major refits on the boat. They were neighbors at a dock in Ft Myers!  Sherri was able to get us the phone and email addresses of these folks so it will be great to talk to them about the work they did (as we are learning, the guy we bought the boat from had no boating experience, and he just took their completely outfitted boat to the Caribbean for a year and returned and sold it.  Unfortunately, he did no maintenance and several other dumb things that we are paying the price to fix now...).

Say goodbye to Lee and Karen, our neighbors on Dock 10. 

They are leaving Brunswick to take their boat down to Ft. Pierce FL for major boat work. Lee just retired as a teacher in Brunswick after a career in the military. It's been 2 years since they took their boat from the dock, so they are quite excited about this 5-1/2 day trip. They will sail "outside" (on the Atlantic) from here to Fernandina Beach, then to St. Augustine, then to Smyrma Beach, where they will go inside to the Intercoastal Waterway around Cape Carnerval to Ft. Pierce. They are the first to leave the marina for a trip south. It's a big event for everyone on the dock, so all hands turn out to help cast off lines, wave goodbye and take pictures!

They postponed their departure for several days due to gale force winds and extreme cold temps. But today (Saturday, 3/5) is gorgeous -- it's in the high 60's, sunny, and absolutlely NO wind!  Ahh, the sailors life!

Here's Earl ... one of our favorite neighbors on Dock 10.  He's the resident expert on all things boating -- from transmission to refrigeration to water heaters to how much beer you need on board if sailing the Bahamas (300 cans) and where to store them in the bildge.  He has been a great source of help to Dan on boat projects -- mostly b/c Earl's done it all!  As he likes to say, a boat does much better when under way ... it's dockside cruising that gets so expensive!  Earl is from Canada ... so yes, we did have to suffer/enjoy Winter Olympics Hockey with him; but in true Canadian fashion, he always brought the beer and chips to the games!  He's been using the Brunswick Marina since 2002, so he knows all the best places to shop and eat and even clear customs (which we can do right here in at the marina, and the customs officer will come right down to the boat ...).

Art & MaryJane have been sailing their Endeavor 40 for 23+ years.  Need I say more. They are our heros!  She knows everything about baking on a boat and he knows everything about finding hidden space on a boat.  They have cruised the east coast via the ICW over 15 times.  Wow!  Need I say more?