First fiberglass job today. This is just a thin piece of about two layers of chopped strand mat and poly (instead of stronger and more expensive epoxy). It will be glued onto the back of the dashboard where some old instruments were cut out, and then we can fill the old holes in against that backing and drill holes for the new instruments.
Progress today:
Put fiberglass panel back on the cabin roof, had to be careful to seal some screw holes to be watertight.
Installed new navigation table light. The old one didn't work, this one can be either red (to preserve night vision) or white and dims. The kit I ordered was not great so I rewired some of it and put a different switch on it.
Installed new VHF radio at nav table. There is one at the binnacle but it doesn't seem to work. I suspect the antenna on the top of the mast is gone as I can't see it from the ground. It will be good to have access to the VHF from inside, and the binnacle will get a remote microphone so will still have access there.
Wired in the charger for the handheld VHF radio. Now we don't have to plug in a wall-wart to supply 12V to it, it is wired directly into a 12V circuit.
After a couple days of part-time poking and exploring where existing instrument wires go between working on other projects, today I got serious about getting some wiring done. Almost all of the floor boards were taken out at one point and there was some delicate wire fishing. But here is the first indication that I am on the right track with the new NMEA 2000 instrument network. That little 4" display shows changing numbers when I spin the paddlewheel sensor with my finger (normally would be spun by water).
Next up is to extend the network to the cockpit where it will provide the same data to the chartplotter and 2-3 4" displays.
Another big hurdle will be to get an instrument installed on top of the mast and then connected in, which will probably be in a week or two.
Digging into the electrical panel for the first time today. Removed what appeared to be an old cable TV amplifier and the old navigation table light, both were poorly wired.
I removed the two old transducers. One was for sending speed and the other for depth. The nut on each was size 2 1/2" so I needed a huge wrench. The remaining hole is a bit bigger than it needs to be for the new transducers so I will need to research whether that can be safely filled with sealer or should be filled with fiberglass and then drilled at the proper size.
We have a boat! I repeat, we have a boat! The 1996 Hunter 376 named Retriever, not sure if we will keep her name or not, is ours. Yesterday we received a call from John telling us the boat was unlocked and we are free to do as we like. We stopped by West Marine to pick up some cleaning supplies and a padlock for the companionway. Next we went to Lowe’s and picked up a few other supplies. Then we grabbed Louise from the camper and headed off to the boat. Louise was pretty apprehensive and skeptical of everything at the marina from the oysters on the dock pillars to the boat itself. Once lifted onto the boat she walked around and explored a little. We did find out that she will need loads of training in becoming a proper boat dog. The areas that need the most work are getting on and off the boat and going up and down the companionway stairs. We’re hoping with time she will learn to love the sailing life as much as we do.
Last night we spent four hours bagging up and throwing out things the previous owners had left behind, which was a lot! We filled up 12 trash bags full of mildewy sheets, sunscreen with an expiration date of 2014, the full bag of trash left in the trash can, and lots more. Now that the boat is rid of the items we did not want to keep, it is time to start cleaning! Over the next few weeks we will be spending our time cleaning, updating, and making the necessary repairs to the boat. After the repairs are done and Aaron’s parents come to take the car and camper back we will start heading south on the ICW.
Saturday morning we went to check out the south beach on Tybee Island. There is a big pier there and it was a little cold but there were still 20-30 people fishing. One person caught a 40" red drum while we were there. We also saw many jelly fish in the water when looking down from the pier. Back on the beach we lounged on a hanging bench for a little bit. Aaron decided to walk back to the campground along the beach. Anna read a book for a while and then when she started the car to drive back to the campground the check engine light went off. Anna picked up Aaron who had made it halfway back and went to a mechanic who diagnosed it as a misfire on cylinder 4. We had noticed a slightly rough idle so that explained it. The mechanic figured we could wait and see if it would trigger the light again.
Sunday we moved the camper back to Charleston, and the engine light came on again. The James Island County Park is very nice, with amazing bathrooms. There is a holiday light show going on in the park with all sorts of illuminated displays along the road and people pay to drive through and look at them. The campground is full many nights while this is going on. Even the campground guests seem to be in the holiday spirit, as many of them have Christmas lights up and a bunch of inflatable decorations. The park has a huge dog park that we spent about 90 minutes at. It was very busy and there was tons of dogs! There was a dog named Kirby that looked very similar to Louise so naturally we talked to his owners for a while. Their Sunday tradition is mimosas at the dog park--two bottles worth of champagne apparently!
On Monday we took the car to a Mazda service center. They checked it out and told us the ignition coil was broken and the spark plugs were at the end of their life. The failed ignition coil had resulted in a buildup of gas residue in the throttle body. They fixed all of those issues while we cruised around in a new MX-6 loaner car. Anna loved the head-up display and Aaron was excited about the automatically adjusting cruise control. While we waited we walked around a nearby mall while it poured cats and dogs outside. Both of us got haircuts from a lady who's daughter is an anchor for a news station in Bismarck. Don't worry, Aaron's hair is still long, it just has a little more style now!
On Tuesday we did the boat survey. We met Randy (seller's broker) on the boat at 9:30AM and motored 30 minutes up-river to the Cooper River Boatyard. Their pier for the travel lift had collapsed so they used a huge crane to lift the boat out of the water and place it into the travel lift. This process took three times as long as it normally would because the employees were hung over, stoned, and unorganized. Once the boat was out of the water we could see that the bottom was as unmaintained as the top. It was covered in barnacles, oysters, and other growth. There were even crabs crawling around on the propeller. Nick (the surveyor) and Randy were unimpressed. We were informed that the bottom will need to be scraped and repainted. After Nick tapped on the hull to verify it's basic integrity they put the boat back into the water and motored back to the marina. During that trip, both of the sails were raised and the autopilot (broken) and instruments (some broken) were tested. After we docked, Randy left and we followed Nick around as he surveyed the deck and interior. We will have the full written report of the survey by Saturday and will proceed as needed.
Today Aaron went to get coffee and a newspaper and came back with a vase full of beautiful flowers. Then he went over to the lake in the park where he had seen people setting up their remote control sailboats. After watching for a few minutes, one guy walked over and asked Aaron if he would like to try. Aaron sailed the boat around for a few minutes and then gave the controller back as they were starting a race. After the race Aaron sailed some more including 5 races, each about 5 minutes long. Most of the time he placed in the middle of about 10 boats except for one humbling race which he didn't even finish before the next started. Then Anna, Aaron, and Louise went to the dog park and played for about an hour. Louise was terrorized by two Boston terriers but there were some other good dogs for her to play with. She was so exhausted that she actually stopped running and just stood next to us as the other dogs played. After that we went back to the camper and made mac and cheese with brats for lunch. Then went to a place that sells a few brands of dinghies and learned a lot about them. We stopped at a dessert place after that and they happened to be filming an episode of season 6 of Southern Charm there (TV show on Bravo about the socialites of Charleston…I guess). We signed some waivers so that if we are in the background of an episode they won't have to blur our faces. It was dark by the time we got home so we drove around the full park loop to see the holiday light display.
Tomorrow we will do laundry and get groceries. Friday we will check out of the campground on James Island and check into the Mount Pleasant KOA which we stayed at a couple weeks ago--same site even! Louise will go to the vet Friday evening to get boosters for the shots she received three weeks ago. We are trying to set up a time view a used dinghy in Mount Pleasant on Saturday. We are planning to visit James Island County Park again on Sunday to check out the next RC sailing event which will have larger boats, and to check out the dog park again as there will be many more dogs that day.
On Monday we visited the Charles Town Landing Site, where the first settlement in the area was established for 10 years. After that they decided to move across the river where current Charleston is in order to have better access to large ships for trading. There was a 3-mile walking path going through the grounds, surrounded again by live oaks and Spanish moss. There were many interpretive signs and reconstructed buildings, all pretty interesting. Also there was a large replica of a ship that was used by the first settlers, about 60 feet in length, which was staffed with a very good re-enactor. It turns out that this ship was actually sailed from the factory on the north east coast to its current location. Louise was able to join us for all of this too, and learned a little more about how squirrels can get away from her up trees. It was kind of rainy all day, and humid. Back at home we threw some stuff in the InstantPot for chicken Alfredo, had a Caesar salad, and watched SuperTroopers.
Tuesday morning we received the purchase agreement from our broker for signing. So we signed it and sent it away; very exciting! We started looking in earnest for a campsite for the next few days as it was time to leave the KOA in Charleston. We had checked around a little the day before but didn't have any easy answers. We had visited the campground on James Island the day before and really liked it but they had no immediate availability. When we called again to check availability they didn't have much for this week but we were able to get booked for a stay starting on Sunday the 11th for four nights. Now we just had to figure out Tuesday night until Sunday! We hadn't spent any time in the Savannah area yet so called the campground out on Tybee Island and they were able to fit us in after shuffling some other campers around so that we could stay in the same site for the whole time. We packed up and hit the road.
We set up on Tybee Island in the early afternoon. It was sort of hot and very humid (was 79, felt like 85). We went for a walk with Louise as it was just too hot in the camper. The visitors center recommended a restaurant that was closed, so we walked some more to Huc-A-Poos which turned out to be a great choice. They had very cold $2 beers, Aaron had $5 nachos that were twice what he could eat (soooo good), and Anna had a $4 "slice" of pizza which was actually about 1/3 of an extra large pizza (and sliced into 3 slices). Louise was able to hang out on the patio with us and made friends with a Lab/Shar Pei mix named Stella.
When we got back to the camper it was still hot and humid, and all the cushions and beds and everything just felt wet. Towels seemed to get wetter when we hung them to dry. It was forecasted to cool down a little bit but would still be just as humid. We decided that a portable air conditioner with a built in dehumidifier would greatly improve our situation so we went to Savannah and picked one up. Much better!
Wednesday morning Aaron went on a walk along the beach on the north end of the island, from the Polk Street entrance around to the entrance just south of the North Street Boardwalk. We received a call from John telling us the sellers had countered our offer so we countered back with one of our own. About 15 minutes later we received another call from John with the seller's “bottom line price”. We agreed on this price and John sent us the final purchase agreement which we signed and sent off to be signed by the sellers. Next we talked to a recommended sailboat surveyor and decided he sounded like a smart competent dude so we have him scheduled for Tuesday the 13th. Hopefully we will have his written report in hand by Monday the 19th. If everything goes well we should have keys in hand before Thanksgiving!
We had a late breakfast that morning consisting of potatoes and company again, then headed out to investigate a marina near Savannah. Isle of Hope Marina ended up probably not being the place where we will live for our estimated month or so of repairs/modifications, but we got some really good info from the manager there. Then we spent the afternoon in Savannah checking out the touristy historical district and river walk. We had lunch at Crystal Beer Parlor where Anna had an amazing Caesar salad and Aaron had homemade onion rings. Right as we walked down the road to the river there was a huge container ship passing (possible highlight of Aaron's day). We stopped in a hat shop along the river walk and decided to get some hats. Upon returning home we dumped out a full bucket of water from the dehumidifier and took Louise on a walk to the dog park. We lounged around and relaxed for the rest of the night. Around 11pm it started to rain which progressed into a full blown thunderstorm with lightning, thunder, and pouring rain.
It has been a few days since an update so things will be a bit more terse, both to keep the length reasonable and because the memories do fade after a while.
10/30
Took Louise to doggy day care, did laundry at a laundromat. We ate lunch at Dick’s Wings. Back at the campground Aaron had a fleeting gambling addiction with a quarter waterfall machine in the recreation hall.
10/31
Took Louise to doggy day care again (only $10 for the whole day), walked around St. Marys, ate lunch at Bessie’s and went to the submarine museum. Then had a campfire and some brats back at the camper. We decided that we want to start getting serious about the Hunter 376 in Charleston, SC. We also decided that we want John who showed us a couple boats in Little River, SC to be our "buyer's broker" and represent/guide us in the transaction. The seller's broker didn’t like that and said that we can't have a buyer's broker because of how he and the seller are set up (probably doesn't want to split the commission). There is maybe some gray area since we contacted their broker to arrange the first showing instead of our broker, but we don't like the idea of not having our own representation and John thinks he can get it figured out.
11/1
Louise to doggy day care again, then we got on the ferry to Cumberland Island (a barrier island that is mostly National Seashore land, but has a few private properties on it and also a few old Carnegie mansions) at 9:00. It travelled at 12 knots and dropped us off at the Sea Dock on Cumberland Island at 9:45. We met Ann and Ralph, who had camped there overnight, and they took us on a nice hike. First we went to the Dungeness ruins which has the concrete and brick remains of a Carnegie mansion that burned down many years ago. There were many outbuildings too and some interesting historical interpretation signs. At the Dungeness site we also heard from John and he let us know the good news that he had gotten ahold of the other broker and convinced him that he should be allowed to serve as our broker.
Then we took a boardwalk towards the beach, stopping in the middle to have some sandwiches for lunch. At the beach we walked along the ocean for about a mile to the north. Dry sand was blowing onto the wet sand flats near the water and that reminded us of snow blowing across the road back home. We found several horseshoe crab carcasses and learned a little bit about them. Next up was the campsite that Ann and Ralph were staying at to have a couple beers and wine for Anna. The campsite was incredibly beautiful with a full canopy of live oak and Spanish moss, and palmetto shrubberies everywhere. There were also a couple tangerine trees there which someone had planted. Aaron was able to reach the ripe ones higher up, otherwise they are really sour. Then back to Sea Dock where we sat around for about two hours until the ferry took us back. Thank you for showing us around Ann and Ralph, we had a wonderful day!
11/2
We packed up in the morning to move to the Charleston, SC area again. We had some trouble finding a campground with availability but finally did. First we stopped at the marina where the boat of interest was located. We spent an hour examining nooks and crannies of the boat until the salesperson said he needed to go pick up his kids. He seemed mildly annoyed by the thorough examination, "you guys are going to have a surveyor go over everything, right?" We are, but also wanted to examine to the best of our ability because a surveyor costs about $1,000 and it would be better to find a deal-breaking issue ourselves than pay someone to find it. Pizza for supper and Ocean's 11 for entertainment.
11/3
We took Louise to orientation for a doggy day care here so that we have a place to take her if necessary. Then we got her some dog food and a cone of shame because she has been ceaselessly licking at some sores on one of her paws. We also stopped by a Krispy Kreme for some fresh donuts and got the car oil changed. Leftover pizza for supper, and we watched Frozen for entertainment (Aaron had never seen). Anna seemed to know the words to every song in the movie.
11/4
We started the day with breakfast bowls (cubed potatoes, sausage, egg, onion, cheese, avocado). Then we went to a bar/grill with a dog-friendly outdoor patio to watch the Vikings (SKOL!!!!). Louise was too energetic on the patio so went back into the car after about 45 minutes. We got back to the camper just in time to zip up the windows before some rain started, and Aaron went to the nearby library at Charleston Southern University to get some quality Internet time. The campground Wi-Fi here is terrible (most others are mediocre) and there is a huge fair going on just a mile or two away so cell data is somewhere between terrible and mediocre. It is probably good conditioning for what we will experience on a boat!