This is a great article about the uses of the ocean to make electricity.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/07/27/ocean.turbines/index.html

 

 

Welcome aboard.  This is the sailing blog of Steve and Shelly Hall.  I’m the Webmaster for Latitudes and Attitudes Seafaring Magazine.  Shelly and I are cruising aboard our 1972 Allied Mistress 39 which we named Endless Summer; after a song by the artist Eric Stone.  Shelly and I toured with Eric for 6 years, and now we are full-time cruisers.  Join us for our adventures.

 

June 23

We’re currently docked at our boat slip in Watson Bayou Marina. John and Raquel, our boat neighboars from SV Romance pulled back in from Land’s End. They gave us a large package of chicken breasts already skinned and some awesome chicken dinner that they had made while out on the hook.

 

Borrowed John’s large channel locks to remove my oil filer and made my first oil change of the new engine.  Took 6 qts to fill the engine. I used my oil change pump for the first time – worked like a charm – sucks the oil out to a container – then allows you to put the oil back. Very nice.

 

 

June 24

Got underway – sailed to Redfish Point – good sail, good anchorage.  The holding is really good here – a sand and weed seabed make up the bottom so we hold really good here.  There are thunderstorm warnings out – they’re saying it kicks it with a 40mph gust when it starts so I threw and extra anchor in the water to be sure.

 

Capt Roger came by again in his pontoon boat and took us fishing for a couple of hours.  We caught no fish.

 

June 25

I got up this morning and tried to interface my new WiFi Antenna with my Linksys router – but I had no luck – not sure if something is wrong with the router – or something with my soldering job on the cable.  I can see some signal so I know I am close.  I will keep tinkering with that for sure.

 

Shelly varnished our new cockpit table we got from Bob Bitchin back at the Miami Sail America Boat Show.  It looks so nice.  Shelly is really good at painting things and making them look good.  She got the first coat on and we had to wait 24 hours before we can do another coat.

 Later we dinghied to shore to the Panama City Marina – cruised over to the ship store – met up with old friend Butch – checked Internet – bought a coke and watched Endless Summer swing on the anchor. Came back from marina and cooked the chicken breasts on the grill – we blackened them and they rocked!

 

June 26 

This time I dinghied to the shore and left Shelly on the boat.  I took the garbage and an old crab trap that was falling apart.  Went to the ship’s store again and checked email and did a little work.  Butch was working again and we chatted a little bit. 

 

I also visited with Bill the manager of the Panama City Marina.  Bill is an old friend from the Parrothead Club in PC.   He is a guitar player too and he has come to several of our gigs when we were playing with Eric.  Great guy!  

 

Another friend working there now, who I got to see was Volker – a sailor that is also friends with Capt Dan Voss.  We often talk about Dan when I see Volker.  He was sporting a Fu-Man-Chu.  I think he’s a german who seems very smart.

 

June 27

Shelly and I went to get underway to head to Shell Island for the weekend.  Susanna and Tom, our friends from PC were going to meet us out at the Capt ANderson docks with their pontoon boat and then crash on our boat.  As we pulled up anchor and set sail for the Isalnd, I noticed that there was no RPM readings on the tach – then noticed the water temperature was at 225 and climbing.  I opened the hatch too peer down to the engine and saw that the engine had broken an alterator belt.  

 

Not wanting to mess the engine up – we immediately turned around and headed back to the anchorage we had just left.  Thankfully we weren’t very far so we idled and I dropped the hook.

 

An inspectiion below revealed that the belt had seperated and was not functional.  I looked through the stuff I had but I knew I didnt have a belt.  Funny, Friday night I had just said to Shelly that I would like to have spares of alternator belts and hoses, etc, just in case something happened.  The next morning – this.  I must have had some premonition to this happening.

 

Since we were underway some what early, I figured that I had time to call around and get a belt.  I found one at the local Napa dealer.  I called Susanna and Tom and told them of our problem.  They said they would meet us here at Redfish Point.  I loaded my folding bicycle into the dinghy and waited for them to arrive.  Once they were here, I took off for the City Marina to ride to the Napa.  However, once I got to the Marina, Capt Roger left me use his truck and I drove to get it, then dinghied back to the boat.

 

Once back aboard, I changed clothes and we rode their dinghy out to the St Andrews Pass, where we met up with Capt Roger and his family.  We snorkeled for a little while, then went fishing.  Tom caught a 20 inch Shark (Read Small) – Shelly caught a catfish.  

 

Then we headed over to the Gulf for some shelling.  It is so awesome finding the big shells right in the surf.  I got in the water and had Shelly take a picture.

 

We walked back across the sand dunes and we motored back to Endless Summer – cooked dinner and went to sleep early.

 

July 28

Shelly, Tom and Susanna took off and went to their house to do a little laundry, showers and for Tom to pick up his daughter Hanna.  I stayed on the boat to reinstall the new belt.  Wrong size.  Shoot! 

 

I called over to O’Riely’s auto parts – and they had one – Susanna ran by and picked it up for us.  By this time I had become an expert at replacing the belt.  In under 1 minute I had the old belt off – and the new belt installed.  I switched the batterey selector switch to the starting battery only, my house was almost completely dead at this point, and viola!, it started right up.

 

I charged the house bank back to reasonable level, and then rode back over to the City Marina to pick up Susanna so she could crash on the boat with us.  

 

Shelly cooked us a wonderful dinner of Hamburger Steak, Gravy and Mushrooms and rice.  It was great!  Susanna brought a bottle of Chardonnay and we enjoyed it along with the perfect sunset.

 

July 29

Got up around 6am this morning.  Very nice day – little overcast – it may rain today. 

 

I made the decision to head back to the marina today instead of tomorrow – we have a lot to do before heading to Tampa for our Forth of July gig, so I sailed us off the anchor, and then had a nice, quiet sail back to Watson Bayou.

 

Shelly took Susanna back to her car while I got busy clearing the topside deck so we could wash the boat.  We gave Endless Summer a well deserved bath – she took care of us the last 10 days – so we did the same for her.