2013 Ends

I must admit that this has been a trying year in every respect.  There are however two things that I learned this year that I will never forget and both have to do with people.  On the one hand, I learned that things are not always as they appear, and on the other that what is seen is artful, without hidden agendas and rue in a sense that can only be described as a gift.

Of the first, there is nothing I will comment on further.  Our world and our country is an oligarchy of narrow interests whose internal compasses have long ago lost its moral direction and does not know what is right and what is wrong.  The result is that most of the world suffers while few thrive.

The second is the gift that is my son.  He is autistic.  We have learned that in that gift we find a person without guile, without malice, without hidden agendas, without hatred.  He sees the best in people and is incapable of arrogance, deceit or sarcasm.  He is truly a gift sent to teach me and his mother what purity of mind is all about.  Were we all similarly disposed, the world would be a far better place.

2014 will be about him - about his growth and happiness.  

Video Highlights: First Home - Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2013

Video Highlights: First Home - Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2013

Christmas Traditions

A little bit of Peanuts and the late great Vince Guaraldi.  i grew up with Peanuts and sometimes I really miss the humour and especially Snoopy.

Vince Guaraldi left us way too soon.

Crossing the Pacific

We hope to follow:

Global Wind patterns

This is a really cool site to see an animation of global wind patterns.  Go to this link

Merry Christmas Everyone

We watched the classic version of Dickens - A Christmas Carol with Alistair Sims.  It's a great movie and never seems to lose its message - although the world doesn't listen.  However, although I had posted it earlier, it is never Christmas until this piece is played:

Merry Christmas to all - sailors and non-sailors alike.

Cornell's Ocean Atlas

Jimmy Cornell has published a new Ocean Atlas that has a an interesting plot worldwide of the probability and force of wind, tide, and likely storm tracks to help you plan your routing - say across the Pacific.

Cornell's Ocean Atlas

The chart below shows the upper red line being the traditional route sailed shown in old pilot charts ( in this case just off eastern Canada in the Atlantic) while the lower red line points to a route that would take better advantage of the winds as they are now observed.  

For more on this really cool Atlas visit Jimmy Cornell's Site

Vancouver Concert Band at Dickens School

We played a short concert at the Dickens School in Vancouver this past Wednesday.  Good audience and it was fun to do.

View from the Trumpet Section 

Frank Ludwig Holding the Baton

Yours truly on Flute

Thompson Rivers University

I have had the pleasure the last year or so working with Thompson Rivers University on a new Campus Master Plan.  It was a pleasure working with this client.  They have a breath-taking site and as they grow, the plan defines a framework that will allow the expanded area while creating a high quality campus experience for students, faculty and the community of Kamloops BC.  Many thanks to collaborators Ray, Carla and Anthea (you know who you are), and to Cliff, Alan and Matt on the client side.

Close of the Edmonton Municipal Airport

I earned my private pilot license at the Edmonton Flying Club in 1989. The club was in building 18 at the Municipal Airport and I would fly from the Municipal airport to Villeneuve Airport to fly circuits. I soloed at Villeneuve airport. Later came a Commercial license, multi engine rating and an instrument rating in 1992 - all earned at the Municipal airport and the Edmonton Flying Club. Blatchford Field has a long history of aviation in the west and I am proud to have been a pilot trained there. Edmonton Muni holds a special place in my heart and I will always remember the view from the cockpit on approach to runway 30 as you flew by the city and over Kingsway Mall. Farewell old friend.  Here are some memories of the airport:

A View I have Seen More Times Than I

Can Count - Approach to Runway 30

Unbelievable:  A Lancaster! - That WORKS!!

Another View I have Seen More Times than I

Can Count - Takeoff from Runway 30

Bobble Headed Doll

Frank Ludwig is our conductor.  He was with the rock band Trooper and Randy Bachmann's Ironhorse in the 70's and 80's.  At rehearsal of the Vancouver Concert Band last week, he had us shout out some phrases as if we were an angry crowd.  Here is the result:

Innovation

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower”  ...Steve Jobs

Part of the information that has been surfacing in my PhD research is the fact that all companies die.  They do so because as they grow, they lose that creative edge and become more and more ponderous to manage.  HR departments have profiles and generally the more off-beat and "not fitting the mould" types are systematically weeded out.  The problem is, they tend to be the really creative people and having a location that supports the "misfits" in a  way that allows innovation to exist and thrive is simply not allowed - in as much as these companies strive to be leaders in their areas, few manage the real task of innovation.

It was a group of eight people that broke away from Shockley Semiconductors and started Fairchild Semiconductors.  They left because of Shockley's management style and went on to help create Silicon Valley.  Two of these men in particular - Bob Noyce and Gordon Moore - would leave Fairchild and found Intel.  

Today we ask what went wrong with RIM and their groundbreaking Blackberry.  They stopped innovating.  perhaps they felt comfortable - even complacent.    Apple and Google on the other hand give us a model of companies that have continuously reinvented themselves through phenomenal innovation and in so doing building  the most successful companies in the world.  

Why do I mention all of this?  I am embarking on what I view to be a new segment of a long career.  I am looking to help people innovate in the educational environment as they face an uncertain future and unprecedented challenges to what they have become used to - even complacent with.  Welcome to TOTB Planning & Architecture.  The TOTB is a reminder and a motto -  that what we need to do at all times is to "Think Outside The Box" because thinking within the confines of what is comfortable will not yield anything truly new.  

Celebrating Completion of the Sails With Val

Here we are at the table at the RiverRock Casino and Resort for their dinner buffet.

Carolyn (looking a little startled that I took the picture), 

Christopher and Val (of Val's Sail Loft Fame)

FINISHED!!!!

The genoa has been bent on the furling mechanism.  It looks like it belongs!!

Genoa Now on After a Month Off For Replacement

Of The Sacrificial Cover.

The Physics of Sailing

I like this short video on the physics of sailing

Enjoy

Val's Sail Loft

I won't get any points for neatness, but the sail is almost done (putting the sacrificial cover on).

I Couldn't Possibly Do This On

The Boat - Not Enough Room

The Cover Is The Tan Sunbrella

The Head of The Genoa and The Sunbrella

The Sailrite Ultrafeed is AWESOME

Genoa Sacrificial Cover

Alas, the Blackberry camera is not so good, but here is the work at Val's Sail Loft - i.e.: One Sailrite Ultrafeed and Len.

Doing the hem on the sacrificial cover

Weather Update

OK, we're paying for it now.  We had a beautiful October , so now its raining heavily with up to 80 mm expected in North Van.  

Sail Sacrificial Covers

We have been busy replacing the sacrificial covers on our head sails.  The Staysail was showing signs of stripping away as 3 or 4 inch wide pieces of material were flaying in the breeze under sail.  The sails only had a second layer of Dacron as its cover and after 5 years, the material had just deteriorated to an unusable state.  So we took them down a few weeks ago (ergo: no long weekend sail during Thanksgiving).  Our friend Val offered her garage and ping-pong table as our sail loft (see earlier post here.  With the help of our trust Sailrite Ultrafeed Sewing Machine, we have completed the staysail and returned it to its furler and we are well along on the Genoa (much, much bigger).  We ran out of material (bad math on my part - (oh MIT would be upset)).  The remaining Sunbrella comes in tomorrow and we'll spend next weekend doing the sewing of our Sunbrella Sacrificial  cover on the Genoa and returning it to its place on the roller furler up front.

  

Yes, I used 3M Spray Adhesive and It Works

Brilliantly. 

Map Location

For those of you who have asked where our slip is located:

The Yellow Dot Marks the Spot

SVTERRATIMA.ORG

Google has made the whole process of renewal of a domain name so confusing that I have given up.  The new URL is

http://www.svterratima.ca/

Take note everyone if you can find me now.

Domain Confusion

For reasons that are not exactly clear, we have a problem with our domain name having been lost.  We are trying to rectify the prolem

One Down One To Go

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.   We spent the holiday finishing the cover on the staysail - which is now complete and back on the furling mechanism.  Now we have the big one to do, but the methodology works and the Sailrite Ultrafeed is a spectacular performer.  

Update

It has been a complicated week. We'll catch up with the content later.  Suffice it to say that both headsails are down and one is aboard while the other is at "Val's Sail Loft" for further work.  Both sails are getting a new sacrificial cover of Sunbrella material (and the Genoa some repairs to wear and tear).  

Storm Warning in Effect

To quote Environment Canada:

'Storm' force winds of 48 to 63 knots are occurring or expected to occur in this marine area. Please refer to the latest marine forecasts for further details and continue to monitor the situation through Canadian Coast Guard radio or Weatheradio stations.

DB Blockers

In 2007, I had two sets of DB Blockers made - one for hearing protection in noisy environments like the mechanical room of a building and a second set for use at rehearsals and concerts for the band.  I just got new attenuation filters for the musician's DB Blockers and put them in, so the French horns behind me at rehearsal won't blow out my ear drums.

Americas Cup Races

Well the racing is over and congratulations to Larry Ellison and his team!  I never thought sail racing could be so exciting.  These boats - or should I say airplanes flying very low - are amazing pieces of technology.  The coverage really gave one a sense of the situation and how close these boats are matched as well as the kind of split-second timing needed to win.  Amazing and dramatic to watch - and this from a cruising sailor who never really liked racing very much.

Sacrificial Covers on the Sails

Our boat is a relatively large sailboat.  We are not in the league of the big yachts you see out here, nor are we a "little boat".  We had made a lifestyle choice when we decided to come out to the coast to put our son in a place where we - as parents of an autistic child - could get the support as parents and he as a child in school.  All that has worked very well and we thank the British Columbia government and the Archdiocese private Catholic schools for their commitment to these children and their families.  We sold our house in Alberta and bought this boat and have never regretted it.

So what makes this different than living on land?  Well, the sails are part of it.  They are the engine that drives the boat and the Dacron really doesn't like the sun's UV rays and when they are stored  furled up around the furling foil, the outer layer of fabric is in the weather.  Hence the need to replace the covering from time to time.  As mentioned in an earlier post, we have the staysail down and we have so far cut 9 panels of 23" x 46" for the leech of that sail.  We ordered another 10 yards of Sunbrella material from Sailrite to cut the remaining 3 panels for the staysail and all the panels for the Genoa.  Once all the cuts are made with the trusty hot knife, we start sewing things together at Val's sail loft (our good friend's garage with ping pong table)

We'll take a lot of pictures of the process.  

Wireless Chain Counter II

The installation is complete with the sending unit now installed on the capstan side of the windlass.

An "L" Bracket Mounts the Sending Unit to the 

Windlass

Wireless Chain Counter

So here is the installation this far:

The Blue Circle Shows the Epoxied Magnet

in the Capstan

Installing the magnet on the capstan side was much easier than on the gypsy and made positioning the sensor (not shown) easier as well.  

Chain Counter Control Mounted

at the Helm

Wiring the Controller to the Up/Down 

Windlass Switch at the Helm

Chain Counter With its Sun Cover On

Around the World for Autism

I wonder how many families out their who are living with and loving an autistic child might sign on to a world circumnavigation for Autism Awareness and to help the cause??  A cruising of the world and documentation of it from THEIR point of view - the world through their eyes.  mmmmmmm.....

Kiwi Knowhow....

America's Cup continues to be dominated by the Nw Zealand team...

These things are so fast, the crew should have licences from the FAA...

The World Through His Eyes...

This idea has been slowly building in the back of my mind.   We bought this boat to see the world, but what would really be valuable is to chronicle that journey through the eyes of an autistic young man and have him narrate the story as it unfolds.  That young man is our son, and at 17, he has been the most wonderful gift that could have been given to us.   

Chain Counter

Turned on the the windlass switch and marked the gypsy and the chain.  I let the chain out by 1 rotation of the gypsy and measured the result as 12 inches of chain.  SO the calibration of the chain counter will be based on this measurement.

America's Cup Cat Aeronautical Engineering

Try this for a great explanation of how these sails rudders and dagger Boards work

America's Cup

America's Cup racing boat digs the bow in as she turns.  This is astounding!!

Len's Sail Loft

Arriving at our home slip at Shelter Island Marina, we took down the staysail.  The sacrificial cover was in tatters at the head of the sail and was showing major damage across the entire leech, so it is time to redo it.   BUT....

1. The original sacrificial cover was just another layer of sailcloth - NOT GOOD ENOUGH!
2. Have ordered SUNBRELLA material from Sailrite along with a professional hot knife because I've got the REALLY BIG SAIL - THE GENOA next because its cheap sacrificial cover is showing it's time - x'ed as well and I'll be making lots and lots and lots of cuts to the rolled Sunbrella material and a good hot knife will seal the edges and protect the material from fraying.  
3. So how do we do this on a sailboat you might reasonably ask?  Well, the staysail is only 170 square feet and one can manage that inside the living space of a larger sailboat such as ours and do what you need to do with your trusty and amazing Sailrite Sewing Machine.  BUT....  the genoa is 495 square feet and "there ain't no way" as you might colloquially express it.  So enter....
4. Val - a dear friend and Executive Assistant to one of our VP's at the office - who has so kindly offered her garage, ping-pong table and two other folding tables to turn the garage into "LEN'S SAIL LOFT" complete with space for my Sailrite LZ1 Sewing Machine.  God bless you Val.  This makes a big job much easier and limits the hard part to taking down the sail and transporting it in a VW Jetta to the "Loft".   

Wireless Chain Counter

Just received my wireless chain counter components and instructions....

I used to build model airplanes without looking at the instruction sheet.  I don't think I'll be doing that this time around...

Attempted Sinking of Island Packet yacht...

News at 11:00

Packeteers Pack It On...

Port Townsend...

...and the Island Packet Rendezvous.  We've never seen so many in one place before.  We thought it was actually quite odd to see them all.

Lots of IP's all in a row

Front view of the fleet - The boat with the flags

is a brand new 380

Point Hudson Marina

We really liked Port Townsend...shall we walk along the main drag?

A fun time was had by all.

Packeteers Rendezvous

We leave Wednesday morning on a good ebb tide for Port Townsend, Washington via Point Roberts (our check in point) and Friday Harbour on San Juan Island.  The occasion is the 2013 Rendezvous of the Puget Packeteers (oui, c'est vrais).  We'll get another group photo like the one here (we hope).

2012 Rendezvous pic.  We're not there,  but will be this time

around.  

The Bilge Pump Blues....

A while back we were constantly hearing the bilge pump come on intermittently - not often enough to convince you that the hull has been breached, but often enough to wonder where the water was getting in.  As it turned out, we found the culprit to be a "T" connection in the hot water system to the hot tank that had been added when the boat was commissioned.  The culprit was a plastic fitting and it had cracked sufficiently to produce a leak that would eventually put enough water in the well to trip the pump.

Let's fast forward to yesterday and hearing the bilge pump go off occasionally the previous night and I get up to have a shower only to discover a sputtering shower and my asking my wife if she knew what might be up with this.  Apparently the night before, our son had noticed the tank gauge indicating just over half a tank  when he had just filled it.  That explained hearing the pump come on.

So after some sleuthing by Explorer Yacht Services, we find that the culprit this time is - yes - a plastic fitting that had totally failed.  We promptly replaced fittings on the hot water side with brass fittings.  Come on Island Packet, this is a no brainer.  Having the fresh water system empty by the bilge through a failed cheap fitting is not consistent with the quality of these boats.  Had this happened at sea, well - OUCH.  

"...so where the ^$^%$* is the fondue fuel...??"

Finding things on a boat can be maddening.  I was looking for something (which I have now forgotten) and came across not one but two plastic bottles of fondue fuel - you know, the stuff you put in the fondue warmer to keep the cheese hot.  They were both the wrong stuff.  On a boat (if you decide to have a cheese fondue to start with), you can't go having volatile flammables hanging around.  You need the gel type and you need to know EXACTLY where the damned thing is.  So in looking, I realized we only had a very DIM idea of where things were and what type of things went where. In an emergency, you can't go rummaging through all sorts of stuff to discover items you never thought you had in the first place

So!!!  We have decided ti inventory the boat.  That's right - do a bloody inventory and CATALOGUE everything so we know: 1) what the heck we have, 2) exactly where the items are, and most importantly: 3)  where emergency items are located (like the fire extinguishers we have on board for example).  Here is one of three drawings that will be n the Owner's Manual along with the manifest.  The drawings will also be on the nav table.

How Much Rode?

I have just been in touch with Moreno at Anchor-Safe.  It is a wireless chain counter than can be installed without running the wiring sensor back to the cockpit.  This thing is ideal for the single handed  sailor or for one with a crew with limited experience.

Reef Encounters

I have not written much because the mood was not a good one on board.  It was nice having my daughter and guests aboard, but I ended up more tired than when I first set out and that is NOT good for navigational, boat handling or personal relationship issues.  So we returned to our home marina to decompress and I had a couple of medical issues to attend to anyway.  Here was the result of our encounter with the rock as we struggled to retrieve an anchor and 80 feet of chain.

Impact points at the leading edge of the keel

Impact points at the leading edge of the keel

The largest of the scrapes

These two were on the flank of the keel about half way 

back to the rudder.

The damage was minor and the repairs we're made and we're back.  We left Nanaimo and went over to Gibson's, then back to Shelter Island.  

There needs to be some basic ground rules set before we leave again:

1. Avoid marinas and anchor out
2. Make sure everyone knows how to get the outboard going (by the way, the Mercury 3.5 4 stroke  is JUNK). 
3. All meals on board with few exceptions

The idea is peace and solitude, not a port marina that resembles a used car lot jammed with people and boats and tourists.  

Update On The Hard...II

It's confirmed, we splash at 4:30 PM.  Work will be complete by noon.

Update On The Hard

Four patches have been made with epoxy gel coat mixed with glass fibres.  The mixture was applied, cured and sanded.  It will continue to harden overnight. Hopefully. we'll be off tomorrow late afternoon on the high tide.

Interesting Comment...

The boat yard fibreglass expert came by and had a look.  He said the fix is easy and he'll have it done in no time.  Then he mentioned he didn't understand why all the boats in the Pacific Northwest were not built like this Island Packet.  He had spend all winter putting fin keels back on boats that had them ripped away when they grounded.  

Damage...

...to the boat: damage minimal.  We are now on the hard once again.  The point of impact is right at the front edge of the keel.  There are three additional scrapes along the length of the keel.  All else seems OK.  The insurance adjuster will have a look with me in the morning.

The offending bolts that caused the chain pipe to separate 

from the deck.  The front edge of the pipe was being held by the barest of 

pressure from the edge of the washer.  We replaced the bolts and it is now 

seated well.

Hauled yet again.  This is extremely expensive.

It took a bit to get the balance right with only 2 straps instead

of the 3 used at our own marina.

... to the vacation: damage severe.  We will return to our home marina when the repairs are complete and decide on an alternate holiday time.  

Still Waiting...

...to get into Stones Marina and Boatyard.  Here 's the problem:

Low Tide at 12:30 Pacific Time

We can't get hauled if we can't get to the dock because the dock does not have enough water under it to have us stay afloat.  This pisses me off.  It's a hell of a way to spend a holiday.

"Pan-Pan, Pan-Pan, Pan-Pan..."

Once I had an engine quit on the light single engine airplane I was flying.  I declared an emergency with the dreaded term:  "Mayday, Mayday, Mayday...".  Today I used the "Pan-Pan" call as a result of our anchor failing in high winds near a reef.

We had intended to leave Nanaimo and sail across to Gibson's.  Unfortunately, the wind strong warnings were out for the Strait north of Nanaimo, but calling 15 to 20 gusting 25 Kts.  This is not a big deal for a large Island Packet, but both Christopher and Carolyn were reluctant to face the largely windward sail, so I turned around.  No place at the marina, so Newcastle Marine Park is across the Newcastle Channel and we went there and dropped our anchor.  The winds were so strong that by the time it was set, we had drifted back across a "no anchor" line and the Nanaimo Port Authority boat came by and told us to move.  So we started pulling up the chain and the chain pipe separated from the deck and jammed the chain in the gypsy.  Trailing almost 100 feet of chain, dragging and in danger, I made the "Pan-Pan" call.

They were on us immediately, but we hit the reef none the less and we had a diver check out the bottom and we were not taking on water.  We will haul her out late Monday to assess the damage more closely.  So much for a holiday.

On From Sidney

With friend Russ aboard

Dusk in Montague Harbour

From the Cockpit Moored 

at a Mooring Bouy

Twilight

Early Morning in Ladysmith - at Ladysmith

Maritime Society Marina

The Marina Filled with Habitat for the Endangered

Purple Martin.  They Seem to be Thriving

Nanaimo - Mexican Food on the Pier

Waiting for Lunch

Visit From Vanessa

Vanessa left this morning to return to return to Brazil.  It's a bit lonelier on the boat.

Carolyn, Chris and Sister Vanessa

Same Crowd

Carolyn

Chris, Some Old Coot with Hound and Vanessa

Vanessa brought us a Brazilian Courtesy Flag:

Brazilian Flag

We thought the colours would look good on a spinnaker.

Spinnaker Layout in Brazil's Colours 

Couldn't get the green quite right, but 

Sailrite, here's the Scheme.