This is about the time we spent in Ventura Harbor getting
Moxie and her dink, the Dawn Treader, ready for Ocean
Voyaging. This period included the refit of existing system, the
addition of new systems and the stocking and equipping with
needed items.
Moxie and her dink, the Dawn Treader, ready for Ocean
Voyaging. This period included the refit of existing system, the
addition of new systems and the stocking and equipping with
needed items.
Bear with me and I'll be adding quite a few projects to the completed list with
pictures and arrows so you can see that we've been busy.
The first thing we had to fix after the West Coast Tour was the Daggerboards.
The starboard board snapped in half on the way down the coast when we got
caught in a gale, with steady 40kt winds gusting to 50 kts and seas at 18-20 ft
with a rogue 30+ footer rolling thru every now and then. It wasn't a very
comfortable time. Moxie, well found vessel that she is, took it in stride. We
topped out somewhere on the way at 17.4 kts. It was on one of those 30'+ rogues
that we did what was to become known as " the Pelican Cartwheel." It was on
this wave, sliding sideways, that we snapped off the daggerboard. Intrepid
George, at the helm at that time, did wonders to correct the slide and bring us
back to steerage. Oh, by the way, did I tell you that all of this took place just after
2 AM?
Something Moxie has now that she didn't have on the way down the West Coast,
is her new Propshaft Generator. Shortly after leaving the Straits of San Juan de
Fuca and turning the corner at Cape Flattery at 2200 hrs, we became a true
sailing vessel. We shut off the "Iron Genny" and with 12 to 15 kts wind from the
aft starboard quarter we sailed off into the night at a quite respectful 10+ kts. On
thru the night and for most of the next day and night we sailed on, painfully
unaware of the impending storm building behind us. As the winds built to 25 kts
steady and 12-14 ft seas and Moxie sailing strong at 12-14 kts, we decided
discretion was the better part of valor and headed up into the wind to shorten up
sail and put a reef in. Of course NOAA, the ever accurate forecaster of weather
somewhere, was calling for seas at 6-8 ft and winds steady at 10-15 kts with gusts
to 20, still saying nothing of the Gale coming. It was then, when we went to start
the diesel and it didn't turn over( not even a nudge, a brand new Yanmar with
300+ hrs on it), that we went into energy saving mode. Manual steering on
watch (no more using Pontius, our never failing Raymarine ST 6000+ auto pilot),
lights only when essential, Radar on standby at night used only when a ship was
suspected, and on and on. It was at this point in time that the need for a
Propshaft Generator became painfully clear. With the batteries going flatter and
flatter and the solar panels on board unable to come close to keeping up with the
loads, we started to lose system after system. No Autopilot, no Radar, no VHF, etc
etc, we had no choice but to stand off of the Coast and ride the storm out. Under
bare poles and winds steady at 40 kts and 18-20 ft seas we were still doing 12 kts.
pictures and arrows so you can see that we've been busy.
The first thing we had to fix after the West Coast Tour was the Daggerboards.
The starboard board snapped in half on the way down the coast when we got
caught in a gale, with steady 40kt winds gusting to 50 kts and seas at 18-20 ft
with a rogue 30+ footer rolling thru every now and then. It wasn't a very
comfortable time. Moxie, well found vessel that she is, took it in stride. We
topped out somewhere on the way at 17.4 kts. It was on one of those 30'+ rogues
that we did what was to become known as " the Pelican Cartwheel." It was on
this wave, sliding sideways, that we snapped off the daggerboard. Intrepid
George, at the helm at that time, did wonders to correct the slide and bring us
back to steerage. Oh, by the way, did I tell you that all of this took place just after
2 AM?
Something Moxie has now that she didn't have on the way down the West Coast,
is her new Propshaft Generator. Shortly after leaving the Straits of San Juan de
Fuca and turning the corner at Cape Flattery at 2200 hrs, we became a true
sailing vessel. We shut off the "Iron Genny" and with 12 to 15 kts wind from the
aft starboard quarter we sailed off into the night at a quite respectful 10+ kts. On
thru the night and for most of the next day and night we sailed on, painfully
unaware of the impending storm building behind us. As the winds built to 25 kts
steady and 12-14 ft seas and Moxie sailing strong at 12-14 kts, we decided
discretion was the better part of valor and headed up into the wind to shorten up
sail and put a reef in. Of course NOAA, the ever accurate forecaster of weather
somewhere, was calling for seas at 6-8 ft and winds steady at 10-15 kts with gusts
to 20, still saying nothing of the Gale coming. It was then, when we went to start
the diesel and it didn't turn over( not even a nudge, a brand new Yanmar with
300+ hrs on it), that we went into energy saving mode. Manual steering on
watch (no more using Pontius, our never failing Raymarine ST 6000+ auto pilot),
lights only when essential, Radar on standby at night used only when a ship was
suspected, and on and on. It was at this point in time that the need for a
Propshaft Generator became painfully clear. With the batteries going flatter and
flatter and the solar panels on board unable to come close to keeping up with the
loads, we started to lose system after system. No Autopilot, no Radar, no VHF, etc
etc, we had no choice but to stand off of the Coast and ride the storm out. Under
bare poles and winds steady at 40 kts and 18-20 ft seas we were still doing 12 kts.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Getting ready to go Voyaging