Preparations

In considering the time of year, distance and possible routes we would take, Kite was going to need some upgrades and advance preparation.  We would be living on board for 3-4 months, so it was imperative that the refrigerator was in good working order.  We had noticed some degradation in performance during the summer of 2012, so we decided to bring in an expert to look at it.  Sure enough, the system was in sad shape.  First of all the compressor fan was not working at all.  After replacing that we saw some improvement, but not what it should be.  On the advice of our expert, we decided to replace the compressor.  After that, the system was still not right, and our CO alarm would go off frequently for no reason while the refrigerator was running, so we suspected a leak.  Sure enough, the HVAC guy found a leak in the cold box (freezer) inside the refrigerator, so we had to replace the evaporator.  Of course, it is a "custom" evaporator made especially for the Catalina 350 model of boat, and that model is no longer in production.  Also the manufacturer of the refrigeration system had been bought out by Dometic, and this did nothing to improve their customer service.  They were impossible to reach, and having finally reached them, could offer no solutions.  Eventually we took the evaporator out of the boat and brought it to a firm in Tampa that does custom bending of flat evaporator plates.  They used the original as a model and made a "sort of" close replacement.  When we got it to the boat it "sort of" fit (with a little persuasion) and after it was connected to the evaporator and charged up with freon, it works!  So we now have a spare compressor that probably works fine, but the main point is that our refrigerator is working fine now - 3 months later!

 "So what is a CO alarm?" you may be asking yourself.  CO stands for carbon monoxide, that odorless, colorless gas that comes out of exhaust pipes and kills you when you are not suspecting it.  We have one on the boat because we decided we needed another upgrade for this cruise - a portable generator powerful enough to operate our air conditioner.  We bought one and installed it near the bow on the deck.  This was a far less expensive solution than permanently installing a generator.  Since it is unlikely we would spend much time in the open ocean, where the waves can get large enough to engulf the entire bow (including generator) in salt water, we thought it was the best solution.  We will have to be careful to select our ocean crossing times based on a weather forecast with ZERO threat of high winds and waves.  This is possible, since we are retired and have no time restraints.  But because we do plan to spend some time crossing 100 miles or so of open ocean, we decided that we should also get a canvas cover for the generator to protect it from ocean spray.  Ours is custom fit.  It fits down over the top of the generator and has a flap that passes under the generator and snaps to the other side, completely enclosing the generator and preventing wind or spray from carrying the cover away.

For those of you who are not familiar with cruising, there are basically 3 ways to spend your evenings aboard.  (1) If you are doing an ocean crossing, you will be underway, one person on watch while the other sleeps, (2) if you are near land you can stay in a slip at a marina which usually costs $50 to $100 per night, or (3) you can anchor near many marinas for free and for a small fee use their facilities.  In 2 of these 3 choices, if the night is hot and humid, running the air conditioner means a generator would be a necessity.  We plan to spend a lot of nights at anchor while in the Chesapeake Bay.  And that brings us back to the CO alarm.  We don't want to wake up dead because the exhaust from the gas-powered generator, which will be running all night, got into the boat and poisoned us.  CO alarms detect small traces of CO (and other gases like freon) and set off an alarm like a smoke detector.  We know ours works because of the freon leak that it detected.

Another preparation was to replace our anchor rode (nautical term for the combination of rope and chain that connects the boat to the anchor) with all chain.  Since we are going to be spending most nights at anchor, and chain is way more likely the keep the anchor set than a rode of chain plus rope, we felt this would help us sleep better at night - literally.  Now we have 100% chain on our main anchor.

Exposure to Florida's relentless sun, plus frequent exposure to cleaning chemicals, is tough on many materials.  We have 3 large, opening hatches on the deck of Kite, and these are basically an aluminum frame with clear acrylic coverings.  Over the years the acrylic has begun to craze on the large hatch covers.  This looks like thousands of tiny cracks, but they don't go all the way through.  However, they do weaken the material,  On a moving deck it is easy to step on the hatch covers, and if they were to be weakened enough you would step right through it, likely injuring yourself and opening a big leak for rainwater into the cabin.  So we bit the bullet and had the acrylic replaced in the 3 large hatch covers.  This entailed removing them (not as easy as it sounds), temporarily sealing up 3 gaping holes in the deck, sending the hatch covers off to Connecticut where they were refurbished, then replacing them on the boat (3 weeks later).  While we were awaiting their return, we purchased some remnant Sunbrella canvas and Lyn stitched up 4 fitted sun shades for the 3 new hatch covers plus 1 smaller one, with the idea to protect the acrylics from the elements.  We used a light tan material color so they still transmit quite a bit of light into the cabin.  Our hope is that the new acrylics will last more than the 10 years that the old ones did.

Peter spent a day inspecting and adjusting the standing rigging (nautical term for the stainless steel cables that hold the mast in place).  These have to be checked for cracks in the fittings, and the turnbuckles adjusted to the right tension so that the mast stays straight up even when there is a lot of wind pressure wanting to bend it or knock it over.  He has a gauge that indicates the tension and has calculated how much tension each cable should have.  And just before we depart, he will service the engine - change the oil and filters, and a light tune-up.

Although not specifically a "boat" item, our folding bicycles will be our primary means of land transportation at most harbors that we encounter.  Ours have not been serviced in a couple of years, so Peter took them home where we have bicycle servicing tools and equipment, and cleaned and lubricated them, and adjusted the shifting mechanisms so that they would be in top condition when we need them during the cruise.


At this point we are ready to go, and are waiting for mid-March when the weather tends to be more favorable and warmer.  We have selected the week of 18-23 March for our departure and plan to start with an ocean crossing directly from Jacksonville (Mayport) to Beaufort, S.C., weather permitting.  That is a distance of about 145 nautical miles, which should be a passage requiring about 30 hours to complete and during which we will reach a maximum distance of about 20 miles offshore.

      "the waiting is the hardest part."   (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)