More Items off the Shopping List, Sailing on Saturday

I have been able to cross off more items from my USA shopping list.

Two "Excalibur" 120mm x 120mm computer fans made by Cool Master arrived early in the week. (http://www.ninjalane.com/reviews/cooling/cm_excalibur) I will use one for extracting air from the compartment holding the refrigerator compressor to replace the one that failed in Argentina.  I purchased two because there  was free shipping with orders of over $25, which made the second fan very cheap.  The all up cost for both fans was $32.35.  The run-of-the-mill fans were so laughably cheap that I sought a more up-market fan with better prospects.  The Excalibur fan rides on ball bearings rather than sleeve, giving it a longer expected life of 100,000 hours.  Arnold connected one to his motorcycle battery and the fan pushed out a serious amount of air.  It draws 320 Ma at full speed.

Then the open flame toaster came in.  Arnold and I had tried to find one at several large sporting goods stores with no luck then Sandra made the useful suggestion that I try Amazon.  Amazon had what I wanted in stock so I immediately placed an order and it was delivered to the house about two days ago.  It is a collapsible one made of stainless steel and should see me through to Australia.  The cost of the toaster (http://www.amazon.com/GSI-Outdoors-Glacier-Stainless-Toaster/dp/B001DHMKV6) was $9.52 but taxes and shipment to the house brought it up to $16.52.

Waterproof Silicone External Keyboard

This morning I drove to Silverdale and picked up the flexible waterproof computer keyboard that I had ordered the previous week.  I plugged it into one of the laptop's USB ports (a PS/2 adapter was also provided) and found that I could use either the in-built or external keyboard.  In a heavy seaway I'll probably protect the in-built keyboard with plastic and rely on the external waterproof one.  The cost including tax was $26.98.

On Wednesday Arnold took a call from West Marine in Kingston advising that the surface mounted Raymarine ST6002 autopilot head (i.e. display/control) had arrived.  This is to replace the one on Pachuca that was repaired in Argentina with the advice to replace it ASAP.  I telephoned yesterday and told West Marine to expect me on Monday to pick it up.  This was the number one item on my USA shopping list.

Tomorrow (Saturday) at 1 PM we will meet Chris Boscole at Salady Point on Camano Island for a sail on Orisha, his 65-ft McGregor.  The forecast is for good weather and light winds.

Videos of Morales Homestead - 4

Video of Morales Homestead -3

Video of Morales Homestead -2

Video of Morales Homestead -1

Here are two videos taken from the back yard of Arnold and Sandra's property.

Going to Vancouver, BC

I have confirmed train reservations for my visit to Nigel and Patrick in Vancouver, BC. 

The departure point is Edmonds, WA, which is the terminus of the Kitsap ferry.  Arnold will drop me off at the Kitsap ferry a few miles down the road.  I'll disembark at Edmonds and walk maybe 50 meters to the train station.  Very convenient.

Purchase Summary

Train 510: EDMONDS, WA - VANCOUVER, BCDepart 8:07 AM, Friday, October 19, 2012

1 RESERVED COACH SEAT

$26.35

Ticket Terms & ConditionsSENIOR CITIZEN 62 YRS OR OLDER - ID REQUIRED

Subtotal

$26.35

Train 517: VANCOUVER, BC - EDMONDS, WADepart 5:45 PM, Sunday, October 21, 2012

1 RESERVED COACH SEAT

$33.15

Ticket Terms & ConditionsSENIOR CITIZEN 62 YRS OR OLDER - ID REQUIRED

Subtotal

$33.15

Total Charged by Amtrak

$59.50

Janet and Sue at PT Boat Haven

Last Tuesday Jean Davies accompanied me on another visit to the Port Townsend Boat Haven.  Jean and I set off on foot to revisit the first of two jetties where Pachuca had been berthed in 2009.

Brenda and I had gotten to know Janet, whose boat had been berthed on the other side of the jetty from Pachuca, and I had little trouble in finding her boat because it was still decorated with a flower box near the bow. There was a young woman sitting in a boatswain's chair working half way up the mast and on the jetty was Janet herself.  She remembered me, Brenda, and Pachuca.  I introduced her to Jean then she asked me what I had been up to so I gave her a brief outline of my stay in La Paz, the sail around the Horn to Argentina, and the presence of the boat in Brazil.  Janet then gave me the sad news that Bob Benoit, whose boat had been next to Pachuca, had died.  I came to know Bob as a first rate sailor and a fine man.  He had given to me the best book on the exploits of small boat sailors that I've ever read and which is now a permanent member of Pachuca's modest library.  Bob was a lean and strong looking man so the loss came as a shock to me.

I asked Janet if she knew where Sue Hoover's boat Quantum Leap was, and she replied that it was probably near where Pachuca had been berthed the second time.  We drove to the other jetty and Jean waited in the car while I went looking for Sue's boat.  Sue had been forced to make an emergency return to Port Townsend from Anacortes with a suspected bent propeller shaft after running into a mat of eel grass during the night.  Her boat had been lifted out and found to be OK but we weren't sure where the boat was and didn't expect to see Sue because she  would be busy making preparations for departure early on the following day.

Janet

Sue and Jean

I got lucky and found Quantum Leap with Sue on board setting up a charger for her batteries.  We were very glad to see each other again.  Sue then walked back to the car with me to say hello to Jean and we all had a short chat.

Sue was planning to leave very early on the following morning in order to make Anacortes before nightfall.  The next day she would go to Bellingham where she would pick up a friend.  Then the two of them would set off on a 2 or 3 week sail around the San Juan Islands.  Lucky her. The weather was perfect and she was going to have a great time.

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Today, Friday, Arnold and I drove to Silverdale to pick up my repaired Toshiba laptop from Best Buy.  The keyboard and two sound cards had been replaced and everything else had been checked and found to be OK.  The all up cost including shipment and tax was $157, which made the repair very worthwhile.  I will now be returning to Brazil with the Acer notebook running XP and two Toshiba laptops running Windows 7.  On the boat is a fourth computer, the original Toshiba laptop running XP.  All four machines will be loaded and ready to go with the required navigation and communication software.  The new Toshiba will be the boat's navigation computer and the repaired Toshiba with its new sound cards will be my movies machine.

While I was at Best Buy I ordered a waterproof roll-up keyboard that can be plugged into any of the four machines via USB for $27, following up on Stephen's suggestion.  I had been planning to use it as a backup in case of keyboard faiulre, however, after looking at the hilarious clip at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STpNYMNC0K8 I may use it proactively during rough weather to protect the permanent keyboard. 


I've been in contact with Chris Boscole whom I met in Hawaii and currently has his McGregor 65 at Camano Island.   Arnold and I went for a sail with Chris during my last visit and pending good weather we tentatively plan to go out for another sail on the 29th or 30th.

Denver the Philosophical Dog

Finally, I am including a photo of Denver the Dog who has been wearing one of those head cones to prevent him from licking at stitches on his shoulder following minor surgery.  Denver has displayed amazing patience and good humor during the several weeks of his ordeal.