9/19 update
I had a meeting Wednesday morning aboard Lark with Captain Roger the fiberglass whiz and Darrell of Harmon Marine Services in Vero Beach. We've hatched a plan to boost the engine out, reinforce the wobbly stringer with a couple fabricated brackets from the solid stringer, then put old Perky back, having given it a good going over while it was out. That will be in about a week, let's hope.
I also got word from Jim of Southern Comfort Marine refrigeration that he can replace our refrigeration unit for $1200 installed. Could be better, but it could be a lot worse I suppose.
Dad and I changed the oil in Perkins this morning, which went well. It takes just about five quarts. I got a cool little brass Jabsco pump for pulling the oil out of the sump which worked great.
Tomorrow we'll take Lark on the ocean for the first time, weather permitting. The forecast just offshore is for southwest winds 10 to 15 knots and seas 2 to 3 feet. Low tide is at 12:34 which will be favorably both for leaving and returning..
I also got word from Jim of Southern Comfort Marine refrigeration that he can replace our refrigeration unit for $1200 installed. Could be better, but it could be a lot worse I suppose.
Dad and I changed the oil in Perkins this morning, which went well. It takes just about five quarts. I got a cool little brass Jabsco pump for pulling the oil out of the sump which worked great.
Tomorrow we'll take Lark on the ocean for the first time, weather permitting. The forecast just offshore is for southwest winds 10 to 15 knots and seas 2 to 3 feet. Low tide is at 12:34 which will be favorably both for leaving and returning..
9/19 school
Splash Math, addition and subtraction facts 1-10
Spelling City last two weeks of word lists
10 minutes of Ukulele practice
Spelling City last two weeks of word lists
10 minutes of Ukulele practice
Instruments
So ever since I got the raw water pump back on and fired up old Perky and actually started going places in my own boat, I've been kinda bummed that none of the engine gauges showed any life. No temp, no tach, no oil pressure, no nothing. So I've puzzled over that for a couple weeks now and finally decided it was time to just sit down and figure out how to replace them.
Google brought me to a post on Cruisers' Forum in which the author said the first thing to know when replacing gauges is that there are three wires: one from the sender, and a positive and negative. Wait a minute. A positive and negative? So those analog gauges need power? So I immediately jumped up and ran over to the boat, fired up Perky, and started flipping switches on the panel, and wouldn't you know the panel has a switch labelled "Instruments" which totally does the trick?
So hopefully someday someone as puzzled as I will stumble on this and it will make their day.
Google brought me to a post on Cruisers' Forum in which the author said the first thing to know when replacing gauges is that there are three wires: one from the sender, and a positive and negative. Wait a minute. A positive and negative? So those analog gauges need power? So I immediately jumped up and ran over to the boat, fired up Perky, and started flipping switches on the panel, and wouldn't you know the panel has a switch labelled "Instruments" which totally does the trick?
So hopefully someday someone as puzzled as I will stumble on this and it will make their day.
The Vacation Continues
Our initial move aboard date has come and gone, and we are still living in a vacation rental on South Hutchinson Island. After discovering that the engine work would most likely require us to move off for a week or two we decided to extend our stay at Ocean Village for a month and try and get the work done first.
It is nice to have a little more time to get things done. I still haven't finished the sheets yet! I keep debating about whether to use nice cotton or linen. I just need to make a decision and move on it! I also need to find some nice compressed foam to make a new bed for us out of. Ours has had quite a bit of water damage, and I'm pretty sure it needs replacing.
We are getting a little more comfortable with the idea of actually taking Lark out sometime in the near future! We put up her sails, and discovered a couple of spots where they need to be repaired, but they are small, and I think I can probably manage it myself. Jacob and I have both had solo maneuvering lessons aboard too. I took her out of the slip, down the fairway and into the river. I turned her several times and then brought her back to the slip. I backed her in by pointing her bow at the boat kitty corner to us, and using the prop-walk to bring her in. It all went surprisingly smoothly! It definitely helps to have calm-and-collected Captain Jack there to coach me along the way.
In other news, along with starting back to own-schooling, the girls and I have also started participating in some Parent's Educating on the Treasure Coast events. We went to their back to school bash, which was a nice way to connect with some other homeschooling families. I also volunteered to teach one of their co-op classes and that started last week. The co-op meets every other week for a total of 6 times in the fall and 6 times in the spring and the kids can sign up for up to 3 hours of classes. The girls enjoyed it, and will hopefully make some friends!
My class, Drawing and Painting, was a little intense! There were 15 kids ages 3-8 with paint all talking over one another and over me! I had to abandon most of my lesson plan after the first 5 minutes, and just let them free paint. I do not know how preschool teachers manage! I could have really used a glass of wine and a sensory deprivation room after the whole experience. 5 classes left and I think I have a few good ideas about getting the situation under control from the start next time...it involves snacks.
We took the weekend off and had some fun! After my boating lesson we hit the Farmer's Market, and went to the beach.
It is nice to have a little more time to get things done. I still haven't finished the sheets yet! I keep debating about whether to use nice cotton or linen. I just need to make a decision and move on it! I also need to find some nice compressed foam to make a new bed for us out of. Ours has had quite a bit of water damage, and I'm pretty sure it needs replacing.
We are getting a little more comfortable with the idea of actually taking Lark out sometime in the near future! We put up her sails, and discovered a couple of spots where they need to be repaired, but they are small, and I think I can probably manage it myself. Jacob and I have both had solo maneuvering lessons aboard too. I took her out of the slip, down the fairway and into the river. I turned her several times and then brought her back to the slip. I backed her in by pointing her bow at the boat kitty corner to us, and using the prop-walk to bring her in. It all went surprisingly smoothly! It definitely helps to have calm-and-collected Captain Jack there to coach me along the way.
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| hanging out on the water with Captain Jack |
My class, Drawing and Painting, was a little intense! There were 15 kids ages 3-8 with paint all talking over one another and over me! I had to abandon most of my lesson plan after the first 5 minutes, and just let them free paint. I do not know how preschool teachers manage! I could have really used a glass of wine and a sensory deprivation room after the whole experience. 5 classes left and I think I have a few good ideas about getting the situation under control from the start next time...it involves snacks.
We took the weekend off and had some fun! After my boating lesson we hit the Farmer's Market, and went to the beach.
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| dancing at the Farmer's Market |
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| hatched turtle nest |
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| Sweet Pea gets so excited when Jacob body surfs |
9/15 school
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| Lorelei's cutting, pasting and coloring work |
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family reading The Wind in the Willow
9/14 progress
We took the weekend off from constant boat work, but April had her first boat-handling lesson on Lark Saturday (I had mine on Tuesday). It went well and Captain Ron would have applauded her docking skillz. Sweet Pea also had her first visit to Lark this evening. She did not much care for boarding nor for the companionway. We'll have to work something out for her.
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