About the Stove

Back to the stove. It appears that it is not happy unless its guts are hanging out.

The burners just don't want to stay lit. So, another day- another project on LUX.

Meanwhile, the pancakes are almost ready. So, we are off to breakfast.

Friday Morning

Today in Hopetown, you get a buffet for the sky. These shots were all taken within a minute or two around the boat. The different cloud formations are all amazing.

Meanwhile, in the water around LUX, two dolphins came to visit.

As you can see, I was a little late to actually catch the dolphin. But, everyone else on deck saw it, too. So, this is what you get. Susan reported that the dolphins actually came up and kissed the boat! Too bad I missed that shot.

Inside, it's business as usual.

Terry has taken apart the stove for a look see. But, he left the top burners going. So, we still get coffee. And, Susan is cooking pancakes. It's another great day in the islands.

Thursday Evening

We've just had a great day. We took the boat shuttle over to Hopetown, and we wandered about. We visited shops. We had lunch at Cap'n Jacks. Peggy has part of her fish Reuben left for tomorrow's lunch! It was yummy. When we got back, we all relaxed. Susan, Peggy, and Gee headed off to the pool. It was COLD in that pool. But, the hot tub was a different story. We stayed in the hot tub until we looked like prunes!

For dinner, we had another salad bar. This time, the theme was tuna nicoise! So, we had potatoes and green beans as well as tuna and lettuce. Dessert was Vernon's key lime pie or gingersnaps and chocolate. Now, we're all tired and ready for bed.

Tomorrow, we are headed to Fowl Cay for snorkeling. Then, we will move on to Treasure Cay.

Wednesday - I'm a Little Behind

Wednesday - It's a Beautiful Morning...for some of us

It is a lovely morning here in Little Harbor. Most of us think that. Mike's roaming around. We can tell that from the drops of blood scattered about. Carol wouldn't know. She's down with a cold. She's having tea in her cabin. Terry has his head under a bunk working on the hot water heater. Peggy is doing cabin maintenance.

But, for the rest of us, the day is comfortably warm and sunny. Tony has left the boat. He's off swimming to the beach. We don't know if that is for fun, or if he's trying to find an exit strategy to escape from LUX earlier than planned.

Susan already has her exit strategy. She bailed out the dinghy first thing. She also ended up sleeping on the settee last night. Seems she did not want to share a cabin with the person with a cold. Peggy has suggested we hang the quarantine flag over the door to Carol's cabin. Susan is resisting that- her belongings are still in there.

Well, the hot water heater is fixed. Terry claims it was suffering from clogged arteries. Mike claims it had kidney stones. Either way, they removed some clogs, and it is back to working as it should. Now, it's on to the dinghy. It keeps filling up with water. And, no, it is not raining. Oh, and they fixed the stove. it had a loose nut- no, that would not be Michael.

Later in the Day

After all the repairs, things really looked up. We played TOURIST! LUX took off for Sandy Cay. It's the perfect place to snorkel in this area. Of course, it took a while to get those wanting to snorkel into the dinghy. Rich thought we were going too snorkel off the back of the boat, so we had to reorganize his thinking. Susan was dithering about going. We finally had to tell her to JUST GET IN THE DINGHY! And, with that, Terry, Rich, Tony and Susan were off. And, they had a great time. Everyone saw lots of great sights, but Tony had the most to report. He saw three fan coral. No, wait! That's not coral. That's a prop! Sometimes you do need to look UP when you snorkel! Then, it was back to the boat. 

Next stop was Tilloo, where some of the crew went to the beach to look for shells. It was a lovely beach, and they had lots of fun. 

One interesting moment for us today was the moment Tony decided to try a man overboard drill using his hat. It wouldn't have been so bad had he not already lost one hat somewhere! He really doesn't have another hat to fall back on.

We also had to (continually) educate the newer crew members on the trouble with salt water. It doesn't dry! So, we don't let anyone into the cabin with salty shoes or bathing suits. Those newbies just kept trying to get by us. But, I preserved the sanctity of the cabin....over and over again! We also spend a lot of time trying to get people to turn off the light. In their cabin. That's not working so well for us.

Finally, it's the evening. We are on the backside of Elbow Cay-- Aunt Pat's Bay. Tomorrow, we plan to go around to Hopetown-- one of our favorite spots. Tonight, for dinner we had the buffet. All the fixings for a grilled chicken salad. Followed by a dessert buffet with pastries, pound cake, fruit, gingersnaps, and chocolate cream cheese. Tonight's drink was pineapple 78- a drink recipe I found and modified. I used pineapple juice, rum, and club soda. It was yummy! Everyone was very happy with their dinner. Or, at least, they did not complain.

Thursday...Another Beautiful Day

It's 7 AM on Thursday

Today, Tony can't find his sandals. This boat is only 40 feet long and 21 feet wide. Yet people can still misplace just about anything. At least once a day, someone will start with, "I can't find......." My theory was that Tony has an exceptional admin who keeps him organized. But, I was wrong. He has an exceptional admin named Frinee AND an exceptional wife named Noreen. After a little searching, the sandals showed up.

We're all up and moving because we all went to bed early last night. A long day of fun and sun will ensure an early night on the boat. We did have a rain drill, though. Peggy felt the rain come in, so she hopped up to start shutting the hatches. Halfway through the task, the rain stopped. But, we did successfully wake up for the alert- all of us except maybe Carol, who is still suffering from airplane malaise! She has a lovely cold, and we are all hoping we DO NOT get it.

Noon in Hopetown

We are at the Harbor Inn and Marina in Hopetown. We had the shuttle take us over to town. We walked around, and some of us bought souvenirs. I won't spoil the surprise, but someone is going to get a great souvenir from the Bahamas. 

This morning, before we took off, we saw a rainbow in the clouds

And now, this afternoon, it is raining. As the sign says, you can't get the rainbow without the rain. So, we'll sit it out here at the dock. It's a great view, so I don't think we'll mind!

Susan and the Internet are NOT Friends

Susan, one of our crew this time, has been desperately trying to send email home to her family every since we started on this trip- and, yes this is only the second day. But, like any good family member, she promised to send out regular news. However, her phone's internet access does not seem to find Bahamian Internet digestible. Yesterday, the phone refused to see the internet. Today, she got on-line, wrote a LONG message, and she attached a picture. So, it would not send it.

Mike's favorite Bahamian story is about one local beer-Kalick. What does this have to do with Susan's saga? Well, Mike told me that he read a sign that said the Bahamian Internet was VERY slow. So, you should click and drink a Kalick while you wait. After three clicks and three Kalicks, the internet would seem to go really fast-- or else you just wouldn't notice!

So, Susan has NOT been drinking her Kalicks. She is very frustrated with her inability to send messages home. I just thought the nicest thing to do would be to assure all her family- who, of course are reading this blog-- that Susan is having a great time. She misses you. She loves you. BUT, she really is enjoying the trip. See for yourself.

Doesn't she look like a real boater? And, she is doing just fine.

She is also working hard at learning boat skills. Here you see Susan learning to tie a bowline knot. She even learned to tie it behind her back! Yay! We're having fun here on LUX. And, from Susan-- Having a great time! Wish you were here!

We're in Man O War Cay!

Well, we made it from Marsh Harbour over to Man O War. But, it was an adventure! First, leaving Marsh Harbour couldn't happen until we rounded up all of our LUX stuff. Hmmmm. We came down with 24 washcloths. When we got here, we had 2. It appears that moving linens around the different charter boats doesn't always result in a return of the same amount to the same boat. Likelwise, our charts were missing. They were in the charter office. And, LUX had been crossed off on the cover. But, they did leave the label that said do not remove from boat. Hmmmm... Also, our gas can for the dinghy was not our gas can. We know that because the gas can in the dinghy had a square opening. Unfortunately, our engine on the dinghy required a round connection. And square pegs do not fit in round holes. Hmmm... And, it did not have LUX written on it. Ours did. At least when we had ours. And, the grill was incredibly dirty. So much for clean up after charterers. 

On our way over,  we ran into a rain storm!

So, we just waited outside the entrance to Man O War until things settled down.

We took off the minute the rain stopped, and found ourselves here at the Man O War Marina. And, of course, we had to celebrate.

As you can see, we celebrated in our usual style. Tonight, it was frozen piña coladas. And, of course, we had appetizers.

We are very thankful that Noreen (according to Tony) INSISTED that he bring this wonderful sausage and the fabulous crackers. It was a great treat along with some Colby cheese.

It was really appreciated by the crew.

As you can see, the crew couldn't wait to get to it. And, before you knew it, the plate looked like this.

Now, we're having dinner at the Dock and Dine restaurant here in Man O War cay. Another great day here in the islands.

Still in Marsh Harbour

I am reduced to sitting at the wheel in order to do today's blog. It's been like being in a hive of manic bees today. Everyone is rushing around trying to get LUX ready to leave port. We want to go to Man of War cay today, so everything has to be shipshape. That means dinghy repairs, provisioning, and some electrical stuff.

It is 1 PM, and the decks are being cleared. Peggy is putting away everything in the cabin. So, we might yet be free of moorings!

Really early lunch

As usual, we are on a really crazy schedule. We flew out at 6:10 AM, so we were ready for lunch at 10:30. We had the opportunity to eat at the Island Grill. And the food was great.

We'll fly out to Marsh Harbour at 11:45. Next step in our adventure.

On Our Way

We're in the Miami airport. Next stop-Marsh Harbour.

Keeping An Eye On Things: A Boat Monitoring System

It is a good idea to monitor boat systems in order to detect problems before they become major problems. Collecting basic information like engine operating temperatures, refrigeration system temperatures, and battery performance information are a few examples. It is best to gather an information baseline when everything is operating correctly so that abnormal readings are easy to identify. A manual method of recording the information is easy - just record the measurements on paper. Transferring the information to a spreadsheet makes it easy to display as graphs, making it easy to spot trends that may indicate a pending problem.

IR Thermometer Gun

We've been recording engine temperature readings for some time, but only doing it on a sporadic basis and putting the data into a spreadsheet. Even with the sporadic measurements, we've developed a baseline that allows us to determine if there is a problem with one of the engines. (Note: We recommend that everyone capture the data to create a baseline of engine operation. An IR thermometer isn't terribly expensive ($40-$90 on Amazon) and is a great diagnostic tool. Put one on your gift list for your spouse/SO to buy for you.) We have a remote temperature sensing system to show us the refrigeration system temperatures (freezer, fridge, compressor housing). But there is no historical information stored that allows us to determine if (or when) the system is experiencing problems.

My "day job" is computer network design and monitoring, which requires automated systems to collect the large volume of data. Applying those same principles to boat monitoring led me to automate data collection using a single board computer known as a Raspberry Pi. The other attractiveness is that it is a cool project. I'll refer to the Raspberry Pi as "RPi" in the rest of this post. I'm starting with temperature monitoring and will add other features as I go.

I plan to monitor the temperatures listed below. The engine temperature readings are the same as what we've been manually monitoring. We have the Oregon Scientific Clock Weather Forecaster BAR206A and THN132N Wireless Temperature Sensors for monitoring the refrigeration system, but have not recorded measurements. Manually recording refrigeration system temperatures would be useless because of the changes in temperature after the door was opened. Automated temperature recording would let us know how long it takes to return to the desired operating temperature.

Raspberry Pi with Pi Plate Development Board and Acrylic Enclosure

* Ambient air (clipped to the back of the DC panel)

* Freezer plate

* Freezer mid-rack

* Refrigerator mid-rack

* Refrigeration compressor cabinet

* Port and Stbd water heater

* Port and Stbd air conditioners

* Port and Stbd engines

  - Alternator frame

  - Exhaust mixing elbow

  - Raw water inlet

  - Oil pan

  - Cylinder head (one sensor - the ideal would be one next to each injector)

This photo shows the RPi with the attached Pi Plate development board in an acrylic enclosure. The is the fully assembled unit. It measures 6in x 3in x 1.5in. In the foreground is one of the waterproof temperature sensors, which is attached to the white cable that connects to the board. My prototype has three sensors, which I've labeled freezer, fridge, and compressor.

Sample Hourly Temperature Graph

I have a script (a small computer program) that periodically creates graphs of the collected data. All three temperatures are shown on one graph. I'll wait until I get on the boat to refine what types of graphs I want.

The Details

The temperature probe is the DS18B20, which is available in a waterproof version (we'll see, they are probably only water resistant) from sellers on Ebay (search for "waterproof DS18B20"). I found that connecting the DS18B20 using all three wires (Ground, Data, +3.3v) worked the best. I used a "Pi Plate" development board for connections between the RPi and the DS18B20. All sensors can be connected to the same 3-wire bus, which I'll snake around the boat to all the locations. The operating system supports up to 10 temperature sensors. That's not enough for my purposes, so I'll have to generate a new kernel to support many more sensors, probably 30.

The Internet contains many examples of interfacing the DS18B20 temperature sensor with the Raspberry Pi.

http://thepiandi.blogspot.com/2013_06_01_archive.html

http://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=6649&start=175

http://forum.arduino.cc/index.php/topic,20574.0.html

I am using the Round Robin Database (RRD) to store the sensor values. RRD is typically used for network management functions. It is very simple and does a good job of storing and displaying time-series data. The current implementation stores a month of samples. I have plenty of storage space and RRD is very efficient, so I'm planning to increase it to several months so that we can see longer term trends.

http://blog.turningdigital.com/2012/09/raspberry-pi-ds18b20-temperature-sensor-rrdtool/

http://thepiandi.blogspot.com/2013/09/rrdtool-for-dummies-like-me.html

http://thepiandi.blogspot.com/2013/10/graphing-real-temperature-data-using.html

12V to USB Power Adapter

I needed a way to power the RPi on the boat. The easiest solution was to modify a 12V to USB adapter. This photo shows the adapter with two new wires soldered to it. I wrapped the modified adapter in heat shrink. The red wire connects to an in-line fuse for connecting to the boat's 12V system.

I'll be publishing the scripts that I've developed for this system so that anyone can make their own and can contribute to it.

  -Terry

Summer Refit Projects

During the summer of 2013 we had LUX hauled to address several projects on our TODO list:

* Clean the hulls and fix multiple gelcoat dings

* Replace the rear, inboard U-bolts with cleats

* Re-bed the stern rubrail

* Replace the port seacock with a larger seacock and manifold for several raw water consumers

* Complete service of the saildrives and props

Unfortunately, we started the work just as a major heat wave hit the Baltimore/Washington area. It was over 100 deg F during the middle of the day. We would start work by 7am, break for lunch around 11 to cool off in the marina lounge, then work until about 2-3pm. One of the nice things about a cat is the substantial shade under the bridge deck. By the time the middle of the afternoon arrived, we were drained. The weather broke after a week and we were able to put in longer hours. Even still, it took almost three weeks to accomplish everything.

Brown Stain Removal

LUX had a big, brown stain on the hulls, particularly in the aft, inboard areas, just below the rear part of the bridge deck. Trips up and down the ICW, with its typically brown water, had taken their toll. We found that Marykate (or Marikate on some web sites) "On & Off Hull & Bottom Cleaner" did a fantastic job of removing the stain. This stuff is an acid that is not environmentally friendly. Rubber gloves and some care is required to protect our skin and to only apply it where needed. See the MSDS sheet for handling directions. You can keep a can of soda or a box of baking soda handy to neutralize the acid, should you have an accident. Wetting a cloth with On and Off and wiping down the stains quickly removed them. We followed with a wash and wax. The hulls now look great.

Aft U-Bolts

U-Bolt Holes

The Leopard cats all seem to have big U-bolts installed aft and inboard of the hulls. They useful for cross tying the boat in a slip. But it requires a bit more time to tie a bowline through the eye of the U-bolt and it is nearly impossible to adjust the line on the boat. We wanted something that allowed us to quickly belay a line. We also wanted to seal the holes to prevent water ingress, as evidenced from the water stains on the inside of the hull. Fawcetts Marine Supply store in Annapolis, we found the Sea Dog Line 10-inch cleats (SDL 041610) cleats. The arms are long enough to securely hold our 5/8-inch diameter dock lines and allow us to quickly belay and adjust the dock lines from the boat. In addition, the open base provides hand-holds when we're in the water at the stern. We filled in the old U-bolt holes with thickened epoxy and finished the outside with new gelcoat. The inside space is so tight and uneven that we couldn't install big backing plates, so we used large fender washers as backing for each of the bolts. Since there are now four bolts instead of two, we feel that this is acceptable. Instead of caulk for waterproofing, we used gray butyl rubber. The butyl rubber only forms a water bond, not a mechanical bond, which is fine for this application. This upgrade took care of one source of water ingress into the engine compartment.

Stern Rub Rail

Old Hull-Deck Caulk

The big job was re-bedding the stern rub rail. The L40 has separate engine compartments aft, using saildrives for propulsion. The bilge pumps in both compartments have been periodically running while under way and there is evidence that one source is from the stern railing and perhaps the hull-to-deck joint at the bottom of the sugar scoop. The bottom step of the sugar scoop is under water when under way, so we wanted to make sure that we had a good seal.

Hull-Deck Joint Prepared

It was easy to remove and clean the old rub rail. What took the time was to clean up the hull-to-deck joint. It looked to us like the joint was filled with automotive repair putty. It was relatively soft and brittle, easily breaking into chunks. We used a combination of a Dremel tool with 2-inch heavy-duty cutoff wheel and a vibrating cutter to reach into the filled space between the hull and deck to remove the putty. (I hesitate to call it 'caulk' because of its brittleness.) We also had several sections of fiberglass and gelcoat that needed to be stiffened or rebuilt. The fiberglass was repaired with West Epoxy and additional fiberglass mat. The hull-to-deck joint was filled with 3M 5200, with the intent that the joint should be strong and well sealed. Our reasoning on using 5200 is that this joint should never come apart for any reason.

The stern handrails were also re-bedded during this process. It took some re-bending of the railings to get them into the right shape to match all the attachment points. We needed a couple of 6-inch extensions and a universal drive on the ratchet socket wrench to reach all the way to the aft attachment point. Even with the extensions, it required weird contortions in the engine compartment to get the nut started on the railing's attachment bolt. This is a good opportunity to enlist the assistance of a small, flexible crew member or boatyard worker. We used 4200 on the seal around the attachment points and found that adding the caulk after the nut was started helped to keep the 4200 from getting on everything while fitting the railing to the boat. The process of re-bedding the aft railings can be frustrating. We had to experiment with which attachment point to start first. 

Cleaning the Rub Rail

The rub rail was cleaned with 3M Compound and Wax, which we've found does a good job of removing various marks and goo. We installed the rub rail with a seam of 3M 4200. The stainless hardware was reinstalled and it looks like new.

The swim ladder was also re-bedded, which included sealing the bolt holes with epoxy. We dug out the old balsa around the perimeter of the hole and filled it with epoxy, and re-drilled the holes before re-installing the ladder.

Port Seacock

Hull Construction

The L40 has a raw water thru-hull under the floor board of each forward cabin to supply water to the toilet. We had already installed a T on each to supply water to the air conditioner on each side. Since we are planning to install a generator, we needed a larger raw water source so that there was sufficient water flow for both the generator and the air conditioner at the same time. This is a tricky install because there isn't a lot of room between the bottom of the floor board and the hull. We used a piece of 1/2-inch marine plywood, shaped to mate with the curve of the hull, as the backing plate for the new thru-hull, a Marelon sea cock. We had to look around to find a raw water strainer that would also fit in the space under the hull. We used a Groco multi-port manifold <http://westmarine.com/groco--raw-water-manifolds--P011_332_003_023> to provide connections for the toilet, air conditioner, and generator.

Seacock, Filter, and Manifold

One of the interesting things we learned is the hull construction where the thru-hull is located. It is solid fiberglass, about 5/16-inch thick. We think that this makes it essential that a good backing plate be used for any thru-hull replacement. It is surprising that there is no backing plate on the original sea cocks (which are actually just ball valves).

Saildrive Servicing

Saildrive Servicing and Boot Install

Mike undertook the task of complete servicing of the saildrives. We found one of them had water ingress - the oil was a milky consistency. He checked the bearings, researched the proper oil to use (10W40, specified in a service bulletin), cleaned out old barnacle shells, mounted the rubber seals at the hull, and took the props to Black Dog Props to get realigned. A charter customer had backed over the dinghy hoist lines and bent the port prop. All the work was worth it. The vibration that we previously experienced at 2000-2500 RPM disappeared.

Completed Saildrive

We Love The Sunroom! An added note...

Make sure you read Terry's description of the creation of our sunroom- otherwise known as the enclosure. The project was massive- it took the entire month of continual sewing to make it happen. Carol and Mike had begun to complain about how they were supposed to be retired! 

To this day, Carol credits the Sailrite video with giving her the confidence to take on this project. However, the rest of us know her way too well. She is a master in the art of sewing construction. The rest of us can get a little testy with the time it takes her to carefully build patterns and then sew from them. What she creates is not only functional, but often a work of art. We turn heads now when we are traveling. Just look at us!

Our enclosure is sleek and form fitting, so it adds to the look of our boat. We just look so good on the water! But, the difference actually comes on the inside. We often write about the spaciousness of our catamaran. However, bad weather before the enclosure pushed everyone inside and underfoot while I am trying to cook! Having room outside that is comfortable gets everyone out of the way! And, everyone is just more comfortable with the extra space. Our enclosure adds to the beauty and the comfort of our LUX. It's well worth every minute and every penny spent on it.

-Gee

Staying Warm When It's Cold, Rainy, and Windy - Cockpit Enclosure

Old Helm Enclosure

We've been taking LUX south for the winter, going from Annapolis to the Bahamas in the fall. LUX came equipped with a badly weathered "dodger", which was actually a vinyl insert that installed between the cabin top and the hard top. It allows the helmsperson to see out while being somewhat protected from wind and rain. It didn't cover the helm position very well.

The First Enclosure

For our first trip, Carol created a simple vinyl shield that provided some protection to the helm. It only encompassed the starboard side of the cockpit area, so its primary purpose was to break the wind (i.e. reduce wind chill) and to help keep us dry from driving rain or spray. It used all the existing track and screw holes. Some screws were replaced with screw snaps.

Old Helm Enclosure - From the Inside

One of the enhancements that Mike did at the last minute was to replace the yellowed vinyl of the old dodger with Lexan from Home Depot. It significantly improved visibility. We really appreciated the improved visibility when running down the Chesapeake at night and when negotiating the ICW while it was windy and rainy. The addition to the stbd side of the dodger was especially effective and we kept it in place even after we found warm weather and removed the side panel.

The side panel used snaps mounted on the hard-top sliding panel, making it easy to quickly open the slider for improved visibility. The top part of the panel outboard of the helm seat was Lexan, for visibility, while the bottom part was vinyl. The panel aft of the helm seat was vinyl and zippered to the sun shade. (See Old Helm Enclosure - From the Inside.) The panel at the helm could tie back when the weather became warm during the middle of the day. While not pretty, it was functional and provided good visibility.

The New and Improved Enclosure

We wanted something better. Pictures of the enclosures on other boats made us envious. We also wanted to use the panel templates to make screens, allowing us to use the cockpit area as a sun room or a screened porch.

Carol and Mike did research and ordered the parts to create a full cockpit enclosure. They used the template process described in the SailRite video on creating enclosures. The sewing machine was an old Consew straight-stitch acquired from Mike's brother, who runs a canvas shop. Carol has been sewing since childhood and decided that this would be an interesting exercise and extend her knowledge and sewing skills. Design and construction took about a month and materials were about $2000.

There were several key goals in making our own enclosure:

1. Use as much of the existing track hardware as possible.
2. Provide easy access to the winches and stoppers at the helm station so that we could sail with the enclosure in place.
3. Allow the hardtop slider to be quickly opened and closed.
4. Easy access to the side deck beside the helm station in the case that someone needed to quickly go forward.
5. Roll-up doorway in the walkway to the aft deck.
6. Allow access to the storage area under the aft cockpit seat (the liferaft storage area).
7. Keep the hand-holds on the aft hardtop support struts available for use.

Carol and Mike decided to use Makrolon (a polycarbonate with excellent visibility characteristics). The cloth parts were done with Stamoid, which is a vinyl covered cloth. (See Sunbrella vs Stamoid vs WeatherMAX, vs Coatguard vs Recacril.) Gortex thread was chosen; if we're going to spend this much time and money on an enclosure, let's not skimp on the thread.

Extreme Sewing

Heating Makrolon While Sewing

The sewing started with a problem. The thread was melting when sewing the Stamoid to the Makrolon. Enter the realm of Extreme Sewing. After some experimentation, they found that heating the Makrolon prior to sewing would allow the needle to penetrate without generating enough heat to melt the thread. The sewing took a slow and deliberate pace as a section was heated and slowly sewn. The process requires care to prevent overheating the Makrolon. In retrospect, they think that a thinner gauge of Makrolon may have been better.

Winch Access

The design around the helm was particularly challenging. We wanted something that allowed us to sail with the enclosure in place, requiring access to the winches, winch handles, and stoppers. The whole panel unzips, allowing quick access to the side deck if we have to quickly go forward.

The red line in the photo is the jib furling line. The lower part of the panel must be unzipped in order to bring it to a winch. The lower part of the panel is vinyl while the upper part is Makrolon.

Stopper Access

The stopper access is provided by another panel that incorporates both vinyl and Makrolon. There is a rectangular cutout in the Makrolon into which vinyl is sewn across the top. This forms a vinyl flap that allows our hand to reach out to the stoppers while providing water protection. The stitching is not in a very good place - it falls right into the line of sight for crab-pot-float-watch. We're discussing options for changing it. Fortunately, this is a small panel and we can try several different things to see what works best. This panel stays up all the time, just like the dodger panel to its left.

Helm Zig-Zag

The hardtop has an interesting zig-zag at the helm sliding top. Carol and Mike came up with a great design to handle it.

Hand-Holds Are Accessible

The hand-hold on the hardtop support also needed to be exposed, which was a big item on our safety list. You can see how the side panels slides into the track that the side sun shades use. There are zippers at the top of the panels, allowing us to change to bug screens and to include the side sun shades that expand out to the lifelines.

Hand-Hold Interior Strap

A velcro strap holds the enclosure in place around the hand-hold on the hard-top support.

Aft Seat Locker Access

Access to the aft seat locker (Liferaft locker) is also accommodated. Unzip the two panels that connect to the locker, including the zipper between the two panels, reach between the panels for the seatback support 'handle', then lift the seat.

Port Side Panels

Aft Panel

The port side panels keep the rain water out. The runoff from the hard top used to come down next to the seat, making it a wet place to sit. It is now "dry and comfy".

The aft panels fit very nicely. The Makrolon is almost like looking through glass. We can't roll them up, but with the zippers all the way around, it is easy to unzip a panel and stow it. Mike & Carol used an old sail to build a storage bin in the forward v-berth area to store all the panels.

Here is Carol, adjusting the fit of a panel.

Fitting a Panel

Working With Dodger Template

Carol used the SailRite recommendations for building templates. Here she is, working from the Dodger template to make a new dodger, the panel that runs across the front, connecting the cabin top to the hard-top.

Finally, here is the enclosure during final fitting, just before adding snaps. The vinyl door is zippered on both sides and across the top. It can be easily removed or unzip the sides and rolled up. On our trip south, it was just like sitting in a sun room. Sometimes we had to remove the rear panels to cool off.

Enclosure Fitting

The next project is to make bug screen panels to transform our sunroom into a screened back porch.

  -Terry

Ten Days on LUX

We took a trip to the Bahamas to enjoy LUX this winter. We used our newly acquired GoPro Hero3+ Black camera to capture a lot of video. The waterproof housing and other accessories really make it easy to get video without risking the camera. It is the first video we've ever done and it looks pretty good. We even found some public domain music to go with it.

Ten Days on LUX.


We spent ten days on board LUX in the Abacos, Bahamas, enjoying ourselves and taking pictures. It was a wonderful trip on a fantastic boat. The anchorages were peaceful, often with remarkable marine life in abundance. Fowl Cay offered excellent snorkeling on the ocean-side reefs, populated with colorful coral and fish. Nice winds and sparkling, sunny days provided great sailing opportunities on the Sea of Abaco. We explored the many places to anchor and go ashore. It was a wonderful trip!
  -Terry