June 20 - July 2 -- Getting Ready for MAINE!

Well though there were some fun times, see below, most of this period was devoted to getting ready, specifically getting the autopilot and radar to work with the MFD. A long frustrating process. I spent six days at the boat (22 hours) but two of the days were not related to the electronics. One was for getting the dink set up. I collected the outboard from John and Al's in New Rochelle, bought two gallons of gas, and brought the deflated aluminum rib down from the second story of the locker house. It was over 90 degrees -- about 120 on the second story of the locker house. I persuaded PCs Anthony and Charlie to help me. Thanks, guys. They suggested that during the coming winter I store the dink on the outdoor racks and I'm thinking I will. Without a fall cleaning and partly covered and deflated, it will not be an attractive target for theives. And with chains and locks, located behind a row of boats and big and heavy, it will not be that easy to steal. After inflation came the most delicate job: transferring the outboard from the edge of the dock to the back of the dink without dropping it into the drink. A safety line for retrieval was fortunately not needed. After towing to ILENE, the dink, named RowJay, was hoisted on the davit bar and secured against the stern. Four tough hours in the heat.
Another day was 3.5 hours with Lene.We cleaned the insides of the various cabinets and stowed the stuff we had brought aboard in them, except for the pots and pans and plastic containers which we took home for the washing machine.

And some of my time was installing the new black main halyard using the old one as a messenger, whipping its ends, and attaching the halyard shackle to it. I had thought to have an eye splice made by my rigger, Jeff Lazar, a splice being stronger than a bowline. But he advised me of a new (to me) knot called a halyard hitch, which seems to have done the trick.

And some of the time was devoted to washing off dried guano deposited by birds that appear to enjoy sitting atop ILENE's mast and defecating on her canvas. This was only occasionally a problem when our mooring was nearer the Clubhouse. The new location, further away (needed for the new deeper keel) seems to be their favorite perchng post. And they may have wrecked the wind speed measuring device while up there.

But the bulk of my 22 hours, including three more sessions with Ed Spallina, were for the electronics.

I want to recognize Defender Industries for their outstanding customer service. Based on the various different stories from Raymarine techs about what wires and connecters were needed, I had ordered eight parts. I returned the five that were not needed. And in the box, I accidetally enclosed a half of a piece that I did need, during my rush to get out to Alaska. They sent it back at my request and did not even charge me for postage and handling. They have definitely earned my patronage.
The Raymarine Tech said that the error message relating to the autopilot was that the MFD was not connected to the "Course Computer." One of the manuals said that I had a "100/300" course computer. A google search brough me to a picture of a box that I recognized. It was installed on the forward bulwark of the large starboard lazarette. It is named the course computer; I hadn't known that.  Ed found a fuse blown there and we searched and found my yellow plastic box for electrical work, which had been missing for a week. (No one would break in and steal just that.) It was "hidden", in the very spot that I always keep it, and where I had looked for it first! We concluded that the wire led from the back of the autopilot to below the cabin sole had been connected to the wrong wire there and reattached it to the correct wire. Autopilot worked again. Hooray!

The more difficult problem was the radar. A prior Raymarine Tech had told me that before I could "pair" the MFD with the radar (by typing the radar's codes into the MFD) I had to update the MFD's software. Like they couldn't have sold the unit to me with up-to-date software?  And that required the internet, through the Verizon Mifi. Except that the MFD refused to recognize the Mifi. So I took it back to Verizon where its software got updated. I'm using it to type this blog so I know that the Mifi works. But back at the boat -- the same roadblock!
I even, redluctantly, called Precision Marine of New Rochelle. My experience is that their techs really know their stuff and are pleasant, but I have found the company very hard to work with -- in addition to charging extremely high hourly rates and for travel time. But I was desperate and the electronic tech was very polite, told me things that were wrong, and then said "Sure we can come to your boat -- in three to four WEEKS". Thanks but no thanks. Back to Raymarine. This time their tech told me that while it would be good to have the very latest software, I could pair the two devices with the existing software. He walked me through it and the radar came on at last. Hooray!
But this period was not all nonfun and games.
One afternoon Lene and I sailed with two couples, Roz and Bert

from our apartment house







and Marie and Tom who we met on a bus tour of National Parks. 

Our trip out involved a wide turn around Big Tom, through Hart Island Sound and then south of David's Island to the Echo Bay YC. It was largely by motor due to lack of wind. Then the wind came up and we zig-zagged back to the mooring under main and small jib. Three very pleasant hours, well not so pleasant for Tom, who helmed, but he did not lose his lunch!

I promised: "Next time we'll convene on land!" We enjoyed an hour on the mooring for wine and cheese.

The other sail was with eight Old Salts, on PC Mark's catamaran, "Deuce of Hearts". There was good wind for the jaunt out to near Sands Point, and several courses coming back. I think I was the only one, other than Mark, who had the helm, physically strong enough to handle the heavy work with the bridles, halyard and tacking and jibing. A nice fast trip for about three hours and then we were joined by six more who had sailed with Bennett on his "Ohana".

I also attended a meeting of the Cruise Committee, ex officio, by reason of my title as Fleet Captain. We will be in Maine and so cannot participate in the cruise itself. It was planned and the meeting chaired by PC Bruce, who did a fine job of attracting eight boats, subject to cancellations, to participate in all or part of a ten day cruise to the nearest spot in Rhode Island.

We also attended Bennett's birthday party and, on another night, dinner and theater with him and Harriet.

A final night was for the premier performance of Lene's play, "Airport Rendezvous," by the Wednesday Repertory Company, half a block off Broadway. Lene could not star in her own play because we had been in Alaska during the rehearsal period but fellow members of the Company did a good job. And another of the night's seven plays, by Tony, was about two men tied to rocks at low tide, inspired by his sail aboard ILENE past Execution Rocks last summer.

MAINE, here we come.