Log Book (january) 

January 1

We wouldn't be in Canada if we didn't go Ice Skating.

One of the members of West End Baptist rents a local ice skating rink every New Years Day, and a good chunk of the church shows up.  We got invited and had a good time.  Jannelle and Bianca are going to be taking lessons this month with the local home schooling group so this was a good beginning and a chance to try out the used skates they bought for the class.   The girls and Deb would go skating a couple times a year back home.  I haven't been on skates since High School when I would play hockey on a friends pond. I was terrible, plus the skates I was wearing were two sizes two small and two decades too old.  I made it around twice before deciding that if I wanted to go running the next morning, I better get out of my skates.  The girls went around a few hundred times. Thanks to the Rixmann family for providing for this!

Bianca on Ice

Deb, who never falls. 

Getting ready to go. 

January 5

This morning I caught an Otter spy checking out our food supply.   I get along with animals through binoculars. 

Jannelle and Bianca Built a Snow person. 

Jannelle and Bianca went ice skating on the local pond.

Deb and I went for a walk. 

I don't get tired of seeing the ocean.

We have updated our November and December Photos: Click Here

January 7

Stapling the grommet reinforcement patches in place so they can be sewed in place. 

I have no problem paying people to do things for me.  I believe in expertise.  I believe that people are wired so completely different that paying them to do something that they excel at makes sense.  It usually costs less in the long run.  I have 20 years of experience in auto repair that backs this up.  The do-it-yourselfer always thinks they are saving money at home, but you just cannot beat the experience of someone who does something every day.  This is why I am going to pay someone to make my next set of sails, and I pay someone to tell me what the weather is going to be.  I can sew, and I can look at the weather on the internet just as good as the next guy, but I am not an expert at either.  What ticks me off though, is when someone who is an expert doesn't use their expertise to save you money in the long run, but uses their expertise as a weapon against you.  Mortgage lenders are the first thing that comes to mind.  They are supposed to help you handle the most difficult and complex financial arrangement you will likely encounter so that it works out best for both the lender and the borrower.  They haven't and now the entire world economy suffers.  Realtors, bankers, accountants, counselors are all experts who we need.  When they go bad, everybody suffers.  

Ok, we are almost done with the rant.  I got an estimate for some canvas work on my boat that knocked the wind out of me.  I think the formula they used was this:  Normal price of this canvass job (225) + Extra added on for the fact that it is going on a sailboat, and sailors are all rich (100) +  Extra added on for CFA (Come From Away) who has weird American accent (100) = 425.00.  Right. 

I went down to Princess Auto,  a very dangerous store for me - like Cocaine, and bought about four times the material I needed for the job for 139.00.   Deb and I sewed the first stage of the job up last night. 

So 425 - 139 = 286 in savings.  Plus, I have material left over for about four more jobs like this. 

I know some canvass maker is going to read this and call me cheapskate.  I know that the material costs for this job are less for the canvass maker, they buy in huge quantities.  I know how long it actually takes to do this work.  At 70 dollars an hour you are looking at a 250-300 dollar job. 

The rant is over.   We now return to our happy family oriented web site.

Yes, that is a Sailrite sewing machine.  Yes, we love it and think it is worth the weight and space to have. 

We have plenty of heavy duty high quality canvass left over. 

The sewing machine was my birthday present, but Deb is much better with it.  We had fun together doing this. 

The Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ - 1 really does what they say it will.  It has paid for itself about three times over. 

The new wind guard in place.   Now when we open the hatch, gale force winds aren't blowing in.  We will add a window when we find some suitable clear plastic. 

January 13

Our trusty heater.

Two years ago we bought a used Dickinson Arctic heater.  I installed a new carburetor and it has served us well.  The hot water coil on it burned through this season, and the heater pot has several spots on it that are very thin from years of use. The chimney parts are also so loose that soot falls out of the stack when the wind blows just right.  I knew that I could replace the water coil (I have a new one waiting to be installed) and the burner pot, and replace the chimney, but we decided to go with an entire new heater because we find the heater to be a critical part of our life support system.  We like being warm.  We ordered the exact same model with a double heater loop, and a stack robber.  When we get it all installed, Deb will have warm air from the stack robber blowing on her feet, and we will have hot water circulating to a heater up in the double berth where Deb and I sleep. 

Saying this is easier than doing it.  Installing this new heater while living on board has been a little bit like heart surgery, we have to have everything working while everything is apart.  This has upped the stress level living aboard and has required us to adjust to an even smaller place to live.  We all want the heater, but getting it in comes with a price. 

This is what it looks like when everybody is up front to watch a movie on the laptop computer.  Snug as a bug in a rug.

I keep a blog that gives boat geek info on projects done on Precipice HERE if you are interested.

January 15

This is the flame in our new heater.   It stayed running through 110km/hr winds (68mph).  We couldn't be more happy

A storm system moved over Newfoundland.  First it brought blowing snow.  Then it brought rain.  Then it brought gusty winds right from the West (right from the stern of Precipice) that reached 110km/hr.  Just down the road from us a soccer stadium that was under construction collapsed from the winds.  7.1 million dollar loss.   We rocked around a little, but it was calmer than any day at sea.  I was glad to be in port last night.  Our wind cover tried to escape, the hooks on the bungy cords we used to hold it on bent open.  We took the rest of it down before it took the canopy frame with it. 

This used to be a giant arched structure.   Now it is a 7.1 million dollar scrap pile on top of two cranes and a truck.  I guess better now than later when people were in it.  Back to the drawing board.  It is amazing what wind can do. 

Cameras never capture blizzards very well. 

Deb and Jannelle shopping for new winter jackets.  We are still searching. 

January 19

He let me get right up to him.  This is next to the stage (fishing shack) right behind our boat. 

For three days we had a visitor show up and spend his time lazing around on the ice behind our boat.  Basically a seal is a dog with flippers.  At least that is how he acted.  In years past we are told that a seal that showed up in the harbor wouldn't have made it through the night before he became dinner.  I can see why they are easy to club, he wasn't afraid of me at all.  The fisherman point out that you cannot have thousands of seals and have fishing stock at the same time, so the seal hunt goes on.  Many of the same arguments that are used for deer hunting in Michigan are heard here about seals.  As far as I know, this guy lived. 

January 20

The on the road crew of Living Newfoundland and Labrador

In November a local TV show came and interviewed us about living as a family in a small space.  The episode aired last night and it was a well done segment.  You can watch the online version:  Living Newfoundland and Labrador: Family on a Boat .  It is weird to see yourself on camera.

Nice work Gerry Amey, Darryl Murphy, and Erin Sulley (and the rest of the wizards behind the curtain!) who did such a nice job.

January 21

Deb working on the ice. 

We are getting better at dealing with the ice that has been forming in the harbor.  Here Deb is breaking up the ice that is trying to jam Bjorn, the Swede's boat into Pat's boat - pushing both into the wharf.  A large piece of ice like that has a lot of momentum. Even if it doesn't look like it is moving fast, when it hits your boat it is like getting hit by a bus.  Bjorn's boat has a new line going to the back of it because the old one rubbed through on my bowsprit over night.  Pat got a new line and tied it up again.  Such is the drama in Quidi Vidi. 

I wanted to buy a de icer - which is basically a propeller in a bucket that you put under water to keep ice from forming.  The cheapest one I could find was around 500.00.  The owner of the brewery wondered why we couldn't just use a submersible sump pump.  Genius.  One little road trip later to Princess Auto (my favorite store) netted a stainless steel pump normally 219.00 for 58.00CDN.  A couple of zip ties and a 2x3 later and I had myself an ice prevention device for under 100.00.  Phil Kleis (a guy I worked with for 10 years, actually four - but it seemed like ten for him) would be proud of my redneck intervention. 

January 24

Building a bookshelf for Precipice.

One of the people I met through the Ham Radio Operators group (SONRA) has a little woodworking shop in his basement.  Graham spent all afternoon helping me build a bookshelf for our vessel.  We had fun, and amazingly didn't do anything incredibly dumb - which I credit to Graham watching my every move. 

January 25

CCGS Sir Wilfred Grenfell

Graham's brother-in-law is the Captain of the Coast Guard ship Sir Wilfred Grenfell.  I have been looking for paper for my old fashioned graphing barograph and this ship is still using this style barograph, apparently the last in the fleet to do so. When we asked Graham's brother-in-law, Perry,  about where to find some more of this style paper he offered to give us a tour of his vessel.  Sunday after church, Graham gave us a ride down to the harbor and we got a VIP tour of everything on the boat. We got to ask all the usual questions, got a demonstration of a survival suit, got to see the inside of a self contained life raft, and spent a half hour on a fully equipped bridge. 

Jannelle playing with binoculars that cost about a months worth of Precipice's Budget

Jannelle says to me, "This bridge looks like the bridge from Star Trek!"   She really knows how to make her Daddy proud.

Deb at the helm of a 68 meter (223foot) vessel.  Jannell says "Why do they put such a tiny wheel on such a big ship"

This anchor fits the definition of "big whonking anchor".  They carry a spare just like us. 

Deb inspecting the stores.

The food storage area on the Wilfred Grenfell is about as big as our entire boat.  Deb asked the galley cook (2nd highest in command to the captain, some say higher) how he keeps all this stuff in place when they are underway.  He showed us a bungy cord that he uses to keep things in place.  For us, all of this stuff would be smashed to bits if it was held in like this on our boat. 

Afterwards, Graham gave us a drive up to Cape Spear.  Newfoundland is so beautiful.  Just skip PEI and come up here.  Really.

Big nasty boat eating rocks. 

January 28

A reminder that the sea is something to be respected.

Someone stopped by the wharf and threw in a bouquet of flowers.  They were doing this to remember someone who had died at sea fishing.  The flowers stayed around awhile and then drifted out into the ocean.  This is the nautical equivalent to all the little crosses you see along the roadside where someone had died in an automotive accident.  Last year 2.9 million people where injured in auto accidents, and 43,000 died.  World wide, auto deaths result in around a million deaths each year or about 3000 a day.  World wide, last year 17,000 people died in marine related accidents, or about the equivalent of a week worth of auto accidents.  ( I know you are going to say that people spend much more time in cars than boats and this is true, but it doesn't account for the disparity between the statistics.) Both activities are inherently unsafe.  People would have very little problem with me buying a minivan and driving across the country with it, but they freak out when I go sailing.  All I can say to that is, please wear your seatbelt when you are in a car.

Jannelle and Bianca about 3.4 seconds before they were booted outside with loss of Nintendo DS privileges.  They will be able to tell people how horrible we were to them later when they are in college. 

What kids should look like when they want to be inside. 

The weather has been nice and cold here.  Our sump pump de-icing device has been doing a great job keeping the ice from forming around our boat, and we all have been enjoying some snow.  The local schools will close when there is a bad forecast, even before the weather shows up.  The local kids show up at our boat, and get conned into attending school with Jannelle and Bianca, who don't even get snow days. 

If you really want to find out what you are made of, try home schooling your kids.  On a boat. 

January 29

A nice sunny day in NYC

I needed to get fingerprinted and take a coast guard oath, so I flew into the states one day and flew back the next.  The difference between New York and Newfoundland is astounding. 

The #1 Subway train.   They fit 25 more people in here on the next stop, but I couldn't take a picture because I couldn't get to my camera.  It was packed. 

It is good to be back home. 

Newfoundland is blessed with musicians.

On Saturday night, one of the local sailors invited us over for dinner and then took us to a strings only concert at his church that we enjoyed very much.   They wouldn't admit it, but I think the girls even missed their cellos.  Bianca asked if she could play the violin.  I think this was sleep deprivation talking because I haven't heard anything about it since. 

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