Time to call in the professional.

After spending the previous weekend in Vermont, we had a three-day weekend of boat work awaiting us. Amazingly the forecast was for great weather all three days, so we were looking forward to getting a lot done. First on the priority list was to try to break the rudder stuffing box free. After all, until that project is finished we can’t go in the water.

I had posted about our dilemma on the Bristol Sailboats Facebook page and received several good suggestions, so as we drove down to Shenny on Friday I was optimistic. Jeff, not so much. Maybe because he knew that he would be the one doing all of the grunt work!

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It’s not always about the boat.

After a very long off-season getting the house ready to sell, selling it, and moving into an apartment, we needed to get away. Typically a weekend getaway for us would be Boston or NYC, but this time we wanted something relaxing. Vermont during mud season would be perfect. Although we’ve only been there a handful of times, I have a soft spot for Vermont. It’s so relaxing. Maybe it’s the lovely topography, maybe it’s the people who are so friendly. If it wasn’t for the winters and the fact that it doesn’t border an ocean, I would seriously think about moving there.

We drove up to Bennington, Vermont after work on Friday, April 9th, and less than two hours later we were checking into the Four Chimneys Inn in Bennington, Vermont. We must already be getting used to apartment living because the room was huge! Making good use of the gas fireplace and the heated private porch, we spent the weekend recharging and reconnecting. It was fantastic.

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Chartplotters, Bits, and Bobs – Defender Warehouse Sale Time!

As the annual Defender Warehouse Sale approached, we casually started making a list. “You know, we don’t really need much this year” we told each other. Yet somehow on Sunday the 2nd we found ourselves loading four bags into the car. What the….

Our sale actually started a week early this year when we picked up a refurbished 7″ B&G Zeus2 chartplotter for $500. We’ve been using iNavX as a chartplotter on our iPad ever since we bought little Bristol, and although it was o.k. we always knew we would eventually buy a real chartplotter. We can’t see the iPad screen in the sunlight, it’s not waterproof, it needs to stay out of the sun so it won’t overheat, and we have to keep an eye on the battery. While it works for some people, it really wasn’t what we wanted to use when we head out full time. We wanted something waterproof that we could hard wire and see in bright sunlight.

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That sucker is stuck.

After taking care of our propeller shaft stuffing box last fall, it was time to turn our attention to the rudder shaft stuffing box. Jeff had noticed during last season that the hose surrounding the stuffing box was very old with many signs of serious cracks. Given that a rupture of the hose would result in a significant amount of ocean water coming into the boat, we knew we needed to take care of it this offseason.

Unable to find anything online about servicing the rudder shaft stuffing box, we were essentially going to have to go in blind for this project. Not surprisingly with a 40 year old boat, its been a challenge, and unfortunately we’re not finished yet.

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