If prevention is the key, where are my keys?

   My idea of prevention is making sure there is always half/half in reach of my coffee cup and Heineken in the fridge.  In that sense, preparation is prevention is contentment .
   When it comes to engine maintenance I am lucky in the sense that my sailboat was formerly owned by one of the best marine surveyors in the state of Florida{name withheld}. But after owning this boat for almost two years I can no longer stand on this man's shoulder and prolong these tedious tasks.

     Third on the list, first coffee and cream, are the sacrificial anodes placed around your boat to protect stray electrical current from eating up your engine and allowing it to corrode the lesser of the noble metals, zinc.    My Yanmar is cooled with raw-sea water and without going into technical detail for lack of understanding on my part, the marina's power supply in salt water makes for a giant battery and will find a way to corrode your boats precious metals(your engine block) if not protected by a resistor in place of a less-noble metal , zinc.
   Taking note of the picture above, the object in the middle is the old zinc, removed, and on the left, the new zinc,replaced. This anode was in the beginning of the raw-water intake preceding my engine block. The raw-water cooling system is no different than your own cooling system in your car of which I am sure you are familiar with. This replacement was long over due as evidenced in the picture below.

        Your intake should not look like this ! I am sure this picture will aid in the re-sale of this boat?
We already know what my priorities are when it comes to a responsible maintenance regime. I have always owned a car that leaked oil as fast as I replaced it, thus making for an ever eternal oil change and always advocated the use of fix-all additives such as Marvel Mystery Oil as opposed to actual repair.
I cannot take this approach with this boat as it is my own panacea.

  
    

Sailing on a shoestring budget

Literally, in this video ,the helm is tied off with a shoestring from my converse sneaks.  Not wise, to be walking the deck , with your first mate down below

with limited sailing skills in the MOB(man over board) department. But , the day was perfect, the camera's mike picks up the wind but the silence of slicing thru the sea is without compare. This sail we are moving about 9 knots and the boat is correcting itself as the wind shifts. We sailed due east for about two hours and came back the same way, on a shoestring..

1. 

 

3sheets to the wind

The old adage "3 sheets to the wind" comes from the sailing community.  The "sheets" in the phrase are not the sails, but the ropes. On board,they are never called "ropes ." They are named according to there function : halyards- move or hold things vertically, sheets-move ie hold things horizontally, and lines which hold things in a static position.  The sheets in this case are the ropes that hold the sails in place. If one sheet is loose, the sail will flap in the wind and the ships progress will slow. Two sheets loose( "in the wind,") and you have a real issue. With 3sheets in the wind,the boat acts like a "drunken sailor. "
     For the most part the total number of sheets is a rating system for inebriation among land-lubbers and sailors alike. One sheet meant tipsy,two sheets meant leaning to the left or right,four sheets was complete unconscious.  And of course three sheets,insert your own definition here.

WHAT TO DO WITH THE POO?

     What process in my head allowed me to believe I could empty the holding tank with a 5 gal wet/dry vac escapes me now, but in the moment, it seemed like a good idea.
     The holding tank I installed was to satisfy maritime regs , for aesthetics,not functionality. By law, you must be 7 miles from any American shore to discharge waste, within these confines, you must be able to contain the stuff or suffer a fine if boarded. As of recent, the law is actively pursuing the criminal citation.
     There is but one person who refused to use the red Ace hardware bucket supplied to guests aboard the Seabird when out at sea, her name will remain unmentioned but the Captain made a feeble attempt to sway her from doing so.

     As it is set up, two padlocks must be removed(by law) with key to said padlocks in a different hold on ship, two 3 way y valves must be diverted, and two ball valve sea-cocks must be opened. The task alone to channel the waste in the right direction alone makes you want to use a bucket.
     Regardless, once in tank, it must be removed by taking boat to a pumpout station which in itself is an arduous task and generally requires a tip.  Why not remove it with a shop/vac?

     The directions on the vac state that when usin the wet option , misting may occur, the strictly aesetic holding tank is 3 gallons, the vac has a 5 gallon capacity, no problem I speculate. Wrong.
When all was said and done, I was questioning my own cognitive ability and the true usefullness of have a toilet onboard a boat. Bleach shower.
    This is the third time I wrote this and the only time I saved it, the first two were written with much more candor and insight but were lost to virtual cyberspace. Maybe next time I will forgo the potty humor.

My thanks to my editor for settting this .

As well as my apologies for setting this up.  And thanks to my advertiser" Big Lots" for allowing me to model in there local flyer as an underwear model.The extra cash will help pay my editor . :) Headed to the Seabird today to finish installing a PVC-vinyl plank floor outside of your typical marine installation ," only because I am installing it on the cheap" and outside of contemporary means and my inability to pass any chemistry, in all my history of academia ,I am mixing adhesives together to make a good bond ,  This will end well, I hope. The flooring is for home use and the adhesives mixed will cure underwater.