Monday, May 25, 2015

Launched!



Jo Beth

Much time has passed since my last post here. And in that time, a lot of work aboard Jo Beth has been completed, or brought closer to its finish.

The biggest news to report is that we’re renters now and homeowners no more. Our house of nearly 11 years (we originally intended to own it for 4-5 years), in the last ‘old’ neighborhood when heading south out of Savannah, has sold. And it sold quickly. The house was listed for just two and a half weeks, and in those few days it was shown no less than five times. Amazingly, we also had three offers within that same time frame. We closed the deal on May 4 and Jo Beth was launched on a breezy Thursday, May 7.



Clearly, we can’t move all of our furniture and general crap which has accumulated over the years with us to the boat. A couple of weeks ago, we had a ‘come get our stuff’ party which turned out to be a surprisingly successful event. The things which are left; mostly glassware, plates, linens, and the like, and a few odd pieces of furniture are either going to Goodwill or a local auction company, as are several pieces of my photography. Of course, we’re keeping some things and delivered those items to our shore side storage locker yesterday. We plan to start transitioning to being aboard Jo Beth this coming week and will be aboard full time before the end of the month – that’s when the lease on the house runs out!

With few exceptions, Jo Beth doesn’t look so different. The overhead in the cabin is completed, but much of the cabin is still in disarray. The rigging on the outside looks no different than before. However, as we all know, looks can be deceiving. Under her skin, Jo Beth has had lots of work done.

The finished cabin overhead

Much of the work involved plumbing and piping; ways and means to move water from the storage tanks to sinks and showers, or in the case of waste water, overboard or into a holding tank for discharge and disposal at a shore-side facility. The pumps for the fresh water, both electric pressure and foot pump, were replaced with new. The pressure water runs through the new, pull-out faucet (matches the new sink) and the foot pump dispenses via a new bronze spigot (replaces the old stainless one). Hot water is available via the pressure water outlets. We also installed a hand-pump to pump in seawater into one side of the sink for dish washing. At sea, or on the anchor, the fresh water on board is limited to what we can carry in our two water tanks, a total of 75 gallons. The sea water can be used for dish washing, and even showering or bathing, provided enough freshwater is available for a rinse. Lemon-Fresh Joy and Dawn lather beautifully in saltwater!

Filtration systems are also fitted on the freshwater pressure and foot pumps. We also use a filter on the filling hose. Our fresh water supply is filtered as it goes into the on board water tanks, then again as it’s drawn out via the pump system. We also plan to create a system by which we can fill our water tanks during rain storms. Every pump that draws seawater into the boat is fitted with a strainer system as well. A tank monitoring system was installed so that we can know at a glance how much water is in either of the two water tanks. The system also monitors the diesel fuel level in the fuel tank and the state of our batteries, showing charge and consumption levels at any given time.

Hinckley riggers Greg and Mark positioning the rudder after the replacing the worn rudder bushings with new ones

In other areas, carpentry was finished and the partition for the freezer/refrigerator was fitted. (Lisa has concerns the freezer area is too large and doesn’t leave enough space for fresh food storage.) The rudder was dropped and stabilizing bushings, long worn away, were replaced. The old tiller, a wooden ‘pole’ constructed from mahogany and ash trips laminated together, and which attaches to the rudder shaft and is used to steer Jo Beth, was replaced with a new one from Ruddercraft (what a beauty!) and varnished. And while the rudder was out, the propeller shaft was removed for cleaning and inspection, and the propeller shaft bearing and seal were replaced. Hundreds of wooden bungs, small and tapered plugs of teak covering the many screws which fasten railings to the decks and hull, were fitted to replace those which have fallen away over the years.

 
Hinckley mechanic Dave secures Jo Beth's propeller shaft after replacing the propeller shaft seal

Work is also being done outside of the Hinckley boatyard. Thunderbolt Marine, another boatyard in Savannah, has an excellent in-house canvas and upholstery shop where Jo Beth’s exterior canvas and interior cushions are being made. The new air-conditioning and heating system and refrigeration systems, installed by Donnelly Yacht Services, have been brought online and tested. We’re still trying to figure out our new refrigerator/freezer controls. They also replaced the shower/waste water sump pump with a new one when the one installed early in the refit proved to be faulty. Jo Beth is sporting her new coats of beautiful, rich red anti-fouling paint on her bottom and fresh new zinc anodes. (This post explains why metal fittings made of zinc are affixed to the underwater portions of the hull.)

 Painter Marion Daughtry applies finishing touches to Jo Beth's bottom anti-fouling paint

Of course, the part of the refit we’re most looking forward to is the sea trials. Once the rigging work is completed and the sails are ‘bent’ back onto the boom and forestay (the forward most wire which supports the mast), it will then be time to take her out and sail her. When this is done, the rig will be ‘tuned’, a procedure sort of like having a car tuned up or aligned. Tuning the rig ensures the mast is standing true and straight, and that the stresses placed on the mast, rigging wires, etc., when the boat is sailed are divided as equally as possible. Tuning a sailing rig is something of an art, and it will likely take two or three tries in varying wind conditions to get it the best it can be. It’s a critical procedure to get the most performance out of Jo Beth.

After a year and a half, she's floating again

Jo Beth will stay on the Hinckley service docks for a few weeks longer while things are wrapped up. We expect to be aboard full time by the first of June, to begin this new phase of our lives. It’s been a long time coming.