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also
see > 2004-2005
Winter Storage Outside |
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Winter
Log 2005-2006
(most recent entries at top) |
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Sat-Sun
April 15-16, 2006
Easter Weekend |
Came
down Saturday, Gina's first time "on" the boat since
November. Pulled over to the 50ft. docks on West Spindrift. Gina
cleaned the interior while Tim did the "3-step" process on
all the vinyl seats in the cockpit (clean, vinyl polish, followed by
Yacht-Brite Serious Shine spray-on wax). Loaded a ton of stuff from
home back on to the boat. Seth from Sport 'n Life was docked next to
us, and enjoyed some cocktails in between more working on the boat.
Very nice day out! KCB and Brian came down late afternoon and we did
dinner at the Bistro.
Easter Sunday, Mom and Dad Unger
along with Wes and Carrie, Dave and Christy, and 'the babies' joined
us for an elegant brunch at Mac & Rays. Worked some more in the
afternoon before putting the boat "back in the garage".
Took the lines home to clean so we can moor at our summer slip next
weekend.
click
to enlarge
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On the 50ft
Docks
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Breaktime
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| Tues
April 11 |
MRYC meeting
tonight. Had enough time to buff out. polish, and wax the outside
radar arch. Also did the radar dome. Brought down more supplies
today, including the front berth bedding. About a half dozen boats
are in now. The gas dock has price of $2.94 posted for 87 octane. A
comparable price on land is about $2.69. Raining late at night and
into the morning. Saw Captain Dave from Merryyacht as leaving in the
a.m. |
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| Fri-Sat
April 7-8 |
Arrived late
afternoon Friday. The water temp is finally up enough so can use the
boat's heating system. Warmed up in a hurry, and the heat is a lot
better then the space heater which was used all winter. Raining and
cold today.
Dumb move #57: I decided to make a
pot of coffee before working on the last section of the starboard
side for polishing and waxing. When outside finishing it up I
thought "wow that fresh coffee smells good" and went below
to pour a cup. Problem was that I had forgot to put the pot under
the brewer, so there was coffee all over the counter. Fortunately it
didn't spill onto the carpet and mostly was sucked up by a roll of
paper toweling and the rest went into the cubby hole. Needless to
say it was a good time to clean that out.
Seth and Mark from next door on the
Sport 'n Life II were down for the weekend. Had cocktails on their
boat and checked out the new stereo system they had installed that
afternoon. Then went to dinner at the Bistro, before retiring
"early". (Martini's and Power Waxing can definitely wear
one out).
Saturday got an early start to do
the non-skid on the front deck. This turned out to be a 4-Step
process. Started by using Buff Magic, polishing and rubbing it out.
Followed by washing it with Boat Clean solution. Then while still
wet, spraying on the Boat Scrub Solution; rinsing well and drying
with chamois. Next applying a product call Aurora Sure-Step (which
looks like Ponds Face Cream and smells like a fruity lotion). After
letting it dry to a slight haze, it gets buffed out with a soft boat
brush, then hand buffed. I had read about this product and procedure
on the web. It is supposed to stay shiny, but is supposedly actually
activated by water and foot pressure to ensure a non-slip surface.
Time will tell how it looks and works.
The 10" orbital buffer ($29
special) started slowing down and emitting smoke and an electrical
smell, so Seth "gave me" his older one which is on it's
last legs but it worked just fine.
Opened up the garage door around
3:30. Sunny out today but a brisk wind and 40 some degrees out. |
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| Sunday
April 2 |
Weather is
sunny and in the high 50's, so pulled the boat out and docked at the
50 ft. docks just around the corner from the condo wells. This
allowed easy access to polish and wax the sides and gunwale areas.
Was nice to be able to sit on the dock while working away. Did the
port side first, then backed the boat in, so as to do the starboard
side.
I forgot that the 50ft. dock used
50 amp service, and I still have the splitter hooked up in the condo
well. I used the portable inverter to power the orbital buffer and
it worked fine. I still do most of the buffing by hand on the final
passes.
Fired up the generator for the
first time this season. Started on the second try and sounded good.
The 44ft. boat that we shared the
winter well with left and headed to his summer slip in the marina.
Now have the entire 70ft. well inside to ourselves. |
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| Thur-Fri
Mar. 30-31 |
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"Day
One 2006"
Tick Tock Too! leaves the 'garage' for 1st time this season.
Went to summer
slip for the afternoon to do some polishing and waxing. |
Friday not as nice so, so worked
inside. Am preparing outside of boat, doing the '3 step' process this
year. First buffing out with Yacht Brite Buff Magic. Then polishing
out with Yacht Brite Pro Polish. Final coat is pure Carnauba Wax.
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| Fri-Sun
Mar. 24-26 |
Staying at boat for a weekend of work.
"Typical" Friday night started with a martini and a
cheeseburger at the Bistro. Talked to Captain Dave from the Merryyacht
at the bar. He's heading to Harsens's Island on Saturday to check on
his boat that is stored there. Dan & Robin stopped by for dinner
so joined them for a while, before returning to the boat. Fired up the
hot water heater for the first time all season. Washed out the head,
then applied a coat of wax to all walls, ceiling, and floor. Buffed
out with the orbital, and finished by hand. Looks Good! Watched TV and
organized plan of attack for the next day.
Got an early start at 9:00a.m.
Saturday. Goal was to polish and wax entire cockpit area, using a
'3-step' process. This entailed using YachtBrite Buff Magic to prepare
the gelcoat areas, followed by YachtBrite ProPolish to polish it up.
And then finish it off with a coat of Meguirs Wax. All three steos
required me to apply by hand, then used the orbital buffer on most
areas, tweaking by clean rags by hand. Needless to say, I used up an
entire bag of rags.
Took a break around 2:30 and went up
to the Bistro Grille for a bowl of soup and a Rueben sandwich. Sunny
but cold today outside. ALL the buoys are in now for MacRay channel.
The power is on at the slips, and they will turn the water on as soon
as it looks like freezing is done. What is really nice is that they
have power-washed all the docks, and they look clean, new, and
fantastic.
Sunday I did a pump-out at the dock
as I had noticed for the first time all winter season that the holding
tank gauge moved off of empty. Today I finished the '3rd Step' of
waxing the cockpit area. Also did the radar arch.
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| Friday
Mar. 17 |
Stopped at boat in late afternoon. It
is St. Patrick's Day so after working on boat stopped up to the
Bistro Grille for a drink and a salad. Starting to feel like a
'regular' there (oh, oh). Brought the new Garmin 2010c Chart Plotter
unit and bracket to install.
They have removed the bubbler from
the dock and the connected pvc pipe from outside. Sunny outside but
moderate biting cold wind. Saw Seth from Sport 'n Life II and used
his hose with water filter attachment of fill up the water tank.
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| Friday
Mar. 10 |
Stayed overnight to work on boat.
Removed old GPS unit and wiring. Was a little trickier than thought.
Ended up cutting the old antenna at the radar arch, then attached
the new antenna wire to it in order to pull it thru. By taking off
the access plates on the arch, the side rail, and one by the seat, I
was able to snake it through up to the dash. Took the instrument
panel off and pulled it back out of the way.
Saturday was spent cleaning out the
cockpit area to get ready to clean it.
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| Friday
Mar. 3 |
MacRay Harbor had a great Open House tonight,
featuring a couple dozen vendors from the marine business. A lot of
appetizers, a cash bar, as well as a live band. The place was packed
with an estimate of over 600 people attending. Gina was out of town,
so I brought her mom who enjoyed herself. Saw lots of fellow
boaters. Stopped by the boat and saw neighbor Seth waxing his boat.
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| Thursday
Feb 16 |
MRYC Meeting tonight. Stayed after at
the bar for a drink; nice knowing I only have to walk a couple
hundred yards to the boat and don't have to drive.
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| Tuesday
Jan. 24 |
| Another
MRYC meeting tonight. Very windy today, and gale force winds
expected. The standard 44 degrees inside the well today, and
cool and chilly outside. Drove out to the lake front and there
is no ice at all. This may not bode well for water levels this
upcoming season. There are a few small ice chunks floating in
the marina.
Spent the night after the
meeting. Finally had enough trash to empty. Restocked with the
staples of orange juice, coffee, and cream to last a few
weeks. The small space heater is working well! Always have to
shut it off in the middle in the night as it gets close to 80 degrees
inside.
What a difference a month
makes. These pics are from Belle Maer Marina next door looking
out the channel to the lake. (click
to enlarge). |
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| Tuesday
Jan. 17 |
Tim had Yacht Club
meeting at the marina, so stayed the night. Arrived around 5:30 and
turned heat on. Drove around the marina and noticed that much of the
ice is gone. The channel entrance to the lake is clear now, and the
ice only starts to thicken right at our slip. It has been raining
most of the day.
Temperature
Readings:
Outside: 40 early evening ~
Inside Building: 44
Water: 36.1
(up from 2 weeks ago)
Bubblers still running full time.
It appears that the rain (and there was a lot of it tonight) drains
back into the wells through some large pipes, so had to get used to
the echoing sound. I originally thought it was some boats' bilge
pump working overtime.
Got out the manual and figured out
how to adjust the depth sounder dash panel lights to work before
turning in early.
Awoke to a couple of inches of wet
snow on the car in the morning. Better the car than the boat. It is
expected to stay below thirty degrees on Wednesday, but warm up over
forty on Thursday. |
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| Friday
Jan. 6 |
We had a dinner
/ cruise planning meeting with members of the MRYC in the
area, so I decided to stay at the boat for the night. Stopped by
around 5:00 to turn heat on. Just jumped on board from dock instead
of using ladder. The water level seems up about a foot from a couple
weeks ago. Brought the new GPS Chartplotter and checked to see
how it will fit at the helm. Need to remove the old one and install
the new antenna as well. A good project for later this winter. Left
for dinner around 6:00.
Temperature
Readings at 5:00 pm:
Outside: 26 ~
Inside Building: 44
Arrived back at the boat at 11:45
p.m. The little ceramic heater really warms the cabin up good. The
dinner was great and initial planning looks like we have several
boat headed up to the North Channel the first of July.
Was awaken @ 8:00a.m. by a call
from work, then went back to sleep until 11:00a.m.
After a glass of OJ and a cup of
coffee, walked out on the back deck, and noticed that the stern
light was turned on at the neighbors boat Sport 'n Life. Wondered
how I didn't notice that last night, but then saw Seth and turned
out he and Mark had stayed on their boat last night as well. Talked
to him for a while before leaving at noon. |
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| Tuesday
Dec. 27, 2005 |
Had a family function
nearby this evening, so decided to spend night at the boat to save a
trip home. Stopped by earlier in day to turn heater on.
Temperature
Readings at 12:00 noon:
Outside: 34
Inside Building: 45
Inside Boat Cabin: 41
Water: 34.8
Looks like marina is pretty much
iced over, but the Lake is fairly open except by shore. There is
also open water approximately 8-10 ft in back of the overhead garage
doors where the boat is parked. I could see the small PVC pipe of
the bubbler system, and it is doing the job.
Got back to the boat at 11:30 p.m.
While parking car outside, I heard what appeared to be two small
'explosions' about a minute apart. Sounded like either a small
firecracker or backfire from some type of machinery coming
from inside one of the garages or the roof area?? Walked around a
little but couldn't figure it out. A little weird.
Unhooked the cable TV from the
neighbor and plugged ours in (only one input on the power pole). The
cable TV working fine, and watched a rebroadcast of the Pistons
beating the Raptors. Turned the heater off before going to sleep as
it was 71 degrees inside.
Was woke up in the middle of the
night by the sound of something crashing on the deck of the boat.
Scared me a bit, but thought that it must of been the ladder used to
get on the boat from the dock had fallen. Walked out on the back
deck and then out to the front deck searching for the cause. Ladders
was secure, so all I could figure is that something "fell"
from the roof, hit the boat, and then went in the water. Went back
to bed perplexed. In the morning I would discover that the
toothbrush holder with all the contents had fallen off the wall in
the head. That would explain the "big" crash.
Got up in morning at 6:45 a.m. with
the help of the alarm clock. 10 minutes the galley clock/alarm went
off and I couldn't figure out how to reset it, so I ended up taking
the batteries out of it. I wonder how many days in a row that alarm
had been going off every day at 7:00 a.m.?
Showered at Bathhouse 2, and the
sign indicates it will be closed for maintenance for the week of
January 2nd. |
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| Tuesday
Dec. 2nd |
Tim had a MacRay Yacht
Club Meeting at the marina, so decided to spend the night. Outside
temp in the high teens, and inside the building the thermometer read
44 degrees. Tried the boat HVAC system; it blew out warm air for a
minute, then control panel started blinking, so shut it down.
Set up two space heaters, but blew the
circuit, so resorted to just one. Did not take too long to bring the
inside temp up. Went to the meeting for a few hours and upon return
it was toasting to 70 degrees.
Wireless internet service worked
good inside the boat. Still a boat or two without shrink-wrap
outside. Trees are decorated with Christmas lights all around. More
ice in the canals than before. |
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Thursday
Nov. 24th
Thanksgiving |
Gina's family had
ordered Thanksgiving dinner from MacRay's restaurant, so Tim
volunteered to pick it up and stop by boat for a short time. Outside
weather was sunny, but temps in the teens and a very brisk wind. The
water level looks way down, so much that the large rock in the Lake
out front of Mac Ray's is very visible now. Some ice has formed in
the marina and the Lake near shore. Surprised that there are still
very many boats that haven't been shrink wrapped yet.
The temperature inside the building
was around 38-39 degrees, a little colder than I would of thought.
The heater tubes were on. The compressor that runs the bubbler was
plugged in and running. It is now enclosed inside a dock box that
was put on the end of the dock. |
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| Saturday
Nov. 19th |
Stopped by
mid afternoon, no one around. The water level seemed up since last
visit. The thermometer on the inside wall said 47 degrees. Don't
think the heat tubes are on yet. There is now a small compressor on
the dock hooked up to a couple rubber tubes that run underneath the
overhead doors. Must be the compressed air bubbler system set up.
The electric cord runs down the dock and must be plugged in manually
when needed.
Hooked up the cable TV and watched
part of the Michigan football game and made a couple phone calls.
Turned on the A/C heating system for about 15 minutes, it warmed up
the cabin from 45 to 50 degrees. There was still one boat in the
water outside on Amber. About a 32 ft., and the canvas is taking a
beating. |
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| Thursday
Nov. 10th |
Scored a 50
amp splitter on e-Bay and stopped at the well on lunch hour to hook
it up so we'd have electric. It had been very very windy the last
few days and the boats had been rockin' a little according to Mike.
I adjusted the bumper on the port bow and re-tied a couple of lines.
He had taken the ladder off the bow for us. Also adjusted the flat
bumper on the Sport-N-Life II boat next door.
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| Saturday
Nov. 5th |
Caught up
with Mike who we are sharing the well with for the winter. Helped
him get tied up and then we brought the Tick Tock Too in bow first.
Thought for sure that both boats wouldn't fit, but a couple feet to
spare. Washed the boat and hooked up electric and cable to the dock.
Forgot that it was 50 amp service only, so will have to get the
correct converter/splitter for it to work.
Nice day of 60 degrees, so sat on
the swim platform with the overhead door open for a beer and a
cigar. A large Viking a few slips down from us left for Windsor for
the night.
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