April 24-May 8
Hi All,
Yeppa….we are back for another cruising season in Alaska, our 7th…this time heading north to Prince William Sound, the Kenai Peninsula, and Kodiak across the Gulf of Alaska…gulp, into open ocean waters….how do we do this again??:)) But wait, before the adventure begins we have 2 pages of stuff to get done…ok, John-boy get to work!!!
Generator: took off heat exchanger and elbow, both looked in good shape, check, replaced coolant, check, replaced seawater pump, check, replaced coolant drain tube, check, changed fuel filter, check, replaced air filter and cleaned old one, check…..then hired a mechanic to change injectors and set valves….he noticed the fuel hoses were brittle so replaced, check, and oh, John, you see that greenish blue liquid coming out of Coolant pump weep hole…yep, got a leak, so he changed it, check!!!
But wait….when he was done we ran the GEN and after about 30 minutes it cutout starving for fuel. We called the mechanic back and we worked for another few hours that night….no joy…then another 5 hours the next day….eventually found fuel hoses reversed….ugh, and then found the fuel pump had died (most likely from different fuel flow/pressure)…but got ‘r done and all is well!! Just cost us a day of getting OUR work done.
Oh….one more thing….the mechanic had a hard time walking so we had to take the boat to the front dock….each time…total of 3 days….should have been one day….and when we turned on all the electronics the first day, our Big Bay navigation display did not turn on….ugh….make a long story short….checked cables, called Tom @ Big Bay and Greg, our electronics guy, et al. Then Kathy and I were sitting in the PH later that day when all of a sudden the display comes on for a few seconds then back off….I checked all the cables again, and this time found the HDMI converter from the Intel NUC computer to the BB display was loose….pushed it all the way in and voila, we have a display and it has worked ever since…a simple solution….the best kind!!!
Cummins: changed coolant and fuel filter, changed transmission oil
Exalto wipers: changed wiper controls….new relay box, new cable and new control panel on console….had to remove ceiling panel as relay box is attached to the ceiling….doing that is a real PITA….it also required running a new cable through 3 very tight cable runs….that was a job indeed!!!
Starlink: installed Starlink’s high performance flat antenna on PH deck….the one made for motion and is approved for boats and ocean waters. Of course had to go through same wire run as Exalto wiper cable but this time had to enlarge several spots to make room. The end of the cable that goes into the antenna measures 1 1/8″….that is a big connection!!! But, after you get used to Starlink’s skimpy instructions, pictures and symbols I was able to hook up the power box and router and activate our account….of course, through Starlink’s app:)))
For the last week+ it has been working quite well with broadband internet speeds….wow. It’s like a promise come true. When we bought the boat in 2004, the prevailing thought was there would be affordable internet Broadband speed w/in 5 years….well, 19 years later it has arrived!!! Certainly faster than our Xfinity Mobile (Verizon) hotspot (through our iphones) so we are very pleased. We are expecting spotty coverage up north so we also activated the Iridium GO (very slow but reliable) so we have backup!!
Yanmar: changed oil, changed oil & fuel filter, changed coolant
Other jobs: checked all zincs including Torrid hot water tank, replaced 6 Racor fuel filters, changed fresh water filter, flushed watermaker of pickle fluid and started up, dropped anchor chain on dock and remarked with colored anchor markers every 25’ plus changed ends and anchor shackles….that was a job….took all day….Kathy did all the markers!!!, cleaned dinghy and lowered/raised it to test winches as well as started the Tohatsu and went for a spin, and FINALLY, gave Mystic a through washing!!!
The fisherman next to us, Pacific Dawn, came over and apologized for all the soot he has deposited on Mystic the last 2 years. Of course, he didn’t offer to help clean it off, but the gesture was appreciated. He said they overhauled the engine this winter in Petersburg, had not done that in 13 years….said it was in bad shape and hopefully won’t be spitting out so much soot now. I will say the boat was in pretty good shape after 3 months and not much soot so maybe the overhaul worked!!
Kathy: inventoried all provisions then restocked, cleaned, plus helped John-boy when he needed extra hands!!
All that took us 14 days….yeppa, we are a bit worn out, but physically getting in boat shape which is healthy me thinks, and all joints while a bit cranky are working:)))
The Plan: Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 9, we start our summer cruise, finally…..about a month later than usual but couldn’t be avoided with the heart cryoablation just a month ago….good news, according to the Apple watch, still in sinus rhythm…yea!!! We will first go 25nm to Kalinan in Salisbury Sound…first, just relax, then start to fish for King salmon and eventually go north through Sergius Narrows and to some of our favorite crab and salmon anchorages. I’d say in 1-2 weeks or so when we are sure systems are a GO and we are well rested, we will start to look for a window to head north in the Gulf of Alaska towards Prince William Sound…..more on that later!!
Hope all is well!!
Cheers,
John
Mystic Moon
Starlink’s flat high performance antenna on the Pilot House deck
View of Eliason Harbor and Mount Edgecombe in the background!!