HUGE News Coming Soon!

New News

We have huge news coming sometime this weekend, not sure when exactly but before Monday. I don't want to give it away, but lets just say it's a huge change of plans! This family doesn't miss a chance when it comes our way, we take a deep breath, a leap of faith, and find a way to make things happen.. They did.........

Solar Powered & a New Crew Member

SOLAR POWERED

After we returned from the Tortugas I took a little break from working on the boat and enjoyed just living in the keys. Since we got to Boot Key it's been a constant assault on the boat and I was burned out and needed to relax, but now it was time to get things done and I was ready to get back to it. Being off season hours are limited at work and this has given me some extra time to get things done on the boat, however the money is being missed. 

The latest project was getting the solar panels wired up. This involved drilling holes in the hull, something I wasn't exactly excited about doing. It turned out to be no big deal and our friend Zach was more than happy to be the trigger man. When I was researching solar I picked my components carefully and spent weeks deciding what I wanted, you wouldn't believe the hours spent. I figured our amp hours used each day and what would be needed to support that. I settled on 2 140 watt Kyocera panels because for me they seemed to have the perfect balance of cost vs efficiency & need. It allowed me to use smaller, less expensive controllers due to lower voltage and I managed to find a setup that give me everything I wanted. Due to some people asking, here is the setup on Kainoa. 

Kainoa Solar/Power Setup

2 Kyocera 140 watt panels

Blue Sky Energy SB2512iX-HV

Blue Sky IPN-PRO Remote

Around 40 ft total 10AWG wire

With this we are averaging 12 to 13 amps per hour input on a normal day and we have seen 17+ several times. Our panels are mounted on rails port and starboard, placed horizontal and not repositioned during the day. 

(*Older photo showing how we installed the panels*)

I wanted to just set it and forget it, you know like a Ronco oven! (<----- click) These are connected to our 2 extremely large 370 amp hour 6 volt batteries. We have a second battery bank as well, however it is on the way out and is several years old. I will be replacing the second bank with 4 smaller 6 volt batteries, giving battery bank 2 430 amp hours. This will give us 800  total amp hours of use overall. But.....

Quick 12 volt battery lesson.. 

We will have 800 amp hours, but you never want to discharge your batteries that much, as a matter of fact if you can keep them between 70% and 90% they will last much longer. Our batteries are industrial deep cycle and can tolerate routine 50% discharges, so that makes our usable amp hours around 400. Our daily use averages less than 40 amp hours. Theoretically that would mean we could go 10 days without any input and we would still be at 50% battery life. That is running our fridge, lights, fans and charging ipods, ipads etc. Doing the math right now it is looking like we are putting 2x as much in daily as we take out and that doesn't even add the wind generator into consideration! 

I also wired up a new distribution panel right next to my charge controller and display/battery monitor. This panel has USB ports to charge devices, a 12 volt plug for other items like an inverter to grind our coffee and the fridge is wired here as well. I've spent my fair share of time chasing wires through the boat! These are all mounted so I can monitor everything while sitting on the couch or dinner table ;-) I plan on doing a more technical walkthrough to show people how exactly our solar is hooked up and how it works down the road. 

Here are a couple photos

Thanks to Gate, Zach and Alex for help and technical guidence!

 NEW CREW MEMBER

On a non technical note we have taken on a new crew member, meet Buoy.. 

What sailing vessel in the Caribbean would be complete without a parrot? Even though she is the size of a parakeet, Bouy is every bit a full blow parrot in a small body. She is an 8 week old Pacific Parrotlet and has quickly become a member of the family. Pacific Parrotlets are known for their attitudes and wit, they are also quite good talkers. The kids have been bothering us for a bird for 2 years, we finally buckled when we found Buoy. Colby spent about 2 weeks studying everything about Parrotlets months ago and even made several trips to the small pet shop that hand raises them to ask questions and handle the ones they had. 

MISC

Things are going well and the boat is almost done.. I know it will never be truly "done" however almost all the projects that needed to be complete are just about finished. We need to do some tweeking to help with her sailing ability and will be buying a much larger headsail, as well as some repositioning of blocks and rigging next. Other than that it's hard to come up with blog ideas while sitting here at anchor, otherwise I would just post a bunch of amazing sun rises, sunsets and say how wonderful life is, I know people want more than that though! Right now our lives revolve around what activities are going on in the harbor. We have flotillas, where several people tie their dinghies up and everyone brings a snack and their beverage of choice, potlucks, tiki hut movie nights, bocce ball, community park movie nights and a ton of other activities. There is wing night, taco Tuesdays, it goes on and on. 

There are several kids in the harbor right now, Colby and Peyton are constantly playing, exploring and enjoying the company. Tuesdays are homeschool P.E. and there are about 30 kids of all ages that meet with a teacher from the high school for physical education. (it wears them out!) Colby has his first official girlfriend and I couldn't be more proud, she is a bright, beautiful young girl named Shannon. She and her brothers live on a 51ft boat here in the harbor and their parents are good friends. Peyton has a crush on one of the twin boys but I'm still leery on that idea, that wasn't supposed to happen until she hit 26!!

We are still here, struggling to make it through another rough day /sarcasm.. More updates soon. 

Till next time, 

S/V Kainoa 

Dry Tortugas Trip Revisted

Now that we have been back in Boot Key for a little while and reflected on our trip, we have been able to see our strengths, weaknesses and what we need to change. We did a lot right, few things went wrong or didn't work in a practical application but overall the trip was a huge success. It showed us we are almost ready for much larger and longer trips. I'll address sections just as I did on paper and show how the trip revealed some unknown issues, or should I say challenges. 

PROVISIONING:

If you would have seen me provision for this trip, you would have sworn we were getting ready to leave for a circumnavigation. Excessive, well maybe but I made sure we wouldn't be lacking in the food or water department if we did get stranded somewhere. During the trip we ate better than we did at home with great home cooked meals each night, big breakfasts most days, and a variety of lunches. Most importantly I did not run out of rum!

The list of spares I've been able to build allows me to replace all consumables (belts, fuses, hoses, filters) multiple times as well as replace several vital components (starters, alternator, water pumps) without needing a repair shop or store. I've got clamps, enough spare water hose to completely redo my freshwater system, enough wire to redo the boat and connectors for it all. There are just a few things I still want to get together before I'll feel comfortable heading out to someplace distant and remote, but i'm close. There were however a few things I found we need to implement before we head out.

I got several ideas for foods with longer shelf lives that we can supplement with fresh produce when we get to different locations. One of our biggest successes was almond milk. Refrigerate after opening and even then it's not exactly necessary if you are going to consume it in a few days. In my opinion it tastes better than dairy milk and can be used almost as a desert. Left over rice with a couple spoons of sugar and topped with almond milk actually makes a sweet desert. Many of the things you think need refrigeration actually don't. Eggs can last quite a while without being in the fridge, the key is to turn them every few days (I'm told this isn't even necessary) things like Ketchup, mustard and many condiments kept someplace cool and dark will last indefinitely. Our family of 4 uses an Engel 40qt fridge and while we sometimes have to play fridge Jenga, it works fine for our needs. I have toyed with the thought of buying another 40qt Engel and running it strictly as a freezer, allowing me to store a good amount of meats and frozen perishable products in a container that will only be opened a couple times per day. The Engel is so energy efficient if kept insulated and not opened I should be able to keep the consumption down to a level not noticeable.   

Overall I'd give us a B for provisioning, especially since this was our first 2 week+ trip  

ENERGY:

Our new battery bank was topped off the day of our departure and was what we used for lights, fans, radio and watching movies, these were the very large 6 volt batteries I installed recently meant for heavy duty use. Almost every battery on the shelf states the useable life at 300 cycles to 50%, these batteries are rated at 1,000 cycles to 50% and were designed for industrial forklifts etc. Even with no charging our energy consumption left us at 12.2 on the meter at the end of the trip. We never had to run the generator. Our other small battery bank was used to start the engine and run the fridge and in between anchorages the wind generator was enough to keep it up. This weekend I'll be installing the solar panels which will give us ample power! The Whale flipper pump was also a great addition saving both water and energy. 

What I wasn't comfortable with was the amount of fuel I brought along. We knew that we would be beating against a lot of head and weather going this time of year, but I didn't intend on motoring nearly as much as we did. I had probably 20 gallons in the main tank and brought two 5 gallon cans kept on the deck. Truth be told I'm sure I had enough but stopping in Key West to grab 10 gallons gave me piece of mind anyway. Next time I'll just top it all off, which would give me enough fuel to motor all the way to the Virgin Islands lol. 

In this department I'd give us a B+ and an instant A+ once these panels are installed. 

GROUND TACKLE:

You know you've got the right ground tackle when people gasp at the sight of your anchor as you are dumping it off the bow. Our 55lb Rocna may seem like overkill to most, but it sure does give a warm and fuzzy feeling when the wind is whipping outside and you are confident it's not going to drag. Combine that anchor with our 150 ft of pure chain and 150ft of 5/8 rode behind it and you've got a good nights sleep. Our anchor wasn't even set on the bottom during our stay at Dry Tortugas. Where we anchored was about 3 inches of sand with a hard bottom underneath, however it held because of the sheer weight of the anchor and mostly the chain. When I inspected the anchor I couldn't believe it held in 40kt winds and several squalls each day. This was my intention when coming up with our ground tackle setup. Our other anchors are a Fortress meant for a 60 ft boat and a 35lb Delta as a lunch hook. 

Easily an A on this one....

NEEDS IMPROVEMENT: 

There are a few things we really need to work on to improve life while cruising. 

1. A new jib

Our 100% jib is undersized and doesn't allow a correct slot to drive the boat forward. A larger headsail would make the boat perform much better giving us better speed, more sailing ability and reducing motoring ( I hate running the engine) I knew when I chose this boat it was stout and needed a stiff breeze to move it along, but when you have a schedule sometimes that stiff breeze isn't there or it's dead on your nose ;-)

2. Showering

The solar shower works, it's 5 gallons and believe it or not it gives you enough water for the entire family to shower, it does get a little sketchy if all three of my long haired family members need to really wash their hair. I don't spend much time doing that anymore! For rinsing gear and showering it would be a great improvement to add a water pump and tank designated for this purpose, which also brings me to the next...

3. Rain catchment

While we never ran out of water and returned with more than half of it, long term cruising a good rain catchment system will keep us out longer without needing a fill up. We had plenty of rain during our trip and if we would have had a rain system setup, we would have returned with full water tanks. 

4. Bad weather gear

This may be number 4 on the list but it's at the top of mine. A paratech sea anchor or something similar is something I am going to invest in. This is a big chute you deploy from the front of the boat that opens up and slows your progress as well as keeps the nose pointed into the wind. During very bad storms these have saved many of boats from certain disaster. As long as you have sea room you can reduce your speed to under .5 kts. There was one time during our trip where I would have moved into open water to get some sea room, deployed the chute and watched a movie below while I waited for the storm to end. I also need more foul weather gear for Jessica and Colby. 

5. More Experience with Heavy Weather Sailing

Now that we are back on the mooring ball we have found it much easier to just take off and go. We have taken trips to the reef, day sails, sunset sails etc. Taking the boat out more in less than ideal conditions will help with our comfort level. This will just come with time. 

There are a few other things but for the most part this trip was a success and a confirmation we are close to ready. The Dry Tortugas in many ways is tougher than a Bahamas trip and it was a great gauge to see our progress. With some small improvements, projects and more sailing we will with no doubt be ready to go!

SUMMARY:

This was a trip I'm sure the kids won't forget, however I'm sure it will be thrown on the back burner as we travel and each new experience seems better than the last. For Jessica and I it confirmed we are doing the right thing. Watching the kids tie knots, read books and explore the world around them instead of getting carpal tunnel playing a video game. They get to experience true adventure, excitement, fear, and trying new things almost on a daily basis. We are raising them to be good stewards of our environment, conservationists and hopefully future leaders. They are in touch with nature, using their imagination and thinking outside the box. Jessica and I on the other hand get to spend what little time we have while they are young being an active part of their lives. This alone is worth the price of admission. 

Each sunset, sunrise and new experience seems more beautiful than the last. This is how life was meant to be lived, enjoying the simplest of things. Things most people don't even give a second glance are cherished. This life may not be for everybody, but there is a way to do something similar or at least simplify your life. Instead of working harder, reduce your needs and work less. Do you really need to spend 150 dollars a month on cable? Do you need a 400 dollar car payment, 150 dollar cell phone bill etc? Things we think we need, really turn out to be silly when you look back, as you kick back on vacation living with that extra money. That easy a person could quit working overtime and get ahead, spending time at home instead of at work. Spending money doing things, instead of buying things. I see friends that are always trying to get ahead, when what they really need to do is go ahead by giving up the excess. That being said, if you think living aboard might be something I only have one thing to say.. 

Quit making excuses, liquidate and navigate!!

Dry Tortugas Day 13 (On the road again)

"It's as good a day as any" I said as I burned my mouth on a cup of percolated coffee, I was ready to make the last leg of our trip and return to Boot Key. Thunderstorms boomed in the distance as I studied the weather underground radar and plotted out a way to weave through the mess. I knew one thing, the crew didn't need to go through what we did a couple days prior. The plan originally was to take the inside route on the gulf side all the way and then under the 7 mile bridge back to Boot Key, however after studying the wind, waves and weather I decided to go on the outside and run up the Atlantic. We detached from the mooring ball and made the almost 5 mile trip to just get out of the harbor. Up over Flemming key, down past the anchorages and Mallory square. We were in the channel on our way out when we saw the massive cruise ship making it's way in. 

It looked as though we would have time to clear the corner and get out of the channel before the cruise ship got to close, but it was going to be sketchy. I pointed out the two boats buzzing around the cruise ship and told Jess "I think those are gunboats" nobody believed me until one of them bee lined right for our boat with the .50 caliber cannon pointed right at our bow. I grabbed the radio and gave them my intentions, they radioed back with an ok and told us quite clearly to hold our current heading and do not deviate. "No problem Capt, thank you" was all I had to say as I stared down the barrel.

We made our way out into Hawks Channel and up the coast, the wind shifted throughout the day and we motored, sailed, motor sailed, sailed and finally ended up with no wind and motoring. This is the bad thing about sailing anywhere on a deadline, otherwise we could wait until we had favorable winds. We spent the day doing shifts on the bow with a VHF navigating the plethora of lobster pots that littered the otherwise beautiful water. The day was uneventful and we watched several storms in the distance that would have been right on top of us had we taken the gulf, not to mention the lobster pots on that side are even worse. Sometimes so thick you can't find a route between them.

Everyone had a smile on their face as we spotted the marker for Boot Key channel, knowing we would be seeing our friends and sleeping well attached to our mooring ball. It was an amazing trip on many levels. The final blog post about this trip I will address the things we did right, did wrong and overall what we learned. Just as we slipped into the entrance a storm raged on the horizon and the radar showed it bearing down on us as we raced to get into the protection of the harbor.

 We got hooked up to the mooring ball and a couple dinghies motored up to welcome us back and invite us to wing night at the Hurricane restaurant. .25 hot wings sounded like a plan! We launched the dinghy, put on the motor and enjoyed a night retelling our adventure to friends over wings and cheap draft beer. Who could ask for more? Life is good.

Dry Tortugas Day 10,11 & 12 (Key West)

When we woke up it was time to head into the city marina and pay for our mooring ball. Sometimes especially after a long trip, rough sail etc, it's nice to tie up to a mooring ball and not have to worry about anchoring. After all the anchoring and hauling of that all chain rode during our trip it was a nice break, the downside of course is paying instead of anchoring for free. Key West city mooring field is reasonably priced at 18 bucks a day which includes facility use, so Colby and I hopped in the dinghy but were having a hard time finding exactly where it was we were supposed to check in. We were lucky enough to find a boat willing to give us directions and then about 5 minutes later one of them actually got in their dinghy and came to show us. 

Let me just say this is the most confusing setup I've ever seen. The dinghy dock is about 20 minutes away from our mooring ball and when you get there the office is not on site, it is located across the bridge and in a trailer nowhere near. The gentleman on the boat showed us a trick where we could land our dinghy right next to the office to check in instead of walking to the office. We paid for a couple days but the system was down and they weren't able to program our gate card, shower cards etc. The person working there was nice enough to lend us his with the promise of returning it. 

Colby and I picked up Jessica and Peyton then went to shore. From the city dinghy dock it's about a mile walk to downtown and it felt good to get a little ground under our feet and spend a day off the boat. We stopped by the new West Marine store and I got some Rotella oil to top off the engine, it was down a hair from the full line and I like to keep it full. We headed downtown to just walk around and people watch. We did the yuppy thing, Jess and the kids wanted Starbucks and I figured it would be a good place for me to sit and upload pictures of the trip to Facebook on someone else's bandwidth.

Later in the afternoon we made it down to Turtle Krawls for happy hour and ordered entirely too much food. We also got an education on Ceviche which is a way of cooking fish with citrus instead of heat. 

We managed to stay off the boat until dark that day, enjoying a warm shower and cool breezy evening. Sleep came easy that night. 

The weather for the next couple days looked dicey and I'll admit I was in the mood to be a fair weather sailor. I was waiting for a decent window and didn't feel like getting pounded again or punishing my crew. Jessica was able to get her shift covered at work so it freed up some more time and we enjoyed relaxing. Colby and I made a fuel run the next day and we fiddled around biding our time working on things while we waited for the weather to change. Key West is nothing like Boot Key harbor and we were able to see how good we have it. The facilities in Key West were best described as "prison sheik" with stainless steel toilets and a mirror that's just polished up metal, but at least the water was warm. The facilities in Boot Key harbor where we live are fantastic with over a dozen private bathrooms, all equip'd with showers, toilets and actual glass mirrors! But I understand why when I looked around at the typical character in the anchorages and mooring field, graffiti, trash etc, this was a product of the environment, I'm just glad we were only here for a few days. 

We had a great time just re-living our trip, looking at pictures, watching movies and just regrouping as a family. You don't get any closer as a family than living on a boat, this is one of the things I will never regret about our decision to sail off. I will always be able to look back on raising my children and know that I utilized every day I had with them, hanging on to every second before they go off on their own. There is no way I'll regret spending time with them instead of time at an office or back of an ambulance, however life the other way around brought almost instant regret every time I missed a life event. I have given my children another way, another way to live, to think and to survive. They will never be homeless, never enslaved and always free to live how they want. I've given them the knowledge to be independent dreamers, dreamers that don't dream their lives, but live their dreams. If they choose to go out work 50 hours a week in a cubicle they can, but they will at least know there is another way, most people don't ever get that chance. They will not be taught it's the norm to get way into debt, work harder, buy more stuff and get further into debt. Work, buy and die.. 

Freedom is the new rich, time with family, time by yourself, traveling or following your passion. I consider myself rich because I get time, time with my wife and with my children for the short time they are all mine.