Uff!! The Mattress Extension Project!

I know...I know...everybody is waiting for sailing pictures, but this past weekend was put aside for the long postponed project to extend the mattresses in the aft cabin...so instead of sailing pictures you will see sewing pictures. The plan was to add two big pieces to the already existing ones in order to form a U-shaped "playground", if I may say so :o) Having never done this kind of stuff before, I was not really looking forward to it...but hey...we live and learn and if you don't try you don't succeed!

I am happy to report that this dreaded fun project turned out alright...actually pretty darn good...so good, that I no longer dread to cover all sorts of shapes and forms of foam :o) We purchased 5 inch high density foam from our friend Marianne (yes, Marianne from Trade Winds across from the marina) and had her make the two patterns and cut the foam accordingly. With this heavy duty work out of the way, it was time for me to sharpen the needles of my beloved Singer sewing machine. Seriously, this little Singer machine is like the little engine that could! Initially I made a slip cover, which is an easy thing to do, slipped it over the foam and pretended I was done with it! Ugh...it really was awful and after a night's sleep I decided I could not live with the result of such poor workmanship (mine). So I took the slip cover off again and vowed to produce a far superior product with my next try. This cover needed to be done properly, so that everything would fit and match with the existing mattresses!

Off to a new try and a great learning experience. I consulted my "Don Casey's complete illustrated sailboat" book, which contains a whole chapter on canvas and sewing projects for sailboats. I copied the formula for making cockpit cushion covers, which is the same as making upholstery covers...just a few little adjustments. I double checked my formula with Marianne BEFORE I started cutting the material (thank you Marianne). As it goes, the first cut is the hardest, because you just don't believe that a tiny seam allowance of 1/2" ( only half an inch for heaven's sake!) will be enough to make everything fit in the end. But my worries soon disappeared and I happily continued tracing, measuring, and cutting...all the while sending small little prayers that in the end nothing would have been done in vane. Ah well...only two things could happen...either it worked or it did not.

Since there was a lot of tension on Orion, the captain wisely decided to work on some projects that required him to be away for a while...(like checking the outboard motor on the dinghy)...Yes, we are a great team :o)

I was able to finish covering the foam pieces with the jeans-material I had selected (matching to the existing ones)...stuffing the foam into them is a different story...but I was successful with that also...hurray, hurray.
 

blue cheese head in place

All that was left was two tiny triangular pieces, which I conquered without too much fuss at all! So the two little "blue cheese heads" fit perfectly into the spaces they belong...how kewl is that?

"blue cheese head"

new mattress addition to the right

finished project, new extension to the left

After successfully covering the foam and putting the finished mattress extension in place, I draped everything with a blue king size sea shell quilt, which I cut to fit. The pillow covers and curtains you see in the pictures are home-made also...I did these almost three years ago already...and they still fit in with everything just perfectly...at least in my/our humble opinion :o)

finished project, new extension to the right

All in all we now have a very very comfortable aft cabin and can roll around any way we want...Life is good!

A closer look...

The quilt covers in place...

We turned the cupboard into a book cupboard :o)

The rear portholes with sun shade covers

Sailing with Whiskers...a place to remember and honor our late feline crew member...

Whiskers' tag embraced in a "hug", an original drawing by our friend Tina Will...mounted next to the Morgan Yacht sign on Orion...this is located to the right of the companion way (entrance) to the main salon...

Whiskers 1992-2011

Sailing...engine problems and quick fixes...

The weekend of January 29-30, 2011 marked our first sail without Whiskers the Sailor Cat...it was a bitter-sweet experience. We miss her! Coffin Island was as beautiful as ever with turquoise seas and the tranquility that we have become so accustomed to. Well...it was like that on Saturday, but by Sunday things changed a little bit in terms of tranquility. But let's start at the beginning. We had a nice sail out from Salinas to Coffin Island on Saturday. I had prepared a zucchini quiche during the week and made sandwiches ahead of time...this way we were able to relax without having to cook too much. Rick and I were both recuperating from a bad cold and wanted to take it especially easy. I must admit that this time neither of us jumped in the beautiful water at Coffin Island...Yes, you are reading correctly...neither of us went in the water! At this time of year the water here in the Caribbean is a touch cool for us (I can hear everybody up north laughing right now...), and we were fighting a cold and a cough! (Alright, everybody stop laughing now.)

Anyways, we had a wonderfully relaxing time and were lucky again to watch yet another beautiful sunset!

When motoring out of Salinas harbor bay on Saturday morning our engine seemed to run a tad hot, but we did not have to run it for long, as it was perfect sailing weather :o) On Sunday we left Coffin Island around 1130 and sailed, sailed, sailed all the way back to Salinas...the wind started off perfectly, increased considerably, and by the time we reached Salinas it was blowing quite a bit with white caps (when the sea takes a froth-like appearance) covering most of the surface of the sea. It was a roly-poly kind of experience.

Salinas harbor...so near and yet so far!

At around 1730 with the harbor in full view and gusts picking up we dropped both sails and turned on the engine. The temperature gauge showed a dramatic increase in temperature even at low speed! There was no water being pumped through the exhaust system either! What to do? Being unable to sail into the channel that leads to the harbor (the wind was nose-on) we turned off the engine and dropped anchor right outside the bay area. It was time to investigate the problem further. Since I am quite useless when it comes to engine problems I manned the helm (steering wheel), sent a silent prayer, and put my confidence into the captain's ability to fix whatever was wrong...I mean, that's what a co-captain is for...right?

The captain investigating the problem!

My confidence was rewarded...the captain found the problem and figured out a way to bring us back to the dock (hopefully). Way to go! But how and what happened? I will explain it in my simple layman/woman terms: The overheating was caused by not enough seawater being sucked into the engine to cool it...the captain (God bless him) determined that the thru-hull valve at the intake must be partially blocked...this can occur when little crustaceans (small calcified sea creatures) manifest themselves on the hull. They grow all over the hull, which is normal and the reason for having to clean the hull at regular intervals and/or hauling out and slapping bottom paint on it every year or couple of years or so. Orion's captain usually cleans the hull at Coffin Island from time to time (which entails scraping with a scraper)...but remember, we didn't go into the water this trip...and this time the co-captain takes all the blame, because she adamantly insisted that the captain's cough warranted a "time-out" (no regrets about that though)! And in any case "hurray for the captain" :o) Rick figured that when he left off the top of the raw water filter and we ran the engine at idle speed (yes, idle speed) we most probably would be able to get back to the dock without overheating and damaging the engine. Wow!

Sunset as seen from Orion anchored outside Salinas Bay

As if on Q the sun was sinking into the sea, embracing our hearts with "that sunken feeling"...just kidding! The beautiful sunset put a golden hue all over and to our delight the sea had calmed down completely, making the last part of our trip a lot more do-able. We pulled the anchor and started on our journey...Rick stayed in the engine room to monitor pump and filter...I put the gear in idle and off we went ever so slowly. From time to time, under instruction from the captain, I ran the bilge pump to make sure that everything stayed high and dry. We actually made it without further problems! Never doubt the captain :o) It took us over an hour to get to our dock (it usually takes us about 10 minutes), it was pitch dark, which made maneuvering around the boats at anchor a little different than usual...but we made it alright, fastened the dock lines and turned off the engine. Exhausted and full of adrenaline at the same time we threw high fives and embraced each other :o) We can be proud of ourselves...we dealt with the problem rationally, didn't panic, and gained a lot of confidence in the process. Best of all...we still love each other :o) A few days later our friend Boyd cleaned the thru-hulls on Orion (we are very grateful to him) and voila...Orion's engine is working like a champ again :o) Congratulations to the captain, who correctly diagnosed the problem and thank you Orion for being so forgiving!

The new dinghy and other toys...Coffin Island 1/6-1/8/2011

At long last we got a new dinghy...a small boat that sailors tow or hang from dinghy davits...it enables them to drive to and from the sailboat to get to the marina or other places when anchored out...it's like your personal taxi. A dinghy is not a luxury but a necessity when cruising, because it also becomes your life boat...hopefully we will never have to experience that! Our old dinghy gave up its ghost a few months ago and we were looking for a replacement. Of course anything connected with a boat means big bucks. BOAT stands for Break Out Another Thousand...or so the saying goes...LOL! Luckily I found one on the internet...a Walker Bay 8 complete with sail kit! What a find! Rick and I went to see it and before anybody could say "Bob's your uncle" we shook hands with the guy and it was a done deal! Up it went onto the truck and off we were to show it to Orion :o) Needless to say that Orion couldn't care less...but we were in 7th heaven to be the proud owners of a WB8 sailing dinghy that converts easily to a rowing dinghy or to a motor dinghy. Rick found a way to attach it to the dinghy davits on Orion...we need to find a final solution, but for now it is working just fine.

We got a chance to try out the new dinghy at Coffin Island, where we sailed on Jan. 6 and returned on Jan.8, 2011. What can I say? It is definitely a great little boat and Rick and I spent quite some time sailing up and down the beach. What fun! So much, that Rick went out again after letting me off on Orion...and here are the pictures to prove it :o) Of course the weather was gorgeous and the sea turquoise, making this an overall fantastic first experience with our new little boat...and we all know that first impressions are very important indeed! We are still deciding on a name for the little dinghy that could...

And we got another new toy...a grill pan that fits our three-burner-stove just perfectly and allows us to grill inside when it's too windy to BBQ on deck. We enjoy the small pleasures in life :o) I was so excited about the new grill pan that I grilled lots of stuff over the weekend. It's a good thing that the refrigeration is now working great and I could store the left-overs for another day...otherwise we would way about 200 pounds more by now :o)                                           

Chicken-Spinach-Asiago Cheese Bratwurst with onions and zucchini

Thick slices of sweet potato, spiced with cinnamon-chili-rub-mixture

Yap...our tummies were full just in time to enjoy another spectacular sunset at Coffin Island...we are so fortunate to be able to experience paradise...and we treasure every moment!

                    Although we did not know it then, but this weekend was also the last one for our cat Whiskers. She enjoyed the weekend just as she always enjoyed being with us...and that is what we will remember most!

We also saw our friends Richard and Mercedes on their new sailboat...they took it for a sail to Coffin Island to say hi to us...thanks guys...we really appreciated your visit :o)

Richard and Mercedes on their new Beneteau

View from Orion's cockpit onto Coffin Island

The new dinghy at the beach...here it is used as a row boat :o)

Drinking a nice hot cup of tea...enjoying the peace and quiet

The captain and his new toy :o)

And here is our Orion, anchored at Coffin Island

We took the pictures from the beach...peace to all of you!

New Year 2011...RIP Whiskers...1992-2011

Some sad news...On January 12, 2011 we had to say our final Fare Well to our beloved cat Whiskers! She was 19 years old (we got her as a kitten in Pennsylvania) and as you know from following our blog Whiskers became a sailor cat last year when we sold our house and moved onto Orion. At the beginning of the new year Whiskers' health deteriorated rapidly...We thank Dr. Hector Martinez of the Veterinary Clinic Salinas and his staff for accommodating us at short notice. We also thank Dr. Elton Irizzarry of Ambuvet del Caribe and his staff for all the "well cat visits" we had with them over the past years. We take comfort in the fact that Whiskers had a great life...she will be missed incredibly... Here is a pictorial tribute to her life as part of the crew on Orion...