Fuel Filters

Racor R24 Fuel Filters

Recently I have had to change out my fuel filters a couple of times. In preparation for my departure to Panama I checked my stock of filters and realized that I was running out. I got on the Internet to purchase additional filers and was amazed at the cost.

I also discovered that the R24 fuel filter comes in various microns. Like most people I have just been replacing the filter with a new filter of the same type. However my primary filter it turns out was a 2 micron filter and my secondary filter a 3 micron filter. This meant that the secondary filter was doing nothing.

Checking with the Yanmar web site Mike and I discovered that the recommendation was for a 30 micron primary filter and a 3 micron secondary. The good news was that the 30 micron filters are significantly less expensive than the 2 micron filters. So I ordered up a bunch of the 30 micron filters.

Fair winds and following seas :)

Propane Tank Inspection

I went to have the propane tanks filled. I was informed that one of the two tanks needed inspection and they could not fill it. I said, "but it is an aluminium tank, they don't need to be inspected." I was told that in Florida they do need to be inspected. So my crew Mike got on the phone and found a place that would inspect the tank and then fill it. We drove over. The inspector came out, checked the tank to make sure there was propane in it, then proceeded to spray the tank with a water bottle full of soapy water. After a couple of minutes he wiped off the tank, affixed a sticker, filled it and said "you are good to go." Quality.

Fair winds and following seas :)

The weather gods are not kind

After checking the offshore weather this morning we decided to postpone until Saturday.

Fair winds and following seas :)

Getting ready to leave (again)

I am going to try again for Jamaica and the Panama Canal. Have one crew, Mike Coppala. Plan is to leave Ortega Yacht Club Marina at 6 PM EST. Stage in the St. John's river overnight. Head for sea tomorrow mid-day.

Fair winds and following seas :)

Hurricane, Typhoon, and Weather Forecasting Guidance

Yet another amazing free web site - the Naval Research Lab at Monterey has a series of publications on Hurricane and Typhoon safe havens and specific guidance for weather forecasting for regions around the world. Enjoy

Hurricane, Typhoon, and Weather Forecasting Guidance

Fair winds and following seas :)

Airmail, RMS Express, and Weather Fax

When I was on the way to Jamaica the last time my SSB email and weather system stopped working. Today I found the plug that was a little corroded and got it back working again. I was also able to get the Bluetooth connections to both control the modem and the radio up and working. Now everything is wireless and I can control it all from the laptop. Cool.

Fair winds and following seas :)

Refrigerator Light

One of the great questions has always been - when you close the refrigerator door does the light go out. Intellectually interesting but irrelevant unless you are worried about the power used by the light. On sailboats we are always worried about the power. My friends on Country Dancer had just this problem and came up with a great solution. They placed their IPad inside the refrigerator and made a movie of the door closing. The first couple of times the light didn't go out so they adjusted the micro-switch. That was the purpose of the exercise. Cool.

Fair winds and following seas :)