48 Hours and Counting.....

We are hoping to be leaving in the next 48 hours, casting off the lines to head for Isla Mujeres, Mexico.  So this may well be the last post on the blog before we make it to Mexico - and who knows what the internet situation will be there!

Midnight Sun II - almost ready for departure!

The only real uncertainty on the departure is the delivery of our liferaft - it should be here Monday, so fingers crossed.  A couple of small projects to finish up today - of course everything on the list is not done, but we are close and the essentials are done.  I plan to install the Iridium Satellite phone today and get that working.....well hopefully!

Replacing corroded wiring to Running Lights

Our crew list has changed a little - well actually, it has changed significantly and a few times.  Our great friends Chuck and Peg who started planning the trip with us months ago have unfortunately had to drop out due to Peg's injured foot.  We wish her well with a speedy recovery from her surgery, and will miss them both.  Long-time sailing friends from our Lake days, Brian Liddy has agreed to join us and just sailed his boat S/V Serendipity up from Tampa.  His girlfriend Raquel has very kindly agreed to house sit and dog sit while we are away, so Salty will not be sailing on this trip, but will have his buddy, Shiloh staying with him.   We would love to take him - he loves the adventure, but does not like long crossings as he insists on visiting "real grass" at least once a day.  So rather than put him through the misery of a long crossing, we have reluctantly decided that he would be better off at home - and Austin will be here soon!

Other crew - unfortunately Mike had to drop out due to a work commitment, but we have recruited Gale - one of Brian's crew members from his Tampa crossing.  So I am feeling good that we have a great crew for the trip.  It looks like we are going to have a core crew of 3 for the entire cruise, but we will loose Gale after Mexico.  We have a few friends that would like to join us on the way - and if you are interested, please drop me a note!

Brian and crew arrive from Tampa on S/V Serendipity

Rafted up along side Midnight Sun in the Canal

Rafted up along side us in the canal, Serendipity is almost the little sister to Midnight sun II - same manufacturer, Hunter, and a very similar interior.  Serendipity is a little shorter and rear cockpit, while Midnight Sun is a Passage 42 with center cockpit.

So what better way to prepare for a long crossing than to have a weekend of projects and parties!  Here we are at one of our favorite hangouts with the  "crew-to-be" and our other best friends Larry and Tracy (S/V TraSea) at the Pirates Ball - Pirates Cove.  Larry and Tracy will also be headed to Mexico a week behind us participating in the Pensacola to Isla race.

Tracking information - If you would like to track our progress, commencing around May 2, our tracker should be active.  Please visit our tracking link to see where we are:

https://share.delorme.com/Midnightsunii

The Next Trip - Isla Mujeres?

Finally!....yes finally we are back in the water and on the water.  Midnight Sun made it home and has made a couple of sea trials now.  She came home at about 95% completion.  Rigging replaced, electronics mostly working, new sails etc.  The canvas and stack pack were not installed, but that doesn't stop her from sailing.  Here she is in Perdido Bay, almost home!

On the trip home, it was blowing in the high teens to low 20's so it gave her a little stretch out.  I think we had a couple of wraps on the jib here.  She has since made a trip to PYC for the Blessing of the Fleet - yes, we are not taking any chances, and will take a blessing when it is offered......we need it!  And wouldn't you know it - the day of the blessing, we motored all the way there with the wind at 30 on our nose.  And when we set off to return, the wind died!.....but that's sailing :)

She sails well, but the new configuration of lines, electric winch etc., will take a little getting used to. The cut of the new jib is considerably different than the old sail which has been modified at some point to be a "cruising jib".  With the new sail being closer to the original spec, I got a strong first impression that we now have a much better cut, with more sail area, lower center of force, and better power in light air.  Anyway she performed well.

Returning to "home port"

So now it is time for our next adventure!  Isla Mujeres, Mexico.

Well that is the plan - in fact we have been planning it for months, and hoping the boat will be ready.  I am pretty sure it will be by now - in fact, it had better be as we are hoping to push off the first week of May, and that is just over a week away.......Geez!  so much to do!  

When we stareed to think about this last year, we had planned to do the Pensacola to Isla race (see http://www.regataalsol.org/) but unfortunately the race dates conflict with Austin's graduation.  So we have decided to go ahead of the race and fly back for the "Austin Event of the Year", then return and cruise back........basically taking May and a good part of June to do the trip.  Well that is the plan, and it is starting to come together.  I hope to do and update on all of that next week as hopefully some of the final pieces come together.

In the last week, the new canvas has been installed, the stack pack went on yesterday, new traveler.....so I think  we are at 98% complete now.  I know of a few more jobs that I need to complete, and a boat is a boat - so its never at 100% complete or 100% ready!

Back in home port, canvas, but still no stack pack!

..........and here she is with the new stack pack and lazy jack installed!

Stack Pack and Lazy Jacks Installed

Safe in Home Port!

Back in the Water!

I am pleased to report that Midnight Sun II is now back in the water.  She was launched on Tuesday of this week and the new mast and goodies were lifted into place!

On the way back to the water!

A great thanks to the staff at Pensacola Ship Yard for taking care of her.  Midnight Sun II pictured above on the way to be launched after being in the shipyard since November.  While waiting on the new mast, she had a  new bottom job, non-skid surfaces repainted, decks and hull polished and a new cutlass bearing installed, new safety lines........to mention some of the work..  A big thanks to Steve Stack and the staff of Advanced Yachtworks for their hard work! Great job guys!

New mast being lifted

 Zern Rigging raising the mast and starting work setting up the new standing rigging.  Hopefully she will be sailing again soon with new sails being delivered from Schurr Sails next week.  New canvas (bimini, dodger, and full enclosure are being worked on currently by Peaden Marine Canvas.

New mast in place, working on rigging

So we should be sailing by next weekend - fingers crossed!  Or at least very very close.  This will still leave us a fair bit of work to do checking out everything before we set off for Mexico in early May.

Back on the Water Soon?

Well, it has been a long process, but progress is being made. And now at a much better rate!  The missing mast parts including the elusive spreaders finally and mysteriously arrived.  After unanswered emails and phone calls to US Spars, one day, they just seemed to show up.

A few other smaller tasks have been done while the boat was out of the water, including changing the cutlass bearing.  It was showing a little play - not bad, but while it was out of the water, it seemed like a good idea to replace it.  I decided to asked Advanced Marine Works to do this for me as they have done a good job on the bottom paint etc., and manager Steve Stack seems like a good guy, and very knowledgeable on most things boat related.  I am glad I asked them to do it as Steve said he could do it in a couple of hours.  It turned out to be "the hardest one he had ever done".  According to Steve, someone at some point had epoxied the bearing in place and filled the set screws with epoxy.  So I know there was a lot of cussing, hammer beating and heat applied........something I decided not to stick around and watch.  Anyway, its done now.  i will go check out the finished work tomorrow.

The mast - well it is being decked out with the goodies and we are hoping that the boat will be splashed  and the mast lifted on Tuesday of next week - fingers crossed!

Mast being fitted out with lights, electronics etc.

When is a Mast a Useless Mast?

Well - I guess there are a couple of answers to that:

1. When its at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico - check that box!
2. When US Spars sends it without spreader bars - check that box too!

I can't believe it - a brand new shiny mast, but its useless because US Spars cant't get thier shipping act together.  First they send the mast missing the spreader bars and some fittings......a couple of weeks go by.....then they send what they say is "all the missing parts"......oh but wait, no spreaders........now they say they are on the way and will be delivered next week.

Well I hope so - sorry if this is a rant, but I just don't know how these guys stay in business!  I guess there is just not enough competition in the mast industry and they have a captive customer base!

In the meantime, I have managed to get some sailing in on friend's boats and made it to the PYC raft up at Ft. McCree last weekend.

TraSea and Point of Sail

Celebrating the anniversary of Peg's Birthday - she has stopped having birthdays!

My new dinghy!

A New Mast Arrives!

Finally!  A mast...it has arrived.  After a couple of premature delivery promises from US Spars, the mast did arrive.  Upon unpacking, our rigger, Rick Zern did discover that there are a couple of "vital parts" missing....such as spreader bars.  But hopefully these can be sent quickly via Fedex.  If I hear they have to come from France, I will not be a happy camper!

Anyway - here it is!

Mast and new lines

Boom

Boom

Mast (from the masthead)

So now we are hoping that things will really move into "high-gear" and we will get Midnight Sun II back in the water soon.  Let's see! - watch this space!

Waiting for a Mast

Days seem to pass by slowly when you are really waiting on something.  Very slow, when you really don't have any idea how long it will be.........well the good news is that our rigging expert, Rick, told said the mast should be here this week (written January 28, 2016). So fingers crossed. In the conversation, there was a "maybe next week", which was worrisome.  I must admit that I am very anxious to see it and will be relieved when it arrives as this seems to now be the "critical path" in getting Midnight Sun II back where it belongs - in the water!

Once the mast arrives I am hoping things will move into a higher gear with progress.  So far, the bottom has been painted and non-skid on the decks repaired/painted.  This was largely cosmetic.  One interesting note on this - I have had the bottom cleaned regularly by a well-respected diving firm in the local area.  After each cleaning, the diver submitted a brief report with his invoice, noting "10 plus dime to quarter size blisters on hull".  I have questioned him several times about this as I had never seen a blister when the boat had been hauled previously.  Well guess what - no blisters

When the new mast arrives, it will take several days to "build" as all the accessories will need to be attached and the standing rigging assembled prior to lifting it in place.  I am hoping to be around to see that!

In the meantime, we purchased a little "run about" boat that we have been having fun with despite the cold weather.  No, we have not gone to the Dark Side and become power boaters.....but I must admit it is fun to just set off and go.

Salty loves the beach....did I tell you that Salty loves the beach?

Here he is digging for crabs.  At least that's what I think he is doing or he thinks he is doing.  Much to my surprise, he has on occasion dug out some pretty big ones.  But this hole did not reveal any.  Still, it looks like fun!

Hmm.....sandy Salty - what fun.  He will smell like the ocean tonight.

Sunrise over Perdido Bay.  What a wonderful sight - I am so happy to be here.  I use this tree stump as my local tide monitor.  Tides are a great mystery to me in this area - I grew up with 2 tides per day, Very predictable and with a large range (sometimes greater than 20 ft).  Here, one tide per day and wind conditions have much more of an influence than the tide itself.  Anyway, this one is low, but it does go a little lower with a strong north wind.

Post-Script Note - It is now February 7 and no mast.  I will be making phone calls Monday!