Interesting first cruise.

[2sticks]

Thought I'd post some details of the first cruise aboard Fairwinds, our recently purchased Oday 32. We bought the boat from a lovely lady in Port Charlotte Fl. for a ridiculously fair price and had it sitting on the lift behind her home for about a month waiting for it's new slip in Ft. Myers. The slip came available and Candy and I along with my good friend Terry boarded Fairwinds on Wednesday morning to bring her home. I picked up the latest charts for our route and off we went. Before leaving we learned the chartplotter had been misplaced, stolen ?? whatever. Oh well, drive on, just like the old days when modern electronics were limited to Loran C. We navigated the shallows of Alligator Bay and headed down the channel through Charlotte Harbor. Immediately after getting into the bay the depth sounder went on vacation and we no longer could verify water under our keel. Oh well, drive on, just like the really old days when lead lines were state of the art. The Westerbeke was singing nicely and the weather was tailor made for a beautiful trip. Near Cayo Costa the temp gauge started climbing and we reduced rpm to about 2-3 kts. Sitting dry on the lift, unused for approx. a year the impeller had obviously deteriorated but the temp stayed ok as long as we weren't in a big rush. We reached the intercoastal waterway shortly before sunset and headed south to the infamous Miserable Mile. Motoring all night in the narrow channel bounded by very shallow water, we identified flashing beacons and marker numbers and got more comfortable with the loss of our depth sounder. Navigating the waterway past Pine Island and under the two bridges in Cape Coral we reached the entrance to the marina at an hour before sunrise. During the night we found the alternator was barely keeping up with the current demands of the nav lights and the Q-beam we used for identifying marker numbers was draining the battery bank. Being quite certain the bank was too low to restart the diesel we found a nearby spot to idle in circles till daylight broke. At first light, in we came and tied up in the new slip. 22 hrs. in mostly shallow narrow bits, had asked us to be constantly alert and kept the chart in our hands continually. It reminded me of cruising years ago on our small Westerly before all the modern nav aids and gave us a satisfied feeling that we had accomplished a safe short passage with antique methods. I also added to my to do list an impeller, a new sounder and an upgraded alternator. The distance we covered by car in 45 min. became a sometimes tense 22 hr. run and gave us the satisfaction of knowing we could replace gadgets with nav skills and experience. Time to get to work on Fairwinds and reward her for a wonderful first cruise.

Highest regards,
Darrell

 

[31seahorse]

Hello Darrell,

You and your crew are off to a fine start! Welcome to the best sailing grounds in the US (maybe beyond).

I believe your Oday will prove to be a fine boat for this area. If you are interested in places to purchase used boat equipment or want to hear of local cruising areas/clubs email me using this site.

Phil

 

[2sticks]

Thanks for the kind words, Phil. I regard this as maybe the best location and have been in Ft. Myers for about 12 yrs. I'm retired and could go anywhere else but still love it here. I am looking for several bits and pieces for the project list at hand and I'll certainly be in touch.
The Oday aft cabin 32 is, I think, perfect for our needs and I really appreciated the shallow draft in the ditch!
Highest regards, Darrell

 

[Jackdaw]

There is a reason that many professional delivery captains will flat out refuse to deliver boat that has been on the hard, and you just found it. An afternoon shake-down sail would have discovered most of that. Glad you make it OK.

 

[2sticks]

She had been meticulously maintained before the demise of the previous owner and all checked out well before departure. We needed her to come home and be ready for upgrades. My cruising days began well before the advent of GPS and such and as long as we had propulsion and a watertight hull, I felt we could make the journey with no fanfare which is exactly what we did. Those who can't navigate without electronics dishonor the time tested history of seamanship. Even in the close confines of that well known stretch of the intercoastal, we brought her to dock with not even a hint of drama. Those of us that are totally reliant on electronics are destined to suffer their loss at sea. I love and use modern aids as much as the next guy but am comforted to know that I can still pilot my vessel without them.

Highest regards,

Darrell

 

[Gunni]

Darrell; I think Jackdaw is referring to an unfamiliar boat with an overheating engine and a faulty electrical system. Being dead in the water and dark in the ICW wouldn't be a test of your dead-reckoning skills.

 

[2sticks]

Absolutely agree with you re: the auxiliary!!! Ran it for an hour at the dock and it stayed at 190 degrees. Seemed to take awhile (3 hrs. ?) to show signs of excess heat. Never was terrible but mentally disturbing. Surprisingly as we circled at the end of the trip it returned to 190. Nothing replaces prudence and preparation but sometimes you just gotta go.

Thanks,
Darrell

 

[John Nantz]

Great first trip

Hi Darrell - thanks for the nice write-up. Starting out in a new-to-you-boat certainly must have caused a bit of anxiety but the good part is when the gremlins came around you found a way to get past them.

There have been times when, due to an electrical problem, I had to resort to the old ways. Fortunately, when I was a kid my folks were into boating. The first boat I remember was a lapstrake or clinker built hull, double ender, gaff rig with tanbark sails and a bowsprit.

Absolutely nothing electrical on board. Running lights and stove were kerosene. Depthsounder, like you mentioned, was a lead line but we often read our wake. As the wake changes you can tell if the water is getting shallow, at least on a shallow draft boat. The keel was concrete (this was after the war). We had a small outboard, something like 3 to 5 hp hanging on a stern bracket and it was called an auxiliary.

The good news is there weren't may "yachts' back then so when we went out we were pretty much by ourselves. Oh, and I don't think fiberglass was even invented yet.

There is a nice feeling hearing the water against a lapstrake hull.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Nice job. Congratulations on your new boat. Enjoy, sounds like you know how to do that!

Don't know what your background in diesel engines may be, but our C34 Critical Upgrades applies to many boats and many different engines:

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,5078.0.html

 

[Ted]

Interesting first cruise

At least your keel didn't fall off.

 

[Tom J]

For boat parts, check out the nautical consignment shops. The one I frequented was on the Tamiami Trail in Osprey, just north of Venice, called Nautical Trader. They carry all kinds of boat stuff, used and new, from dinghys to sailboat hardware.
And yeah, it would be a good idea to check your keel stub. I had an O'Day and had the same issues that Maine Sail describes.

 

[rgranger]

That was a fun read. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Jackdaw]

Darrell; I think Jackdaw is referring to an unfamiliar boat with an overheating engine and a faulty electrical system. Being dead in the water and dark in the ICW wouldn't be a test of your dead-reckoning skills.

Exactly. My intent was not to diminish your trip, but to point out the risks of embarking on a must-go voyage on a boat that has not bee sailed for an extended time while on the hard. Things get hard, brittle, and old. Old owners forget things that were 'not quite right'. It can be risky, and blindly departing without understanding that is not good seamanship. Ask a delivery captain about it, most will not go without someone shaking it out first.

 

[2sticks]

Well, here we are in the marina with all our worldly goods aboard. We sold our small home here in Ft. Myers and are now proudly full time liveaboards once again! It looked like a mountain of stuff to find room for but the little Oday swallowed it all up and things just kept finding an appropriate home. Candy will be focusing on prettying up her new home while I clean the remnants of inactivity and get to the mechanical issues. The plan is to acquire and install solar panels and all the attendant bits, upgrade the head to a composting variety and recover the cabin cushions. Now with Fairwinds secure and home we are in no huge rush to meet any deadline and can devote the time needed to complete our projects at our leisure. The next cruise, other than local daysailing, will be to Marathon and other spots in the middle keys. Last month we spent a week camping at Long Key State Park and had an opportunity to check out anchorages and mooring areas for the future. Fortunately, the Oday 32 has a one piece molded hull and keel and shouldn't pose a risk of coming adrift. It's a centerboard variety and provides a 3ft 4inch draft with the board up. Should be very forgiving in the thin stuff of the keys. With the addition of fresh electronics and an impeller, we should be good to go. Thanks for all your kind words and I hope to post more in the very near future.

Highest regards,

Darrell