bulk head mounted Ritchie compass with inclinometer -
now, when i get lost, i will have one less excuse...
April 20, 2010
March 23, 2010
The defense, the defense party and the T-dock dissolution party
A lot has been happening in and around the Alizé II. First of all, I finished my 5.5 year pursuit of a doctoral degree in developmental biology - second of all, a bunch of family and friends got together to celebrate this event - third of all, our small community on T dock at Shilshole marina has begun to disband. Gary has left Seattle for greener pastures in Portland. So, we got together to mark the event.
the boss and I in a last minute strategy session minutes before the defense presentation.
a luciferase activity slide from the talk.
and then the Prosecco after the committee members signed their names to the final doctoral exam warrant.
Andrew Prendergrast baked me a cake designed with a melanophore, a xanthophore and an iridophore - the cell types I have been researching.
The Curran family with Ashlyn, my soon-to-be-baptized god-daughter.
My dad enlightening some friends to something, maybe Woody Guthrie, maybe ice climbing, maybe soft drink sales projections - who knows?
My Dad having a moment with my boss.
We rented out the back room at the College Inn that evening and had Indian food brought in.
Tor Linbo envisioned this as a 'Last Supper' moment. So he framed this image accordingly
the 2010 Raible Lab photo
and
the T-dock dissolution party.
the boss and I in a last minute strategy session minutes before the defense presentation.
a luciferase activity slide from the talk.
and then the Prosecco after the committee members signed their names to the final doctoral exam warrant.
Andrew Prendergrast baked me a cake designed with a melanophore, a xanthophore and an iridophore - the cell types I have been researching.
The Curran family with Ashlyn, my soon-to-be-baptized god-daughter.
My dad enlightening some friends to something, maybe Woody Guthrie, maybe ice climbing, maybe soft drink sales projections - who knows?
My Dad having a moment with my boss.
We rented out the back room at the College Inn that evening and had Indian food brought in.
Tor Linbo envisioned this as a 'Last Supper' moment. So he framed this image accordingly
the 2010 Raible Lab photo
and
the T-dock dissolution party.
a new marine head
This is the latest Twist n' Lock Jabsco Manual. She is a real beauty. To welcome her in properly I also replaced the adjacent plumbing. The install was a bit of a task - but I think a new head is critical for a happy boat.
The old electric head often became a point of tension with my crew in the past. It was pretty awful - wires were corroded - the motor was weak - fuses blew - outflow was shoddy, inflow was worse - the whole concept of an aged electric head is just a bad idea on a sailboat.
I captured the following video about a year ago.
I think it highlights the tension and discomfort that was created by the old electric system.
Although the crew was trying to stay upbeat - i think you can tell that mutiny was just around the corner.
The old electric head often became a point of tension with my crew in the past. It was pretty awful - wires were corroded - the motor was weak - fuses blew - outflow was shoddy, inflow was worse - the whole concept of an aged electric head is just a bad idea on a sailboat.
I captured the following video about a year ago.
I think it highlights the tension and discomfort that was created by the old electric system.
Although the crew was trying to stay upbeat - i think you can tell that mutiny was just around the corner.
January 14, 2010
A really mellow New Years on the Alizé that gradually became the opposite of mellow.
So - it was a simple idea, ring in the new years while bobbing around on an anchor. The weather was wet and mild. It was cold but a dead calm - no wind. We had loads of great food and drink, we had a stack of Uno cards, good music, good friends - this was lining up to be a real easy going New Years celebration.
So, we put on the rain gear and crossed Puget Sound to my favorite little nook, the mooring balls on the South end of Port Madison - very quiet, very quaint - a sleepy little spot.
This was sort of the high water mark for the evening and for me. At this moment you will notice we have full electricity in the cabin. The dinner came together without a hitch. I still have a look of confidence in my face - that will soon disappear (as will the electricity).
Okay, at this moment I am realizing I have a fever from a cold that I had previously been in denial about. This is not interesting except - due to the head cold, i wasn't thinking straight and forgot to switch batteries to the deep cycle. So...we lost electricity and that means we would not be able to start the engine in the morning. So we would have to sail back to my slip under sail. No big deal, I have done it before, as long as the winds are agreeable - everything will be gravy.
Aside from that - morale is soaring.
Midnight came, and under lantern light we wrote down our new years resolutions and burned them in the fire. My resolution was to remember to switch my battery to the deep cycle.
And then we played Uno which everyone excelled at, except me.
Then the next day, things became harrowing. As we began our sail home, the quiet Puget Sound picked up from a dead calm to a freakish gale. I had to drop all sails and put up a reefed main to keep the Alizé from heeling over uncomfortably.
With only a reefed main I couldn't make progress sailing upwind, so I resigned to running downwind. This meant saying goodbye to Seattle. If I had the engine, which i normally do, none of this would have mattered because I can grind the diesel into the wind.
In an attempt to keep the boat from breaching in the 5-6 foot breaking surf, we continued to run downwind. My hat flew overboard. The boat began hydroplaning, thereby exceeding hull speed. Lisa became sea sick. I will admit that I really didn't have much of a plan at this point.
We continued to run downwind. Fortunately, there is a lot of water downwind. If we had to, we could have hydroplaned all the way to Canada. This would not have been pretty, but I took comfort knowing that it was an option on the table.
Ultimately we made an emergency sail into Edmonds Marina at hull speed and hoped for the best. Which is what we got. Nobody had any a priori knowledge of the layout of the marina, but we soared in and were relieved to find this large fishing boat with huge metal handrails all around its deck. I plowed in, turned the bow into the wind to kill the speed, then tipped it towards port so that the crew could grab onto the rails and lash lines around cleats so as to secure our vessel before the winds grabbed us again and spit us into the breakwater.
And that was it, our ride was over. I felt like Sandra Bullock in Speed. Freeny said he felt like Keanu Reeves in Speed, but I have always had a thing for Sandra Bullock, so that's where my mind went.
Incidentally, nobody was taking pictures for this part of the sailing trip. So, the only images we have are these, the aftermath shots once our vessel was strapped to the Edmonds Marina.
November 17, 2009
fireside chats
What's good enough for FDR is good enough for Alizé. This was the debut sail for the new fireplace. Things went well, in that the only thing that burned down were the cedar logs we picked up at 7-11. In the future i will find a cooler source for my fuel. Maybe driftwood, maybe dura-logs, maybe old shoes.
October 21, 2009
How to install a Dickinson Marine Heater - an easy guide.
Are you planning to install a Dickinson marine heater? My marine fireplace has kept my sailboat cabin warm on many stormy nights and added a bit of old world charm in the process. However, putting a source of fire on a boat can be a bit intimidating . . .so, I put up these installation directions to show how to do it safely. In this post, I'm installing the Dickinson newport solid fuel heater (i burned driftwood as I sailed north to Alaska) but the instructions I give and the accessory parts are similar to the other versions of Dickinson marine heater (the Dickinson marine diesel heater and Dickinson marine propane heater).
I initially wrote this post in 2009, but I continue to update the post so all the links are accurate. The good news is that 10 years after the install, I still had no leaks in the cabin.
All the flue pipe and other fittings mentioned in this post are Dickinson brand. You may be able to get away with buying 3 or 5 inch stainless pipe from a metal shop and save some cash in that regard.
You want to run the 3 inch flue pipe up to the ceiling of your cabin in a way that allows at least 4 feet of exposed stove pipe. This serves to get the most heat out of the pipe and also to prevent the pipe from being too hot when it runs through your deck. To achieve this, I used the 45 degree stainless steel elbows to curve the pipe to the exact spot I wanted the pipe to exit the roof. As seen in the above picture.
To install the 3 inch flue pipe through my fiberglass deck, we first drilled out a 5 inch hole with a 5 inch circular drill piece. This gives an inch of space surrounding the flue pipe - which serves as a heat break, it keeps the hot pipe from touching your boat deck. Next we epoxied over the exposed balsa core of the fiberglass deck - to seal against rain that might sneak in (i live in Seattle..).
Then I ran the flue pipe through the deck using a 3 inch deck fitting with dress ring. This is a critical piece. There's a rubber gasket that comes with this deck fitting that also helps keep out rain. Here's the link to the deck fitting. It comes with circular steel plates to flush it up clean with the deck and ceiling surface.
A teak winch pad was installed on the exterior of the boat, to keep the chimney top at level. There's a curve of my boat deck, so the teak winch pad counters out that slope. You can use the same 5 inch circular drill bit to take out the circle in the middle of the teak winch pad. I then sanded the teak pad until the curve was flush with my deck, thus keeping the chimney top level.
You can find teak pads at West Marine. We ordered this one and saved a bit of cash.
Then I popped on this medieval looking clover leaf smoke cap, that keeps out the back-draft. I found this at a used boat shop.
It's now 2019 and I have nothing but cozy fires to report. The only downside is you need to keep well stocked with small pieces (6-8 inch) of wood or wood pellets, or my favorite - chunks of duralog. Any type of compressed fuel log, is nice because you can just use a big screwdriver to break off baseball size chunks. This means not having to wield a hatchet in the rain while you're standing in your fiberglass cockpit at 10 pm (I've been there...)
You can find product spec. info and pricing for additional heater models and all the accessory parts I talk about below at the Dickinson Marine store on Amazon. Certain high quality boating stores may also carry these parts. I found everything I needed at Fisheries Supply in Seattle. Now, I'm based in San Diego and we have Marine Exchange down in Shelter Island area. If you don't have a store like that where you live, then online is probably the way to go.
Good luck with the install and stay warm!
My dock mate just dropped off a pile of dense, chopped up burl wood. We burned these while out on anchor on a chilly evening in Mariner's Cove. You can see this dense fuel burning in the picture.
The heater still works fine. The pretty painting of a Spanish galleon on the ceramic tile has faded. But aside from that, the structure remains un-compromised.
My girlfriend and I spent the evening drinking wine and reading books on old trading ships.
No complaints...
I initially wrote this post in 2009, but I continue to update the post so all the links are accurate. The good news is that 10 years after the install, I still had no leaks in the cabin.
.jpg "dickinson marine") |
| freshly installed Dickinson marine fireplace in my Newport 30 sailboat |
The Dickinson marine fireplace installation
Steve and I mounted the heater unit on the starboard teak bulkhead in the main cabin with a sheet of stainless steel behind it - the stainless sheet acts as a heat guard to protect surrounding wood. This 3 inch stainless steel flue pipe fits over the stove top. I think, all told, I used 3 of these 22 inch sections of flue pipe, in order to connect my heater with the cabin ceiling. I hack-sawed them to the right length, then you can fold and squeeze one end into the reciprocal end of the other.All the flue pipe and other fittings mentioned in this post are Dickinson brand. You may be able to get away with buying 3 or 5 inch stainless pipe from a metal shop and save some cash in that regard.
You want to run the 3 inch flue pipe up to the ceiling of your cabin in a way that allows at least 4 feet of exposed stove pipe. This serves to get the most heat out of the pipe and also to prevent the pipe from being too hot when it runs through your deck. To achieve this, I used the 45 degree stainless steel elbows to curve the pipe to the exact spot I wanted the pipe to exit the roof. As seen in the above picture.
 |
| 5 inch hole drilled through balsa core deck |
To install the 3 inch flue pipe through my fiberglass deck, we first drilled out a 5 inch hole with a 5 inch circular drill piece. This gives an inch of space surrounding the flue pipe - which serves as a heat break, it keeps the hot pipe from touching your boat deck. Next we epoxied over the exposed balsa core of the fiberglass deck - to seal against rain that might sneak in (i live in Seattle..).
 |
| teak winch mount sanded to lay flush on deck |
Then I ran the flue pipe through the deck using a 3 inch deck fitting with dress ring. This is a critical piece. There's a rubber gasket that comes with this deck fitting that also helps keep out rain. Here's the link to the deck fitting. It comes with circular steel plates to flush it up clean with the deck and ceiling surface.
A teak winch pad was installed on the exterior of the boat, to keep the chimney top at level. There's a curve of my boat deck, so the teak winch pad counters out that slope. You can use the same 5 inch circular drill bit to take out the circle in the middle of the teak winch pad. I then sanded the teak pad until the curve was flush with my deck, thus keeping the chimney top level.
 |
| we drilled in holes, then coated base with 4200 marine sealant |
Then I popped on this medieval looking clover leaf smoke cap, that keeps out the back-draft. I found this at a used boat shop.
 |
| clover leaf smoke cap fit on a teak winch mount |
Dickinson Marine Heater
It's now 2019 and I have nothing but cozy fires to report. The only downside is you need to keep well stocked with small pieces (6-8 inch) of wood or wood pellets, or my favorite - chunks of duralog. Any type of compressed fuel log, is nice because you can just use a big screwdriver to break off baseball size chunks. This means not having to wield a hatchet in the rain while you're standing in your fiberglass cockpit at 10 pm (I've been there...)
Additional Dickinson units
You can find product spec. info and pricing for additional heater models and all the accessory parts I talk about below at the Dickinson Marine store on Amazon. Certain high quality boating stores may also carry these parts. I found everything I needed at Fisheries Supply in Seattle. Now, I'm based in San Diego and we have Marine Exchange down in Shelter Island area. If you don't have a store like that where you live, then online is probably the way to go.
Good luck with the install and stay warm!
 |
| still keeping the cabin warm 10 years later |
My dock mate just dropped off a pile of dense, chopped up burl wood. We burned these while out on anchor on a chilly evening in Mariner's Cove. You can see this dense fuel burning in the picture.
The heater still works fine. The pretty painting of a Spanish galleon on the ceramic tile has faded. But aside from that, the structure remains un-compromised.
My girlfriend and I spent the evening drinking wine and reading books on old trading ships.
No complaints...
October 16, 2009
Huge Day for the Captains Log
that is shala in the upper left corner out sailing last summer, she is featured in the Underway section of "Latitude and Attitudes", which is the creme de la creme of the 'pirate/Jimmy Buffet' genre of sailing publications, so ya know...
my boat is finally on the express trains to complete stardom
very exciting
September 28, 2009
September 14, 2009
September 6, 2009
humback whale in Barkley Sound
We had a couple of nice encounters with humpback whales and Orcas in and around Barkley Sound.
None of these moments were captured on film.
This tiny clip is all we had.
Unless Newman has more footage? Newman...talk to me.
good wind in the West Entrance of the Straight of Juan de Fuca
I would never speak poorly of my crew, they are the lifeblood of each successful voyage in the Alizé. But, if I could change one component of the crew's behavior - it would be the amount of drinks they spill.
It is one thing to get your sea legs, but it is another thing to get your sea hands - this takes weeks.
taking out the dingy
I don't know much about comedy, but for my money, nothing is funnier than 2 guys in a little boat - especially when Kitson is wearing his Miami beach outfit.
Thank goodness Captain has his own private kayak.
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