Castleton on Hudson

October 16, 2005
Felicity

It seems that I am writing all of these contributions. We will have to rope Alan in soon. We have decided to remain in Castleton today – There is a high wind warning for today and tonight with winds up to 55 mph (what’s that in Canadian?) The good news is that it is not raining and the humidity has dropped so we are not having a problem with condensation anymore. It is time to do some more boat chores. I bet you thought being on vacation meant no housework. With Alan having to work on the stove and the heater there was all kinds of soot around that I have scrubbed off. As we get used to the boat we are moving things around so they are easier to access. I actually swept the floor today – think little tent broom and dustpan and a two minute job. I also vacuumed out some of the lockers where Alan had been drilling. Christina gave us a cute little 12v. (like a car) vacuum cleaner. By the time Alan is finished his puttering we might not have to steer at all. The wind vane steering is all done, but not tested. The Raymarine tillerpilot is being done now.

Alan
I went for a walk in Castleton on Hudson. It is a town that stopped developing fifty years ago. It is Sunday and everything is closed.

The wind is howling. Late this afternoon there will be gusts up to 60 mph (100 kilometers per hour). We are staying put. Voila is heeling in the wind at the wharf. We decided not to put the sails on today. We will raise them tomorrow.

I finally finished installing the VF radio. Ronald, I soldered the connection at the radio side. And I made a proper union at the base of the mast. I made a radio test and the lock responded; all was strong and clear. For some strange reason the 12 volt adapter for the SSB receiver was reversed polarity. I fixed that as well as I had the soldering gun out.

I started installing the autopilot. Well, I figure where to install it and glued a block under the deck where the inboard socket goes. When that hardens I will finish the installation. I took out the sails and put them on deck. Lots more room in the lockers. We will wok on organizing the lockers this afternoon.