Where Is The Far Reach—Part II

[John Stone]

Dawn over Elephant Bay, USVI. The 57’ catamaran Quest is available for charter at $15K per week. Looking over at her I am reminded of the thread running on the forum for a while about cost per sail. I’d say we are all doing pretty well in that regard.

[Tom Keevil]

Heard an interesting story this summer while sailing in British Columbia. We encountered a fancy, high-end boat that you can charter for a week. It holds 8 people, and comes with a crew, a cook, etc. Apparently four years ago it cost $15,000 per week, and the owner was having a hard time making a go of it. Someone suggested that his problem was that he wasn't charging enough - he should charge $50,000 a week. Somewhat incredulous, he tried it the next year, and had to beat off business with a stick. Last year he raised it to $89,000. I just checked the website, and this year it's $98,000. Income inequality is real.

[John Stone]

I took some time this morning to break out and hoist the trys’l so that I could refamiliarize myself with it as well as refine the halyard and sheet arrangements. It’s an important part of the sail inventory on the Far Reach. I have not had it out for awhile and never used it in rough weather. I was not really happy with the halyard or sheet arrangements the last time I hoisted it. I had originally decided back then the best way to employ it was to pull the lazy jacks forward to the mast to keep them from interfering with the sail. But my instincts told me it was too complicated to do that when offshore in big waves and in the dark. Plus, that approach tended to interfere with hoisting the trys’l as in the forward position they clobbered the dedicated trys’l track. It worked just not as well as I thought it should. I didn’t have time to mess with it then as I had bigger fish to fry trying to get to the West Indies in Dec 2015. So, I have been thinking for awhile about how to make improvements to it.

Because Gayle made a new longer trys’l deployment bag to replace the small one I used before I mapped out a better sequence of steps. Today, I left the lazy jacks in place but loosened them by adding slack. Then, I lifted the deployment bag up on top of the mainsail by sliding it up its dedicated but separate track and laying it out between the lazy jacks. Then I pulled the bag off and ran the sheets to the turning blocks and onto the primary jib winches. I pulled off the trys’l sail ties and hoisted away. It worked much better. I need to sail with it on a windy day so I can further refine the deployment and sail handling plan.

It’s important that I am comfortable employing it and that I make every effort to eliminate any hiccups that often arise when you are not on top of your game.

[Jim Walsh]

Looks great John. I have two questions. Do you use the mainsail halyard to hoist the trysail or do you have a dedicated trysail halyard? Do you have dedicated turning blocks or do you remove your headsail sheets from your turning blocks and replace them with the trysail sheets?
I can’t wait to get back in the water. Looking forward to running back down to Bermuda.

[John Stone]

Hi Jim. I use the mainsail halyard. Since I set the trys’ right on top of the main, between the lazy jacks, it’s like having a second main. Easy to take the halyard off the main and attach to the head of the trys’l.

Right now, I remove the jib sheets from the foot blocks and run the dedicated trys’l sheets through them. I’m giving some thought to having a second set of blocks I can use as removable but dedicated turning blocks just for the trys’l sheets.

[John Stone]

A day of simple maintenance. I used cotter pins in the turnbuckle screws for a long time. A while back I replaced the cotter pins in the headstay, backstay and spritshrouds with Silicon Bronze TIG welding rod. It’s a clever technique I saw demonstrated by Brion Toss. I saw it on “Off Center Harbor.” It’s a website that requires a subscription but sometimes they post selected videos to the general public.

Anyway, yesterday I replaced the remaining cotter pins on the shroud rigging screws. It’s a much bettter system than using cotter pins. No chance of catching your sails or sheets or what have you. Very simple to install and quick to remove.

If there is interest I can see if I can find a link or I can draw it out on paper and post it.

And would you look at the SS! It constantly cries for attention. It simply can’t compare to or compete with the noble majesty of bronze. One day I will replace the combo SS-bronze turnbuckles with all bronze ones. I’ll replace the SS strap toggles with bronze toggles too.

[John Stone]

Taking my morning coffee my eye was drawn to the soft morning light revealing the contrast between varnished teak and mahogany and bare teak and silicon bronze.

Over the last four years, I believe we have found a good balance between practicality, beauty, durability, and minimal maintenance.

[John Stone]

I have a fair amount of diving experience. Got my PADI card when I was 17. I’m also a navy trained SCUBA Diver and completed the LAR V Rebreather Transition course as a Marine Combatant Diver. But I don’t have any diving gear anymore and I think I made my last dive about 2003. I just snorkel now.

But I kept thinking about options. It seemed to me it would be useful if I had a way to clean the bottom of the Far Reach without having to do it free diving. I’m in pretty good shape still and I’m very comfortable in the water but cleaning the bottom of a 36’ full keel boat, especially one rolling around in an anchaorage is very “fatiguing”...that’s civilian speak for “an ass kicker.” Or what if I dropped something valuable over the side and just could not reach it free diving. The right kind of system might help me recover it.

For about a year I have been reading up on the benifits of carrying a hookah diving system. A hookah is basically a surface supplied air breathing system—the source of the air you breath under water remains on the surface. There are all kinds of systems from the simple electric compressor to a multi tank cascade systems. But, they are all pretty darn expensive. And they require a lot of “stuff” to make them fully self contained for use on your boat. And I don’t like “lots of stuff.”

Since I have diving experience, and a lot of high quality training, it made sense to me to acquire the capability. After lots of research and thinking about the pros and cons I decided to go with a very simple basic system that takes up the least space. My set up is just a 1st stage (which connects to the tank), connected to 50’ air hose, connected to the second stage regulator. That’s it. It does requires the use of a SCUBA tank. I don’t have and don’t plan to carry a tank aboard the FR. I plan to rent the tank when I need one. Here in the USVI a fully charged 80 CUFT tank is $8 a day.

I had a knowledgeable St. Thomas dive shop put the hookah together. The cost was $190. That included a rebuilt regulator and 1st stage. It also included $50 worth of special fittings and the 50’ air hose. My brother is sending me an extra pressure gauge he had on hand...so that’s free.

The way it works is the SCUBA tank stays on the surface—remember, a hookha is a surface supplied system. The tank could remain aboard the Far Reach or it could be in the Sweet Pea. The hose goes in the water. I go in the water with the regulator. That’s it. I still need to rig up a lashing and clip for the hose so it is tethered to a separate belt I wear via a brass clip. That way when I swim the hose is pulling on the tether clipped to my belt and not on the regulator in my mouth. I want it on a separate belt so if I need to drop my weight belt the regulator stays with me.

There is no end to the ways you can over complicate this or throw money at it. Those that know me know my approach is to keep things simple but also keep it safe. The one thing I did not do was purchase an air hose that says “approved for SCUBA.” But I did a lot of reading and research and also checked the hose carefully. There is no internal rubber sleeve which could be poisonous under pressure. And to be honest, as Roberto has written about so often, most of this stuff comes from China and who the hell knows where it was made or who made it and what’s in it so it could be stamped “Guaranteed safe for you John Stone” and it’s the same hose used for everything else. So anyone that’s wants to make one of these will have to sort that out on their own. I make my decisions and you make yours and the two shall never meet....

I purchased an extra fitting in case I want to add another 50’ hose for a total of 100’. I thought I might need more than 50’ if my anchor got stuck in some bad way in deep water. Just thinking about the possibilities. For most of the way I think I will use it, 50’ will be more than enough.

I won’t be able to try it out for a while but when I do I’ll write a full report on my Blog.

[Jim Walsh]

Just wondering if you require an up to date certification to rent a SCUBA tank?
Having never been a smoker I’m still able to reasonably free dive and usually give Orion one scrub late in the season when the waters in the northeast seem to be crawling with stuff that wants to get to know her better.
I was curious about the hookah systems a few years ago but the commercial systems were high priced, bulky, and.....did I mention high priced and bulky?

[John Stone]

Hi Jim,
SCUBA certs don’t expire. Maybe they should. But they don’t.

You can see the system doesn’t take up much room. I’ve never needed one. Always managed to do the job or recover dropped stuff by free diving. So, so it will be interesting to see when, how, if I use it.

MTF.

John

[John Stone]

Went out for a row in Sweet Pea this evening. Took the below picture of the Far Reach in Elephant Bay, USVI with my iPhone. My magic carpet.

[Sea Hunt Video]

Before offering my unsolicited comments and suggestions I want to set forth my diving experience. I stayed at a Holiday Inn last month. It had a swimming pool. I did not swim, but I could have rented a mask and snorkel and jumped in the pool. I did not because the water was too cold. I like bath water. My first dives years ago were cold water dives. I am now a founding and charter member of the CAWWD Club.

That said, John S., since you mentioned my name in reference to my dislike of Chinese-made junk I will offer my unsolicited thoughts.

I have been diving since about 1967 (Mike Nelson/Sea Hunt was my "swim buddy" ) and cleaning the bottom of my sailboat (a Typhoon Weekender and then a CD 25D) for the past 10 years. I had a 40-foot hose with the tank placed in the sailing club’s dinghy. It is (or was) very similar to what you have described and photographed.

The Sherwood 1st and 2nd stage regs you have are both quality. I recommend you remove the so-called “hose protectors” from your gear. In theory they are supposed to “protect” the hose where it connects to the metal hose fittings. In practice, it is a place for salt crystals to develop and eat away at the metal fittings unless the hose protector is pushed down the hose and the connection thoroughly washed with fresh water after each dive. Divers get lazy and don’t.

As you know, the air hose you have is intended for use on air compressors and similar. I do not think it is intended for breathing purified air at depth. It may work but it is not intended for breathing air. You may want to consider re-purposing it for something else.

I am surprised the dive shop you dealt with did not recommend purchasing parts from a company like Brownie’s Third Lung.

https://www.browniedive.com/hookah-hoses-and-kits.html

They sell the kind of gear you are putting together and in various hose lengths. They also have a connector and “belt” so that you can keep the hose strapped to your body and the reg not pull away from your mouth. Admittedly, it probably costs a little more than other stuff you can cobble together but, as I have always told those who asked: your regs, hoses, and tanks are a “life support” system. You do not want to go cheap. In an emergency I will cobble together whatever I can use. If I have time to prep, I want to carry gear intended for a certain use.

In your case, my friend, I would urge you to cut back on offering “free drinks for all the topless girls at Foxy’s Bar” and “re-purpose” that money on equipment intended for diving. In less than one week you will have the coin you need to buy the gear you really want.

Make sure you have an SPG hose that is long enough for it to hang over the side so that you can read it while you are in the water at the surface. To determine your air consumption rate, check it every 10-15 min. Assuming you are in excellent physical condition an 80Al/3000 psi tank may be sufficient for your 36' Cape Dory. If you accidentally bleed a tank dry not only will you have an unexpected and rude awakening but the dive shop may charge you for a VIP. Air consumption will depend a lot on your buoyancy control and how much effort you expend to stay “neutral”. They make “suction cup handles” to help people stay in position while cleaning their bottom. I was not able to easily find a reference using my good friend “Mr. Google”. Perhaps someone else will have better luck. I have never used one but I am told they work and help to keep you in place with one hand while you clean with the other.

Importantly, if there is dive equipment you want but cannot find in the islands please let me know. I can purchase and ship to you (but not tanks ). You can reimburse me when you return stateside.

"Keep your snorkel wet"

[John Stone]

Roberto. Great to hear from you. All good points. I watched sea hunt too. Good show.

Brownies is reputable and makes very good gear as I understand it. Just saw a Brownie Hookah the other day. Not a “little more expensive” though. It’s a lot more expensive. This is a very reputable shop. They have built a lot of hookahs with the same components and have had no “known” issues.

Big debate about it on line. Only issue to me is will the hose liner off gas. It’s PVC. So I am confident it’s safe. And at 6’ it’s still, essentially, at nearly 1atm. And I’m not using pure O2. Standard 79/21.

You pay your money and take your chances. I’ll see how it goes. Detailed feed back on our blog after I use it. If I every run across a used Brownie hose or new one on a huge sale...I’ll buy it.

I’m fine with the components...at this point anyway. As I mentioned, there is no end to the money you can spend.

Thanks as always. Your comments are always appreciated.

[John Stone]

A few days ago the first of the three 10lb propane bottle we carry went dry. I had been using it for 10 weeks. So, today I decided to row over to St Thomas Gas and get the propane bottle refilled.

It might be worth mentioning that the integrated propane locker we built in the lazarette (under the aft cockpit seat) has worked perfectly. It looks factory. Holds three 10lb bottles, which gives us 4-6 months of propane when living aboard. It is also built to ABYC standards. So it’s a great mod for those CD 36 owners (and it would probably work for a number of the other CD models as well) who might want to increase and improve their propane storage but not store them above deck on the stern pulpit. I would say it has easily proven to be worth the time it took to build. As it turned out, of the many mods we made to the Far Reach, the propane locker was one of the easiest to complete. Click here for a link to the modification.

http://www.farreachvoyages.com/projects ... ocker.html

Anyway, the rowing distance was about two miles round trip. The conditions were good so I left the little 2hp Honda tilted up and rowed over.

The propane facility is at the very head of Krum Bay. It is a long narrow bay that supports an oil refinery and dilapidated dock. There are numerous wrecks in the bay most of which long predate Hurricane Irma. There are sunk barges and rusted wrecked tug boats, etc along the east side of the bay. Despite the wrecks, or maybe because of them, it was an interesting trip. I rowed right over the top of some of the wrecks, clearly visible below in the clear rocky water. I have to imagine there are a lot of lobster in the area. Might be worth investigating later!

It took about 15 min to get the aluminum tank filled. Sweet Pea and I had a quiet row back under trade wind clouds to the Far Reach. My major task for the day is complete.

[Jim Walsh]

Klum Bay has lots of “character”. I bet it would be fascinating to dive amongst those wreaks, not that I would willingly participate. Very interesting photos as usual. Glad you are enjoying your cruise.