What a Long, Strange, Trip it has Been (part 3)

We made it to NoName harbor on Key Biscayne.  This was to be our staging point to cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas.  I had considered other staging points and, honestly, this was not my first choice.  Yes, many people cross from here to Bimini, but I'd also heard that clearing in at the usual spot in Bimini isn't as smooth as other places and I wanted my first time to be smooth.  You can reach West End on Grand Bahama from Ft. Lauderdale or even Lake Worth (fighting current or backtracking).  But we were picking up our crew member Doug in Miami, so it made sense to be in the Miami area.

Just a couple boats waiting at NoName Harbor

We had a few tasks to complete before we leave.  We needed to do some final provisioning, get the health checkup for our dog (Bahamas says it needs to be within 48 hours, but some leeway is given when arriving by boat), and we needed to complete the Bahamas entry paperwork.  Doug had access to a car, which made provisioning easier.  But if you stop at Biscayne, there is a service called FreeBee that provides free shuttle service to the local businesses on Key Biscayne and we made use of it to go to both the library (to print out paperwork) and the local Winn Dixie grocery.

Of course, weather had to mess with us a few more times.  Shifting winds and cold fronts had us move anchorages 4 times.  The anchorage at NoName is not protected from the Southeast through West, so we moved to hurricane harbor for a couple days.  We tried getting into a marina in Miami at one point, but they were either full or prohibitively expensive, so we anchored out near Coconut Grove for a couple days, then moved back to NoName when things calmed down.

Coconut Grove and Miami in the distance 

The long range forecasts showed a possible weather window for the crossing a few days out, so we made that trip to the library to complete the Bahamas online Click2clear process and prepared to leave.  Naturally, after completing the process (in which you are supposed to provide your date and time of arrival as well as port of entry), the weather window closed on us.  The next weather window was about a week away, but the just submitted paperwork said we would arrive the following day.  The Click2clear site didn't specify what to do about changes other than an ability to cancel.  And, of course it was a Sunday, so we couldn't call anyone to ask.  Eventually we (actually Chuck) did call and found out all you had to do was go back into Click2clear and update the arrival date and save it (not resubmit, only click save on that one page) and it would work.  We could then take the printouts we already had and they would just mark them up or reprint as needed.  I wasn't sure about the health certificate for our dog, but hoped they would grant sufficient leeway for him too. I also wanted to change the arrival port to a different location on Bimini due to those few reports of less cordial receptions at the one most people use there.

We had noted the weather windows that had presented themselves often came with more easterly winds, and this would mean we would beat into the wind and waves and likely have to motor across.  Since we had a bit of time, we decided to move further south and anchor near north Key Largo.  This would give us a slightly better wind angle to cross and the gulf stream as it will push us north anyway.  We anchored around the privately owned Pumpkin key.  We also made a day run to a nearby marina to top off fuel and they let us dock long enough to make a quick run to the nearby Winn Dixie via Lyft.

The weather window was arriving as predicted, so the day before we departed, we made our way out of the Angelfish creek inlet and spent the final night on a free mooring ball at a keys reef dive site (some allow overnight stays).  It was an interesting night to be moored well off shore with the Atlantic on one side of us and Key Largo in the distance behind us.  Near first light, we drop the mooring ball, maneuver around the reef, and start heading east.  Next stop, the Bahamas.

Mooring at Carysfort reef

As we depart, and start motoring out, suddenly my starboard engine alarm went off.  I look down and the engine is overheating.  I quickly shut down the motor and we raise the sails.  The wind was from the Southeast, so we were beating into it about 35 to 40 degrees off the wind with the port engine running.  I let the starboard engine cool off a bit and then go down to investigate.  I find a lot of engine coolant in the bilge.  I look for a leak, but could not find one.  We had some jugs of tap water on board, so I use one to refill the coolant tank.  This is when I discover the leak.  One of the hoses between the coolant tank and the heat exchanger (radiator that uses sea water instead of air to cool) had a slit in it on the side that was facing the engine block where it could not be seen, only felt.

Now, I have a bunch of hose on the boat, so I begin looking through my inventory while I ask Doug to go try and remove the leaking hose.  I have about 30 feet of 2 inch hose, 8 feet of 3/4 inch hose and smaller pieces of 1 inch hose, but no hose that is 1 3/8 to 1.5 inches in diameter that would be suitable as radiator hose.  I think about any other places where I might have some hose stashed or if there is a non-critical system it could be scavenged from, but come up empty.  The only semi-suitable option I have is the wet exhaust hose on the generator...but it is wire reinforced and I doubt I could bend  it enough to install a 7 inch piece in the space on the motor.

I started pondering if we should turn back.  We are already in the Gulf Stream at this point and conditions are about as good as they get there, we are in no danger, and the boat can be operated just fine under sail or on a single engine.  The only time both motors are really needed are when maneuvering in tight spaces such as marinas.  While I know parts and supplies are hard to find in the Bahamas, they would surely have a piece of radiator hose somewhere as there are many boats and cars there.  I also have one trick left, to attempt a temporary repair of the hose.  So we press on.

Doug had managed to get the clamps loosened before the heat of the engine room and the mildly rolling seas made him feel queasy.  So, I went back down in the engine room and completed the removal of the hose.  I found a slit in the hose that was a few inches long and almost looks like it was made with a knife, and part of this slit was what had ruptured.  There is this stuff called rescue tape and I decided to give it a try for the repair.  It is a self bonding silicone-like tape that supposedly can withstand up to 500 degrees F and 950 psi.  I cleaned the hose up, placed a bit of duct tape over the slit as duct tape has fiber reinforcement (I didn't expect the adhesive to hold, just wanted the fiber) and then wrapped the hose with 2 layers of rescue tape.  When complete, it seemed like a reasonable repair, so I went back into the engine room and reinstalled the hose.  I filled the coolant tank with coolant and water and gave it a test.  It seemed to be holding.  There was a tiny seep, but it should be sufficient for shorter term use if we kept an eye on it.

I spent much of the crossing in the engine room, but even there I could tell we picked a good window for the crossing.  It would have been nice if the winds allowed for pure sailing, but the long period small waves were a far cry from the conditions we could have had and have been reported by others.  It was sunny and winds were fairly light and, other than the motor issue, would have made for a lovely crossing.

Fisherman's Village Dock

We arrived in Bimini a bit later than planned due to the motor issue and needing to motor-sail to make a reasonable time crossing the Gulf Stream.  As we entered the Bimini channel, the sun was setting.  I had been listening on the radio and heard reports of where the entrance channel had shoaling (the shifting sands at the entrance there mean it is constantly changing, so local knowledge and reports are a must).  There was actually a boat that had run aground when we arrived, but did manage to free themselves and confirmed the shoaling reports I had heard.

We make our way up the channel to the Fishermans Village marina and dock after their normal business hours.  Fortunately there was one dock hand that was still around and they helped get us squared away for the night.  When I queried about customs and immigration, they said they were closed and would reopen at 9 am the next day.  So, we all stayed on the boat with the Q flag raised, and waited until morning.

I was a bit nervous about my first check in, but after a shower and putting on a bit nicer clothes (a button front shirt and better looking shorts) off I went to customs and immigration in the morning.  Both were in the same building, nearly on site at the marina.  They gave me the immigration forms you get when flying and as I began filling them out, the gentleman from customs came and asked me if I filled out the forms online.  I said yes and he asked me for the cruising permit printout.  I gave it to him and he walked back to another room for a moment, then returned and asked if we had our dog on board.  I said yes and gave him the approved paperwork and health certificate and he went back to the other room.  Before I was done filling out the immigration cards, he returned with the stamped cruising permit and fishing permit and said we were good to go and welcome to the Bahamas.  I finished filling out the immigration forms and handed them in.  They looked them over briefly, noted that I forgot to sign them, and once signed them also welcomed me and hoped we would enjoy out stay.  Professional, yet very friendly and welcoming.  We chatted just a moment, I forget about what, and I thanked them and that was it.  We were now officially cleared into the Bahamas.

Raising the courtesy flag

I returned to the boat, we lowered the Q flag and raised the courtesy flag.  First time crossing the Gulf Stream and first time visiting another country on our own boat accomplished. Now we were ready to explore the Bahamas...and find a radiator hose.

What a Long, Strange, Trip it has Been (part 2)

 So, we are approaching the St. Augustine inlet in the morning fog, my course on the chartplotter taking us straight to the inlet's marker.  Visibility is around a quarter to half mile.  I have the radar on and it finds the marker about a mile away, but I don't see any radar blips for the channel markers.  Then about a half mile from it I notice a shadow of the inlet marker appear from the fog.  About this time, the radar also starts picking up the channel markers.  Hmmm...maybe?

As we continue to approach the inlet marker, I keep looking to the right in an attempt to visually locate the channel markers.  Then I think I see a faint outline of the coast.  Is the fog starting to lift? Sure enough, by the time I reach the inlet mark, 2 to 3 sets of the channel markers appear from the fog.  We make the turn and start heading in.  We pass the first set of markers and visibility continues to improve.  By the time we pass the second set of marks, I can now make out much of the channel.  Whew.  We make our way in and dock at Camachee Cove marina.

A few minutes after we arrive, another Leopard 3800 enters the marina. At our home port we occasionally see another Leopard, but rarely the same model and vintage as ours.  We make their acquaintance, compare, and swap stories about our boats.  They are half owners from England.  John and Dorota on Eagle Song, it was nice to meet and share stories and I wish you safe travels...hopefully our paths will cross again in the future.

Rover and Eagle Song in St.. Augustine 

A cold snap was predicted and arrived, dropping  temperatures to near freezing in St. Augustine...I thought Florida was supposed to be warmer.  We took the time (and use of the marina’s courtesy car) to do more provisioning and some shopping at Sailors Exchange while we waited out the cold.  

A tiki bar boat anyone?

Weather wasn't predicted to be great, so we begrudgingly decided to again motor down the ICW and our next stop was Palm Coast.  One night there and we were moving on to Daytona.  During my morning check of the engine, I found one of the fan belts broke on my starboard engine (fortunately it has two and I had a complete set of spares).  I went to install a spare only to find that it was about a half inch too small in diameter (guess those cross references aren't that good, eh, Autozone? ).  We continued with the single belt on that side.

When we pulled into the marina in Daytona, we noticed a boat we recognized as a couple we met when they were stopped in New Bern. We visited a bit and found out this was their home marina.

The next morning, we got out the folding bikes and rode to Napa to get the replacement fan belt.  Unfortunately they only had one, so I'd have to pick up additional spares elsewhere.  I installed the belt without much fuss.  A check of the weather and again it looks like we will be trudging down the ditch. At least we are slowly making our way south, right??

So we made plans and the next morning headed south, down past the Kennedy Space Center and on to Titusville.  While tying up the boat, I noticed the boat behind us had a hailing port of Durango, CO...so naturally we had to make their acquaintance.  I’ve often mused that we should have made our hailing port Leadville, CO. as I find the thought of my boat somehow making it to Colorado funny. I also checked the Napa there and found they didn't have the belts but could get them by the next morning, so I ordered them and picked them up the next day.  While there, we also ran into a couple we had met months earlier at our new home marina.  Chuck and Tina sail a Beneteau 473 named Whisper.  They too were headed to the Bahamas, so we began traveling somewhat together.

The NASA VAB in the distance

The next two legs of the trip would also be down the ICW as Titusville is a fair distance from an inlet.  Since it was finally starting to warm up some, the next night we anchored out in a wide part of the ICW halfway between Titusville and Ft. Pierce that had several good spots for anchoring.  Not long after we set the hook, we noticed a catamaran that had been some distance behind us all day was also coming in to anchor.  As they got closer, we recognized the boat.  It was the Swiss couple that we met and docked next to in Charleston. We chatted on the radio a bit and found out they were heading to the Keys and then Bahamas.  So, if you are keeping count, we have run into someone we knew on the last 3 stops.  As big as the world and oceans are, it still surprises me how small it can all seem at times.

The next morning we got an early start and made our way to Ft. Pierce.  We docked at the city marina along with Whisper. Here is where one of the downsides of having a cat can be seen.  The dockage rate for our cat was 50% higher than Whisper, even though we were both tied up next to each other on a face dock and their 47 foot boat takes up 10 foot more dock space than our 37 foot boat.  If it were a slip, I could understand an additional charge for our width, but at a face dock it seems silly as we take up less space.  

There was one thing that happened that made up for the overcharge though.  At many marinas, there is a space known as the "free table" where boaters can leave things they no longer need but may be usable by someone else.  We have picked up and left things at various free tables in the past.  Here, there was a working portable clothes washer and spin dryer that someone left when they upgraded.  We have a small bucket size washer that is good for a couple shirts or shorts, but this one is bigger and can handle jeans, bedsheets, and larger towels.  I've wanted to give one of these a try, but never could find one we could fit into one of our storage lockers.

Since the price was right, we figured why not take it to the boat and see if we could find a place for it.  We measured it and our largest inside locker door and it would just barely fit.  The problem was that once I shoved it through the door, I don't think I could get it back out.  But it is lightweight enough that we decided we could just store it in the shower and move it when we wanted to shower.  We had just done some laundry so we also gave the spin dryer a try.  Our small washer had a spin basket and so did a previous one we tried, but I found those didn't extract much water and I could hand wring better.  This one is a game changer.  It spins as well as our home front load washer and leaves things almost dry.  An hour or two hanging on the lifelines, even in humid Florida, and a sweatshirt and towel were dry.  This find mostly makes up for the overcharging of the marina.

The free clothes washer with spin dryer

Since the trip to Florida has taken much longer than planned, we again did a grocery run.  We had hoped to leave out the Ft. Pierce inlet and sail south to Key Biscayne/No Name Harbor, but the weather has been fickle.  It only seems to get better when we are trapped in long stretches of the ICW.  After a couple days in Ft. Pierce, we again decided we would take the ICW so we could make it a little further south.  At least at the end of this next leg would be the anchorage in N Lake Worth and another inlet near Palm Beach to try again.

Rover and Whisper head out the next morning, continuing our trek down the ICW.  I have to admit, I wasn't looking forward to this leg of the trip.  I've been through Jupiter before and I remember it to be a circus.  Several bridges in close proximity to one another, with jet skis and small boats that don't have a clue about right of way for boats with limited ability to maneuver (tall masts going through a raised bridge, for example).  This time was no different.  

The trip started out nice and we were making good progress.  As we approached Jupiter, more and more boats appeared.  Party barges with young sun worshipers, jet skis, motorboats with big engines driven by small minds all entered the frey.  It was like rush hour.  We wait at the bridges, trying to keep station in the current as we wait for the next scheduled bridge openings while small boats and jet skis zip around us in all directions.  With two motors set far apart, I have a fair amount of control. I feel for my friends on Whisper that have to contend with this mess in a single engine monohull.  At the last bridge before Lake Worth, a motor yacht passes us, Whisper, and a trawler waiting at the bridge so he can be first through when it opens.  I think it was the trawler that keys his radio mic with two stern words "back off".  Sigh.  If I ever think about coming down this part of the ICW again, please slap me.

We finally make it to the lake and drop anchor with about 40 other boats, undoubtedly also waiting on the weather to continue their journeys.  This will definitely be the end of my journey down the ICW.  Ahead are Ft. Lauderdale and Miami.  The former has lots of mega yachts and expensive marinas, the latter has a fixed bridge built by a dyslexic engineer who made it 56 feet high instead of 65 so we can't pass under it.  And both have rich NIMBY's that don't like us "poor boaters" anchoring and ruining their views.  Besides, I'm growing tired of being just a tall motorboat.

We wait a couple days and a weather window appears.  It isn't perfect, but at this point I'm not picky, I'll take what I can get. We head out the inlet and are met with a little wind.  We raise the sails and make an attempt to sail, but the winds are light.  We even attempt to fly the spinnaker, but by the time I get it rigged, the wind all but dies.  Well, at least I won't be motoring down the ditch anymore.  Whisper had followed us out the inlet and also attempted to sail, but gave up sooner than we did and had motored past us while we stubbornly tried to sail.  Later that evening, as we were passing by offshore of Ft. Lauderdale, the winds picked back up and we were able to sail the rest of the way to the Biscayne Bay channel on a nice reach.  Finally!

We anchored outside No Name Harbor, our intended staging point for crossing the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas.

The anchorage outside NoName harbor...
We are not alone.

Next stop, Bahamas?

(More to come next time)

What a Long, Strange Trip It Has Been (part 1)

 For a long time I've wanted to take the boat to the Bahamas.  To sail in crystal blue waters, explore tropical islands, scuba and snorkel, and find tranquil anchorages.  This past Friday, I finally made it across the gulf stream and am now in Bimini.  I'm still looking for most of that above list, but am now 90% of the way there.

I started this trip back in 2019.  I found some crew and came to the boat to start preparing it for the trip.  After numerous updates and repairs, there was one major bit of work to be done, to replace the standing rigging (the wires that hold the mast up).  It was ordered in early 2020, and then the unplanned delay struck the entire world, the COVID pandemic shut everything down.

Almost four years later and I am back at it.  A new home marina, more boat repairs and upgrades, the rigging that was ordered before the pandemic was finally installed, and the boat was as ready as I thought she could be.  There were a couple minor projects to do, but I figured they could easily wait for a warmer climate. The crew had changed a bit.  My wife and dog are with me now and there are plans to meet up with others from the original crew along the way.

Not quite shorts and t-shirt weather yet.

We departed New Bern, North Carolina at the very end of December.  It was cold.  We made our way slowly south along the Intercoastal Waterway as the weather wasn't suitable for travel in the Atlantic. We stopped at night at marinas so we could plug the boat in and run heaters to stay warm.  It was a slow journey from New Bern back to my old marina in Southport.  It was the last leg into Southport where I discovered I had picked up some bad fuel and clogged the filters. One engine sputtered as we entered the marina basin to provide a little added excitement. A few days in Southport replacing filters, polishing fuel, provisioning, and catching up with friends, and we finally had a small weather window to actually sail further south.

We departed Southport on an overnight passage down the coast to Charleston.  It was still cold and we wore winter coats and foul weather gear...determined to find warmer weather.  The winds varied, so we sailed some and motored some. At one point while motoring, one of the engine room blower fans started squealing, apparently a bearing was going bad.  It made quite a noise so we shut down the engine for a while.  Then one time when I started it to see if the fan would behave for at least a little while, I was met with silence from the fan.  It had died.  It was also on this leg of the trip that we noticed the volume on the VHF radio wasn't as loud as it should be, making it difficult to hear calls when the motors were running.  We made it to Charleston just fine, but with a couple new repair items to take care of.  It is a boat after all.

We stayed in Charleston long enough to order and install a replacement fan and radio.  Then, while waiting on the weather for another chance to move south, the area was hit by a freak high wind thunderstorm line.  This is the first time I've ever seen waves breaking inside a marina, between the boats and the shoreline. During the storm, the docklines on our boat loosened one of the cleats and one of our docklines broke (fortunately I had prepared for the storm and had extra lines securing us). The boat behind us snapped one of the cleats off of the dock.  Elsewhere in the marina, others had broken lines and cleats and during the storm two boats were rocking so bad that their masts hit.  One piece of the marina’s dock broke free and one of their ramps ripped loose and sank.  It was a wild ride, but we made it through unscathed.

Charleston Maritime Center

...and during the storm.

The next weather window was small and only allowed us a day sail from Charleston to Edisto Beach.  The winds weren't quite from the right direction, but we were able to sail a beat (into the wind) that got us to the channel right at sunset.  It was nice to be able to sail for a while without hearing the drone of the motors. 

We made our way up the channel as it grew darker.  The marina said they were easy to find, just look for their sign at the fuel dock.  Well, they failed to mention that the sign was unlit, there was a strong cross current, and they probably didn't know about the fishing vessel that was squatting in our assigned spot on the T head with its bright deck lights shining in our faces.  This combination made finding the marina a bit difficult.  We were able to finally tie up to the dock with only minor issues after getting the squatter to move.  The next morning when staff arrived, one gave us a ride to the local grocery store to pick up a few things as we we hadn't taken into account the length of time it was taking us to make it south when we had provisioned.  Then we waited several days for another weather window to continue.

We wanted to go from Edisto SC to St. Augustine FL on a 2-night passage and, originally the weather looked like it might oblige.  But as the day approached, the forecasts started shifting and we decided we would try for a single night and arrive at Brunswick GA instead.  Again it was a combination of sail and motoring, but we were still heading south at least.  As we approached Brunswick, the weather reports changed. This time it was in our favor as the window that shortened at the beginning was now lengthening at the end.  Given how much we had been delayed by the strange weather this year, it was an easy decision to press on to St. Augustine.  So we continued to sail that evening and into the night.

Before sunrise, we started seeing lightening flashes in the distance.  At first they were east of us and moving east away from us.  Then some started appearing to the southwest, in our path.  We were somewhere near Jacksonville when the weather radio came alive with a warning about a strong thunderstorm around Marineland and heading northeast.  Wanting to avoid that, we reverse course for a bit and allow it to pass by.  Oh, there was also another storm that was around Fernandina Beach to our north, so we waited in between them.  They passed by without much concern and, once the flashes of light were east of us, we turned back on course for St. Augustine.

As the morning light started overtaking the early morning darkness, a fog started to develop.  Listening to the current condition weather reports on the radio, it sounded like all of Florida was covered in fog.  I guess this is a good time to mention, for those not familiar with St. Augustine, that this particular inlet is not detailed on navigation charts because of shifting sands that supposedly change the navigable part of the channel.  It has always seemed rather stable the times I've been in it before, but it has been a while.  As the fog thickened, I grew concerned about having to navigate a potentially changed channel in the fog.  We found our horn and made the required sound signals while we Listened for others. Our radar should be able to locate channel markers...I hope.  Or will we have to wait out the fog or continue on to another inlet...

(More to come next time)

A 15" Touchscreen Chartplotter for around $500?

 First a belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!

My boat came with a Garmin 4208 chartplotter.  Unfortunately, the prior owner(s) did quite a hack job installing it and, as a result, there was a rather large and unsightly open hole in the hull behind the unit.  This hole prevented me from ever removing the chartplotter from the helm as it was the rain shield.  Well, a chartplotter is an expensive umbrella, and after having spent many years acting as such, it began having some issues.  The case seal had failed and allowed moisture to enter. Best I can tell, this caused a light film of mold to start growing in the screen and was slowly making it unreadable.  It was time to find a solution.

The Old Garmin Plotter,
as installed by prior owner

I could have bought Garmin's current replacement unit for around $3000, and would have the same functionality that I had.  There were a couple problems with this.  Since my depth, wind, and autopilot are Raymarine, they did not like talking to the Garmin.  Being from the aviation world, I'm also not a big fan of Garmin (particularly after they charged me over $150 for a 32 MB data card while standard 1GB SD cards were selling for around $20).  While talking with the harbormaster at my new marina, he was telling me about Openplotter and how he and others had built their own chartplotters using a Raspberry Pi computer and a few other inexpensive electronic bits.

Who cuts a hole like this?

Fixed, with a mount and connectors
for the new touchscreen

I did some research and decided that it would be worth the effort to try and build my own chartplotter using Openplotter.  If successful, I would have a nice chartplotter that would be capable of integrating the information from the Garmin radar, Garmin sonar, Raymarine wind, Raymarine depth, and Raymarine autopilot without having to replace all of this equipment with items from the same maker.  I could also add a 15" touchscreen interface, AIS receive functionality and, the best part, this would cost me only a fraction of the cost of a complete solution from any of the big name marine electronic manufacturers (a 16" Garmin package would likely run over $7000 by the time all was said and done).

So, for this experiment, I purchased the following:

• A Raspberry Pi 4 w/4GB memory, case, data card, fan, and card reader $125
• 15" touchscreen display $120
• Outdoor VESA mount for monitor $23
• 3 64 GB micro SD cards for programming and backup $20
• 12v powered USB hub (for connecting and powering peripherals $20
• A USB GPS antenna that outputs NMEA sentences $20
• A Berry IMU gyroscope/compass/acceloremeter chip $38
• USB RS485/422 converter (for NMEA output) $18
• RTL-SDR Radio (for AIS receive) $33
• VHF whip antenna (for AIS receive) $10
• Opticoupler (for SeaTalk input) $8
• 2 128GB USB flash drives (for chart/data storage) $25
• 12v to 5v USBC power supply $12
• Various cables, connectors, fuses $80

Installing the OpenPlotter software package is pretty easy.  You download the Openplotter image for Raspberry Pi and use an imaging tool to copy it to the micro SD card.  You then insert the MicroSD card into the Pi, hook up the monitor and boot it up.  In order to program and modify things, I also used a Bluetooth keyboard that I was able to add once the Pi booted up.  Then the fun really started.

A touchscreen at the helm
(had to add an anti-glare screen protector)

I won't go into all the details on how to setup OpenPlotter as there is a fair amount of information out there already and it all depends on what sensors and equipment you are trying to connect.  I actually started work on this at home, and overall it took me several months worth of occasional tinkering plus the actual installation on the boat.  But, if you are considering taking on a project like this, I do have a one bit of advice.  Buy a couple spare memory cards for the Raspberry Pi.  You will want them to make backups.  I would suggest keeping two different backups, one for every major milestone and another for more often created backups.  This way you will have options for going back to two points without having to start over.  There were a couple times during my work where a bug was introduced but not noticed until several changes later.  If I didn't have the major milestone backup, I would have been unable to back up to the point before the bug was introduced.

Another thing I didn't realize was that the Raspberry Pi, at least at the time of writing this, does not support the equivalent of a "right click" for touchscreens (either a long-press or double tap).  Since OpenCPN is difficult to use without the right click, I had to find a solution.  I found there is a software driver called Twofing that converts a two fingered tap into a right click.  I installed and configured this driver and was able to right click on things by tapping two fingers on the screen on either side of the item I wanted to right-click on.

I setup the Raspberry Pi to automatically start OpenCPN on boot such that it takes up about 75% of the screen real-estate and another package called Kip to display the information I wanted and is typical of a chartplotter on the other 25%.  The Kip package is actually a configurable web page and can display basic numeric and text data, graphs and gauges, and has a nice compass rose that can display wind speed, direction, laylines, and direction to your next waypoint all on a single dial.  It can display any data that is collected by the system.

Plotter interface in Day mode

...and in night mode

I've still got a little work to do, but so far I am very happy with the results.  The Raspberry Pi gets position information from the USB GPS receiver, wind and depth information from the Raymarine Seatalk connection, AIS information from the RTL-SDR card.  An OpenCPN plugin supports the Garmin HD radar and utilizes free NOAA digital charts and even Explorer charts for the Bahamas (and other areas) from O-charts.  Routes are finally able to be output via NMEA 0183 to the Raymarine autopilot, and I even have pitch and heel information from the IMU. Using a GRIB file downloader, I can load and display weather forecast information overlayed on OpenCPN charts. I can also connect wirelessly to the Raspberry Pi and monitor the boat using my cell phone or a tablet.  And one more added bonus, with the 128GB memory stick, I not only have enough storage for charts, but can also use it as a media server/player...so much of my music collection can be streamed to my Bluetooth enabled stereo. 

The two items supported by the old Garmin that I don't have working are the XM radio and the Garmin sonar.  Although I haven't removed the XM unit, I've never used it and thus far I don't have any intention of using it.  I am unaware of any existing support for the sonar and when I have more time will look at writing a plugin or app to interface and decode the data sent from it (I do see the sonar data on the Pi, just don't know what to do with it yet).  I should be able to at least get depth information from it, if not a full sonar image with fish detection, etc.

The one thing I may change is the touchscreen I am using.  Since this was essentially an experiment, I didn't want to throw too much money into it without knowing how well it was going to work.  I thought the screen I chose would be bright enough to be daylight readable, but I didn't take into account all the reflected glare onto a shiny touchscreen.  The first time I tested it with the sun behind me, the shiny surface made a better mirror than display.  I added an anti-glare screen protector that has helped a lot, but would also like if the screen was brighter.  I know there are brighter screens out there, but they will increase the price of this project a bit.

I will say that, if you are not comfortable with computers and soldering and playing with electronic internals, this project may not be for you.  There is a lot of fiddling with hardware and configuring software involved.  There is nothing that is too complex (except for possibly the sonar, I didn't write any code beyond the script to automatically start the interface the way I wanted it), but there are a lot of individual pieces that need to be setup to work together.  If you are comfortable with these tasks, you can make yourself a very capable chartplotter using well developed and free open-source software.

Adventures in Refrigeration

Refrigerators in boats aren't typically like those at home.  Unless you have an endless supply of power, you need one that is a bit more power efficient.  In my case, the refrigerator cabinet is a large, fairly well insulated cabinet that opens at the top (like a good portable cooler) and has a divider inside that splits the space into a freezer section and refrigerator section.  The "cold" in the freezer is provided by what is called a cold plate system. There are two metal plates filled with a liquid that will freeze when the refrigeration compressor runs and then they slowly absorb the heat.  Think of it kind of like a block of dry ice that is repeatedly re-frozen to keep the freezer cool.  The refrigerator side of the cabinet is kept cool by allowing some of the heat from the refrigerator side to passively bleed over into the freezer through a couple holes in the divider between the compartments.  

Freezer and Refrigerator Controls

This works OK,  but has a couple issues. The temperature of the freezer plays a large part in the temperature of the refrigerator.  Both the refrigerator and freezer are colder at the bottom than at the top.  If you open the refrigerator much, the refrigerator side can warm above safe temperatures and take a while for the spillover air to cool it back off.  Conversely, if you don't open it enough, things can freeze in the refrigerator side, particularly at the bottom.  And while I like a cold beer, frozen ones can  be an issue. And finally, my freezer could only reach a low of around 15° F (ideal is near 0°F).

One more issue, specific to my fridge, is that the genius who installed it placed the expansion valve (the point in the refrigeration circuit where the cold starts to be generated) outside of the refrigerator cabinet.  This valve freezes and thaws with each refrigeration cycle and therefore condenses water out of the air and makes a big wet mess in the cabinet.  

Other than some of the issues above, my refrigerator did work OK, until the last few trips.  The refrigeration compressor started developing an issue where it would try but fail to successfully start up until after a random and increasing number of attempts. This caused the freezer to warm to unacceptable levels at times. After some investigation, I could only narrow it down to either a failure of the controller or the compressor.  Since those components make up the majority of the system, the system is over 30 years old, it was showing a fair amount of corrosion, and I wanted to correct that installation problem, I decided to bite the bullet and replace the entire system myself.

The old cold plate configuration

This may seem like an excessive step to take, but new systems come pre-charged with refrigerant and special connectors so they can be done as a DIY projects.  Given the difficulty I've had in the past hiring "professionals" to come work on the boat, I actually thought I will either break even or come out ahead...and I wouldn't have to be at the mercy of a "professional's" schedule. So I did a little research and decided I would replace the refrigerator with a newer version from the same manufacturer (SeaFrost).  A similar system should at least minimize the complications of the install.

Replacement System
(image from SeaFrost)

Of course, as often happens with projects, what started out as a simple swap-out of the old system for a new one and the relocation of the valve location slowly grew with several of those "while I'm doing this, I might as well..." thoughts.  The freezer would freeze, but not quite cold enough for ice cream.  Ok, actually, the colder the better for all longer term food storage...but ice cream would be nice too.  When talking with the SeaFrost salesman, it didn't take much convincing for me to upgrade from the smaller equivalent replacement to the next step up with a bit higher capacity.  The upgrade also had the ability to control compressor speed, so I could turn it down and and achieve the same results as the smaller system while using less power.  The existing system had the cold plates mounted in an L shape along adjacent walls, and the salesman highly recommended moving one plate so the two would be on opposing walls for more even freezer temperatures (stuff in the freezer would be sandwiched between the plates).

The old fridge removed

Naturally, if I could get the freezer colder, this would likely exacerbate the problem of the beer freezing in the bottom of the refrigerator.  So I began to think about how to solve that issue.  I had heard of others using small fans to mix up the air so the cold wouldn't settle at the bottom. I also thought of adding some sort of movable shutter to manually control how fast the "spillover" between the freezer and refrigerator would occur.

Patching holes and installing
a new cold plate

I finally settled on a theory that wasn't too mechanically complex and I believed would solve several issues.  My theory was that I would plug the two holes at the bottom corners of the divider, I would construct a small duct on the refrigerator side of the divider that would route the air from the hole about 1/4 of the way up the wall to near the top of the refrigerated section, and I would put a fan at the top of that duct that would pull cold air from the freezer and dump it out near the top of the refrigerator. I would leave the gap between the refrigerator lid and the top of the divider alone to allow return airflow.  Since warm air rises and cold air falls, I figured this duct would limit the majority of the spillover without a mechanical shutter to close the hole.  Then, when the fan was turned on, it would draw the cold air from the freezer up the duct and spill it over the top of the refrigerator.  As the cold air fell down through the refrigerator compartment, the warmer air of the fridge should rise and the pressure differential caused by the fan would cause that warm air to enter the top of the freezer section to be re-cooled.  This mixing should also make the temperature more consistent from the top to the bottom of the refrigerator. And by drawing the cold air from the higher point in the freezer than the very bottom, there would be a section at the very bottom of the freezer where the coldest air would still pool and become a deep freeze section that wouldn't be impacted by the bleeding off of cold air for the refrigerator.

New plates installed with valve
inside refrigerator box

I'm no thermodynamics expert, but this all sounded reasonable to me. So I decided to give it a try.  I installed the new refrigerator...which takes much more time than that one sentence gives it credit for.  Carefully bending copper tubing so it doesn't kink, by yourself, while working in cabinets where you can barely reach what you are working on is not trivial.  Then I found a vinyl (PVC) downspout at the local home improvement store that I could cut into a U shape and create a duct.  Estimating that the refrigerator section was around 5 cubic feet, I ordered a fan that would move about 2 cubic feet of air per minute.  This would theoretically do a complete air exchange in the empty cabinet in about 2.5 minutes.  I figured there would be a balance that would need to be figured out between taking cold air from the freezer too quickly and cooling the refrigerator too slowly, so this was my best guess at a reasonable flow rate.

Testing the duct

In order to experiment a bit, I temporarily sealed the lower corner holes (and the wire/line access hole) with excess packing materials, built the duct using some PVC glue, and ordered a small dual-bearing computer fan and a digital temperature controller for it.  I ran experiments and found that I did seem to have positive control over the refrigerator temperature.  With the freezer at about 15° F at the time of the test, I set the other controller to turn the fan on at 37°F and off at 36°F. The temperature in the refrigerator would slowly fall when the fan was on (about 30 minutes to go from 37°F to 36°F) and would slowly rise when it was off (about an hour to rise from 36°F to 37°F).  I also checked the temperature at several levels within the refrigerator compartment and found only 1 degree of difference between the top and bottom.  During the tests, I did not observe any noticeable rises in the freezer temperature beyond the normal operation.  I did run the tests with both the fridge empty and with several milk jugs filled with water to simulate a partial refrigerator load.

Fridge duct with fan installed

Happy with the results, I made the changes permanent.  I did make one additional change and lined the lower half of the duct with some thin, foil backed, closed cell foam insulation to help further reduce unwanted bleed over.  After warming the refrigerator cabinet back up, I attached and sealed the duct with silicone, cut foam to make removable seals for the bottom corner holes, ran the wires and temperature probe needed to control the fan, and sealed the cabinet access.  I added a magnetic switch in the fan circuit so the fan would shut off when the lid was opened, and I installed a small electrical project box to hide the connections and extra wire from the fan and switches.  

So far I'm pretty happy with the results.  The only thing I'm wondering right now is if I need to increase the size of the fan to improve the speed at which the refrigerator section cools.  But I think I need a bit more experience with the current behavior before I make any changes.  I can also probably tweak the settings of the temperature controllers for both the refrigerator and freezer sections; however, this will be done slowly over time as I determine a sweet spot once the whole system stabilizes.  The first picture above is the system running with the freezer and refrigerator cabinet temperatures displayed.

I'd also like to give a shout-out to the folks at SeaFrost.  They were very helpful with advice and design recommendations on this project.  I wish more marine industry parts and service suppliers were this helpful and responsive.

Now I have a reliable refrigerator/freezer that acts a bit more like a home system than it does the normal boat cold plate system.  

A Couple of Projects

 Well, if you have read through my blog, you probably have a good idea of the amount of maintenance required to keep a boat going.  And this post will be no exception.  It still amazes me how many new issues appear when you leave a boat sitting for even a short period of time.  So, upon returning to the boat I had a list of minor things to address (for example, some running rigging needed to be replaced and some leaks needed to be addressed) and a couple of bigger projects.

The first project was the inverter.  As I mentioned in my previous post, my old Xantrex Freedom Marine inverter decided to give up during our spring shakedown cruise.  I pulled the unit and did some troubleshooting and found a blown internal fuse.  I tried replacing it, however the fuse immediately blew when attempting to start it up...so something in the internal circuitry has obviously failed.  I guess I could try repairing the unit, but it is 30+ years old and there are newer options out there that provide pure sine wave output and are more efficient.  It made the most sense to replace.  Of course, I don't want to rewire the boat, so in addition to finding newer technology, I needed to find one that would fit in the available space.

I narrowed my search down to two or three options that would fit, were at least theoretically suitable for the marine environment, and would provide pure sine wave output.  Two of the options could be found listed on marine supplier websites with prices north of $1500.  The third option was from Renogy, a company that is more well known for solar and off-grid land based setups, but claimed their unit was marinized and could handle the more corrosive environment found on a boat.  The fact that their unit was also 1/2 to 1/3 the price of the others, I decided I would give it a try.

Renogy 3000w pure sine wave inverter
(Image from Renogy.com)

The unit was a bit longer than my old one, fortunately, that was the one dimension where I had a bit of extra space.  Otherwise, it was a direct replacement as it specified the same gauge battery cables and fuses and was a mostly drop-in replacement.  Wiring was pretty straight forward, and other than finding and replacing a poorly crimped cable end on one of my cables, the unit itself wasn't too difficult to install.  The unit comes with a remote panel, but unlike the Xantrex, it is not very informative, just a switch with a couple of status LEDs.  A remote that mimics the on-board display would be a better option, and hopefully they will consider making one.  The remote was also smaller than the Xantrex, so I had to custom fabricate a plate to mount the new remote where the old one was.  Fortunately, this was easy to accomplish by purchasing a 3-gang black switch plate from the local hardware store and making a few modifications.

Other than the remote display and a couple minor quirks, so far I really like the unit.  Unlike the Xantrex, it has a very clean, pure sine wave output. Things like my induction plate and microwave are happier about the supplied power.  It also switches over to inverter power much faster than the Xantrex, so the microwave clock doesn't need to be reset and the TV doesn't even flicker.  The most annoying thing about it is that the battery charger cannot be disabled when the unit is on and the AC circuits downstream of the inverter are not active in bypass mode when the inverter is off.  These are minor issues and easy to work-around, but would be nice features to add.  Given I could buy 2 or 3 of these for the price of the others, to me it is a worthwhile tradeoff.

Another bigger project is replacement of my old chartplotter.  The main reason for its demise is that the prior owner of the boat did quite a hack job when installing that resulted in a large hole behind it and so I never removed it from the helm.  I could possibly replace just the screen and maybe the seals that caused the current problem with the unit, but just like the inverter, the entire unit is older and I suspect other internals are likely soon to have problems as well.  I could buy a new unit from Garmin that would be mostly a drop in replacement with the same 8" display, but that will set me back about $2k...not to mention I'm not a huge fan of Garmin.  

The other option to replace the chartplotter is to essentially build my own.  There are a couple of open-source software packages out there that are capable of replacing an existing chartplotter and can better integrate most of my Garmin and Raymarine instruments.  For the cost of a Raspberry Pi computer, a touchscreen display, and a few other electronic bits, I could have a more capable chartplotter than what I have now.  All that for what should come in at under $500 and some of my time.

Openplotter running on my Raspberry Pi.

I decided to go this route and have been working on the solution for a little while.  I'm using OpenPlotter, which includes the OpenCPN chartplotter software, SignalK for data integration, and a variety of interfaces to deal with a variety of instrument data.  Above is a picture of my working system on a 15" touchscreen display that is temporarily hooked up to my boat instruments.  You can see current wind, depth, location, direction, speed, pitch and roll information.  You can even see the AIS data from a few nearby boats in the marina.  Not displayed but working is the radar information and overlay.  Since the computer isn't mounted yet, the sensors aren't fully calibrated so some of the information like pitch and roll are a bit off...but it is sufficient for proof of concept.  And for the first time since I've owned the boat, I can now send route data to the autopilot.  The only thing I haven't figured out yet is how to get more detailed sonar information as Openplotter doesn't seem to have a means of supporting a fish-finder type of sonar.  This solution will also be setup so I can easily detach the display and store it inside.

The final bigger project I'm working on is my refrigerator.  Over the past several years it had started developing an issue where the compressor made multiple attempts before it successfully started.  Originally, this was infrequent, but more recently it has happened with increasing frequency to the point that it was no longer reliable.  While looking into the issue I noted that the compressor was rather old and had significant surface corrosion.  Apparently the original controller had failed at some point and was jury-rigged with one from Alder Barbour.  So, my best guess is that either the controller or the compressor was the likely the current issue...of course, that makes up the vast majority of the system.  As a reliable refrigerator is necessary for any longer trip, I decided to bite the bullet and replace the whole system.  New systems have more efficient compressors and often come pre-charged so at least I won't need a refrigeration technician to come install it.

Seafrost BDxp Refrigerator system
(image from Seafrost)

The original system was from SeaFrost. Not wanting to significantly alter the setup, I decided to go with them again.  After talking with someone from SeaFrost (I think it may have been the owner), I decided to get the upgraded version with a bit higher capacity.  The belief is that it should be sufficient to store ice cream (something that was just a bit beyond the ability of the old system).  The old setup of the refrigerator is what is known as a spillover system.  Some of the cold of the freezer "spills over" into the refrigerator side through some holes to provide refrigeration.  While this does work, it does have some drawbacks.  There was a tendency for items at the bottom of the refrigerator section to freeze while the top was barely within the safe zone for a refrigerator.  With the increased capacity of the new system, I think this issue might become worse.  So, I also intend to alter the spillover system by adding a duct, small fan, and temperature control in hopes that it will better meter the temperature of the refrigerator as well as provide a bit of air circulation to keep the temperatures a bit more uniform.  

So, those are the bigger projects currently going on or completed.  Hopefully they all will be done soon and I can head south and to the Bahamas.

What's Shakin'

Oops...thought I had published this months ago...so this is a bit behind... 

Well, this last trip back to the boat can best be described as shaken.  My intention was to take at least a shakedown cruise, but other things also shook things up a bit.

One shakeup was that my friend TJ from the Retirement Project had what was described as a "cardiac event".  In hindsight it was a good thing that it took longer to get their outboard fixed and they were still in Oriental when this occurred as he was able to get the medical attention he needed quickly.  After a short time in the hospital in New Bern, I'm happy to report he is doing better now.  Unfortunately it has altered their plans for the Great Loop, but ever changing plans seems to be the norm for cruising.  I was glad to be able to provide some help and support for such a lovely couple and am glad TJ is getting back to being himself.  Stay well my friends and let us know if we can do anything for you....either here or when we are back at the boat.

A variety of things were fixed or worked on while at the boat.  The house battery bank was replaced.  The old chartplotter seems to have developed a screen issue and, instead of replacing the screen or the unit, I've decided to try building my own chartplotter using Openplotter.  If successful, this system will have a 15 inch touchscreen display at the helm, provide AIS receive functionality so I can identify nearby boats, and finally integrate all the systems so the Garmin radar and sonar and Raymarine winds and depth instruments can all talk to one another and the autopilot.  All at a fraction of the cost of an existing commercial unit. I'll (hopefully) write more on this later.

We did get a chance to take a shakedown cruise.  It was a relatively short trip from New Bern to the Cape Lookout bight.  We anchored there for several days, enjoying the area and testing systems.  

Of course, as a shakedown cruise, we tested several systems.  Unfortunately, while trying to make some ice for drinks one evening, the inverter suddenly died.  The inverter isn't a critical piece of equipment, but it is nice to be able to run standard AC electrical items, particularly if you want some ice for your evening adult beverage.  So this is another item that will need some attention.  Since it is an older inverter, it might be time for a replacement, we will see.

So, we managed a shakedown run, we shook things, and something broke.  But that is about par for the course on a boat.  Guess I have a bit more work to do before the Bahamas trip in the fall.