Flicka 'round the world' trip planned

[FLIGHT]

Thank you so very much Dave, AdriftAtSea, Charlie, CapnK and Captain Smollett for your concern and help!  It has meant a lot to Heather and me!

THIS IS THE WORST MARKETING FIASCO I'VE EVER ENCOUNTERED IN MY LIFETME.

For openers, I bought the Air-X from Hamilton Ferris, but nothing was ever said about battery sizes, nor extra regulators nor dump circuits - NOTHING.  And NONE OF THIS was in any of the literature nor installation manual.

So I installed the unit flawlessly - took me two weeks, where Ferris says it can be done in an afternoon.  Ha - ha - ha!

But then I decided it'd be wise to buy two new batteries, since these were eight years old.  And I thought I'd do well by purchasing the same make as came with the Flicka from the factory.  I'm dumb about electricity.  BUT I CALLED FERRIS' COMPANY AND TALKED WITH SOME MAN THERE WHO ASSURED ME THE PREVAILER BATTERIES WOULD WORK FINE WITH HIS AIR-X.

THEN, COME FOUR DAYS BEFORE EMBARKATION, FERRIS CALLS AND SAYS "NO, YOUR BATTERIES WON'T WORK WITH THIS AIR-X, AND NO, YOU MUST HAVE AN ADDITIONAL REGULATOR, AND NO, YOU MUST HAVE AN ADDITIONAL DUMP CIRCUIT.  OTHERWISE YOU WON'T HAVE ANY JUICE. AND I'LL SELL YOU TWO NEW BATTERIES AND THE REGULATOR AND THE DUMP CIRCUIT."

So Heather paid him for the batteries and the regulator, and he promised to send the dump circuit as soon as he could find one.

But then you told me about John Gambill and his company:  http://www.svhotwire.com/.

And this morning John drove up from Punta Gorda, examined the entire Air-X assembly thoroughly, and announced,

"NO, YOU DON'T NEED ANY OF THAT STUFF.  YES, THE BIGGER BATTERIES WOULD BE BETTER THAN YOUR SMALLER PREVAILERS, BUT YOU DON'T NEED THE REGULATOR AND YOU DON'T NEED ANY DUMP CIRCUIT.  I DON'T KNOW WHY FERRIS TOLD YOU THAT."

But then John opens Ferris' new batteries, and one of them is all crushed to pieces!

Two sides are totally caved in and destroyed!

So John then had to arrange for a battery company in Orlando to sell Heather two new, even larger batteries.  But, since they were closing at 3pm, they promised to leave the two new batteries in a special hiding place in Orlando, AND NOW JOHN IS ON HIS WAY TO ORLANDO - IN HEATHER'S CAR - A THREE OR FOUR HOUR DRIVE EACH WAY.  AND HE'S GOING TO PICK UP THE BATTERIES AND BRING THEM BACK HERE TO STEINHATCHEE TONIGHT, SO HE CAN FINISH THE WORK FIRST THING IN THE MORNING!

IS THIS A CHINESE FIRE DRILL OR WHAT!

And John checked out my Air-X installation, and it's putting out just fine!

So here's John, the expert, telling us we don't need all that stuff Ferris said we had to have.  And I got about a dozen emails from other experts, telling me we didn't need any of that.  And several of you gents told us we didn't have to have any of that stuff.  And Ferris' own literature NOWHERE MENTIONS ANYTHING WHATEVER ABOUT AN EXTRA REGULATOR NOR SPECIAL BATTERIES, NOR AN ADDITIONAL REGULATOR NOR A DUMP CIRCUIT.

YOU DECIDE!

Again, thank you so very much for all your help!

Gene (and Heather)
wwvv.solo-sailor.c0m

[oded kishony]

Gene,

When it rains it pours. I had a similar sort of incident not long ago with my car just one snafu followed by the next. I could not tell whether it was all bad luck or incompetent, dishonest mechanics.

We're rootin for you
Oded  :D

[AdriftAtSea]

Sounds like Ferris has dropped the ball to say the least... and that svhotwire/John has definitely gone above and beyond the call of duty. :) Talk about customer service.

[FLIGHT]

Yes, Heather and I are in love with John.  He is saving our day!

Of course the cost of all this is frightening, but John is very reasonable indeed.  We would recommend him AND HIS WIND ALTERNATORS ABOVE ALL OTHERS!  And he isn't just doing this for the money; he genuinely wants to help us.

Gene

[Auspicious]

Charlie -- I missed your earlier post with the quote. The Air-X information certainly did add to the confusion about Ferris' advise.

Kurt -- Not sure if you did, but I didn't intend anyone to interpret my comment about accolades and lashes to be applied to the contributers to this discussion, but to the various companies involved.

John Gambill from svhotwire.com has a great reputation that he has - in my mind - outshone in this instance. I've recommended him to a number of people in the past, but my enthusiasm is now nearly unbridled. It's a hoot that he's diving Heather's car to get the new batteries. <grin>

Clearly Ferris has some issues that will keep them off my list of preferred vendors. <grin> I hope Gene is able to return some of the extra gear they pushed him to purchase.

Gene -- I'm so very glad the recommendation of Hotwire has worked out. It's wonderful to find someone who looks for solutions that address your needs instead of their bottom line.

Are we back on for tomorrow, or still pushed a day or so?  Thinking good thoughts and wishes of a very happy new year!

sail fast, dave
S/V Auspicious

[FLIGHT]

Hi Dave -

Just got a sat phone call from Heather, here at 10:00 pm.   John is still way down in Ocala - 2 1/2 hours from here, but on his way with the batteries!   And he's in Heather's car because his has a blown head gasket, and he has to stop frequently and fill up the radiator!

No, the weather is going to hold Heather back from leaving as scheduled.  Heather's a descent sailor, but too green to intentionally send out in the obstacle strewn, shallow Gulf, into gale force winds.  Which is what is coming.  Here's one synopsis:


SYNOPSIS
NORTHEAST FLOW OVER THE FORECAST WATERS AROUND 10
KNOTS WILL CONTINUE THIS EVENING. FLOW WILL SHIFT TOWARD MIDNIGHT
TO THE WEST AND NORTHWEST BETWEEN 10 AND 15 KNOTS IN ADVANCE OF A
STRONG ARCTIC COLD FRONT. THIS FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH THE WATERS
EARLY TUESDAY MORNING WITH WIND AND SEAS RAPIDLY BUILDING TO
ADVISORY LEVELS FOR ALL LEGS. AS STRONG HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS DOWN
INTO THE SOUTHERN PLAINS TO OUR WEST THE COMBINATION OF A TIGHT
PRESSURE GRADIENT AND STRONG COLD AIR ADVECTION WILL INCREASE
WINDS EVEN FURTHER TUESDAY EVENING AND OVERNIGHT WITH SUSTAINED
FLOW BETWEEN 25 AND 30 KNOTS POSSIBLE OVER A LARGE AREA. IT IS
VERY POSSIBLE THAT GUSTS...OR EVEN FREQUENT GUST TO GALE FORCE
WILL OCCUR TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. ADVISORY LEVEL
WINDS AND SEAS WILL CONTINUE INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT BEFORE SUBSIDING
TO THE CAUTIONARY RANGE DURING THURSDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE SLIDES TO
OUR NORTH.

And here's another:


SYNOPSIS
DIFFUSE STATIONARY FRONT FROM 29N83W TO 26N90W. STRONG
COLD FRONT MOVES OFF TX COAST LATE TONIGHT AND MOVES RAPIDLY SE
THROUGH WED. GALE FORCE WINDS EXPECTED BEHIND FRONT W OF 85W. WINDS
AND SEAS DIMINISH THU AND FRI. SE RETURN FLOW DEVELOPS SAT.

GMZ080-010330-
NW GULF N OF 25N W OF 90W
INCLUDING FLOWER GARDEN BANKS NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY
330 PM CST MON DEC 31 2007

GALE WARNING TUE S OF 28N

TONIGHT
NE WINDS 10 KT...BECOMING N 25 TO 30 KT AND GUSTY BEHIND
FRONT. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT...BUILDING TO 9 FT BEHIND FRONT.

TUE
N WINDS 30 TO 35 KT...EXCEPT 25 KT N OF 28N. SEAS BUILDING 9
TO 14 FT.

So, instead of pulling away from the dock to make her crowd happy, she's going to invite them all into the pub, there at her marina, for a free beer and conversation on her.

They'll like that better than seeing her sail away!

I'm sure whichever one of you dudes it was who had the glass of red wine out on his deck, while he was fixing breakfast, would much prefer the free brews?

But also, the electrical system won't be ready until at least noon today (Tuesday).

ANYWAY - I'll let you know the minute she shoves off.

Thanks again for all your great help!

Gene

[CharlieJ]

A seamanly decision.

Happy New year to both of you and good luck Heather.

[AdriftAtSea]

very prudent... and a good alternative for the well-wishers...

[Frank]

Thursday is looking like a reach in reduced winds/seas  ;D

[W Jones]

I was wiring up a wind generator and a solar panel and called Hotwire for some advice that I couldn't find anywhere. He told me exactly what  I needed to know to wire it.

I needed a controller for the solar panel. It was a few dollars cheaper elsewere on the web but I bought it from John because his advice was worth lots more than the few dollars.

After reading this thread I am even more glad I did. Next time I need something Hotwire will be the first place I call.

[FLIGHT]

Hi Frank -

No, Heather's first 92 miles will be on a course of 197 degrees true, and with winds forecast to be out of the NNE Thursday morning, she'd be on almost a dead run, the worst of all for her Monitor and for sailing.  Wing and wing - using the big main with a preventer - as you know - is not wise in heavy seas; too easy to dip the boom in the water and break a mast.  But the wind will shift to NE that afternoon, so Heather won't have time to set up her twin jibs wing and wing that morning.  And she might be able to broad reach in the afternoon, like you said.

As of this moment, she's planning on embarking on the high tide (11:15am) tomorrow morning, the 3rd.

The weather all this week is going to be rough as a cob, but the problem is, if she doesn't get out there and get some miles behind her, another front will probably roar in about the 12th or 13th, then she'd be stuck for another week or whatever.

I'm telling you, this leg from here to Panama will be the very worst she will have around the world!  And that's unfortunate, because she is still a relatively new sailor.  Competent, but new.

I'll keep you posted....

Thanks for your kind words.

Gene
wwvv.solo-sailor.com

[AdriftAtSea]

Did you get the electrical system all squared away??  How big are the new batteries???  Thursday sounds like a good compromise, given the forecast and all.

[FLIGHT]

Hi Adrift At Sea -

Yes, the electrical system is perfect now.  Actually, it was perfect just as I installed it in the first place, but the bigger batteries will give her a little more juice when there's not enough wind to work the Air-X.

I don't know what his motives were, in attempting to sell Heather those hundreds of dollars worth of additional equipment, but she needed none of it.  I'm just going to assume Ham was mistaken.

All you need a good wind generator and two descent, large capacity batteries.

HOWEVER, I WOULD NOT BUY ANOTHER AIR-X, I WOULD BUY A KISS WIND ALTERNATOR FROM JOHN AT http://www.svhotwire.com/.

And I would switch to LED running lights all around.  She's going to be using horrendous amounts of electricity at night, with her all-around masthead light and the navigation lights, to say nothing of the steaming light, if she needs to use it.  We did switch to all LED lights in the cabin.

And I would probably also add one or two solar panels, in addition to the wind alternator.

Let me tell you, if I were a serious Flicka or similar cruiser, say in San Francisco or wherever, I would add a wind alternator to my boat and a Monitor self-steeing system.  They're NOT just for circumnavigators!

Yes, I have not seen them, but the new batteries are larger than the originals, but they still fit in the battery indentations in the base of the Flicka battery compartment.

Yes, Heather's all set to go out on the tide tomorrow morning.

I'll let you know either way....

Gene

[AdriftAtSea]

I have an LED-based tricolor/anchor/strobe masttop light on my boat... and wouldn't go back to standard lighting if you paid me.  I'm surprised you didn't put an LED-tricolor/anchor light on her boat at a minimum.  The steaming light doesn't strike me as needing to be LED, since, if you're motoring, electricity shouldn't be much of an issue. :)

The only problem with the KISS is the size of the rotor.  The rotor is 60" or five feet in diameter.  That's a pretty big rotor for a small sailboat... and a bit too large and too much of a hazard IMHO. 

If I were going to get a wind generator for my boat, I'd probably go for the Duogen unit, since it can be used as a water generator while underway, as well as a wind generator while at anchor.  The rotor diameter is about 3-1/2' or so... making mounting it simpler.

Does Heather have a standard electric autopilot in addition to the wind  vane, or just the wind vane??

Another question, when Heather is sleeping, is she going to fly two red lights above one another—which stand for vessel not under command—or not?  Also, does Flight have radar or just the CARD unit.

[FLIGHT]

I did not go with LED nav lights because I knew she would have ample electricity, and LEDs are not nearly as bright as hers.  I changed her lights for brightness and long life.   I was willing to sacrifice a little juice, of which she'll have plenty, for the brighter lights.

She will be running the steaming light at times other than when motoring - e.g., when a ship is about to run her down at night.  Plus her steaming light has the bottom light which shines on the deck, e.g., for sail changing.

No, the KISS rotor size would be no problem.  You need it up high anyway.  The Air-X also has a huge rotor, but you can't reach it from the deck, nor even come close to reaching it.  Ditto the KISS.

And, forgive me for sounding argumentative, I definitely would not get a Dougen.  I've heard nothing but bad reports on it - repeatedly - and I can tell you from first hand experience, the water accessory will only last a few minutes at sea, until a shark or other large fish takes it.  You cannot even use a log at sea.  I've tried for years and years.  No log rotor lasts more than a few hours before a shark gets it.

No, heather does not have an electric autopilot; the majority of circumnavigators don't.  And I never used one in all my ocean voyaging, even when sailing from Denmark to Portugal, for example.  A Monitor is all you need, unless you like to spend hours or days motoring.  And I never had any motors, and Heather hates motoring.  So she doesn't need an autopilot.

No, Heather will not be flying two red lights.  No one would see them anyway, where she is going.  The ships don't even see your boat all lit up, let alone a couple of little extra red lights.  And they wouldn't care, even if they did see them.  We don't live in that kind of world.

No, she does not have radar, and doesn't really need it.  She'll never be entering a strange port at night, nor will she be near land at night, and her C.A.R.D. tells her the position of any approaching ship.

Cheers,

Gene

[Zen]

Oh dear, thats bad, news. It would have been worse if I had already sprung for one. SailFar saves the day again!

And, forgive me for sounding argumentative, I definitely would not get a Dougen.  I've heard nothing but bad reports on it - repeatedly - and I can tell you from first hand experience, the water accessory will only last a few minutes at sea, until a shark or other large fish takes it.  You cannot even use a log at sea.  I've tried for years and years.  No log rotor lasts more than a few hours before a shark gets it.

[AdriftAtSea]

I've found that my LED masthead anchor light or tricolor for that matter, is usually the brightest in any given anchorage.  That combined with the longer life, lower energy requirements and reliability are the main reasons I went with a masttop LED anchor/tricolor fixture.

I think the strobe I have in my masttop tricolor is a better solution for when ships are nearby.  Better than the steaming light, since shining a steaming light will indicate falsely that you're under power, and change the right of way priorities.

As for the Duogen—I seriously doubt a shark would attack it... it doesn't use a towed impeller... it uses an impeller on a shaft, that is just below the hull... much like the prop on an outboard motor... and I've never seen a shark attack an outboard. You're obviously not familiar with the Duogen's design.  Most of the press I've read and the experiences my friend's have had with theirs has been good.

Electric autopilots have come a long way, and are used by circumnavigators... however, wind vanes are still preferable, but there are advantages and disadvantages to both.  Having both gives you more options.

[FLIGHT]

Hi Adrift at Sea (I wish I could call you by your name) -

I am so glad you're happy with your LED all around light, and it's nice yours is brighter than all the others in your anchorages.  Believe it or not, or perhaps you already are aware, sometimes it's difficult to find your way back to your own boat in your inflatable, when there are many yachts in one small anchorage.  Even if you're sober.  In fact, Heather and I talked of the possibility of pasting a foot or two of self-stick reflective silver tape on all three sides of her mast, just below the mast head, so her flashlight would pick up her mast at night in a crowded anchorage.  But you have that solved.  And, of course, if you turn on your strobe you've really got a singular light - easy to find.  That's great.

I always buy lights by the number of lumens, since I don't have time to test each light out in anchorages.  And the ones I selected for Heather's all-around light and steaming lights are the highest number of lumens on the market.  This is not true of the other nav lights; they are simply stock Flicka units.

As for showing the steaming light at night, out in the ocean, when a ship is heading your way, you show everything you can, including your hand-held spot light, and hopefully a brilliantly white parachute flare.  The ships at sea cannot discern which is your steaming light at all, even if you're fortunate enough for them to see all your lights and your parachute flare. Much less find you as a blip on their radar monitor.   Once in the North Atlantic it was only my hand-held spotlight that saved my wife and me from being run over by a ship coming out of the Kiel Canal.  He didn't see any of our other nav lights at all.  Nor our 25' engineless Folkboat.  But he turned when I flashed my spotlight back and forth across his bridge, and he finally came out and shone a 3' search light on us, way down in the water below him, to see who we were.

Then he changed course.

That's fine about your Duogen.  Yes, forgive me, I'm very familiar with the English built Duogen design.  I considered it before going with Air-X.  If you like the Duogen, by all means go for it.  But yes, the shark will take the shaft and impeller, and yes, if you'll inquire of the shark hunters, for example in West End Bahamas, they'll tell you sharks frequently attack their running inboard/outboard propellors!  But again, if you're sold on it, please do buy yourself the Duogen, and ignore anything I've said to the contrary.

Yes, of course, electric autopilots have come a long way.  I was sailing before there were any for yachts.  But they are useless for someone under sail, which is what I have always been, and which Heather will almost always be.  The only one disadvantage of the Monitor is that it will not steer in a dead calm.  But, with no engines, I've never sailed in a dead calm.  And Heather will not be sailing if a calm comes here way.  As I said, she loathes motoring.  She'll be taking advantage of the R&R the calm provides.

However, one night, off the Eddystone Light in the English Channel my wife and I sailed for hours with just only a hint of a breeze, and our Monitor (a German copy of a Monitor) steered flawlessly for us.

But yes, by all means, if you like to motor and like to have self-steeing while you're motoring, so buy an autopilot.  Absolutely.  They're just fine for motoring.

But now, if you don't mind too much, I'd like to discontinue this prattle.  Suddenly you and I will be arguing, and I wish to avoid that at all costs.  Let us each just go our own way, and I do indeed wish you the very happiest new year of your entire life.

And thank you very much for your thoughts.

Gene

[Frank]

Best wishs to Heather...fair winds and GREAT adventures!!!

[FLIGHT]

Thank you so very much Frank -

Heather's so excited about it, understandably, she's about to go bonkers.

I can't imagine how I would be!  You'd have to tie me down!

It's gonna' be cold as the proverbial Siberian brass toilet seat for her in the morning (wind chill factor!), but she has a balaclava, two sets of long johns, a dozen or more hand warmers, lots of clothing, sailing boots and heavy industrial foul weather gear, so she's got all that covered.

She's at a friend's house just this minute, bringing her web site up to date, so you might check it later tonight - www dot solo-sailor dot com

My wife and I will drive down to Steinhatchee in the morning to see her off.

Thank you so very much for your kind words.

Gene