Winter Projects 2022

 We hauled out on 11/1 for heated winter storage at Son Rise Marina in Sandusky Ohio.

The first project was installing new carpet in the salon and cabins. The first step was making templates for the 4 areas we wanted to carpet.

We chose Mohawk Aero Carpet mainly due to it's unified construction with heavy felt pad but also because it is hypoallergenic and claims to not absorb moisture. 

The next project was new flooring in the engine room and lazarette. New marine plywood was sealed and painted and templates made for Seadek foam 2" teak flooring in grey and black. 

We are also adding Seadek 5mm Dune embossed treads to the cabin steps to reduce slips. 

Our largest project for the winter is Electronics. We have a mixed vintage of Simrad equipment that we have been happy with but want better integration requiring several older items being upgraded. First was the tear out of all equipment and old cables. Also we relocated the throttle/shifter for better access to the instrument panel. 

New panels were cut to mount the new equipment. 

We are very happy with the finished installation. Our current package includes the following:

• Simrad NSS EVO3 MFD's x2
• Simrad NAC3 Autopilot 
• Simrad AP48 Controller
• Simrad WR10 Wireless Remote
• Simrad Halo+ Radar
• Simrad NAIS 500 
• Simrad IS42 Remote Display 
• Airmar DST800 Multi Sensor
• Fusion RA770 Stereo     

The final winter project was mounting a waterproof Snap-On tool box and parts organizer in the engine room. The Seadek flooring is on order taking approximately 6 months from start to delivery, 

Spring is just around the corner and much work is needed getting our home ready to sell!

Fall Work 2021

 In preparation for winter storage our goal is to paint the below deck areas and replace the engine room floor boards. The original bilge paint is chipping away in some areas and requires a lot of prep work. 

We completed the lazarette prior to haul out. The engine room and forward rooms will have to wait. 

We added several totes for storage in an effort to keep the area from becoming cluttered and a shelf for a small air compressor. 

Winter haul out is just around the corner and the list of project is long!

July 4th at Cedar Point

We spent the holiday weekend back at our home dock at Cedar Point Marina. The wind had shifted to NNE and the temperature and humidity dropped. The 4th started with a dinghy parade and ended with fireworks on the beach. 

Sun rise over Cedar Point

Party at the Sandusky Bay Sandbar

Sunset over Sandusky Bay

Fireworks from Cedar Point Beach

Lake Erie Islands

 Our first trip of the year took us to Kelly's Island and Put-in-Bay.  

We stayed at Seaway Marina at Kelly's Island and had a great view of the lake.  We took the dinghy all the way around the island.  

Of course it wouldn't be Lake Erie if we didn't get a storm.  

Shortly after the storm we were visited by a swarm of bees!  A beekeeper advised the queen was in there somewhere and that they were probably looking for a new home.  No one was stung and they were still there when we left. 

Next stop was Put-in-Bay.  We stayed on a mooring buoy for the night and took the water taxi in for dinner, drinks and live music.  The next morning we decided to head back to Cedar Point due to the wind forecast.  

 

Shake Down Spring 2021

 We returned to Cedar Point Marina on May 1st, 2021. The first shake down cruise went well with all systems working as they should except the bow thruster. The thruster is a 24 volt KP12 from Key Power and had worked great last fall. I had the thruster apart over the winter and replaced all seals and gaskets.

The month a May was devoted to troubleshooting and attempts to repair the thruster. After replacing the motor cleaning/testing the relay box and having the batteries checked a call was made to Dean at Key Power. The voltage was dropping below 20 volts under load he recommended replacing the batteries. The 4 year old 8D AGM's were replaced and the thruster is back up to full power.  Thanks Dean!

It's good to be home with a full summer ahead of us. Cedar Point opens mid May and Covid restrictions are being dropped in Ohio. 

Winter Work 2021

Our first winter with Cheers is finally over. A long list of projects was completed while inside heated storage at Son Rise Marina in Sandusky Ohio. 

The anchor pulpit was re-cored.

The heat exchangers were boiled out. All belts, hoses and clamps were replaced. 

The bottom was repainted and the hull was buffed/polished. 

Spring launch April 26th, 2021

Trip Summary Baltimore to Sandusky

Our second leg of our journey home to Sandusky is now complete. We covered 867.7 miles over 145.5 hours run time and transited 35 locks total using approximately 480 gallons of diesel fuel.

Date	Departure /Arrival	Miles	Locks	Hours
8/23	Baltimore to Ford Landing DE	37.8	0	6.5
8/24-8/26	Ford Landing DE to Waterford NY	333.5	1	53
8/27	Waterford NY to Randall NY	44.7	11	10
8/28	Randall NY to Sylvan Beach NY	65.1	9	13
8/29	Sylvan Beach NY to Lyons NY	79.3	4	13.5
8/30	Lyons NY to Albion NY	61.4	7	13
8/31	Albion NY to Buffalo NY	51	3	11.5
9/1	Buffalo NY to Sandusky OH	194.9	0	25
		867.7	35	145.5