Head Refit

I've been thinking about the toilet situation on Serenity for a while and decided to change the configuration completely. If there's anything that can REALLY ruin a cruise - it's a faulty septic system. Currently, the head pumps through a T at the 'thu-hull' fitting. If the fitting is open, then it pumps overboard. If it's closed - then it pumps into a holding tank. Once it's in the holding tank, it can only be removed by having it pumped out (through a deck fitting) by a 'head pumping system'. This means that if it's full - you HAVE to go into shore and find a pumping station.

It's against the law to pump out into the ocean within 3 miles of land - and understandably so. So, I decided to put the best system in that I felt was monetarily justified.

Here's a photo of the current system


So, yesterday, I tore out the entire system (except the tank vent hose). I'm REALLY glad I did. It had not been maintained properly and was just begging for a failure in the near future. The inside of the 1 1/2 inch hoses were lined with calcium deposits (this happens naturally from our urine) to where the unrestricted area for flow was around 1/2 inch!!. That wasn't going to be working for long in normal daily use!!

Here's a photo of the restricted hose


To maintain it properly, while in normal use, you should flush warm vinegar into the system about once a week. Vinegar breaks down the calcium deposits and keeps the hose cleaner. It's smart to put some vegetable oil in the mix as well to lubricate the pumping system. (This is lovingly known as putting the salad dressing in the head).

So, I've decided to make a system that will allow for immediate pumping overboard (for when we're in legal waters to do so) or pump to the holding tank. THEN, I'll be able to pump electrically through a macerator pump (which grinds everything to 1/8 inch or less) overboard (when legal) - OR - pump through the deck when at port. I think this is the best of both systems.

Right now, all my expensive bronze fittings - which were clogged with calcium- have been soaking in white vinegar overnight to help dissolve the calcium. I'll clean those and reuse them.


This photo shows the area where the sanitation system is. The bank or drawers on the left was taken out to access the hose system and the left bank of drawers under the bed was taken out to access the tank.

This Past Week

Toward the end of last week, Snowy started feeling bad. She wasn't being herself (an eating/sleeping/pooping machine). Her personality changed dramatically and she started throwing up and having other problems of the sort. I took her to the vet on Friday and he put her on an IV to put some fluids back into her. A shot of antibiotics, some medicine to take home and pay the lady $368. He also took some blood for a test to see if she had liver problems. A call from him on saturday confirmed that the liver had problems but not bad.

She has slowly been getting better - with a lot of help from Jan and I. Sometimes she acts normal except for her appetite. We're able to make sure she's not losing weight. Hopefully she'll be well soon.

Photo above is of her in her 'luggage prison' waiting on the doc.



On the way to Winston-Salem for Christmas Eve, I swung off of I95 and into Brunswick GA. It's a neat little town that Jan and I have been looking at for possible future stuff. The photo above is of the shrimp boats tied up to the dock.

The photo below is at the Brunswick Marina. It's a modified Grampian 26 - like the one that I refurbed a few years ago. Notice it's ports - very sleek looking from a distance. Not so nice close up. This one was sailed to GA from Canada (where they were made).

Florida Christmas

I went home to North Carolina for a quick Christmas there. Christmas is a big deal to my mom and so it's important that we always be there during the family celebration. We've alway celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve at my mom's and so even though Jan had to work all the way through Christmas, I drove up on Saturday and then left Monday morning (Christmas Day) to head home to Florida and spend Christmas with Jan - after she got off work It was a fun trip but I was 'wiped' when I got back home.

The photo at the top of this posting is taken by a friend of mine Mark Morgan. Mark applied some cool photoshop techniques to the photo to make it look like it's frozen. The photo is taken at one of my favorite spots in the Keys. It's at Bahia Honda (which means deep bay) just south of the 7 mile bridge. The bridge in the photo was first the railway bridge and then they put the road on TOP of the bridge. It's now abandoned and they took a section out of the bridge so that sailboats could get into the bay and anchor there. I've never been there in a sailboat - but I hope to spend a night there at anchor one night.

You can see Marks website by clicking on the link below:
http://mmorganphotography.com/

Osprey at the Marina

Not much to write about today although it was beautiful out. While I was at the marina, I saw this osprey sittin on the spreaders of a sailboat on the dock.