Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 03-17-2019, 09:02 PM   #21
Guru
 
menzies's Avatar
 
City: Jacksonville
Vessel Name: SONAS
Vessel Model: Grand Alaskan 53
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,235
Obviously nothing was going to happen with the water heater today, being Sunday, so I decided to swap out the Vacuflush bellows (found the little O ring had gone AWOL, and zero sign of the big O ring).

Got everything installed, needed to bump the motor to align the bellows bolt, and the motor did not run. Checked all the wiring, used a screwdriver to activate the vacuum switch. NADA.

By that time I had enough, so will look at it again tomorrow, or add that to the Knowles list!

Cleaned up (cold shower) and hit the marina for for a couple of well deserved Sands and a fish sammich!
menzies is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-19-2019, 02:56 PM   #22
Guru
 
menzies's Avatar
 
City: Jacksonville
Vessel Name: SONAS
Vessel Model: Grand Alaskan 53
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,235
First blog post of this year's Bahamas trip!

Exumas, Bahamas – 2019 Version | AtAnchor.com
menzies is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-20-2019, 10:20 AM   #23
Senior Member
 
Mike Lowthian's Avatar
 
City: Toronto,ON
Vessel Name: Acadia ll
Vessel Model: CHB
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 107
I have used Knowles several times over the last 20 years, though not recently. they seemed like a jack of all trades outfit and could do almost anything. Work was generally satisfactory, although a little slow and somewhat expensive. I hear tell that business and the economy in general is bad in that area so they might welcome your business.
Mike Lowthian is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-20-2019, 11:12 AM   #24
Guru
 
menzies's Avatar
 
City: Jacksonville
Vessel Name: SONAS
Vessel Model: Grand Alaskan 53
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,235
Mike, I really don't have much choice. Either have them replace it, do without warm showers for three months, or head back to Jacksonville.

They have sourced one in Fort Lauderdale and he is flying over to pick it up today. It will be installed tomorrow so hopefully we will continue south on Friday. The forecast looks good between here and Exuma Friday and Saturday.
menzies is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-20-2019, 11:47 AM   #25
Senior Member
 
w8n4sun's Avatar
 
City: Seattle
Vessel Name: Mabuhay
Vessel Model: Grand Alaskan
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 399
Whew, glad to hear you have a solution in the works. Gotta keep the boss happy with long hot showers!
w8n4sun is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-22-2019, 03:34 PM   #26
Senior Member
 
City: Green Turtle Cay/Western NC
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 182
If it is a BTC SIM card throw it overboard and get ALIVE ! Cheaper better and never cancels. Load it online. BTC sucks, they send you a bunch of messages then charge you for them!
Tingum is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-22-2019, 07:13 PM   #27
Guru
 
menzies's Avatar
 
City: Jacksonville
Vessel Name: SONAS
Vessel Model: Grand Alaskan 53
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,235
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tingum View Post
If it is a BTC SIM card throw it overboard and get ALIVE ! Cheaper better and never cancels. Load it online. BTC sucks, they send you a bunch of messages then charge you for them!
Aliv has no coverage in the Exumas.
menzies is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-22-2019, 07:17 PM   #28
Guru
 
menzies's Avatar
 
City: Jacksonville
Vessel Name: SONAS
Vessel Model: Grand Alaskan 53
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,235
Water heater installed in less than two hours yesterday morning. We left immediately and made Great Harbour anchorage in the Berrys. Weather wasn't great for crossing the Northwest Channel to New Providence today, so we went a couple of hours down to Cabbage Cay, ready to jump to Exuma tomorrow.

Nearly there, AND we had hot showers last night!
menzies is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-22-2019, 07:23 PM   #29
Guru
 
OldDan1943's Avatar
 
City: Aventura FL
Vessel Name: Kinja
Vessel Model: American Tug 34 #116 2008
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 10,595
Quote:
Originally Posted by menzies View Post
Water heater installed in less than two hours yesterday morning. We left immediately and made Great Harbour anchorage in the Berrys. Weather wasn't great for crossing the Northwest Channel to New Providence today, so we went a couple of hours down to Cabbage Cay, ready to jump to Exuma tomorrow.

Nearly there, AND we had hot showers last night!
A now that's progress. Wifie happy.
__________________
Two days out the hospital after a week in the hospital because of a significant heart attack.
OldDan1943 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-22-2019, 08:09 PM   #30
Guru
 
BandB's Avatar
 
City: Fort Lauderdale. Florida, USA
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 21,449
Quote:
Originally Posted by OldDan1943 View Post
A now that's progress. Wifie happy.
Wifey B: I love how you always say it's the wife. The man in my life doesn't like cold showers any more than I do.
BandB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-23-2019, 04:17 PM   #31
Guru
 
menzies's Avatar
 
City: Jacksonville
Vessel Name: SONAS
Vessel Model: Grand Alaskan 53
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,235
We're here!

Tried to get into Allen's but no room at the inn, so anchored off Highbourn. Will stay here for a couple of days.

First swim around the boat - all is good!
Attached Thumbnails
IMG_20190323_172256090.jpg  
menzies is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-23-2019, 07:21 PM   #32
Guru
 
Maerin's Avatar
 
City: East Coast
Vessel Name: M/V Maerin (Sold)
Vessel Model: Solo 4303
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 886
Quote:
Originally Posted by menzies View Post
We're here!

Tried to get into Allen's but no room at the inn, so anchored off Highbourn. Will stay here for a couple of days.

First swim around the boat - all is good!

Keep your eyes peeled, we're anchored in the bight north of the Sampson docks. We dinghied in to Staniel today to pick up a stabilizer cooling pump I had Watermakers bring over. And one VHF decided now's a good time to quit. It IS a boat. They KNOW when they're in the Bahamas. Last year it was refrigerator. Shhhh..... they're listening.
__________________
Steve Sipe

https://maerin.net
Maerin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-24-2019, 03:06 AM   #33
Guru
 
OldDan1943's Avatar
 
City: Aventura FL
Vessel Name: Kinja
Vessel Model: American Tug 34 #116 2008
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 10,595
Quote:
Originally Posted by Maerin View Post
Keep your eyes peeled, we're anchored in the bight north of the Sampson docks. We dinghied in to Staniel today to pick up a stabilizer cooling pump I had Watermakers bring over. And one VHF decided now's a good time to quit. It IS a boat. They KNOW when they're in the Bahamas. Last year it was refrigerator. Shhhh..... they're listening.
On a boat, something is breaking, you just dont know it yet.
__________________
Two days out the hospital after a week in the hospital because of a significant heart attack.
OldDan1943 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-24-2019, 07:22 AM   #34
Guru
 
menzies's Avatar
 
City: Jacksonville
Vessel Name: SONAS
Vessel Model: Grand Alaskan 53
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,235
We did hold our breath a bit last night re things not working.

We had a new water maker installed but have never run it - never had a need to and wanted to wait for nicer water to use.

So after anchoring we got the genset running to charge the batteries. Even though we had only used a quarter of our water tank I said "we should go ahead and start the water maker just to make sure .."

Sian looked at me and said "now isn't this something we should have done before we left and had the ability to get it fixed?"

Boy was I praying that all was good! And it was, ran it for three hours and the back flush auto started as soon as I stopped the system.

Wheew!
menzies is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-24-2019, 07:31 AM   #35
Guru
 
menzies's Avatar
 
City: Jacksonville
Vessel Name: SONAS
Vessel Model: Grand Alaskan 53
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,235
Where exactly is Samson dock?
menzies is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-24-2019, 04:45 PM   #36
Guru
 
cardude01's Avatar
 
City: Victoria TX
Vessel Name: Bijou
Vessel Model: 2008 Island Packet PY/SP
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 5,290
Following your trip. Wife and I plan to cross to Bimini from Key Largo (or somewhere around there?) then Berrys, Eleuthera, Exuma. Have about a month of cruising time. Is that enough?
cardude01 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-24-2019, 04:57 PM   #37
Guru
 
menzies's Avatar
 
City: Jacksonville
Vessel Name: SONAS
Vessel Model: Grand Alaskan 53
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,235
If you consider five days in Eleuthera, a couple in the Berry's, and two to get home (weather dependent) that gives you two to three weeks in Exuma - you can run down the west side from Allen's to the Farmers/Black Point area, and back - but that would be only staying a day or so in each place. I would not recommend trying for Georgetown as you can very easily get weather bound there because of Exuma Sound.

Also consider Eleuthera after not before Exuma. That way you can skip it if you spend too much time in Exuma or the crossing between the two is not doable. There is more to see and more sheltered anchorages if stuck in Exuma.
menzies is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-24-2019, 05:05 PM   #38
Guru
 
cardude01's Avatar
 
City: Victoria TX
Vessel Name: Bijou
Vessel Model: 2008 Island Packet PY/SP
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 5,290
Exumas - 2019 Version

Is it better to skip the Berrys and just go to Spanish Wells? I was thinking I might be able to get to somewhere in the Berry Islands from Bimini in a day but maybe not. Maybe just anchor on the bank then make for Spanish Wells?

I can make 7 knots but would rather travel 6.5. Don’t want too many 12 hour travel days with the wife aboard— she likes shorter, easier cruises.
cardude01 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-24-2019, 05:44 PM   #39
Guru
 
menzies's Avatar
 
City: Jacksonville
Vessel Name: SONAS
Vessel Model: Grand Alaskan 53
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,235
Without looking at my Explorer charts I would say you have a good 80-90 Km to the Berrys from Bimini and easily the same from there to Spanish Wells - the latter through open water. So if you want shorter days you are going to have to break it up - though you really can't break up the run from the Berrys direct to Spanish Wells.
menzies is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-24-2019, 06:07 PM   #40
Guru
 
cardude01's Avatar
 
City: Victoria TX
Vessel Name: Bijou
Vessel Model: 2008 Island Packet PY/SP
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 5,290
Got it. Thanks.

What’s your opinion on anchoring out in the middle of the bank between Bimini and the Berrys? Early May.
cardude01 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Trawler Port Captains
Port Captains are TF volunteers who can serve as local guides or assist with local arrangements and information. Search below to locate Port Captains near your destination. To learn more about this program read here: TF Port Captain Program





All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:32 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2006 - 2012