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Old 08-03-2014, 12:05 AM   #1
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Problem Solving Afloat!

We all have learned new skills, learned new uses for old skills and learned to solve myriad problems since acquiring a boat. Tonight showed how valuable that can be. We are anchored out is a quiet cove on the backside of Whidbey Island enjoying a beautiful summer eve with some good friends who were thoughtful enough to bring a very, very good bottle of wine with them. After dinner, we went to open the wine and could not find either the fancy $30 opener from Williams=Sonoma or the $1.98 corkscrew. We were at a loss, could not uncork the wine. Berl (also a boat owner) and I started looking around. Went down into the engine room and found the drill on the work bench. Got an auger bit the size of the neck of the bottle. We went up and drilled the cork out. One problem-we now had a bottle of wine full of cork shavings from the drilling! Went back down to the ER and found a new fuel filter. Pulled it apart, got some of filter material, filtered the wine through it, and in less than 30 minutes start to finish, we were sitting on the back deck watching the sunset drinking a very good wine!

Boat ownership brings out skills and problem solving abilities you never knew you had!
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Old 08-03-2014, 12:38 AM   #2
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McGyver would have been proud!
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Old 08-03-2014, 01:04 AM   #3
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Hmmm. You might say "polished" vino, no?
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Old 08-03-2014, 01:32 AM   #4
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Next time buy wine with the twist off metal cap. Proven (shock - horror) actually better than corked anyway. They are taking on.
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Old 08-03-2014, 04:03 AM   #5
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Well done, THD. There is always a way.

A shoe would work, but it may leave marks on the side of your cabin wall.

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Old 08-03-2014, 08:19 AM   #6
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We all have learned new skills, learned new uses for old skills and learned to solve myriad problems since acquiring a boat. Tonight showed how valuable that can be. We are anchored out is a quiet cove on the backside of Whidbey Island enjoying a beautiful summer eve with some good friends who were thoughtful enough to bring a very, very good bottle of wine with them. After dinner, we went to open the wine and could not find either the fancy $30 opener from Williams=Sonoma or the $1.98 corkscrew. We were at a loss, could not uncork the wine. Berl (also a boat owner) and I started looking around. Went down into the engine room and found the drill on the work bench. Got an auger bit the size of the neck of the bottle. We went up and drilled the cork out. One problem-we now had a bottle of wine full of cork shavings from the drilling! Went back down to the ER and found a new fuel filter. Pulled it apart, got some of filter material, filtered the wine through it, and in less than 30 minutes start to finish, we were sitting on the back deck watching the sunset drinking a very good wine!

Boat ownership brings out skills and problem solving abilities you never knew you had!
You've never driven a sheet metal screw into the cork and then used pliers to pull it out?
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Old 08-03-2014, 08:34 AM   #7
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You've never driven a sheet metal screw into the cork and then used pliers to pull it out?
Yep!
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Old 08-03-2014, 09:27 AM   #8
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I've found that 'one more margarita' helps to solve a problem....

We had anchored at Sucia Island in the San Juans and tossed out a crab pot. Stupid me, I didn't think to use a weighted line. As we moved about on the anchor the floating line got tangled in the rudders and props. I discovered this when I tried to pull up the crab pot and was about to don the wetsuit, mask snorkel and go under the boat to clear the line.

I decided to have 'one more margarita' before doing it and the solution came to me about mid-drink. Using the boat pole I snagged the line beneath the props/rudders. I then took the line off the cleat. I was able to gently pull on the 'downstream' end of the line and watched it snake through the props and rudders, freeing itself.

I know it was that 'one more margarita' that brought the solution to me. Ahhhh, the magical powers of tequila!
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Old 08-03-2014, 10:59 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by THD View Post
We all have learned new skills, learned new uses for old skills and learned to solve myriad problems since acquiring a boat. Tonight showed how valuable that can be. We are anchored out is a quiet cove on the backside of Whidbey Island enjoying a beautiful summer eve with some good friends who were thoughtful enough to bring a very, very good bottle of wine with them. After dinner, we went to open the wine and could not find either the fancy $30 opener from Williams=Sonoma or the $1.98 corkscrew. We were at a loss, could not uncork the wine. Berl (also a boat owner) and I started looking around. Went down into the engine room and found the drill on the work bench. Got an auger bit the size of the neck of the bottle. We went up and drilled the cork out. One problem-we now had a bottle of wine full of cork shavings from the drilling! Went back down to the ER and found a new fuel filter. Pulled it apart, got some of filter material, filtered the wine through it, and in less than 30 minutes start to finish, we were sitting on the back deck watching the sunset drinking a very good wine!

Boat ownership brings out skills and problem solving abilities you never knew you had!

No coffee filters onboard?We don't drink coffee but we still keep coffee filters for various other tasks.



Oh,and I once patched a 4 foot hole in the hull with chew gum and a tooth pick before she went down.
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Old 08-03-2014, 01:03 PM   #10
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Racor filters?? Ahhhh a fine vintage wine enhanced with Aquabloc chemical treatment, no thanks I prefer coffee filters or paper towel.

Must have really wanted that wine.





*Aquabloc II media is a blend of high grade cellulose compounded with resins and a special chemical treatment.



* https://www.parker.com/literature/.../fdrb365uk.pdf
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Old 08-03-2014, 06:02 PM   #11
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Once the cork particles go into the wine, the bottle is finito. That is why you do not have to accept a bottle of wine at a fine restaurant when the server goes through the cork with a corkscrew.
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Old 08-03-2014, 06:06 PM   #12
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That's why I take a Racor to the restaurant...the Aquabloc saves the bottle....
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Old 08-03-2014, 11:53 PM   #13
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Once the cork particles go into the wine, the bottle is finito. That is why you do not have to accept a bottle of wine at a fine restaurant when the server goes through the cork with a corkscrew.
Not really. if the cork is clean and uninfected it should not have much if any effect on the wine. There are rare exceptions of course. But for the most part you just want to remove the bits of cork ASAP and then drink the wine.

And I would stay away from using Racor filter elements as cork bit strainers.
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Old 08-04-2014, 12:43 AM   #14
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Well, no ill effects yet from the filter, although the sunset was amazingly intense! But there definitely was no water in the wine!
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Old 08-04-2014, 07:48 AM   #15
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Once the cork particles go into the wine, the bottle is finito. That is why you do not have to accept a bottle of wine at a fine restaurant when the server goes through the cork with a corkscrew.
What am I missing here? A bottle of properly stored wine would have been on its side, and the wine would have been in contact with the cork.

So why does a piece of cork floating in the wine ruin the bottle?
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Old 08-04-2014, 07:59 AM   #16
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That was a NEW, UNUSED filter, right?
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Old 08-04-2014, 11:28 AM   #17
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What am I missing here? A bottle of properly stored wine would have been on its side, and the wine would have been in contact with the cork.

So why does a piece of cork floating in the wine ruin the bottle?
In the vast majority of cases it doesn't. But if the bottle was stored improperly and the cork gets mold on it that can contaminate the wine. It's my understanding it can be more of a concern with certain whites.
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Old 08-04-2014, 11:30 AM   #18
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What am I missing here? A bottle of properly stored wine would have been on its side, and the wine would have been in contact with the cork.

So why does a piece of cork floating in the wine ruin the bottle?
I don't think you're missing anything. It doesn't affect the wine at all, but some don't see it as "proper" to have cork bits removed from your wine.

It takes more than a bit of cork to put me off a nice red.
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Old 08-04-2014, 03:03 PM   #19
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You need roughage, so drink the cork and skip the salad.
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Old 08-04-2014, 04:54 PM   #20
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We never have that problem with our "cardboard box".
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