Wxx3
Dauntless Award
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2013
- Messages
- 2,820
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Dauntless
- Vessel Make
- Kadey Krogen 42 - 148
A Krogen in Europe –
A New Chapter Begins for Dauntless and its Intrepid Captain and First Mate
It’s 09:00 a.m. and I just finishing my coffee and the very last three Costco oatmeal cookies that had been frozen more than two months ago and today, tasted as fresh as the day I got them.
The cookies were great crossing the ocean. Almost every morning, I had something to look forward to, but their time is now past. The Irish may not be known for their baking, but they certainly have some wonderful “Danish”, which I am already looking forward to tomorrow morning, as I sit here and gaze on to a scene of evergreens and ferns that reminds me of western Washington, the islands of Puget Sound and Southeast Alaska (and of course, all points in between). I‘ll be docked next to a fishing boat in the centre of Castletwonbere for probably my last week here. I have three things that need to be done in the relatively near future and if I leave here with at least two of them accomplished, I will be pleased. The three are: a new paravane pole, 2500 liters fuel and a diesel forced air heater. Already think the heater won’t happen, having been advised to look in Cork.
But I get ahead of myself. I slept from 22:00 last night to 8:30 this morning, after travelling yesterday from Leonie’s house in Helmond to the airport, plane ride to Cork, then bus to Castletownbere, where I caught the ferry to Bere Island, where Dauntless was in my absence.
During all my travel time yesterday, I marveled that we are now living the accomplishment of the goal. The first part of the goal was to get Dauntless to Europe. We did that. This was the payoff for those rolling seas, tension, loneliness and having to pinch our pennies.
I must have been tired, but my trips to the Netherlands are always so nice. When my new friends here in Castletownbere, Karel and Mi Jong, said they were flying to Amsterdam last week for the boat show, I knew Leonie’s birthday was the following Saturday and she takes those kind of things very seriously. So I flew down for the week and had a really special time, eating well and seeing most of my Dutch friends. I was reminded that I had not been in the Netherlands for two years, since before my mother died. That’s the longest period in the last 15 years, but I suppose it has been a tumultuous two years. Being able to maintain these relationships over the last 38 years (I first arrived in Italy in 1976) has always been a first priority for me. Now, I’ve even added new Ireland friends, Karel and Mi Jong, have been so generous and helpful and really made me feel like part of the family. Also, staying with them really helped me get over that long, arduous 10 day voyage faster than I ever imagined.
Dauntless was just as I left here and best of all, the batteries were only down less than 200 amp-hours, over 7 days. Now those days have been mostly sunny, giving my solar panels the opportunity to put about 50 amps hours back into the battery bank each day. But the real pleasure in this is that the Vitrifrigo freezer and refrigerator both only use about 5 amps per hour on average, so that’s 75 amps per day. Having them 12v (really variable) allows me to turn off Inverter if I’m not on boat, so I’m so happy.
So now I’m back in Ireland and finally starting to put the boat back in shape so it doesn’t look like it just crossed an ocean with a bunch of vagabonds. I am filling the water tanks now. I have to figure a better method to be sure when they are full, other than waiting to see standing water on top of the tank.
I’m also really excited about getting underway again, even if it’s just two days to Waterford. I get to use my new Delta I got at Hopkins-Carter and while I have not finished reading that whole Fortress Thread and test, I appreciate their candor.
On that note, not to throw any fuel (contaminated or not) on the fire, but for all of you who rant and rave about your new age, $$expensive$$ anchors, trying to be as objective as I can be, I have noticed that virtually everyone who gets a new anchor, gets one far heavier than the last one. Now, I admit, I noticed this because I did the same thing. I got a 60 lb. CQR that replaced my 40 lb. Plow. For the first months I thought the CQR was much better, but then I realized it was just heavier and did un-set itself a lot. The Delta is far better, has never unset so far and is 5 lbs. lighter. Just Saying…
I’d like to keep this thread focused on having an American boat, a Krogen, and me and Julie in Europe. How’s it’s the same, how it’s different. But to be clear, as much as I’ve wanted to return to Europe, it’s not a case of it being better, it’s just different. One thing I have gleaned from living all over the place the last 40 years, is that every place has its advantages and disadvantages. To be happy, it’s best to not try to bring your old life to the new place. I used to drink a Coke a day and then in Italy as that became a bit more difficult, I switched to wine. Made my life far easier and turns out far healthier. In Italy, as times, I even had to replace my morning orange juice with, guess what? Wine! At first I was aghast, but also as it turns out, humans have been doing that for the last 10,000 years, versus orange juice’s, what?, 50 years. Madison Ave types were getting annual bonuses big enough to buy a Manhattan apartment each year, long before the financial industry learned how to squeeze us for every last nickel and dime.
So the above paragraph has nothing to do with having an American boat in Europe. Oh well, just goes to show you, to boat, you must be flexible.
So, I’m excited about the coming year already. I’m looking forward to the challenge of living aboard during the winter. I’m also excited about the Baltic tour. I think I will even leave Ireland in March, as to start as early as I can in northern France, the Channel Islands, then Belgium, Holland in April. In time for Tulip season. Maybe I can make a picture of the Krogen surrounded by fields of tulips.
Later
A New Chapter Begins for Dauntless and its Intrepid Captain and First Mate
It’s 09:00 a.m. and I just finishing my coffee and the very last three Costco oatmeal cookies that had been frozen more than two months ago and today, tasted as fresh as the day I got them.
The cookies were great crossing the ocean. Almost every morning, I had something to look forward to, but their time is now past. The Irish may not be known for their baking, but they certainly have some wonderful “Danish”, which I am already looking forward to tomorrow morning, as I sit here and gaze on to a scene of evergreens and ferns that reminds me of western Washington, the islands of Puget Sound and Southeast Alaska (and of course, all points in between). I‘ll be docked next to a fishing boat in the centre of Castletwonbere for probably my last week here. I have three things that need to be done in the relatively near future and if I leave here with at least two of them accomplished, I will be pleased. The three are: a new paravane pole, 2500 liters fuel and a diesel forced air heater. Already think the heater won’t happen, having been advised to look in Cork.
But I get ahead of myself. I slept from 22:00 last night to 8:30 this morning, after travelling yesterday from Leonie’s house in Helmond to the airport, plane ride to Cork, then bus to Castletownbere, where I caught the ferry to Bere Island, where Dauntless was in my absence.
During all my travel time yesterday, I marveled that we are now living the accomplishment of the goal. The first part of the goal was to get Dauntless to Europe. We did that. This was the payoff for those rolling seas, tension, loneliness and having to pinch our pennies.
I must have been tired, but my trips to the Netherlands are always so nice. When my new friends here in Castletownbere, Karel and Mi Jong, said they were flying to Amsterdam last week for the boat show, I knew Leonie’s birthday was the following Saturday and she takes those kind of things very seriously. So I flew down for the week and had a really special time, eating well and seeing most of my Dutch friends. I was reminded that I had not been in the Netherlands for two years, since before my mother died. That’s the longest period in the last 15 years, but I suppose it has been a tumultuous two years. Being able to maintain these relationships over the last 38 years (I first arrived in Italy in 1976) has always been a first priority for me. Now, I’ve even added new Ireland friends, Karel and Mi Jong, have been so generous and helpful and really made me feel like part of the family. Also, staying with them really helped me get over that long, arduous 10 day voyage faster than I ever imagined.
Dauntless was just as I left here and best of all, the batteries were only down less than 200 amp-hours, over 7 days. Now those days have been mostly sunny, giving my solar panels the opportunity to put about 50 amps hours back into the battery bank each day. But the real pleasure in this is that the Vitrifrigo freezer and refrigerator both only use about 5 amps per hour on average, so that’s 75 amps per day. Having them 12v (really variable) allows me to turn off Inverter if I’m not on boat, so I’m so happy.
So now I’m back in Ireland and finally starting to put the boat back in shape so it doesn’t look like it just crossed an ocean with a bunch of vagabonds. I am filling the water tanks now. I have to figure a better method to be sure when they are full, other than waiting to see standing water on top of the tank.
I’m also really excited about getting underway again, even if it’s just two days to Waterford. I get to use my new Delta I got at Hopkins-Carter and while I have not finished reading that whole Fortress Thread and test, I appreciate their candor.
On that note, not to throw any fuel (contaminated or not) on the fire, but for all of you who rant and rave about your new age, $$expensive$$ anchors, trying to be as objective as I can be, I have noticed that virtually everyone who gets a new anchor, gets one far heavier than the last one. Now, I admit, I noticed this because I did the same thing. I got a 60 lb. CQR that replaced my 40 lb. Plow. For the first months I thought the CQR was much better, but then I realized it was just heavier and did un-set itself a lot. The Delta is far better, has never unset so far and is 5 lbs. lighter. Just Saying…
I’d like to keep this thread focused on having an American boat, a Krogen, and me and Julie in Europe. How’s it’s the same, how it’s different. But to be clear, as much as I’ve wanted to return to Europe, it’s not a case of it being better, it’s just different. One thing I have gleaned from living all over the place the last 40 years, is that every place has its advantages and disadvantages. To be happy, it’s best to not try to bring your old life to the new place. I used to drink a Coke a day and then in Italy as that became a bit more difficult, I switched to wine. Made my life far easier and turns out far healthier. In Italy, as times, I even had to replace my morning orange juice with, guess what? Wine! At first I was aghast, but also as it turns out, humans have been doing that for the last 10,000 years, versus orange juice’s, what?, 50 years. Madison Ave types were getting annual bonuses big enough to buy a Manhattan apartment each year, long before the financial industry learned how to squeeze us for every last nickel and dime.
So the above paragraph has nothing to do with having an American boat in Europe. Oh well, just goes to show you, to boat, you must be flexible.
So, I’m excited about the coming year already. I’m looking forward to the challenge of living aboard during the winter. I’m also excited about the Baltic tour. I think I will even leave Ireland in March, as to start as early as I can in northern France, the Channel Islands, then Belgium, Holland in April. In time for Tulip season. Maybe I can make a picture of the Krogen surrounded by fields of tulips.
Later
I would want to see how close I can get. 
Of course they won't give me coffee, it is the UK, err, well Scotland, but maybe still UK, or not, 
Not quite sure how this will work out but that is the plan. :lol:
