The mud flats are an area that at low tide there is no water just mud. Except for a small area about 24 ft across that is barley deep enough for a shallow draft boat to fit through. It is famous for that.

The trip around the island NY event includes going under 5 draw bridges, and stops at 5 Yacht Clubs around the island. It was our plan to make the NY run with the Zen 24 and do some showcasing of the boat since I installed the side banners.

I started day early at 7:00, the start was not until around 9:00. I was up to do my morning meditation, and Tai Chi practice. I also washed the Zen24 to have folks get a good impression.

I went to the first club, the Island Yacht Club to sign in and there I got breakfast. A half a bagel and a mamosa. I had half of the drink and took the rest back for LZ, who was still in bed.

After getting her up and going the next stop wad over to the Encinal Yacht Club. I was expecting to encounter my club group there, the islander 36′ers.  However I saw no one from the club. I heard that they came later and made the start around the isle but the water was too shallow for their 6 ft draw so they turned back and hung out at the Encinal YC and ate and drank all day. They know how to enjoy themselves.

From the EYC we made our way back down the Estuary toward the first bridge, I figured to go there and wait for some others and for someone to call to have the bridge open, since I was unsure on how it was done other than to radio the bridge guy

As we got near the the first bridge there was a boat in front of us and several starting to bring up the rear. As it turned out we lead the way under the first bridge and fell in line for the other three bridges.

The route was not well marked however we made it to the next Yacht club without incident, I heard others were not so lucky. We were directed to a docking spot and tied up. From there we headed to the club for chili, corn bread and bloody Mary’s. The corn bread was not that good, I heard from LZ the chili was very good as were the bloody Mary’s. I had a taste of the BM , however the taste did nothing for me.

We hung out at the club for a while waiting for the tide to change so if we did get stuck with the flood coming it would not be a long grounding. While waiting for  a group to leave so I could follow and not get grounded, we came across Capt. Mary.  I told her we were  waiting for a group to leave who knew the way through the mud maze. She said I do ! Ok great said I, we will follow.

We set out this time it was a larger group heading out through the mud flats. About 10-25 boats . We made it through the next drawbridge with no problem. We followed directly behind Capt Mary.

We went along well for about 10 to 15 min. Then I noticed a boat stopped, I thought they were just waiting…
As I am coming up behind Capt Mary they start waving us to pass on the other side of them. As we got closer I hear them say they are also stuck. I go as directed to their port. We are just pass them when the Zenboat also stops!

I gun the motor to see If we can break free. That worked a bit then we stopped again. A smaller boat with the group with only a 16″ draft came to the rescue of us grounded. They set out anchors for kegging for some and in our case a guy came aboard and with him and LZ on one side and the guy hanging off the side, that gave us enough heel to plow our way into deeper water and we were free… Harrah!

One by one everyone got loose and we carefully made our way our of the danger zone. Capt Mary said they were passing up the next stop and were going to do a bit of sailing before heading to the next Yacht Club which had better food. I agreed with that as I knew the next club after this one so we also just motor sailed for a ways.

We continued around the island trying to catch some wind with the motor as a helper.

As  we were making the last leg before turning back down the Estuary on the final leg. I am feeling something is not right…

Usually there is some wind to sail down the Estuary. Today there was light to none. We sailed, err really we motored mostly, motorsailed Now I am noticing we are going slower and I needed turn dial up the motor higher to maintain some speed. I did a quick test and  yes there was something wrong we were running out of power, even though the gauge I thought said we had plenty.

I tried to call Capt Mary on the radio to inform  her of our issue, However the boat battery was not the only one on death row, my radio battery was also going dead! Great! I gave up trying to call I could not hold the connection. We motorsailed on. Since I knew she  was behind us and if we stopped she would pass. So we had backup. We continued on for another 20 min or so at a very slow pace. Finally I saw Capt Mary’s boat drop their sails. As they were going by I flagged her down and we got a tow the last couple of miles to our marina. Once there we cut loose and motored to a slip and plugged in for a couple of hours to bring the batteries up some to make the last part of the trip back to our slip.

It was an interesting day. It was successful in showing the Zenboat, and we had a mild adventure. I will need to do some research on the proper reading of the power gauges. All in all it was a good first day of the NewYear.

Christmas eve, rolled around and I had several packages arrive that day and the day before. My solar Christmas lights, the Nano station, the replacement propane attachment for the wall heater.

The propane heater base install was fairly simple. After about 30-60 min I had heat. The heating unit as others had said was just so so. It took some of the chill off. It worked much better on high for heat. Still it will be good for when we travel and need some warmth. When it ran on low it was ok with a electric heater going to blow the air with some warm heated air. The combo made it very comfortable.

The solar lights were nice. Easy to place all I had to was set the unit in the Sun to charge up the juice and we had blue LED’s for decoration . To bad the other installs did not go as smooth.

The tale of the Internet I told already so I will not go there. On the eve I also went out and refilled the propane tank, so we would be set for Christmas. On that day we ran the big heater. Funny the Heat Buddy I paid the least for but it works the best. The biggest problem with that is you have to step over or around the unit to get in and out of the cabin. Also a hose needs to be run outside. I took care of that problem by cutting a piece of heavy cardboard with a slot cut into it to run the hose through so we could close the doors  a run the unit. It worked out perfect. I love it when a plan comes together.

Christmas day was good. I turned on the big propane heater and left it on all day. It was comfy. LZ left early to help at SPCA and was gone most of day. The marina for the most part was very deserted. It was nice! I had  quiet all around.

After a breakfast of green tea and green tea cake I headed out to practice Tai Chi and Kyudo.

I found a spot behind a Aikido school and did some  Qi Gong, Tai Chi and virtual Kyudo. Virtual Kyudo is going through all the steps with holding a real bow and arrow.

Also found this cool stain glass above the door of the Aikido dojo

When LZ returned she wanted to watch some Japanese Tv on the Internet. Our office was the best place to do that since we have a stable connection there. So she spent the afternoon , watching TV and preparing dinner, while I stayed on the Zenamaran, reading, etc. We did not exchange gifts this year or go to a hotel to get away. We found we were very comfortable where we were.

We had a good peaceful holiday.

Finally the heating issues have been resolved. I completed the propane tank compartment. My first fiberglass work. It turned out ok. I have some experience now with fiberglass work. It may come in handy later for some other project. Right now I gave a small compartment sealed off except for the 1 inch hole in the base which leads out to the water under the Cat. The tank in there will feed the wall heater. It is now full installed and functioning well. It is not the best but it works.

Over the top of the wall/ bulkhead heater I have place a small aluminum tray. This keeps the ceiling from getting too hot and it redirects some if that heat back down to the cabin. I gott that idea from a reader who said something about putting a survival blanket on the ceiling of his truck can to keep heat in. I gave something like that a thought but it was too complex to implement for the boat.

There is another propane tank fastened to the stern pulpit. This is for the grill and the hot plate. I can also run a hose if needed from there to the portable propane floor heater for use of it if needed.

So that covers us for mobile heat. Now for when at dock. The quartz heater replacement came yesterday. We ran it last night and this morning … Prrrrfect!

It heats our main area nicely and even heat can be felt in the galley and the closet/ head area. So we are now set for the winter. Woohoo. Now to get our Internet issues resolved…the is the big bummer right now…yosh !

Another year end is upon us and we face the year of the dragon shortly. What will it bring? All we can do is be ready for anything and adapt. Sailing is not just on water, we live , we sail.

We have been living in WaterWorld now for several months. For the most part things are set inside. Water, heat, storage, just need to get the Internet up and running smoothly onboard and install a facet in the loo. Also adjust a few things.

Over the month or two the focus will be getting the office squared away.

I need to get our business in/ of  life together, that is also a part of the trip living in balance.

Then the focus will be getting the outside stuff together in the Zenamaran. Gps, dodger, sail tuned, etc etc. Overall it is not too bad. I do not know where the money is coming from but, that is the Universe’s job to provide.

We are feeling very at home now on the waterfront. LZ says she feels more secure living in the boat with all the earthquakes going on.

Akismashite Omedetou Gozaimasu!  Happy New Year!  Think Environmentally! Recycle, Reduce, Rethink!

The Zen Clan

_/|\_

Grrrrrrrrrr arrhggggggg! Now I am in the return process…and wait for another replacement. We will be using the propane heater over the holidays. At least we have heat!!

Fail #2 is a big let down!!!! I have been trying to get my office Internet signal on the Zenamaran. It has not been easy. A couple of weeks ago a purchased a unit called a Nano Station m5. The Nano station was recommended. I tried without success to get it to work. Finally it would not let me do a reset to access the control panel. I complained and sent it back. This was a mild bummer but in a way ok. I wad told I did not want a Nano M5, I wanted a M2 which had a better range. I told the person who sold me the M5, I wanted to exchange for a M2. It arrived yesterday. I did the hookup and with some help from a on-line board I got it work and it was a signal string enough to reach the CAT…whoohooo!

However it did not end there. I went back onto the control panel to set a password and new name and the system stopped connecting.

Well to shorten the story a bit. After much help from some people on line I was able to get the signal broadcast to the Zenamaran! Yay!

However the tale does not end there. Now I had to configure the system on the ZenCat to pickup the signal and boast it to the on-board computers. Well this was another several hours of work and I never did get it work. I believe the receiver on the boat is faulty. A Internet bud offered to take a look at the unit. I will pack it ip and send it to him.

I was thinking ok, no Internet on the boat fir a while. However I was able with some effort of shifting around the laptop location able to pickup a signal from time to time. Not only a a couple of open signals but my office signal as well, which is now able to reach the boat. Non would hold the connection for a long time but I could jump around, back n forth, turn to a certain angle to have net access over the Holiday.

Even without the new heater or a full install of the wireless things turned out ok. I hooked the big portable propane heater up, refilled the gas and we stayed warm over the weekend and had some net. All ended well, even with the fails.

We have gone through several heaters looking for the right one. These listed but also another of mine not shown, plus three we returned to the store. We went through…Coils,
Fair heat but too much fan…

Ceramic,
Ok heat but the fan is too weak

Or just not enough…of both

neither of those give us a happy face.

The propane heaters work well. However there is that scare (kaboom) factor with propane. Which keeps you , it should anyway, on your toes.

Propane:

The wall mounted unit turns out to need a new part ordered. It is also a wet heat. Meaning it causes a lot of condensation .

The floor propane unit works but the hose has to be run through a opening in the door, and it is a hassle and hot  and dangerous stepping over it to enter or leave. Also it like the wall unit is not to be left on all night. It does not vent outside, but it seems pretty dry, weird. It does put a nice strong heat in front of the unit. Which make sit a keeper for some cases, it can also take a small can of propane and not just the large tanks. This one is a versatile keeper…and the cheapest…go figure.

I thought we had hit a jackpot with the infrared quartz heater. It was fairly quiet, blew warm/hot air strongly. It had a built in air filter, it was a nice size, it could set on auto and left alone. HOWEVER it ran for four hours, then shut down and would not restart!!! Seriously bummed when that happened. Now I have to send that back

So it will be back to ceramics and propane for the holiday heat. I have found that like a blog bud said, running the electric space heater and the  propane works good. Running them both on low they support each other. Anyway it is a blessing to have some heat , any heat and a place to sleep…and there is no snow or ice!

_/|\_

This week past I had a visit from Aoki yacht’s rep from Okinawa. He is in town doing some misc setup for our search for sales associates for the Zen24. Agents to join our Zen24 sales team. Anyone reading this interested get in touch with me.

I took my associate on a mini sail school tour after showing him the Zen24 is well and safe. For the time being resting behind the Zenamaran.

We visited Capt Mary’s school, Afterguard. We visited my teacher training school Tradewinds and looked at some converted to electric power Catalinas. The Tradewinds school is impressive. I found out while there they have a weather class I have been wanting to take. It is one of three classes I need to take before casting off. Weather, celitiak navigation, and a offshore class. I found later that Afterguard also now has the Weather class, cheaper so I will be taking it with Capt Mary, my mentor .

The last school we visited was OCSC in Berkeley. Another impressive school. I saw both the CEO and the COO it had been awhile since I had been there. It was nice to go back for a visit. My visitor was impressed with all the schools. He was curious though why OCSC changed from an ASA school to a US Sailing school. I could only give him a vague answer as I did not have details that I could recall.

Tradewinds and OCSC have great locations. OCSC has a spot right at the “slot” where the winds are drawn in from the Ocean behind the Golden Gate Bridge. It makes for great, and sometimes intense sailing. However when learning in those conditions you come away with some real sailing skills.

It is too bad that Yoh Sensei did not have more time on his visit here last time to the Bay area.  Maybe in April for the boat show he will have more time…maybe even  sail!

However it gave me a topic for this post. Where does it say you can not be comfortable living simple on a boat ?  Yes we do have some creature comforts. Our laptops, small cheap flat screen TV, heaters, running water (sort of), electric blanket, lights throughout, carpet. Small things. This is not just a boat, this is our home, this is all we have. I would think that living in a small drafty place would give one some leeway on having a few comfort items. 90% of our things on the ZenCat including the Cat are recycled, reused and re-thought. So yeah we do have some comfort, yet it is not all pleasure. We have a tight sleeping cove ( with a wife who sleeps in the middle of the bed…), no hot water, walk to the toilet, can not stand except for in certain areas, lil baby stove and oven that has to be filled with alcohol regularly in order to work, or setup the electric hot plate and turn of the heater while cooking. It is not all the “life of Riley ” some maybe too young to recall that TV show, but hey, we were saying the other day it is a good life. A little more than basic, simple but comfortable.

Life is also and about adapting, not just suffering, there is no reason why one can not adapt in humble style when the blessings are there. Life in Waterworld does not have to be totally about suffering. Life is suffering enough without being able to sidestep suffering once in a while…of course a lot has to do with perspective.  There is still plenty of suffering to go around…real and imagined

Just saying…

_/|\_

 

I have upgraded the shore power hookup and have wired the boat now to have outlets in each section of the boat instead of just one. Nice very helpful not to have extension cords running everywhere.

I’ve replaced 90% of the onboard lights with LED’s. They give out bright yet soft light.

Currently I’m replacing the water bladder. On a CAT it is not so hard a job. Just opening a compartment, disconnect things and lift it out. The old bladder was leaking not just from one hole but from several . Enough so that it was not worth it’s repair, being as old as it is. I think more holes could develop while I was replacing the unit back into the compartment.

The old bladder is a 100 liter unit. The size listed as standard for the boat is 50 liters. While at Blu Pel I came across a couple of bladders. One 50 and one 100. The 50 is used and in good shape and only 50.00! However the 100 is new! LZ is big on new. The price is more but… It is new and larger. I think for the trip we are planning having more water is better. Even if it will not be the drinking supply it can be used as such if needed with a new tank, so good investment and is in the recycle realm.

I was surprised how much the boat raised up when I removed the water tank. 26 gal of water is a lot of weight. With the new bag I can recalculate how much water to take along in extra container for drinking and such. I read of a couple sailing a Cat from Mexico to Hawaii they had 62 gal of water.
So this is giving me cause to rethink how much water to take. 20-25 gal in tank plus another 30-35 in jugs should be enough. The jugs will be for drinking. I’m also hooking up the foot pumps now. Fresh and salt.

Another project being done this weekend is glassing in a compartment for propane storage.  This is my first time doing any fiberglass. It was pretty messy on my first layer and first day. I finished the job mostly on Sunday. With the right tools and a little knowledge/practice it went much smoother. The compartment was a double fix. 1.so it did not leak water on to my bed/head/face if some got in the compartment. 2. So that it drained gas and any water outside under the boat . I added a side wall in the compartment so that it is closed off from everything except the one inch drain hole now in the bottom of the compartment.
So all in all I had two successful projects this weekend. Yatta,

————

Satori on the side:

I notice there was a big Trimaran visiting the docks in my Hood. I walked over to check the boat out. It turns out the owner was on board and we chatted a while. He was heading south to Puerto Vallarta . He was also from Mexico. I questioned him about a new marina I saw on the web, which was just north of Encinada. He knew nothing.
I also wrote to these people but have heard nothing.

We got around to talking about Blue Pelican he wanted to go by the store. I told him say Zen sent him , it was my name and the name of my boat. As it turns out he also had been doing meditation for a number of years. His boat is named Satori.