San Diego: wired
San Diego: wired
Around noon on Friday, Casey, the main rigger, telephoned to let me know that the machinist who is making GANNET’s new chainplates sent them out to be water-jetted. I did not know what that means. I was told that it is a process where the cut is made by laser directed jets of water and results in an extremely fine cut. But not until Monday.
In the absence of riggers, I went ahead Friday afternoon and connected the wiring from the mast head tricolor/anchor and the steaming lights.
After dark I was able to see that they all work.
Yesterday I biked to a Target for a plastic storage container and to a supermarket. Then I went sailing for a couple of hours in the afternoon with Steve and Kevin on Kevin’s boat. A rarity for me. I don’t recall the last time I sailed with anyone other than Carol. San Diego light wind, but enjoyable. I thank Kevin and Steve for the pleasure of their company.
This morning I biked along the Mission Beach boardwalk to another supermarket. My shopping is limited in a single visit to what I can fit in my backpack.
In an effort to make some progress, this afternoon I installed the Raymarine depthsounder I’ve had for several months. I had intended to wait until I hauled out, but I decided I would try to install the transducer inside the hull, which I have done on other boats, and even if it didn’t work, I’d have the unit in place.
I wanted to replace the old depthfinder because the display was so small that even when I could see, I couldn’t see it.
I know that most transducers are made by one company, Airmar. The ones on the TackTick system I had on THE HAWKE OF TUONELA were. The one on GANNET’s old depthfinder is. And so, I saw, is the one on the new Raymarine unit. With the same wiring.
Felicitously, the new unit works with the existing transducer. GANNET is presently in 24.6’/7.5 meters of water.
And GANNET is completely wired. Other than a possible towed hydro generator , there is nothing more to install. Which is just as well because I’m out of switches on the small circuit breaker panel I choose two summers ago.
That panel came with sixty labels to put beside the various switches. They include such necessities as “Bait Well” “Cellular Phone” “Down Rigger” (I don’t even know what that is.) “Refrigerator” “Trim Tabs” and “Wipers.”
There is no label for “Compass Light.”
Has GPS caused people to stop putting compasses on boats? Is not a compass more essential than all of the above?
Apparently not.
I used a label that just says, “Lights,” assuming I can remember that is the compass light.
Sunday, July 21, 2013