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This log runs through September 13, 2002 April 11, 2002 in Oriental, North Carolina We'd also like to get some overdue rest, but after a couple of long days getting work crews lined up to work on the boat -- installing a diesel generator, electric windlass, new anchors, short wave radio and toilet (not in the same place!) and doing rigging upgrades, engine repairs, painting the new name on the boat and a host of other items -- we'll rent a car, head to Florida, pick up our Gypsy Wagon and motor from there almost nonstop to Yuma, Arizona to help Don's parents through some medical problems. The drive will be 3,200 miles -- equal to the distance from Washington, DC to London. We'll be fresh as spring tulips when we get there! We'll be away from PIONEER a month or so before motoring back to North Carolina and sailing off to cruise the NE U.S. for the summer. Not a bad life, all in all! April 15, 2002 on a 3,200 mile drive to SW Arizona The PIONEER is at the Deaton Boat Yard in Oriental, where they are performing major upgrades and revisions. We don't know when we'll return to continue our sailing adventure up the east coast -- perhaps a month or so. We may also have to drive to California and then to Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, and all the states back to North Carolina. Our overall daily trip mileage since 1999 had dropped to 151, but the coming few weeks ought to boost it somewhat! CLICK HERE for enlargeable photos of North Carolina (Pioneer top left) April 16, 2002 if it's Tuesday, this must be San Antonio Before we left Oriental, we met with John Deaton, one of the premier marine diesel boat systems specialists in the country. He's not cheap, but there is nobody better. He'll be in charge of the major upgrades to our sailing home while we're away. April 23, 2002 in Yuma, Arizona...the current hotbed of GOP politics! More news: Back in our little home town of Belle Fourche, South Dakota someone is starting up a "ranch" for gay and "sensitive" male nudists. It'll be very interesting to see how the Chamber of Commerce in this conservative town handles this membership application! May 3, 2002 Yuma, Arizona to Sacramento, CA and beyond Yesterday we made the huge financial decision to replace PIONEER'S motor, along with a great many other upgrades and renovations at Deaton Yacht Services in Oriental, NC. When they're done few vessels will be more beautiful and seaworthy than PIONEER. And at this rate, few full time sailors will be more poor! May 5, 2002 in Salt Lake City, Utah May 7, 2002 in Salt Lake City, Utah May 9, 2002 in Jackson, Wyoming Meanwhile, back at our boat in North Carolina, work is progressing on tens of thousands of dollars worth of upgrades and improvements, beginning with a new engine. May 13, 2002 tending business in Belle Fourche, South Dakota Forgot to mention that Becky had her hair cut the other day. Her locks were cut off and donated to Locks of Love (locksoflove.org), where it will be made into a wig for a child undergoing cancer treatment. May 14, 2002 in Belle Fourche You really have to know this marvelous lady to appreciate her dedication to this community -- and to the children known as "Hill's Angels." Belle Fourche is a better town for her service, and the children who have learned the traditional "three -R's," as well as modern technology such as computer learning (and dismantling!) will live more productive lives. When the people who know you best love you the most, you've done something right in life. Such is the case with Harlene Hill and her cherished Hill's Angels. As we search the world for fascinating people, we are learning that some of the best were always close to home. May 15, 2002 Belle Fourche to Des Moines, Iowa Enroute to Des Moines (passing the 6,000 mile mark since leaving North Carolina), we stopped in Sioux Falls, South Dakota where we visited Becky's friend Karen. May 18, 2002 in Des Moines, Iowa. May 20, 2002 in Oriental, NC Fascinating Update: In our "Essays" section we draw your attention to Don's story titled "Galang." It is a report from 1991 about the Vietnamese "boat people" at a remote refugee camp on an island in Indonesia. After reading that account, you may be interested in an e-mail we recently received from a man in Belgium who, now 20, told us of life as a child at that very camp. These reflections are from Ngo Huynh Thien. Also new in Essays is Don's tribute to a friend who passed away. Dick Frech of Casper, Wyoming was a unique and special man. May 22, 2002 in Oriental, NC May 30, 2002 in Oriental, NC We know sailing is expensive, and we don't mind paying a premium for quality work. But we also think often of how we built desperately needed isolation wards at the Kwai River Hospital on the Thai/Burma border for only $1,500. We'll report how this all works out. May 31, 2002 at Deaton Yacht Service in Oriental, NC As the crew worked feverishly to extract the old engine, there were signs that it might not fit through the companionway. But soon there was progress, and finally it was out. And this engine is now for sale, along with several other significant boat items! These guys earned their money today -- and they were proud to show off their catch, as if they'd just caught a huge metal swordfish. In the afternoon one crew member went to the top of the mast to install instruments and the short wave antenna, as others cut anchor chain into the corrects lengths. Although expensive, this is an exciting time for us. And most of the renovations and upgrades are still ahead. Tomorrow we expect a big delivery of anchors, chain, ropes and all manner of boat goodies. We may end up poor as rocks, but we'll be sailing a great boat. June 3, 2002 at Deaton Yacht Service in Oriental, NC It's not totally bizarre in this sailing community, or even bizarre at all, that Becky raced in the Women's Regatta of Oriental, or that they were recognized with a plaque at the end of the race. She sailed aboard s/v Calculation, one of the least experienced crews, but they had a great time. Meanwhile, we're working like bilge rats on our boat. June 10, 2002 in Oriental June 15, 2002 in Oriental. The new engine is beautiful, and the crafting of a second, high-output, alternator atop the motor is a work of art. Our deepest thanks to Doug Sligh and Mary Ann Parham of Oriental They are graciously putting us up in their house -- and putting up with us -- while our sailboat is uninhabitable. Sailors are special people. June 21, 2002 in Oriental Of all our experiences since beginning our personal expedition in 1999, nothing is more meaningful to us than our time with Doctor Phil -- and the night a group of refugees came to our apartment door on Christmas eve singing carols in English -- and the first time we first came face to face with refugee children sitting at night on the jungle floor. Phil and his family are returning to America. People throughout western Thailand will miss him dearly. Carrying on in his stead is the very bright and dedicated Dr. Kathy Welch from Indiana, and Dr. Anchalee Tanthawiwat. We wish them well. Here are Dr. McDaniels' recently e-mailed notes about the operating room, and home life in the jungle. "Lizard poop: The other day we were getting ready to do an operation. Before we moved the patient onto the operating table, I noticed an ovoid black object about half the size of a raisin lying on the plastic mattress cover of the operating table. This was the calling card of a ching-choke, one of the small house lizards that are ubiquitous in Thailand. We flicked off the trademark, wiped the spot with alcohol and proceeded with preparations, grateful that the dropping had been dropped before the operation and not during. "Spiders and flies: Lizards are not the only animals that find their way into the operating room. Spiders, moths, ants, and mosquitoes are frequent visitors. Sometimes these land on or crawl across the sterile field. These relatively clean creatures are not a major concern. We brush them away and continue. Flies are a different matter. We keep a fly swatter in the operating room so that the circulating nurse can eliminate any flies before they land on the operating field. We used to have a nurse who could clap flies between her bare hands just as they were taking off. It was a wonder to behold, but of course she had to go wash her hands after each kill. This took time. It also imposed a risk of another fly coming through the operating room doors when she made her way out and then in again. "Scorpion: As I stepped into the shower stall at home a few weeks ago, I noticed a scorpion. I dispatched it easily and spared myself the needles-of-fire sensation that comes with a scorpion sting. I think that everyone in our family has been stung at least once by one of these at-home scorpions." June 22, 2002 in Oriental
July 2, 2002 Hector to Fredericksburg, Virginia July 12, 2002 at Deaton Yacht Service in Oriental, North Carolina The dinghy has a different name from the boat (Pioneer) so when we're anchored somewhere, thieves won't be able to look at the names of dinghies tied to a dock and know which boats anchored nearby have nobody aboard. That's our strategy on it, anyway. Our most visible progress involves Becky's work in the engine room while there is no engine to obstruct progress. She painted it with tinted fast-drying epoxy. Looks like the weather today may allow varnishing of the trailing boards. July 15, 2002 "on the hard." Soon the new engine will be lowered into the beautiful new engine room, the drive shaft measured and a new one ordered, the prop sent off to be re-pitched to handle the additional horsepower, and all kinds of below-waterline holes plugged or drilled. We're saving money by doing as much work as possible (lots of 'overtime' for us), such as washing the waxing the hull, gelcoat repair, various hull jobs, designing the new name (in preparation for the Renaming Ceremony), and applying the bottom paint ourselves. Meanwhile, in the shop, the custom mount for the huge 210 amp second alternator has been painted and installed. It's a beautiful piece of work. July 21, 2002 "on the hard." July 23, 2002 at Deaton Yacht Service CLICK HERE for enlargeable photos of Pioneer’s complete refit in North Carolina. In other below-deck news, a new platform has been built for the hot water heater, which is being moved aft to allow two of the four huge new AGM 4D batteries to be placed under the galley sink. July 31, 2002 in Oriental, North Carolina However, Becky has noticed a small dent in the oil pan of the new motor. This was caused when the shipping company hit the motor crate with a fork lift. Notice the damage at the bottom of the crate. Hoping the pan would not have to be replaced (the closest available one being in Japan!), it was removed and inspected to see if the oil pickup tube inside was bent. Fortunately, it was just fine. Reassembled, the motor was hoisted aboard. It doesn't quite fit the mounts, yet, but will soon. Meanwhile, Becky coated the propeller with anti-fouling paint. You ask if the heat here is killing us? YES! August 2, 2002 Back in the water! August 21, 2002 -- Progress! One problem is engine room temperature, which hovered at 150 degrees during the test. We're devising a system to pump outside air into the engine room, hopefully to force hot air out of two new vents. In any case, we're only days away from completion of this project (not that sailors are without things that require attention), and we're planning to depart for points north in about 10 days. Hallelujah! August 23, 2002 in Oriental August 25, 2002 in Oriental Then we discovered that anti-fouling paint applied to the propeller only two weeks previous was quickly coming off. Turns out that the prop shop where the propeller was re-pitched had applied a coat of bronze paint, a no-no. These problems addressed, we're back in the water, and looking pretty darned good. Our work on the trailing boards has paid off, and the names on the horseshoe buoy and side of the boat look good. The only item remaining is installation of a large blower to move outside cooling air into the engine compartment. Then, after putting more time on the new motor and initial engine servicing, and loading hundreds of pounds of stored possessions, we'll finally be off exploring the world again. Pioneer is straining her dock lines, eager to be off exploring the world -- as are we! September 1, 2002 HALLELUJAH, we're finally LEAVING Cabo Rico sailboats such as our Pioneer, are high quality vessels made in limited numbers. While it is unusual to see two in the same place, we've gathered six for a mini-rally. This morning, we made our long-awaited departure from Deatons, and joined the others on the water. September 2, 2002 anchored on South River, North Carolina September 3, 2002 an inglorious (but brief) return to Deatons We called Towboat U.S. (Deatons) and pretty soon the little red rescue boat showed up. We hooked up a line and were dragged the five miles back to the docks. Not the way one wants Day Two of freedom to proceed! John Deaton quickly determined that the coolant drain cock had backed out. It's unlikely it was ever tightened during the motor installation, but engine damage is unlikely. We also had them fix the wind indicator, which was only indicating a wind from the starboard no matter where it was blowing from. September 6, 2002 EXPEDITION DAY 1,000 Yes, we've raised Pioneer's sails and sea-trialed our newly 'approved' rig. We were three sheets to the wind, and it felt great. Everything worked perfectly, although we will really need to replace some lines soon. September 13, 2002 at anchor on the ICW south of Norfolk, VA PREVIOUS LOG or |
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(In this photo of the front of KRCH, the wheel is from one of the trains built to operate on the “Death Railway,” the track across the country built under slave labor commanded by the Japanese in WW2. More than 100,000 people died.)
We're going to take a break by visiting our good friends Fred and Kristi in Hector, NY for a few days of relaxation. It’s the place where friends worked years restoring a famous John Alden racing yacht named Malabar X which has just been launched and is written up in the major sailing magazines.
