Author: Chuck B
Half Moon Bay or Bust! ✨11
Sparklemuffin’s and my first time together outside the San Francisco Bay — joined by Bill, Dan, a little orange bridge, and a plethora of whales.
Prep and Practice ✨10
Chuck prepares for a trip into the ocean by testing cutters for steel wire rope and a massive manual bilge pump. Then Chuck, Ian, Gwen, and Bill (Able Seaman, First Class) go for a practice sail to test the new reefing, boom brake, chart plotter tablet, and AIS.
A Muffin By Any Other Name ✨9
Prodigious pleas to pacify Poseidon, an altogether ample anchor, and chunky chain changing.
What 3 Inch Hole in the Roof?
During the winter rainy season here in northern California, I would sometimes come aboard Sparklemuffin to find evidence of water dripping onto the starboard salon settee. It appeared water was pooling at a low point and dripping down from the headliner, which was slightly bulging. Not far from a portlight, which became the immediate suspect….
Run It Up the Mastpole ✨8
A bleeding engine and a crazy climb: In this 8th installment of the Sparklemuffin saga, I change fuel filters, bleed the engine, and learn to climb the mast.
Destinations
This page serves as a gathering place for information about specific destinations. Fiji Hydrographic office – for local charts Amra Street, Walu Bay, Suva, Fiji (Google Maps) (679) 331 5457 Website link – “under construction” Noonsite link Cruising Guide by Carol Dunlop A Mariners Guide to Fiji Shores & Marinas French Polynesia SHOM / French…
Livin’ la Diesel Loco ✨7
Overnight anchoring plus diesely depths of despair.
New Bilge Pump Switch/Counter
Today saw a fun project — fun if you’re a nerd like me 🙂 — installing an Aqualarm 20145-02 pump counter with 3 way pump switch, 2 pumps. The project took about five hours. Before and after photos below. Was the existing bilge pump switch broken? No. But this one offers two important benefits: It…
USCG Now Offers 5 Year Renewal for Recreational Vessels
I’m absolutely chuffed to have just learned that USCG Certificates of Documentation can now be renewed for up to five years at a time. This is great news for vessels that go overseas, on extended voyages, or for folks like me who just prefer to spend their time doing things other than paperwork. 🙂 I…