Chart Plotter on Laptop

This is a view of the laptop screen with OpenCPN displayed.  The location is showing where I was parked at the boat ramp in my pickup with the GPS from my Microsoft Streets and Trips on the dash.  This is soooo cool. 

The GPS plugs into the USB port and uses com 7.  The OpenCPN recognizes the GPS input and positions it on the chart.  It also shows direction, logitude and latitude, and speed of travel.

The charts are free from the NOAA web site.  They are in zipped format and you have to unzip them and install them in a file and then move them into the OpenCPN chart bin.  You can quilt the charts together and then just scroll from one to another.  I downloaded the charts for the North Pacific and then the Columbia River system. 

Some details: 

The GPS is PHAROS GPS360.  The 360 and the 500 are on Amazon for $18.99.  Pharos has a web site.  Pharos.com. 

The NOAA web site is http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/

The OpenCPN web sit is opencpn.org.

Sea Trial Success

    I will work backwards on this, starting on a successful launch, sail, and retrieve on Tuesday, October 12, 2010.  I had to deal with a pad eye that broke while raising the mast, a power winch connection that proved too short when the trailer tilted, and a launch that saw the boat sail across the slip to another dock than the one I intended to use.  Minor stuff and that's what sea trials are all about.
    The day was glorious.  Light airs from the southwest.  Sunny, but not too warm.  No one at the ramp and little commercial traffic (say barges) on the river.  Major problem on the river was that my drink thermos decided to leak all my iced coffee into the bilge.  Here are a few pics I took with my cell phone camera.

All Sails Flying, or maybe flapping?

Under Sail Going Upriver

Motoring Back to Ramp

St Johns Bridge

      Back on Saturday, September 25th, I took the boat down to the Cathederal Park boat ramp.  I needed space to rig the mast.  All the stays were loose and the fitting were mostly new.  I found the ramp parking lot really full.  I put the mast up after I connected all the rigging.  Found a few issues, but it worked pretty well.  Spent some time drinking lemonade and sitting in my lawn chair in the shade.  Life can't be all work.

Busy Ramp Parking

Halfway Up

St Johns Bridge and Big Red

    I have a long list of winter projects including trailer lights, a rebuilt electrical panel, finishing the outboard mount (still plain wood) and more.  I did make a platform for the cabin floor which works great.  I need to finish it and paint it.

Equal Time

Jen at the helm 1990

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Progress So Far

I got started two weeks late on August 14th.

To start I scraped out leaves and debris from cockpit and rear hatch area.  Used shop vac to pump out water.  Lots of water.  Removed and cleaned outboard tanks, battery box and battery.  Opened cabin and pumped out more water. 

Removed mast and rigging and put on sawhorses.  The boom, sails, and sheets are stored in the basement along with the electric trailer winch.  Refurbished mast powering light and plug in.  New one costs $47.97 at West Marine.  Did have to buy $168 of wire, fittings, and braided halyard.  Also replaced topping lift.  Put new rings on standing rigging versus cotter keys.  Replaced rusted cotter keys on spreader bracket.  Put on new spreader boots and taped up.  Learned a new trick from the West Marine guy, zip tied the spreader boots on.  How cool.

Consulted with Gordon, my 86 year old father-in-law, on how to refurbish the wood pad on the outboard bracket.  He gave me some scraps of plywood to cut and laminate for the pad.  Gonna work on that today.  New bracket costs $249 at Fisherman's Marine Supply.  I had to find my table saw in the garden shed and rescue it.

An unexpected pleasure has been finding all my small tools and organizing them.  Takes a while, but it sure is neat to be able to find things.

Sail on.

Captain Hal.

Captains Log July 2010

Factory Brochure

These are the images from the factory brochure. Jean Marie is a Montego 19 with a swing keel instead of the fixed keel with centerboard. The 19's were the earlier version. The swing keel and the hump in the cabin sole are the only differences with the 20's.

The Countdown Begins

Well hello there.  This is the begining of a new Log Book for the sailing ship JEAN MARIE.  She has been neglected for about ten years in the side yard on her trailer.  We trailered her here from Palm Harbor, Florida in 1991 and she has been in the water twice since then.  Her prior sailing grounds were the Gulf of Mexico off Palm Harbor.

I have set a deadline of August 1st for the start of her restoration.  I plan on having her in the water, sailing by the end of August. 

Lots of pictures and sailing stories as I get her ready.  I am learning how to use Blogger as I go.