Expereince

I follow a lot of discussions on internet forums. It's been a fruitful place to listen for ideas. What are people interested in? What are they curious about? What would they like to see tested? A common thread is that people comment based on their own experience. Of course. But they do this as though that were the only experience. That place. That boat. That sailing style. In fact, there are as many combinations of place, boat, and style as there are sailors.

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So what experience do you have?

Miles.  Sail around the world or just cross an ocean and you pile them up fast. But what about the coastal cruisers and day sailors that sail shorter distances, but often?

• Cruises. If I add up DELMARV and coastwise cruises of more than overnight, I get 14,000 miles. Overnights and weekends add another 1500 miles. 
• Day sailing. Typically 10-30 miles, typically 20 times per year for 40 years. 

 That's another 16,000 miles. That's 31,500 miles, enough to circle the world.

 Anchoring. World cruisers talk about many nights at anchor. Of course, you don't anchor during passages, unlike coastal cruisers that anchor every night.

• Cruises. About 400 stops. Dragged twice, neither was serious.
• Day Sailing. About 30% of the time I stop somewhere, either to kayak or visit a beach. That's about 250 times. No dragging.
• Anchor Testing. For me, that would add several thousand cycles. Let's not include that. However, it did include pulling many anchors to failure in every bottoms type, with many combinations of scope and yawing.

About 650 anchoring episodes, many overnight and through storms, some not. I've anchored a lot. The variety may be more or less; IME, island sailing is mostly sand, with a little coral and exposed locations mix it up. Some coastal areas are all mud, but more likely, there is sand and rock as well. Seems about the same variability, to me.

Tricky Entrances. The day sailor on the ocean side knows his home port, but he has to do the entrance every day. The long distance cruiser will see more that it unfamiliar,  but not as often. The coastal cruiser is often rock-dodging, skipping in and out of small, sometimes dangerous, entrances that the sensible world cruiser would avoid. I think this totally depends on the person. My home harbor is dead simple (although a few miss hit the jetties every year), but I've surfed in some pretty hairy ones.

Hoisting and Lowering Sails, Including Reefing.  That probably correlates to miles. A day Sailor hoists and lowers every time, but reefs underway less often (or he reefed when hoisting). Sometimes the wind dies while on passage and you motor a bit. I think it averages out.

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So when I hear the ocean sailor brag about his expereince, I'm not so sure. He's more likely to weather a storm, if he plans poorly. He's also more likely to die of boredom, from what I've experienced. I really don't love an 8-hour turn at watch in mild weather; it's just as much fun as an 8-hour plane ride. None.

 When I go sailing these days, I can only call it "uneventful." There are lots of mistakes to be made (I've made many) and much variety (been there, done that), but mostly now, it's just routine. But nice. I still learn a few things. 

 

Stuff You See While Sailing

 

 

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
'Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!' cries she
With silent lips. 'Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!'"

Some of my ancestors came to North America 20,000 years ago. Some a few generations ago, from many different places. No one truly owns this place. No one ever did, ever has, or ever will. We share, for the brief time we are here.

Air Filtration. Shop dust and even welding fume.

Back during COVID and the wildfires out west, I read about a bargain HEPA air filtration hack that could remove viruses and even smoke from the air. I started testing it out in my basement shop, and these many years later, it remains a full-time staple in my shop. It is also good for allergies and home renovation projects. This summer we had some guys rip out a bathroom, including tile demo, and this filter kept the dust out of the house.

 This filter has many times the flow rate of a typical portable home HEPA filter. If they will change the air in a large room in 15-20 minutes, this will change the air in 3-5 minutes; fast enough to take particles away from where you are working.

Note. In general, you should NOT use a filter rated higher than MERV 9 in a standard home furnace. The airflow restriction is too great. Higher MERV filters can be used, but this requires a modified filter housing that can hold filters with much greater surface area.  Don't just stick a MERV 13 or MERV 15 filter in your home furnace.

The Corsi-Rosenthal Box. A doctor and an HVAC engineer went together and designed the simplest possible filter, with the intent of reducing COVID viruses in public spaces. It consists of a cheap ($25) 20-inch box fan and 4-5 20x20x1-inch MERV 13 (good) or MERV 15 (better) filters (Box of 6, about $25 on  Amazon). The filters are taped to the fan to make a 20-inch cube that can change the air in a typical room every 4-5 minutes (200-500 CFM, depending on the box fan, filters, state of fouling, and the box design details). Much cheaper than a HEPA filter, many times more capacity, and much cheaper to replace the filters.

 Wikipedia. Corsi-Rosenthal Box.org/wiki/Corsi%E2%80%93Rosenthal_Box

 

 MERV Filters. Air filters are rated for particle removal efficiency according to the above table. MERV 13 and MERV 15 filter are pretty effective below 1 micron. Additionally, the room air is being recirculated, so the multi-pass efficiency will be much better than the above single-pass ratings. Over 20 minutes the air may go through the filter 3-5 times, approximately doubling the removal efficiency. 

According to the table, the filters can remove  most smoke and agglomerated viruses after a few passes. My experience is that MERV 13 filters can remove welding fume and paper smoke after about 2-4 passes. Solvents and volatilized organics (part of the paint and burnt plastic smoke) are not removed. 

 Keep in mind that virus particles, as well as many other particles, often exist as agglomerations. They clump together, and in the case of exhaled particles, are in water mist. They will dry in the air, but still, they are typically much larger than the minimum size. 

 

 

Tweaks. There are a few things you can do to further teak efficiency.

• In my home shop, the box uses 5 filters instead of 4, resting on furring strip spacers that keep it off the floor. This increases the flow rate. The bottom filter gets just as dirty as the others, proving that airflow remains balanced. The flow rate through each filter is quite low.
• Position the filter so that the air flows through the room in a pattern (plug flow). In my case, it is located under a shelving unit, near the table saw/sand/drill press area. The exhaust blows through under the stairs, and into an adjacent storage hallway. It then flows back to the work/fan area in a plug-flow pattern. The storage hallway never gets dust in it (clean air), there is no disruptive draft in the work area, and the dust is pulled steadily down and away from the work zone. 
• Fan shroud. Cut a piece of cardboard or thin plywood to match the fan blade diameter, and secure it to the discharge side of the fan. This reduces re-circulation and increases flow about 10-15%. I made mine from 1/4-inch plywood and screwed it to the box fan.
• You can add a lightweight wooden internal frame (furring strips--not visible) to make filter replacement easier and to make it more robust against shop knocks. The filters are still taped in place, making them airtight (to each other, but not to the frame except where they seal to the fan).  
• Remove the intake-side grill from the box fan; it is not needed, since the filters guard the blades. This reduces turbulence in front of the blades, slightly increasing capacity. In my horizontal installation, I lay the grill on the top so that tools can rest there, and to resist impacts.

Measured capacity is about 250 CFM with clean filters.  It's pretty clean at this point, having been cleaned after the last significant project.

Because the fan switch is on the back side, it is powered by a switched outlet, so I can flip it on with a convenient wall light switch.  It runs anytime I am using power tools, even occasionally. Also when sweeping-up.

Uses. I've been using variations in my home shop for more than five years. It removes dust in a heartbeat. I can weld and grind without it being noticeable in the house.  The filters last 2-6 months, depending on the number of projects, by which time they have turned brown and accumulated a thick layer of dust. I still use a dust mask for some things, but not as often as before; the air stays clean. 

 

Remodeling/home improvement. This summer we had contractors tear a bathroom apart. Place at one end of the hallway, dust throughout the project was minimal. The filters, on the other hand, showed where the dust had gone. While they were demoing the tile, we placed it in the bathroom, greatly improving the working environment.

 

Allergies and the Common Cold. We have smaller HEPA filters we run to keep cat dander under control (I am mildly allergic). But when allergies get bad or if serious cold and the flue come to visit, it is one more tool to reduce the spread.   

 

Boat projects. If you must tent your boat to contain dust, this filter can provide excellent exhaust while containing the dust.  If working inside the boat, it can be placed under a hatch, providing ventilation without dusting the entire marina.

 

 

My shop gets a lot of use and can generate a lot of dust. This is only about half of it. Crowded, but everything in its place.

 

 

Some Public Docks in Maryland

There are many of these, scattered around Maryland. Although identified as county or public docks (and you are allowed to use them overnight for up to 24 hours), it's always been clear to me that these are loading/unloading areas that support the local fishing industry. Mostly, the crab boats don'teven stay overnight. 

I have stayed at a few overnight, years ago, but I always slide up the side into water so shallow no work boat would go there.  They are often not fender-friendly and they arn't visitor docks, in my interpretation. 

Some towns do have docks for visitors to local watering holes. Chesapeake City comes to mind. But that is different and they look different. 

Never stop a working man. 

  San Domingo Creek, MD

 

 

Rockhold Creek, MD

Chesapeake City Town Dock. A tourist dock.

 

Netanyahu's party claims Israel's election was stolen.

Sound familiar?

An incumbent attempting to establish a false reality through accusations and loud repetition. These people don't get embarrassed.

Unmanned Vessels--Would You See This?

I've been reading forum posts by sailors concerned by the increase in unmanned monitoring vessels. This concerns a collision on Lake Erie. The NTSB has recommendations for improving the safety of such operations. What bothers me is that they assigned no responsibility to the powerboat that ran down what could have been a kayaker. It was daylight, and the drone was transmitting AIS, which the powerboat was not monitoring (not required, but it was a 45' boat moving at 25 mph, which in my mind, increases responsibility).

 Read the report. Reach your own conclusions.

NTSB report 

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 A small excerpt from the NTSB report, MIR-26-32.

... While the USV was underway near the WE08 site, the recreational vessel owner
was transiting back to Safe Harbor Toledo Beach on a southwest heading at cruising
speed (about 25 mph). Having owned and operated vessels in the Monroe area for
over 20 years, the operator had a thorough understanding of the area and was
navigating his vessel visually. Although the sun was positioned at a low angle in the
western sky off the starboard side of the vessel, the operator told investigators that
the sun was not impairing his vision. He stated there was about 2–3 miles of visibility.
 

With an overall length of 15.7 feet, the USV had a similar length to a small-sized
recreational vessel such as a kayak, canoe, rowboat, or powered skiff. The USV had a
yellow hull, meant to help make it more visible to other vessel operators. However,
due to the vessel’s design, only about 1 foot of freeboard was visible. Additionally,
most of the main deck was covered with solar paneling, which was dark in color, thus
obscuring the vessel’s yellow coloring and making it blend in with the surrounding
water. At the time of the collision, waves were 3 feet, which would have intermittently
obscured the USV’s hull as it dropped through the troughs of the waves and made it
difficult to discern the USV in the water (figure 15 shows the vessel underway in
similar wave conditions). Further, most of the USV’s hull appeared dark yellow when
viewed from the side, as the vessel’s design cast a shadow on the hull....

Winter is Coming

 I previously posted lead-acid battery voltage vs. temperature and state of charge (SOC).

 

If you have switched to lithium iron phosphate, there is also a relationship between temperature, voltage, and state of charge. The drop is less, but remember that lithium cannot be charged below freezing and the battery management system (BMS) will disconnect the battery from charging below about 35F. Additionally, the BMS will disconnect the battery completely below 11.5 volts (typical setting) until charging current is applied and the battery rises above 11.8 volts (typical).

 

 

I installed a Li-Time battery (weight savings, price, and the lead was dead) and I have experienced both sorts of cut-offs (very low slow solar through the winter, and charger failure). In both cases, the battery woke up when charging was applied.

 

 

Childs Hill, A Grown-Up's Mountain

 I'm quite sure I will not reach the summit, but I toil on the slope. Sailing. Shop skills. Engineering skills. The view is improving every year. As for understanding people and cultures, I'm not far above the canyon, but at least I know that.

 

 

Trump Aranges Deal for Rusian Diesel

A coward. A corrupt politician trying to sway an election. Un-American. A humiliation to the Republican Party. A humiliation of the Republican Party. Please count the American servicemen's lives that have been spent and lost in the fight against totalitarianism and communism. Trump spits on our brave men. He likes Putin because he is like Putin.

There aren't enough words for a worm like this. Further, the entire Republican Party, every Representative and Senator, has made itself culpable. No blame-shifting allowed, when you support such a man. You are hiding behind such a man.

Keeping the Gasoline Tank Cool (And protected from UV)

By law, above-ground gasoline tanks are ALWAYS painted white or silver. This minimizes solar heating and thus minimizes day/night breathing emissions. I'm a tank inspector from way back. I had a consulting business, and I've been around, over and in thousands of tanks, from 500-10,000,000 gallons. 

 E10 loves to absorb water from the atmosphere. If the water content reaches about 0.5% (more in summer, less in winter), the water will separate, taking the alcohol with it and creating a 15%-by-volume layer that won't burn. Phase separation, as this is called, is very unusual because absorption from the air is a very slow process, taking months. The usual cause, in fact, is a leaking filler cap or vent, not absorption.  It's a slow process, taking months to become important. But prudence requires closing the vent whenever the engine is not in use. Spray can sneak in through the vent.

Water absorption does NOT need to reach phase-separating levels to cause problems. At just a few hundred ppm, sludge generation increases. The gasoline becomes weakly conductive and galvanic corrosion blooms in the carb bowl (brass and aluminum are an active pair). Gasoline also evaporates, and the loss of the most volatile portions can make starting more difficult, and increase gum formation. Better to keep it sealed. 

But a sealed tank builds pressure. Over time, UV damages the tank and the tank becomes weak.  It would be nice to keep it out of the sun. Some people like Sunbrella covers. But on my boat, it would just get grungy with spilled oil, gas, lichens, and algae. 

 Paint is simpler. Since the tank is mostly covered by the seat, there was no need to paint the whole thing. If it was, I might paint the whole thing, leaving only the code stamp exposed (not on a seam).

Simple. The tank is protected from UV and stays cool. It's been seven years, 365 days per year, and the paint is still there.