Friends:

Til we get our website up and running I thought I'd use you all as ginea pigs for my/our cruising logs and ramblings. Once we have the website up we'll have the logs, pics, and video..

As I'm just getting started any constructive critism will be greatly appreciated…my writing style may be a little off…yes, just like me!! ;)

So, let the tales begin…

ARB

Capt log #1

24 Apr 08

Well, we're off to Grand Bahama!! After a nice dinner on board tonight we put the kids to bed, had a little glass of port then hit the rack ourselves. The alarm clock went off at 2:30 am pretty darned quick and I was up…turned the coffee pot on, then started up the engines to get them warmed up. I went out and brought in the extra lines leaving only two to slip when we were ready to shove off ( wanted to make it easy for Sweetie). Could smell the coffee and poured myself a cup - going to need this- then fired up the radar…only thing left to do was pull Robin out of the rack, much easier said than done <lol>!

We left the slip at 3:10 am and entered the Palm Beach Cut to the open sea at @ 3:30 am. As the PB Cut is also a high traffic zone for incoming shipping we had to be very wary about freighters coming in that might now see us. Luckily we had the new AIS system ( think of it as marine air traffic control, it gives out the name of the boat, size, and course) which was a big help, we only had to change our course once and that was after conferring w/ the incoming ship via SSB as to their intentions.  Sidenote : all larger ships have AIS and many pleasure craft have it as well, though as it's relatively inexpensive we're seeing more and more smaller boats have it. Safety first I always say!!

For this run we're not running a normal watch since this is going to be an @ 100 nm run, almost due east. Now, for some of you not familiar w/ the Nordhavn 57 she's a trawler w/ a full displacement hull, This means that it takes less HP to get her up to hull speed and she has great stability in rougher seas and also, depending on the engine, less fuel burn allowing greater distances. Right now we're running her a little faster than I would than if I were trying stretch out more NM. We're at 7.5 kts burning @ a little over 3 gph…she can go nearly 3600 nm at 7-7.5 kts. Sorry for the tech talk, but I think that it's important and will help you understand a little better what life is like on Mojo…wait til I get into watermakers, plumbing, generators, etc… Oh boy!!

Last night before going to bed I had checked the project weather and sea conditions ahead of us, and it was absolutely right on the money! When we hit the Gulf Stream (GS) the seas kicked up to 4-6 ft and the ride got a little rough so I initiated the stabilizers which calmed things right down quick. Tech note : Stabilizers are two fins that are mounted to the bottom of the hull on each side. They are computerized and turn into the wave keeping the boat upright and smooth through waves. Anyway, as things started getting rough Robin thought it would be fun to pipe in on the bridge stereo Bon Jovis' "Wanted, Dead or Alive" which is the theme of the TV show "Deadliest Catch"...funny!!

After my 4:30 am engine room check, this is done hourly when underway, Sweetie went and hit the rack mumbling something about the kids being up early and she was going to need her rest. So, finally, there I was alone on the bridge, master of my own domain, nothing but the glowing instruments, the stars, and a little David Gray on the stereo….I actually live for these times and I reflect on old Joshua Slocum - the first man to ever do a solo circumnavigation of the world back in the late 1800s- sailing the world singlehandedly w/ only his wits, experience, and a sextant…amazing!

As you can tell, there's a lot of time during a watch to write while you're watching out for other boats and floating debris. Something many people don't know about is the debris, once in a while you can come across is one of those huge containers that has fallen off one of those huge ships. They lie just below the waterline and can put a hole through your hull in a NY minute…another reason for installing the infrared camera…a big help as well as a security feature. So far this trip, no debris but a couple of sportfisher boats that were kind enough to hail me via SSB….just a little on the water courtesy.

A couple more engine checks and all is well. Grab one of those microwave Jimmy Dean sausage croissant for a snack and a coke…Yum! Ahh, it's 8 am and Sweetie has come to relieve me for a few hours…nap time here I come!!

So much for nap time!! About 11 am Michael and Scooter decided it was time for me to be up and about. Took over the watch so that Robin could get some food in the kids, other than some breakfast bar they'd already had. After lunch it was decided to see if we could deplete the fish population between here and Grand Bahama..

FISH ON!! Around 1:30 pm or so we start getting some hits, we've been trolling for about 30 - 40 mins and finally have started getting some hits…What we do when we get a hit is that I'll set the hook then hand it off to Michael and let him bring it in….if there are two hook-ups then I take the second…though a lot of this depends on the fish and size. A tuna can be a bit much for him at this stage, they are great fighters. After about 1.5 - 2 hrs of fishing we ended up w/ two Dolphin ( Mahi Mahi, not Flipper), one a small female and the other a larger bull, and a 17 lb tuna…kept the bull and tuna, let the smaller one go to get bigger for next time. Mmmm, fresh sashimi for cocktail hour!!

Around 3 pm I take over the bridge and let Sweetie get some rest. Besides, I like to be on watch when we come into port. The reason we're headed to Grand Bahama is that our YC in PB is having a rendezvous there, it's a big family thing and we really look forward to these things. We'll all be moored at the Ocean Reef YC and expect about 40 plus boats…lots of kids and should be fun.

We, Robin and I, are very new to docking a larger boat like this. Myn background, as some of you know, is mostly racing sailboats. We do have a 36 ft picnic boat but that is easy when compared to maneuvering 60 tons around…HUGE DIFF! We've put up both the Bahama natl flag and the "Q" flag ( quarantine) so that customs will know to come.  Ok, have raised the ORYC on channel 16 and have to go…time to dock this big sucker, assuming I can find the right slip!!

Hooray, we're nestled into our slip, they do it Med style here which means you're in stern first…haven't practiced this much so it was very interesting. Only had to come at it twice, misjudged the windage. Our friends the Hadras' are right across from us, so Michael will have a buddy near by! Now we wait til customs come by to check us in the country, should be 30 mins or so…then it's up to the bar…I feel the need for a rum drink!!

Looks like dinner w/ the Hadras' tonight and then their son, Carl, will come over for a movie and sleep over w/ Michael…I see an early night for me…or so I thought.

Dinner ended up being a gathring w/ the Hadras playing host on their boat w/ all the kids on Mojo for movies and popcorn…

Now off to bed….

Wow, this was truly entertaining - and with the ability to post photos, it could be a full-meal deal.  I felt like I was there as I read what you had to say.  I had no idea about the debris - totally fascinating!

It rawks, JRB!!!

I am so envious of you, pal… this is going to be a grand adventure for you and yours. I only hope that one day I'll have the means and the time to do something similar for mine.

Keep 'em coming.

ooooooooohhhh dang.. I can just taste the Mahi Mahi….

I'm drooling here.. lol tuna do put up a huge fight…. we caught one down in Mexico and we were surprised by the size of it.. you would have thought we had a whale!!!

I'd probably put up a fight too if someone put a hook in my mouth.

But that's not likely, as I'm not as tasty as grilled tuna. Yummmm!

Capts. Log 2

25 Apr 08

What a nice lazy morning, though I couldn't get to sleep right way…thank God for Tylenol PM and a glass of port!! The kids were up and at it bright and early, thankfully Robin loves me and let me sleep in. Plus we have Direct TV on board and that can entertain them for a bit.

Anyway, up and had some coffee, some fresh baked goods w/ half a grapefruit ( Robin is trying to keep me heating healthy)....at least I still get my coffee ( they'll pry this coffee cup out of my cold dead hands!!!). Took a tour through the engine room to check things out, nothing…checked the bilge…Mmmm, quite a bit of water. So, I look around searching where where the hell the leak is coming from ( btw, water outside of the boat, good….inside, baaaad!). I end up tracing it to the watermaker. After running all the hoses I find that one of the hoses is has a slow leak. Got out my trusty screwdriver and, ta dahhhhhh, disaster diverted!! Damn I'm good!!

Most of the boats will be arriving throughout the day, though there are eight here already. Robin is taking the kids over to the pool, most of the kids will be there today and I'm going to catch up on some reading and putter around the boat. Also have to clean that tuna we caught yesterday, it's been on ice all night to firm it up) We're expecting some friends of ours to fly in from PB around noon, they are new boaters and we're introducing them to the YC. We'd love for them to join, sort of a Animal House pledge rush…Hi, I'm David, damn glad to meet you!!

Later all the boats will have an open house, it's a great way to see what other boats are like as well as see how they set things up. You never know where you can steal a good idea…and I'm not afraid to admit it!! There should be a good mix of catamarans, monohuls, sportfishers, and even a trawler or two. Mojo is a pretty unique vessel and seems to draw it's share of gawkers…have given a couple of tours already to people who are staying here at the YC condos. So you know what I'm talking about when I talk about Mojo here is a link ( http://www.nordhavn.com/57/overview.php4 ) to give you a pretty good pic of her and her systems. Though I will point out that Mojo is a three stateroom layout and not the two that is shown on there.

Looks like tomorrow will be ecotourism w/ some guided tours at two of the nat'l parks here. There is a real cool nature center w/ trails as well as kayak tours, I think that the kids will love it…though Robin and I dig that stuff too.  Works for me! Sat night we've all arranged for the kids to be watched and all the 'grups' ( grown ups, old Star Trek reference) get a night out on the town, dinner and some gambling at the new casino ( that I can do w/out). Sunday will be a boat ride down the coast - I bet some lines will be dropped along the way - to a place that we'll drop the hook ( anchor), and take the dinks ( dinghy, tender) ashore for lunch and games. Monday, most everyone will be heading back…Robin and the kids will fly back and a few of us are staying to get some bonefishing in ( guides have been arranged), plus I hear that the Permit are biting as well!

I noticed that some have been reading my posts, can't tell you how much I appreciate it. Ed. note: the website will also have a section on recipes what we use, learn, and even make up along the way. Part of this kind of trip is experiencing cultures through their foods…yummo!!

OMG!! So cool!! One of the members of the YC, a great old guy just pulled in w/ his new 'old' boat. The boat has been more of a whisper around the YC as he bought it about a year ago and it's been in the yard undergoing some renovations…it's a 1939 60 ft Alden gaff rigged Schooner ( Alden was one of the old classic boat designers, just stunning lines!!) Can't wait to get on her w/ Michael!! Ok, my day has just been made…I'm thinking a bottle of Mt. Gay would be a proper 'boatwarming' gift <lol>. My nips are soooo hard!!

Other ramblings while I sit here listening to Mike Aiken ( do a Google) sing about the trade winds sipping on some raspberry Zinger tea…as nice as this YC is, I'd much rather be in a more secluded place 'on the hook' ( at anchor). Yes, this is perfect for the kind of trip that this is, but it just feels too crowded to me. When you're on a boat, you should be sitting in some quiet anchorage…maybe another boat will pull in and moor, we'd say hello via VHF and invite them over for sundowners and whatever the catch of the day was ( conch ceviche, mahi mahi, etc…). You would sit on the flybridge talking about where you've been, are going, adventures, and just get to know someone else that has the same love of the sea and adventure you do.

Time to go hit the pool w/ the family…may post more later…if not later this weekend…

Life is a full contact sport, wear a cup!!

Wow, Judge - what an amazing boat! 

Capt Log 2 - A.

Another question that we've been asked is why the trip, and if we're doing this kind of trip why not a sailboat as I'm mostly known as a hardcore sailboat racer. Both very fair questions. First, why the trip…it all started when I was a kid and first read the book "Dove" by Robin Graham, a true story about a young man ( 16 y.o, I think) that sailed about the world alone in a 20 ft or so sailboat. Then it was Joshua Slocums book, "Sailing Around the World Alone", he was the first man to sail around the World alone in the late 1800s' ( this was before the Panama and Suez Canals). Reading them, plus through in a little Patrick O'Brian for measure and there you have it. A few years in the Navy cemented it in my mind…I wanted to see the world that way!
The second question, why a trawler? First let me say that in my mind I always pictured me doing this on a reg. old sailboat, albeit a beautiful one of course. After doing some cruising on a few throughout the years in different places I tried a catamaran a couple of times in the Caribbean. Much much better, you don't feel like you're in a cave as much and because they don't heel your rum drink doesn't tip over! Cats are great, easy to sail, roomy, but the draw back is that you are so dependent on the winds…great in Caribb as there are always great trade winds but that is not always the case all over the World. Plus, after reading tons and tons of other boats weblogs, both MV ( motor vessel) and SV ( sailing vessel) and it struck me that SV seem to motor about 60 % of the time….then I remembered manning my watch at 1 am in the middle of a rain squall getting soaked and feeling miserable, no a/c in 80 - 90 degrees 90 % humidity…ugh!
Finally, I had meet someone through a friend that had just purchased a new trawler, a Selene, ( this was 12 yrs ago I think) and was needing some help taking it from Charleston to the Bahamas…I was still working back then but had 3 weeks between deals…I signed on,  anything to get out of Colo and into some nice weather plus I was excited about spending time w/ my fraternity brother ( I'm the godfather of his kids), plus I got to get some time on a new kind of boat.
Let me tell you what a revelation that was for me!! Got to stand my watch in a nice a/c bridge, in my pjs', out of the weather, w/ a nice hot cup of joe and some tunes going!! Man, this doesn't suck one bit!! Sign me up, and I'll take two! Most of the living area was well above water line and I didn't feel like I was living in a cave!! So, those are the reasons for the trip, and the trawler. Capts. note : None of this could happen if I hadn't married an amazing woman who also shared my joy of the ocean and adventure. Though she wasn't very nautical til we had met she has thrown herself into it w/ a gusto one rarely sees…and she's so girly!! I'm one lucky SOB…just wanted y'all to know.

MV Mojo
Capt. Log
26 Apr 08
Let me start off saying that last nights events were great, a fun time was had by one and all, Oh, I did get the full cooks tour of that 60' Alden…so fracking cool!! Once the website is up and running I'll post the pics, they just don't build them like that anymore, or if they did it would cost 5 mil or so, the joinery was stunning as well as all the brightwork ( woodwork). A little 'inside baseball', he got it for @ 230 k and put at least that back into her upgrading her systems ( winches, sails, plumbing, electrical, etc…). He's planning an Atlantic Crossing on her into the Med for the summer, sounds like a fun trip to me!
Getting back to last night, lots of fun w/ activities for the kids. Basically wear them out so they'll crash out early, the the 'grups' can get to the rum and dancing…have to admit though, I just don't limbo like I use to…but who does? Robin got some good vid, though that may go missing when it comes time to post it.
Since we were to be up early for the vans to take us to the park everyone headed back to their boats at a semi-reasonable hour ( midnight or so). Our friends, the Hendersons, arrived w/out any airport issues, and what fine boat guests they are! John, and his lovely wife Liz, brought me Fridays WSJ ( Wall Street Journal), a lovely serving plate ( for Robin), and a fine bottle of Mt. Gay rum, not the mixing kind but the aged sippin' kind!! I think we'll have them back again! They are a really nice couple in their mid 30s, married for a couple of years and about to start a family…nice people.
Side note: One of the hardest parts, for me, about our upcoming 'Great Adventure' will be the lack of info about what's going on the world. At home I read a few papers a day as well as have Fox News on all day. When we set out and disconnect, that will be the hardest part for me, Though I will say that along the US coasts ( most of Mexico) and the Caribb we will have our Direct TV reception, it's when we take the bit step from the west coast over to the Marquesas ( South Pacific) we will lose all of that. We will, however, have internet access via Satcom w/ DSL speed….so at least we'll have that. ( the Satcom I'm talking about are on the new boat being built, not this one…just the basic satcom on here)
Our options for the tours were either a nature walk, or a combo kayak trip through the mangroves and nature walk. Michael really wanted to do the combo and Robin, being the smart woman she is, decided that Scooter wouldn't last that long decided to do the nature walk w/ him while Michael and I did the combo. Seems most of the women decided on the same thing. So, were were off at 0800 ( my god did I really need that last drink last night) to Lucayan Nat'l Park.
Lucayan Nat'l Park is about 40 hectares ( @ 16 miles) of nature reserve. We all did the nature walk together and I think we got some nice pics of the of the cool birds as well as some of the local flowers. After a snack, and meeting Rachel, the racoon, the women and younger kids headed back…though I did a little eavesdropping and heard sometime about checking out some of the 'cute' shops they've heard about…hope there's room in the lazerette!
The kayaking was great fun going through some mangroves, seeing some of the smaller fish that take refuge in the roots til they get larger. As a fisherman, albeit only a fair one, it's amazing how nature takes care of itself. We ended up on one of the beaches that luckily we could hang out on, in certain times of the year it is off limits due to sea turtles laying eggs…if you've never seen that in person take the opportunity when you can…it's pretty damned cool! After kayaking instead of eating the usual lunch that they provide for us we offered to take the staff to lunch, as long as it was a good local place. We ended up at Eddies, def a local hang out right outside the park on the beach. Great fresh conch and fish…tasty!! The kayaking has been a lot of fun, we're going to have to look into getting them when we get back home.
To answer some questions that have been posted…I find the time to write my logs throughout the day, 10 mins here, 10 mins there…plus I love to sit up on the flybridge w/ a cold one and just hacking out some thots. I'm used to it as I have kept a daily journal and have since I went to prep school. Also, when you are going from point 'A' to point 'B' at a leisurely speed of 7-9 kts ( 1.25 mph per kt) you have all the time in the world to think, write, talk, play w/ the kids or help them w/ their school work, etc…plus, w/ Otto the autopilot you have your hand free…
Note : On the new website I shall be keeping a log and so will Robin ( the womans' perspective)  and Michael, though Michaels' will be password protected. Scooter is just being asked to draw one or two things he saw or did that day and that will be his 'log'. Make sense? We're open to all other suggestions as well…so, feel free to pipe up….not that we could stop y'all anyway!
Just an interesting quote my Grandfather used to write on many of the letters he sent me…
"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't so than the things you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."  Samuel Clemens aka Mark Twain.
Thot you might like that one….I may drop little pearls like this in now and then, so be prepared!
Looks like tomorrow is a go, the weather gods have decided to be kind to us. We'll be heading east up the coast to a little harbour w/ a great reef not too far away for some great snorkeling and diving ( glad I got the tanks filled). Lunch will be a pot luck on the beach. Us slower boats will leave around 0800 ( think all times will be military time for now on, just makes things easier…for me that is) and the sportfishers get to sleep in a little longer…speed is nice now and then…though they suck up 60 - 80 gph….can't go by a fuel depot w/out stopping <lol>.
Got back from kayaking to find a note from the 'girls', Gone shopping, back when we're back"...only thing John and I could do is crack open a couple of Kaliks' ( the local beer, and man it's a potent and tasty brew) and run John through the boat systems as I plan on using him tomorrow to run the boat. John, like me, has mostly been around sailboats so all this newfangled electronics stuff can be a tad confusing. (Mmmm, maybe when it comes time to sell this one in a 1.5 -2 yrs John will want her?!) It's really not that hard and it's always good to recruit a good watch stander - ask Brock from the B&G;about watch standing, he knows.
Oh, for now on til we get the boat we shall refer to this boat as Mojo and the new boat as Big Mojo, this should help me and you, gentle reader ( God, how Miss Manners of me, though I guess it's better than saying you 'jokers'), to discern between the boats when I start talking about systems. Hope this helps. Btw, Big Mojo is out of her molds and is being shipped by barge from Ta Shing, China to the yard in Taiwan. After much discussion we decided that morally we just couldn't continue to have her built in communist China, so we're paying a little extra to have her moved to Taiwan…more about this in another log.
Got on the phone finalizing our fishing guides for chasing the mighty bonefish on Monday, and I'm really jazzed as I was told that the permit is also biting…now if you snag a permit you've done something. Not that catching bonefish is easy. Looks like there will be 9 of us going, all good guys ( one bad one can just screw up your day), and we have 5 guides w/ flats boats. Now if the weather will just hold!! Maybe we can find a virgin on this darn island and sacrifice her….hey, it was just a thot.
Tonight is dinner out for the 'grups' then gambling or hitting some of the local night spots…should be fun. Not being a huge gambler I'd prefer to go check out the local music scene.
Christ, just took a look at this log…boy it's long…sorry guys, just streaming my thots.

ARB

For now on I'm Capt Roy Bean as Sweetie is The Admiral!!!

CRB

I love reading this stuff…keep it coming!

I totally agree with Taz - keep em' coming! 

Thanks guys, I'm glad that you are enjoying them as much as I do writing them. Hopefully my writing prose will get better…btw, there really are paragraphs in them and not a loong run on sentence. Not sure why it does that but I'll try to do better….

Will post todays log later tonight…right now I hear a Kalik calling me….

CRB

MV Mojo
Capt Log 4
27 Apr 08
Some of these logs will be written in real time, some will be just an accounting of the day…it's just when I can sit down and write…so if it seems that I'm skipping all over the time line that should explain things. It's a space-time continuance kind of thing <lol>.
Right now we're about 20 mins out from the ORYC and on our way to our destination. Once the website is up I'll be including latitudes and longitude as a link that will go directly to Google Earth so that those interested can get a better idea of where we are and have been. We're making 8 kts and we have smooth seas w/ about a 2-3 ft even swells. Michael and John are running the boat from the flybridge, a great place to do so especially on a beautiful day like this. I have the Scooter ( Scott) watch and he's doing a magnificent job colouring…which means I get to write my log a little and catch a little Fox News on the boob tube.
Last night was great fun, dinner was great, and the rum and Kalik ran freely. On a side note, damn Robin looked hot last night, little skirt, top and heels…OMG!! (pics to follow <k>....woooo hooooo!). Some went gambling and the rest of us ended up hitting the music scene for some dancing ( I do the Caucasian shuffle, w/ the encouragement of spirits) and just some general mayhem. The band was a local one called 'The Conch Juice Band', w/ a name like that how could we go wrong!? Let's just say a good time was had by one and all…we got in around 0100 ( 1 am to you non-military folk)
Morning came early when the boat next to us fired up their engines at 0700…gads!! It was a sport fisher, not one of our group, getting ready to head out to chase the wild fish. Ok, just a moment of tech talk here…powerboats have two kinds of exhaust, wet and dry, most are wet which means the exhaust is let out below the waterline…it is very very NOISY. Especially to the boat in the next slip at 0700. Mojo, and Big Mojo, are both dry exhaust which is standard on all Nordhavns. The exhaust is released via a 'stack' which is about 10 feet or so above the fly bridge which makes it a really really quiet boat throughout. The only drawback for that is that when transiting on the ICW ( Intracoastal Waterway) you have may have to wait for some of the bridges to be drawn for you to slip under.
Robin and Liz are busy in the galley (kitchen) getting food ready for the potluck lunch w/ the group. They picked up some fresh conch for a conch salad and I can smell something baking in the oven…chocolate butterscotch bars w/ coconut. Wonder if Scooter and I can sneak one…or two. Ok, time to do look do an engine check then get the dive and snorkel gear ready.
Tech talk: Right now we're burning @ 3 gph because of the sea state, plus since we're running the generator that adds another 1.5 gph. The reason we're running it now, and I normally don't like to when we're underway, is because we're making water. Our watermaker makes 600 gallons per day, so I'll run it til we get to our destination ( about 2 hrs). Though where we are staying has free water, not a common occurrence anywhere, but I wanted to run it and get used to it's idiosyncrasies.
What a nice day, and what a great bunch of people. We got to the spot and looked for a good place to drop the hook, luckily there weren't any huge swells coming from south as that can make for an uncomfortable mooring and we had a nice sandy bottom for the anchor. I'm not going to get into what it takes to anchor and will save it for another time, let me just say that there is a great deal more to it than just dropping an anchor like Popeye. Since there wasn't any real swell to mention we I decided not to deploy the 'flopper stoppers', those we shall also discuss at another time.
Well, after we got the 'dink' (dinghy, tender) deployed, we loaded up a bunch of stuff for the beach and shot over there dropping off The Hendersons and the kids. They were nice enough to offer to watch them while Robin and I dove the reef. Robin just got her PADI advance ticket a couple of month ago and I want to get her diving ASAP, I'm currently working on getting my Dive Master cert for our BA ( Big Adventure). So, we did one single tank dive and the visibility was great…we saw lots of diff fish such as a couple diff species of angelfish, anemone, lionfish, clowns ( think Nemo), even a couple of nurse sharks and a few others….guess I'm going to have to get moving on that underwater photog stuff.
Lunch was fun, lots of great food, someone brought their guitar and he wasn't too bad. Lots of kids did some snorkeling while others combed the beach for interesting things. We don't, or very very rarely, take things from the beaches…if everyone else did they wouldn't be there for the next person.
On the way back I took the watch, Michael was up at the table in the bridge doing his homework from Friday and Monday…he wasn't happy about it but this is a routine that all of us are going to have to get used to. Perhaps now is a time to discuss how we're going to handle the kids' education. It's fairly simple actually, we're currently doing a search for a tutor that will also double as a mate for the trip…not bad duty if we can find the right person. There are a number of home school programs we can teach by but I'm in consultation w/ the boarding school I attended and am having them help direct a curriculum for the kids, Michael especially. When he gets to the right age he will head off to school there, which may be around the last two years or so of our trip.
Some boats headed straight back to PB from our lunch spot, about half. The rest of us came back and had a nice relaxing dinner at the YC restaurant. I think people were getting tired, though the 'Bonefish Boys' sat around and talked about our fishing trip tomorrow…we're pretty jazzed! Robin, Liz, and the kids fly out in the morning while we intrepid fisherman shall stalk our prey. Have to admit, I'm not looking forward to getting up at 0500.
Anyway, got back and did a complete wash down of the boat…I'm telling that is not a quick job on a 57' boat…can't wait til we have Big Mojo, 76' is a lot of boat to wash!! Btw, for those of you who think that cruising around on a boat is all hammocks and beer…boy do I have news for you. In a log to come I'll give you the maintenance sched for Mojo, you're in a huge surprise!! An old boaters axiom is, " Cruising is working on boats in exotic locations."
After dinner the kids did a movie night while the grups had some more cocktails on the flybridge….man, life sure sucks! John offered to help me bring Mojo back to PB on Tues or Wed, thankfully we can choose our departure date. I have a feeling that I see a Wed or Thurs departure date…Tues will be an island time day I think….putter around the boat, wander into town, maybe even some hammock time…yeah, that's the ticket!!
You know, it's hard to think about heading home when you're over here. It reminds me of when I lived in Colo and would go up skiing for a couple of days, it was just really hard to get motivated to hop back in the car for that 2 hr drive back down I-70 to Denver….why not just stay…I mean, that's why I have this place…yada yada yada. That's what it's like for me here, except harder, as I have @ a 10 hour run back to PB when in 2-3 hrs I can be at a less populated cay ( island), and the freezer and fridge are full….do you all see what I mean? Hell, we may just take off on our trip and never come back <lol>.
Recommended reading: 'A Salty Piece of Land' by Jimmy Buffett. It's just a good story w/ a little island mysticism thrown in…will make you want to hop a boat and catch yourself some permit!
If anyone has any question, or would just like to shoot the crew of the Mojo a note, here's our e-mail addy. Please, just notes and no forwarded 'funny' things as it can take a long time to download depending on what internet connection we use. Now that is a loooong tech talk subject. We do look forward to hearing from you all…and if your kids have question they are free to e-mail Michael, he's a fountain of info!

CRB

Darn it…I don't know why it doesn't keep my paragraphs….sorry folks.

CRB

MY Mojo
Capt Log 5

28 Apr 08
-What a great day on the flats. Now if some of you aren't too familiar w/ going after bonefish let me tell you, they are a wily fish. They like to come up into the flat and mud around for food among the sawgrass. What you have to do is have your guide pole your boat up slowly to where you see them, if you can see them, where you can cast your lure/fly in a place that you think they will be swimming by. You need to be patient and and make sure it has the lure before setting it, then…you're in for a real fight!
-The vans came to get us at Oh dark thirty, I kissed Robin and the kids good bye telling them I would miss them, and off we were. About 45 mins later we were at the other end of the island and met up w/ out guides. John and I got Walter as a guide, a local who had been guiding since he was a boy and has learned from his dad…it's very much like that in the Bahamas. Walter was an amiable fellow, early 40s I'd guess, and of info…even had his own can't miss fishing spots…things were looking up, even if I hadn't had near enough caffeine.
-After everyone paired up w/ their guides, a time set to meet back at the lodge, and the bet set for which boat caught and released the most fish, extra point if you snagged a permit ( another elusive bugger), and we were off. Everyone headed off to diff place to fish. As Sherlock Holmes said, 'the game was afoot!"
-It was a beautiful calm morning, the sun was coming up and we were getting jacked up. John has only flyfished a few times and this was his second time going for 'the bone' whereas I have been flyfishing since I was a kid and have been bonefishing for 7 yrs or so now. Still, w/ Walter as our fearless leader I felt we would make a good showing.
-I'm not going to get into the minutiae of all the casting and poling around the flats that we did, unless you are a fisherman or want to be it will bore you to tears. At the end of the day Team Walter ended up catching 11 bonefish, having lost 4 before they got the the boat, and no permit. A pretty fair day I though as we headed back to the lodge, I was hungry and could hear many many Kaliks calling my name!!
-Once back to the lodge and over some of the local brew and fresh conch ceviche we all went over out tallies, we came in 3rd out of 5 boats in the pool. Not bad and I could live w/ it, it could have been worse…I could have been stuck in an office w/ a few inches of snow on the ground….see, it's all about perspective!
-Got back to the marina around 1600 and we were all ready for naps…I strung up the hammock on the back deck and John headed to his stateroom. The plan was to nap for an hour or so, then meet up w/ the guys for dinner. I love it when a plan comes together.
-We had dinner at the marina, they have a good restaurant here. As per usual w/ cruiser and boaters ( there is a diff) the subject of the weather came up and talked about our 'float plans' for getting back to PB. After checking the weather and finding out that a front was coming through on Tues most people decided to wait and see what Wed brought. Mind you, Mojo can, and has, taken on some pretty rough seas but if you have the time to wait for smoother sea conditions you might as well do so. A couple of the guys are on a 45' Hatteras sportfisher….a beautiful boat but in rough seas the ride could make a billy goat puke!
-Guess tomorrow I'll catch up on some DVR TV, read a little, and maybe get some writing done plus a few boat chores. Haven't seen the new Battlestar yet.
-Oh. let me talk a little about 'float plans' while I'm sitting here. A float plan is very important to a cruiser, especially if you are in open water. Have one person that always knows what your plans are, what your course will be, and the window of making it to those waypoints. You check in w/ them along the way that way everyone knows that everything is hunky dory.

CRB

Here you go guys, just in case you were thinking that cruising is all fun and umbrella drinks…

MONTHLY CHECKLIST

____   Oil Air Horns

_____ Check power steering fluid level and pressure

____   Check pressure of fire extinguishers

____   Check stabilizer hydraulic oil level

____   Check bow thruster oil

____   Run Wing Engine

____   Lube fuel caps, water cap, waste cap, gas cap

____   Check/Clean fresh water screens

____   Flush with holding tank manual pump

____   Flush holding tank

____   Power flush drains

____   Flush with hand bilge pumps

____   Check windless oil

____   Spray CRC or WD-40 on Windless

____   Check Davit Hydraulic Oil

____   Charge of fire extinguishers in cabin

____   Check main engine mounting bolts

____   Check wing engine mounting bolts

____   Check generator mounting bolts

____   Check hot water heater relief valve

____   Check rudder for leaks

____   Clean AC unit filters

____   Clean Fridge and Freezer grills

____   Tighten hex screws on all rails

____   TefGel scoop screw holes

____   Check Zincs (Hull, Prop, Gori (2), Bow Thruster, Stabilizer, Keel Cooler, Spur cutter, Dinghy)

____   Check Stabilizer Oil Filter (replace when reads 25 psig)

____   Check antennas are secure

____   Run the KVH TV Gyro

____   Test Epirb

____   Check Electrical Connections

          ____ Bow Thruster

          ____ Charging system

____   Run Windless

____   Run Bow Thruster

____   Run Windshield Wipers

____   Run Dinghy(s)

SIX MONTH CHECKLIST

____   Weigh engine room fire extinguisher system

____   Check SCAs in AntiFreeze

____   Grease

·    Windless main bearing

·    Davit bearings

·    Rudder

·    Dinghy Yamaha engine

·    Water Maker motor

·    Anchor rollers

____   Clean dust off of condensers of AC units

____   Tighten all bonding straps on seacocks  

_____ Inspect and clean Black water tank

_____ Inspect and clean Grey water tank

ANNUAL (HAUL_OUT) CHECKLIST

____   Check cutlass bearing (replace annually)

____   Inspect fuel tanks

____   Remove Davit bearing trim ring and grease seal

____   Check condition of Davit hydraulic oil

____   Replace Bow Thruster Oil (two years)

____   Flush Keel Fresh Water Cooling System

____   Replace Generator Coolant

____   Replace Wing Engine Coolant

____   Replace Stabilizer Oil Filter

____   Remove Stabilizer winglets and inspect shaft end zincs

____   Check gap and condition of spurs line cutters

____   Check impellor on Air Conditioning

_____ Rudder Post lubrication

_____ Rudder Post shaft packing replaced or checked for leaking

_____ Service Life Raft

_____ Check/Change Zincs

·    Hot Water Heater

·    Hull

·    Bowthruster

·    Spurs line cutter

·    Wing Shaft

·    Wing Gori Prop

·    Stabilizer cutter

·    Stabilizer winglets

·    Keel Cooler(s)

LUGGER MAIN

Every 500

Change Engine Oil and Filter

Change Spin-on Fuel Filter

Check Belts

Check for Air Leakage at Turbo

Check Air Filter and Air Filter valve

Check Turbo Boost (Dealer)

Check Injectors

Check crankcase vent tube

Check Air Intake Hoses

Check Electrical Ground

Every 2000

Check Valve Clearances

Check Crankshaft Vibration Damper

Check Fuel Injection Pump        

Check and Clean Heat Exchanger

Check and Clean Gear Oil Cooler

Test Thermostats

Every 4,500 or 60 Months

Replace Crankshaft Vibration Damper

LUGGER WING

Every 100 (or annually)

Change Engine Oil and Filter

Change Spin-on Fuel Filter

Check Belts

Every 600/ (or annually)

Replace Air Cleaner

Check V-Belts

Check Valve Clearances

Check Injectors

Flush Cooling System

Change impellor in Raw Water Pump

Every 2500

Clean heat exchanger

Clean gear oil cooler

GENERATOR

Every 200

Change Racor and spin-on fuel filter

Change engine Oil and Filter

Check Belts

Check Glow Plug Function

Every 600

Check Valve Clearances

Check Injectors

Check and Flush Cooling System (annually)

Change Impellor

Check and/or replace Air Filter

Every 2,500

Fuel Injection Pump (o-rings / send to lab)

Check and Clean Heat Exchanger

TRAC STABALIZERS

Monthly

      Inspect actuator mounting area for leaks

      Inspect actuator for oil leaks

      Inspect cylinder hoses for chafing

Yearly

      Tighten electrical connections

        Check actuator bonding strap

        Replace reservoir oil filter

        Check cylinder trunion bushings

        Check Zincs

6 Years or 2000 hours

      Replace actuator shaft seals and inspect shafts

      Replace actuator cylinders

WATERMAKER

Weekly

      Flush with fresh water

Every 500 Hours

        Change pump oil

Every 90 Days

        Clean salinity probe

Every 6 Months

        Replace fresh water filter

        Lubricate pump motor                                  

Every 1500 Hours

        Seal Change

        Valve Change    

CRB

Again, hope all this crap isn't boring the crap out of you…

CRB

MV Mojo

Capt Log 6

29 Apr 08

-What a nice lazy day in the Bahamas. Slept in, put the mtn bike together and toured the island. John and a few of the guys decided to brave the seas, which were very rough and confused ( meaning that they were not steady from one direction). Now this, to me, would not be a fun ride on a sportfisher and I even warned those guys that they would be back.

-Coming back from my bike ride the boys were tying up the sportfisher and were still a lovely shade of green…no, I didn't say I told you so but I did chuckle at them a little and asked if anyone wanted some greasy bacon sandwiches…I'm a baaaad man.

-Looks like this front will be through here by early evening so it looks like we'll be heading back to PB around 4 am for out 10 hour crossing. Robt, who owns the sportfisher, asked me if we had room to take him and his 3 buds back w/ us as he was sending the sportfisher ( he as a pro crew on her) down to Chubb Cay for some billfish tourney in a couple of weeks. Of course I said we'd love the company, and more watch standers <lol>, and just bring their stuff aboard.

-Spent an hour or so down in the Holy Room ( engine room) checking oil levels, cleaned the strainer, and just wiping things down. As I've told you all, it's not all fun and hammock time.

-This afternoon some local fishermen can along side and had a bunch of live lobster and fresh conch. We ended up buying 6 lobster and 2 conch for 30 bucks and a few packs of cigs. Now I do not smoke, don't allow in on the boat, in my homes, cars, etc…but I do stock a few cartons in for barter. So, the locals got their money and smokes and we had half our dinner for the night. Lobster and filets plus a few bottles of barolo…a nice good bye dinner and finish from our Bahamas trip.

-Dinner was great, watched some TV, and I'm heading to bed…0400 comes way too damned early for me!! Though I'm looking forward to getting home to Robin and the kids. We may even troll a few lines on the way home and see what we can catch…that would be a perfect end to this trip.

CRB