On August 8, my dad and I went over to spend a few days on Lollipop as he had not seen her since Tampa.
I had several projects lined up for the trip, starting with LED engine room lights. I purchased a 40-foot roll of 740 individual LED’s from Amazon for $26. They were super easy to install, and “Oh Wow!” what a difference they make. Unfortunately, the photos do not do justice, as the camera corrected the low lights in the before pictures. Nevertheless, these LEDs might be the best money I have ever spent.
For a second project and a much bigger one, dad and I replaced one of the VHF antennas. Fortunately, Lollipop’s mast is on an electric wench and is very easy to lower. That’s the good news. The bad news is replacing the antenna is a pain. First off, we had a hard time unscrewing the old one. I ended up borrowing a pipe wrench from a neighbor a few slips down, and by using PB Blaster and a cheater bar, I was finally able to get the old antenna unscrewed.
Routing the new cable looked near impossible as it traveled through a 1-inch square tube with other wires, made a 90-degree turn, and then traveled down the mast. Thirty-plus years of farming came to the rescue as I used the old antenna cable to pull the new one. After routing the new cable into the pilothouse, where it connects to the AIS black box, all we had to do was to clean up. Another project in the books.
Third, in the Yacht World, there are small triangular flags called burgees. Lollipop only had one flag on her bow: however, Deb and I want to fly three. They being the AGLCA, America’s Great Loop Cruisers Association, The GHTA. Great Harbour Trawlers Association and the MTOA, Marine Trawler Owners Association. These flags tell other boaters who you are and what you are doing. It is a way to reach out and establish something in common with other boaters.
Anyway, I purchased some stainless steel tees for mounting on the bow rail, allowing the extra two flags to fly. I installed them but do not yet have the flag poles for them. Installing the tees was an easy install, and I avoided dropping any parts or tools overboard.
Fourth, still hunting my electrical problem. But, this is its own story for next time.
Owning a boat is not all work as we invited one of our neighbors to go on a short cruise with us. It was nice to get Lollipop out of her slip and cruise up the Tennessee River. That said, with the temps in the ’90s every day, the covered boat slip with power to run the ACs is mighty nice. So until next time, ‘boat on.’
P.S. I still impress myself with my docking skills. Twin engines and a bow thruster are hard to beat.
