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Bill on Alembic

in Lifestyle

Cruising Karma #1: Keeping it Positive

February 12, 2017

With the cruising lifestyle there are many events that seem to be influenced by karma.  At times, this karma works in unpredictable ways.  In the end, however, karma comes into balance.  Like a bank account, you need to make deposits to support future withdrawals.  As we cruise, we gather more and more examples that reinforce this thinking.

With land-based neighbors, we expect that favors extended are returned in some way by the person that we help.  This one to one relationship is carefully cultivated over time to make sure that we remain good neighbors.  In the cruising lifestyle, we frequently help fellow cruisers who we have just met and who we may never see again.  Not to worry, the favor will be returned at some point in the future by another stranger in our time of need.  The currency in these transactions takes many forms.  It may be a tow, a part, some food, a unique skill, or just another set of hands.
We all would like to think that we are independent, self sufficient, and fully ready for any challenge that comes our way as we travel from port to port.  In fact, for safe and successful cruising it is important to be as prepared as possible before we set sail.  In spite our our independence, cruising is wonderfully enriched by our interactions with fellow cruisers.  It is always rewarding when we can help someone in need and a great relief when someone helps us solve a problem.  Sharing resources whether it is knowledge, food, skills, or spares is a great way to enrich our lifestyle.  Tap into the forces of karma and good things will happen.  We will share our favorite experiences with cruising karma in future posts.
in Lifestyle

How to Safely Spear Lionfish and Enjoy Your Catch

February 2, 2017

Piano Sculpture, Exumas, Bahamas – Off all the places to find a big fat lionfish!

Anyone who has spent time snorkeling in the Caribbean has probably seen Lionfish on the reefs.  The Lionfish is an invasive species that is native to Indo-Pacific.  The presence of the fish in the Atlantic and Caribbean is a growing problem for native species.  Since the Lionfish is not native to these waters, they have very few predators.  The fish is a carnivore that feeds on small crustaceans and juvenile reef fish like snapper, grouper, and just about every other tropical fish that we hope to find on the reefs.  In most areas that we have traveled like the Bahamas and Belize, spear fishing of the Lionfish is strongly encouraged.  The bonus is that the Lionfish is very tasty!  It has a delicate white filet that is as delicious as anything you will find on the reef.  They taste even better knowing that removing them from the reef is helpful for the environment.

The challenge is that the Lionfish has nasty, venomous spines.  If you are unfortunate enough to be pricked by one of these spines, the sting is painful.  Information that I have read makes the point that the sting is painful but not deadly.  It is probably best not to test this theory.

There are several approaches to safely spearing Lionfish.  Most rely on specialized containers to place the fish while it is still on the spear so it is not necessary to contact the fish.  This approach still requires you to handle the fish at a later time to remove that spines and prepare the fish for eating.  The spines remain venomous even after the fish has died so it is possible to be stung hours later when cleaning the fish.

The approach that I prefer is to cut away the spines of the Lionfish before removing the fish from the spear.  I always spear fish with a Hawaiian sling.  The handle on the sling and the barbed spear work well together to enable safe handling of the fish.  First of all, I try to shoot the fish right behind the head where the body is firm.  I make sure the spear goes through the fish with the barb exposed on the other side.  I then put the shaft of the spear back through the hole in the handle so that the handle pins the Lionfish against the barb of the spear.  I also swim with heavy gardening scissors clipped to a lanyard on my swim suit or hanging over the side of the dinghy.  With the Lionfish safely pinned between the Hawaiian sling handle and spear barb, I cut away the venomous spines in the dorsal, anal, and pectoral fins.  In fact, I cut away everything including the tail just to be safe.  I can then safely remove the harmless Lionfish from the spear into a bucket or catch bag.

With the Lionfish pinned between the shaft barb and handle, the venomous spines can be cut away

It is worth mentioning that the Lionfish is one of the easiest fish to spear.  They basically sit in one place and do not move unless you shoot and miss.  So take your time to aim and shoot at very close range.

in Lifestyle

Changing Lanes – “Dum vivimus vivamus”

January 31, 2017

Wow, I am 53 and I don’t wake up 5 days a week to an alarm clock, commute 45 minutes, work a long day, commute another 45 minutes, and arrive home late for dinner. This was my life for more than 25 years. In fact, I had not taken 2 consecutive weeks vacation during this entire period. The last time I had been without a job for an extended period was when I was 27 and took 10 months off to sail throughout the eastern Caribbean. Helen and I ended that trip “broke and pregnant” and quickly settled ashore in Yarmouth, Maine to jump start our careers and raise a family.

I don’t usually like to dwell on the fact that I am not working. Too many of my peers find themselves involuntarily out of work. I have been blessed to have worked for a wonderful, successful company for the last 13+ years developing and launching an innovative medical device. I agonized over the decision to leave this position for a long time. We reached the point in our family life when our youngest child had successfully transitioned to college in Colorado. A primary motivation for my career was to support a stable home life to raise our family. With this objective fulfilled, I sensed that we had an opportunity to make a change. I also spent way to much time thinking about big adventures and worrying that I would get too old to pursue these dreams if I did not get started (mid life crisis perhaps).

So I met with my boss, gave an extended notice (10+ months), and started the slow process of changing lanes. I left full time, white collar employment 7 months ago at the end of March. Between April and August, I kept busy renovating an old home that we bought as income property. I had been worried about being bored when I left my full time job and thought I needed a project to help transition. It was a busy summer but ultimately successful. When we left at the end of August on a shake down cruise, the house was basically complete and occupied by wonderful tenants for the winter.

Since August, the process of shifting gears has begun to accelerate. For starters, I am completely “off the clock”. We wake up each morning with the sunrise. No alarms, just following the cadence of the sun and life outside the portholes. We go to bed early except when we go ashore for a cold beer and entertainment. I only shave when I feel like it and when its warm I wear only board shorts and a tee shirt.

Some habits are hard to break. While working, I watched email around the clock. The last thing I did before bed and the first thing I did in the morning was look at my phone and scan email. My phone was always in my pocket. For many years this was an obligation. I had job responsibilities that spanned multiple shifts and time zones so there was always fresh news. Now my correspondence (email, text, satellite message, and Facebook) is mostly family and social. I still check for messages way too frequently but at least I have stopped carrying my phone. Baby steps…

During my working years, a part of my brain was always engaged in thoughts about work. It definitely was a major part of my life. Now my mind meanders through a range of thoughts and topics. Weather (past, present, and future) is one dominant topic followed closely by boat maintenance. Given that our objective for the next 7 months is to have a rich journey sailing and exploring the Bahamas and western Caribbean, weather and a ship shape boat are a major influence on success.

As I settle deeper into my new lifestyle, I hope to continue the process of “changing lanes”. I am looking forward to leveraging new skills and creativity in a range of possible activities. For now, my energies will be directed toward our current cruise. Who knows what other adventures are in the future. I am enjoying living more in the present instead of always planning for the future. There is a plaque in the galley of our boat that states “Dum vivimus vivamus”. I believe that the translation is something like “while we live, let us live”. Sounds like good advice for now.

in Tech Topics

Water Filtration/Purification Basics

January 26, 2017

Water water everywhere nor any drop to drink!  A bit of trivia, that line comes from a poem entitled The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge published in 1798.  Pure water is essential for safe and trouble free cruising.  Our experience has been that water is generally available everywhere from a variety of sources.  Regardless of the source of the water in our boat tanks, water purification is a necessary practice.  Water can be contaminated with a variety of things that can give us an upset stomach or worse!  Let’s cover what might be in our water.

  • Sediment – this is simply dirt, very fine particles of dirt.
  • Chlorine – a blessing and a curse, chlorine or related chemicals called chloramines can come from municipal water systems where it is added as a disinfectant or self-induced as part of our purification practices.  I put bleach in my tanks when I get water from a questionable source like a river in Panama.  It is best to remove the chlorine before drinking.
  • Organic chemical contaminants – these can come from the source water contaminants like pesticides or from chemicals leaching out our tanks and water lines.
  • Heavy metals – lead and mercury are at the top of the list.  Lead can contaminate water from piping and tank materials.  Mercury is everywhere largely coming from environmental contaminants (things like burning batteries in incinerators).  Long term exposure to these contaminants is unhealthy; particularly for developing brains.
  • Microbes and other creepy crawly things – these are one of the biggest concerns for cruisers.  Nothing ruins a day like a good dose of Ecoli sometime in the prior 48 to 72 hours.  Ecoli, fecal coliform bacteria, and Cryptosporidium Oocysts are common in water that is found in countries outside the USA.

So, what is the best way to get rid of these contaminants from our water?  First of all, we don’t need to eliminate these things from all of our water.  From a practical perspective, only the water that we plan to drink directly from the tap needs to be purified.  The most practical solution is to have a dedicated tap in the galley for the purified water and then a good filter to purify the water just upstream of the tap.

If you were to Google “water filters” you will find a dizzying list of websites that offer an extensive range of filter options, most target the home consumers.  Trolling through a boat show, you will likely find the Seagull system on display.  This system has excellent performance and with a relatively small stainless steel filter housing is well designed for a boat.  The trade-off for the Seagull’s appealing size is cost.  The units are more expensive than standard filter housings.  The replacement cartridges for the Seagull system are also more expensive than other standard sized filters.

As an alternative to the Seagull system, it is possible to achieve similar performance with a standard 10″ filter housing and a multi-stage filter cartridge with a pore size <0.5 micron.  On our boat we have a system using two standard 10″ housings in series.  In the first housing between the tank and a dedicated faucet for the filtered water, we use a standard 5 micron granulated activated carbon (GAC) filter element.  This element eliminates excess chlorine, some organics and reduces particulates for the primary filter.  The primary filter is a Doulton Ultracarb ceramic filter element.  The Doulton Ultracarb filter has multiple stages. The first stage consists of Doulton Ultracarb ceramic which provides genuine sub micron filtration. The cartridge reduces fine particulate matter, bacteria, cysts and turbidity.  The pore size of this stage is <0.5 micron.  Integrated into this stage is an anti-bacterial matrix containing silver, making the element self-sterilizing and inhibiting bacterial growth in the filter.  Stage 2 is an inner core of activated carbon block that removes chlorine, taste, odor and organic compounds.  Having this allows the Doulton filter to be used as a single cartridge installation eliminating the need for the pre-filter.  Use of the prefilter, however, extends the life of the Doulton filter.  Stage 3 is ion exchange resin that reduces Lead and other heavy metals.

Doulton Filter Cartridge Construction

The Seagull company does not provide details of the construction of their filter cartridge. From a comparison of the performance data, it is likely similar to the Doulton Ultracarb in construction.

Both units have comparable performance.  What is likely to drive your final purchasing decision is the size of the 2 different units.   The system using standard size components is a lower cost alternative but is a larger unit to accommodate on your boat.  A cost comparison is provided below.

Either system will be a wise investment and an essential piece of equipment to keep the crew healthy.

 

 

in Lifestyle

Good Advice from an Old Sailor

December 26, 2016

I met him on the Inter Coastal Waterway one morning as we were getting ready to depart the public dock at Great Bridge. He was single-handed, sailing an older Allied sloop that was clean but with deck and topsides in tough shape. A rusty beach cruiser was tied to the mast with little else on deck. He said he had bought the boat 2 months before in Annapolis and was heading to Florida for the winter to fix her up. “She’s going to get new sails and fresh paint. I think the whole project will take me a couple of years”. He was fit and quick on his feed for his advancing age. My guess is that he was in his sixties. We talked briefly about the day’s plan as he readied his boat to leave the seawall. At one point he had removed his fenders but realized that he was not ready to untie. The boat swung back toward the rough concrete. He hesitated for a moment saying “oh hell I’m just going to paint it anyway”. Then he changed his mind and stuffed a fender between the side of the boat and the wall. “Guess I should practice taking care of my topsides. Can’t be bumping once she is painted”. He said he was headed for Elizabeth City, a day’s travel down the ICW. He thought he would spend a couple of weeks there. I told him he was ambitious. That single-handing must not be easy. With that he gave me the best advice I have heard in a long time. “You got to live. If you’re not going to live now when you think you’re going to? You’ve got to live” he repeated. I walked back to Alembic with those words rolling through my thoughts. Great advice from an old sailor.

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