VIDEO: Episode 1: Becoming a Live-Aboard

Blackbeard Festival in Hampton

Entrance to the pirate Camp

Finally able to get back to blog writing after being busy.  Got the pleasure of attending the Blackbeard

Festival in Hampton, VA May 30-June 1st.  That Thursday I sailed out and decided to sail to Willoughby Bay in Norfolk, VA.  The waves were around 3-5 feet with winds around 15 knots.  My friend Kathy drove up to assist me in the voyage, always nice to have an extra pair of hands on board.  We made the short sail to Willoughby Bay, and dinghyed into the local marina there, where Kathy lives aboard her 45 foot Morgan with her husband.  We enjoyed the local restaurant and some live music, the plan was the set sail the next day and travel into Hampton.

The next day was a quaint day, not much going on.  I enjoyed the relaxing motion of the boat anchored in Willoughby.  I had a doctors appointment that I actually sailed to which was interesting to say the least.  Anyways, ended up

not sailing over to the festival Friday evening, as had some errands and projects to complete.

Saturday morning, Mike, Kathy's husband, untied his Morgan 45, and we set sail, well ok we motored, the short distance to the festival.  I followed behind him in Catharsis.  Once we arrived, we rafted up (he anchored and I tied up next to him), I took a shower and came up on deck to cannon fire.  Right in front of us was a mock sea battle.  There would be several of these going on throughout the day, all mere feet from my vessel.  It had to have been the best seat in the house.  After a few of these we dinghyed into the festival.

Rafted Up

Being a pirate fan, the festival was amazing.  They had sword fights, cannon fire, re-enactments, vendors, and living history personnel making crafts of the time period.  I got to speak with several of them and even ordered me a pirate hat that is being hand made (yea, I'm a nerd, I'll probably start doing pirate living history).  After walking around the pirate camp, we ate at a local deli and dingyed back to the boat, where others would meet and we rafted up with them as well.  Sadly, the holding was not that great, and we had about 5 boats tied up, so after several attempts of re-anchoring and a very messy dinghy from grabbing the anchor (I am now dubbed "dinghy boy"), a few of us went up river and anchored there.

After a few drinks, I decided to go back into the Blackbeard Pirate Festival.  I'm glad I did, the captain of the group had passed away recently and they did a service for him, which included what I call a 21 gun salute with cannons.  It was sad, yet honoring.  At about this time, it was getting dark, so I dinghyed back to Catharsis where I would enjoy some food and some beer with friends and watch a great display of fireworks.

Firing of the Cannons

The next morning I awoke to a plate of breakfast that one of my new friends Nikki and her boyfriend had made me.  We left and did a little bit of sailing, this time I was solo, the winds and water were calm.  Sadly upon starting my engine, I could not get it into gear.  Of course my first thought was a freakin crab pot (That would later be determined not to be the case).  S/V Sophina (Kathy and Mike's vessel), also had engine trouble.  Kathy is an expert sailor and managed to sail Sophina into the marina, come back and sail Catharsis into the marina.  Mike would determine it was a transmission problem, which is in the shop as I type this.  Having an older boat is not without it's repairs, the transmission had lasted about 25 years, which is understandable.

I spent a week at Willoughby Spit marina in Norfolk, enjoying the Sunset Grill and live music and hanging out with Kathy and Mike and competing in another race aboard their boat "Figaro".  Mike then helped me sail out of the marina and Nikki and her husband towed me back into my slip in Hampton.  Now the waiting game begins.

I am currently in NC in the mountains on vacation with my parents and 3 year old son.  When I get back I will finish my first video "Becoming a Live-aboard", which is almost complete.

Saw tons of Jack Sparrows, but only one was dressed as the Dread Pirate.

Vendors lined the streets of Hampton.

Part of the Pirate Camp

A few of the row boats used for Mock Battles

Mustering up to light the cannons

A Busy Couple of Weeks

So the last couple of weeks have been extremely event filled. None of which included any sailing (at least on my boat). I have officially moved everything out of my house and am living aboard officially. So far, I haven't really missed anything in the slightest. I actually enjoy the smaller space as I can keep it clean with ease. I'll go through the events of the last couple of weeks in chronological order.

I've picked up racing,I am crewing for a boat by the name of "figaro", a 25 foot tiller driven boat. A week ago, was my first race aboard one of "figaro's" owner's friend. I was hooked, and it was a lot of fun. I found out a new series started the next week and I was there. Having a race that takes place on a Thursday is extremely good for me, as weekends are often tied up. Well the first eventful thing happened after that, and this was a bad event.  Coming home from the race, it was dark in my boat, and I had forgotten that I had been working on my engine (trying to get the water flow problem fixed as mentioned in a previous post), and as I stepped into the cabin, completely forgot that my floor panel was up and stepped on the thru hull valve.  Being a 1975, and not sure when exactly the shut off valve had been replaced, it was quite corroded and broke off. So here I am, in the dark, and now I here water rushing in.  I immediately duck taped the heck out of what remained of the elbow on the thru hull valve (actually elbow was ok, it was the shut off valve that broke.   I called some sailing friends and they suggested to get a stick to help stop the water, or at least slow it til morning.

My MacGyver job of slowing the leak.

After slowing the leak, I got no sleep that night.  In the morning, I just happened to find some old plugs and managed to plug the elbow while I waited for my friend Larry to arrive and help fix this fiasco.

Finally a more effective way!

After Larry arrived he assessed the situation, we removed the elbow, plugged the thru hull and he went to the marine store and got a new shutoff valve and elbow.  Boat saved and no sinking!  In reality, it was probably a blessing that I stepped on it, it was quite corroded.

Thru Hull plugged.

Corroded Shut off valve

Corroded Thru Hull Elbow

That Monday, my friend Mike came by and took a look at my engine cooling problem.  It was what I expected, the exhaust mixing elbow was clogged.  I am glad that people are willing to walk me through and help me out with various things when regarding sailing and boating in general.  So now, I can actually venture out and explore some of the Chesapeake Bay via sail.

A couple days ago (Thursday) was another race, the start of the series.  I had a lot of fun, and am learning a lot crewing on a racing sailboat.  We started off with 4 knot winds, and then a storm was coming in, and really started to blow, almost causing me to go overboard (next time I'll know how to hang on a little better.  I'm excited for more races to come, and something to do on Thursday nights.  Sailing on my friend's boat "Figaro", was an absolute blast!

Getting ready to start with Figaro, 4 knot winds at this point

Storm coming in

Wind really starting to pick up

Between all that I also managed to install my over the hatch air conditioner (for when I am at the dock and actually will manage to freeze me ou), and see some wild life in the area.  Everything is slowly coming together, and I hope to set sail soon for an adventure of some sort!

Over the hatch Air Conditioner

Cover over the hatch to keep rain out

Raccoon wading through the mud

Video: S/V Catharsis Trailer

Here's a trailer video that will be played at the beginning of videos posted kind of like an "opening scene".  Hopefully will have first official video up soon.

It's always something.

It's always something isn't it.  Supposed to have headed to Cape Charles last weekend with a few buddies, as mentioned before, however had an engine problem.  Before leaving dock, I started the engine like I normally do and noticed no water was coming out as it usually does (for the raw water cooling).  I figured maybe it would get better as we got going, as it did work the previous day.  As we left the channel, it did get a little better, and I was confident that it was indeed working.  However, right before raising it was time to raise the sails, the thermostat alarm went off, the engine was overheating.  At this point myself, and my crew for the weekend, decided it would be best to head back to the dock and see if we could troubleshoot the problem.

After anchoring a couple times waiting for the engine to cool down, we finally made it back to port.  A local diver was in the area and had a look underneath.  He did get some stuff out, but said that more water should be moving through and the little bit of stuff he knocked out should have been sucked up.  At that point, I decided to check the impeller, which was in decent shape.  Of course, I tore up the gasket when checking the impeller and now the new impeller is on order.  After I install the new propeller, it will be back to troubleshooting whether it's a clogged hose, heat exchanger or something else.  Disappointed I missed this trip, but there will be plenty more.

Living Aboard

As I experience my first storm as a live-aboard, I can't help but feel some what excited for this adventure.  I have managed to pack my clothes on board as well as a few other items to making being a live-aboard more comfortable (ie computer, etc).  I still have yet to fix the minor leak over my bed (though I had sealed it good enough last time, but apparently not), so I will have to manage to fix that at some point when his series of storms happen to past.  Little remains in the house I have called home for the past 2 years, stuff that I don't want to give away or throw away and plan on storing at my parents.  Some will in fact be sold.

On Friday, 2 of my buddies, Travis and Steven, are coming down and we are going to set sail to Cape Charles for the weekend.  It should be a good time.  Also I will hopefully have my first video in my video blog series done in the next week or so for your enjoyment.

Becoming a Live-aboard

Yes, I am becoming a live-aboard starting next week.  With my girlfriend accepting a job in New Orleans, and me not quite ready to make the move, this is what I've decided to do.  I've sold off some of my possessions, thrown junk away that for some reason I kept, and am donating clothes that either no longer fit or that I haven't worn in some time.  Still have lots to go through, but it will be worth it in the end, to get rid of stuff that clutters my 1700 square foot house that I've been renting for the last 2 years or so.
Moving onto the boat will be quite an adjustment.  I've lived in small spaces while overseas, but we shall see.  I've installed a portable Engel refrigerator onboard, purchased an over-the-hatch air conditioner and am in the process of getting a memory foam mattress topper (with water proof cover made).  I am hoping not to spend too much time at the marina, but we shall see how busy things get for me.

Things I think/know I will miss:

1. Long Showers, I only have a limited amount of water on board at a time for shower, washing dishes, etc.  If at the marina I have shower facilities there, so it will be like Iraq and I'll have to either take "ship" showers or will walk to the marina facilities.
2. Space, I know I will have limited space, and will have to adjust by being "space conscious"...I am not the best at this.
3. My big TV and surround sound system.  I enjoy it, however, I will have my laptop and small computer monitor on board (yes I'm bringing my PS3 and playing it when hooked to power), and also have a small speaker and subwoofer setup.
4. Microwavable Meals, I'm not the best cook, I'll have to learn
5. Refrigerator space, can't keep cases and cases of beer, so will have to ration and wait for things to get cold.
6. Grocery shopping for a month in advance.  My fridge is either a fridge or a freezer, not both.  I elect to use it as a fridge, so won't be able to keep meat for very long.
7. Brewing beer on a whim, or enjoying many hobbies (this will require planning)
8. Cable TV

Things I think/know I WON'T miss:

1. Space, yes I posted this on the miss column, but I think I will enjoy not having material possessions and not impulse buying.
2. Yard work, yea you knew that was going here.
3. Neighbors, I don't really care for neighbors, they can be annoying.  Of course where I am at, I am surrounded by live-aboards, but it seems to be different....we shall see.
4. Boredom, now I am mobile and can pick up and go somewhere exciting.
5. Microwavable Meals, yea I posted this as well on miss column, but I expect I will eat more healthy and lose weight.
6. Unexpected solicitors knocking on your door at 8am on a sunday or while you're eating dinner....it gets annoying.
7. Cable TV...shocker also on miss, but I am expecting to save tons of money.  I will have a wifi extender and will be able to hopefully watch netflix and the maybe 6 TV shows I watch, I'll download off of itunes.

Major Questions I am already getting asked:

• How can you afford to do this?
• How can you afford to pay $1000+ dollars in rent, plus utilities, plus food, plus cable, etc. etc.  My slip fee is around $1800 a year plus electric (which isn't much.)  I don't have much fuel cost (because it's a sailboat)
• Don't you have to be rich to own a sailboat?
• Common misconception and I was there.  You can buy a 70s/80s era sailboat for less that $10,000.  Mines a 1975, the 70s and 80s were some of the best years for sailboats.
• Are you crazy?
• Maybe a little, but it's something I want to do
• Are you keeping your car and motorcycle?
• Of course, I'm still going to have some land life, at least for now
• Where are you keeping your car and motorcycle?
• At the Marina
• They'll let you do that?
• Uh, yes how else would you get to your boat.....
• What if you don't like it?
• Then I'll set fire to my boat and live out of a cardboard box.  No, I'll just move into an apartment/house like I've been doing now.
• Fuel is expensive, you won't be going out much.
• Wind is free, it's a sailboat, only need a minimal amount of fuel
• Can I come along when you sail?
• Sure, just let me know.  I have a max of 4 people I allow on the boat at any time (5 maybe if I like ya) and to spend the night, no more than 3 (or 1 couple and 2 others)
• Will you teach me to sail?
• Not really, I'm still a beginner and no where near qualified, but I'll show you what I've been taught.  
• Can I be your first mate lol hahaha?
• Actually that's already taken by my best friend.
• I was kidding!?!?
• You better be.
• Can you take me fishing?
• No.
• Why Not?
• It's a sailboat, I only have one rod on board and that's for me.
• Oh you're going to such and such, are you going to sail there?
• Not everywhere I go, will I be sailing, especially North Dakota (someone asked me this)
• Are you some sort of pirate or something?
• Yes.

VIDEO: Hampton to Poquoson

Testing out the New Camera, short little video, hopefully more to come.

A lesson I will never forget

So I'm going to share a little story with you of something I did wrong while out sailing last Thursday that could have very likely caused my death. Here in Virginia we have had a rough winter, and a few days have been favorable. I decided to go out on a lovely day and anchor overnight and head back the next day, no rush cool calm and collective. The weather was a high of mid 60's both days, and the wind was favorable.

I headed out solo and stated my northern trek up the Chesapeake bay heading from Hampton to Poquoson where I would anchor. I had jacklines set up and had just purchased an inflatable offshore PFD with built in harness, as I was not going to go solo without a harness, no matter what the weather was like. I arrived at the channel at around 4:00pm an dropped the sails, turned on the motor and began to travel down the channel, towards the anchorage. A large barge was heading up the channel, so I steered clear out of the channel and all of a sudden came to a stop. I had gotten my propeller wrapped up in a fishing net that was not properly marked, and quite long.

Now here comes the part where I was stupid. I have unlimited towing with Boat US. Rather than calling them, I tried to use a boat hook to lift the net up and cut it, however I only got one side cut free. I then decided to inflate my dinghy and try to cut it away that way and examine the propeller to see if I could somehow untangle it. I brought the dinghy around and tied it up to the stern cleats. I climbed down and tried to cut the net free.

What I did Wrong:

I decided to be lazy with tying the dinghy up to the stern, it was loose, and the sailboat was bouncing on the waves. As I was climbing onto the ladder to get back into the sailboat to call the tow boat (which I should have done all along), the dinghy drifted, I slipped and fell into the water. The water had to have been 45-50 degrees, if not colder. I immediately activated my inflatable PFD and had luckily hooked my harness into the boat in case I had fallen in (This is what I did right). The sad part was that the boat was bouncing on the waves with considerable force.

I was in the cold water for 30-45 minutes before I was able to pull myself up on the ladder, which took all my remaining strength. I could not get into the dinghy which I tried do to the PFD getting in my way, and I wasn't taking that off. One of the major problems was I couldn't feel my feet or my hands, and on the ladder this was a major problem. I then stripped down naked, dried off and wrapped up into 2 sleeping bags to warm up. Gradually I did, called towboat US and was cut free and towed to docking.

What I'm glad I did:

Before getting into the dinghy I had called my cousin and told him of the situation. I have faith that he would have hopefully called the coast guard, but by then it would have been too late.

I'm glad I had worn my inflatable PFD and harness.

What I wish I had:

I wish I would have had a portable VHF radio clipped to my harness, I would have called the coast guard and hopefully would have been rescued without being in the water for that long.

Conclusion:

I know what I did was wrong. After taking so many solo sailing precautions by using jacklines and a harness, I was lazy in tying up the dingy. I also should have never done this alone. I should have called towboat US, especially since I have unlimited towing. I'm lucky to be alive. I did have a mild case of hypothermia, but luckily my army training kicked in, an I was able to treat myself appropriately.

Maiden Voyage

Finally, fair weather in the state of Virginia.  We have been getting hit with one of the worst winters I've seen.  Luckily, I think we are on the edge of spring.  I called my cousin up (the one whom I bought the boat from) and mentioned that their was nice weather forecast for Monday and Tuesday, with temperatures for Monday in the low 60's and Tuesday in the low 70s.  He agreed to head up and we planned to sail out, anchor overnight and sail back the next day.

Motoring out of the channel

My day started Monday about 4:00am when I headed out.  I grabbed some breakfast, gassed up my truck and headed to Hampton.  I couldn't wait to get underway on my newly purchased boat, that I acquired months ago and have yet had a chance to sail her.  Once I reached Hampton, I stopped at Walmart and picked up some beer, soda, snacks, and some stuff to make some sandwiches (in which I didn't even make).  I arrived at the boat before light, and began to load stuff on Catharsis, re-arrange items and wait for my cousin to arrive.  Once he arrived, I helped him load up his belongings, we started the engine and went over everything on the boat.  Soon, we were underway.  It was an amazing feeling, even just motoring out of the channel into the bay.  Today was the perfect day he told me, the wind was light, the water was calm, a perfect day to learn to sail, not necessarily the best conditions for sailing.  Our plan was to sail to Fort Monroe, which was a short ways away, but with light winds we averaged anywhere from 2-4 knots, occasionally hitting 5.  The autopilot wasn't working, so it was strictly wheel sailing.  The weather was a bit chilly, but luckily I was layered up, the only thing cold being my hands.  Along the way we saw many of the war ships leaving the channel, along with several ships transporting cargo.  A couple hours later, we were in the empty anchorage at Fort Monroe.  

Me at the Helm, enjoying a peaceful day.

The anchorage was peaceful, aside from the highway leading into the tunnel.  We ate snacks, talked about all sorts of things, and then my cousin made chili for dinner.  After eating and drinking a beer, I laid down for a nap....in which I didn't wake up from until the next morning.  Something about the water makes one tired.  The night was fairly chilly, but not unbearable in the least bit.  The next morning, I woke up and my cousin was already awake.  I wasn't too hungry, but he insisted on me eating at least an apple.  I'm glad I did.  We waited until a early afternoon to leave, due to wanting to arrive at high tide to avoid running aground.  The reason I was glad I ate something, was I didn't think the anchor would be nearly as heavy as it was pulling it up, but finally managed to get it up and cleaned off.  We departed, and had to move out of the way of a few large ships utilizing the channel.  Tuesday was a lot warmer and I was grateful for that.  Today, was a bit slower averaging around 2-3 knots with light winds.  We finally arrived back at around 4:00pm on Tuesday.  It was a great day, and I'm glad that I got to go out finally.

   

Another Warship

One of the Warships

Anchored at Fort Monroe

Anchored at Fort Monroe

My cousin cooking chili

Warm bowl of chili and ice cold beer.

A Little Bit of Cabin Fever

So, Virginia has been having some arctic weather going on, sailing weather not being favorable.  This really makes me want to just pack up and move to the Caribbean, but not yet to be a live aboard at this point in my life. So in my spare time, I decided to brew a batch of Bourbon Barrel Stout.  I've brewed beer in the past as a hobby under the name "Scurvy Dog Brewery".  I'm excited for this batch to be done.  It'll also be nice to have some beer on the boat to give out to guest.  Here's some pictures I'm sharing, and although not sailing, it's always nice to have a brew on the open sea, or bay.

Fermentation is done, in the next couple of days, the bourbon barrel soaked chips will be added to the brew for flavoring.  Should be ready for bottling in March.

Grains for the brew, ready to be steeped

Boiling the wort, almost ready for fermentation

Grains steeping in the brew

Custom bottle caps, for scurvy dog brewery

Introduction and The Beginning of a New Adventure

Hello and welcome to S/V Catharsis and to my blog.  I've decided to keep this blog as a log and to share my journeys upon my sailing vessel.  First a little about me.

My Name is Aaron Thompson.  I was born February 12th, 1986 and reside in Richmond, VA.  At the age of 17 I joined the United States Army and served 10 years.  Unfortunately on a deployment to Iraq in 2008/2009 I was slightly injured with a traumatic brain injury and have since been medically retired through the Veteran's Affairs Administration.  My urge to sail I think has always been there.  When I was a boy scout I did a little sailing for the sailing merit badge, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, though I do not really remember my experience.  I have always thought purchasing a sailboat was way to expensive, and only for the extremely rich.  I didn't learn that this goal could be obtainable until I ran into my second cousin Donald (unplanned) who I hadn't seen in about 6 years on a cruise ship with my family.

The Quest for a Vessel, Failed

After spending the week with my cousin, I'm sure that I asked tons of questions, and he happily answered them.  He was twice my age, but we had a strong bond I believe that week.  He explained to me that older
sailboats are well built boats and can be obtained pretty inexpensively.  After that trip I knew this is what I wanted to do.  That winter around November/December, I purchased a sailboat....well I thought I did.  I found a 1980 O'day 28 on the internet that was close by.  It was on the hard (first mistake) and they only wanted $3000 for it.  I took a look at it, didn't get it surveyed and talked with the owners.  They said the only thing it needed was a new self adjustable idler (the part underneath the helm that controls the rudder) it had been corroded (second mistake).  I thought it was an easy fix, gave them the $3000 and signed the title.

I ordered the self adjustable idler and that's where the trouble began.  I tried to get the bolts off, I could not.  I had a friend who is well versed in installing these things, he said that we would have to cut the cockpit out and replace it.  This was beginning to be such a hassle and to be quite costly.  To top that off, I didn't even know if the boat would float and after replacing the batteries, it seemed there was an electrical issue as well.  I decided to cut my losses and try to find a new vessel, a year after the purchasing of the O'day.

Finally, Mission Accomplished

I searched the internet once again and found some vessel's that looked good.  These of course were priced much higher than the initial $3000 purchase I made before.  I had a goal of no more than $12,000.  I found a 30 foot Catalina down in Hampton for sale, they were asking $12,000, I was going to talk them down.  Ironically I got a call from my cousin Donald telling me he was down at his boat and if I wanted to come on down.  I thought this would be the perfect opportunity and he agreed to come with me to look at the Catalina.  We spent some time on his boat, working on a few things, him showing me around and then I called the owners of the Catalina.  They were located right across the channel from my cousin and we drove over to look at it.  I thought it was amazing, a lot of space compared to the O'Day I had, and I was asking all sorts of questions.  My cousin remained silent the entire time.  We left and the gentleman told us that the price was negotiable.  I then turned to my cousin and asked what he thought.  He laid it all out, telling me it wasn't well kept, needed new sails, was dirty on the inside, and required a lot of work.  It was definitely not worth the $12,000 they were asking.  I spent the next hour with him and tried to convince myself of why it would be a good boat.  I even stated I could offer them $6000 and still come out ahead.  My cousin assured me it would be a mistake and I wouldn't be happy.  I jokingly said that "You should just sell me your boat".

That's when the unexpected happened, he didn't say anything.  "You're joking right?"  I asked, and at that moment he told me how he lives 4 hours from the boat and water, he doesn't have time to sail and hasn't been on the boat in over a year.  So at that moment we shook hands, and I was the proud owner of a 1975 Dufour 31 in excellent shape.  This is a true blue water cruising vessel, and I purchased her for $12,000

Why Catharsis?

A boat name is always something that is hard to decide on, not the case with Catharsis.  My cousin had her named Catharsis, and part of the deal of him selling me the vessel, was I had to keep the name.  But what does Catharsis mean?  

ca·thar·sis

kəˈTHärsis/

noun

1. 1.

   the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.

I thought that this was also appropriate for my vessel's name (not that I had a choice) after the emotions I have felt after returning home from combat.  So there you have it, how I obtained Catharsis and a little bit about me.  I am definitely looking forward to the adventures that await!