SCA [Small Craft Advisory] in effect all day with winds S at 20-25kn and waves 3-5'. Good thing we believed the forecast and tucked in here for today as well. Tomorrow shows only 1' waves on our bow so we should be good to go.


A 52' Ocean Alexander docked beside us last evening. Nice boat, similar layout with a raised pilothouse, etc. More upscale than ours though and looks it.


Maintenance: The 'F' word represents frustration - the vacuflush O-ring seal at the top of the bellows failed and we couldn't keep a vacuum at all and obviously couldn't use the toilet for it; took the bellows housing apart, cleaned it all, and everything seems intact, but the O-ring wouldn't stay in place between the bellows and the housing; the O-ring seems too 'fat' for the groove [tried several thinner ones but they are too thin and don't seal] and I can't be certain it will remain in place; reinstalled everything -- and -- it didn't! No vacuum seal essentially. The bellows itself appears intact.

The Admiral has suggested silicone caulking for the seal/ring; or perhaps 3M 4200, which is a sealant and adhesive. Then, when/if it fails again, replace the whole housing!! Will likely do that in the next couple of days. For now, we will use the aft head.




From the Admirals Desk:

After a little research I managed to identify the classic boat here as a Burger. Not one of a kind, but close to it.

I made muffins today. There were thunderstorms so I had to stay in and Rob was working on the vacuflush. (see photo of hallway). It seemed wise to stay out of the way. A lot of blue language I'm hearing from down there. I finally went down to offer some helpful suggestions. 😂😂

I'm not getting along with my oven lately so the muffins were as frustrating as the vacuflush. Stuff keeps burning on the bottom. Tried lower temps etc. Phooey.

We might attempt a later lunch or early supper at the marina restaurant. There is also a small food/deli store close by that I'll get to when I'm sure the rain is done. I'd hate to have my lovely boat hair get any worse than it already is!😂

I had to do some serious skulking to get the night photos. There were still people everywhere at 11:30 and they kept getting in the way. And there were still a few boats moving around. A busy place. There are at least 50 boats on our dock and since we are close to the shore end everyone has to walk past us to get to the bar! Still busy today.

We attempted to have an early supper at the bar/grill but they are so short staffed that half the tables weren't being used. Yesterday, the 4th!, they closed at 4:00 so what they have for staff could take a break. We're having steak. I found a nice NY strip at the store earlier and bought it without looking at the price. Foolish! We haven't had steak in months so considering this one cost as much as one in a very good restaurant, it better be good!

That's all for today.



Planning:

We have achieved confirmations for Tues/Wed at Suttons Bay Municipal Marina, 45mi. south, in Grand Traverse Bay; then, backtrack 13mi. to G.Marsten Dame Marina in Northport for 1 night; then, south to Frankfort, 67 miles, then across L.Michigan 58 miles to Sturgeon Bay, WI, on either Sat. or Sun. - wx forecast looks favorable.


Comments:

Ernie R  â€¢  06 Jul, 2021 - Head work is always the worst chore on boats! Sounds like o-ring degraded and once that starts it will not seal/stay in place. It seems apparent that Marg should be supervising this work (good idea sealant/adhesive!) . If nothing else it would help with the language! I trust new housing ordered to be delivered at next marina!

Robert & Margaret  â€¢  06 Jul, 2021 - The confusing thing is that the o-ring is new, one of 2 in the replacement kit, but which came separately from the bellows itself. Will order a new bellows which includes the o-rings; hopefully also would include the 'c-clamps' at the neck.

Ernie R  â€¢  06 Jul, 2021 - So it uses different size o-rings and apparently don’t have right size. Sometimes I use a light grease to hold o-ring in place during assembly.