This post is being sent from onboard during our first night staying on the boat

Oh, it is so cold - 14 degrees.  Note ice building on bow eye and anchor?

Gliding Gander on Lea's pier in the night.

And there was snow to provision the boat in.

                                                              There was plenty of ice.

There were plenty of provisions to load.

So Lea handed them down to me.

                                                                   It just seems to keep getting harder.  Now we need to put it all   away.

So now you have an idea what the Gliding Gander will be like when completed.  The salon is first and then the stateroom computer/printer desk and port side library.  More to come but we must get to bed.

We broke ice to get out of Reed Creek at Lea's pier.  The ice would have prevented our exit in the morning after another night of 19 degree weather.  We have an appointment to meet Scott Hyland first thing in Rock Hall.  We could not chance getting frozen in.  So now we are anchored out in open water where we cannot get frozen in tonight.

Frozen Creek

We woke this AM to a frozen over creek.  The wind blew free floating slush ice off of the river and up our creek.  It is now piled several inches deep.  I am about to go down to the boat and see if the engines will start and too check the immediate conditions.  Lea and I plan to provision most things today.  We may have to break ice this afternoon trying to get the boat out into open water before more freezing occurs this evening.  If this is what we have to do we will spend the night onboard somewhere on the windward side of the Chester River.  Doing so maybe the only way we can have the boat in Rock Hall tomorrow for Scott Hyland.

Signing off to go check on the boat conditions

Gliding Gander is home, albeit temporarily

Lea and I took possession of the boat Friday afternoon and ran it up the Chester River for a seatrial.  All is well.  Gliding Gander proved to be faster and more efficent than ever before.  At only 2525 RPM's she clocked off 19.6 Kts.  When she has less fuel and reaches her 2850 RPM maximum, she could hit an estimated 21 or more knots!  

Today Matt Anthony, the ships carpenter, and his lovely wife Joy, came to Lea's pier and did the final clean up.  Never did they expect to go home in what appears to be about six inches of  new snow.

The generator never shut off for the last several days because we have to keep heaters running in the bilge to prevent the motors and water pipes from freezing and doing damage.  We are very concerned that tonight the creek will freeze over and prevent our exit because of the 14 degree forecast.  

Monday and Tuesday we will need to take the boat back to Rock Hall for Captain Scott Hyland, Hyland Marine Services, to finish wiring some new equipment and to make final installations on some electronic equipment.  Monday afternoon, or Tuesday morning, we hope to get our US Coast Guard Curtesy Inspection done on the Gliding Gander.  Tuesday afternoon, we hope to get the marine surveyor to survey the boat for the insurance company and then we ought to be done. Because Lea and I have learned not to believe what we are told, regarding completion dates, we automatically added one extra day (stay tuned it will probably be more). Nevertheless, we think the boat should be ready to go on Thursday.  

Tomorrow, Sunday (if it ever stops snowing), Lea and I plan to provision the boat.  All in all, I hope we can go to Baltimore to see Randy and family Friday evening.  Saturday, I hope we can go by boat to Annapolis and join the PropTalk Magazine contributors banquet and then have Este and family visit us on the boat in Annapolis before we cast off for New Port News Sunday evening.

Motor alignment

As you know the boat is in the water.  Captain Hyland had the tolerances checked on the motor alignment with the drive shaft.  The starboard was within .003.  Pretty good.  The port motor was .30 out of alignment.  This resulted in a decision to have Mr. Dick Wilson, Wilson Manufacturing (who designed and built the V struts) remove the motor, rebuild the motor mount and then reinstall the motor.  Scott Hyland just reported the motor has been reinstalled and is within .003 tolerance.

Scott told me the boat will be ready tomorrow afternoon for Lea and I to bring home for the weekend and to begin sea trialing.  Next steps will be to run the boat and check things out.  Then we must have the marine survey completed.  Monday and maybe Tuesday Scott Hyland will need to have the boat back to finish up.

Things are getting real close!

The water wasn't too low or too high today. We are boating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Flybridge seating waiting on trailer for launch and Grey Smoked plexiglass flybridge sliding doors

Matt mounting fishing rod holders.

Joe Downey stopping by for a hug.

Placing of the flybridge seating.  Note the dinghy is not in its chocks.  The motor and controls did not work and had to be sent to a shop for several days.

Scott Hyland making ready the windlass.

Gliding Gander with running light on, windshield wipers, and her new, blue, paint strip along the cabin.  We are ready to shove off, test run, and move to an over night boat slip in Rock Hall.

Gliding Gander in her overnight slip with stuff all over the boat - plus Lea!

Never ending problems

After waiting since October 15th for the launch date, you may remember several weeks ago, we hauled the Gliding Gander to the marina.  When we got there the wind had blown most of the water out of the marina and there was only about six inches of ice in the launching slip.  Today, we had different problems.  The winds blew the water up the Bay and flooded Rock Hall, Baltimore and more.  The marina had been flooded and Gliding Gander almost had water on her but not as we intended.  There was too much water to launch the boat!!!!!!!!!!  Go figure!  Tomorrow, at 9:00 AM, we are scheduled to try launching again.

Stay tuned for pictures tomorrow evening.

Twas the night before launching and ........

Twas the night before launching and all thru the ship, there were tools, dirt, and many parts as high as my hips!  The Captain was stirring, the First Mate has gone wild.  When would we be able to put on the first mile?  The weather is threating for two inches or more.  If there is no launching, temps will soar!  The bottom is painted just like she was new, the rudders have new zincs along with the screws.  Those new fuel tanks are loaded so those big Cats can roar.  Lea Lea my wife does not want an oar.  The marina owner Lee plans to go away.  We must launch her tomorrow if not the next day.  The new dock lines are waiting to be tied on a pile, Captain Hyland needs to run her on her first nautical mile.  We will try to sleep all snug in our beds, but I'am sure we'll have the Gliding Gander floating thru our heads!  Pictures will come to the blog soon as they can.  I am hoping you will soon see her off of the land.

Getting hooked on a bow eye

This bow eye will fit into the hole in the background for purposes of more secure anchoring during bad weather or crowed anchorages and/or towing the boat if the need should ever arise.

This is the nut that holds a four inch thick oak block and 1/2" stainless steel backing plate between it and the 3" thick hull for purposes of securing the eye bolt.  Note the base of the Sampson Post above.  The Sampson post has a steel plate made around the top of it to which the windless is mounted.

Capt. Scott Hyland, Hyland Marine Services, about to install the finishing zincs to the propeller shafts.  Note the zincs on the rudders and V strutts

Hand rails being installed and bridge seating being fitted

F

Dave Miller and Mike welding handrail on Port side.

Temporary fitting of the seating configuration to the contour of the cabin roof.  The seats will then be removed and returned to the shop for final adjusting, painting and fitting of the hatches and doors.

One day off of reporting the Gliding Gander

Lea and I went to Annapolis last evening with two or three thousand others.  We wanted to send a reasonable reminder to our legislators on the opening day of their new session in which they will establish our new budget.  My sign had a message on each side and Lea had the smaller sign.  The event was very orderly, respectful and freezing cold.

Dinghy's up and final steps are being taken............

Dinghy being set in place and chocks being fit to cockpit roof.

Last peek at Gliding Gander before she gets her new handrails installed.

Just before dark Scott Hyland and Ben Hicks, Hyland Marine Services, finish up final details on a new system

The new system was ......  the lower helm station and all the seperate panels that Hyland Marine built from scratch.

Wiring for the Floscan tachometers, oil gauges, volts meters, plus another gauge or two.

Matt fitting the new hatch and cutting the oak fence board trim to go around it.  

Unofficial inspector, and life-long friend, Dave Nestle stopping in to give some morale support to us guys.

Dave Miller and his faithful associate Mark, Miller's Fabrication out of North East, Md., constructing the handrails for the topside.