tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80689105911357107922024-02-07T10:06:50.171-08:00The Adventures of KokomoUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068910591135710792.post-70328046863452511892015-10-18T23:15:00.001-07:002015-10-18T23:15:33.605-07:00Kokomo on S.F. Bay for Fleet Week 2015<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1BzxsnmarpCG8sIn9MnefOr9rckFwDdWYZ3LJwW8TSBJM36xOHguHoWyI79j-Ja46sq-dfY2_JqRlJ2RXdeK9WdHluUw2qsUselbjo9p7bbjWugr0V2j503078btNnhyphenhyphenWe55nR20S_9v/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1BzxsnmarpCG8sIn9MnefOr9rckFwDdWYZ3LJwW8TSBJM36xOHguHoWyI79j-Ja46sq-dfY2_JqRlJ2RXdeK9WdHluUw2qsUselbjo9p7bbjWugr0V2j503078btNnhyphenhyphenWe55nR20S_9v/s320/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068910591135710792.post-17545339701395491862014-09-19T14:44:00.000-07:002015-03-24T00:19:02.943-07:00FAQ's - Answers To Questions About Kokomo.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>FAQ's</b> - (OK, some of these questions are not FREQUENTLY asked, but I thought I'd include them all!)<br />
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*** First: <a href="http://theadventuresofkokomo.blogspot.com/2010/11/specifications-kokomo.html" target="_blank">Here</a> is the complete gear and equipment list!<br />*** <a href="http://theadventuresofkokomo.blogspot.com/2010/11/i-was-17-or-18-when-i-first-promised.html" target="_blank">Here</a> is the story of how we purchased the boat (worth reading!)</h2>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-a2257f03-a326-728f-f4a9-2c6d53282587"><span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is the age of house & start batteries?</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Start batteries 4 years, House batteries 3 years</span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-a2257f03-a326-728f-f4a9-2c6d53282587"><span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Engine fuel filtration system and is each engine on it's own supply?</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-a2257f03-a326-728f-f4a9-2c6d53282587"><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - Fuel filtration is separate, but before the filters is one 120g tank. I considered having a separate tank installed in the Lazarette, but have never had a problem with the filters.</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-a2257f03-a326-728f-f4a9-2c6d53282587"><span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Center window wiper? and are the wipers on separate switches?</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-a2257f03-a326-728f-f4a9-2c6d53282587"><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">- No, the boat was not commissioned with a center window wiper, and I think it'd be overkill. The center window opens, and mounting a wiper assembly on that pane would be possible but might lead to problems. Yes, the wipers are on separate switches, both for momentary use (stainless momentary switches on the helm near the wheel) and near the helm for "on" status. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Is the head equipped with a shower</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-No. I have a sink-fed hot water shower and a solar shower (</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">tank and hose) both </span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">of </span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">which operate in the cockpit and drain out the skuppers.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I think that's cleaner and has no mold/mildew issues down in the forward cabin.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Condition of trailer, bearings, seals, brakes</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Had the bearings, seals and brakes done, and two new tires installed) at the end of last season at a very good trailer shop on the Delta.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brand of trailer brakes & electric over hydraulic controller</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Carlisle; I remember it being a among the best</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Weight of boat on trailer with full cruising gear & tanks</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think I estimated (never weighed) it at 10k, with tanks full, loaded for a two week trip, clothing, safety equipment and accessories for two persons, and all gear (including the davit and dinghy/engine). NOTE: I tend to overestimate when I’m planning to handle a load.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What do you tow the boat with and do you use a weight distributing hitch?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have a 2005 F350 Turbo Diesel and it’s my opinion that you don't need a WDH with the three axle trailer. Towed effortlessly from Cornet Bay, WA - Yankee Hill, CA, and several trips to Monterey Bay and many trips to San Francisco Bay. I've always launched and retrieved it (the manual indicated two, possibly three persons needed for launching and retrieval, but I've done it alone most of the time) and took it home to store it.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Higher resolution pictures of the boat sitting on trailer (side & stern view), and any others that you would care to send would be helpful.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Don't have those, but except for the fading bottom coating (at marine paint advisor's urging, I haven't had it bottom painted because my saltwater time is very limited and the new owner may want a certain bottom paint) the hull is perfect.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the items mentioned in your list is un-mounted one way valves or flaps for the freeing ports (scuppers). Have you had water enter the cockpit from waves lapping against the hull or other problems? This was an irritant with my 25 C-dory.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I keep the brass scupper covers in the cockpit, within a few inches of the scuppers ports, and screw them in for launching, retrieval and if I find myself in a following sea, etc. So I have the interior covers. What I was referring to were the two "ping-pong ball" exterior ports that I purchased but never installed. I'd seen them on other RF-246's and thought they were neat (ping-pog ball floats up to prevent anything from entering the scupper) but have found no need for them on my boat.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do you have canvas side curtains for the aft cockpit?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No. I would have listed them</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do you tow your boat with the dingy inflated on the cabin top? I've always deflated and stowed mine, but would be nice not to have to.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For short distances, yes. Achilles with engine and two Wilderness Systems kayaks. Long hauls (highway speeds), no. The roof features stainless side rails that double as hand holds when walking on the gunwhales of the boat, and good tie downs for items stored on the roof.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The instrument mounted to starboard side cabin wall directly behind the pilots seat. I'm guessing that this is the Wallas heater control?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes. Wallas 30D control panel (digital)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is this item? </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Compact Ozone generator for air/water purificaton* (see: </span><a href="http://scribe5.com/ozone" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">scribe5.com/ozone</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A small, timer-actuated ozone generator. Read about what they can do for boats at the website.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">PURE SIGN digital control panel</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Digital control & monitor(12V amps) panel for the charger and the inverter (12VDC-120VAC); located on the galley fascade</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Is the Xantrex inverter both a battery charger & pure sign wave inverter?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, it was the top-of-the-line in 2007 2000-watt Pure Sign inverter/charger. It's been wonderful to me! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What chart chip(s) are included with the Raymarine E-120?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have CA-WA and the PNW; basically the west coast inland and coastal waterways</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is your anchor rode x ft 1/4" chain & x ft 1/2" rope?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have 150" of 1/2 line and about 22" of chain</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Does Kokomo have a transom door?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - N</span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">o, but with the hull extension (hollow bolt-on extension that the outboards mount to), you have a fairly easy step to either side of the swim-platform from the cockpit. I have had no trouble, even after the stroke (equilibrium issues), with getting around on the boat.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How was Kokomo named?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I named it after a song that my wife and I enjoyed, and a string of islands in the Caribbean that I've frequented over the years (The Lower Antilles were originally named Kokomo as an island group)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm guessing that Les would have installed hydraulic steering probably Sea Star?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, for both the engines and the auto-pilot</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Perhaps it would be best if you consulted the King Salt-Water trailer's website about the trailer. I ordered brake parts (from King) but don't know who made them or what brand they are. I think they'd have the specifics you require. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I do know that it features the flow through lube system on all 6 wheels, though. I also keep a spare flow-through hub on the spare tire.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is the device (deck mounted stainless or chrome round cap) aft of the anchor and starboard of the bow bollard?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think your talking about the Lewmar V-700 (Vertical) windlass. I've appreciated that every time I've used it, and it's been a real workhorse in every type of bottom you can imagine! It's possible, now that I'm thinking about it more, that you're referring to the manual chain/rode access hole, and cover, that sits to the right of the windlass when seated at the helm.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Is all the lighting LED (navigation & interior)?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, for the trailer, and soon it will be for the boat. I'm installing a new set of LED navigation lamps that I ordered from Australia. Outperforms the several brands I found in the states. Note: The original, which used a specialty bulb that I could only find at West Marine, were fine until I lost the red lens overboard when changing a bulb recently. The anchor lamp and the interior lights are all LED.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Where are the Wallas heater outlets located? Do you think a duct could be run to the forward window for demisting?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The outlets (three; most boats have 1 or 2) are located (1) in the face of the aft dinette settee, (2) at your feet at the helm (in the Tiny Step Box that serves as a storage device and a step to the starboard door and (3) in the forward cabin in the bulkhead that separates the head from the helm. It never occurred to me that the heater might be ducted upwards for a defrost device; I have no problem with the windows fogging up using the fans and cracking the windows and doors.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Is there a TP dispenser in the head (mounted to electrical panel access)?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, but it is inset to the right and more convenient than it would be had they mounted it to electrical/helm access door. (Yes, I REALLY got asked about a TP holder!)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The 1-1/2"~2" polished tube in front of throttles - is this electronic wire routing? Did Les install this? Looks like it is positioned so as not to interfere with pilots site lines when sitting at helm?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes. All of the wiring from the roof-mounted electronics and the electronics mounted in the overhead helm cabinet passes through that channel. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="8px;" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/YGrUcP3QOnv1zqO_DAW97ycegz68d26i2_AEEDkNW1Lurh-bAuV4BaWnx0pS5H-CuNrd-dVjLkm_3B_fzwnx8FjUxr7RQnt6YZYXWI0xGZ570Rf3-de7wHKIYKwwTGyBgq0" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="20px;" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Does Kokomo have the sliding dinette table?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes it does, and it makes down to a comfy double birth</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is the color of the interior upholstery? Hard to tell in the photos.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Deep green. Matches the exterior striping. The upholstery in the V-Berth covers cushions with additional bolstering ...</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Have you tried cruising on one engine in the 12~14 knot range with the other tilted up? If so, how does she perform?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> -</span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> No, I never tilt one engine up when one is down, because that would cause eventual damage to the cross linkage and put a strain on Sea Star hydraulics. I often travel at 7-8kts on one engine Have never had an issue with the engine dragging or pulling to one side), and seldom in the 12-14 knot speed range, but it is always a sure-footed and stable vessel, at any speed with one or two engines.</span></div>
</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068910591135710792.post-55044852622807078732014-07-16T22:07:00.002-07:002015-03-04T12:13:46.469-08:00'YouTube' video of Kokomo and CYC on the 4th of July on the Sacramento/San Juaquin Delta<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"> </span><a href="http://youtu.be/HMIg--g0hOE" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" target="_blank">Passage</a><br />
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This photo collage of our CYC trip to the Sacramento/San Joaquin Deltas on July 4, 2014 features wonderful production & photography by <i>Judy Irene </i>(freshairstudios.com; freshairjudy@gmail.com) and original music by <i>Steve Reeves</i> (the song "Passage" from the album "Rain On Steaming Pavement") (amigosteve@gmail.com). <i>Enjoy! (click on "Passage" above)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
* CYC = Chico Yacht Club, Chico, CA</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068910591135710792.post-90405287924314789382014-06-17T14:25:00.001-07:002015-02-19T10:59:51.455-08:00Check The Specs!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Kokomo is a 2007 boat that had very little use before 2010 when I bought her. Stored at Les Lampman's facility in Coronet Bay (E.Q. Marine), Whidbey Island, WA, she had 72 demo hours on her when I purchased her in 2010. She hadn't even been broken in yet (approx. 100 hours). The owner, who was a "commission her with the best of everything" type of guy from Jackson, WY, flew in on a small plane infrequently, and when he encountered health problems, the boat was maintained but sat idle much of the time. So you decide: She may be a 2007 when she was built? Or she may as well have been a 2010 when she was finished being commissioned and went to 'sea'. (Lakes, rivers, Delta, Bay, the Pacific Northwest, etc.)<br />
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<br />
If you'd like a <b>complete inventory of Kokomo's current equipment</b> please see the (UPDATED) Specifications list <a href="http://theadventuresofkokomo.blogspot.com/2010/11/specifications-kokomo.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
If you haven't read the <b>story of our getting the boat</b>, I recommend it. It's <a href="http://theadventuresofkokomo.blogspot.com/2010/11/i-was-17-or-18-when-i-first-promised.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></blockquote>
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SEA TRIAL TERMS: The boat is on it's trailer stored at my home in Yankee Hill, CA. You're welcome to see it here by appointment. I'd also be happy to take you on a sea trial. Here are our Sea Trial terms: <b>A $350 cash non-refundable deposit is required*</b>. The sea-trial will be at either the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (3 hours one-way for me) or the San Francisco Bay (4 hours one-way for me), my choice. <i>Note: The closest option, Lake Oroville, is sufficiently low that they've closed the launch ramps.</i> <i>We'll meet there if the water levels come up after the winter rains. </i>This deposit will count toward the purchase price of the boat if you decide Kokomo is for you. The deposit will be applied to the cost of fuel (in the truck and the boat) and my time, etc. if not. Max time for sea trials is 3 hours.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068910591135710792.post-18438702189019969812014-05-22T10:42:00.002-07:002017-08-15T16:13:08.612-07:00Our Beloved KOKOMO Is FOR SALE ...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<blockquote style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.5; padding: 0px 3em;">
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
"<strong style="color: black; line-height: 1.5;">I really think it's the most expertly-rigged and outfitted RF-246 I've ever seen; maybe the finest overall vessel of its type in existence today ... but I'm not objective. You take a look and see what you think." </strong>- Steve Reeves</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
It is with heavy heart that I put my beloved Rosborough RF-246 up for sale. I've spent the short time I've owned her perfecting her for expedition cruising (little or no marina support) but, alas, health problems and a sudden divorce force her sale. I look forward to meeting her new owners and to hearing about her ongoing adventures.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Everything about "Kokomo" can be seen here. Be sure to read <a href="http://theadventuresofkokomo.blogspot.com/2010/11/i-was-17-or-18-when-i-first-promised.html" target="_blank">"30 Years Later - We Found Just The Right Boat For Us"</a> and go through the extensive equipment list in "Specifications: <em style="border: none; line-height: 1.5;">Kokomo</em>" (above article). I absolutely love the twin Honda BF-150 (C.A.R.B.-compliant) engines (300hp!). <em style="border: none; line-height: 1.5;">It truly is the best outfitted and powered vessel I have ever seen.</em></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
PRICE: $95,000 for the boat & trailer & 2 Honda engines; $110,000 fully outfitted</h4>
It comes with a galvanized, triple-axle salt-water optimized trailer with hydraulic over electric brakes, the perfect tender (see the photo), etc., etc. I've spent lots of time and money getting it just right ... so you won't have to. <b>Asking</b><b style="line-height: 1.5;"> $95,000 for the boat with all electronics, etc. (everything on the equipment list that has no asterisk). For $110k (replacement is twice that) I'm willing to include most of the items on the specifications list (everything PLUS everything with one asterisk) and much, more - <u>full outfitting that would cost much more to replace</u>.</b><span style="line-height: 1.5;"> If you have additional questions, please e-mail me at amigosteve@gmail.com.</span></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
(Current engine hours: P=579 S=581)</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068910591135710792.post-50037100985573985662013-05-10T22:50:00.001-07:002013-05-10T23:27:59.038-07:00Three Spring Days on Lake O.!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-3e3c6b21-9217-1f56-69f0-12ac90eae382" style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-3e3c6b21-9217-1f56-69f0-12ac90eae382" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Written for the Chico Yacht Club 'ANCHORLINE' ...</i></span></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-3e3c6b21-9217-1f56-69f0-12ac90eae382" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-3e3c6b21-9217-1f56-69f0-12ac90eae382" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I arrived at Spillway Launch, all the preparation that Lee Ann and I had done for (only) three days on Lake Oroville with the Chico Yacht Club suddenly seemed worth it. It was gorgeous, the water was flat (good for power boats!) and reflected the green shores, random floral carpets and the blue sky. </span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-3e3c6b21-9217-1f56-69f0-12ac90eae382" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-3e3c6b21-9217-1f56-69f0-12ac90eae382" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I got </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kokomo</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> prep’d and launched (a sight equivalent to an ant moving a large piece of bread; usually draws a small crowd ... thank goodness for roller trailers!) in about an hour and, after raising the radar tower, affixing the main VHF antenna, releasing the anchor’s safety line and hoisting Old Glory on the stern flag pole and the CYC burgie on the forward pole (and the obligatory late offer of help from a guy who stood nearby for an hour and watched me get the boat launched!), I was ready for the sea ... or, in this case, the lake.</span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoeR0EtCcUnO171F5ulxySinlUP0wNd_7BpxCcXynY3gHnYNPEIugQPXxY-6wubvw2lUQ79hUIC5Ht-mDNad3VUUgx0MVcAfZGQM-NaZ5l-1Xupxx-S-00FQzocp1a_tHk4UNYU7Z8lMi4/s1600/IMG_1017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoeR0EtCcUnO171F5ulxySinlUP0wNd_7BpxCcXynY3gHnYNPEIugQPXxY-6wubvw2lUQ79hUIC5Ht-mDNad3VUUgx0MVcAfZGQM-NaZ5l-1Xupxx-S-00FQzocp1a_tHk4UNYU7Z8lMi4/s320/IMG_1017.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spike sets a course for the Bidwell Bridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-3e3c6b21-9217-1f56-69f0-12ac90eae382" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Almost ‘on a lark’ (Herb Clark NEVER has his radio on!) I turned my VHF ‘on’ and tuned to channel 16 (I was ‘counseled’ later by past-Commodore Clark that VHF’s are </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">seldom</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> used on Lake Oroville; his is kept ‘off’ because of a circuit issue that sends a pulse to his VHF from his depth sounder; I’m looking in my stereo store storage unit for a circuit isolator than I can give him and I’ll keep my stories of 30-years of VHF usage on the lake to myself). I settled in for a leisurely cruise to the spot off Bidwell Marina where I’d drift and read for 3+ hours while I waited for the boat(s) that I was looking for around </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">noon</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Sure enough, around 3 p.m., three sailboats came out and headed for a tack that would line them up for the Bidwell Bridge.</span></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-3e3c6b21-9217-1f56-69f0-12ac90eae382" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first boat was evidently crewed by Rick Stuelpnagel and Dennis Kaiser who sailed out with the boats crewed by Herb and Carolyn </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(Hotel Charlie)</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and the one single-handed by Spike </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(Varuna),</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> but returned to the marina instead of making their way under the bridge to Sycamore Cove. They’d apparently been most helpful to Herb in installing his outboard back on his boat after a shop found a twisted water intake hose that nearly stranded him in his slip during our McCabe Cove trip a few weeks earlier. Spike had a worn pulley in the rigging of </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Varuna</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that an enterprising marina employee was able to inspect from the second-story bar at Bidwell Marina (with crew standing on the dock side gunnels of the boat to ‘tip’ her towards the inspector!), and the two projects apparently took three to four hours to complete. No problem, I was busy enjoying Stuart Woods’ </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Blue Waters, Green Sailor”</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO2KLgto7ZXf6iSB244tjwqNM1rpN0A3aAyx6eg8ivA2b2NO8WZnwWzLI4XhDJb1FVJZ7iwhgHFlsyzgHKaowf3IDQUQ3iFC_wYOgSJPhYXwgtagrP6VnrlNqDnlL0mxhQW4ogz3M37jgc/s1600/Lee+Ann.+Pike,+Carolyn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO2KLgto7ZXf6iSB244tjwqNM1rpN0A3aAyx6eg8ivA2b2NO8WZnwWzLI4XhDJb1FVJZ7iwhgHFlsyzgHKaowf3IDQUQ3iFC_wYOgSJPhYXwgtagrP6VnrlNqDnlL0mxhQW4ogz3M37jgc/s200/Lee+Ann.+Pike,+Carolyn.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lee Ann, Spike & Carolyn in Kokomo!</td></tr>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-3e3c6b21-9217-1f56-69f0-12ac90eae382" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I greeted Herb and Carolyn as they sailed by, exchanged a wave with Spike a few minutes later, and as </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hotel Charlie </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hoisted her signature spinnaker as she was clearing the bridge, I started up </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kokomo</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and set course back to the Spillway ramp, where I’d be happy to pick up my “better half’ and then join them at their destination. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hotel Charlie</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> had nice anchor and stern-tie arrangement when Lee Ann and I got to the cove just before dark (I waited another two hours for Lee Ann, taking in the ready entertainment of the ‘boat retrieval antics’ at the ramp) and we rafted up on the opposite side that Spike was tied to. The crew of the three boats talked for awhile, and Herb announced he was turning in, so we made sure the only fenders we used had “kozies’ (squeak control) and we called it a night early.</span></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-3e3c6b21-9217-1f56-69f0-12ac90eae382" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Morning was glorious on Saturday. The cove we were in was still covered in green grass and Lupine, the ducks and birds were abundant, and it was an ideal start to the weekend. We’d heard Herb say to Spike the night before that they’d “start to Feather Falls at 6 or 6:30 AM”, so, though that seemed awful early, we were up and ready at 6. Turns out I had forgotten that approximately half of everything Herb says is a joke, and it was hours later that Herb and Carolyn emerged. In the meantime, Lee Ann made a yummy breakfast of fruit parfaits, and we enjoyed the time talking and sighting birds. </span></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Varuna, Hotel Charlie & Kokomo at rest at Sycamore Cove</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The morning was calm, and, after enjoying some photos of their trip to the PNW (do you know that </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hotel Charlie</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> was once named </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Freudian Sloop</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">? Her dinghy was </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jung Love!</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) the guys commented that sailing up the river wouldn’t be possible, and motoring at 5kts. didn’t thrill them either, so I invited them to go up to the falls on </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kokomo</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and a half-hour later we set out for “the quickest trip to Feather Falls ever”, according to Herb. The look on Spike’s face as I put the two 150hp outboards through their paces and took off at 25 kts (not full throttle) was priceless, according to Herb. We took lunch, and enjoyed it at the final navigable turn in the river, where we had a great view of Feather Falls and enjoyed hearing/telling stories about the Sausalito CYC outing, and the McCabe Cove event (you’d have liked this, Leo!). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We took a photo or two and, when Spike pointed out a large driftwood gathering (which I had been watching, as well) that had begun to shift with the changing wind and threatened to close off the river downstream, we pulled anchor and headed back for Sycamore Cove (none too soon; one boat width remained passable as the increasing wind dragged the considerable wood barge across the narrow river channel). I was both surprised and pleased to find out that this was Spike’s ‘fastest’ and first ever trip to where he could see Feather Falls from the water!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Hotel Charlie' reflected in a mirror!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I got to sit back with everyone while Herb drove </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kokomo</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for awhile, and enjoyed chatting with Spike about the trip to the Delta on the fourth of July. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kokomo</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is no stranger to the Delta! We were back at Sycamore Cove before you knew it (especially for the people that were used to sailing, which was everyone but us) and we settled into our cove for visiting, reading, bird watching and kayaking. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sometime in the afternoon, Spike left and, as he put it, “headed for the barn”. The evening fell, and after BBQ’ing some hot dogs, we invited Herb and Carolyn over to play ‘Farkle’. Herb said warily that he didn’t play games, but he gave it a try (he was in the lead for awhile!) and we had fun and lots of laughter before he wanted to turn in. We pulled </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kokomo</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> about 100’ away and dropped the anchor so we could watch a movie without bothering our friends on </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hotel Charlie</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Kokomo' is leaving on Sunday</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sunday morning was another beautiful one, and this time I’d had a full night’s sleep (no phony 6AM departure call!). It was a special morning (Lee Ann’s birthday!) and I made espresso for her and we spent some time chatting. Then, from 100’ away, we saw Carolyn posting a paper plate in </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hotel Charlie’s</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> rigging. It was hard to read from where we were, so I asked if they wanted company and rafted up. It read, “Happy Birthday Lee Ann ... to the Farkle Fairy Queen!” (Lee Ann was far ahead in the game last night when we quit!). Nice!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We had Herb and Carolyn over for breakfast and Lee Ann made her double cinnamon french toast (Yum!), Carolyn contributed a yummy fruit cocktail, and we enjoyed ourselves. Not long after, we said our goodbyes and headed up the South Fork as </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hotel Charlie</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> sailed back to the marina. I had a great experience as we cruised away ... </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a radio call on the VHF from HERB</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, pointing out an Osprey nest on our route. Lee enjoyed the sighting, and I enjoyed the second radio call I had ever received from Herb!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Herb and Carolyn ... in Hotel Charlie</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Later in the afternoon, as we were crossing the main lake, we were flagged down by a MacGregor 26 that was drifting in the sunshine. It was Donnie and Marilyn Howard, and we rafted up and enjoyed visiting for a while (and met their precious dogs Rosie and Lillie!) . We’d gotten to know and like Donnie on the McCabe Cove trip, and it was nice to meet Marilyn.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We ended the Earth Day protest cruise without anyone ever once speaking of Earth Day (to my knowledge). Like so many creative names, this one turned out to be just another wonderful opportunity to enjoy the natural beauty of our diverse home lake and the comraderie of CYC mates!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Herb took this great photo of the Spring flowers!</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068910591135710792.post-74751335593474355252012-08-26T14:50:00.003-07:002013-01-06T21:26:05.489-08:00The Prodigal Screen<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Some two years ago, I wrote in our ship's log that we lost Kokomo's port side window screen overboard while trying to put it on while on the water and after dark (lesson learned!). After some research, we ended up contacting the Canadian company who manufactured the custom screens for Rosborough boats, and found it was $80 + international shipping, or about $115 total. I was hesitant to pay that, though I knew that before we went back to the PNW, we'd have to do something about the screen. The bugs are plentiful there!<br />
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Thus my wife and I went back to that cove at Craig's Saddle regularly, slowing down to a 'putt' and searching for the missing screen. We knew the chances that we'd find it were slim, but I'd estimate 7 or 8 searches, in our 21' ski boat and on Kokomo, were spent with hopes that the lake (Lake Oroville, Oroville, CA) would receed to the point that we'd be able to see and retrieve our screen.<br />
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Then, in August, we were escorting a group of sailboats and kayaks from Chico Yacht Club, which we've since joined, and were passing by the cove where we'd lost the screen. Almost as an afterthought, I switched the autopilot off and steered into the cove for another search.<br />
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We got down to idle speed and trained our eyes on the rocky coastline. About 5 minutes into the search, I said to Lee, "Look, is that it?", and pointed to an item just above the waterline. Sure enough, it was Kokomo's long lost (and expensive) screen, exposed only the night before as the lake (a reservoir) let another 2' of water flow through the dam and down the Feather River. Lee Ann went for swim and I kept the boat close and before we knew it, we had the screen back aboard.<br />
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You'd think that two years of submersion would at least require re-screening, if not having ruined the screen frame completely. But the custom screen was probably worth what they charge for it, because with a little washing away of sand and wiping the mesh down, the screen (finish included!) was in the same condition it was when we'd inadvertently dropped it in the lake! Boy, we're happy to have it back.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068910591135710792.post-76545268955976717012012-07-09T08:17:00.002-07:002012-07-09T10:12:44.793-07:008 Days On The Lake for the 4th!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Lake Oroville is diverse along it's 167 miles of shoreline. One can find what feels like a different lake by simply changing locations. In eight nights, I spent my days wandering the lake (and meeting new folks), and each night in a different anchorage "out there".<br />
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During the July 4, 2012 season, I met several new friends on Lake Oroville. Neil and Sandy Mitchel from Yuba City are houseboaters ("Full Moon"), great musicians and wonderful hosts. Herb Clark and Carolyn Paul are (married) sailors who are involved with Chico Yacht Club's July 4th raft up (we took several of these folks out to the fireworks on the 4th) and friendly fellow yachtsmen with whom I enjoyed several conversations and comparisons of special places in the Pacific North West we've cruised/sailed.<br />
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I briefly met Don way up at Feather Falls, when he putted by to say that he was following and liked this blog. That revelation thrilled me and I wished I had gotten his last name or had more time to speak with him. Don't forget to visit compactyachts.com, Don, as I think you'll like the boating info there, too.<br />
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On this second 4th of July with the boat, it has found it's way into my heart and Kokomo's comfort, steadfastness and dependability have become a bit of legend in our family. I feel so fortunate to spend time with and on this particular yacht, and am so grateful to call her ours!<br />
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068910591135710792.post-23789905103556402032012-06-01T09:38:00.003-07:002012-06-05T13:27:55.943-07:00Memorial Day on the Rivers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We launched at the Centimudi Launch facility near the Shasta Dam near sundown on Friday, May 25, 2012, and after prep'ing the boat, found a nearby cove to call home for the night. Saturday morning was a beautiful mix of rain clouds and sunshine, and we made our way up the McLeod River, enjoying the sites along the way.<br />
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We stopped near the Mcleod Bridge to feed a hungry bunch of Canadians (Geese and precious Goslings), navigated beneath the bridge and then headed back downstream. KOKOMO found her way up the Sacramento River before the day was through, and we settled in a nice cove well before sundown for a nice evening on the river.<br />
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The next morning found us headed for the Pitt River, with a stop at Silverthorn Resort and really close observation of wild life (students on houseboat rental), and an espresso drink for Lee. We opted not to do the pizza and pub (clean and friendly but unremarkable pizza made on crust that was store-bought) and returned to the boat for Thai salad and had a nice lunch before heading up the river and all the way to the navigable end before reversing course. We spent the night on the Squaw Creek Arm of the lake and found a nice cove, and a mother Merganser and her 14 chicks to watch. We also spotted Golden Eagles and Bald Eagles during the day.<br />
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Monday (Memorial Day) we explored Squaw Creek and then made our way back toward civilization. Lee Ann swam (66F!) and suntanned on this, the sunniest of the three days, and the trip was topped off by a chance encounter of Bill & Jo Truby at Bridge Bay Resort. We sat in the cockpit and caught up on the last, tumultuous two years of our lives.<br />
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The ramp was a zoo on Memorial Day and so it took some time (and patience) to get the boat out and readied for the trip home. We stopped in Anderson at Mary's Pizza Shack for dinner with Ray and Donella Underwood (beloved 2nd cousins) which split the trip up a bit.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Shasta Lake, Shasta National Forest, Redding, CA 96003, USA40.761820969066008 -122.3670959472656240.713712969066009 -122.44605994726562 40.809928969066007 -122.28813194726563tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068910591135710792.post-35304339384690755122011-07-12T13:32:00.000-07:002011-07-12T13:32:58.838-07:00Independence Day Weekend - Lake Oroville, CA (July 3, 2011)It had been an eventful few months (another story) since I'd been out on Kokomo, and I was excited to be trailering the yacht to Spillway Launch Ramp on the Oroville Dam on July 3, 2011. I'd just completed a fill-up of her tanks - ouch! -and left the station headed for the ramp, when the truck was smashed into by another pick up that failed to stop for a red light.<br />
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If you know me, you know how I take care of my things, and the truck is no exception. It was heartbreaking to see the extent of the damage to the bed, rear door and passenger door. The other (elderly and unwell) driver said he "hit the wrong brake pedal", had no insurance, couldn't "remember" his address or phone number, etc. It was 103F on the pavement in Oroville, and we struggled with what to do. We decided to call the police to get a report, were grateful that no one was hurt and that we had good insurance. We were also thankful to note that, if everything had happened a split second earlier, the damage to my truck could have been much worse (cab and engine compartment), and if it had happened a second or two later, the boat (with a fresh filling of 120 gallons of gasoline) would have taken the brunt. The truck, damaged cosmetically as it was, proved the tough friend it had always been, and took us on to the ramp, and later home, safely.<br />
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The Sunday before the 4th at the launch ramp was busy and crowded, but the launch went smoothly (while fascinated onlookers watched) and before long we found ourselves leaving the crowds behind and heading up the Middle Fork of the Feather River and into the wilderness. We found a quiet cove for the night and dropped anchor. The temperatures were mild (Lee Ann even got cold during the night) and we slept well.<br />
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The next morning (after getting her coffee in bed) I enjoyed Lee Ann's breakfast, a delight I don't usually get when on board (because Lee usually isn't present), on deck and was ready to go by the time the sun was peaking over the mountain to our south. We motored up the river and marveled at how beautiful everything was. The lake was full after our rainy winter and the river and waterfalls were at their most gorgeous. We passed several waterfalls on our way upriver, and just before the waterway proved unpassable (great log jams of driftwood, from whole trees to stove-sized chunks, littered the river and blocked it completely far upstream) we arrived at the distant foot of Feather Falls, the third tallest waterfall in the country. We watched the falls a long time before turning and heading downstream.<br />
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A distance downstream, we discovered an older boat, full of people that looked like they'd been camping out (their gear was everywhere in the boat) who had their engine cover off but weren't doing anything. We stopped to ask them if they needed assistance and they said they'd run out of gas ... and that the gas gauge in the boat didn't work. I couldn't help but wonder (1) why they didn't fill-up their fuel tank before heading out, and (2) what were they doing 20+ miles up the river with women and children (no one in life vests) when they didn't know how much fuel they had. Nevertheless, we discussed their problem and I resolved to carry fuel for situations that might arise like this one in the future. Though I wasn't going to tow them in the opposite direction we were headed - except as a last resort - I told them I had about 1/3 gallon of gas as a last possibility, and that we'd take it upon ourselves to seek out the few boats we'd seen on the river and ask if they had gas cans (our gas fill is a no-siphon type, or we might have had another option) and get back to them. We found two other boats in the early morning on the river, but neither had gas. One of them, however, took a line from the disabled boat and began the slow tow downstream ... around 30 miles to the Spillway Launch Ramp. I was glad we could assist them and that the folks in the Crestliner could tow them, but I couldn't help thinking that some elementary planning would have avoided the inconvenience for all. I saw them after the fireworks that evening, so I guess all ended well. I hope the tow-er was reimbursed, or at least offered reimbursement, by the tow-ee.<br />
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We headed south once we got back to the lake, after stopping at a particularly beautiful waterfall, and put into a busy Bidwell Marina for a couple items the boat needed from the store, and an al-fresco lunch at the grill. Then we set our course for the South Fork of the Feather River, where we swam (water was 81F!) and then followed the river all the way to its navigable limits before turning around and making our way back to the lake.<br />
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Lee Ann made a yummy fruit salad and we had some baguette and spread and relaxed on the afterdeck. Then, another quick dip and off to pick up the Stewarts, who were meeting us at the Bidwell Marina launch ramp in time for fireworks. Tom & Kim have been friends for many years now, and we thoroughly enjoyed their company. The girls wanted to swim, so we went back to the confluence of the Middle and South Forks, where Tom and I chatted onboard and Lee and Kim swam and visited. They climbed aboard just in time for us to set off to see the fireworks, arriving as the first salvo of Oroville's annual fireworks show lit up the night sky.<br />
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Following a spectacular fireworks show, we joined the 900+ boats shlogging towards the ramp at Bidwell. Boy was that an adventure with the Rosborough. Between several curious 'examiners' who'd discovered us after the fireworks and wanted a close look (enroute), and boaters who were an accident waiting to happen, we were lucky to get Tom and Kim safely on the dock and get out of there without colliding with another boat. But we successfully motored to the other end of the lake, under the Bidwell Bar Bridge, and to a spot near the confluence of the Middle and South forks of the river, where I wearily dropped anchor and (before double-checking that it had set properly) fell into bed and was soon asleep.<br />
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I'm not sure what woke me. Probably the wind or beam waves we were taking, but I remember looking out the v-berth window and seeing the north tower of the Bidwell Bar Bridge looming above the boat. It took a minute, in my sleepy fog, for it to register on me how wrong that was, but I sprang up in time (just!) to start the boat and avoid the rocky shoreline on the Berry Creek end of the bridge. It was foggy (boy was I thankful for the MFD!) but I retraced what was probably the float route the boat had taken (in the past 4.5 hours) and found a different place to anchor, double-checking (then triple-checking) that the anchor had set before drifting off to sleep once again.<br />
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Morning found the anchor still set and the fog cleared. Lee Ann and I enjoyed her home-made granola and dried fruit for breakfast, and set course for the Spillway Launch Ramp, where I'd drop her off and spend the day alone on the lake. Once she'd departed for her work day (I missed her immediately) I engaged the autopilot for a long trip north, determined to go all the way up the North Fork of the Feather River in the same weekend (or trip) that we'd done so on the Middle and South Forks. The hours passed and the boat motored on flawlessly, and before you knew it, I was further up the North Fork than I'd ever come (in the 21' lake boat we love) and looking down at a string of bouys that blocked me from going any further. I could see the powerhouse breakwater in Yankee Hill about 150 yards ahead, so I had reached the navigable limits. I knew of the treacherous rocks that, on this day, lay under some 63' of water beneath me. This was possible due to the high water ... who knows if or when we'll see the treeline and waterline kiss this way again.<br />
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I spent some time in a sort of grotto at a waterfall (fading fast, but still flowing) on the way downstream, then couldn't resist a swim in a side bay when the MFD told me the water temp had risen to 84.5F an hour later. By the time that was done, it was time to again head for the dam to pick up my sweetheart for dinner (which she'd picked up) and a swim as the sun went down, then to pull the boat out and head home.<br />
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I had resisted putting the boat in at Lake Oroville since that's where we've enjoyed the smaller boat for 11 years now, but we had a wonderful time and realized quickly that you do very different things with the Rosborough than on a 21' open boat. We felt like we were on a different lake because we were aboard a decidedly different boat. We won't hesitate to visit Lake Oroville and it's three feeder forks of the Feather River again.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068910591135710792.post-49975244083151355402011-02-01T10:36:00.000-08:002011-02-03T19:05:36.047-08:00San Francisco Bay (January 27, 2011)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">My third visit to the Bay found new sites and experiences. On Thursday, I arrived after 4.5 hours of driving and put the boat in (without incident) and met an old schoolmate (classmate from the class of '77 at Rio Lindo) for a few hours. Kent Griswold and I enjoyed catching up while cruising to San Francisco from Berkeley. While there, I got to 'mix pleasures' ... my love of being on the new boat with my 25-year career with passenger ships. The vessel CARNIVAL SPLENDOR was in dry dock in S. San Francisco undergoing repairs and refurbishments (see photo). NOTE: Carnival announced that she'll be returning to sail the classic Mexican Riviera itinerary on February 20th. This was in some doubt since many of the ships serving LA ports have moved to Galveston and elsewhere due to concerns about the safety of passengers in Mexico. Looks like Carnival Cruise Lines is going to stick to their commitment to sail the 7-day Mexico route and to their investment in the Long Beach cruise terminal they've built to serve that market.<br />
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Lee Ann joined me on Friday and we set out for Tiburon for breakfast at 'A New Day', a cafe on the main drag that proved top-notch. MARINER's NOTE: You can put in at the docks behind Sam's, tie up and walk into town. If you're not a shallow draft boat, watch the tides. We saw two sailboats aground there in one weekend; low tide does not leave enough water beneath the docks for a deep keel boat or a heavy vessel with more than 3' of draft.<br />
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We then set a course NE out of Racoon Straight for Richmond, and proceeded to explore the areas beyond Point Richmond and Brickyard Cove. There were three more marinas back in there, and about a mile of boats at the end before a turning basin. It was in the last of these marinas that I found my first on-water RF-246 (since we became owners), the Island Gypsy of Port Ludlow, WA (see photo). I'm not sure what brought it to Richmond, but there it was, in excellent repair with Delta Cab, a single Yamaha outboard and a kicker engine. I let Lee Ann ashore and she put a card on the windshield. We're hopeful the owner will contact us.<br />
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That Saturday was the '3 Bridges Fiasco' on the Bay. Some 400+ sailboats (shorthanded; only one or two people allowed on board) sailed a non-specific route around marker buoys at the Golden Gate, Richmond-San Rafael and Bay Bridges in a chase race that concluded back in San Francisco at the St. Francis Yacht Club. The commotion and colors on the Bay were both considerable as this event played out, but alas the wind was not sufficient for speed sailing and many boats cruised the day away (into the night) and then did not finish. We waited anxiously as a new friend from "our dock" in Berkeley made his way in about 9PM (having left at 7AM!), having tried but not succeeded in finishing the race alone.<br />
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As usual, Kokomo made cruising the Bay - even in cold weather - a joy!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068910591135710792.post-65552685544190333632011-01-20T15:37:00.000-08:002011-01-20T15:46:39.636-08:00Trintec: Front & CenterI've known since Kokomo became ours that I wanted to put a nautical clock in the boat, but I was unprepared for the vast number of choices I'd be faced with when I began looking at models within the size range that would fit in/on her center overhead panel. I knew that we could accommodate only about a 5.5" overall size, and that I could just fit three instruments on this panel.<br />
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I looked at every imaginable configuration of clocks ... including those which have a barometer and thermometer built in. Those with all of the instruments on a single plank of wood were interesting, and I thought I'd found one that looked nice until I got a close look at it and learned a portion of the bezel on the clock was plastic (vs. brass). Wanting something that was low-maintenance and rugged in construction (like the boat!), I waited and looked.<br />
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In a West Marine store in Oakland, I saw a line of Weems & Plath clocks that looked like they were well built. In handling the model, I found a Canadian maple leaf on the rear of the box, and thought to myself that it would be kind-of-nice to honor the lineage of the vessel (she's built in Nova Scotia) with a clock that was also Canadian.<br />
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So I came home and did some online research and found the company that built the Weems & Plath models I'd seen. And I visited their website, which featured a nice selection of nautical clocks ... built right ... with five year warranties. I found an online dealer (OK, it was on eBay!) that offered the models I wanted, and ordered one each of the Coast Line tidal clock, thermometer and barometer. These were to be my Christmas gift from my wife ... perfect!<br />
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I installed them this week and couldn't be happier with the Trintec instruments. They seem to fit the boat perfectly (you decide, there are two photos to the right...) and the price - which included all four of the instruments I want on the boat (the clock has a tidal clock built in) - was less than one of the fancy brass clocks I was looking at before.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068910591135710792.post-39592541694114117622011-01-11T22:44:00.001-08:002011-01-13T10:56:07.698-08:00Northwest San Francisco Bay (January, 2011)<div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.7175083071924746" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My second trip to the San Francisco Bay was solo, as Lee Ann traveled to Lakeport to meet with her family. I learned quickly to appreciate the Rosborough’s pacific northwest rigging, as the average daytime high temperature was 44F and the nights sported temps in the 30’s. With the Wallace 30D diesel heather running, I was as comfortable as on a summer day.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve decided it’ll take about 10 trips to the Bay to see it all. This trip I chose the northwest coast (Marin and Sonoma counties) to explore and, after a peaceful night in berth M298, headed out early the next morning onto a slightly lumpy and marginally foggy Bay, turned to a heading of about 300 and headed north.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My first coastal discovery was Paradise Cay (also called Paradise Park by land lubbers) and it was remarkable how nicely manicured it was in the dead of winter. Another several miles up the coast, I found the entrance to the port of Corte Madera. There are no boater’s amenities here, not even a public dock, but it was an interesting trip to the ferry terminal and on up Corte Madera creek, past dozens of boats and waterfront homes of all calibers. In many of the places on my port side, the boat on the dock was worth more than the house on land (or at least it seemed that way to me). I traveled as far up river as I could, past countless homes and apartment complexes, until my depth sounder told me the bottom was coming up and I turned around with just 2.9 feet of water beneath the boat. While navigating the channel (narrow and unforgiving as it is) coming in and going out of Corte Madera, it was remarkable how close to the men recreating in the yard at San Quentin Federal Prison one gets. Couldn’t help but think of the differences in my laid back boat-born freedom, and their lack of basic pleasures. And then I thought of the reasons for their incarceration, and was glad for the place.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Clear of the long Corte Madera entrance channel, I set a northerly course for San Rafael. This city and port was as different from Corte Madera as could be, with four separate large marinas and lots of industrial activity - mostly surrounding boating and yachting - far flung upstream. I motored for over an hour heading inland and exploring marinas, and turned around at the San Rafael Yacht Club where a low bridge blocked my way. I entered the Loch Lomond Marina (the last one on my way out) and browsed an interesting assortment of boats and people.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I then turned north again and passed under the (very grand from the water) Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and found myself a short distance from the re-done lighthouse on Brother’s Island to the east. Since my next destination was McNear Beach and China Camp, and the guide I was using specified navigation along the Brothers Islands and Sisters Islands along the way, I set out across the Bay for the lighthouse.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Spectacularly returned to its original glory, the lighthouse and keeper’s quarters are a must see. I tried to get a good photo, but one dares not get too close to the rocky shores. Then I set out north, across the busy shipping channel, watching the AIS (automated information system) readout’s on my MFD carefully. Visibility was an issue, with the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge dissappearing into the fog behind me and several AIS targets not yet visible on the radar ahead. The radar itself proved valuable, and enabled me to avoid collision courses with several other smaller vessels (yachts) who were moving through the area. I crossed the shipping lanes, among huge tankers steaming out of Richmond and the Chevron refinery facilities, and put the Sister Islands on my port beam on the other side, closing in on McNear Beach. Off China Camp (the historical site of the gathering of Chinese immigrants in the early 19th century) I cut the engines and let her drift, taking in the old rotting pier (still usable) and the ancient buildings ashore. While lying off China Camp, I saw a Nordhavn 47 at anchor. This was our 2nd choice in the Norhavn line, and would have been a very nice yacht to own. I found myself thinking about the fraction of the cost of that boat that I’d spent on the Rosborough (we'd be strapped to a stiff payment and all of the expenses of mooring and maintenance that come with an in-water vessel if we'd gotten the Nordhavn), and the fact that I could put it on a trailer and take it home (and to anywhere we were willing to drive), and - though that Nordhavn certainly looked good - I sure felt good about the choices we’d made.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After making a few log entries and feeling like I’d breathed in the offshore atmosphere enough to get a feel for it, I set a southwesterly course past the Brothers Islands and on past Richmond to Berkeley, getting in about ½ hour before sunset.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All in all, it was great day of exploration, and I logged about 7 hours on the boat. The next morning I motored to Jack London Square and put into the public dock to get some breakfast at the Farmer’s Market Lee Ann and I had found here two months ago. Fresh crepes and an apple made a great meal, and I got some spinach Afghani bread for later in the day. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In checking the tides, I estimated we were about an hour from a high tide and opted to head south in Oakland Estuary Channel and try the rarely-traveled San Leandro Channel route which would allow me a complete circumnavigation of Alameda Island. I can see why the yachts all stopped about 3 miles from the San Leandro confluence (there were no boats at all in the San Leandro channel), because the water got very shallow (4’ at times) and there were a number of stakes and markers in the water, marking previous grounding sites. Staying carefully in the channel. hitting the shallowest areas at high tide (which I suspect were dried out at low tide) and mindful of my 2’ draft, I completed the circumnavigation in about 2 hours. The water depths some 2 miles out into the Bay were only 6 or 7 feet.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I crossed the Bay and motored up the San Fransisco coast, marveling at how many people were ashore. My history as a cruise ship journalist (I've been in the cruise business for 25 years; mostly in the booking end) was stirred by the sighting of an old Dolphin Cruises vessel, now derelict and resting at a quiet moorage in San Fransisco. Her name was painted over but her blue stack and familiar lines reminded me of how quickly these grand ships become faded memories when they are removed from service. As I recall, Dolphin Cruises was among several lines that failed (Regency, Renaissance, Dolphin, Admiral, etc.) in the travel stagnation which followed 9/11/01. I was able to get right up to her starboard side, close enough to peer into the darkened depths of her lower deck. I imagined the day when this ship was adorned in lights, alive 7 days a week with activity, and her decks were busy with passengers and crew. Her deteriorated state put into mind ships that I had traveled aboard (President Roosevelt, Stella Solaris, Norway, Skyward, Seawind Crown and others), and which were even now in even more pitiful states on the beaches of Alang, in various stages of dismantlement. More than a third of the 85+ vessels I've sailed are now 'retired'. I wondered if there might be an Alang-bound tug tow in the future for this former Dolphin?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A trip out under the Golden Gate (where 8' swells were sending waves crashing against the sea wall at Fort Point) and then a return course set past Alcatraz for Berkeley brought this day and another Bay adventure to an end. I lingered out on the Bay as the sun set and the lights of the city came on. Magnificent peace. Two tenths of the Bay explored ... eight tenths to go! Kokomo had performed flawlessly, once again.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068910591135710792.post-17729772223851078162010-12-01T22:50:00.000-08:002010-12-30T16:00:33.319-08:00I'll keep mine ... thank you! After launching at Berkeley Marina recently, I watched a 25' C-Dory launch and prepare to go to sea. NOTE: It's remarkable to me how much more room I have in the Rosborough (which is 25' plus the hull extension and outboards)! Anyway, the skipper of the other boat rushed around and got his icebox in the cockpit, perched his Bimini-style top (over the cockpit), and generally got her ready. He then parked his rig (small, compared to mine; must be pretty nice to tow) and ran back to his boat. He started up the single Yamaha 115 outboard and let it warm up, then put her in gear.<br />
There was a tone difference to the engine (the product of the transmission engaging), but no frothing of wake at the stern as I was expecting. I was more than a little interested now, as I had never seen an outboard behave this way. I thought briefly that it was a jet, but even a jet produces disturbed water. The skipper gave the engine a quick burst of power, and then walked back and looked at it, evidently as bewildered as I and several others in the area had become.<br />
He went back to the helm, turned off the engine and raised it out of the water. Because of my position about 40' behind him, I got a first look at the prop shaft. He had no propeller, and at first I thought that he'd spun one off. But, in thinking about it, there had never been prop wash, even for a moment.<br />
I could tell by his face that he was just as surprised to see a bare shaft as I was. In talking to him later, after he'd pulled the boat out of the water again, I learned that he'd just put a new propeller on the boat (after hitting the original one on a rock in an Oregon river this summer) and had spent $600 total to do that. He remembers thinking that "Someone could just steal this!" and then letting the thought go. And someone had. Probably at his home in Redding, California, on the curb where he leaves his boat all day and night, and likely during the day when he was at work. He figures the thief would have taken about 3 minutes to dislodge his cotter pin, nut and thrust washer and remove the propeller ... and all he'd need was a multi-tool or a pair of needle nose pliers.<br />
I've never had problems with the aluminum prop on my lake boat, and it and Kokomo live at home (which is, these days, well off the beaten path on our own acreage) near Paradise, CA. But I got to thinking that the two props on my boat were pretty valuable (stainless steel, etc.) and would make a thief a quick $1000+ if they were stolen. Aside from the expense of replacing the props, there was the reality of traveling somewhere to use the boat (usually at least a 4 hour proposition) and finding, upon arrival, that your carefully-pampered outboards don't have what they need to 'go' (though I can't imagine leaving for such a trip without checking the props). NOTE: This fella had traveled 2 hours further than I had (6 hours) to get to Berkeley Marina, and had no idea where to go to find a propeller and the mounting kit for his boat. I directed him to the West Marine store in Alameda, but he was going to look for somewhere closer.<br />
I decided to take affirmative action, and did research on the propeller locks that are out there. I settled on McGard propeller locks, ordered them, and had them on Kokomo the following week. In doing my research, I learned that, in California, one of every 24 stainless propellers is stolen! This includes the props on lots of boats that are not trailerable (it's evidently easy to remove them in the water too, and the thief - who does his work underwater - is less prone to being caught). Alarming. The McGard locks mount in about 10 minutes (once I had the original prop nut, cotter pin and the thrust washer removed) and are designed to simply spin if someone without the "key" tries to remove them. I'm impressed with the quality of these locks, and only a little concerned about operating the engines without cotter pins on the propeller shafts (the McGard system requires torquing to their specifications and relies on other than the cotter pin method to secure the prop). I liked the product well enough that I also purchased one for the prop on my Volvo SX outdrive on the ski boat.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068910591135710792.post-48466450341720387182010-11-22T12:18:00.001-08:002010-11-25T15:42:39.565-08:00Sacramento River Delta<div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.525757894385606" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> My trip to the Delta was interesting and scenic, with a close call at the end. The scenic portion was the non-stop Delta character of the marinas and shoreside eateries I stopped at. I began my trip at Brannan Island State Park (because it has a large ramp facility, a patrolled parking lot, and I have purchased a season pass to CA state parks). The first night I stayed at the Brannan Island State Park “marina”, a humble concoction of docks in a little cove just downstream from the launch ramp. It was safe and I hadn’t had the chance to get to know the area yet, so I paid my $14 and called it a night (no power and water). NOTE: I don’t recommend this to anyone who has a problem with noise. There are tent campsites just across the way, and I can’t believe how loud and noisy they are, even after 11PM. There are many marinas and, if you look for them, many anchoring grounds nearby. I recommend making reservations or coming early enough in the afternoon to choose a spot for the night.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> The next morning I visited the coin-op showers (nice!) and bathrooms, then set out to explore the area. My range included the Sacramento, Mokelumne and San Juaquin Rivers, and a number of sloughs. I ventured all the way up to Tower Park Marina, then came out the back way onto the San Joaquin. I spent the night where they have the 4th of July fireworks (had experienced this place when we’d taken “Tortuga” for a test drive). The next day I set out for Frank’s Tract and for Antioch, and then back up the San Joaquin River to Brannon Island. I enjoyed a couple of meals ashore, but ate on the boat most of the time. I took down the radar tower twice to make it under a couple of low bridges (at high tide), and enjoyed the slow Delta pace.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> NOTE: I recommend the Angus burger at the Moore’s Boathouse (proprietary docks right in front of the restaurant), and the steak & egg breakfast at Spindrift Restaurant; both are a boat-up affair on 10-mile “the loop” off Highway 12. Spindrift Restaurant is across the street from the marina, so your tie up is at the guest dock near the office and fuel dock. The Spindrift Restaurant is a nautically-themed restaurant with a 5’ model of the Normandie and a full-size diving suit on display. Though the bar was in full bloom at 9:30 AM, the restaurant side was very nice and the food was great.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Upon returning to the dock on Sunday, I put the boat alongside the dock and went to get my truck. As I stepped out onto the dock, another boat was making for the next dock over. I lent a hand landing the boat (the owner had recently purchased it and wasn’t used to it yet). When we finally got the boat tied up, I went on about getting my truck. The owner of the other boat was nice enough to help me get Kokomo lined up and on the trailer before he pulled away. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I was checking the front tie downs, when all of sudden there was a loud crash, and I looked around the other side of my boat to see the boat (a 25’ or 27’ Bayliner cabin cruiser) the trailer (minus the truck!), missing my boat and truck by a few feet, barreling backwards into the Delta waters. There was no getting in the middle of this, so I watched as the boat and trailer settled into the waters about 20’ aft of the water line, glad that my truck and boat had been spared. The owner was as amazed as I was that the boat hadn’t hit anything else and that it had gone back into the water where it had come out (it had to make quite a corner to do this). I told him I’d help him figure out what to do, and that I had a winch on the my truck that would pull it out. With my boat and trailer on it I pulled the truck and trailer out of the water and pulled in just ahead of his truck.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> We had kept the boat and trailer from catching on the docks (under the docks) by attaching lines and lifting it towards the truck, but as we got it up the ramp, the weight became too heavy. I suggested a winch, and the owner said he had a winch - he pointed to a tiny little winch on his ‘headache’ rack and said that ought to do it. I looked at the boat and trailer and that little winch and chose not to say what I was thinking. I again offered my (big!) winch, and he refused. He got the winch line out and hooked it up to boat trailer and winched it slowly towards the trailer</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Then two guys from the ramp area came running down to see if they could help. We were virtually done with the project (might still need the big winch), but they were sure they had the solution and loudly set about looking at the boat and trailer, etc. etc. I think they were more than a 6-pack (each) into their beer stores. The owner was too kind to tell them to ‘bug out’ so we just continued with what we were doing. Just about 3’ before the trailer engaged to the hitch, the little winch made some “gurgling” sounds and faltered. Too much of the boat was coming out of the water and the winch could barely keep up. I pictured loosing the boat into the water again, but stayed silent. But, after giving it a rest, the winch pulled the boat up the rest of the way and we got it on the trailer. The two guys were talking about how the incident had happened and how they’d figured out how to rescue it; was a little funny if you think about it, but I can see where the owner would be a little less prone to humor. I excused myself from the loud, drunken excess of the two men and shook the owner’s hand, leaving to tend to my boat.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> We still don’t know how the trailer came off. Maybe an adjustment on his hitch or perhaps he never had it on right from home. He had the right ball, and he had the safety chain (which snapped when the boat broke loose) engaged. Better here than on the highway!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Later, I was busy putting my boat in order, and pulling it up to the front roller and the winch broke. This was on dry, level land, but I was curious how I’d get my boat home safely. The owner of the other boat, who was out getting his boat squared away, gave me a clevis that I could put on the safety chain to get me home. I now have three connections that I make up front: (1) the winch line (13,700# breaking strength), (2) a double safety chain with a pelican-style hook, and (3) a vertical limiter that checks the up and down motion Rosboroughs want to make while on the trailer. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> And now I check my hitch/ball connection before I put the boat on the trailer.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068910591135710792.post-3633603098395555402010-11-21T13:08:00.000-08:002010-12-30T16:10:20.251-08:00The McCleod RiverA few weeks ago I spent a Saturday and Saturday night up the McCleod River. It's about 2.5 hours from our home, and is accessed through the Shasta Lake launch at Centimudi launch ramp (Shasta Recreation Company). I went alone as this was a weekend that Lee Ann was at the Christian womens retreat, and there were nice people who assisted me with both launching and retrieving Kokomo (I can launch it alone, but I need help lining it up to the trailer to retrieve it; I suppose someday I'll have to try doing that alone).<br />
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After launching, securing the parking pass, and casting off, I realized that the water underneath the boat was crystal clear. I could see to the bottom of it (the depth sounder read 46 feet deep) with fish in between. I hadn't been on Shasta Lake for some years, and it was every bit as beautiful (maybe more so since it was still up around the 3/4 mark in October). So I made for the Pitt River and spent the night on the hook there, just getting in to a cove before dark. The next day I had breakfast at Bridge Bay Marina (met Jim there, and we talked at length about the boat; sent him contact info for Les) and headed up the McCleod. NOTE: For those who aren't familiar with Shasta Lake, there are three rivers feeding into it. They are the Sacramento, McCleod and Pitt Rivers. There are also numerous creeks (including Squaw Creek which makes up it's own arm) and brooks that feed into the lake, but the rivers are what made it when the dam was built.<br />
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The McCleod is beautiful and unspoiled. There are a few boat-in campgrounds and a wilderness boat ramp available, but on a sunny day in October, I passed three boats in some 14 miles of cruising. The rest of the trip was wilderness. The miriad of wooded coves available to the prepared boater is endless, and the buttes and bluffs, cliffs and promontories all seem like they're worth a photo (didn't take any, of course - I was too busy enjoying the scenery!). As I proceeded up the river, it grew smaller, and about the time I was carefully watching my depth sounder (it had dropped below the alarm level of 10 feet), signs of civilization and the McCleod River Bridge came into view. A few months earlier, I'd have been able to make it to the bridge to turn around, but I thought better of that as rocks began to appear around me and the depth sounder broke 5 feet. I turned around about 200 yards from the bridge, found a cove about 3 miles downriver, dropped an anchor, and had lunch.<br />
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That night I proceeded about half the way back to the junction of I-5 and Bridge Bay Marina (where friends Bill and Jo keep 'Angel', their Crestliner patio boat), and at about sunset, laid an anchor down and called it a night in a quiet cove about a million miles from nowhere. A peaceful night later, I went swimming in the lake (first time swimming off the boat) and lay on the roof to let the sun warm me (it was a bit chilly in the water; the temp reading was 66F). I could have stayed for days, but I set a course for the Centimudi ramp, about 17 miles away and arrived home about an hour before Lee Ann got there.<br />
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NOTE: I received an e-mail from Harry Buckwalter noting that he'd had a 'Kokomo sighting'. He and his wife had seen me towing the boat home from Shasta. I hope to meet them some day. It turns out that they got an RF-246 Sedan Cruiser within a month or two of when we did ... and they live in the same county (Butte County) in the mountain town of Forbestown. They're retired, and have time to use their boat. I envy that, but am glad that we find the time to enjoy Kokomo, if not for longer trips, then well-chosen shorter ones.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068910591135710792.post-31824258425527233522010-11-16T11:42:00.000-08:002011-11-05T13:02:55.398-07:00Winch Line - Amsteel Blue 5/16" ROPE instead of a strap or cable<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;">I recently had to replace the winch on our King trailer. The Fulton 3200# 2-speed model buckled (and parts broke off and flew into the water!) when I was winching the boat onto the trailer at Brannan Island marina in the Sacramento River Delta.</span><br />
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In replacing the winch, I decided on another winch of the same type (best of the choices out there). I removed and sanded and painted the steel plate that the winch mounts to, and mounted the new winch with the same three bolts to the trailer. Then I ordered a strap with a similar working strength to what had been on the old winch (figured I should get everything new, though the old strap was still serviceable) and prepared to install it. The strap seemed less substantial to me than the old one (that came on the trailer) was, and so I returned it and began looking at alternatives.<br />
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I could put a cable on the boat, oil it regularly and replace it every few years. I could order a heavier strap, adapt the winch (which is fitted from the factory to handle a cable or rope) by drilling holes in either side and fitting a bolt for the strap to mount to. Or I could think 'outside the box'.<br />
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I did the latter and, after looking at many types of heavy duty rope, came across one that bills itself as the alternative to cable. It's called Amsteel Blue, and it utilizes Dutch technology which makes it several times stronger than rope and stronger than the equivalent size of cable. It is nearly impossible to cut (requires a very sharp razor knife) and it floats! So I ordered 25' of Amsteel Blue in a 5/16" thickness, and installed it on my winch (with a 4" section of shrink-tubing where the rope passes through the wall of the winch to be anchored the outside). Couldn't be happier with the rope's performance to date. The breaking strength of the 5/16" Amsteel Blue is 13,700#. I don't anticipate any trouble with a boat that, fully loaded is about 8000#<br />
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I liked it so much that I ordered four lengths of 3/16" Amsteel Blue for my fenders. Overkill perhaps (breaking strength of 5400#), but I'll never worry about currents or a rough dock wearing on my fender lines! An added benefit is that you can use a much smaller thickness of line (3/16" vs. 5/8" in regular rope), leaving more room on the cleat for your docking lines, etc.<br />
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Resource: There are several places to get Amsteel Blue, but I think I found the best: Greg Kenley at Midwest Winchrope (<a href="http://www.midwestwinchrope.com/">www.midwestwinchrope.com</a>) will cut your length(s) to order and splice loops/thimbles into the ends for you. He does top notch work, and his prices are at least as good as larger 'discount' shops. His phone number is: (573) 703-3040 and, as a bonus, he's a nice guy. Amsteel Blue is as tough as it gets and I'm glad I found it for Kokomo. You may have an interest in taking a look at the demo video (Greg's homegrown video) at: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcifJkhXpMM">http://www.youtube.com/watch? =FcifJkhXpMM</a>. Even if you're not looking for heavy duty, light weight winch line, it's pretty interesting.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068910591135710792.post-67284899180769100402010-11-16T08:53:00.000-08:002010-11-18T09:46:40.870-08:00Kokomo's Performance Data According to HondaSome have asked about our boat's power configuration and what it translates to in terms of power reserves and fuel consumption. I had the same questions before we bought the boat, of course. After all, the twin BF150 4-stroke engines represent the maximum horsepower recommended by the factory and I wondered about the fuel efficiency (of major concern to us) with these two large engines. We had spent years anticipating ownership of an inboard diesel and, though the other advantages were clear (space onboard, accessibility for maintenance and repairs, the reliability of Honda and Yamaha outboards, the ability to raise the engines out of the water, etc.), our concerns regarding trawler-speed cruising at low fuel burns remained.<br />
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Happily, some time before I purchased Kokomo, Honda technicians performed a test (on my boat) to determine what the real performance specifications with twin Honda BF150's were. I was able to review this before I bought the boat and have confirmed it's accuracy in some 80 hours of cruising since. I'm delighted to note that, at trawler speeds, I'm getting at least the efficiency that a Cummins QR150 diesel would get in my boat - maybe better - and, of course, the high-speed capability that a diesel would not be capable of (30 knots, or 35.6 mph at W.O.T.).<br />
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I've included a link (in the links section, below right) to the Honda page where my boat is featured for your review. Note the fuel burn at trawler speeds (6-7 knots) and again in the 14 mpg range (another strength of the Rosborough hull). I'm very pleased with the overall performance of the boat. In a recent trip to San Francisco Bay, I ran Kokomo for four days and returned with 1/5th of a tank of fuel (per the digital fuel management system). We ran at WOT for about 5-7 minutes per day (engine maintenance) and at trawler speeds about 70% of the time and cruising speeds (14-20 knots) the rest of the time. NOTE: I estimate that we're burning about 15% more fuel with twins than if we'd had a single-engine powered boat, and the wear on the two engines is greatly reduced at higher speeds. Also, I've found that the boat's agility with twins is very valuable. I can literally 'turn on a dime' (no forward or backward motion) by engaging both engines in opposing directions, which makes getting into and out of tight spaces a breeze. * The boat features counter-rotating propellers.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068910591135710792.post-22469375590117056372010-11-15T10:34:00.000-08:002010-11-16T08:28:05.980-08:00Kokomo On San Francisco BayKokomo's first trip to San Francisco Bay started in the Berkeley Marina, a 4-hour trip from our home in Paradise. I chose the Berkeley Marina (from the dozens of options on the Bay) because it was (1) close to us, (2) had a launch ramp, and (3) charged only .50 a foot for overnight moorage (with electricity and water), but the marina has so much more to offer. It is central to most everything on the Bay, has wonderful running/walking/bicycling trails, has a Hana Japan restaurant on site, and features good parking at the ramp for my (very long) rig. We spent four excellent and peaceful nights here, and will make it our home whenever we visit San Francisco Bay in the future.<br />
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We had excellent weather all four days of our trip, which enabled us to see more than we'd originally planned. We visited Sausalito, Tiburon (Sam's Anchor Cafe for lunch!), Brickyard Cove Marina in Richmond (site of our previous sailing experience on Starr and Gary Piner's Swan sailboat and where I met a new friend, Gary, on this trip), the San Francisco waterfront, Oakland estuary (cruised the entire estuary to San Leandro Bay) and Alameda (Ballena Bay Marina, site of two previous yacht trials, when we were looking for a trawler in 40'-60' range). In between were many hours of scenic cruising on one of America's most beautiful waterways. There wasn't a moment that something interesting wasn't happening on the Bay.<br />
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On Saturday, our daughter and her family came to cruise with us. Ryan and Kirsten, and our three awesome grandchildren had fun on Kokomo as we circumnavigated Angel Island, saw a large Coast Guard cutter and prepared yummy hot dogs on the grill. It was a grand day for Grandpa and Grammy as we got to have two of our favorite things together ... time with the kids and grandkids and time on the boat (if our son, Derik, could have been there, it would have been perfect!).<br />
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At one point in the weekend, Lee Ann and I took a trip under the Golden Gate bridge and out several miles to the light house at Point Bonita. We experienced the 'biggest' water Kokomo had found there, with 8-10' swells at about 15 second intervals. The boat did very well in these waters (no big deal), and Lee Ann (who'd worried about whether she'd feel OK in big water) did too. I was grateful for both of these facts and again impressed with the Rosborough's seakindliness.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068910591135710792.post-71435896588998515972010-11-08T00:03:00.000-08:002010-12-30T16:05:46.987-08:00Our Header Photo<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">In response to a couple of questions about the header photo (the picture of the boat that tops the blog), it was taken on the windward side of the guest dock at Coupeville, Washington, located on the southern shore of Penn Cove. A delightful town on the east side of Whidbey Island, Coupeville features much of what the yacht traveler is looking for. I enjoyed a night there and met a friend who had restored his boat from scratch (Hello Dennis!). I can recommend the Marionberry breakfast pastry (my wife, son and I split it!) at the bakery/restaurant at the end of the street (turn left off the dock, stay left and walk to the end of the street; it's on your left) and the gourmet hot dogs at the streetside stand (at the end of the pier nearest the street; get the saurkraut if so inclined). The gas dock is run by the harbormaster, a woman who is also the owner of the variety store in the marina building on the jetty. Mooring here is a dollar per foot and there are excellent shower and restroom facilities for which you should request a night key. There is no power or water, but the dock is in good repair, and there are often Orca in Penn Cove.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068910591135710792.post-24102435223087322172010-11-07T22:47:00.000-08:002015-07-13T12:06:03.873-07:00Specifications: Kokomo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I like to think that KOKOMO is the best-outfitted yacht of its type and so I'm providing a complete summary of my boat's specifications here, for your review. This kind of information was one of the things I paid close attention to when I was searching for a boat. Perhaps it'll be helpful to readers who are considering purchasing this fine vessel (Price for the boat is near the bottom of this list):<br />
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<b><u>Vessel</u>:</b><br />
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Length: 25'<br />
Length overall: 28' 6' (with 2' power hull extension and approx. 2' of engines)<br />
Power: (2) Honda BF 150 Four Stroke (CA C.A.R.B. compliant) outboards<br />
Fuel: 120 gallons<br />
Water: 37 gallons + aux. tanks<br />
Holding tanks: (1) black water<br />
Factory electrical system with LED lighting, AC/DC outlets, etc.<br />
12V on-demand water system<br />
Novacool Marine Refridgerator<br />
Force 10 Stove (propane)<br />
Force 10 Water Heater (electric)<br />
Wallace 30D 3-zone diesel heat system with digital control panel<br />
Forward overhead gear and electronics cabinet (see below)<br />
Factory HD dingy davit system<br />
Factory roof extension over cockpit<br />
Cockpit transom seat<br />
Custom aluminum fold-down (for towing & fixed bridge clearance) radar tower w/GPS antenna to starboard, Sirius antenna to port, VHF whip, Raymarine enclosed-array radar rotator, and LED anchor light<br />
22lb Delta anchor<br />
<span style="color: blue;">* NEW in Spring of 2015 - Updated the factory running lights to oversize, waterproof 100,000-hour LED lights made in Australia. They're very nice!</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">* NEW in spring of 2015 - Installed a 3.5mm cable and jack for the iPhone in the stereo</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">* REBUILT (good as new) in 2015 - Jabsco macerator pump </span><br />
<br />
<u><b>Propulsion:</b></u><br />
<br />
(2) HONDA BF-150 (C.A.R.B. Compliant) outboard engines ($16,837.00 each)<br />
(2) Stainless, counter-rotating propellers<br />
<br />
** Performance data (calm seas, no current):<br />
Best Rate Of Burn: 4-5 knots @ 0.8 gph (single engine)<br />
Trawler economical speed: 6-7 knots @ 1.8 gph<br />
Cruise speed: 12-14 knots @ 5.5 gph<br />
W.O.T. (wide open throttle): 32 knots @ 24 gph<br />
<br />
<u><b>Electrical:</b></u><br />
<br />
Batteries - Propulsion: (2) group 24 AGM Interstate<br />
Batteries - House: (2) Interstate 100AH AGM Series 110<br />
Inverter: Xantrex PROSine 2000W<br />
Shore power: 30 AMP 50' marine power cable<br />
AFI electric horn<br />
Bennett trim tab system with helm control<br />
Lewmar V-700 Vertical windlass with helm control (w/spare lever)<br />
Dual Blue Sea ACR relays (engine/house batteries charge relays)<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Dual Blue Sea battery switches (one for each engine)<br />
Blue Sea battery switch at helm (opens/closes all 12-volt circuits except bilge pump) and marine refrigerator<br />
Macerator pump (12V) for deep sea discharge with a port to starboard for pump-outs for inland cruising</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<b><u>Electronics:</u></b><br />
<br />
Standard-Horizon VHF with GPS, DSC and AIS<br />
Standard-Horizon Hailer, PA, and programmable automatic fog horn<br />
SIMRAD AP-16 autopilot (for twin engine)<br />
SIMRAD WR-20 wireless remote control (for autopilot, etc.)<br />
Raymarine E-120 12" chart plotter (Multi-Function Display)<br />
Raymarine depth sounder (plotter integrated)<br />
Raymarine AIS receiver (plotter integrated)<br />
Raymarine 4-kW radar receiver (plotter integrated)<br />
Raymarine GPS navigation (plotter integrated)<br />
Electronic flux gate compass<br />
Shakespeare VHF antenna (at head of radar tower)<br />
Raymarine 4kW radar antenna (closed array)<br />
Shakespeare SIRIUS radio/weather radar antenna<br />
Sony stereo receiver/CD player/SIRIUS receiver (above navigator's seat)<br />
Sony stereo remote control (over helm, illuminated)<br />
Polyplanar 8" Marine Speaker System<br />
Raymarine GPS system antenna<br />
HONDA digital tachometer system (port engine)<br />
HONDA digital tachometer system (starboard engine)<br />
HONDA digital fuel management system (for twin engines)<br />
HONDA digital speedometer (for twin engines)<br />
PURE SIGN digital control panel<br />
<br />
<b><u>Custom architectural gear & features:</u></b><br />
<br />
<i>Overhead equipment cabinetry</i> (custom fabricated in Anacortes, WA) - Located above the helm and flush to the forward windscreen, this overhead, white, teak-accented, cabinet is made with the same precision with which the manufacturer makes overhead cabinets for much larger boats (Northern Marine, Nordhavn, Delta Marine, etc.). While leaving room for additional componentry, the cabinets, which have multiple access points and are engineered to be totally silent, include: (over the helm) flush-mounted Standard-Horizon MATRIX VHF, hailer, programmable fog-horn, GPS and AIS unit, a convenient in an emergency microphone location (permanent mount), stereo remote control console, handy lined cubby, (over the center window) permanently mounted Trintec thermometer, barometer, tide-clock, and clock (black ABS housings, white faces), (over the navigator's station) flush-mounted Sony AM/FM/CD/AMPLIFIER deck (with an option for an optional input for iPod, iPhone, iPad, etc.), and a handy lined cubby.<br />
<br />
On the underneath of the cabinet are the two 8" PolyPlanar concert-grade speakers, and the drive motors for the built-in heavy-duty windshield wipers and the separate windscreen washers (fed from a fresh water tank in the helm and controlled by both heavy-duty momentary switches and full-time breaker switches at the helm) are on the forward edge. Inside the cabinetry you'll find several of the vessels 'black box' navigation and communication components, including the 'box' for the auto-pilot remote, cabling for everything listed above, and cabling/control systems for the several items featured on the custom folding radar tower (see below).<br />
<br />
<i>Custom Folding Aluminum Radar Tower (</i>Fabricated for Kokomo in Anacortes, WA) - This well-thought out radar tower features all of the following: 48kw closed array radar antenna, a marine GPS antenna, a marine Sirius antenna, a primary marine VHF antenna, and an LED anchor light. With all items attached permanently, the tower folds forward and into a keeper/cradle for trailering and for on-water transiting of fixed bridges of between 11.5' and 13'. A strap is recommended for trailering to avoid "hopping" (included). All cabling for items listed above makes it's way through the hull at the base of the tower, through the aforementioned cabinetry above the helm, through a custom stainless upright at the starboard side of the helm, to it's various component destinations. Everything is installed by E.Q. Marine to zero-compromise standards.<br />
<br />
<i>Four (4) Tiny-Step (TM) Custom Gear Boxes</i> - KOKOMO features the legendary Tiny-Step (TM) gear and equipment deck boxes permanently mounted (1) at the helm door (step to go outside) as a tool and equipment box, (2) at the navigator's feet (perpendicular to the forward bulkhead; ideal for the navigators foot rest and currently used for the ship's ditch bag, PIB, portable VHF Radio/GPS and associated gear), (3) at the forward/port corner of the cockpit (used - and plumbed - as the ship's LPG locker, a boarding step and a forward cockpit seat) and (4) at the forward/starboard corner of the cockpit (currently used as a line locker, boarding step and a forward cockpit seat). Each box features a non-slip surface over a gel-coat finish matched to the boat's interior color, stainless steel compression latch and a locking (with a separate lock) buckle. These are the finest boxes built by Tiny-Step (TM) and retail for $399-$499 each. The two forward boxes are rectangular and the two cockpit boxes are square, and they provide ample additional storage and organization.<br />
<br />
<i>Custom 2 Piece Heavy-Duty Aluminum Davit/Crane</i> - This factory heavy duty crane is situated on the aft portion of Kokomo's roof extension, with it's base extending to the cockpit floor. While it's primary duty is raising and lowering the dinghy and kayaks from the roof to the water, my wife and I have also practiced man-overboard drills so that she could use it to retrieve me if for some reason I was in the water. I think it's the most heavy duty of all the davit options for a much larger boat than this, and I like that the anchor post is hollow Aluminum (that I can remove). I keep the crane extension (also just as heavy-duty and the winch, inside the tender trailer whenever I'm not using it). It has a weight capacity of 385#.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Safety:</u></b><br />
<br />
MMSI registered DSC (digital selective calling) VHF radio enrollment<br />
(8) Mustang and children's life jackets<br />
(1) Boathook<br />
(1) Boathook with rinse/bail feature<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Galley Equipment:</u></b><br />
<br />
Table service - setting for four (blue plastic)<br />
Bowls for four (blue plastic)<br />
Complete silverware set<br />
Various plastics plates, cups, etc.<br />
(4) non-slip place mats<br />
Your choice: (1) 120V Coffee Maker or (1) 12V Coffee Maker<br />
Custom paper towel holder<br />
<br />
<b><u>Ancillary Gear:</u></b><br />
<br />
Deluxe Boarding ladder (built into hull extension)<br />
Integrated hanging points (hooks) in the head<br />
Marine toilet with hand pump (and through-hull shut-off nearby)<br />
Macerator pump with through hull shut-off<br />
Shower curtain for privacy<br />
Solid door between cabin and house (serves as head privacy door and as privacy partition if the folks in the V-berth or the guests at the dinette bed want it)<br />
Custom screen for forward center window<br />
Custom screens for aft port-starboard windows<br />
Custom screen for overhead Bomar hatch/window/sunroof in V-berth<br />
Retainer strap for folding radar tower (when folded down for the road)<br />
Retainer strap for forward anchor (when transporting)<br />
Scupper hole "no flood" devices (not installed)<br />
Various top-off lubricants (engine oil, lower unit oil, hydraulic fluid)<br />
Various lines for securing the boat to the dock and other boats*<br />
2 heavy duty dock lines<br />
(2) PolyForm large fenders<br />
1 Propane tank (in deck box)<br />
1 deck light (at cockpit; controlled from the helm or cockpit)<br />
1 12V power outlet at the rear of the propane box in cockpit<br />
<br />
<b><u>Cleaning & Appearance;</u></b><br />
<br />
(2) 5-gal buckets for cleaning/bailing and as dividers under transom seat<br />
10' transparent hose (nesting with brass fittings)<br />
Cabin Wood teak care<br />
Head/black tank deodorizer/cleaner/treatment<br />
Non-stick floor cleaner<br />
Windex window cleaner<br />
McGuires buff/wax treatment<br />
<br />
<b><u>Trailer:</u></b><br />
<br />
King galvanized 8600 triple axle salt-water roller bunk trailer<br />
State of the art electric hydraulic braking system<br />
25' of 13,400# Amsteel Blue winch line<br />
Fulton 3200# 2-speed winch<br />
Vertical limiter system<br />
Three point safety connection (winch, double safety chain, vertical limiter)<br />
(2) 10,000# cargo straps that anchor the boat to the trailer in the rear<br />
LED trailer lighting system<br />
Small box of various spare parts for trailer tires/wheels<br />
(1) spare tire and galvanized wheel<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
* Price is $107,000 and includes everything above</h3>
<div>
(replacement is over $300k)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
* The items below will be included in a package price of <b>$120,000</b><br />
<br />
Achilles LEX 8.8 Hypalon inflatable boat (8', 8")<br />
Tohatsu 4HP 4-stroke engine with integral tank<br />
Dinghy anchor<br />
Tie downs for roof mounting dinghy<br />
Custom 4-pt harness for lifting dinghy*<br />
12lb Danforth "picnicing" anchor (spare for boat)<br />
SANYO 22" 1080P flat screen television w/remote (on telescoping wall mount in fwd cabin)<br />
Compact Sony DVD player on top of hanging locker w/remote<br />
Compact Ozone generator for air/water purificaton <i>(see: scribe5.com/ozone)</i><br />
Insulated nautical mugs (hot/cold) for 2<br />
Cooking knife (universal, semi-serrated blade)<br />
Oster Microwave oven (metal cabinet; compact size)<br />
Bread/bagel toaster<br />
MAGMA 7-piece nesting marine cookware set and handles ($399)<br />
10" non-stick skillet<br />
MAGMA Party (large size) propane BBQ ($349)<br />
MAGMA BBQ mounting rack<br />
West Marine BBQ cover<br />
Custom folding lifetime table for cockpit dining/cocktails<br />
Folding chairs (2) for cockpit<br />
The Best Solar Shower out there (black; resembles a garden sprayer)<br />
Hose and shower head for sink-fed cockpit shower (2nd shower)<br />
Boarding platform (aluminum, very stable, for on land)<br />
Complete silverware set<br />
Deluxe bedding for the V-berth<br />
Deluxe bedding for the dinette<br />
Three pillows<br />
1 fishing pole (new)<br />
1 fishing reel (new)<br />
Various fishing accessories* (boat has never been fished from)<br />
<div>
Pressure nozzle on extending wand<br />
(2) additional PolyForm large fenders (total of four; matched)<br />
(1) spare wheel only (painted)</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068910591135710792.post-75842223130923740572010-11-07T12:29:00.000-08:002010-11-23T21:49:53.944-08:0030 years later ... We've found just the right boat for us!<div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.8436601280700415" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I was 17 or 18 when I first promised myself that someday I’d own a yacht. I was in love with ships and the sea and attracted to all things nautical ... the people, procedures and everything about boating. I got my first boat (a 1959 Dorsett ski boat) when I was in college, and have enjoyed owning a lake/ski boat ever since. At a young age, I crossed oceans in passenger ships, but never had exposure to the yachting life as a boy. I don’t know where my love for the sea came from, but it’s been there ‘calling me’ all my adult life and I went into the cruise business at 21 years of age (and remain with Cruise Club today) to stay connected to it.</span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Some years ago my wife Lee Ann and I were cruising the San Juans in a friend’s 91’ tug (a world war II battle tug that was an inspiration to experience). We stopped in Friday Harbor and visited a Selene Yachts dealership. After touring a Selene 53, my wife was unusually thoughtful on our walk back down the docks to the tug. When I asked what she was thinking, she asked if we could afford ‘that boat’ if we sold the house and everything else. Amazed (and excited) at the implications of her question (I’d long dreamt of living aboard and the life that came with that choice), I thought about it for awhile and answered “yes”. We decided to educate ourselves on what was out there. After first considering and rejecting an Ed Monk designed custom trawler in Anacortes, we set about looking at what the market had to offer. In years that followed, we visited dealerships and privately owned boats up and down the west coast, becoming intimately familiar with hulls from Nordhavn, Krogen, Selene, Defever and others. We thought we’d identified the ideal trawler for us in the Nordhavn 55 when the bottom fell out of the U.S. economy, our investments, and our dream of owning and traveling on a big trawler.</span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> In the meantime, we’d become grandparents to three spectacular children, and realized that our original vision of selling everything and taking to the seas for months at a time was not going to fit in ‘Grammy and Grandpah’s’ lives. This, combined with the sobering realities of economic issues in our lives, gas prices that were more than $1.50 more than when we’d started thinking about this, and the cost of keeping a boat in a marina in California, got me to thinking about the idea of a trailerable trawler.</span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Now most boats that are trailerable aren’t trawlers. And most boats that are trawlers aren’t trailerable. We looked at other hull types including the Sea Sport, C-Dory and Osprey and, though we found things about each that we liked, concluded that these were more about fishing than they were about ‘exploring’, which is what we love. For a while there, I had pretty much given up on my dream of finding a boat .... a yacht on a trailer that was a true trawler.</span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Then, in 2005, I saw an add in the back of Passagemaker magazine for the Rosborough RF-246 Sedan Cruiser. In the ad, the boat looked similar to others we’d looked at, and so I dismissed it (fearing further disappointment) thinking it was another C-Dory or Osprey. I saw it again in subsequent issues, however, and decided to look into what a Rosborough really was. It was called the largest 25' foot boat out there. I dared not hope it was a trailerable trawler.</span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Without mentioning it to Lee Ann - who’d been an enthusiastic participant in the yacht-finding process, but was at the point where she didn’t want to hear about boats that weren’t a ‘real possibility’ for us - I did my research. I joined the Rosborough owner’s group online, and requested literature from the factory. I located all the boats listed for sale on the Internet and poured over the photos of each. I learned that there were two hulls - a high-sided version (HSV) and a low-sided version (LSV) - of this unqiue expedition trawler, and quickly decided I needed the high-sided version because of my height (6’4”) and both the ceiling height and the length of the V-berth. I learned about the different power configurations (diesel or gas i/o, single or twin outboards, power hull extension, motor bracket, or not) and decided I wanted either single or twin outboards (quite a departure from my long time goal of owning an inboard diesel) and the power hull extension (leaves more room in the cockpit by effectively extending the hull 2’ and providing a mounting point for outboard engines). I familiarized myself with the boat’s features list and options, and identified which ones I had to have, which ones I wanted, and which ones I could live without. By the time we were ready to shop for an RF-246, I pretty much knew the boat and exactly which features mine would need to have.</span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> In doing my research, I had ruled out buying a new boat because of the price. The boat I wanted, rigged and equipped the way we needed/wanted, with a trailer, would be somewhere north of $200,000.00 with tax if ordered from the factory and shipped to California (yes, it’s the most expensive 25-footer out there too, and well worth it). So I focused on used boats. I learned quickly that Rosboroughs have an excellent resale value and that they retain it for longer than any boat in their (original) price range. I started watching the Rosborough owners website (the list of boats for sale there), the </span><a href="http://yachtingworld.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">yachtingworld.com</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> website, and regularly performed Google searches for RF-246’s for sale.</span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I first got my hopes up when I found a boat in North Carolina. It was a single outboard in excellent condition owned by a respected owner and it had a trailer. I spoke with the surveyor who’d recently inspected it, and had a conversation with my wife about getting it. This is when I first learned what a valuable commodity used “Rossi’s” are. By the time I’d discussed it with Lee Ann and emailed the broker back, it was already in contract to another buyer.</span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> You’d think I’d have learned an important lesson there. When, some months later, a 2007 came available in Texas, I contacted the owner immediately. Certain that this boat was a candidate for purchase, I asked the owner if he’d accept a price, and he said that yes, he would. He was going to the Caribbean for a week and I could let him know for sure if we wanted the boat when he returned. I/we decided we wanted it and I began getting the money in one place for transfer to him upon his return, excited that we’d found a Rosborough that we could make ours. Turns out, for some reason, that he took another offer ($2500 less than mine) from a Canadian buyer who had the foresight to wire a deposit while he was still in the Caribbean. By the time he got back, all he could say to my revelation that we wanted to buy the boat was, “Sorry”. It finally registered for me that one needed to move fast and in a decisive fashion when it came to Rosborough’s.</span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> A bit demoralized after the Texas experience, I retreated from the process for a few weeks. Then I came across a 2005 RF-246 in southern California. I’d seen it before - it had been for sale for months - and found it attractive, but overpriced. I decided it wouldn’t hurt to let the broker know what I had to spend and see where it went. The owner came down to my price, and Lee Ann and I decided to travel the 10 hours to see the boat in Ventura, CA. First, however, we made the 12-hour trip to OIympia, WA to take Steve & Eunice Robb up on their kind offer to experience “Iana”, their 2008 Rossi with a single Honda 225, on Puget Sound. On a glorious afternoon of cruising, with people that would become our first “Rossi Friends”, we enjoyed confirming that we ‘fit’ in the (very large for a 25-footer) Rosborough. The next weekend, we drove to Ventura and, though I had some concerns about the boat, put a deposit down and ordered a survey.</span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> About the time I decided, following a survey and some agonizing over sun damage on that boat, not to buy it (a hard choice; we were ‘in’ the boat more than $2000 with our expenses to date), another Rosborough went on the market in Washington state. In my research, I had learned that the Northwest dealer for Rosborough, E.Q. Marine, was a force to be respected in the Rossi world ... and did things the right way when it came to planning, rigging and finishing an RF-246. I’d read through the many articles on Les Lampman’s website several times, and often wished I could just order a new boat from him, outfitted a la E.Q. Marine. The boat that was for sale was a 2007 that had been rigged by none other than Les (and Carl) at E.Q. Marine. The owner said it had just 30 hours (turned out to be 72 due to its use as a demo at E.Q.) on twin Honda BF150’s and he’d posted an asking price that was beyond what I could pay. I contacted Les and learned about the boat, then contacted the owners in Jackson, WY and offered them what I’d offered on the boat in Ventura. The polite answer was that they’d wait and see what other offers came to them. I had the opportunity to speak with the owner the next day and again made my offer, to which he countered another figure that was very fair but still out of my range. That evening Lee Ann and I talked at length about this, our fourth Rosborough purchase attempt; about this boat and how perfect it seemed for us; about how it felt that all of our experiences to date had led to this boat. We decided we’d cash in a retirement fund account and take the penalty, if the seller’s could afford to come down to a figure that was half-way between their most recent counter and our offer. I couldn’t sleep that night until I sent the owners an email detailing our revised offer and telling them how very much we’d like to be the new owners of their boat and what that would mean to us. The next morning, I rushed to the computer to see if there was a response, to find an email stating that we could consider the boat ours.</span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I wonder if Pete & Leslie (the owners) had any idea what those words meant to someone who’d spent 30+ years dreaming of owning a yacht, five years of planning to own this particular yacht, and who’d experienced three failed attempts to purchase RF-246’s in the recent year. I was elated and immediately (that morning) sent deposit funds to the broker in Deception Pass, WA. In subsequent days, I enjoyed several phone conversations with Les Lampman at E.Q. Marine (the boat had been there since new; the owners had traveled via small plane from Wyoming to use it). I planned a trip north (15-16 hours’ drive) to complete our purchase and to spend our first few wonderful days on Puget Sound and in the San Juan Islands of Washington (it was, we felt, serendipitous that we found the boat in WA, as this area was always one we’d planned to get to know once we had a boat and this boat was outfitted specifically for WA cruising). Since then, (in three short months) we’ve cruised the San Juan’s twice, completed a crossing of the Rosario Strait and Haro Straights to Victoria, BC, then trailered the boat south (2-day trip) and enjoyed cruising in the Sacramento Delta, the McLeod River, the Pitt River, Lake Shasta, and on San Francisco Bay.</span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> We’ve found that we’ve fallen in love with this seaworthy and very liveable boat, and that she is even more seakindly and stout than we knew when we purchased her. I’ve learned while performing routine maintenance that her systems and rigging choices were all installed with forethought and care, and I’ve already benefitted from the wisdom that both Rosborough and Les at E.Q. Marine excercised when planning, building, rigging and equipping my boat. I couldn’t be more pleased with the RF-246 and we really have found a trailerable yacht that is a true trawler!</span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Now, on the occasion of her third month with us, I’ve decided to keep this blog for fellow owners and those who may dream of becoming Rossi owners (as we did for many years before we bought Kokomo) to enjoy ...</span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wishing you smooth seas,</span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Steve Reeves</span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1