Sarasota Bay @ Longboat Key Club 05/18/14

I had a conference in Sarasota and we normally stay at the Longboat Key Club resort.  This time we stayed at the Longboat Key Yacht Club since we now have the boat.  I put the boat in the water at City Island with the two older boys as a storm was moving out and we motored through Sarasota Bay to the yacht club.  The bay still had four foot swells that were breaking over the bow.  I had the boys go down below and keep the forward hatch closed.  The swells tossed the boat around a bit, but the high sides kept the water out with out any problems.  After motoring through the bay I was able to land it without any problems at the dock.  My wife and youngest were waiting with the dock master for our arrival.  I had been very nervous navigating through all the expensive boats, but in the end I did not have any problems.

We drew a lot of attention at the Yacht Club since we were the smallest boat with the most people staying onboard.  Over the week a few people came over to check out the new Tattoo 26.  They seemed pretty amazed that so much was in the cabin below.  

By staying at the Yacht Club we had full Longboat Key Club Resort privileges.  So, while I went to my conference during the day my family played on the beach and at the pool.  The Key Club is a gem of a resort where Floridians go for weekend getaways.  

After a few days of conference we motored the boat out onto the Bay and raised the sails.  The wind was very gusty and the bay was packed with boat traffic.  Large motor cabin cruisers kept running up real close to us and cutting us off at times.  After about an hour I lowered the sail and just motored us back to the ramp.  At one point a wind surfer totally cut across my bow and I had to throw the motor in reverse to keep from running him over.  So, if you are going to or through Sarasota Bay I would not do it on a spring weekend.

When we were docking the boat at the ramp there was a bad gusty wind to the rear of the boat.  My wife was able to use the boat hook at the bow.  But then the wind blew the rear of the boat away from the dock and I had to use the engine to pull the boat back against the dock.  It was a little dicey for a minute, but then I was able to get a dock line secured at the rear.  We were able to get the boat on the trailer without any problems and made it home safely.

Pax tanking a nap

Lake Monroe sailing 1st time 05/04/14

The first time I took the boat sailing on my own was with a friend of mine.  The wife and kids were out of town and the wind was perfect at Lake Monroe.  We just put up the main sail in a steady 15 mph wind.  The boat cruised at a steady 7 Knots with very little effort.  You can see in the pictures I did not even have the sail luff trimmed correctly.  I probably needed to raise the head a bit more. But, it was a very relaxing day just cruising around the lake.  It was my friends first time sailing.

Broke elbow at Ponce Inlet 03/15/14

So, another water way I know fairly well is Ponce Inlet.  We trailered over and launched at the Dunlawton Bridge.  We then motored down to the Inlet and were going to stop at a restaurant and see a touring historical ship there.  When, the motor died on us about two hundred yards from the restaurant.  So, I dropped the anchor since the current was strong and there was a fair bit of boat traffic.  I got the motor running again after taking off the new EPA regulated gas cap.  We motored to the restaurant dock, but the boat tour had ended by then.  The motor dying had killed our schedule.  So, we then motored into a cove in the inter coastal and dropped the anchor for the night.  I set the anchor alarm and we went to bed.  The alarm went off around 2am and I woke up to let out more scope on the anchor and went back to bed.  

The older boys woke up early and fished and we slept in, which was nice.  As I sat in the cockpit later that morning, I noticed that all the boats that were running down the inter coastal and out the inlet then returning after about 30 min.. So I checked the weather and the winds were really kicking up out on the Atlantic.  I scrubbed our plan for going out the inlet on to the Atlantic and we motored back to the ramp. 

The ramp was very busy, windy, and I was pretty cranked up about the motor still having problems.  I pulled the boat up to the dock adjacent to the ramp and 'jumped' out to tie the boat to the cleat like I always had in my small boats.  When I leaped from the back of the boat my right foot caught on a Bimini strap and I fell face first on the dock landing on my elbows.  I cleated the boat off and stood up.  I felt the end of my left elbow and told my wife I just broke my elbow.  She said how do you know? and I replied cause it is a bit crunchy.  She took the keys and backed up the truck and trailer.  We loaded up the boat and my wife and 10 year old son did most of the work.  After the hour ride back to town we dropped the boys off with friends and I went to the hospital.  The surgeon put one 3" deck screw into my elbow and a few months later it works as good as new.

The lessons learned are; 1. Do not get off the boat unless it is anchored or fully tied to the dock.  I bought a dock cleat fastened it to a board and everyone in the family practiced in the backyard 'landing and tying up the boat'.  2. Do not get in any hurry at the boat ramp.  If people complain you are taking too long to bad for them.  3. I bought a set of 25' dock lines to have plenty of rope to tie up with from the cockpit and bow of the boat.  4. Hold the boat in place with the motor against the dock then tie off to the cleat or throw a spring line over a cleat.

After that trip I threw away the EPA caps.  I bought two new old style screw down vent caps and drilled out the vent hole with a 1/4" bit to allow maximum air flow.  Once the outboard tanks were properly vented I have never had a problem since with the motor.  I have also changed out the primer bulb from Evinrude with a higher quality one just because. 

After several test on my own I have come to realize the engine was pulling fuel out of the tank correctly.  The EPA cap was not allowing air into the tank at a fast enough rate to make up for the big fuel draw at 3,000 RPMs or higher.  Even though the cap might have been letting in some air at 5psi pressure it does not allow enough volume of air to offset the suction of the gas.  What gives first is the primer bulb goes flat and locks up.  The only way to 'reset' the primer bulb and open up it's internal valves is to turn off the motor and open the gas cap to relieve pressure on both sides of the bulb.  It is nonsense if the EPA or ETEC thinks you are going to turn off your motor every 15 min.  It does not matter what the EPA or the ETEC computer says it is simple observable physics.

St. Johns @ Lake Monroe 02/23/14

The next day we launched the boat at the head of the St. John's River at Lake Monroe, since I knew the ramp and water well.  We did not bother with raising the mast, just motored into a little cove within sight of the ramp and anchored for the night.  When we woke up in the morning there was a thick fog and the boys thought we had drifted out to sea.  I knew we had not moved a foot since I had set the anchor alarm on the Lowrance GPS.  The boys woke up and immediately started fishing.  We then pulled anchor and motored to the Sanford Marina and walked to a great German restaurant for brunch.  The ETEC started cutting out at around 3,000 RPMs after about 15 minutes.  It had hesitated during the shake down cruise with the Sharps the day before.  I opened the gas cap and pumped up the primer bulb and it started back up.  We motored into the marina and walked to the restaurant for a great meal.  Then we walked back to the boat and started to motor back to the ramp.  About halfway back the motor started to sputter and I just kept pumping the fuel bulb till we landed back at the dock.  

That week I called Laura Sharp and she said I could bring it back to Stewart to have the ETEC mechanic look at it or take it to my local ETEC dealer to have it looked at.  I opted for my local ETEC dealer, which probably was a mistake on my part.  They had it for a few days to 'run diagnostics' and said everything was fine.  I told them it was not fine and so we arranged to do a live test at a local lake to recreate the problem.  The local ETEC mechanic backed the boat into the lake and we ran the boat and it started to hesitate and quit running.  He said I did not have the vent open all the way and that the fuel locker lid was blocking the tank vent.  It was clear that if it was not the actual motor he did not want to work on it.  And according to him the computer told him it was not the motor.

Picked Up S/V Sagacity from Tattoo Yacht Factory 02/21/14

After what seemed to be forever we drove down to Stewart, Fl and picked up the boat.  Laura and Paul Sharp took us out on our maiden shakedown voyage at a local bay.  I had a lot of dinghy and NACRA catamaran sailboat experience, but it was great having Laura run me through everything once.  

We ordered the 26 with almost every option; 

     CDI Furler - I had never had a furler before and it is super nice.

     150% Genoa - This is perfect for light wind.

     Spinnaker - I have not used it yet, but plan on it.

     Cockpit seat cushions - These are very comfortable and great to have.

     Stern Ladder - Do not know how you would use the boat without it.

     Self-contianed head - I am glad we did not go with the built-in, since this is easy to clean.

     12v cooler - This is the only thing I would not repeat.  The cooler kills the batteries in a few hours.

     All the covers & bimini - These are great and would not go without.

     Mast raising system - I do not know how you would use the boat without it.  It makes setting up

             the boat a one person job.

     Outboard linkage - I do not know how you would use the 60 hp outboard without it. 

     Shower in cockpit - This is great with kids.

     Compass with light - It is perfect for coastal cruising.

     Delux trailer upgrade - The trailer breaks make the boat towing very smooth.

     Two 12 Gal. tanks - For our coastal trip it made me feel better to have 24 gal. of gas, just incase.

     60hp ETEC - The motor is plenty big enough for getting the boat up on a plane and goes as fast as I want to go.  Most of the time we use it to go 6 knots at 2,000 RPM.  Their has not been any maintenance yet, but there was problems with the fuel line and cap that I will get into in a later post.

We picked up hull #51 from the factory.

The boat was "Christened" with a tap of a bottle of water.

Coming in from the maiden voyage.

Tattoo Yacht Factory Tour & Deposit 10/04/13

I had always wanted a cruising sailboat since I was a teenager to have adventures and relax.  A wife and three boys later... my wife said if you never buy one you will never have the experiences.  Also, I should have the sailing fun with the boys now when they are young and will enjoy it.  I thought she had a good point so I called Tattoo Yachts, which had just moved to Stuart, Fl only about two hours from our house.  

I had been looking at older MacGregor and Hunters for years and never found one that was in good enough shape for what I thought was good value.  They all seemed to require a lot of time and money to get into shape.  The thought of a new boat that is ready to go and just needs simple maintenance to keep it in shape was very appealing.

I set an appointment to tour the factory and look at a boat before I put down a deposit.  Laura MacGregor Sharp showed us around the factory and in one of the boats getting ready for shipment.  The boat hull is very rigid due to the hull construction and design, which is what I was looking for.  We put down a deposit, got on the waiting list, and was assigned a delivery date.

Tattoo Yacht Factory

A Tattoo 26 being finished.

Laura Sharp Showed us the interior

Back of the 26 being finished.  I can't remember which hull #.

Sailing Past

I grew up sailing in North East Texas on lakes.  My father gave me a snark sailboat, which is one of my earliest memories.  He showed me how to sail and then I was turned loose on a small 14 acre lake for the balance of my childhood.  I raced Sunfish on Possum Kingdom Lake as a teenager.  When I was around 14 on a family trip to Destin Beach, Florida I saw a cruising sailboat anchor off shore for the night and thought that was it.  Then, when I was 17 I bought a NACRA 18 Square Meter and sailed it on Lake Lavon in Texas.  I always thought I would eventually move to Florida and race the NACRA.  I did move to Florida eventually, but never did race it.  I sold the NACRA a few months ago after buying a Tattoo 26.