Ship's Log

A bit of explanation as to what to expect as far as updates on the ship’s log. I had hoped that through the magic of e-mail, laptops and cell phones I could post daily updates of the trip. Well, early in the trip, that ain’t a gonna happen. First, the cable needed to get my laptop hooked in through the cell phone is on backorder, so no way to do that. Secondly, the cell phone service along the Missouri River has been sparse even if I could get the cell phone hooked in. Sending e-mail updates by land lines is also difficult as there are almost no pleasure boat docks on the Missouri River and Mississippi River, so we are at anchor most nights. Loading the laptop in the tender and going ashore to post updates by pay phone is not easily done. All this to say updates will come as best I can get then sent. Later in the trip I expect the log to be updated much more regularly.

A little about the boat. Her name is Telesis. If you care to know the meaning, I suggest you consult a good, thick dictionary. I’ve owned her for 13 years and sailed her out of the Perry Yacht Club on Lake Perry, Kansas during that time. She is a Newport 30 (30 footer) Mark II built in 1980 by Capital Yachts. She is a pretty swift sailing machine, a Gary Mull design with a Scheel keel that draws just under 5’0” of water fully loaded, which she is now. Her engine is one of the last Atomic Four flat head, 4 cylinder gasoline engines built for boats. The engine is rated 30 horsepower at 3,000 rpm, but for our use produces about 20 horsepower at 2,000 rpm. In preparation for the trip south and living aboard for three months, I’ve made lots of additions and changes. She now has 12v refrigeration, pressure hot and cold water, 110V heat pump heating /cool unit (only operable with shore power). The old engine has been updated with fresh water cooling, an external adjustable external thermostat on the heat exchanger, an oil filter and other modifications to help her run evenly for hours on end during the river legs.

And a little about me. I’m 52 years into this life and just finished almost 34 years with a company in the interior construction business. I had thought of this trip for some time and now found myself in the position I could do it. I almost talked myself out of it, when Nancy, my wife looked me straight in the eyes and said “Either take the trip or don’t, but I don’t want to listen to you complain for the rest of your life that you wished you had done it and didn’t. If you don’t go you will not speak of it again, not even when we are eighty years old setting on the porch in our rockers. If you do, I will throw both you and the rocker off the porch.” Well, not going was one thing, but not being able to lament not going was all together different. So Nancy gave me the rest of the millennium off and I’m on my way.

Enough detail, now the log begins.