General About – Sailing Vessel Serenity

Long Time Gone

I have been gone a while due to my best friend getting cancer last year and he passed away in March. He was the biggest supporter of my blog and sailing adventures and I miss him so much. Now I have to carry on without his support and I am needing to figure out a way to make money for Serenity’s upcoming refit. I need $800 just to get my boat into the boat lift and start getting the hull cleaned up and put on blocks. We call it “put it on the hard.”

In order make money I run across this guy on You Tube going by Make Money Matt. He really gave me a lot of tips in using You tube and other Affiliate marketing websites to make a living just making You Tube videos. The following is a link to his full course which he offers a complete training course to make money on You Tube. Please check it out and if you are interested I will be getting some of proceeds and I will use the funds to repair my boat in its much needed refit. Thank you.

Exciting Update

I just wanted all friends and family to know I am well. I have been surviving the pandemic and all the loss we’ve suffered together by practising my guitar and learning skills needed to revamp my boat come 2021. Also by attending church affairs via remote view. Today is a special day on that adventure as I will be helping a friend at the Olympia Yacht Club pull her boat out of the water and put it on the hard for some bottom maintenance. I am excited because I will get the privelige of helping her with the boat hull repairs! I am flowing with excitement.

Also I am editing video of songs I have written dealing with loss and salvation. It’s a task I can never seem to be happy with so I have put off posting to my blog. Hopefully this project will break loose my log-jam of profectionism and start posting more timely updates. Thanks for your continued support. You all mean a lot to me.

Sailing Vessel Serenity: Repairs 2020

Sailing vessels need constant repair and maintenance. Salt water corrodes metals, UV rays from hot sun bake plastic and clear coat, and constant rain condensation and other moisture cause mold and algae. All of these forces conspire to degrade you boat’s working parts and it’s appearance. Now old dogs like me have a hard time getting funds to repair yachts. Everything for a boat costs extra money because a boat is a luxury item. But my yacht is my modest home and I am on a tight budget on disability. I am hoping I can develop this blog and affiliate marketing to make beautiful videos for your enjoyment. If I can make an income from my home I can get off public assistance and feel I am pulling my own weight so to speak. What a humble home I am making here and l you guys and gals who watch my videos and blog post help me so much and I thank each member.

Thankfully I managed to scrape up enough favors to repair a few items have been bugging me for months. I thank my friends Mickey and Linda for my newest additions to the repair tools for Sailing Vessel Serenity. I am lucky to have such good friends. So many have supported my efforts here I appreciate him so much not just monetarily, spiritually as well.

The spiritual connection, my wonderful Ward friends that I made during the Covid crisis is very strong since Jesus is Lord and loves us all as brothers and sisters. I have used social media to reach out to those less fortunate than me. I get to share my testimony of the Atonement more in crisis than my gospel learning time pre-Covid. My testimony has grown during this crisis because sharing the Restored gospel brings many blessings both in heaven and here on our Creators earth. I have never felt so blessed.

Blessings me including these materiels to repair my yacht. Hatch hinges, fiberglass repair kit, and anchor chain are all items I bought at West Marine.

I have found the staff at West Marine very helpful. They suggested T90 instead of the liquid wrench I was searching. It got my shackle bolt loose when nothing else worked. I receive no preferencial treatment or money for my endorsement so far. But I recommend them for helpful staff. Thank you for reading, happy sailing.

Sailing Serenity Reviews #1

Today, I am starting my review section of my blog with a review of Marinco shore power extension cords. If one reads my reviews I hope to save cruisers precious time and money. This review spotlights two different cords manufactured and sold by Marinco which is available at West Marine. Also available at Amazon if you want to deal with online stores.

The two items I have tried are the Marinco cord with quick grip and both are rated for 30 amperes. The other was the normal screw on type. I purchased the first a quick grip type because it cost more so I thought it was more quality than the screw on type. I was wrong. The tabs that grip the outlet have springs and plastic piece in the locking mechanism. After two years of weathering, the spring broke and the whole bottom clamp fell off. See the picture below:

The cord with the screw on protector keeps the cord connected to your boat. The seal that this makes is more water tight than the clamp on model. I highly recommend the screw on seal. This actually costs a few dollars cheaper than the quick connect type. My cord cost $94 plus tax.

The quick connector cost me over $200 when it failed because I had to buy a new cord and a new outlet. As the connection failed, it melted the outlet. If you have a quick connector type I would purchase a screw on type right away because I’m sure this kind will fail. I am lucky the thing didn’t catch my boat on fire. Then where would I be? People like me have so much time and effort in their boat. My boat is like my lady. I am never 100% satisfied with my boat but I sure can not live without it!

Sailing Vessel Serenity : New Years Post

Well it has been a long time since I posted any updates to my blog. I have been very busy and the year ended full of calamities. My truck broke down five times since August and I got into a minor accident which cost me dearly. I hope you don’t mind the clique’ but it took all the wind out of my sails. However a lot of good things happened near the years end. I received some help from two anonymous supporters of my blog. Serenity now has a camera drone which I hope to soon show you wonderful bird’s eye views of the South Sound marinas and parks. I am really thankful for my anonymous persons who have enjoyed my blog enough to support me. Thank you so much and you know who you are!

Thank you to all that follow my blog and give me encouragement to go on. Hopefully this year will be more productive for sailing. Happy New Year everyone.

SV Serenity: Dinghys

Dinghys are things you need to get from your monohull sailboat to the secluded beach or shore. Keelboats need 4 to 6 feet of water draft so its not like you can sail right up to the shore. Dinghys are important ferries from boat to shore unless you dock at a marina dock all the time. I bought an inflatable dingy in 2016 right after I bought Serenity. I chose an inflatable because of limited space on a 30 foot yacht. With an inflatable, I can deflate and roll it up when not in use. It only cost $600 at a time I was spending my disability backpay made it seem economical at the time. Unfortunately, inflatables develop leaks and mine has slow leaks I simply can not find. This makes for scary rides as you wonder will this thing hold air while I got it loaded with things I dont want getting wet. Inflatables only last about 3 years before you get tired of leaks and trash it. This one is 3 years old this year.

So dingy shopping is yet another item on my shopping list before I go on my wild journey. It will have to wait until until 2021 when I get a bit more money in my monthly budget. So that is where I am at: needing a trouble-free dingy. So funny this week when I took my dingy out to exercise my gimpy shoulder by rowing it out of the marina. The front chamber leaked I knew but when I got out in the bay I noticed the back half was leaking too. I wanted to row more but I could only row back toward the boat and pull it out of the water.

I injured my shoulder somehow back in June so I have not been able to do much. My shoulder was wrecked in an automobile accident I was in 1988. Now it bothers me when the slightest fall can pull the ligaments apart making it hurt just like it did after that near fatal accident long ago. Even playing guitar hurts when I make an E major chord. I still practise and I took some video. Eventually I will get enough to play the whole Sailing Serenity song all the way through. But the sore shoulder and depression are getting the best of me this month. Sorry I have not posted in a while.

Options for my next dinghy are $150 used wooden pram at 8 feet. I’m not sure if that is going to be light enough for me to lift out of the water by myself. Second option is a new polyethylene dinghy which is going for about $500 at West Marine. I would have to wait until next year to have the buying power to make that sort of purchase. This dingy is over 9 feet and over 100 pounds. Not sure if I can lift that on a bad day with all my aches and pains. There are more things to think about when you are disabled. I will have to rig some way to crank pulley to recover such a craft. And where to store it on my boat securely? This is why I started with an inflatable. Inflatables are light and convenient to store away. They just are not durable enough.

Sailboat Creativity!

The best thing I like about owning my own sailboat is that it stretches the mind and expands your horizons. This expansion is ever present for the creative beast in you. The ability to sit and listen to nothing but waves, sea birds, and the wind surging through your limbs invigorates and energizes creative joy in my heart. It is a sharp contrast with so much sadness in the world today. There is a great disparity between those that have and have not. Sequestered inside the cabin of my boat, I am better able to reflect and thank my Heavenly Father for all my blessings. I have a testimony that if your take time out of your busy day to be mindful and thankful of your many blessings, more blessings will come into your life. A new blessing in my life is working on a 12 string electric guitar and beginning learning to play! More on this towards the end of the blog with a sneak peak video for subscribers to my free blog. First lets give thanks.

This month I have a lot to be thankful about. Although my tack rudder cable still remains a problem. I got my main outboard in my barn shop in Chehalis for much needed 2 year maintenance. I have to thank Kelly a fine harbor worker at Westbay Marina for lifting the motor into my truck for transport. The best news is the oil seals are holding pressure so I only replaced the gear oil and now after some sanding and repainting, the motor will be ready for the 2020 season. I’m super excited about that. It cost me about $400 Dollars to get those seals professionally pressed into the outboard’s transmission. That is quite an expense on my puny budget so I was thankful that the work was top notch quality and I would recommend Tom’s Outboard in Olympia for fine outboard work. So this years maintenance costs less than $10 for new gear oil. Nice! I do have to repaint the motor however as I left it in the down position when I was sick. So salt water attacks aluminum. Salt got in between the paint and the metal and started pealing off last year after two years of use. I cleaned the pits and oxidation with vinegar. This stopped the corrosion wiping away the salt. Now its time to sand and get new paint on it. I might could have avoided this by rinsing my outboard with fresh water after each use. When I return after a day out in the fresh air with all the activity it takes to pilot a 30 foot sailboat- I am just too exhausted to care. I cant afford to replace an outboard so I better get this repainted and take care of it!

Draining the old gear oil out of my outboard

Now back to the guitar, I have really put a lot of time and energy repairing and learning this 12 string electric Deam Bocca guitar. It sounds dreamy with all the strings and I even enjoy playing it without the amplifier. I am posting a short clip of my theme song that I am working on for the video blog. I want a song that I write myself as a sort of introduction to every sailing video I make. I will make the actual video with an amplifier and more reverberations. Keep in mind I have only started learning to play and this video is only intended for view for my closest friends and family so that they know I am still alive and kicking. Later, I will produce another track with me singing the words and show them together side by side on Youtube. If you are subscribed to my blog, you will be able to view this video. If you are not a subscriber, please subscribe to my free blog and like my videos when posted. All subscribers will have a secret link to the video in their email! Thank you family and friends for all your support! This is a way for me to give back to you all and entertain you albeit for just a few moments! And do not forget to be thankful of all your many blessings.

https://youtu.be/RNjdVR7x0To

SV Serenity: Projects in the Works

Although my friends have been asking me what’s new on the boat, I have not written anything officially on the blog. This is a quick post to catch my readers up on the boat and I. First I have been making a video of working on different parts of the boat that need attention. There is a whole list of things that needed to be fixed. In addition, I got a 12 string guitar and I have been trying to compose a short intro tune for the video blog. More on this later. For now, I am working on the following:

1.) Wench maintenance
2.) Outboard motor Maintenance
3.) Fix Motor mount and lift
4.) Shop for an inexpensive electrical main panel
5.) Paint the galley
6.) Troubleshoot the tack rudder cable.

I have video of some of this effort. My last video I was not happy at all with all the static. Seems there was someone working on their boat at the marina and their electrical motor interference degraded the sound quality of the video. I did not notice the static until I posted it on YouTube and listened to it there. I was appalled and now I’m shy about releasing any other video before its ready. So that is why I have paused in posting anything in April. I am struggling to do better.

I think the Serenity theme song which is currently in development will be both sweet and a good laugh. Mainly because I have never played a guitar before in my life. I picked up an acoustic guitar and tried to learn chords, however mostly I got frustrated and gave up. It was not until a friend gave me a 12 string guitar to refurbish along with some amplifiers where suddenly creative energies from being at peace on my boat that chords began to flow into music to my ears. I found the electric guitar easier to handle the fret positions than on the acoustic. So wow I have a chorus written for an intro song I hope will be ready for publishing my next video. I have to practice because again, I have never played guitar before April of 2019. I am amazed at how easy it is to play and how great it sounds on my yacht. I wonder if my neighbors mind? So far, no complaints.

SV Serenity: Scam & Fraud Alerts

Today I had a call to my cellphone from someone soliciting money for the Washington State Police Federation. This was the second time I had a call from this caller because I recognized the voice as well as the content of the call. It triggered a warning flag by the end of the call in which I just hung up on the caller before departing with any money. You see I had been scammed by a check cashing scam before and I thought I this would be a good time to write a whole post about ways people try to fraud you out of your hard earned money. Never give people you do not know your credit card information over the phone or cash a money order, cashiers check, or anything no matter how legitimate the cause may seem to a third party. It is a scam, every single time.

Today’s scam caller asks you if Carla is there. When you answer no, the caller quickly changes the call to a solicitation for the Police Federation asking for a donation to help train police and help police officer’s families when killed in the line of duty. This sort of call causes you to feel the need to give to our hard-working police officers in this state. Although the police in this state have treated me fairly and I care if they are in need I do not expect them to call me in this manner and solicit money. It seemed like a scam because if you look on the Police Federations website, it clearly states this is a scam. The police never call for donations, ever. If they did would they always start out by asking for a Carla? I don’t think so.

I was scammed in 2005 by a check cashing scam. It hurt me pretty bad because I was making only 9 dollars per hour and I was looking for a legitimate work from home job to increase my income. I applied to what I thought was a legitimate company who was looking for agents to work as an accounts manager in a work from home setting. They sent me legitimate looking cashiers checks and I was to keep 30% of the money in my bank account and send the rest by wire transfer service to a third party to pay for good purchased in this state. The checks were legit enough for my bank to cash the checks and put the amount in my bank account. Yet, 5 days later the charges were reversed and the bank was calling them telling me I owed the money back. The company that hired me pressured me to send the cash via MoneyGram to purchase go-carts being shipped from overseas to the United States. This was a scam that cost me $1579 dollars that I did not have. If I did not pay back the bank they threatened to charge ME with a fraud! I was the one that was defrauded and nothing could be done to help me the police have no jurisdiction overseas. But what does not kill you makes you strong and I began to investigate anything that even remotely sounds too good to be true.

Last month I was thinking of being a part-time pet sitter. It seems like something I could do as a hobby and make a bit of money to pay for my medical bills. I joined PetSitter.com and made a profile. Because of my disability and inability to pay for Petsitters monthly fee I did not find any opportunities on the website because you have to pay the monthly fee before you can contact anybody. But someone that paid the fee contacted me they were interested in hiring me. And they were willing to pay me double the money I had asked for. I thought, oh boy finally a legitimate offer. At first, they wanted to meet me in person and interview me. But after finding out I was a real person they decide that they wanted to hire me without the interview and wanted my address so they could mail me a check for my first-week pay. Again my scam detector went off inside my mind! Again this turned out to be another scam. How was I sure this was a scam? They wanted to send me a paycheck a week in advance and they were sending “extra” for dog blankets, cages, food, flea treatments, and other stuff. The scammer would then convince me to cash the check in a hurry telling me they would arrive early and pressure me to send payment to their “supplier.” I did not wait for any further instructions nor respond to any more emails. Since I did not divulge my mailing address I heard nothing further from the scammer.

Tips For Avoiding Scams

1. If it sounds too good to be true, it is definitely a scam.
2. If they hire you sight -unseen without an interview or video conference, its a scam.
3. If they send you more than you ask for then ask you to send some money to a third party to pay for supplies. This is a 100% scam!
4. If they claim to be the Police, Fire Department, or other people from authority this is a scam! The Police would never call you asking for donations.

In summary if you feel like you are being pressured in any way start doing research. Google the organization with the word, “scam” and see what pops up. I would be willing to bet you can avoid being scammed using the tips above along with common sense research. Question everything and if you do not get solid answers do not send any money to people you do not know.

Perhaps you have been scammed or would like to share scams that you have researched. Please share them with my readers and comment below. I allow comments after I approve the comment usually within 24 hours. I have it set this way to avoid scams and phishing attacks to my website. Thank you for reading and consider sharing this post to your friends on your favorite social media platform. It will help me get the word out and help me expand my audience. Thank you!

Sources:

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0085-fundraisers-calling-behalf-police-and-firefighters

https://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2008/html/pb22225/html/kit_014.html

https://www.bbb.org/stlouis/news-events/bbb-warnings/2017/national-police-support-fund/

https://smartasset.com/mortgage/the-50-worst-charities-in-america-how-to-keep-from-being-scammed

Sailing Serenity: How Much Does It Cost?

I had a friend ask me how much does my fantasy of owning a boat cost me? Normally I do not like telling what I have. I was raised to be humble. So this is not to brag its to inform my readers on the affordable living aboard a boat. Hopefully, this will help you understand the costs of purchasing and maintaining a boat in live-aboard and sail-aboard conditions.

Boat Costs

The boat is the biggest expense of this endeavor and many people have different varying expectations out of boat ownership. I wanted an older boat with rugged construction, but affordable. I wanted a boat about 30 feet because I knew over 40 feet the marina fees can go up astronomically. Also, I was expecting to sail single-handed and I thought 40 feet would be too big to handle by myself. Finally, the price had to be low because my budget was under $10,000. When I found Serenity there was another boat a 27 foot Catalina. It was listed about $2500 higher than Serenity and fully loaded with all the amenities. But when I took a tour aboard, the boat rocked side to side very quickly compared to Serenity. The boat I bought is heavier and one foot more beam (wider) so is more stable. Also, the 3 fewer feet lengthwise seemed cramped. Having owned my boat two years I think I should have found a 32 foot to 38-foot boat. Because I think the head is a little cramped and my v-berth is a bit short for a six-foot man. Anyways, I got this boat for less than $5,500 USD. Similar boats are going for between $7500 – $12,000. Maybe I got it cheap, maybe not. No electronics came with the boat I will have to re-wire everything.

Boat Maintenance

Everything on a boat is in a constant state of broken. Its either brand new or in the process of breaking. Wind, salt, water damage, and constant flexing cause damage to everything that isn’t plastic. For plastic, there is getting baked in the sun until it too unexpectedly breaks as well. Two years after buying my boat now and the mainsail needs to be re-hemmed as the leach is fraying. The leach is the trailing edge of the sail. I have a tack rudder that needs to be hooked up. The cable and attachment to the rudder have rusted away. And I need to pull out the outboard, which needs inspecting and re-greasing the drive gears. All maintenance has to be done by myself or with friends. I simply can not afford boat repairs. The hull has to be scrapped anytime you want to sail and that costs about $100 to 120 at the marina. If you are a certified diver, you can sail away from the marina and do it yourself on anchor.
Hauling out a boat to be bottom painted costs around $1200. One sailing vlog lists their maintenance costs about $300 monthly. That sounds roughly correct for my boat. I have to tell you owning a boat is not an investment, its a liability!

Boat Insurance

Speaking of liability if you register a boat in the State of Washington, you are required to have $30,000 of liability insurance for each instance. This is just liability yet – that is all I have. My costs $100 per year for this insurance. When I am ready to sail offshore I will need more insurance than that. For now, while I am making Serenity my dream cruising starter boat I will stick with liability.

Dock Fees

Dock fees are levied when you spend the night tied up to a marina dock. When you are at sea there are no dock fees to pay unless you have reserved space at a marina. Every cruisers dream is to go cruising and not pay a dock fee. Use your hook (anchor) and save money. Right now I do not have a budget for cruising and I need navigation and radar installed before I take it on a long cruise. Cruising up and down the South Puget Sound is fine. I stay at a nice marina with reasonable rates. My boat costs about $260 per month. Marinas quote a price per foot length of your boat. Every marina charges slightly different.

Live-aboard Fees

Most marinas do not let you live aboard. I have looked into this on South Sound and less than half allow live-aboard. Some marinas up in the northern part of the state do not have live-aboard fees. I like living aboard but currently, I am saving this money for maintenance. West Bay Marina charges just over $100 for the first person and then $25 for each additional person.

Electricity

Every marina charges for electricity differently. Some charge per kilowatt hour used some have flat rates. West Bay Marina charges $42 per month flat rate.

Hopefully, this gives you an idea of what it costs to buy and keep afloat an older boat. If you have questions, please comment below. I would be happy to answer questions about my boat to people also wanting to experience the love of sailing. Remember when buying your dream yacht you may not want an outdated heavy beam boat. Newer yachts are lighter and have less draft and sail more efficiently than Serenity.

My next blog post will be the maintenance of my boat for the coming season. If you are interested in getting an email the next time I post my next issue please subscribe on my home page. This is free to subscribe and you will not get any junk mail nor do I sell your address to third parties. You will just get the link to my latest post. If you want to support my efforts, there is also a link to my Patreon page where you may donate as little as 1 dollar per month and up. Subscribers to my Patreon page currently get additional photography to download. When I get more subscribers, I will make Serenity caps and t-shirts for my Patreon supporters.