Gear test: Variprofile

For quite a while (half a year), I drive around with the Variprofile and I really love it.

I have more power at the shaft, I accelerate and deaccelerate faster, I have a better speed at 3/4 Engine power ( 5 kn) and at full power (6- 6,5kn). The big advantage is that I can manover at the point. With the old fold propeller that wasn´t possible. I had to run the engine in full reverse that it infolds, quite a show, you can imagine.
Also it seam if you head up against the wind, it seam that Geronimo got much more strengh to punch through, which gives us quite a comfortable zone. 
At sail, it turns itself at a boat speed at 2kn in neutral and I can´t see any speed reduction through drag during sailing.

So the invest of the Variprofile is a defently full return of invest and I can really recommend that propeller.

 

 

http://www.spw-gmbh.de/de/

 

Being aboard with an infant

Being on a boat with a small baby, changes a lot. The lesser sailing time is one thing. But for us also the engine running time gets up. You can´t tack up on a force 5 with an infant rolling around in the cabin.
I met Sjaak last week in the harbour, who sailed with 3 childs on his boat. He said that every year a child grows is a sailing hour. Well you could argue with that.
On the other hand I sailed once in a fleet with a couple who raised their child during an Atlantic surrounding. Their son of an age of 3 as I met them, was well very close on the skirt of his mother, to say so. I met other 3 years olds, who seems much more open to the world and other children. I think, also hope, that these 2 extrema. In the end everybody has to find a way for themself. And for us ?

Well, there are certian things which might catch up on 27" boat for a small familiy. Geronimo has two cabins, the main cabin and the aft cabin. In the main cabin you have this big bed, if you lower down the table. It is an excellent playing area for an infant during stays in the harbour. But you lose the area as a living zone, especially during a rainy day. But more to this later.

Due the fact that an infant goes quite early to bed, you have to change your normal day routine. The problem is that the kitchen is next to the "big bed". So if you cook it is of course a little bit noisy, bad for baby´s sleep.
So you have your diner quite early or as we have done it, quite a bit, use a portable cooker and cook outside. What we will do to improve our life on Geronimo?

Buying another boat, no not up to now.

Well first of all we will order a couch roof for the galley. That gives us some additional room in the cockpit, especially for rainy and cold days.  We already have a cockpit tent, but if the wind comes sideways, it´s becoming nasty.

Second step is to rearrange the main cabin, but that will be done in the winter. The idea is to change the washroom area to a separate cabin and use the starboard aft cabin as bed with connection to the main cabin. The washroom area will be completly rearranged.

My wife in I think that we will motor a bit more than we have done the past. In the past the engine was just for getting in and out of the harbour, but now how will you handle your child in a force 5 or 6 when you traveling agianst it. The engine seems the comfortable way for it, but not the nicest.
So fhe first big step for improving our lifes on Geronimo is to improve the soundabsorber of the engine room. It is quite noisy in the aft cabin, where Chris sleeps during traveling. But thats an easy task.  I already ordered the Noise Absorber Foam 2600 and will install it this weekend. My test results will follow.

As you can see Chris sleeps very well in his "sleeping basket" back in the aft cabin. I also applied an transperant wind shield for the entry, so that Chris won´t be hit by the wind or incoming waves. 

In the moment we just use the Chicco Travel Seat just for feeding but, when Chris will sit without help the plan is to put him in the seat outside with us. You can fix it to a hatch, with it´s own straps.

What we also bought for chris is the Julbo Looping 3 child sunglass to protect his eyes from the sun

and the wind. It fits perfect and he doesn't start argueing with you, if you put them on. So I can recommend this glasses for a baby.

Back in the season 2014 with a new captain on board

Well it had been a couple of months since my last post, well there is a new captain in the neighboorhood. His name is Chris and he small but he knows how to handle his crew. During this season he had his stays on Geronimo. First contact was a get to know each other, but due the fact that it is a playground 2,5m width, all soft and cosy, it became great, the night a littlte bit frisky but no problem. The second stay was stormy, but we did his first manovers under engine a trip 4nm long, and well he slept on the arm of his beloved mother. The skipper got all the wetness from the waves but he loved every second of it.

Then a rather long break, through weddings. But now he is back on the ship. Driving by engine is fine, under sails a little bit strange but so nice that he fell to sleep, ok with a little help of Avici's Hey brother his favourit song. Tacking is fine as long as it very quite and gentle. If it is a hard tack then he cries. Yes it is a little bit loud but you will see my son, it will be your favourit sound.

A nice story by the way, passed a 47ft charter boat, which hit the ground, on a for wind course. They didn't take down their sails and there was a force 4 to 5. They started their engine and tried to pull backwards with full sails. So we tacked back, to give an advice:" Drop your sails completly and try then backwards". But it seems that a skipper with a small captain on his shoulder, who laughs at them,  isn't a serious one. They were still on the sand as we entered the harbour. It will be the captains first seamanships story

New Gear: propeller

Ich weiß seit einiger Zeit, das die Schiffschraube vom Geronimo, nicht ganz der richtige ist. Ich habe einen rechtsdrehenden Motor, aber die Schraube dreht links herum. Damals habe ich einfach den Vor- und Rückwärtsgang getauscht. Es funktioniert, außer das ich mehr Leistung im Rückwärtsgang habe, als im Vorwärtsgangs. Also war es Zeit für was neues.
Den richtigen Propeller zu finden, scheint irgendwie Magie zu sein, das versuchen uns die Hersteller weiß zu machen. Man gibt Ihnen die Schiffs und Motordaten und Sie schauen in alten Büchern und Tabellen und kommen nach ein wenig Wuuusch Wuusch da, ein wenig Wuuusch Wuuusch hier, mit einem vielleicht richtigen Propeller. Manchmal scheint die Magie auch sie zu überraschen.
Also rannte ich über die Boot in Düsseldorf und fragte bei den namhaften Herstellern nach den richtigen Propeller. Mmmmm, namhafter Herstelle waren von einer Delanta 80 etwas verwirrt,

"Ja ein Langkieler, ich kenne den Schiffstyp sehr gut...."
"Ich glaube nicht...."

Ich fand einen kleinen Stand, wo mich 2 Frauen echt beeindruckten. Sie wussten worüber Sie sprachen, stellten Möglichkeiten vor die man diskutieren konnte und das alles ohne Magie. Ich bin sehr glücklich das ich diesen Hersteller gefunden habe, nicht nur wegen der guten Beratung, aber auch wegen der Technik, die dahinter steckt.
Mit dem Propeller kann man die Steigung nämlich einstellen, wie man sie braucht. Steigungseinstellung ? Yepp, kommt man in die missliche Lage, den Motor zu wechseln kann ich von meiner "gelben Zicke" ohne weiteres auf einen 10 PS Motor wechseln.  Das einzige was ich tun muss ist die Steigung von 13" auf 14" ändern. Oder ich kann die Leistung noch optimieren. So hier ist Geronimos neuer Propeller der Variprop der Firma SPW.

I knew for quite a while now, that the actual propeller Geronimo has, is not quite the right one. I have right turning motor, but a left turning propeller, so I switched simply the forward gear to backward gear. It works, but I good better power backwards than forwards, so it was time for something new.
Finding the right propeller is something to magic, that´s the idea of the manufacturer. You gave them the specs of your ship and engine, and they start looking up in old books and lists. A little wibby wobbly there, a little wibby wobbly here and then they came up with an idea which propeller you might need. Somehow it seams magic to themself.
I was on the BOOT in Düsseldorf and ask some manufacturer which propeller might be suitable for me. Well, some were quite confused by my type of boat,
 "It´s a long keeler, I know her very well....."
"I don´t think so...."
But I find a small stall, which impressed me a lot. There were 2 women, who actually know what there were talking about. They gave you some opportunities for propeller and you can discuss it with them. Without magic.
So I very happy that I found this manufacturer, not only because of the good counsel but also of the good ideas of the propeller. You gonna say, "man it is a propeller", yes of course, but have you a propeller where you can adjust the pitch. Pitch? Yeah the pitch, if you have to change your engine than normally you have to change also your propeller. I have now the possibilty to change from my "Yellow Bitch" up to a 10 hp engine without changing the propeller. The only thing I have to do is to change the pitch from 13" to 14".

So here is Geronimos new propeller The Variprop made by SPW.

The Variprop

 

 

http://www.spw-gmbh.de/

Strange no baby gear...........

Ja es ist still geworden auf meinem Blog. Aber es ändert sich alles, mit einem Neugeborenen.
Seit dem mein Sohn geboren ist, schaue ich verstärkt nach nützlichen Babysachen fürs Schiff.
Aber es gibt so gut wie nichts für Babys auf dem Markt. Außer natürlich Sponge Bob Schwimmweste, jetzt mal im ernst Sponge Bob, ist das einzige Muster für eine Schwimmweste. Ich bin über die Boot in Düsseldorf gelaufen, aber nichts anders
Die Auswahl für "nützliche Sachen" für Hunde und Katzen ist größer.
Wo sind die kardanischen Maxi Cosis, kein vakumdichter Mülleimer für Pampers......
Es scheint wenn man ein Baby an Bord hat, heißt es "Bau es dir selber...."
Wie Barney Stinson sagen würde, "Herausforderung angenommen"

Erste Ideen:
Kartentisch als Wickelkommode
Kardanisch aufgehängter Maxi Cosi
Laufstall

Yeah it´s been a long time, since my last post. But somehow it is a New Beginning of life, when you have a newborn.
Coming back to New Beginning, since my son is born I am looking for actual some baby gear, which might be handy on the boat. But strangely there a very few to nothing items on the market, except Sponge Bob Lifejackets. Seriously Sponge Bob is the only option for a newborn lifejacket cover. I run over the Boot in Düsseldorf, to find some handy stuff for an infant on a boat, but nothing.
The variety is greater with lifejackets for cats and dogs.
But it seams that the lifejackets are the only thing for a newborn or small child. No cardanic Maxi Cosi Dockingstation, no swaddling cloths container air sealed......
It seams that if you have an infant on board, you have to customize the stuff you need....
As Barney Stinson would say: "Challenge accepted"....

First ideas:
Chart table as a baby changing table
Cardanic Maxi Cosi / Baby Bay
flexible playpen

Married to a sailor means, ...... getting wet

Es ist etwas her seit meine letzten Blog, ja Arbeit, Schwangerschaft so was halt. Aber hier bin ich und seit gestern steht Geronimo wieder im Trockenem. Während ich alles winterfest gemacht habe, konnte ich eine wirklich lustige Szene beobachten.
 einer Meinung nach gibt es in jedem Hafen diesen Typen, der eigentlich nett und freundlich ist aber irgendwie einem auf die Nerven geht. Nennen wir meinem Peter. Peter fängt grundsätzlich eine Unterhaltung an mit "Man ist ja immer dran.....".
Gestern hatte er kurz nach mir seinen Krantermin und mein Vater und ich konnten beim vorbeigehen ein paar mal etwas beobachten.
Er spritzte mit einem Hochdruckreiniger sein Unterwasserschiff ab und immer erwischte er irgendwie seine Frau.

• Sie schrubbte die eine Seite des Kiels, er ballert mit dem Hochdruckreiniger die andere Seite sauber.
• Sie poliert den Rumpf, er knallt direkt über ihr mit dem Hochdruckreiniger übers Deck. 
• Sie schrubbt den Bug er spritzt hinter ihr herum, so das sie den ganzen Mist abkriegt. 

Im Endeffekt war Sie scheiß nass, man kann darüber streiten ob seit Beginn oder Ende seiner Arbeit.
Es war ein Bild für die Götter, aber ein Punkt der meinen Vater und mich wirklich verblüfft hat, ist Sie hat sich kein bißchen beschwert. Mein Vater und ich sind uns ziemlich sicher das unsere Frauen uns den Hochdruckreiniger abgenommen hätten und uns irgendwo hin geschossen hätten.

Aber im Endeffekt lieber Frauen, verheiratet sein mit einem Segler heißt immer irgendwie nass zu werden.

It´s been a while, quite busy at buisness, pregnancy stuff like that. But anyway I´m back and Geronimo is out of water since yesterday.
During gettung Geronimo ready for the winter I watched quite a lovley scene.
You know out of my point of view there is always a guy in the harbour which is actually quite nice but somehow annoying. My guy, let me call him Peter, normally starts a conversation with a weepy voice "Something is always......".
Anyway he craned out his boat, shortly after me.
My father and I recognized a couple of times when he cleaned the underwater ship with a pressure washer, that he always hit his wife.

• She scrubbed one side of the keel, he blastered the other side and she took all the dirty mist, secondary hits etc. 
• She polished the hull he hit the deck on the side were she worked. 
• She scrubbed the bow he was standing behind her and blastering around. 

By the end, maybe also by the start she was soaking wet.
It was quite amousing to watch, and the one thing which really puzzled us, was the fact that the didn´t complain.
My father and I are quite sure, if this would happened with our wife, the would literally catch the pistolf of the pressure washer and shot us into our....., well anyway.

But in the end dear ladys married to a sailor means ....getting wet.

Perfect sailing in autum .....but strange weather

Aus meiner Sicht hatte ich gestern einen perfekten Segeltag. Sonniger Tag, 17kn südöstlicher Wind, 18°C Lufttemperatur.
Der Wetterfunk meldete gegen Abend mögliche Regenschauer, 5-6 Windstärken und im nördlichen Teil der Niederlande mögliche Gewitter, komend aus dem Osten. Ok für mich, dachte ich mir.
Nachdem ich Hompelvoet nördlich passiert hatte, frischte der Wind auf 24kn auf. Also 2tes Reff rein, und schönes feuchtes Segeln. Es kamen ein paar schöne Wellen über, aber ich hatte meinen Spass dabei. Am Horizont bemerkte ich eine Front die südwestlich durchzuziehen schien, und mich verpfehlen würde. Falsch gedacht!
Zuerst kam die Warmfront, and dann wechselte die Front ihre Zugrichtung und kam aus dem SW nördlich. Der Wind blieb aber SE. Es zeichnete sich ein Gewitter ab, ich konnte in der großer Entfernung Blitze sehen. Der Wind lies schlagartig von 24kn auf 14kn nach. Ich reffte aus und versuchte weg zukommen von der Front. Aber sie zog jetzt östlich und folgte mir, als würde sie mich stalken.
Ich war 4sm vom Hafen entfernt mit Wind gegenan, also Segel runter und den Flautenschieber an. Ich hatte keine Lust im Gewitter im Hafen anzulegen, bzw. es draußen abzuwettern. Kurz vor dem Hafen schienen die Wolkenfron zu explodieren und der Wind lies nach auf 8 bis 10kn. Ich war im Hafen als sich eine dicke schwarze Wolkenfront am Horizont zeigte, kein Anzeichen von einem Gewitter und der Wind war wieder bei 14kn......

In der Summe ziemlich seltsam.

I was sailing yesterday and it started in my point of view perfectly. Sunny day and a 17kn of wind SE with an air temperature around 18 ° C. I really enjoyed the day.
The weatherforecast said it would become rainy, 5-6 Bft. and maybe risk of thunderstorms in the northern part of the dutch coast. Coming up from the east. Fine for me.
After I past the island Hompelvoet on the north side the wind increased up to 24kn. I put the second reff in and enjoyed the wetter sailing. I had my fun.
I started to notice a cloud formation SW from my position. Which I thought would pass without hitting me. I was wrong about that.
First the warm front hit me and then the front came from the SW which showed to be a thunderstorm. I saw flashes in quite a distance. And then the wind decreases from 24kn down to 14kn. I put on the whole main and tried to get away from this nasty front. But now the was moving in a eastern dirction right the way I want to go. Is she stalking me. Perfect!!
 I was 4 miles away from my harbour with wind coming from the direction so I started the engine, dropped the sails and pushed forward. I was not in the mood to go in the harbour during a thunderstorm or staying outside till it passed.
And then, right in front of the harbour, the thunderstorm clouds seam to explode and the wind was dropping 8 to 10kn.
As I was safe and sound in the harbour a big black front has appeard on the horizon. No sign of a thunderstorm and the wind was around 14kn again,......

In sum very strange.