There is no way to describe the progress that I've made since the last post with words, so I'm just going to explain it with pictures and video (credit to Nikolas and Brian).
In short, Nikolas, Brian, and I initially tried to set out for Portsmouth on Saturday morning, but once we got out of Boston Harbor and into some bigger than expected seas the engine started overheating. After spending 6-8 hours working on the raw water and fresh water cooling systems I was confident that the overheating was caused by an air bubble and that I had solved the problem.
After a successful cooling system test at the dock on Sunday morning we left Boston in 5-6 ft seas and headed north to Gloucester. At full throttle (~2950 RPM) she made about 9 kts, and a steady 8 kts at 2500 RPM for the cruise. We made Gloucester in about 3 hours and spent the night on a mooring in the harbor. The next morning we picked up my dad, headed up the canal to bypass Cape Ann, and then on to Portsmouth in about 5 hours. Everything ran great and I had a hard time wiping the grin off my face.
In short, Nikolas, Brian, and I initially tried to set out for Portsmouth on Saturday morning, but once we got out of Boston Harbor and into some bigger than expected seas the engine started overheating. After spending 6-8 hours working on the raw water and fresh water cooling systems I was confident that the overheating was caused by an air bubble and that I had solved the problem.
After a successful cooling system test at the dock on Sunday morning we left Boston in 5-6 ft seas and headed north to Gloucester. At full throttle (~2950 RPM) she made about 9 kts, and a steady 8 kts at 2500 RPM for the cruise. We made Gloucester in about 3 hours and spent the night on a mooring in the harbor. The next morning we picked up my dad, headed up the canal to bypass Cape Ann, and then on to Portsmouth in about 5 hours. Everything ran great and I had a hard time wiping the grin off my face.
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| Leaving Chelsea |
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| Goodbye Chelsea! |
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| Cautiously navigating through Boston Harbor |
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| Suited up for some decent swells in the distance |
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| Goodbye Boston! |
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| A taste of the seas on Sunday |
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| Very nervously pushing all my belongings and a couple of close friends into the open seas while relying on an antique engine that has never been run extensively |
These are the Sunday seas, and the milder ones at that. Everything that wasn't already on the floor in the boat was there within minutes of hitting the first swell. Everything is still such a mess... We were too busy hanging on and trying to tie things down during the bigger seas to get pictures and video.
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| Clear skies |
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| Land Ho! |
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| Sunset in Gloucester Harbor |
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| Sunrise in Gloucester Harbor |
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| Ayuh |
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| Brian at the helm |
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| Salty sea dog |
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| A successful arrival in Portsmouth where Big Tom met us at the dock |
