Category Archives: Living Aboard

AC/DC

Posted on February 16, 2012 by John Peltier| Leave a comment

Under Executive Order, and in keeping faith with my latest decree of being disciplined about my boat projects, I have declared March to be Electrical Systems Month.  This means I have 12 days to figure out how I’ll tackle my electrical projects throughout March, projects that need to be accomplished if I’m going to be a successful cruising photographer.  These projects include: an inverter, new electrical distribution panel, batteries, solar panels, and rewiring.  Let’s start with selecting an inverter. Continue reading →

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Eyes on the Prize!

Posted on February 11, 2012 by John Peltier| 2 Comments

Rewriting the big list!

This “living aboard” thing has been going better than I planned…I’m surviving my first winter (albeit a mild one) and am thoroughly enjoying life on the dock.  My whole reason for ditching life “on the hard” one year before setting out on my “Big Trip” was to work on projects and get Saoirse ready just as much as getting myself ready.  But right now my checklist doesn’t have very many checks next to anything. Continue reading →

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Man-Sewing

Posted on January 23, 2012 by John Peltier| 2 Comments

I think I can figure this thing out...

I don’t know which of the following was more difficult: buying a sewing machine, using a sewing machine, or admitting that I have/use a sewing machine.  Just wait til the guys at work hear about this.  Don’t worry, I was able to justify it.  It’s a semi-industrial sailmaking sewing machine (a Sailrite LSZ-1), weighs nearly 50 pounds, and is blue.  Blue is a man’s color.  And a recent article in Good Old Boat magazine was titled “Real sailors sew”.  It should, in theory, save me thousands of dollars over a few years.  Assuming I can get past figuring out how to thread it. Continue reading →

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Water In My Algae Tank

Posted on January 4, 2012 by John Peltier| 2 Comments

This was my final big project to finish before S/V Saoirse would feel more like a “home”.  What was the problem?  During the pre-purchase survey, a peek inside the water tank inspection port revealed a nice thick film of green goo coating the insides, and a few gallons of water that had probably been sitting in there for quite some time.  Nothing I was keen on drinking.  I’d really like to show you pictures of it, but some trigger-happy fool reformatted the memory card before ensuring that all photos had been downloaded to the computer.  It was really foul…take my word for it.
I really don’t know what took me so long to finish this project.  Wait…yeah, I think I can pinpoint it to my timidness about my first fiberglass project and the fact that there were other easier projects I could accomplish in the meantime, like varnishing and killing an old bottle of rum.  But it sure is nice to finally have running water and not relying on a six-gallon camping water bladder!  I’m now mesmerized by the water coming out of my faucet – like Man when he first discovered fire! Continue reading →

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The Science of Nature

Posted on November 28, 2011 by John Peltier| Leave a comment

Disclaimer: There are no photos here.  Yes, I know, this website has the word “photography” in the title.  I’m allowed to digress.

As I write this, I’m sitting on the deck of my boat enjoying a cold beer, watching ducks dive below the water in search of food right off my bow, and noting the sky change hues as the sun settles behind some low, thin cumulus clouds.  This is my new routine on days that I’m not working or when I’m home from work before dark, as I finish out my last eight months of my abandoned career flying fighter jets. Continue reading →

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Refrigeration for Dummies

Posted on November 14, 2011 by John Peltier| Leave a comment

The icebox lid. Not a lot of insulation there!

I’m thoroughly entertained by some of the questions that people ask me about living on a sailboat. It’s not their fault; they just don’t know anyone who lives on a boat and they have no idea what it’s like. Sometimes I have a feeling that people imagine me in a little dinghy, covered by a canvas cloth for protection from the elements, with a cooler and camp stove for cooking. The truth is, it’s closer to a one-bedroom apartment than most realize. Just a one-bedroom apartment that requires a lot of maintenance, gets freakin’ cold in the winter, rocks (sometimes violently) with the wind and water, and will go anywhere in the world that I want to go (and you thought it was doom & gloom until I added that last part!). I don’t cook with a camp stove; I have a two-burner propane stove and oven/broiler that I’ve used to make some tasty meals. And I have a refrigerator as well…it’s just that refrigeration seems to be an afterthought for most boat builders, and my boat was no exception.

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Rechristening

Posted on October 10, 2011 by John Peltier| 1 Comment

"Saoirse" is an old Irish girl's name meaning "freedom" or "liberty".

She has a new name! I can now stop referring to her as “the boat”, “my Orion”, etc. I can’t say the old name – it’s been officially retired to the realm of Neptune – and it was also completely embarrassing to say out loud.

I did all of this with the boat in the water (where it should be), and first had to take down the old name. It was vinyl lettering, so all it took was a little heat from a hairdryer to peel off. Safety precautions: 1) tie off the hairdryer to the stern pulpit so you won’t drop it in the water (success on that front); 2) remember how to safely get into a dinghy (unsuccessful). I guess it had been a few months since I boarded a dinghy and that whole thing about keeping your center of gravity low seemed to elude me, and I did a backflip into the Pamlico River. At least I had just showered; I’d hate to dirty the river with my filthy body.


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