My ships clock was on the blink and needed attention. I met a great sailor who specializes in repairing ship’s clocks and wanted to share his information as he is just opening a shop. I have an old Chelsea and really miss hearing the ships bells. There is just something about a proper clock playing bells that makes a boat something special, and feel a home.
I’m very serious about crossing the Pacific again next year, and as a result my navigation system has become of utmost importance. I miss Polynesia and Tonga! Not to mention I’m now 3 months married, and promised Carla the world, I intend to give it to her.
Anyway, back to my navigation system.
Simple, easy, cost effective, and dependable is the goal.
My ships computer (12v mini ITX system) crashed a while back. It should have been an easy fix but it was far from easy, why, Microsoft!
As you know I’m in a very remote area of the San Blas islands of Panama. Restoring my computer shouldn’t have been a nightmare, but Microsoft made it an experience more akin to pulling my teeth out with a rusty vise-grip than restoring a crashed computer system.
Finding a local (not 800) Microsoft registration number in the states that I could call from here was a 1/2 day event. I couldn’t register online, nor call one of their toll free numbers from out of the country. After much fuss, expense on a phone that I only had a certain number of minutes on, and no store in sight to buy a phone card, I wanted to kill myself dealing with trying to register windows.
What if I was in the middle of the sea with no phone at all?
I spent a lot of time on hold with Microsoft and was finally connected to an automated system that didn’t work because my signal kept dropping in an out. At the end of the day I managed to get a guy on the phone, IN INDIA, that helped me register my copy of windows. All in all registering windows cost me $40-$50 on my prepaid phone, and the experience nearly gave me a heart attack.
I’m done with Microsoft!
Let me introduce Navigatrix (picture above).
A Linux operating system for sailors, by sailors, with all the voyaging and navigation tools we could possibly need pre-installed.
This OS can be loaded on a 8gb bootable thumb drive. Your hard disk never need be spun-up unless you need to access a file. Good for dependability, not to mention power saving while navigating under way.
Did I mention NAVIGATRIX is also free and you don’t need to go through a Nazi registration camp to use it? I love open source!
If you have interest please download a copy for yourself at: 
I’ve also been searching hi and low for the right (simple) way to handle my NMEA data without expensive independent wind, speed, and depth displays.
I’ve decided to go with an Actisense DST-2 which will digitize my depth, speed, and temperature information from my transducer, and rout it to my ship’s computer through an Actisense NDC-4 (USB) NMEA multiplexer.
At a later time when I can afford to get into a Airmar wind transducer I’ll route it directly to the Actisense multiplexer as I want to organize all the data into clean NMEA sentencing.
Carla is bringing me all my new gear from the states in 3 weeks and I’ll get right 
on hooking all this up.
Check out all of Actisense’s products at:
I can’t ell you how excited I am about focusing on navigation and finally getting back to the Pacific.
My list of things I need is dwindling rapidly. It’s amazing what a little money can do. If Carla and I can manage 4, or 5 more charters I can put Splendid’s restoration and refit to rest.
I’ve been scouring ebay looking for a deal on a used Icom SSB & tuner.
A friend of mine, and long time reader made a little magic happen for me. My budget for a used radio and tuner was $500-$600. How did I manage to get into a new Icom M-802 and AT-130 tuner? Don’t ask me how the math works, all I can tell you is I know good karma pays off. It makes me think of the old movie “pay it forward”. I’m always amazed at the good energy surrounding me and Project BlueSphere! Thanks Jim, really!
Needless to say Carla and I are insisting Jim and his girlfriend join us on Splendid for a visit.
Boy, when Carla returns it will be like Christmas and a childhood birthday all wrapped up into one glorious day of gear raining from the heavens.
I’m far from a tech junkie when it comes to boat electronics, but a simple and dependable system really makes voyaging safer, not to mention fun.
I’m hoping to get into a Pactor modem so I can do my email via the SSB radio and not have to deal with expensive satellite phone minutes. The modems are expensive and I need to get my ham license. The ham license is the really tricky part as they (FCC) don’t administer examinations in Panama.
My big expenses now are a drifter (sail), Spaceloft insulation for my refrigeration box, and my haul-out. The haul-out is a big one as I’m installing all new marelon t-hulls, and I need to fit a new stuffing box. I’m looking for a conventional stuffing box and coming up empty-handed for the size I need? I’m also going to re barrier-coat, and slap on 5 gallons of bottom paint.
I’m thinking to do the haul-out in Cartagena (Colombia) around August.
These are exciting times aboard Splendid.
Well that’s it for today guys. I have a charter arriving mid-week and will probably not post another blog until he leaves.
Life is grand.
Peace.
Sail far and live slowly.
– Alex
Alex, check out Volvo Penta Lip Seal -> http://www.ebay.com/itm/VOLVO-PENTA-SHAFT-SEALING-828422-/321327123327
I’ve put one in and am very happy. All it is is a piece of rubber and a clamp. It doesn’t drip. You push some grease into it once a year. The only catch is your shaft must be pristine where the contact is with the lip. I had a new shaft…
Cheers,
Voytek
hmmm, I’ve re-read my comment and no, no pun intended ;-)
Voytec,
I won’t put anything other than a standard packing gland. I know the volvo it’s just notfor me.
hmmm, I’ve re-read my comment and no, no pun intended ;-)
Voytec,
i can fully understand that lips on anything other than a pristine shaft could cause problems such as swelling, and possibly subsequent dripping at the shaft. It recently happened to a friend of mine when cruising third world countries.
Probably explains why Alex prefers to stick with a tried and proven gland. (especially considering he is now a married man.)
Hummm, you guys are too funny. I am very serious about only using a standard stuffing box. I don’t mind a little drip.
When shaft seals go tbere is far too much water entering the boat. Truthfully I can’t believe people buy them. I’m not even interested in keeping a spare on board.
cool….porn……..sailing………. good combo
The risk with either kind of shaft is that more often than not, it is joined to the hull with a hose clamped to the shaft log. If the shaft expands from friction and siezes against the stuffing box or other gadget, it can wrench the hose right off the log, causing the gush. So in either case, keep it cool and lubed, and not too tight!
I had an older dripless which I replaced with a tides marine dripless. The shaft log is integral for my boat, being steel, so the risk was more as Alex said – from gushing failure. I suspect the old seal was very close to that judging from the cracks in the carbon facing etc.
Sometimes traditional is best – easier to find flax stuffing or in a pinch a tshirt coated with grease in a faraway place than a custom part.
Devon
Mi stuffing box is an odd design, it’s bolted to the bulkhead. I’m going to cut it away and put the traditional kind where it is hose clamped to the stern tube.
I’ve never heard of one being torn off the tube but I see the shaft seals fail all the bloody time.
32 west sail cheap.. virgin.craigslist.org/boa/4303007157.html