Thursday, June 5, 2008

It's a Yanmar!

In the end, we decided on the Yanmar 30HP engine. With the old engine removed and the area prepped, Dad, Tim, JP and Walter manouvered the beauty into her new home. There is a lot of work to position the engine just right. There is still some talk of sponsorship in this area.

The guys down at the boat have been working tirelessly on Intrepid.

My thanks go out to Darell (with the electrical), JP ( with the engine), Peter (spent half a day tweaking the auto helm yesterday) and has been on the boat for over a week now, Walter (with the engine and any and everything else), Rowanda (cleaning and detailing after all the guys) and David Benson. David has been with the project pretty much since the beginning, coming down several days a week and helping out with everything. Yesterday was David's last day as he is leaving for vacation tonight. Before he left he tied his lucky coin to one of the grab rails on the boat. Don't know how much good it will do but I appreciated the thought. All of us here at Intrepid will be missing him.

Today we're continuing the engine installation we have been working hard to get it all in and set up by the weekend. Mike Smith is coming in from North Carolina this morning. Mike wired most of my boat last time he came out. It will be good to have him here to fine tune things.

It exciting to be working with the Marina del Rey Boat Show. They have a lot of great ideas and it should be a cool place to depart from. The show takes place at Burton Chace Park beginning June 12th. I am scheduled to leave from there at around 1:00. More on this to follow.

Have been looking more closely at the weather. For my first leg at least, I'll be working with David Morris who is a professional meteorologist. He will be using, among his professional tools, the Clear Point Weather system that I will be using to help me learn to interpret the complexities of marine weather. I wonder if I can get school credit for this! As of yesterday, my course looks clear and we will strategize to get and keep me in the wind as quickly and consistantly as possible.

So much to talk about but I've got to get back to it here.Cheers,

Zac

12 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Good luck man, I have you booked so I'll be reading on your progress. And as a member of the Coast Guard, don't hesitate to give us a call if you need us ;)

June 5, 2008 at 2:45 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Our family wishes you a safe journey Zac. May the wind be at your back and keep your sails full! We are hoping you will have a map on this site, showing not only your progress, but your intended course for your voyage as well. Good luck Zac, and smooth sailing !!!

June 5, 2008 at 3:08 PM  
Blogger mary.daunis said...

Hi, Zac! I am very interested in your adventure. Our Minneapolis paper had a story about you last week and I have been checking out your progress ever since. I hope you have a safe and fun trip. I'll keep in touch.

June 5, 2008 at 6:15 PM  
Blogger Marie said...

Hi Zac
Safe journey from Marie's Daycare
We will be watching you all the way
We also would like to see a map of your journey.
Marie and Kids

June 6, 2008 at 8:11 AM  
Blogger Toast said...

We've got two Y26's, and we are most happy with them. You'll be fine with these babies. Very easy to maintain and rock solid as long as you stay on top of the oil changes and fuel filter. You know the drill. There is no such thing as overly clean diesel ;)

The girls and I will be watching you as we touch down ourselves. Enjoy the journey!

June 9, 2008 at 3:29 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Zac -- My husband is following your journey and is really enjoying your blog. You mentioned you might like to get HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT for what you are doing. Believe it or not, you absolutely CAN get high school credit. I'm a private tutor and a number of my students earn credit through a private school that allows experiential learning. My website is www.TLCeducation.org. You can find an email address on that site (or just info (at) tlceducation.org). Best of luck!


Kirsten O'Malley

June 10, 2008 at 9:47 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey Zac....Cheers from Sunny Florida. Wishing you all the best. I will circulate your story around Kennedy Space Center / Space Shuttle program and Launch Pad 39A. You are living a lot of people's dream. Best of luck, fair winds and be safe.

June 15, 2008 at 12:09 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey Zac
Your half cousins from UK wish you a safe journey. We'll be following your progress
Debbie Molly and Alex

June 16, 2008 at 9:24 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You seem well qualified and have a loving family that will give you every reason to stay safe. Wishing you a great experience and look forward to hearing about the many interesting experiences.

June 17, 2008 at 4:04 AM  
Blogger Jen said...

Hey Zac
Excited to follow your journey. Wishing you the best of luck. What a great adventure!! Will keep in contact and hopefully follow you through the Orange County edition of the L. A. Times. Be safe

Jen

June 17, 2008 at 8:33 PM  
Blogger n6yvy said...

Hi I wish you good luck. My Uncle did in the 1920's. His name was Harry Pidgeon. So I'll wish you good luck a calm sea and strong wind at your back.

June 18, 2008 at 7:19 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Zac,

We are praying for your safety and know God is with you. We are encouraged by your courage.

Sincerely,
Jenny Melendez and family ( Trinity Pacific)

June 18, 2008 at 4:14 PM  

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