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It looks like we might have a good turnout for Fleet 1's upcoming cruise to Monterey!
As of this writing we have 3 boats possible with openings for a few more.
We will be departing out San Francisco on Monday morning, May 15th, arriving at Pillar Point Harbor in Beautiful Half Moon Bay that afternoon.  At this time, I have no organized activities planned for HMB, but there are several great dinner spots within walking distance of the harbor.
We'll depart HMB early in the morning for the long sail to Santa Cruz on Tuesday, May 16th.  Again, I don't have any activities planned for Santa Cruz, but there are a few good restaurants close by. We'll leave Santa Cruz Wednesday morning for what is usually an amazing sail across Monterey Bay to the Monterey Municipal Marina. The last time we sailed across Monterey Bay there were dolphin, whale, and harbor seal sightings everywhere!  A few lucky skippers even saw several Killer whales!
After arriving at the Marina Wednesday afternoon folks can check out the nearby Fisherman's Wharf for great food and shops. The sunset in Monterey during the spring is always a thing of beauty. Who knows, an impromptu dock party might spring up near our boats!
We'll spend the entire next day in Monterey exploring Cannery Row and perhaps the Famous Monterey Bay Aquarium!
I will organize a group dinner for the Fleet Thursday night once I get a good attendee headcount. Our Fleet dinners are always a blast with many tales of the week's sailing.
Friday Morning it's off once again to Santa Cruz and from there to HMB by Saturday night, then a nice sail north back into San Francisco Bay Sunday afternoon to complete this amazing trip.
Like I've said before, if you've never made this trip, this is a terrific opportunity to get some coastal sailing under your belt with a good group of experienced skippers. With 5 to 7 boats travelling as a group, it provides a safer experience to view the incredible California coastline.
Please contact me as soon as possible with your availability and headcounts so I can finalize arrangements at the different marinas. I'll have more information for the attendees very soon. Time is running out, so get ahold of me ASAP!

Rick Allen
Fleet 1 Cruise Chair
sailorick@gmail.com

2016 Cruising destinations
Half Moon Bay
Benicia
Ballena Bay

Thanks for a great season. Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/iU-mPFNvGvc

I'm not happy with the way the macerator is installed on my 1988 MKI. I know this has been discussed before in the forum, but I haven't yet seen a good solution. With the way it's installed now, effluence will continually sit in the short hose between the holding tank and the macerator and accelerate permeation. Since I'm currently replacing all my sanitary hoses, I'm thinking of perhaps using PVC instead of hose between the tank and macerator or just not replacing the macerator at all and plugging the fitting from the tank.

My main sailing area is SF Bay and I do a little coastal cruising. In the 12 years I've owned this boat, I've only used the macerator once.
I tend to believe times have changed since the macerator was installed 28 years ago. Pump out stations are more plentiful now than they were back then, and with the rapidly increasing number of "No Discharge Zones", I don't see myself using the new macerator much. I don't take long voyages. If I install a new macerator, effluence will just sit in the short hose and increase its permeation time.

Installing a short schedule 40 PVC pipe would work if I could align it correctly and work out the fitting issues. Has anybody done this? Any tips?

Here's a link to some photos of the area and my progress so far. Everything is out and I've used Bilgekote to brighten up some of the spaces.
http://public.fotki.com/Sailorick/sv_painkiller/holding-tank/

As Stu would say: Your boat, your choice....

Thoughts?

Thanks!

Rick

Greetings fellow cruisers! I hope everyone had a great summer on the water!

Our next Fleet 1 Cruise is fast approaching!  This time we'll be heading over to beautiful Ballena Isle Marina on Alameda's west shore on Friday September 23rd through Sunday the 25th. I believe this will be a short cruise for most of us.

I'm looking to set Saturday night's group dinner at nearby Pier 29 Restaurant.

As usual, please contact me as soon as possible for slip reservations and dinner attendees.

This is our last cruise of the year so let's make it a fun one!!!

Thanks all and I'll get more information out soon!



Rick

C34 IA Fleet 1 Cruise Chair

Fellow cruisers, Thank you all for the great turnout at Half Moon Bay!! We drew quite a lot of boats for a coastal trip and I believe everyone had a good time. Pictures will be posted soon to the fleets "Flickr" site for all to enjoy!

We're just over 3 weeks away for our next cruise to beautiful Benicia!
Join us on Friday, June 3rd through Sunday, June 5 on this great cruise through San Pablo Bay and under the Carquinez Bridge to the Benicia Marina.  I'd like to get a boat and crew count as soon as possible so we can reserve the slips. (Tim Graham of Nessie, gets first slip choice this cruise to make up for their horrid accommodations at HMB, sorry about that sir!).
Also, I've made reservations for Dinner Saturday night at Sailor Jacks a few short blocks from the marina. Please please, let me know if you can attend plus how many in your party.
More logistical info to come..

So to recap..
HMB, what a blast!
Benicia, I need boat and crew counts PLUS dinner attendees.

The sooner the better guys!

Thanks!

Rick Allen
C34 Cruise Chair
s/v Painkiller
Sailorick@gmail.com

Join us for Fleet 1's first cruise of 2016!
Please contact me as soon as possible if you'd like to be a part of this event.

Weather permitting we'll rendezvous just west of Alcatraz Island at 0900 on Friday, April 15th. The ebb tide is in our favor as we head out the gate in the morning. This will be a fun and exciting coastal cruise with lots of wildlife to see along the way.
Pertinent USCG marks are as follows:

MSC #8   37.775318N   122.587555W   Whistle Bouy Red 2.5sec
PP B#1   37.486290N   122.505867W   Green Gong Bouy 1 2.5sec
PP R#2   37.472931N   122.484291W   Red Gong Bouy 4.0sec
PP B#3   37.481621N   122.482872W   Green Gong Bouy 3 4.0sec

We'll typically turn left at MSC#8 if the swell is favorable. It's important to study the chart(s) closely before entering Half Moon Bay as you need to run between R#2 and R#3 to avoid grounding.

Please monitor VHF Channel 72 for Fleet communications throughout the cruise, I can also be reached on my cell at 916 718 3789.

Again, please contact me as soon as possible with boat name and crew size so I can reserve slips and secure Saturday dinner reservations.

More info to follow!

Thanks!

Rick

[The 2016 cruising schedule for Fleet 1 is as follows:]

As we look forward to a new year of exciting cruising I wanted to again thank all the members who participated in last year's cruises. 2015 was a fun year and we had good turnout for each trip!

The 2016 cruising schedule for Fleet 1 is as follows:

Pillar Point Harbor/Half Moon Bay
April 15-17th.
This is a great trip for those with little coastal experience who want to edge their boat under the Golden Gate and out of the bay for a while. Expect to see lots of the marine life during the cruise! During our last trip we saw whales, dolphins, otters and way too many crab pots!
Approximately 75nm round trip from Alameda

Benicia Marina
June 3-5th.
The former Capitol of California offers some great shopping and dining within a few blocks of the marina.
Approximately 60nm round trip from Alameda

Ballena Isle Marina, Alameda
September 23-25th.
It's a short cruise to this park like marina with great views of the south bay and nearby dining opportunities. Those of us on the estuary might take the back door route via the San Leandro Channel for nice change of scenery!
Approximately 10nm round trip from Alameda

All cruises will feature dockside cheese and wine gatherings in the afternoon and the usual tall tales and maintenance tips from our wonderful members.

I'll be putting more information out to everyone as we get closer to each departure date and I always have an eye and ear out for additional activities and destinations. Please, and I cannot stress this enough, check your calendars and indicate your availability as soon as possible for each cruise. It certainly helps us with planning and securing slip and meal reservations.

For those of you on Facebook, I've created a C34 Fleet 1 Cruising Group to post pictures and information about upcoming cruises.
You can find the Group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1563927920593810/
Or just search for "C34 Fleet 1 Cruising" while on Facebook.
As always, please feel free to contact me anytime at Sailorick@gmail.com

I'm looking forward to fun cruising and great member turnouts in 2016!

Rick Allen
Cruise Chair

From Catalina Direct today:

"Has your stovetop cutting board seen better days? Does its condition make it a perfect surface for rebuilding your diesel's raw water pump?"
It looks like CD is trying to find some owners with OEM boards so they can start reproducing them.

http://us5.campaign-archive2.com/?u=23be7ea908a745ae35501e450&id=a4b081060a&e=868a621317

I'm thinking about installing a vacuum gauge between my primary Racor 220 filter and the Facet fuel pump to monitor and record any fuel flow restriction and filter replacement intervals.
While researching gauges online, I've come up with a wide range of prices. Does anyone have an opinion on the following manufacturers and any reason while I shouldn't just use the cheaper one?

Cheap DuraChoice Model...
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GMU29DI/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=YIY8TTOGDQIB&coliid=I3S2AZ397JTMVX&psc=1

Or the more expensive (and probably better) Racor..
http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=6447&familyName=Racor+T-Handle+Vacuum+Gauge+Kit+

While my particular Racor model does not have a T fitting on top, I can certainly use any number of fittings to mount it to the "Out" hole on the filter housing.

Any help out there?? I've already completed the required TNO and Messageboard searches...

Thanks

Rick

Hello Fleet 1 members,

I hope everyone is having a wonderful spring sailing season!  We had a great cruise up to Petaluma last month and now it's time to start thinking about our next cruise to beautiful Sausalito, July 17th through 19th.

We will again be berthing at the wonderful Schoonmaker Point Marina. (http://www.schoonmakermarina.com/default.htm). They have been very kind to the Fleet in the past and are again welcoming our arrival this summer. Those of you who've been on this cruise before are already familiar with the location and access to great shopping and dining up and down Sausalito's historic Bridgeway Promenade. For those who haven't been, you will discover a great sailing destination that you'll happily return to year after year.

I'm looking at a few different options for a group dinner Saturday evening and certainly welcome your suggestions. Within the marina, there is the very hip and trendy "Le Garage" that we've been to several times, but there are other choices within walking distance that may be good also. Please let me know if you have a favorite.

My crew and I are thinking of playing a little golf (9 Holes) on Saturday at the nearby McInnis Golf Course and would love to have some fleet members join us. Perhaps we can have a mini C34 Fleet 1 Golf Tournament! (I'll head to Goodwill and buy a cheap Trophy..).

So mark you calendar's my friends! Next cruise, Sausalito, July 17-19! I love to see a good Fleet showing!!

Please contact me as soon as possible with your availability!

Rick

s/v PainKiller
sailorick@gmail.com
Phone and Text: (916) 718-3789

Fleet 1's Cruise up to Petaluma California for the American Graffiti Car Show. 37 miles each way.
http://youtu.be/5efHHKOx-pU

Boats and Classic cars! How can you go wrong??

After noticing a few burn marks on my 10 year old Marinco shore power cord, I decided to bite the bullet and purchase a new SmartPlug 30A 50' cord and boatside inlet. I'm sure everyone has seen Mainsail's great article on this product.

I, of course, was too lazy to take advantage of the special C34 pricing offered earlier this year. So I purchased the cord and the inlet from Catalina Direct at a great price with no shipping as I live just down the road from their warehouse. (Will Call is Goood..)

A few comments regarding installation:
My particular Catalina had very little extra wiring length available after I removed the old inlet, and trying to squeeze my 250lb rear end into the port lazarette was a sight to behold. I ended up paying a kid walking by the marina 5 bucks to snip a cable tie holding the romex wiring away from the edge of the coaming to give me some extra purchase. So be prepared for a long reach!!
After trimming each of the wires to the required 5/8" (Do not trim back any more than this!!) the wire inserted quite nicely into the back inlet. SmartPlug could not have made this easier for amateurs. The instructions are very easy to follow and everything fit perfectly.
I then slid the inlet unit into the existing hole and realized I had completely forgotten the supplied Rear Mounting Gasket!!! You must slide this on BEFORE attaching the wires to the unit. It's an easy step to miss.
So after installing the gasket and reattaching the wires, the inlet fit perfectly into the existing hole and was secured by the existing screws. No drilling!

My only tiny complaint was the screw for the Strain Relief Component on the back of the inlet. It could have been a little beefy-er as it could be easy to strip. Not a big deal.
Anyway, the SmartPlug is a great and long overdue product and I feel much safer with it installed.

A few photos (sorry the boat was dirty that day..)

 

During the last several cruises, after an hour or so at 2500 RPM, the engine (25xp) will slowly lose power and die. My initial thought was air getting into the fuel system so I would immediately bleed the motor and after a while the engine will restart and regain power but only for another half hour or so, and then die out again. I would repeat the process until we were safely in the slip.
Another thing I noticed was our Facet pump was very hot, almost too hot to touch!  This sounds like either a bad pump or an obstruction in the line. After inspecting all the usual suspects, including but not limited to, air from the primary Racor, installing a new Racor filter, installing a new secondary filter, checking the screen in the Facet Pump (Clear) and checking the fuel tank inlet for the dreaded pick-up screen (PO had already removed it), I removed the pump and took it my local parts guy for an opinion. He quickly did a bench test and indicated the pump didn’t sound right to him and we determined the pump was bad.
So last weekend I installed the new pump, checked the elec connections, installed all new 3/8 fuel line(Except the ½ return line), Installed all new filters, bled the system, checked and rechecked for air intrusion or any other blockages. I also added a fuel pump line switch as I did most of this work alone. Fired the motor up, ran up and down the estuary at 2500RPM for about 45 minutes with no issues. I pulled into the slip and now the NEW Facet pump is HOT!
Well crap…
I’m starting to run out of ideas here.
It’s time to consult the experts..
The filter and lines are installed correctly. Tank to Primary Racor to Fuel pump to secondary filter to injection pump.
I’ve read through much of Mainsail’s information and also Mr. Hill’s posts in the Tech Wiki and they’ve been very helpful.
I am going to replace the ½ return line next as that’s the only one I haven’t replaced yet. I even replaced the short line that runs from the secondary filter to the injection pump (Which I believe was original!) Hopefully it isn’t the injection pump itself. There is a PO installed fuel shutoff valve at the tank and it looks and works ok.
Any other ideas?
Am I missing something obvious?
What else could be heating up the fuel pump?
I’m not looking forward to the engine quitting again in tight quarters and having Stu shadow me back to my slip (Which he has graciously done..  Twice)..

A few pictures are here: http://public.fotki.com/sailorick/sv_painkiller/new-fuel-pump/

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

As we move closer to our fun cruise to Petaluma on May 15-17, I wanted to get a feel for who would like to attend. We're looking forward to having as many boats as possible on this great cruise! It looks like we would be departing the Alameda area early on Friday the 15th and returning the 17th with more logistical information to follow. We'd all like to hit the D Street bridge in Petaluma at about the same time so there's just one opening.

Please contact me with your intentions as I'm trying to get an accurate attendee count to find us all a good place for dinner Saturday night.  With the "American Graffiti" celebration occurring that same weekend, restaurant reservations may be tough!

So please contact me, as soon as humanly possible to RSVP for this wonderful trip!

Thanks!

Rick Allen 
C34 Fleet 1 Cruise Chair
sailorick@gmail.com
Cell and Text: 916-718-3789

I'm not near my boat to measure, but does anyone happen to know the thickness of the trim board that the vberth insert rests on? Specifically the vertical dimension. Looks to be maybe 3/4" or 1"??
Thanks in advance Gentlemen...

Please join your fellow Fleet 1 members for our final organized cruise of 2014!! (And I use the term "organized" loosely...)

October 17, 18 & 19

Enjoy the weekend at GGYC's new docks and have a few drinks in their newly remodeled lounge area!

For dinner Saturday night, we'd like to try a fleet potluck with everyone bringing their own meats and beverages for themselves and "even" sail numbers bringing a side dish to share and "odd" sail numbers bringing a desert to share. I can bring plenty of dock tables and a few chairs.

Slips will be available Friday night for early arrivals.

The amount of dock space available is finite, so please contact me at sailorick@gmail.com to reserve your slip as soon as possible so we can give GGYC an accurate headcount.

I look forward to seeing everyone there!

Rick Allen
s/v PainKiller
sailorick@gmail.com
(916) 718-3789

A short video of the Fleet 1 Clipper Cove Raft-up the weekend of 4/21.  Thanks Scott, and everyone else for putting this together. We had a wonderful time!

http://youtu.be/S2IFzhzRrJY

Rick and Susan

Some photos from the Napa cruise are here:
http://public.fotki.com/Sailorick/sv_painkiller/fleet-1-cruise-to-n/

If you see a picture of you or your boat, feel free to download.

Rick

I've posted pictures of the CYC cruise-in on my website here:

http://public.fotki.com/sailorick/sv_painkiller/fleet-1-cruise-in-t/

If you would like a full size copy of any of the pictures, click on the thumbnail version and after the picture opens, click in the lower left hand corner of the screen where it reads "Get original uploaded Photo", then right click that photo and select "Save picture as" to save it to your hard drive.  If you are using a Mac, call Fisher-Price.  If you object to your image on the internet, email me and I will remove it.

Thanks again to Scott and Ray and everyone who help make it a great weekend!

After noticing some water in the bilge yesterday while motoring at 2500rpm in calm seas, I checked the engine (25xp) and found salt water pouring out of the raw water pump weep holes.  Apparently it's been happening to some extent for awhile, at least since I've been in there 6 months ago.  Since the water is coming from the weep holes and the pump is pumping fine, I'll assume that the seal has gone bad. (Thanks Stu for the critical upgrades thread!!).  My question is, should I try to replace the seals myself or take it off and have the pump professionally rebuilt or just buy a new pump. (Torresen, $267.00, I'll also check DEPCO). Does anyone know of a good supplier/rebuilder in the SF Bay Area? Also, because of the corrosion to the area below the pump, I again assume I should clean with wire brush and, of course, repaint unless there's a critical step I'm missing.  I'll also replace all hoses and clamps. I've also seached "Oberdorfer" and found some good info here.

Thanks in advance for any advise!

Now I'll lift my skirt here and show you pictures and the damage below the pump.  Like Stu say's, "A picture is worth a thousand words".  See the pictures here:
http://public.fotki.com/Sailorick/sv_painkiller/water-pump/

Thanks Again!

Rick

Congrats to Fleet 1 member Ray Irvine of "Crews Nest" for making the cover of the July edition of Latitude38!!
http://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/lectronicday.lasso?date=2009-07-01&dayid=291#Story4

Rick

Are here:
http://public.fotki.com/Sailorick/sv_painkiller/2009-catalina-rendezvous/

A fun time was had by all....

Rick

Can anyone recommend a good electrician in the bay area? Preferably the
Richmond area. I have some instruments that need to be installed and I
just haven't the time to do it myself.


Rick
s/v PainKiller

I finally got around to posting this video on YouTube.  I'll work on getting the full 20 minute version uploaded soon!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yc836pIgBLI

Rick
s/v PainKiller

I just wanted to throw this up for anyone who wants to "see" what goes on when you have your stick yanked.  We were overdue to get our original 1988 standing rigging replaced along with replacing the old hood continuous line furler with a new Harken MKIV.  Of course, while the mast was down we replaced the VHF antenna and cabling, added a new anchor light along with a new masthead/deck light.  We also added a new windex and Raymarine wind indicator (part of the new Raymarine ST60 Plus 3 pak).  KKMI of Richmond, CA did the new rigging for us while we added everthing else. (cheap labor!).  I have to say it was an interesting experience!

Go to the link and hit the slideshow button.

http://public.fotki.com/randypictures/painkiller-1/out-comes-the-mast/

Rick
s/v PainKiller

Hello all,

We're looking at getting our C34 re-rigged in the next few months here in SF (Richmond)  It still has the origonal 1988 standing rigging and it's time to get it replaced.  I've looked at KKMI and a few others and I wanted to get some local opinions on who is the best rigger to use and who to avoid.  You cam PM me or email me (sailorick@sbcglobal.net) if you like.

Thanks in advance!

Rick

Hi all, we're looking to enter s/v PainKiller in the 34 Nationals comming up.  We haven't raced her much (Three bridge, Doublehanded) and we were wondering what the opinion on optimum crew would be.  we were thinking six, but I know we could have as many as eight.  What do you guys typically race with?  We won't be flying a spinnaker.

applying for a PHRF cert.  Thanx
randy
c34 "painkiller"