3/4/2024 Huntington Beach
Up early to do some last-minute preparations, but we were
more than ready to go. We are down to one smaller rolling duffle bag, a
carry-on sized rolling suitcase and our respective briefcases. With the boat
well stocked with clothes etc. we are schlepping some warm clothes, but mostly
boat maintenance parts that are cheaper and easier to get in the states.
Our good friend Inez picked us up promptly at 1000 and we were off for another 3-month adventure on Raffaellesco in the Med. This trip will take us down the west coast of Italy, Sicily, and around the boot heal into the Adriatic Sea. We breezed through a very quiet Orange County airport, love my Delta Sky Priority and TSA Pre. It was a beautiful day for flying.
The plane departed on time, smooth flight and an early
arrival into Detroit. Suzette’s brother Bobby and sister Rene picked us up at
the airport. It was great to see Rene out and enjoying a ride in the van, being
confined to a wheel chair is clearly limiting, but she does not complain. I was
happy to not spend the money on a rental car. 45 minutes later we were back at
the Schuchard family home. We launched right into a review of the family trust
and gathering of documents to submit to the tax man. We wanted to be prepared
for tomorrows family meeting so we did not waste anyone’s time
3/5/2024 Harrison Township, MI
Up early, coffee in hand, we reviewed the Trust’s investments
to decide what we might liquidate while the market is up. Brother Nick and
Sister Josette arrived at 0800 and we set about our quick review. As they are
the designated Trustees, we needed them to get on a call with the account
manager and direct some sales of investments. The investment company is UBS,
but I will say that they are not very helpful and they are expensive. Perhaps I
am accustomed to my investment advisor at Churchill who gives us very good
service.
We wrapped up our business and had Bobby driving us back to
the airport by 1230. It was good to see that everyone was doing well and the
trust was staying well ahead of expenses for maintaining the household. A bit
rainy, but not a bad day for flying. The Detroit airport was a bit busier, but
once again we slipped through the check-in and security very quickly. With time
to kill we walked the concourse and had a Pinkberry for lunch.
The plane departed on time as we were napping before the
plane left the ground. They were serving dinner and cocktails in no time so it
was not a long nap. Our seats were comfy and roomy with a great list of movies
to watch. I watched The Holdovers, read my book about Napolean and napped some
more. I recommend Holdovers, but I am a big Paul Giamatti fan, ever since the
movie Sideways. When I woke up, we had 2 hours to go so I selected a movie
based on time, Invictus, or something like that. A little coffee and an
unidentifiable breakfast sandwich had us on the ground in Amsterdam ahead of
schedule. We had a tight connection, so early was good. Schiphol is such an
easy airport to navigate and the line for passport check was not too long.
3/6/2024 Amsterdam
Our final leg was on KLM, on time departure, my Delta app
told me the bags were on board, clear skies and an early arrival at the airport
outside of Rome. We collected our bags, always happy when they arrive when we
do, but always surprised that they pass through customs without us. This is the
point that my travel plan started to unravel, but I was unaware at the time.
I pre-purchased train tickets to Follonica, near where we
left the boat. We were scheduled for a noon train so we had a couple hours to
kill. It appeared that we might be able
to catch an earlier train so we headed to the train station conveniently
located in the airport. My tickets were inexpensive, but not refundable so I
would have to pay for new tickets. The earlier train was only 1 hour earlier,
but we would arrive before the rental car place was open and we would have to
pay for new tickets. We decided to head back into the airport and hang out
while we waited for our train.
A little before noon we headed to the station only to
discover that the tickets that I bought were from Rome Termini not the airport!
That’s it, I am fired once again as travel agent. We scrambled and managed to
get on a 1242 train, but had to change trains twice before arriving in
Follonica. The train traveled east into Rome and then north to Grosseto passing
through beautiful farmland and rolling hills with glimpses of the Med along the
way. We arrived in Follonica about 1630 and walked the block to the rental car
place; 60 euros a day for the tiniest Fiat, bargain. At last, we made the last
leg of the journey, a 10 min car ride to Raffaellesco.
It was overcast, but not raining as we moved aboard the
boat. The boat looked just like we left with no wear on the dock lines and
reasonably clean. When I went below, I was happy to find that she still smelled
like a new boat! No moisture issues and clean having not been occupied for 3
months. We fired up the generator and turned on the heater. It was about 55
outside, but headed to 45, and the interior was cold. It started to rain so we
stayed below and began to get the boat livable; sheets on the bed, unpack the
necessities, take stock of the bar and the food.
The rain subsided so we made a grocery run, our favorite store Conads. It is much easy doing the big provisioning trip with a car. We had left quite a bit of wine on the boat so we needed mostly fresh food and some groceries to get started. It continued to rain on and off so we on got a little wet. Back on the boat we had dinner, a beautiful salad, a mug of hot tomato soup and a warm baguette with cheese. The vegetables are so good here, even in the winter. We worked until about 2130, then collapsed in our bunk for a long winter’s nap.
3/7/2024 Marina di Scarlino, IT
Slept until about 0730, late for us, but much needed. The
sun was shining bright and we were shedding layers in no time. By noon I was
bare foot and no shirt. We rerigged the lines, put up the dodger and bimini,
raised the jib and generally had the boat rigged for sailing by 1300. I spent
about an hour up the mast fixing a couple things that the rigger discovered
when he tuned the rig in the fall.
I was feeling really good about our progress until we tried to fire up the generator and this time it would not go! I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to determine why it would not start. The error code was not helpful so I started at the beginning. Fuel; we had plenty of fuel, but maybe a clogged filter. I had planned to change the fuel filters on this trip so now was as good a time as any. The generator lives in a sound deadening cocoon in a compartment in the stern, very difficult to access. The primary filter was easy and I had that swapped in no time. The secondary filter turned out to be impossible, at least for today. I gave up and cleaned up about 1700 determined to come up with a better solution for tomorrow. It was time for a shower as I smelled of diesel and sweat.
With hopes of seeing the sunset we drove up to the hill top
town of Scarlino. It offered a spectacular view out to the sea and beautiful
old buildings and a cathedral. On the way back we stopped again in Follonica to
hit the pharmacy for lotion and another grocery store for more provisions. The
stores are loaded with beautifully wrapped Columba Tradizionale, a sweet bread
with nuts and fruit for the holiday. Also filling the aisles where beautifully
wrapped chocolates that seem to be attracting the attention of the little ones.
We are assuming these are Easter treats.
Another great dinner, but down for the count by about 2100. I was feeling pretty beat up from crawling into lazarettes and reaching into tight spaces trying to get the fuel filter out. Suzette was worn out from pulling lines as she assisted me with rigging the boat. I am a little confused by this since all of the winches are electric, but maybe it was her button pushing finger that was worn out! Fortunately, we have an electric heater we can plug in and it kept the boat comfortable for sleeping.
3/8/2024 Marina di Scarlino, IT
Up early and ready to be tourists for the day, screw the
generator! Our boat neighbors had several recommendations for local places to
visit while we had a car. First stop Messa Marittima, another hill top town
with 14th century walls and a 14th century cathedral with
fabulous quarters that once were the home of the monks. The streets were
extraordinarily narrow and descended and ascended at grades steeper than San
Franciscan streets. We walked for a bit, but it was a chilly morning so we
moved on.
From here we headed south to Rocca di Frassinello, a winery
that looked interesting to me. Who says you can’t start wine tasting at 1030?
We spent 2 hours taking in the modern architecture of the facility and tasting
the fabulous wines. This is a very large producer, so I am sure you can find
their wines in the USA. The views of the surrounding vineyards and hills were
spectacular and our hostess was very knowledgeable and engaging. Needless to say,
we bought a few bottles before moving on.
We decided to stop back in Follonica for another grocery stop while we still had the car. We dropped the groceries at the boat and had some lunch before returning our car. With our folding bikes in the trunk, we returned to town and returned out little car. The rain was supposed to start around 1800, but it came early as we raced home on our bikes. We do not use the electric pedal assist very much, but with the rain starting we set it at number 3 and zoomed home in record time. We managed to stow the bikes before the real rain started.
Suzette made a fabulous pasta dinner smothered in roasted
peppers, easter onions and eggplant, delicious! After dinner we managed to
watch the state of the union address on my phone, it seems to me that it would
be difficult to argue that things are pretty good right now. I know I have
nothing to complain about. It was only 2030, but I was done and ready for bed,
perhaps a bit of jet lag. It was a gentle rain most of the night, the rain
hitting the decks above our heads created a perfect white noise and sleep came
easy.
3/9/2024 Marina di Scarlino, IT
Up early knowing that I needed to finish my generator job
today as the weather was expected to be clear before the next 2 or 3 days of
rain. Waiting for things to dry up and warm up I enjoyed my coffee and some
writing.
I launched into the generator and by noon I had the new fuel
filter in and tested the generator. This is not a spin on filter, it is an
assembly that takes 3 hose barb fittings screwed into the assembly then hoses are
clamped on. Unfortunately, this did not fix my problem. Further analysis and
reading makes me believe that the speed sensor has gone bad. In a few days my
hands and forearms will heal after being beat up working in that confined
space. Time to call a mechanic and get some warranty work done.
The day was reasonably warm and mostly sunny so we focused
on outside work; rig the davits, rig the preventer, clean the covers, rig the
flag halyards and reinstall the Bar BQ. Our neighbor, Philipo, and his boys, Giuseppe
and Edwardo stopped by to work on their boat. We talked for a bit as the boys
speak English very well.
With the sun out I enjoyed a beer in the lounger on the foredeck. It felt good to relax and take in the goings on in the marina. Lots of work being done to get ready for the season and a number of boats going out for the day.
Dinner was a roasted head of cauliflower, baguette, cheese,
homemade hummus and stuffed olives. Yesterday we managed to find a bottle of
bourbon, not popular here, but our favorite Amaro is readily available. Thus,
Black Manhattans were the sundowner of choice. The wind was picking up and blew
hard all night as predicted, but none of the predicted rain fell.
3/10/2024 Marina di Scarlino, IT
Up early after the first great night’s sleep; we may be
getting on the time zone. I am definitely sore from all my contortions working
on the boat. Rain was predicted for the next 2 days so I could recover. The
rain and wind howled for several hours so inside projects were the order of the
day. I replaced a failed circuit breaker for the inverter with a new one that I
had brought from home. It did not keep us from using the inverter, but I am
sure that it would not do its job as it should.
I progressed through the engine maintenance list replacing
both fuel filters, a much easier job with good access and spin on filters. Upon
inspection of the raw water impeller, I found 2 cracked fins. I thought I had a
spare, but the impeller I had was the wrong one! Glad I discovered this at the
dock. It turns out that I bought the impeller that is advertised for this
engine, but it is incorrect. I guess I am going shopping tomorrow.
By 1300 the skies cleared and the wind settled so we went
for a walk to shake off the cabin fever. Things had not changed much here at
the marina, a few new boats a few boats departed. We had seen a boat across the
fairway that looked like ours so decided to explore. It turned out that it was
a Jeanneau Yacht 54 and there were 2 of them, very similar to our boat. Also on
this dock was a Solaris 47, the boat that we lusted after having seen it it for
the first time at The Boot in Dusseldorf.
They had a spectacular cover for the whole boat. I have contemplated
making a cover like this, but then where would I store it while we were using
the boat?
We walked into the little village, we could see that the local disco was being readied for opening day, 3/31. Our favorite shop was open, Sunday afternoon, go figure. This is a gourmet foods shop with a fabulous selection of jarred vegetables, beautiful baked goods, wine and specialty items. It appears that the proprietor makes much of the items. They are way overpriced, but worth it! There are several clothing boutiques on the Marina property, fortunately for me they are closed for the season, but Suzette did get to window shop.
The Mediterranean sun felt good so a nap on the foredeck was
in order. As the sunset the sky turned gold above Isle de Elba and the clouds
looked like painted pastels. It cools off quickly, but a warm cabin and the
smell of homemade soup brought me happily below. After dinner a few rounds of Pinochle
where Suzette kicked my ass, she is good at this game. A bit of reading and
down for a quiet night of rest.
3/11/2024 Marina di Scarlino, IT
I could hear the gentle tug on the lines last night as
Raffaellesco is anxious to get underway, but with no impeller we are going
nowhere. Rain was predicted for mid-day so we planned to head to the store when
they opened and beat the rain. First, I needed to email Cummins and find a
local dealer to address my generator issue. This required having a serial
number. Accessing the generator cocoon is not too hard, but the serial number
was located in an inaccessible place. I tried to lower my phone down while in
video mode, but it was to close to focus. Then I remembered that I had my
endoscope, it worked like a champ. Serial number secured I was able to
formulate an email.
As we were getting ready to leave for the store, we
discovered that we had no dock power and quickly discovered that no one had
power. It also began to rain sooner than predicted! Stopping at the marina office to find out
what was going on we discovered that the office was closed and a sign on the
door indicated that the power would be off for repairs today! Thanks for the
notice.
All the marina stores were dark, dashing our hopes for the
ships store, but they were open! The women at the counter recognized us from
our previous visits in the fall. She lamented the situation and lack of
notification, but said “it’s Italy!” Miraculously she had the impeller we
needed but could not take a credit card. She let us take the part and simply
made a note in her book that we owed her the money. We promised to return and
pay when she reopened with power.
Back on the boat I was able to quickly install the impeller,
bleed the fuel system and finish my engine check list. The engine fired up
immediately and purred like a kitten, maybe a bob cat. All is well that ends
well. Not long after that the power returned, but it did rain all day as I
continued to work through my maintenance check list for the boat. The Cummins
people got back to me with a referral to a local, 35 miles, dealer that could
help me. I emailed them my request and hope to open a dialogue.
Rainy days are good days to work on rope skills. I bought a
set of fids for work with double braid line. With some old line I managed to
bend in a loop. Being an engineer, I have to understand how it works before I
can make it work. After a bit of doing and redoing I realized that it was a
matter of using the braid in the line like Chinese hand cuffs. I succeeded in
making a beautiful loop. To my non sailor friends this probably seems silly. I
am looking forward to eliminating some knots and bending in a loop for some of
the existing lines.
The rain stopped about 1700 and we went for a walk. The sea
was calm, the clouds were clearing and the breeze remained light. The sun is
setting at about 1400 or so, but daylight savings does not occur here until the
end of March. We had breakfast for dinner, potatoes roasted in the oven with
Easter onions, over easy eggs and sweet bread. What goes with breakfast for
dinner…a Black Manhattan.
After dinner we watched some Jimmy Kimmel You Tube
recordings. He interviewed Busch Jr, it was a great interview and the most
personality I had ever have seen in George W. He was clearly not a Trump
supporter and, surprisingly, sympathetic to Immigrants. He had written a book,
with his illustrations and art work, to talk about successful immigrants in
this country. I came away liking George W. The next Interview was with Obama,
who also wrote a book about his presidency. I have always had a great deal of
respect for President Obama and the interview reenforced that. Gone are the
days of diplomacy and respect, but I do believe we can get them back.
There was a funny little swell sneaking into the marina all
night, the boat gently rocked side to side, like being in a baby’s cradle.
Something was bumping on the swing to starboard, it sounds like a heartbeat,
but probably a loose line in the mast.
It made for a great night of sleep.
3/12/2024 Marina di Scarlino
Up with the sun shining. It was a good thing because the
power was out again. Since it was only 0700, I could only guess that this one
was unintentional. The cabin temperature was down to 58, but the sun shine gave
us hope for a warmer day. As it turns out I forgot to pay the utility bill so
to speak. You pre pay for electricity and water. I did not pay attention to
what was left on the meter and it ran out. This precipitated a walk to the
office for a refill.
Next on the agenda was a phone call to the generator service
people, but no answer. Perhaps after lunch. Suzette was polishing stainless
while I worked on updating our charts on the chart plotter and verifying that
all the instruments were functioning properly, all good here. Next was to check
the steering cable and make sure that the steering systems were functioning,
again, all good. We tag teamed the waxing of the cockpit and helm stations.
In the afternoon we tried again to call about the generator,
but no luck. We walked up to the Swan commissioning yard to see if they had any
advice, they were very helpful in the past. They tried to call the Cummins
dealer for us, but no answer. They also tried to contact Cummins, but no
answer. His advice was to contact the Jeanneau warranty people for help. They
were fairly helpful in the past, but generally have left it up to us to find
local vendors to do the work.
I am reluctant to take off for a lengthy cruise without some
resolution on the generator. Not because we can’t live without it for a few
days, but because I do not want to miss an opportunity for someone to visit the
boat and diagnose the problem while we are stationed in Scarlino.
The weather was fabulous today, warm sunshine, perfect
breeze and dry. In spite of it being Tuesday, we had homemade pizza and
fabulous Italian wine for dinner.
3/13/2024 Marina di Scarlino
With clear skies it made for a very cold night and great
sleeping in my warm bed. Puttered in the morning until the stores opened and
headed to the marine store to pay my tab and get a few more things. Determined
to get some resolution on the generator I brought my laptop, the WIFI is good
closer to the office. We pulled a couple of the deck chairs into the sun and
quickly got on line. The generator is a Cummins Onan, I was able to get on
their site and found an email address for warranty inquires. They responded
within minutes with an acknowledgement and a reference number, oh happy days! I
tried again to call Boma, the local Cummins dealer, and someone answered the
phone! In my best Italian I greeted him, “Boungiorno”, and asked if he spoke
English, “Lei parla englese”. He answered with a terse “No” and was not swayed,
click. I looked up a few other dealers and jotted down their numbers, but hoped
that Cummins would come through for me.
We walked to the village to visit the second marine store
who had a couple items I could not find at the first store. The day was warm
and sunny. It is amazing the swing in temperature, low 40s at night and mid 60s
by day. Back on the boat Suzette continued waxing the top sides. I worked on
relocating the valve that sends fresh water or salt water to the deck hose at
the bow. The valve is located deep in the sail locker requiring that you get in
the sail locker and move the sails around to get to it. In its new location either
Suzette or I can easily reach into the sail locker and turn the handle.
I received an email from Cummins and they simply said find a local dealer on the web site and call them. No help. We walked up to the office to see if they would act as interpreter for us. I wrote a script for the women at the front desk to use, but she said was busy today and off until Monday, then she could help. Uh, ok, not. We then went back to the Swan office and the women there was very helpful. She managed to contact Boma, the local Cummins Dealer and got an email address for a real person that we could communicate with. I will need to do something nice for the folks at Swan. We dashed off a note to Boma and hoped for a quick response, but it was the end of the day, so probably tomorrow.
On the boat we lounged in the
cockpit soaking up the sun that was beaming in on our stern. It was nice to
relax and read at the end of the day. However, the moment the sun dropped below
the sea wall it got cold and down below we went. Homemade soup for dinner and
walk to check out the fabulous display of stars rounded out the day.
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