I got to know Quality Time pretty well, but I'm embarrassed to admit I can't even start the engines on Oceanus by myself (yet). One of the things I liked best about Quality Time was the relative simplicity of all the systems; however, the same is definitely not true about Oceanus. I've never even heard of some of the systems it has (what in the frick does a "fuel polisher" do?). That being said, I thought I'd take this pre-voyage opportunity to educate myself a bit about Oceanus, since it will be home for the next few months, and I don't like feeling/being so clueless.
Oceanus was built in 1988 and has been used pretty extensively over the years. The owners just before us took her on The Great Loop (an amazing year-long journey), which we hope to do at some point as well. You can read more about this adventure at this link: America's Great Loop The previous owners also added lots of extra amenities, and we're still discovering cool things hidden away in various cabinets and dusty corners of the engine room.
Here are some general specs on Oceanus:
Length - 50 feet
Beam (width) - 15.5 feet
Draft (depth of water we need not to hit bottom) - 4.5 feet
Displacement (weight) - 42,000 lbs
Vertical clearance needed - 18 feet with the antennas down (not sure of this but will find out - hopefully not the hard way!). Surprisingly, this is about the same clearance as Quality Time had (which had a fixed hard-top with radar mounted above).
Propulsion - Twin Caterpillar 3208 diesel engines (375 HP each)
Mark also wants me to tell you that the engines are turbo-charged (although I'm not sure why we need more power than the engines already have). There is also a bow thruster to help with maneuvering.
There are two fuel tanks (one port and one starboard) with 300 gallon capacity each (600 gallons total). Latest estimates are that we'll burn about 5 gallons per hour at cruising speed - we should get about 1.7 nm/gallon. Our maximum range on a full fuel load would be about 1000 miles.
Our cruising speed will average about 8.5 knots (nautical miles per hour). For my non-boating friends, a nautical mile is about 15% longer than a statute mile (so that's equivalent to almost 10 mph - not exactly speedy but a little faster than Quality Time's 7 knots). Water current and tides can greatly impact our speed and progress as well.
We have two heads (bathrooms) onboard, which creates a much-appreciated redundancy in case any issues arise. There is a relatively small holding tank (37 gallons); however, we may not have to use the holding tank much. Oceanus has a Lectra-San system installed, which Mark was able to get working. Neither of us understands how it works, but it apparently treats waste sufficiently to allow it to legally go directly overboard (except in some specific places where it is prohibited, such as the Great Lakes). It's designed to use sea water, so we have to add a scoop of salt to each flush, but it should make things easier than having to get periodic pump-outs (never a fun thing to do).
One of our favorite "perks" of getting Oceanus was the formidable dinghy that came with her. The dinghy is a 14-foot RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat, apparently). It has a center console with GPS, a depth finder and radio and seats 4 people fairly comfortably. The best part is that it MOVES - it has a 50 HP outboard that can put the dinghy on plane at over 30 knots (Mark is still on a mission to find the true "top" speed). Although we likely wouldn't have made such an investment, we are sure enjoying the mobility it provides. There is a crane that lowers and raises the dinghy back to the deck.
There is an 8 KW generator to recharge the batteries when at anchor, or to run the systems that require major power loads (such as cooking appliances, climate controls, and apparently my hairdryer). The water tank can hold 230 gallons, and there is also a reverse osmosis water maker (turns salt water into fresh water) in case of emergency or zombie apocalypse.
More in my realm of operations, the galley has a microwave, electric stove and oven, decent sized refrigerator and freezer (big improvement over Quality Time!), and ice maker. We subscribed to Dish Satellite TV (previous owners had installed the whole system), and Mark got the Wifi-boosting antenna working (onboard router will connect all our devices once we connect to a Wifi source). Oceanus will sleep 6 comfortably (two additional staterooms) and has a central vacuum system. There is even a vintage stacked washer and dryer, which we hope keep on working!
One of the lessons I learned after the last trip were that I had WAY over-provisioned, so our non-perishable food load will be significantly lighter this go-around. I also learned that I don't need to worry about planning any "entertainment" for Mark, as he is thrilled to monitor the battery levels and power usage, engine fluid level monitoring, and to conduct his preventive maintenance procedures. I, however, have pre-loaded my Kindle with more books than I could possibly read and plan to indulge in a number of other "hobbies" during the journey. Mark definitely "loves" my new ukulele LOL - and unfortunately for him, he will be a captive audience as I learn.
Another difference from last time, is that our dog, Thug (the pug), will be making the journey with us (he'll celebrate his 14th birthday onboard). Despite getting occasionally sea-sick and his need to get to shore to relieve himself, Thug is quite the sailor-dog. He will likely feature prominently in our blog, since he also happens to be extremely photogenic LOL. Fortunately for Thug, he is deaf, so he will not get to enjoy my ukulele music.
We plan to cast off at the crack of dawn on Wednesday, January 2, so my next blog should be from underway. I apologize for the lack of pictures in this blog, but I ran out of time to take any (not sure where the month of December went....). Wishing everyone a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
: ) Mark, Sheryl and Thug
