Log of SV Free Spirit and ships company

The chronicles of the schooner Free Spirit and her crew, embarking on an open ended journey upon the great rolling heap. Free Spirit is currently pursuing humanitarian and commercial goals in the Dominican Republic, on the island of Hispaniola. Working under the Ocean Reach USA and Paradigm Research banners, she is serving as logistics headquarters, workshop, and development laboratory for many ongoing projects. This is the log of her journey.....

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Wednesday, August 08, 2007

How not to talk to the police.

"License , insurance, and registration please"

Sure, just a minute.... I'm sure its in here somewhere..... underneath all this junk.

"Did you know that one of your brake lights is not working?"

Well, I do now.

(digging through mountains of tools and paperwork)

Oh here it is.

"Can I search your car sir?"

I don't know, can you? I mean, don't they teach that back at the academy?

(did I just say that?)

(oh well, may as well run with it now.....)

"is there anything in the car I should know about, sharp or dangerous?"

Yes.

(awkward pause)

"what in the car is dangerous sir? Get out of the car and stand over here. Now."

Well, its not my car, but the things that I know of, hmm, well there is a battery operated skillsaw with a hair trigger, about 1000 sharp nails, a rusty saw (that might have tetanus) , and... well there is this tape measure that has a split edge, yeah, if you pull that out and let it back in wrong, you'll get a nasty cut.

"Anything else I should know about?"

Well, like I said, it's not my car, so I don't know. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a case of hand grenades under all that crap. (cringe)

"you think there could be explosives in the car?"

"lay down on the ground, face down. NOW."

(somewhat muffled) No, I didn't say that, I just said I wouldn't be surprised. Like I wouldn't be surprised if you turned out to be a space alien, here to probe my (nether regions). Its just been that kind of day.

(uh oh, I think I'm headed to rodney kingsville.... better start backpedaling, fast!)

Look, I've just got a bad taillight and a worse attitude. Sorry you had to be here for it. I just waited in Denny's for an hour and a half for a salad that never came... I finally gave up and was on my way home to get some rest.

"keep your hands where I can see them"

(ok, this officially sucks now.....)

Suffice to say it didn't get better, but it didn't get worse either.

I swear when he finally let me go (with a warning) that he had a subtle grin on his face. I'd like to think that in the end, it brightened up his night. I just hope he doesn't tell all his buddies at the station to see what they can get me to do.

posted by CT | 4:16 AM

2 Comments:

Blogger Gayle said...

The laugh you gave me was a great way to end an average day. All I can say is I wish I could have been there to see this. :)

4:18 AM  
Blogger jen said...

LMAO....why does this story not surprise me...;o)

11:51 PM  

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Introducing Propcalc 4.0

Use Propcalc to easily match your hull with your engine, transmission, and propeller
Put the known data in the top fields, then hit the Update button to get the answers.
Results, of course, should be verified by a Naval Architect or qualified surveyor.
Data is provided for three bladed propellers of average type
For two or four bladed props, use the modifiers shown below.

Fill out the fields as follows:

Vessel LWL (ft) = Waterline length
Vessel Disp (lbs) = Vessel displacement
(max) HP = Rated Engine Max HP
Engine RPM max = Engine RPM at Max HP
Engine RPM cruise = Desired or estimated cruise rpm
(Cruise or Max) Kts = Speed to work the calculations for
Slip = Propeller efficience. 45% is average for a displacement cruiser.
Gear ratio = 1: Gear ratio of transmission
SL Ratio Adj. = This value will be added (or subtracted, if a negative value) to the calculated S/L ratio.

Key information:

If the "hp required" is greater than the "cruse HP", you have your cruise RPM set too low for your engine parameters.
If the "hp required" is significantly less than the "cruse HP", you have your cruise RPM set too high for your engine parameters.
If the "hp required" is greater than the "Max HP", then your target speed is too high for your engine/hull parameters.
The S/L ratio is calculated automaticaly based on your input. It can be adjusted if necessary, but normally it should be left alone.
If the calculated S/L ratio exceeds S/L MAX, then the results are likely to be non-predictive. Try a lower speed requirement.
SL Ratios of 1.1 - 1.4 are typical of displacement hulls. Semiplaning or planing hulls can go higher.

Typical propeller slip values:

Sailing auxiliary, barges, etc less than 9 Kts............45%
Heavy powerboats, workboats 9 - 15 Kts....................26%
Powerboats, Lightweight Cruisers 15 - 30 Kts..............24%
High speed planing boats 30 - 45 Kts......................20%
V bottom race boats 45 - 90 Kts...........................10%


Note:

it is possible to get irrational answers by irrational input , I.E specifying excessive speed for hull type and length
Any attempt to exceed hull speed (1.34 times the square root of the waterline length in feet) with a displacement hull are likely
to fail unless the hull is extremely fine (multihull) or otherwise exceptional. In such cases, an S/L adjustment would be in order.

2 and 4 bladed props:


For two bladed propellers, multiply the diameter by 1.05, and the pitch by 1.01
For four bladed propellers, multiply the diameter by .94, and the pitch by .98
PROPCALC
  Inputs:
Vessel LWL (ft) =
Vessel Disp (lbs) =
  (max) HP =
  Engine RPM max =
  Engine RPM cruise =
  (Cruise or Max) Kts =
  Slip =
  Gear ratio = 1:
  SL Ratio Adj. =
   
    Solutions:
  Prop rpm max =
  Prop rpm cruise =
  Pitch =
  Diameter =
  Static Thrust =
  Cruise HP =
  Cruise HP% =
  SL Ratio =
  DL Ratio =
  SL Max =
  HP Required =