Back on the Hard

So it seems another season is over and I've not been out much this year, due to the owners adding more rooms to their house.  It's always a battle between Dagmar House and me which is why I was left in Scotland, to begin with, but hopefully with the major works on the house drawing to a close next year will be my year or years.

So I'm back in the Yacht Haven and sitting on a nice new frame.  Skipper has already taken my prop off for inspection and cleaning, the two anodes front & rear will need replacing as will the new third anode he hangs off my stern when parked.  The heaters are on as is the dehumidifier, so the winter list of works comes out once more and is worked through.  He used a jet wash to remove the bird quango from my deck white bits, then he opted to give the green mould around the Gib sheet track a go and it came away without issue.  So with care, as you can see below he carefully worked with the grain and started cleaning my bow.

Teak is a strong wood but you still need to handle it with care, you need to have enough power and time to remove the dirt from the surface without damaging the wood or its joints.  When I'm back in the water no doubt I'll get copious amounts of seawater over my decks to prevent the mould from growing back, which grows in the fresh (rain) water but hates salt.

Progress on the cleaning front

The steam cleaner is on board and this is to wash down the walls where again signs of mould linger.

Well Christmas is over and Skipper has been down and brought with him the air compressor, he's been working on my keel, rubbing down the rushed Coppercoat that he applied last year as it was going off.  One side is ok but the other needs attention just looks ugly.  He's also removed some of the stantions for cleaning together with the guardrail wire for inspection and cleaning too.  Also, the 1st reefing line has gone together with both pully's as one is broken and the other not free running, no doubt this will inspire further checks on the others.

Starboard side, can see overruns and join

This is the trailing tail of the 'bulb'.

The greeny blue is like Church roofs, the copper colour is where he's rubbed back

and now needs to apply another layer to the middle part.

So with the whole of the teak now cleaned his efforts will be set to the white Gel coat surfaces on deck to wash down and wax.  This year the hull will get the same treatment as the discovery of 'August Race' a product he found at the boat show, cuts back the grime leaving a polished shine finish.

2nd January and skip returned to steam clean the master cabin heads, following on from yesterdays work on the saloon ones.  He also fitted the cleaned & polished prop together with its anodes, add to all that he cleaned the stainless steel hob too.  At least if the weathers not kind he finds jobs to do inside

This is the floor of the saloon heads, shower to the left with the

shower door open against the wall and a seat opposite

This is the master cabin en-suite

The warm moist air in the heads tends to eventually allow black mould to appear along the joints as you would find in bathrooms.  The steam jet kills the mould and removes stubborn marks then it's a case of wiping the walls and ceiling down.  The use of Acetone helps remove any remaining stubborn marks and is soon wiped over with a damp cloth to ensure no residue is left on the surface.  The toilet pan seat and lid also succumb to the same treatment so, at the beginning of next season, there's no limescale, marks or bacteria lurking around.  The taps together with the shower rail and holder are cleaned and polished with Autosol and Barman's Friend to bring the shine out of the stainless steel.  Once everything has been finally wiped down to remove any last drops of condensed steam, the metal work is given the once over with a soft cloth to buff up.

You have to admit all his hard work has kept the eight-year-old interior spic and span.

The two-year-old hob also gets the same treatment.

Whilst the metal grill that the pans sit on together with the side splash guard has gone to be cleaned at home, skip steam cleaned around all the folds and finished off with Barman's Friend to remove the remaining dirt and bring it up to its new look shine again.  Whilst it is impossible to improve the taste of the food his crew cooks, it will at least make the pair satisfied that they're looking after me.  This season no long trips where made of course, but not forgetting I was in Shepards Marina for nearly four weeks whilst their kitchen was being replaced, so the majority of the daily evening meals where prepared cooked and eaten.

The third 'manual' anode skip fitted seems to be

preventing the pitting suffered on the last smaller prop

All cleaned, polished up and new anodes fitted front & back.

The sail drive at the back needs to have its coat of anti-fouling applied, but then it needs a break in the weather and reasonable temperatures to do so.  You can see the new frame I'm sitting on, a new replacement for the more traditional wooden piles I used to be propped up with.  This is part of a system that enables a low loader type trailer to fit either side in the gaps under the outer rail, then lift the whole thing including a yacht and move it with the tractor.  In theory and I don't want to be doing that.

The hob in its finished state

complete with surround and pot holders

All the safety rails and stantions have been removed, they will be checked to ensure the integrity remains and that no weakness caused by rust has got within the wire strands.  The stantions will, of course, be polished but not put back on me until I'm about to be relaunched, that way they remain shiny for longer.

The bed linen in my master cabin has been removed and Thor (senior) that was partially emptied from under the bunk (to find the mainsail bag), has been put back enabling Skipper room to be able to wash down the walls and ceiling in there.  The shower pump that appeared to falter during the steam clean hasn't yet been inspected, it's off ready but Skip turned up without his small sockets.  All ten lifejackets have been removed too, assume these will be inflated, checked and re-packed, with any out of date automatic triggers replaced.

It was extremely windy the afternoon Skip turned up, Sunday (7th Jan) I think it was, so much so, that when he made a brew you could see the tea almost spilling over the sides, he soon put a stop to that by drinking some.  Although I'm sitting on the new frame it does give greater flexibility than the old wooden sticks.

So the shower pump was stripped down and nothing untoward was found, it's thought that the stopcock wasn't quite open enough requiring the motor to pump at a higher pressure than so designed to do.  As it was also cold outside, he carried on replacing the cupboard hinges and had a quick count of the 20 or so different type needed to have replaced the whole lot.  There was nothing terribly wrong with the old ones, some had suffered from the chrome nickel plating rusting away leaving rust spots on the bases of the units and looked nasty.  These in the main, were in damp places, I'm a boat I hear you say everywhere is damp, but no, I mean the heads, the galley and some in the Master Cabin where condensation occurs.  Maybe this wouldn't happen as much if the Webasto heater worked.

On Monday afternoon, Skip returned with his compressor and set to on the starboard side of the keel once more and antifouled the sail drive, this is the only part that's painted below the waterline.

More halyard pulleys and reefing lines were removed, whether he can rid them of the sticking we'll see, any friction at the points where the lines bend means much more physical effort to deploy. Remove the friction and sheets & halyards can be utilised quicker.  Skip keeps looking up at the front of the mast, so I think he's looking at the possibility of increasing the growing suite of sails with a stay sail or/and a storm jib.

Today, Saturday 13th, Skip arrived with his compressor and set to on the keel once more, making the keel smooth so as not to interrupt the flow of water which the overruns would've created.  He also found time to remove the spray hood frame and stowed that in the master cabin, this is so that he can remove the covers that hide the lines that run back to the cockpit and get to the deck tidy's underneath.  These like some of my pulleys he's removed, do not freely turn causing more friction.

Sunday pm and he's back.  Out came the compressor and he finished rubbing back the keel, so that's now without bumps and runs and can either be left or given another coat of Coppercoat to look smarter.  He's put some epoxy resin on board ready to cover it.  He removed the large panel on the port side that covers the lines that run from the pulleys at the base of the mast, through the deck tidy to the cockpit at the rear.  This exposed quite a lot of debris in the form of dirt (damp dust), and he was able to take the deck tidy off which he's taken home to work on.  The Starboard side is the awkward one as he's had a go in the past, drilling at one of the bolts to remove it, so we'll see how he tackles it this year.

Cover off exposing the dirt and the deck tidy up the other end

where the green line turns before heading up the mast

Also between the teak and the GRP hull at my stern is an off-white sealant, this came away rather easily in places and not so in others, but skip has removed it all and replaced it with fresh sealant.  Another job not on his list but evident from looking at me, is a large rust spot and run caused by the bathing platform ladder touching the hull.  Just the one, not a matching pair, so he sat there slowly cleaning it off.

                    

               This is the dirt beneath the cable tidy             This is post a quick jet wash

   & under the panel that hides the lines to the cockpit.

I thought the way the drizzle was lashing down on Saturday (27th Jan) that I wouldn't see anyone over the weekend but skip turned up today (Sunday).  He rubbed down the bit's he filled on Friday including the keel and then set to washing the white parts of my deck. They look much better but not sure he's 100% happy with some of the marks that remain.  He's also been rubbing back the filler that hides the screws behind the swimming platform, so not resting on any laurels.

Over the past few days, water has appeared in my bilge, quite a bit actually, which skip has been meticulously been sponging or pumping out. I'm not going to tell him where it's from, but he's checked my freshwater tanks which are holding as then gauges suggest. Rainwater from the mast a possibility so he's put newspaper in the mast box to see if any does run down, he's also replaced the tape around the mast on deck, preventing water from running past the gaiter and down below.

With one full month to go before I return to the water, things should start to return that have been removed for cleaning or servicing.

Skips been back and forth over the past few days and my Gel Coat on deck, as per the photo's above, has been cut back and polished giving me a nice shine, there's one quarter to do but am sure after this weekend (first in February), that'll be another tick on his list of works.  He's also been changing the wood he originally made for the mast cover in the Master Cabin. All my pulleys have been removed and there are just two out of a possible sixteen that need to be replaced due to excessive wear or breakage.  The standard Synchro 90's cost in excess of £80.00 so £1,300 if they were all replaced, no wonder he's been working hard to clean them and make them spin friction-free, or as close as possible.  Then if you look at the HTX range its mega money, the single pulley with Beckett that costs over £108.00 in Synchro costs around £335.00 in HTX.  Maybe if skip was putting me through my paces and was flying Spinnakers or Gennakers at higher wind loadings, then it may make a difference, for now, the extra expense certainly isn't warranted.

As you will have read in the press 31st January brought with it different astrological conditions.  Here in the UK, we had a 'Blue' moon, that is a second full moon in the same month.  Elsewhere there was a blood red and an eclipse.  For me, it, as usual, gave higher and lower tides, sitting on the concrete hard it made no difference what so ever.

Yesterday being a miserably cold day skipper didn't turn up but today Sunday (4th Feb) he arrived and completed the cut and polish of the Gel coat of my deck, another tick of the list he has.  He also tried to finish off the mast cover in the Master cabin however the drill bit broke, so that's got to go home and be drilled before he can complete that task.

Still, the ticks on the list are starting to come in thick and fast which is pleasing with 4 weeks to go. Today, before returning home for the rugby and lunch with friends, skip finished off cutting back the Gel Coat of the deck and polishing as he's done with the hull in previous years,

Starboard side clean and shiny.  Makes a difference

not having the lines running aft.

Port side with the same treatment

The line covers that are currently shown in place will be removed so that the starfish type cracks can be rubbed back and the whole section resprayed in Gelcoat to form a shiny new surface to complement the current surfaces.  The Jib's pulleys have been removed and again the single Synchro with Becket looks as though it will need replacing, clearly, the loads on these pulleys exceed that of the others and maybe HTX range should be considered to cope with the loadings.  Still, 10 years of wear and tear isn't a bad thing and maybe the same will suffice.

He also snuck in the cleaning & polishing of my push and pull pit stainless steel. Oddly one of the marina staff commented to skip that if he carried on cleaning there'll be nothing left.

Last Push

So it's February and the last few weekends before I'm back in the water.  Skip was away this weekend visiting relatives, but he arrived today Monday (12th) and immediately turned on the immersion and set about sorting out the jet wash system and hose.  He washed and polished my stern, then more water in the bilge took his attention.  The centre section was quite flooded, bearing in mind it's very flat, so a little water goes a long way.  He checked the mast box and sure enough the newspaper he put in there was damp, so he pulled that out.  By the time he'd washed half of my starboard hull, he noticed that the section under the kitchen sink was also filling with water!  How come, it wasn't raining so where was the water coming from?  Had the removal of the newspaper caused it?  It seemed to stop around the two pumps under the sink, so he partially filled the sink, but no water came from the pipe fittings, he then emptied the sink using the bilge pump to see if water appeared from there, even lifting out the entire hose in case water had sat in there and was running out.  All was good.  No definite answer, which I know will play on skippers mind.

So by the end of play, he'd managed to wash the whole of one half of my hull and also chatted to someone who also bought his yacht from Inverkip shortly after I was sold and had corresponded with my skipper through the Hanse forum, what a small world.

I know that on his list are other jobs but some can actually be carried out when I'm back on my mooring.  Engine service for one, not that I've been out again much last year, but that's two years on the trot, so that may get done later.  There are other jobs that remain on the list from year to year, like the Webasto.  Having made a conscious effort to try to get it working only to be told it will never run. I think he'll sort out the ducting and then eventually replace the unit and electrics, complete with digital thermostat and timer.  Then there are the wish items, the 'would likes', the 'D' ring behind the anchor locker to take a stay or storm sail, the fitting of the AIS aerials on the lower spreader to give a better signal and reception.  Not that the AIS isn't working, oh no, check out Marinetraffic.com and you'll see me on the hard, but then I'm reasonably close to an aerial, when I'm out at sea you'll understand that the higher my aerial is the further away from the coastline I can be before the signal goes.  This also means that the radius in which other boats can pick up my signal increases, so not a bad thing to do.

Then there's a water temperature and oil pressure gauge he wants to fit and sorting out whether my rev counter is faulty or just needs the contacts cleaned.  All of which can wait.

Today Wednesday (14th), Skip arrived in the rain, clearly not to polish the starboard side of my hull having washed it, but to try to understand where the water in my bilge is coming from. The floor panels in front of the master cabin door were removed to locate another cell that holds water.

Floor panel removed exposing a reservoir

As can be seen, my bow keel bolts are visible as are the hoses to the freshwater tanks, but skip found another reservoir under the floor of the master cabin which it is not possible to gain access properly from above seen pictured below.

This reservoir exists in an inaccessible place under the floor
the sharp edges of the GRP are not skin friendly

Through two such holes in the structure water that has run down the mast accumulates and overspills and runs to the back of the boat.  The only reason it does this is I've not been set level in my cradle so water runs to the stern, where skip first saw it.  I'm sure now he's worked out where the water is coming from he'll sort the problem out.  His thoughts are to drill another large hole so that the bilge pump hose can be lowered and remove any standing water, although clearly, he wants to seal the mast base at deck level to stop water entering in in the first place.

This hole will disappear when the floor panel goes back

Skip arrived today a sunny Thursday and set about drilling the hole in the master cabin floor, this exposed a central area underneath where water that both runs down the mast and also when the blanking plate and log get swapped around, appears to remain.  At least now a sponge can be used to soak up the residue easily.  However, the problem that started this path of discovery, water in the bilge does come from the mast, not where the mast goes through the deck, this large rubber gaiter is fine, but the metal plate on top that holds another rubber sock allows water to run behind.  Today skip removed all of the old rubber tape he used previously to resolve the problem ready to put new and stop the leak in the first instance.

The bottom plate with the brackets for the pulleys remains

watertight, the top plate is allowing water

to run down the mast

In this soup of sludge and water a

boat builders pencil was found

in the corner

With the weather systems looking good for the weekend I can see that skip will be able to press on and get a lot more of my hull washed and polished in time for my oncoming relaunch on the 5th March.

Today Friday (16th) Skip set too on the mast boot sealing in with a mastic sealant leaving it to go off and not intending in putting the rubberised stretchy tape over it till the sails are back on and I'm back in the water, in case of further movement.  With that, he set about polishing the starboard side he previously washed until the moisture in the air started to settle.

With the last few weekends approaching my hull has been thoroughly washed, polished and buffed, skip has also found a man in East Cowes that specialises in stainless steel.  So other jobs that have been on his mind like the fact that my new replacement gate is different to the existing bits due to a slight kink in the base of the old parts, making the gate seem vertical, whereas the new comes vertical and when fitted appears to be at an angle, this could be sorted and everything looking as it should be.

Skip's also worked out how to fit a baby stay without taking the ceiling of the master cabin down and will discuss the manufacturer of a new part which will enable me to have a strop fitted to the floor of the anchor locker and a J3 staysail added to my sail wardrobe.  This has all come about watching the Volvo Ocean Race the Open 65's all have three sails ahead of the mast.

Another job that was sorted was the replacement of the Nylon spacers at the joint between the vang and the mast.  The old spacers had crushed and perished causing some scoring on the alloy base.

New Nylon spacers at the Vang joint

Also prior to the cold snap, but only just he applied an epoxy resing with the copper fillings on to my keel hopefully this will not only keep the weed and animal growth off it but also it is much smoother so should provide a better slipstream through the water.  I'm due to go back into the water on Monday the 5th March but with the cold snap and high winds, this may be delayed.

Keel finished off ready for this season's molluscs, much tidier than

when the earlier photos were taken

This is the leading edge and the port side of the keel

having been rubbed back to expose the copper within

 the resin compound.

Skipper has taken the gate that replaced the one that was damaged a long time ago when I came against Polly Agatha.  He's found a chap that works with stainless steel so will get the subtle bend put in the straight tubes so as to match the other three.  It always stuck out but now hopefully it'll be like the others.  He's also talking about getting something made that he'll fix to the front baulk head in the anchor locker so that a new babystay can be fixed.  Although the idea is not to have it permanently in place but to have a torsion line sown into a new J3 Staysail or Storm sail, this is an idea he got from watching the Farr65's on the Volvo Ocean Race that has two foresails behind the masthead code 0.

With the weather being snow and below zero temperatures this coming weekend is supposedly my last on the hard.

Today 4th March, skip returned and washed and anti bacterialised both the master cabin and the starboard rear cabins, he's also measuring the baulk headwall between the anchor locker and the master cabin, so clearly he's got thoughts on getting a strap made so that the staysail can go ahead.

He finished off the timber around the mast cover inside the master cabin with those strips that are reserved for cut kitchen worktops.

I understand that he's spoken with the marina and I'm to remain where I am for at least another fortnight.

This report will be continually updated as progress occurs so keep an eye out.

Another Surprise

With the onset of the winter months, November has been pretty mild and skipper made use of another bright and sunny day to take me out, not just me either.

Early Thursday morning (16th) skip and his crew turned up with bags of food, prepared me and slipped my lines and we headed down river.  I thought it odd that the fenders had been left out but that was soon explained by landing at Shepards once more.  Within 30 minutes four more people turned up plus two dogs and once aboard, a quick safety talk with tea and we set off.  Winds were slightly stronger than skip had expected but still light.  The new crew consisted of two elderly people, one of which didn't have sea legs, so skippers thoughts of flying Thor Junior upwind was not going to happen. The second was in remission, which is why they had come down for a week to stay with their son.  However, with the main sheeted into the centre, healing reasonably, I was achieving a healthy 7-8kts, with the tide mind but it only took six tacks to be heading directly into Totland Bay where we were to anchor for lunch. My AIS on Marine Traffic showed almost identical taking angles all the way up the Western Solent.

Lunch consisted of another homemade beetroot Gravlax, crusty bread and salad and of course Prosecco (orange juice for the ex-patient).

Despite it being sunny the temperature was reflecting more the time of year and the elderly couple had to sit inside my saloon to stay warm.

A crisp evening

In order to get the visitors back in time to enable them to open up their restaurant for the evening, as soon as lunch was over, the anchor was raised and we headed back, leaving the boys downstairs washing & drying up.  The main was raised and sheeted in tight but with a complete lack of wind the engine was left to do the work. Skipper kept me over to the mainland side to pick up the stronger tidal stream home.  A quick call to the Yacht Haven suggested there was a space to drop off our guests, as this is a shorter walk to their place than Shepards, but on arrival, space wasn't great and skip spotted much more room inside. So he took me past the entrance to the north basin and reversed me in, enabling the passengers to disembark. With the folks gone and making the way out, my crew took me back to my pontoon once more.  Skip dropped off his crew member shortly after landing to catch up with the builders before they left for the day and returned to sort me out as usual clearly pleased with the way the day had panned out.

A brief but enjoyable runout.

Corporate Day !

Well, I'm surprised.  On Friday (06/10/17), my skipper turned up early in the day which was unusual, but more strangely he set about bringing in the wheel & winch covers, unzipped the main attached the halyard and set the warps to slips.  Strange as he was on his own and no signs of his crew or anyone else turning up.

With my engine now running, gas on and a brew going, it was just after 0915 when he slipped my lines and pointed me down river on his own!  Most strange.  Autopilot on he busied himself and brought the fenders and warps in, even stranger was that we passed Sheppards and the Yacht Haven without stopping and continued out into the Solent.  We were obviously meeting somebody as he kept looking at the time and my speed, not great given that the tide was on the way out and was on the nose as we continued to head across the Solent passing the Bramble Bank. Engine revs increased and as appears to be common now, the rev counter dropped away despite skipper taking all the connections off at the back of it and cleaning them, still, the alternator was doing its thing.  His phone went about 3 times as we crossed over into Southampton water and at least the same again as we passed the Hamble and the Itchen to finally stop at Town Quay, where five people were standing waiting.

With fenders set high skip brought me along the outside of the wave break and one chap took the midship line and to be quite honest didn't quite know what to do with it.  After it was secured, I had drifted someway of the pontoon and it took two of them to pull me in against the wind and tie up my bow & stern.  With that done, the people came on board and skip made them a cup of tea and explained all my safety features and handed out lifejackets.

Once the Red Jet had left its terminal, my lines were slipped and I was pointed back out into Southampton Water once more.  We headed out and turned the nose in towards the Itchen and skipper got the new crew to raise the main, with that done and a quick check on the other vessels, out came the jib and off went the engine. We were sailing at last.

We tacked our way down to the Solent, skip giving different people a chance to helm and reminded them to keep out of the way of the traffic.  As we approached the Hamble River the new 585 was being tested by Inspiration Marine with Phil on the helm and Yachting Monthly on board.  Phil & my skipper have known each other since I was brought down South and so an exchange of pleasantry's was had.  On leaving Southampton Water we headed West, but the wind was starting to disappear and time was moving on and by the time we passed the West Bramble Cardinal Buoy skipper decided that it was time to turn round.  Not before lunch was served, a case of handing out baguettes plus one salad and a few drinks.  With the jib rolled and the main pulled in, on went the donk and off we motored back to Town Quay.  With everyone dropped off, skip pulled me off the pontoon and we headed home under engine.

His next timeline was to get back to Cowes where he met his usual crew member at the Yacht Haven to take my lines, then it was a case of the two of them taking me back to my usual pontoon and tidy me up maybe for another much-needed surprise trip.

I've moved !

Out of the blue on Sunday my Skipper and Crew turned up, but what was unusual about this was the fact that the dinghy was hoisted up onto my davits.  This is usually reserved for when we go away for any length of time and its needed to get everyone to shore when anchored.  So I was somewhat confused as there had been no toing & froing or delivery of provisions or clothes. Skip did turn up on Saturday but he removed the controller to the wind generator and went again.  Anyway, lines were slipped and off we went, passed the Genny Lee without incident and then almost immediately I was swung round into the ebbing tide and brought gently against Shepards Marina outer southern pontoon.  I was duly made good, springs and warps set, fender levels adjusted and shore power connected and fridge not only turned on but left on.

It turns out that whilst the house, which is why I haven't been anywhere of any distance this year, is having its extension done, which includes the ripping out and fitting of a new kitchen, my owners are going to use my galley to cook food.  My Skipper stays on board for long periods during the day to work, I assume to get away from the noise and dust and there must be much of that what with a floor & ceiling replacement.

He did the other Saturday clean one-half of my hull with a new product he bought at this years Southampton boat show, a quick clean & polish spray.  Two microban clothes were used both lifted the dirt, I'd like to say effortlessly but seeing the Skipper 4 hours later that might be not the correct statement to use. His efforts left a shiny hue similar to that he achieves during the winter clean he gives me on the hard.  He has brought back with him more products, a boat wash and UV wax treatment, with the intention to clean the Gel coat on the deck whilst I'm here for the next few weeks.

The Webasto fan has been cleaned out once more and re-fitted, with the fan that Skip bought temporary fitted in line and wired in.  After a few hours the unit shut itself down again and he's been unable to fire it up again since, so it looks like that will go back to the end of the queue.  He's going to make the adjustments to the ducting as per the experts drawing this winter, then wait and see if he can get a good deal and upgrade.

He's also been talking to Eurospars about the Facnor top-down furling system FX+4500.  This is to assist tacking with the 110m²  Code 0, instead of using the snuffer to douse it, tack then pass everything in front of the furled jib and the snuffer raised again.  It can be quickly furled tacked and unfurled with speed.  However, it comes at a price and that price is similar to that of the sail itself, so that may be parked on the wish list for now.

Run in with Chain Ferry ?

Notice to Mariners 15, talks about how the Isle of Wight Council is working closely with the manufacturers of the new floating bridge to stop it running aground so often. An incident which left people wading through water and cars stranded on board was not a good start.  A way around this problem seems to be the tightening of the chains that span the river and using the ramps to lift the boat up.  This intern of course means and hence the Notice to Mariners, that the chains are no longer as low as they used to be, problem, well yes!  At or around low spring tides the chains are currently set at 1.5m + tide, so if the tide on the crossing is 1.0m at 2.4m deep I should be able to scrape over.  As the tides can get down quite low 0.1m add to that barometric pressures so a high pressure would push the water lower than predicted and conversely a low would raise it.  This means that for a couple of days either side skipper would have to consider timing his passage so.

So for a change this Sunday not having seen the skipper all week, the pair of them came down and took me out.  Traffic around Cowes Marina's had quietened down considerably since regatta week and we followed the car ferry out.  With the boom lowered to the cockpit more than usual, my main was hoisted with a single reef, soon I was darting across the Western Solent heading towards Beaulieu River wind increasing from around 15kts to 20kts with a hint of Southerly every now and then. My sails had been set well and I was soon pushing 8kts, 9kts SOG the chop was slight despite wind being over tide, as the wind increased speed so did I 10kts at one point and after what was about 4 tacks I was sailing into Totland for a lunchtime stop.

Familiarity usually breeds contempt, but in this case, confidence is the word each time I'm being driven nearer to the shoreline and anchoring off in a better-protected place.  Well, I would've been had the windlass worked when requested to do so, but it wouldn't so we circled round and till skip sorted the problem.  (He didn't actually it was later that a feasible reason came to light).  On the second run round, the anchor was finally laid and some scope was laid out by hand to give me 20.0m of chain in the water, the crew then prepared lunch.  Dark clouds loomed up and a shower ensued but soon passed.  At just after 1530, the engine was back on and the windlass primed.  Skipper had decided that as I was already pointing to windward he'd raise some of the main but as is my way when the chain is being pulled in I tend to snake around, this caused the sail to set and start me sailing.  Skip had to run back to the cockpit and release the main sheet to enable the sail to track the direction of the wind.  An orange buoy is tied to the end of my anchor so that others know where mine is, but also if the anchor gets snagged on something skipper can pull it in the other direction.  As the anchor was being retrieved this buoy disappeared underwater, it had got caught on something.  With the line retrieved it pulled free relatively easy and was recovered back onboard.

With a Westerly wind still, I followed a very similar route back with the wind 120 degrees off my stern, enabling the jib to fill increasing my speed from 4.0kts to 7.0kts as the flood tide began to follow, not bad as the wind had dropped to around 9-11.0kts.  Once back in the river, skip did the usual thing of setting me up for mooring back on the pontoon and the crew check the floating bridge to see what's happening.  It was on the Eastern side with its ramp down, but there seemed to be no movement.  It was soon realised that due to the tide it was in fact not running as Jennie Lee was instead and she had just reversed off of the Eastern pontoon with her passengers. However she did not go into forward propulsion as expected but speeded up and came at me still in reverse, my crew reacted by putting me into reverse gear with as many revs as it took to stop me.  The skipper of Jennie Lee never looked at us until it was on its Western pontoon, despite passengers gesticulating on board.

Once the heart rate of my crew had calmed down, the next issue was the non-deployment of the bow thruster, it had again refused to work, neither was the alternator charging the batteries.  However, skip took the helm and slowly brought me alongside for the crew to step off and tie me up amidship.

It was discovered that the ignition may be the fault that has caused the windlass & bow thruster issues in the past, the key was not fully engaged, which may mean the circuit is broken and so the said items will not work, but of course the engine will continue to run until the stop button is pressed.  Next time skip does one of his visits, he's going to try to replicate it.

The following day, Monday, skip & his crew wrote to the Harbour Master, who on reviewing the recently installed video called the skipper of the Jennie Lee into discuss his actions !

Cowes Week & Fastnet Race

With the Medina River being the only highway for boats travelling to and fro, it was a very busy place to be as boats came in the hope of places to stay and those that had booked looking for their spots.  Needless to say it was busy all week and only quietened down when the weather took a turn for the worse and people sought other entertainment in Cowes, be that East or West.

Skip's been back and forth a few times, replacing the last of the batteries and re-wiring the Rutland turbine back to both banks.  Now it appears to be working as it should, although the display unit is still suggesting that power is being generated by solar panels that I don't have.  Still, I understand that this may be solved by another software update and the unit will be exchanged at the Southampton boat show in a few weeks time.

My Webasto heater has been removed and skip is in discussion with the specialist in Swanage.  It appears as though the ST unit was never intended to be used for marine use and especially for boats of my size.  Likewise, the ducting as installed by Hanse is not the most efficient and skip is now scratching his head as whether to go to the lengths of replacing the ducting to its most efficient, as described by the specialist and leave it at that.  Or go the whole hog and buy a new unit that can cope with the length of ducting needed to heat the Master Cabin.

Skips also been looking at the possibility of fitting a top down furler for the Code 0, but having seen the price baulked at going any further, let's just say it's nearly the same price as the sail.  So it goes on the wish list for now.  What benefit it will bring, well it will enable the tacking to be much simpler and crisp, but then it's not as if I'm taken racing and need a quick tack.  So it'll be a case of working out which is the longest tack and have it set on the one side only, still it's early days and maybe once skip is use to it he'll get the hang of 'bagging' it switching sides and releasing the beast on the opposite tack.

So after all the razzmatazz of Friday's Red Arrows and fireworks, Sunday was the start of the Fastnet Race.  The race that skip and his watch protested when two yachts sailed across the TSS near the Scilly Isles, they lost the appeal at the time due to the fact that 70% of the fleet would have to be disqualified, but the racing rules have since been amended and you are no longer allowed to enter such zones, world wide. So Saturday morning skip & crew turned up and we headed out westerly on the ebb tide, in a fairly blustery breeze on the nose.  So blustery that my occupants looked at each other and decided to run me to Totland under engine in a short choppy water caused by wind over tide. It did test the Rutland however, whether it did what it is supposed to do but it failed and remained in baulk charge mode, rather than going through the three cycles of charging.

With the slack period over and the flood starting to fill, I was positioned much closer to the shore line than before and once sure we were secure, we all chilled out.  Skip had bought some lug worm so gave that a try and Alex having forgotten her book, prepared the evening meal.  The predominant wave pattern in the bay from West to East, with a slight bend in it as it comes round Alum Bay was not unusual, but the wind swinging more Northerly was, and so on occasions, I was turned broadside to the waves, making it quite rolly below.  Needless to say, skip never caught anything and my occupants waited for high tide and any subsequent shift in my anchorage before retiring to bed.

It was a fairly noisy affair, skip not yet sorted out all the culprits, but it was good to be away.

In the morning, the Fastnet fleet started to appear pouring past Hurst Castle on their way to the rock that gives the race its name. With the wind fairly blustery and the anchor stowed, we headed back to Cowes on just the jib on a very pleasant afternoon.

Round The Island Race and subsequent weekends

This year's Round the Island Race was another record for fast finishes, my skipper and his crew of three would not win any awards for fast starts!

In fact, for the first time in a few years, their favourite restaurant opened for a Friday night and had reserved a table to add to celebrations of a birthday weekend. It coincided with the TV showing the next morning of the second of the Lions tour in New Zeland and that was the only start time that was important.  Needless to say that sore heads didn't assist in the speed of departure post match, especially following a Lions win.

As usual, Skip arrived first and started to make preparations, followed by the others.  The outboard on the dinghy behaving itself for once so no rowing needed, I assume the result that at least skip has been working on those too.  With a new neighbour squeezed in behind room for error had diminished.  The kettle was put on and skip went about setting up for the departure, once everything was ready, teas partially drunk, the lines were slipped and skip took me out into the middle of the Medina before handing over the helm and tidying up my decks, the normal routine.  The floating bridge was up and running for a change and was loading as we passed by.

The beauty of Marine Traffic being a web based site meant that not only can people see me, but Skip could see where the fleet happened to be and there was a long line of boats rounding Bembridge stretching right back to the Needles.  The plan if there was one, was to tuck into Osborne or Wotton, drop the hook and watch them all go past whilst having lunch, however, with so many boats and the fact that it was low tide, meant that an anchorage out of the way was impossible to find without possibly affecting the fleet.  As it was, none of my sails had fresh air over them, such that there would be no confusion as who was to be the give way vessel - me.

In the end, it was decided that to anchor elsewhere meant nothing would be seen of the race and so we headed back to where we came.  With Craftsman's Art back on her mooring and the small one tucked in between my mooring and former neighbour, Skip had to revert back to swinging me in sharply.  With the visiting crew being given instruction on how to use the fenders in case of close quarters with CA, who always has the stern sticking a fair way from the pontoon, it was a look of amasement when Skip swung me into the gap and stopped.  More tea ensued.

Once I had been tidied up reasonably, on the understanding that Skip would return on Sunday, they left to go to the Race Village and pick up on the action there.  There're rumours that I might be in it again next year, such is the enthusiasm of the visiting crew.

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With new batteries in bank 1, the three remaining in bank 2, the best of the rest, have decided to give up the ghost, having diminishing voltage values each time Skip comes on board. Following the RIR the Sunday after brought a bright and sunny day and I'm taken out once again into the Solent.  This time the Code 0 nicknamed Thor Junior came out.  Firstly we headed in an Easterly direction but this put the sail in a more downwind position and clearly, it was not happy with the wind angle.  So once snuffed, I was brought round and tacked into Cowes and back out again to give sea room.  Off the Bramble cardinal, I was turned once more and the snuffer raised and the sail emerged out of its chrysalis.

Thor Junior

With 10.5 - 11.0kts of apparent wind and assistance from an ebbing flood tide, the speed over the ground (SOG) was an astonishing 8.1kts.  The 110msq of material caused a touch of weather helm, but that may be an in balance with the main and these things need to be learnt. How to tack, that would be the next question?  It was decided to deploy the snuffer and then pass around the furled jib and release on the other side, but not before a few shots were taken.

As seen from the Helm

With the shoreline off the island fast approaching, the clew line was eased and the snuffer pulled over, I was sent round on to a port tack and the whole bag was flipped over to the other side.  However, it was soon noticed that both lines were now on the wrong side of the tack and if the sail was deployed once more would cause a tangle.  This was actually fortuitous as at this point the sea breeze kicked in raising the wind speed to 18kts, the point when ordinarily a reef would be considered for the main.

It's been a full month

So I've seen Nimrod leave the pontoon to head to Wales for the Three Peaks Challenge as well as Lightning Reflex, that berths next to me.  Still, the skipper has been back and forth and fitted the new Rutland 1200 Wind Generator by Marlec, replacing the old 914i I had previously that mysteriously burnt out?  He's also dropped the sprayhood and so my lines are unhindered and that much cleaner.

Talking of cleaner, without visitors, the Seagulls have used my spreaders as perches and made a mess on my teak decks.  However, the MPPT Controller and Remote Display Unit has come back after being checked out and skip has fitted them, to the new instructions mind you.  These entail the dramatic increase in the size of the cabling that was used before, so effectively he's had to re-wire it.  Battery bank 1 which contains four batteries and there have been some issues with fluid levels, is not sitting too pretty with a retained voltage of 11.9v.  If my engine is run then the alternator instantly pumps in around 50amps and raises the voltage to 14.4v battery bank 1, then starts to lose its ability to retain the charge and until recently stopped at 11.9v, it now sits at 12.1v and skipper at the weekend ran all my nav instruments and both radios, till it eventually dropped.

So with my new found attachment, the 1200, does it work?  Skip isn't yet convinced that it does, yes, the display unit comes up with lots of lovely figures, but those figures include the generation of power through Solar panels, I haven't any!  So, yes, he's turned it off and on again and this time he's left leaving the Solar part on too and reset all the data.  Now admittedly, whilst the UK in the main is enjoying this warm sunny weather, it does, of course, mean that there's little in the way of predominant wind, relying on afternoon sea breezes to spin the turbine.

WG  - Wind Generator at standby

PV - Solar Panel switched off

Clearly what the MPPT does inside is a trade secret, but it seems that the AC generator starts to produce power in 6 kts of wind, so recently Skip took a reading of between 6.0- 10.0v AC, on the input side.  Clearly, or rather as Skip understands it, in order to recharge batteries the flow needs to be reversed and so an input higher than the static or output voltage needs to be obtained.  So this clever little MPPT Controller must work like an inverter and is able to increase the power out from that it's received, to a point. So whilst I have four brand new batteries on standby in the galley, Skip has retained the old one's so that he's hoping to see an increase in voltage from 11.9 to a healthy 12.7v or higher.  13.0v is the point when the MPPT light goes to green anything below that and it's yellow to orange, then below 12.0v, it's red.  So that's his thinking, how can he tell if it's working if new ones, fully charged are fitted, fair point.

MPPT Controller

Maximum Power Point Tracking

So leaving the trials and tribulations of the Rutland behind us, what's next?

Well, there's still the Webasto heater to sort out. This is scheduled to be taken to Swanage in July when the guy in Swanage is at his quietest, strange that if he just fixes heaters!  So fingers crossed he can get the unit tuned to run on red diesel and keep running and then Skip can get the last lengths of ducting and connectors he needs to finish the work he started over winter done.  It would be good to be able to extend the sailing season in the knowledge that the main cabin will be heated and that the saloon heads can become the drying room so that wet oilys can not only be dried but can be put on warm.

Then there's the non-working log.  This is usually an earth problem and Skip has removed it and taken it home to be tested, it's back so I assume it works, just another little job that needs to be completed.  Then if we're talking about jobs that need starting there's that list that just doesn't go away.

Still it's the Round the Island Race coming up soon, so hopefully, I will be out there again, if the house doesn't take preference.

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Before that though, skipper & crew came down last Sunday (25/06), not to work or to mess about with the Rutland, but to take me out.  We headed out into the Solent and headed west, the wind around 18kts from the southwest meant a beat.  Eventually, the pair got their act together and I was being trimmed properly, the apparent wind speed increased to 25kts across the bow and we were zig-zagging back and forth and starting to point higher.

Once the guys got into a rhythm, skip went down below and came up smiling, the turbine had pushed both battery banks up to 13.0v and the controller was showing two green lights, he even saw an impressive 200w being generated from the turbine.  With no set plan to head anywhere, but obviously set out to test the turbine and its system on open water, we turned and headed back to home.  Although that did bring with it one obvious problem.  With my engine on, the system should recognise that the batteries are being charged further by the alternator and so slow the turbine down.  This wasn't happening and the turbine spun as it had previously, the display unit recorded it was charging, so there's still gremlins to be rid.

Post Bank Holiday

So following the bank holiday sail around the NAB tower, when battery bank 1 seemed to lose charge quickly, skip has been down almost every day to check on me or rather the state of the batteries.  He came to the conclusion that the Rutland 1200 wind turbine isn't charging for some reason.  He's popped some tablets in each of the cells of the batteries that have a problem and keeps checking the specific gravity thereafter.

He's measured the incoming AC voltage which appears to have a maximum of 8-9v, which then concerns him as to re-charge 12.5v batteries you need to reverse the flow of current and to do that you need to be raise the positive side to 13.0v or more (assuming that its a negative earth), so that the current can flow in the opposite direction.  The new alternator skipper fitted to my engine, together with the intelligent regulator, pushes 14.4v back to the batteries at 50amps at 1200rpm, which is similar to the Sterling shore power charger.  He measured the DC side and this only matched the voltage reading the batteries were giving, no increase.

Various e-mails and telephone conversations means that the units MPPT box and remote display is being returned to be checked out.  So hopefully this will be resolved soon and my electrics can return to a tip top condition.

This weekend my crew turned up with a couple of guests.  The wind on Saturday was around 20 knots and on leaving the Medina I was brought round to head West.  Two reefs in with a fairly lumpy sea state, the guests where not quite so sea fearing, so skip turned my round to run with the wind and ease the motion.  We stopped at Osborne Bay again and everyone was able to eat lunch.  When I return to my berth and skip eventually shut the my engine down, battery bank 1 appeared to have recovered slightly and the voltage remained steady above 12.5v, this didn't happen before and it would drop to 11.7v.  Even the wind generator seemed to try to add the odd 0.1v now and then !

Still he's sending it back on Monday to be tested, as it should, when the engines running slow the turbine down as the powers not needed, this wasn't happening either.  I'll keep you posted !

Free Power

Remember my old wind generator that the crew were so enamoured with, until it managed to burn itself out ?  Well skip today (Monday), came down with a hydrometer to measure the specific gravity of each cell that makes up the battery and all the batteries within bank 1.  Not only did he do that, but with the wiring finished for the new Rutland 1200 wind generator, he assembled the unit and raised it on its pole.

This much more advance peace of kit generates ac current which is sent direct to the controller, that converts it dc.  This time skip has wired it to both battery banks as he's of the opinion that the engine start battery, which has no other purpose than that, is well looked after by the engines alternator on its own.  Not only that but a set of jump leads to one of the banks would start the engine if the battery failed for any reason.

The controller that has been fitted adjacent to the Stirling shore powered charger, does look a little industrial and was the downside when it first came out however, a much more pleasant interface that provides readings similar to that they enjoyed with the old 914i unit.  The controller has indication lights two on the left and two on the right, the left shows whether a wind generator or solar panel is fitted and goes green if it does.  On the right a traffic light system indicates the state of the battery banks 1 & 2, green for above 13v, orange for between 12v - 13v and red if below 12v.

Rutland 1200 Controller Unit

After the Bank Holiday weekend sail, skip was a bit concerned that battery bank 1, that consists of four wired in series, was dropping in power.  The hydrometer showed that three had lost power, but this may be due to the sudden dilution from top up fluid and so the fact that the generator is now fitted and running means that the batteries will be subject to the same charging routine as the other chargers provide, bulk, absorption and trickle charge.  This ability to constantly recharge the deep cycle batteries at a level that they require, should give them the best chance for longevity preventing sulphate build up on the plates.

Display unit at the chart table

I'll keep you up to date as to whether the doggy three manage to pull their socks up, after all a sailing yacht like me turns the free power to get my crew from place to place, why not harness that same power to generate electricity too.

Bank Holiday Weather

My skipper had arranged amongst his friends for three of us to take them over to France for the Bank Holiday weekend.  Nimrod, a 35' that is currently moored next to me was to carry three chaps over, Escalon a 27' was to carry a father and daughter combination, but due to her not being particularly quick, she was going to leave on the Friday to give her crew a full days rest before returning.

I and Nimrod, were going to leave at 0800 to arrive around 2200 in Cherbourg wind willing, with a return at 1800 on Sunday meant an overnight passage for the skippers, although mine wouldmore than likely be on his own, as the girls would be tucked up in my cabins.  However wind was the issue.  The Metoffice forecast had a low pressure building south of the Fastnet rock, influencing the weather in the Channel, with winds in excess of 30 knots likely for the Sunday return.  Nothing I can't handle nor my skipper but in the dark and likely to be on his own, not a clever situation to knowingly to head in to.  Escalon too, would be battered about, although she would've left a lot earlier the seas would built before she made it back to Hayling Island.

So a decision was made on the Thursday after lunch following the latest forecast, it hadn't improved and so plan B was quickly thought of.

Skipper came down on Friday afternoon and stayed, completing the tidying up and preparing me for guests.  Jeff on Escalon, who left just after lunch, rang to say that the engine overheat alarm was singing and so he was going to sail in to the Medina. Skippers knowledge of the river provoked him in to call the Harbour Master on his mobile as he couldn't raise him my the VHF.  Sure enough the strong tide and the failing wind within the river, saw Escalon being towed in by the rib and so the kettle went on.  Shortly after Nimrod also arrived with her crew and Debs bag was transferred to one of my stern cabins.

Skip & Jeff had found that the impeller had parted company with its inner metal tube and so whilst the tube spun the impeller didn't, problem fixed.  My other crew member arrived, complete with prepared food later, the BBQ was set up and lit on the pontoon (skip already spoken to the HM to make sure no by-laws were being broken) and everyone mingled around or on board me and then nestled inside when the temperature dropped.  Much chatting went on as food & drink was consumed.  People turned in as the day caught up with them and eventually all the lights went out in all our cabins.  The plan was now for Nimrod & myself to sail around the NAB tower and Escalon to head East and be picked up as we sailed back.

The wind was quite gusty measuring 20+ knots true, which had me healed over quite a bit, enough in fact for water to enter open sea cocks !  I was taken north of the NAB tower and tacked round to circumnavigate it on my port side then what appeared to the crew a slow run back, not dead down wind as skip doesn't think that's necessary or safe, so with a gybe preventer fixed and slightly off a dead run I was running at 5.0 - 5.5 knots.  With me flat to the sea, skip then went about pumping the water out of my bilge.  It was just before this point that my crew noted that battery voltage had dropped and so the engine was started and left to tick over.

With Thor, the 170msq Gennaker stored beneath the master cabin bed, skip couldn't be asked to dig it out (having made the bed yesterday) and so 7 minutes later as Nimrod rounded the NAB tower his spinnaker was raised and he passed me just before the Forts.  Escalon meanwhile had made good progress and turned back as progress was monitored on channel 10.  Being bank holiday berths at other marina's was unlikely and skip had previously checked a few, so we ran back to our known available berth back on the pontoon.  Once we all had regathered ourselves, our crew mustered on the pontoon and was picked up by taxi and taken upstream to the Folly Inn, returning at a reasonable time.

With the weather likely to worsen, Escalon set off back to Hayling and much tidying up & cleaning occurred on Nimrod and myself. As no further sailing was likely the crew of Nimrod left his skipper behind and set off on the Red Jet, my skipper took the remaining crew member back to shore and returned to check my batteries and continue to wire in the new wind generator.

A good weekend in all, despite the disappointment of the reduced itinerary.

Escalon's goose neck broke in the Solent on the way back and had to run back on engine, which the overheat alarm went off again (debris).  With Nimrods VHF not working, only the hand held and my battery issues, probably just as well the skippers chose not to go.  Still I've added to the list of jobs my skipper has, not that he's best pleased !

Back in and the seasons started

Wednesday 29th March and I was carried across the hard and put back in to the water.  Skip, with a couple of marina staff took me round to the Southern basin and squeezed me in between an Ovi & a huge catamaran.  Check out marine traffic and you'll find me.

Skips been working hard on my white bits and actually this weekend a passer by asked if I was new !  That's the level of shine I have and skips not finished yet.  My laundered jib is back on and ready to go.

The level of shine Skip gets on my stern

My Shinny bow

This is me back on the water and the

starboard bright work polished too.

(which brought the comment about me being new)

This weekend in glorious sunshine, skip, his crew and two others turned up to sit it out in the cockpit with some champagne.  Mean while 50+ boats had set off for one of this seasons races. The Webasto heater is still not running properly on diesel but runs fine on paraffin, skips go this own thoughts on this but waits to see what the experts say, as he's decided to take it off and sit in on a bench and get it analysed and tuned to run to perfection, or that's what he hopes.  Mean while he's cut or enlarged holes to pass new 90mm insulated ducting to the master cabin.  There's areas under the heads in the main saloon which is impossible to pass new ducting through, so he's insulated as far as he can.  The fact that the saloon heads will have a short length of of un-insulated pipe work beneath doesn't perturb him as this will be the drying room in any case so that wet oileys can be hung up to drip dry and have hot air circulating.

Enlarged hole to take my new 90mm duct.

You can see the cables to the left to be avoided and the

old supports on the base where the cables ties held the old duct in place.

So the new Marlec wind generator is down below in the port side rear cabin. Skips working out where the read out panels are to go.  Bearing in mind the previous one burnt out, the new one is far more advanced and converts 230v down to 12v to charge the battery banks.  Allegedly its quieter too.

I've new shelves and bits so that more use is made of my space below.

I'm not sure how long I'm here for but already Easter is coming up and I'm expecting that following a successful shake down sail out in the Solent shortly, a trip to Cherbourg is on the cards for that weekend.  This is then followed by a sail to St Vaast for the first May bank holiday, with skippers friends in a mini regatta.  The JOG fleet happen to be racing to Cherbourg around the corner at the same time, so plenty of things to see.  This will be the first time we've been out for a night sail for a while and providing the crab pot buoys keep to themselves it should be a good weekend.  An 0800 BST start with a 2300 (BST) arrival on Friday and then a 2300 hrs departure on the Sunday for a mid afternoon arrival back home on Monday.  St Vaast has a lovely market.

I've two other boats to accompany me across,  Nimrod & Escalon, although the latter will be the first time across the Channel in a quarter ton boat, so it will be interesting to see how it copes with the conditions.

Skips repaired and replaced the VHF speaker at the rear, Raymarine wanting £90 to replace the unit, Amazon locating a similar inards for £3.00, so skips made it fit and expects it to pack up in 2 years time and bought another ready !

Here's to a new season in which I hope the works to Skippers house draws less attention than last year.

Final Session

It must be coming up to the last session on the hard as it's March, having said that I can't see the sea for the boats in front of me blocking the way !

Skips still working to replace the ducting under the floor with a new insulated type.  Retrospectively is causing some issues as lengths under my saloon heads for example has a 'Y' junction which you can't get to as the heads comes as one glass fibre pod lowered in to place during my build over the top of things like the ducting.  The Webasto itself is still not running properly, runs for a while stops then struggles to start if at all.  I think skip has another article appearing in Yachting Monthly over the bio-fuel issue.

It must be my birthday or something as today, skip turned up with a new life raft in a canister, my old one was in a valise and kept in the stern locker, but this one will be hung off of my stern rail, much more accessible should the need arise.  He's just got to fit the frame, which of course being universal, actually means doesn't quite fit anything and need lots of modification to fit, well me in this instance.  Still I'm sure he's up to the challenge and soon I'll have a brand new one attached to my stern rail.

The AIS is working properly now and I can see other boats fitted with such a device on my screens.  This will prevent the incident that I had a few seasons ago when returning from Alderney and the freighter didn't respond to the VHF and skipper wouldn't alter my aspect as I was pushing an average 9.0 knots, only to realise that the skipper of the freighter had seen us and reacted.  At least now data can be interrogated which includes a direct 'phone' number to the bridge, enabling skip to talk to the bridge of the oncoming vessel.

On the Hard 2 - Webasto

Lets continue . . . So with a Jerry can of new marine diesel, skip arrived and set up another experiment, would my Webasto run with fresh juice. A quick flush through with paraffin once more to burn off any carbon and off it went through the by now regular if so monotonous routine now.  The pump, its heart, beat quickly as it delivered the next load of fuel to the glow plug within the burner unit.  Saturday (14th) it was a sunny one, parts of the main land still covered in snow, so skip set out to finish the preparation & polishing of the remaining panel on the starboard side. The heater continue to whirr away. Cup of coffee for skip & check on phone, then time for the polishing, at least cloud cover would make things easier for him even if it meant the jumper had to go back on.

On completion of the polishing one more cup of coffee & skip decided to switch back to the fuel in my tank. With the unit still running he turns the thermostat down slightly & heads for home. He comes back in the evening & its still running the saloon is one point below 18°C.

Sunday & it's raining so skip did things in the north attic of the house, before returning mid-afternoon. It was still running, 7 litres of fuel burnt according to my gauge & still at 18°C in my saloon.

So is the C02 level close enough ?

Skips going to let it run burn some fuel down & then check inside my tank see if after 8 years there's any sludge build up & satisfy himself of how deep the pick up is. He's also going to shut it down & implement a cold start.

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Today, Monday, skip popped down briefly, think he has a cold, but I'm still 18oC in the saloon and my heater is still working away, it had burnt another 3 litres, down to 207l.  It's been a miserable day, fine rain all the time, no let up.

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All change, the heater stopped working soon after and skip just can't get it to fire up again, barring using paraffin.  He managed to almost severe the top of his left hand index finger, working on his house not me, something about a bench circular saw, bit of wood & fingers blah, blah, blah. So once he's capable the unit is coming out and he's taking it to the chap round the corner to inspect the burner and the glow plug, see if there's any trace of rusting which will indicate a high moisture content in the fuel.

He's also going to take the opportunity to inspect inside my fuel tank to see where exactly the fuel pick up point is for the unit and of course see if any debris in the form of diesel bug is present.

Weather down here has been long spells of freezing fog and the two electric heaters I have I think are not as efficient as they used to be, Whilst the I'm kept around 5C, I'm sure skip would like to see the return of 18C that the Webasto kept me at for 80hrs.

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It's the last day of January and skip turned up today, it's not been very nice with either fog, drizzle or just cold.  He came wearing a cover over his finger, which may also explain the reason he's not been down too much recently.  An accident with a circular saw & a piece of timber, still no long term damage done, some blue roll, sellotape and the inside of a loo roll, sorted him out, apparently it took 4 hours to stem the bleeding !

It's a bit milder now, hence the fog so the dehumidifier is back on.  He tried to fire up the Webasto but again it refused to start, he spoke with his man before climbing on board and they're going to do a fuel test to see if moisture is a problem, then replace the burner with a new on and adjust the C02 levels  -  progress.

Skip has also been enquiring about my life raft.  It seems it was 3 years ago it was last serviced so due for another, but he wants to put in in a canister and hang it off my stern rail where currently a life line is hung, but it makes sense.  Conditions have to be pretty dire to even consider using one, not that I want anyone to leave me in such a state.  A couple of years ago he dragged it out of the stern locker and strapped it across my deck, useful in a hurry but an eyesore, especially as its in a bright yellow valise.  He'll need to get a stainless steel frame made up but it'll be right where you want it should the need arise.  The solid canister, like a decent suitcase, will be white and match my hull.

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So skip popped down today and took the Websto unit off.  The picture above is the burner unit itself and you can see this is quite black with carbon deposits, probably a sign that it's not burning efficiently or hot enough, allowing the deposits to build up.

Having said that skip says that his friendly chap reckons it's not too bad nor is my diesel contaminated.  You can see a very light patch next to the glow plug a good sign.  So he's going to get it back on board and running again and get the chap to plug his lap top in and see what's happening.  There's a suspicion that may be the fuel pump stopped !  The saga continues.

I understand that a new life raft has been ordered and it will be in a canister rather than the valise the current one is in, including a frame and this will be hung off of the stern rail in the centre where a man overboard throwing line currently lives.  At least it will be readily accessible should the need arise and create more space in that cavernous locker.