May be next year!

It is mid-October and the winds around the shores of the south coast are starting to build more frequently,, the temperature too is dropping and this must mean that winter is on its way.  The clocks haven't gone back yet but it won't be long.

I'm booked in to come out again on the hard at the beginning of December and back in, in March 2023, will next year be the year when the longer trips I've been set up for will come?

It has been a disappointing year, but a busy one for skipper and of course the loss of his crewmate's mother so it was what it was.

The lee cloth was eventually made to order and has been fitted, handy for both the companionway and the chart table, and convenient to hear the alarms from either the AIS or Doppler radar, during power naps.  Seven hooks fitted under the lip of the table and the cloth extends right to the back of the set and is stapled in place however your weight will hold it in place when being used.  When not in use velcro strips hold it folded back to keep it flat.

Lee cloth

What else has been going on, well, the loud hauler has the wiring in situ and only the 6 holes need to be drilled up the mast the unit fitted and wired in.

Remember the Skylink 6000, well the satellite side of the unit is currently being tested this month too, and as you can see below, a phone has appeared at the back of the galley. Is this to ring for takeaways?  The whole point of this system is to ensure that weather Grib files can be successfully downloaded so weather forecasts can be viewed anywhere whilst at sea. This appears to work well together with voice calls and at $0.43/m is not too expensive, although the monthly rate, which can be stopped and started as and when in whole months is twice that of the cell network.  That's to be expected.  The phone's handset will need an elastic band or similar around it in lumpy seas probably to stop it from coming off its cradle.  Alternatively of course you could get an accurate weather forecast and avoid such conditions!

I have my own phone number and if I want an e-mail address too.  Still, this does mean that skipper is still able to work and keep in touch with Clients (providing no alarms are going off in the background!)

Ordinary phone

Apologise, for a short one, but without much to report on, there's little to say.  Hopefully, I'll keep you posted before or at least when I come out.  The Marina has suggested that the daily rate for electricity will go up from £1 a day it has been to £5, so I might need some thermals and certainly keep an eye on my water tanks, possibly emptying them if the temperature looks to plummet.

 

2022 take 2

 Wednesday 20th July I was tied alongside the Harbour Masters launch and towed down-river to Kingston Marine, which consists of a waiting pontoon and a 40t hoist.  I was strapped up and lifted out of the water and jet-washed as is standard, as seen from the endoscope no prop, just a lot of weed.  Once I was moved up to the yard and secured in a frame, not the frame I'm used to at the Yacht Haven but a smaller version, so required a couple of wooden poles also.  Skipper soon spotted the likely issue but couldn't explain it, the rear anode which is secured in place with four Allen key headed bolts was missing!

This anode cannot get past the propeller housing, nothing was there not even four sheared bolts.

It would therefore seem that the propeller was able to oscillate or vibrate possibly causing the tab washer to fail, causing the Loctite to lose hold enabling the M8 bolt to undo, which then allowed the end nut to loosen and eventually also drop off.

Whether this anode was not fitted during the winter period when I came out or it was removed and the propeller was not done up tightly as the perpetrator was in a rush, of course, will never be known.  Skipper cannot believe that he would not have fitted it and usually has a spare at home as these items become difficult to get during the winter period of course.  Maybe it was just missed and such an anode was not at home at that time, as it is difficult to believe that this sort of petty theft would occur by professional mechanics or responsible boat owners.

New anode with the four

bolts tightened to the

specified torque

So to ensure that all the bolts were tightened properly the Skipper bought two quality torque wrenches one that covered the range 2.5-25nm and the other between 40-200nm.  The cost of this chapter was around £2,500GBP covering towing costs, VAT, currency exchange fees, and of course the new prop itself. The indirect cost was around £500 for the two torque wrenches and 100 tab washers, so that a new one can be fitted every winter.

New prop fitted and all

torqued up ready to go

Another lesson possibly learned, just to cast your eye before the boat is put back in the water, Skipper arrived at 0900 as suggested, but the team at the yard already had me descending to the water by that time.

Still, there's still August, September and, October to get in some sailing and that's the way to look at it.

How did that Happen?

As you may be aware, the trip to Portugal and then on round to Gibraltar with family and friends and back again has been postponed for a year.

Skip has sneakily taken me out on a couple of occasions on his own to test 'Otto' his nickname for the auto-pilot as well as boat handling skills when berthing. Launching is easily providing you are concentrating on the changing conditions within the Medina, landing is a little more difficult single-handed with my high sides.

If Otto could behave himself and hold the boat steady whilst the sails were raised and likewise hold both a course and wind angle then skip could relieve himself of being Helmsman and go trim the sails or make tea, or just enjoy the peacefulness.  The new ACU 400 appears to stand up to the task, although these were not too testing conditions.

The two-month break planned, whittled itself down to a three to four week but before it could be marked up on the calendar a hair appointment managed to sneak in and severe it just short of halfway!  It was to be the Round the Island Race when Skip and crew opted to leave and his colleagues were coming over to Cowes as usual and arrangements were made for them to spend two nights on my berth. We left on the Friday before the mayhem and instead of stopping in Totland, as crews would be squeezing through Hurst on their way to the Needles, we sailed across Christchurch Bay and on to Studland, knowing that on a windy Friday it should be relatively free from Jet Skiers, noisy power boats and water ski ribs.

The combination of 200w Pv panel and Rutland wind generator managed by the controller kept the batteries at around 13.5v despite having fridge, auto-helm and all the usual instruments on. The Pv is a bit of a game changer as to how we can better provision now they know that the fridge can remain on.

The new ECO-friendly mooning buoys were visible but set too shallow for me to use, plus only good for vessels up to 10t, I in my present condition probably tipped the scales at nearer 15t, with full tanks of both water and fuel and at least 3-4 days fresh provisions.  So we anchored as usual further out but behind them and away from an adjacent yacht.

The wind kept blowing and so as is also usual, Skip was on anchor watch, or listen, as he never gets a night's sleep whilst working out all the noises. Clearly, we hadn't moved, apart from that of the changing tide swinging us round slightly, although the wind was the governing factor holding us in place.  The crew opted to spend another day here and studied the weather charts, it didn't look great, the winds didn't appear to ease any and the further West we went the worst it appeared to be.

Life on board was interrupted briefly as the Marine Protection Team arrived in the petrol-driven high-powered rib, to let us know that we had anchored in the recently extended zone (1st June). Skip explained that the 10t buoys would hold a 15t yacht and besides there wasn't enough water at all states of tide, and as usual expressed his views that the demise of the Seahorses as a result of the increase of the Jet Ski's and high-powered craft that seemed to enjoy blasting up and down the coastline preventing the creatures from hearing each other or fleeing.  He also commented that if buoys are not deployed marking the area then mistakes can easily be made. Notes were taken and a leaflet was handed over.

Adjacent Yacht in Studland

looking back at the IOW

Skip entered the coordinates into the chart plotter and yes we were just inside, but we have it now and can move nearer Poole and away from the zone.  He also made comments on his Navionics chart so when he updates his card as he regularly does, his comments are uploaded too for others to see.

However, we were dug in and there was no point moving, disturbing the seabed twice.

Sunday was much a repeat but at least the Skipper had sorted the noises out and so a peaceful night was had.  Talk of returning to base was rumbling below decks and it appeared that winds would drop later that afternoon, which coincided with a flood tide at around 1600.  Everything was packed away and readied to move.  We motored forward to ease the strain on the anchor chain and that was not stowed away but left in case it was needed should another stop be envisaged.

With only the jib partially rolled out a steady 4.0kts was had over rolly seas of about 1.5m, Otto was doing his job. We arrived at the Needles with another yacht coming from the south and a diss-masted one coming over the Shingle Bank (assume the mast was elsewhere and the boat was just being moved, not diss-masted due to the current weather).  A large slowish moving dredger was coming from Hurst which I think was judging where we three would be at the point of impact,  Skip took us past the shipping channel and turned over the Needles Bank only when the Dredger was almost broadside.

Totland was clear of all the weekend traffic and so a decision was made to anchor in there for the night and head back home in the morning.  Usual procedure applied, engine on, turn to windward, drop sails or in this case furl in jib, and head in to find a spot.  Except we had no propulsion, the engine rev'd freely both forward and back but made a blind bit of difference. We were drifting luckily as expected the tide was now with us pushing us towards Hurst and the wind had dropped and so the seas started to flatten.  With the jib quickly unfurled, we gained momentum, which in turn gave us steerage, we spun into the wind to raise the main now and bore away to get momentum back again. A quick check to make sure no water was coming in.

Once back in control the Skipper radioed the Coast Guard with a Pan Pan, to let them know that we had an issue and that our intention was to continue to Cowes our home port and that if they could radio the Harbour Master there to let them know we're coming in about 2.5 hrs and would require a tow in.  The conversation on board was whether the prop had fallen off, or if a discarded fisherman's net was caught up or wrapped in a large plastic bag/sheet, keeping the prop folded closed but allowing it to spin. Discussions of whether the rudder had stuck at one point the engine sounded differently all were openly aired, but the fact of the matter was not going to change - we had no forward propulsion unless under sail.

Every 30 mins a call was made to the CG to let them know of progress and the Skipper also radioed Southampton VTS who look after all the shipping around the northern side of the Isle of Wight, including ferry traffic movements.  The reason being was at some point we were to drop the sails whilst taking the tow and that would mean we would be at the mercy of the wind and tide and could drift towards the shipping channel that ran right outside of Cowes harbour entrance. Skip, also rang Shepareds to see if they could place me on the outside of the pontoon there enabling the crew to go home for the night and understand the problem from a walk on pontoon.

We sailed over to the River Beaulieu entrance before jibing over so we could see the Harbour Masters patrol boat (HM1) as we approached. The jib was furled in but no sign of HM1, just the Red Eagle car ferry and the Red Jet high speed passenger craft, plus the Britannia cruise ship lead by, as is usual, the Southampton's Harbour Master Patrol boat.  They sped over and had a chat with the crew, they also said that people were aware and would be out soon, we slowly said, main only, to one of the mooring buoys located outside of the harbour.  This was also to test the conditions, as there was a space at the southern end of Trinity Pontoon and the Skipper wanted to see if it was possible to sail in.  The ring on top of the mooring buoy was stuck down and so unable to pick up, the wind angle was such that to sail in might be an option but the crew know these waters and conditions inside the breakwater are different to that outside.

Without the crews knowledge, a conversation was being had between the staff of the Harbour Master which resulted in the GC radioing us to inform us that no tow was available and did we require assistance from elsewhere.  "No", said Skip, "We'll use the dying wind and the last of the tide to get us in to Osborne Bay and anchor out of the way and sort it tomorrow".  The question as to whether we had plenty of food and water came over and the Skipper laughed saying that this was the beginning of their holiday they had just abandoned, so yes, they were stocked up for a few days!

A tow was eventually received at 1600 the following day and I was taken up the river back to my home mooring. Skipper remained on board to pack everything and put me to bed.

On Wednesday, they arrived back armed with the endoscope again and attached it to the end of the fishing rod and dangled under my hull at highwater when the water is relatively slack for nearly 2 hours.  The picture below is their findings!

Bottom of the Sail Drive

Shaft only where the Prop should be!

By Friday a new prop was on order however the company 'Flexofold' were all due to go on holiday and so it was touch and go whether the small window would be missed for its replacement.  Arrangements were also being made, the Yacht Haven where I come out at winter was unable to help as they get busy with regattas, which in turn requires marquees etc to be erected on the hard.  A place at Kingston Marine next to East Cowes Marina was secure for the 19th (July).  Skipper had kept my old smaller pitted prop and so that could be bolted back on if all was well with no shearing of the shaft, which from the photo looked unlikely. This would rescue the remainder of the summer. However, confirmation from UPS was that delivery of the new one, once HMRC Customs & Excise had finished asking stupid questions (describe the part; what would the part be used for) and an EORI number had been obtained, was due to arrive the week before.

The likely culprit is the locking washer failed allowing the bolt, despite the Loctite, coming undone. This inturn allowed the brass alloy locking nut to unscrew and the rest is history. If anyone requires any M8 tab washers I have about 90 spare!  Still I learnt a lot about the SD50 (sail drive) including a simple upgrade that Yanmar implemented, which is to vent the gear box easing pressure on the O rings.  Other upgrades consisted of the fitting of two oil seals instead of the standard one. I might add this to the winter maintenance list, to strip out the gearing, clean the face of the brass clutch and re-assemble.

All change please - all change

Greetings folks it's been a while but then again it seems to be difficult for you to get back to where you were before the Covid Pandemic struck and of course the ludicrous ongoing war in Ukraine, that continues to prevent stability across the globe.

So as for me, where am I?

Well, Portugal has been postponed till the following year for now.  Various pieces of the jigsaw puzzle were either missing or not coming together as they should. Travel following Covid is proving let's say less than straightforward with the industry struggling to re-employ people they sacked at the drop of a hat. Various systems namely the Autopilot had still to undergo testing, and the recently fitted digital radar had to be understood from somewhere other than the marina.  So the decision was made.

Also, a family bereavement, for a very well lady of 97yrs, no tablets  no ailments, Alex's mum stopped eating and finally went two weeks later. That was a big piece of the jigsaw that they weren't sure if it was to appear. Could've easily made it to and beyond the 100yr mark!

In the last couple of weeks, skipper headed up to Wimbledon to pick up the Skylink 6000. It was sent back having arrived damaged from not working properly as it had many bugs and a very early operating system.  The important link with civilisation once out of cellular range is still to be tested, he refitted it about a week ago and then set up the cellular part for June, I think the plan is to set up a satellite link so he doesn't pay a fortune but can test it make sure it does what he wants it to for work and weather (Grib) file applications.  Which means that at some point this summer we will be venturing out.

About a month ago we all headed East through the Forts outside of Portsmouth and beyond in an overcast day until the tide turned and we headed back again.  Otto as its known, didn't flinch on his task hold me either on course (or heading) or when using the wind vain to the wind angle set.  The first tends to mean that the trimming of sails needs to be constantly adjusted as wind direction can vary from one minute to the next, whereas sail to the wind angle means that the sails can be set and my course changes as the angle of the wind changes.  Fine of your in an open sea, or if the wind angle doesn't change greatly, bit alarming if it shifts 25 degrees or so.

Heading Back to Cowes

taken by Junik another Hanse 470

Skipper did take me out more recently as he wanted to test the autopilot some more, and again it (Otto), let him hoist and lower the sails whilst facing to windward and allowed him to prepare the fenders and lines ready for berthing whilst heading in. I'm a big high-sided boat and so a solar sailor must have their wits about them and a proceedure when docking on their own.  He spent some time trying to get me to come in broadside playing with the bow thruster, engine and rudder to get me to maneouvre sideways, opting in the end to reverse me in.  The tide in the Medina River slows down for a couple of hours around high tide and then rushes out so never stops, so even if you have my engine at tickover to compensate for the ebbing or flooding tide, the wind then takes over and will push me depending on its strength.

I think the Skipper is planning to spend a few days on board next week, after his return from a weekend at Le Mans with his boys and then following the funeral a few weeks to get back into the groove and maybe a couple repeats later in the year.

Monies paid for the Portugal trip has been transfered to the 2023 event and so, despite a wedding been anounced by one of his friends, fingers crossed that normality returns.

2022 Season

Greetings folks and thanks for being patient.

Well, what's been happening over the winter period, well as you can imagine quite a lot.

Skipper thinking ahead to our adventure to Portugal this summer organised a new and I mean new satellite communications system such that the downloading of Grib (weather) files can be uninterrupted anywhere in the world. Skippers not daft, in that with this system he'll also be able to attend Teams meetings as well, of course, send and receive attachments for his work in e-mails.  So advanced is this bit of kit, which is merely the size of a book that it is just one up from a Beta version and contains a few bugs from release since discovered and a few that haven't been.  What is it one of your philosophers said "We know what we know, but we also know what we don't know, but there are things out there, that we know we don't know and then there are those we don't know we don't know!".

Anyway, the point of ordering this back in September at the boat show is to get it fitted and tested prior to leaving the shores, so clever is it that it will detect if there's a cellphone network available and ensure that any communications from me, will take that option. If out of range i.e. 5-10nm offshore, then it will connect with the satellites and the service will be uninteruppted.  It had to be sent back to the UK dealer to have a few bugs that Skipper was pulling his hair out about, removed and so it should be re-fitted middle of next week.

Bluesky - Skylink 600

The system has been fitted to my starboard rear cabin, this thing can find satellites in orbit around the world, but the aerial length is only 2.0m and so Skipper has had to put it close to the stern to enable the aerial to reach the pull-pit.  The black object with the green light on the end is not a lightsaber, it is to plug in an ordinary phone with a BT socket, £9.99 from Argos will do (other outlets are available).

You can see that a cigarette lighter socket has been fitted that also has a built-in voltmeter and above and below that are two USB charging sockets, enabling the crew to charge their phones or tablets without clogging Skipper's chart table.

Having fitted the new Axiom plotters and heard stories of some fisherman turning off their AIS equipment, probably because they are fishing in waters they ought not to be, hence the reason they are struggling to obtain the necessary permits!  Skipper has opted to go for a digital Doplar radar.

He's been up my mast several times and brought the old one down and replaced it, he had a new base as it appeared that the holes for the bracket were different but this wasn't the case when he was up there it was able to use the same bracket without any changes.  Now all he has to do is to get the data and power cable to the bottom of the mast. The mouse line he installed when pulling the old cable out kept getting fouled on something and eventually it came away, so he bought an Endoscope camera to see what was happening and as you can see clearly below the issue.  Within my mast, I have a plate with a tube welded for cables to pass through, all Skipper has to do now is to get a rod through the gap and feed a new mouse line to the base.  At least he can see what he's doing!

The white line with black speckles is the jib sheet

the bright spot is where this exits the mast

down to the pulleys at deck level

The next item on Skipper's agenda is to sort out my Autopilot, three times the new ACU200 system went AWOL and sent me off into a gybe in one instance and into a complete search zig-zag pattern in another.  Clearly, this cannot happen if it is to be relied upon out at sea.  A Raymarine expert together with the Engineer that fitted it came on board last year and decided that the 200 unit was not powerful enough as 15amps had been seen to be drawn by the electric motor, so a 400 unit will soon be fitted and when I go back into the water (soon), a sea trial will be had to make sure it works as expected.

There's just my portside to wash, chemically clean, wax and polish up before I sit in the Marina for a few weeks before going home.  It is hoped with all the systems and the work put in, that this season will see much longer trips and days at sea.

Winter Berthing

Yes, I'm back on the hard of the Yacht Haven, plugged in so that the heaters keep me warm and more importantly dry inside.  Work continues, but whilst waxing and polishing is a bit daft whilst the Starlings look for high perches to gather before their evening murmuration and deposit their day's findings on my deck, the old analog radar has been removed together with its cable and a new plate made in readiness for the new Doplar Raymarine digital radar to be fitted to the existing bracket.  Why Raymarine can't utilise the same bracket as the old beats me, a bit like no two phone chargers appears the same!

Still its off and a mouse line fed down the mast ready to draw the new cables down, this is something that the Skipper will do himself and call in the electronic Engineers to wire it to the boat's electronics.  If the Axiom MFD's live up to their expectations then all the Skipper has to do is press a virtual button to link the two together, job done right!  Yeah ok, your belief in electronics is the same as mine.

It is deemed that my ACU200 is undersized and I need a 400 instead, so shortly the old unit will be removed and sent back, and when the new one arrives be re-fitted.  Now there's a fair price difference between the 200 & 400 so let's see how helpful Raymarine wants to be. I only hope that their expert had a decent conversation with Jeffa, the people that manufactured my steering gear to ascertain if the 15amps drawn during our 'exercise' was to be expected and that the 40amp fuse is indeed the correct size and hence the need for the 400 unit.  Rather than upsizing but this doesn't deal with the problem of the autopilot wandering off when it feels like it.

The new satellite system is winging its way over from the States, once manufactured, the Skipper ordered it at the Southampton boat show back in September having seen a neat little grey box slightly larger than the size of a calculator.  It should provide mps speeds faster than the fibre broadband installed at his home enabling fast downloads of Grib files, phone calls through existing mobile phones, and of course, cover him for work, down and uploading files, and making Teams meetings wherever in the world we are.  All he needs to do is purchase a decent laptop that can handle all the programmes he uses, with the true sine wave inverter already fitted he can run the laptop with no issues.

We say farewell to a bleak 2021, although for the Skipper work has been quite buoyant, and look forward to taking some more and longer R&R time in 2022.

Have a good Christmas break and best wishes for the New Year.

Looking Forward

I have been entered into the 2022 Portuguese ARC rally leaving Plymouth in early June for a four-day passage across the Bay of Biscay to Spain then a series of day sails down the Portuguese coast finishing in Lisbon.  Skipper wants to push on to visit Gibraltar and Ceuta (Morocco) again before returning home.

Work for him is building again and so at this year's Southampton boat show 2021, he's paid a deposit on a yet-to-be-released communication device to connect to the satellite systems.  Enabling me to connect directly to the world wild web, enabling him not only to download the latest weather information anywhere on planet earth but also remain connected to Clients too.  The saloon becoming his office extension so to speak.

Upgrades have continued.  The davits I have used to hang a dinghy off my stern for when anchoring offshore have now been utilised to support a massive 200W rigid PV panel that re-charges my batteries really quickly in full sun and doesn't do too bad in cloudy conditions either.  Remembering that this is also complemented with the wind generator, which due to the power of the PV plays second fiddle.

The davits have been turned around as I'm facing North so the PV is facing south and what a difference.

This was the display panel showing the power input from the MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) control unit which opted to slow the wind generator despite still operating in bulk mode, prior to the later phases of absorption and float.  This, like the shore power and intelligent regulator for the engine alternator the Skipper fitted, ensures that sulphates do not build up on the battery plates and keeps them in tip-top condition.

With the master switch to the battery bank supplying the windlass, winch, and bow thruster's power failing on Saturday (9th October), causing the crew to abandon their plans to test the autopilot and bring me home instead.  It took a while to work out that it was the switch was the source of the issue, but a new one purchased and fitted again, so I'm back to where I should be.

The new log is still having issues as it's not reading at all now, Skip seems to think it is something to do with the fact that the original housing does not have a recess in it to take the lug present in the log casing itself.  If this is causing it to sit some 5mmm higher than it should be and thus the paddle wheel is contained within the hull rather than pocking out.  This might only get fixed when I'm out of the water and the through the hull housing can be changed over, or it might have something to do with the same bit of kit the autopilot is connected to!

Electronics and damp sea air, still these bits of kit are supposedly made for that environment !