Spring 2023

Oh, how time flies.

April was not a particularly nice month weather-wise, plus bedroom 3 of Dagmar House was the attention of my crew for this year, and turned ankles and other distractions meant that progress was slow.  On launch, the water that spat out of the exhaust readily on the hard stopped.  With Skip's crew mate still nursing the ankle, he opted to take me up to my home berth on W pontoon on his own, as it's not that far from the Yacht Haven and with two cooling systems to the engine he was not too worried about overheating.

No issues and on his own he took me to my berth and sorted out my mooring lines.

Skip always has little ideas to make improvements year after year.  He came up with the idea that to improve crew comfort whilst sailing and looking forward he would have simple devices fitted to the steering plinths so that it is possible to sit comfortably with your back supported, whilst facing forward.  Without this device, your backbone rubbed against the hard surface making it uncomfortable.  Skip being Skip, always wants to dual purposes out of something to make it worthwhile.

So here's the backrest come drinks holder:-

Backrest mode whilst sitting facing forward

Drink bottle mode whilst helming

So it wasn't till mid-May before I came out of the box for a shake-down and then again a couple of weeks later.  On this occasion with the gradient wind only forecast at 10-13kts, but with the prospect that I was likely to reach 6.0kts of boat speed a reef was put in and a couple of rolls of jib held back.  Sure enough, the apparent wind was on average 16kts gusting to 22kts at times, and we flew.

It's the end of May and the crew of Nimrod will arrive the last Friday for a RORC race which Skip will meet up with them. Then hopefully before May is out and the weather changes, we'll be off pushing the boundaries.

Winter III 2023

The weather always is an element to consider when I come out and usually this far south in the UK it is reasonably mild, despite the moanings of the residents. Being out of the water and suspended in the air in the cradle means that the temperature around the base of the hull is probably colder than it is inside.

This year, unlike in previous years, due to the hike in energy prices, Skipper is being charged for the electricity he uses, as explained in previous editions. Presumably, it was built into the fees previously and lost, rather than being an element on the bill, which it now is and so a meter has been fitted along my shore power cable.  In the past, I had an oil-filled radiator on a timer and a heater element on low(ish), with a dehumidifier running.  Now, the dehumidifier is only on when Skipper comes on board and he sets it to turn off up to five or six hours after he's left. The radiator comes on only during the early hours and if he's working on me he may run the Webasto heater for a couple of hours, to warm me up inside and him when he stops for tea or has lunch.

However, the cold or rain is not conducive to working outside and the inside jobs can be done at any time. And so, time ticks on, and what was three months on the hard soon becomes two, then one. Skip struck a deal, in that rather than all the boats behind penning me in, having to be moved, to get me out for the pre-arranged launch date, Skip suggested that I remain there for another month at the lower winter rate.  Again in the past, I have been moved to the marina itself where the internal jobs can be done but shore power is still available.

The keel was filled rubbed down filled and sanded again and then Copper Coated job done.  Hopefully, the crack that always appears each year I come out will not, let's see.

The weather has changed them slightly from these shots

and they've been rubbed back slightly to expose

the Copper from within

There's always a great list of winter jobs, those that are necessary and the 'would like's'.

This year's 'would like' was to fit the deck wash pump, whose parts had been steadily arriving end of last year. Late summer, the back plate for the pump itself had been drilled, and the nuts for the bolts had been countersunk and resin into position and painted.  The glass fiber resin enables the bolt to be undone without the need to access the nuts, which when fixed are between the bulkhead and the plate, glued and screwed into position.

Deck wash pump sits in with the bow thruster

wiring was already there back

to the control board

So a 15mm domestic underfloor heating pipe was fed through my bilge from the fresh water tanks looping around under the floor of the master cabin and back to the cupboard in the ensuite. In here, is the clever bit, a valve.  This valve switches between the freshwater pipe and the seawater pipe, taken from the flushing system of the heads. Depending on what you cleaning down you have an option, fresh water to remove the salts from the pulleys by the mast and salt water to clean the mud off the anchor and wash the deck.

Although the 15mm domestic underfloor heating pipe

looks to be the same size, but it isn't, hence the

reinforced pipes at the sides.

The Hanse pipework is also much thicker, 

probably acts as an insulator

Having fitted all the pipework, the valve on the deck by the anchor locker and wired it in, it appeared not to want to draw water from the tank, seawater can't be tested till I'm actually in it!  24 hours later on his return, the joints were checked and tightened and the pump ran again, water spurted 24" into the air - result.  Due to another expected cold snap though, part of the system was drained down and 25mm thick foam pipe insulating was added to the section of pipe in the anchor locker and in the bow thruster compartment that now also houses the deck wash pump. The section of pipe to the pump is easily accessible and as such can be disconnected and drained down.

The switching valve under the sink in the master cabin ensuite,

above the lowered shower pump.

This is a push-in valve that stops water from entering, only exiting, black plastic fitting on the right is pushed in and locked, waiting for a 90 degree bend so that the hose lays on the deck rather than heads skywards.

The manual anode fitting was also replaced with a better solution enabling easy access at the point where the bolted joint is.

The hull has been washed in a boat cleaning solution and is waiting to be polished. Skipper having spoken to one of the professionals has bought a product and waiting for better weather before undertaking the last job on the hard.

The gear oil in the sial drive has been changed and engine oil and filters are on board waiting for the servicing of the engine.

Time is running out and I'll be back in the water on the 29th (March), the day after Skipper returns from a short break in Ireland again.

Today 16th March, Skipper came down with his new product and set to on my Port side, managing to complete the whole side in the day.  Bet he'll feel it in the morning!  It's not supposed to be such a nice day tomorrow, so I may have my engine serviced giving his shoulders a rest.

Winter II - 2023

Winter has finally arrived since the New Year, with temperatures dropping as low as -4C here in Cowes, a lot warmer than lots of places, but it doesn't make it too comfortable for those that want to work outside.

Skipper being one of them, as he has his list of winter jobs to get through.  The work to the keel is a unique one on the list this year and is progressing well, with the port side now having all the old anti-foul removed, just a few awkward bits that need to be finished by hand.  Still have the pin holes to fill in the filler and rub back and then it should be ready for the application of Copper Coat, once there's a bit more warmth in the sun.

Portside rubbed back exposing the old Copper Coat, which glistens

around the lead bulb where the mix slumped previously

(the white bits are the original keel).

Next, his attention was to clean my teak deck and then taking four recommendations over the years, purchase and apply 'Wet & Forget' over the wet surface. It's surprising how grubby the deck gets, but he does a good job and hopefully, the product will keep them clean throughout the season.

Work to clean the teak did mean that a hot water bottle was required

in the evening to ease the back muscles.

Day two and he learned to keep his

back straight.

I think the next is to ensure that there's a good electrical contact for the manual anode, as some corrosion appears to have stopped it from working judging by the state of the anodes that were renewed when I came out to replace the prop.  Whilst he's in my rear storage area, he can try to locate and seal all the tiny leaks that enable rainwater to enter and requires sponging out.

I know there's a valve to be fitted up by the anchor locker to enable the hose to be fitted such that the deck wash pump can be installed together with its switching valve, fresh/sea.  Whether the pump itself will be fitted or just the deck fitting as power is needed to drill a hole, the rest can be done whether on the hard or not.

Usual engine service and filter changes, and then the wash & polish, that should sort his back out!

Skip has also just completed a three-day refresher plus course on Astronavigation, tailor-made by Stokey, the guru, to match his requirements.  Back in 2005 he took the RYA course but opted not to take the exam as it was wasting his and the examiner's time.  He's always wanted to be able to use one and keep the skill of doing so alive and spotted two in a shop in Cowes, but um'd and r'd as whether to purchase or not.  Eventually, the one he preferred went from the window however, a few months later it returned and so having negotiated a price bought it.

Stokey took a look at it and adjusted the mirrors to take out the Instrument Error (IE).

Sip is now able to take a sun, planets, and star sights including Polaris, and plot his position in the Northern hemisphere, (he can do the South too but needs different stars). The next is to meet up with Stokey for a day in February to undertake a sun run sun sight for real using his sextant.

 

Winter 2022

Seasons greetings,

It is that time when I'm back out of the water for a spell on the hard for a deep clean inside and a wash and polish out.  However, as with these things the mere fact that there are three months in front of you, there's an option to leave it for another day. Certainly, this cold snap does not bode well for the Skipper to dip his hands in buckets of hot water only to splash it all over my cold sides to remove the salty sticky, polluting particulates that adhere to my sides.  So I'll give him that, it can wait and it is bound to rain at some point too!

The electricity charge of £5/day has been resolved with the fitting of a meter maid that like your electricity meter at home just counts the kWh used. At £0.19/KWH plus an admin fee of £0.27/day, it means that I have just the single oil-filled, timed radiator in the master cabin disseminating the heat through the saloon to the rear cabins if it hasn't gone cold by then.  When Skip arrives on some occasions he does run the Webasto heater, which runs on the diesel he topped up before moving me to the marina.  That tends to warm me throughout and probably him too whilst spending time down here.

As usual, a visual inspection of my hull is carried out whilst I'm in the slings and being jet-washed, this defines if there are any areas that need attention due to the build-up of weed, that the Copper Coat in the main keeps off.  As is usual, the crack between the 3.5t lead bulb and the cast iron keel from which it hangs, is closely inspected for any deterioration.

My Keel last year

 This year when I came out in August, to have another prop fitted, the tail of the lead bulb was slightly damaged. When inspected more closely, it appeared this was either a repair from a previous event or more likely a feature of when the lead bulb was formed and miss-shapen. Once fitted, it was then reshaped with a filler.

This has proved also to be the case for that annoying crack.  A few areas of rust have appeared on my keel and so Skipper went around with a wire brush and a hammer. When he looked at the crack more closely and tapped it he realised that it had been filled and went on to remove it back to the lead underneath.  Once cleaned up a bit more he'll build it back up in resin layers, with fiberglass fragments cut into the mix, before finally finishing off with a filler to give a smooth surface.

Then it'll be rubbed right back to the Copper Coat previously applied and re-coated.

The filler material removed exposing the lead

The first job, which is the easiest, is the removal of the prop and cleaning it at home.  This is where it is likely that last year the job wasn't completed as the rear anode wasn't available and it was put back on but not torqued up, then forgotten.

As most marine life forms other than fish and other large marine animals etc consist of calcium carbonate structure, the use of a 'limescale' remover dissolves the build-up as can be seen with the main body of the Flexofold body below.

Prob body in a bath of Limescale remover

I brush each blade the same and it comes off without any scraping or mechanical process.  You do have to pinch an odd baking tray from the kitchen though, but as you can see this has the same blue as the keel!

It is hoped that the deck wash pump, stainless steel deck fitting, and the sea/fresh water switch valve can be fitted and ready for next season.  Sea water, to wash down the anchor and deck, the build-up of green fungia which only grows in fresh/rainwater, so a dash of seawater kills it leaving my decks free of a green coating.

The loud hailer is still to go up the mast, Skipper has already fed the wiring up there ready and has it working from the radio set.

Another winter project is to re-make the connection from the manual anode to the earth (base of the wind generator). It was noted that one of the two anodes fitted to the prop was nearly eaten away and that was replaced in August of course.  The state of the manual one is whole, suspicion grew that it wasn't doing its job properly when weed was spotted growing on it. The bolt at the base has corroded and so stopping any residual current from flowing that should prevent galvanic corrosion.

Well, that's about it for now, I'll update you as progress is made or not if the cold weather continues.

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.