"katy" wrote in message
...
Scout wrote:
True Katy - maidens are never as they appear on the surface!
Scout

"katy" wrote in message
...
Capt. JG wrote:
Here's a synopsis of Excalibur's maiden voyage from the yard in SF to
her new home...

The maiden voyage was interesting... single-handed her from SF South
Beach Harbor to Richmond. Engine started fine at the dock, so I raised
sails and headed up toward the Bay Bridge. Near the bridge, the wind
died, so I go to start the engine... nada... not even cranking,
nothing. After some preliminary checks, like do I have juice, fuel, I
called the yard where she had some engine work done (tune up, oil
change, and the like). Oh, it's not our fault, maybe you're out of gas
(no), maybe you don't have her in neutral (no neutral safety switch on
this boat - something to think about adding). Come back, and we'll look
into it... of course, it's a good hour or so in such light winds, and
guess what they close in 1/2 hour.

Frustrated, I called the former owner, who couldn't think of any reason
this would happen. Never happened to him in 10 years. Must be a
disconnected wire, but he's busy at work, and the manual is in my car
(note for later, put manual on boat). Called the yard back... they
said, oh, maybe we forgot to tighten the wire to the starter solenoid.
Unfortunately, I have no idea where this wire is. Fortunately, not much
vessel traffic where I'm floating, so I heave-to to a starboard tack
(give myself at least some status), open up the engine compartment, and
I go upside down inside the engine, one hand on a cell phone dying
battery, flashlight in my mouth, trying to listen/talk to the yard so
their "mechanic" can direct me, the other hand trying to reach the
stupid wire. Finally, found it, tightened it, and then she started no
problem. Oh yeah, and they didn't reconnect the low-oil and temp alarms
either.

Got past the bridge, the wind picked up, so killed the engine and
started sailing again. Got about 20 kts steady wind the rest of the
way, mostly port tack. Finally had to jibe to avoid a tug/barge coming
out of the Richmond area, and the rest was easy, even did a passable
job flaking the main before I got to the dock.

Did you really think that a maiden voyage was going to be uneventful?
How naive, Jon. G;ad you made it to harbor safely.


I suppose you have vast experience delving into the matter.....

Admittedly only with a small sample of the population, but the results
appear to be consistent!
Scout