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.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

"Capt. JG" wrote in message
...
I finally concluded the purchase of a new, used boat. She's a Sabre 30,
Mark II, built in 1983. Except for a few minor problems, she's in great
shape. I'll probably be putting a furler on in the next couple of weeks,
but there's no huge rush as the current setup is pretty easy.

Here are a couple of picture links... on the hard and then me
single-handing to her new home in Richmond, CA.

http://sailnow.photosite.com/excalibur/
http://sailnow.photosite.com/Excalibur_maiden_voyage/

The cockpit is nice... 7'2" :-)

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

Capt. JG wrote:
Here's a synopsis of Excalibur's maiden voyage

Called the yard back... they said, oh, maybe we forgot
to tighten the wire to the starter solenoid. Unfortunately,

You did not know where a starter solenoid wire was?

Jon I suggest you take a basic course on engine electrical systems.


What kind of engine is in the boat?
You say "gas" juice..are you saying the boat has an Atomic 4 or some
other type of dangerious gasoline engine?

Joe

Joe wrote:
Capt. JG wrote:
Here's a synopsis of Excalibur's maiden voyage

Called the yard back... they said, oh, maybe we forgot
to tighten the wire to the starter solenoid. Unfortunately,

You did not know where a starter solenoid wire was?

Jon I suggest you take a basic course on engine electrical systems.


What kind of engine is in the boat?
You say "gas" juice..are you saying the boat has an Atomic 4 or some
other type of dangerious gasoline engine?

Joe

Gasoline engines are not dangerous at all. Gasoline engines almost
never blow up. Gasoline itself, however, leaking from a fuel line or
tank, does pose a substantial risk. Especially when the solenoid wire
is loose.

I do now. :-) I should have known where it was before I left. I guess we all
learn from our mistakes.

It's a Westerbeke 13hp. I would not buy an A-4, even though they're not bad
engines.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

"Joe" wrote in message
oups.com...

Capt. JG wrote:
Here's a synopsis of Excalibur's maiden voyage

Called the yard back... they said, oh, maybe we forgot
to tighten the wire to the starter solenoid. Unfortunately,

You did not know where a starter solenoid wire was?

Jon I suggest you take a basic course on engine electrical systems.


What kind of engine is in the boat?
You say "gas" juice..are you saying the boat has an Atomic 4 or some
other type of dangerious gasoline engine?

Joe

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'm a positive person. :-) It was a fun sail.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

"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.

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.

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.....

"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

"Capt. JG" wrote in message
...
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).

Don't, they're stupid.



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.


Sailing in the wee hours I noticed my nav lights dimming,
went to start the engine ( with the starter batt) and nada.
I also hove to as the battery was too low to trust the AP.
The selenoid wire had broken , right at the terminal end. I
stripped it and put it back on bare wire. Got a terminal 3
days later.


--
Scott Vernon
Plowville Pa _/)__/)_/)_