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August 24 - In Hot Water, Again, or, Cruising is Boat Repair in Exotic Locations.
August 24 - In Hot Water, Again, or, Cruising is Boat Repair in
Exotic Locations. Well, I wouldn't say that Cape May is an exotic location, but it beats the middle of the Atlantic. When we left you, we expected to go sailing again, and be in Sandy Hook by the time you read this. However, in the interim, you may also recall that we had no water. We also had a leak in the rudder post, where the part which is supposed to keep the water out of the boat where the rudder post comes in wasn't doing a very good job. That's not an emergency, but as long as there are other things to attend to, that's a relatively easy one. The attending to part is that our spare water lines were stored under the bed, which is also where the rudder post can be found. Conveniently, it's also the location of the steering gear, which would allow me to check out our prior autopilot/power steering repair. The occasion of the water lines is the presumption, as I was able to isolate that water was coming out of the engine room floor area in a place which had all the supply lines (buried under the floor), that we had a rupture in one of the lines running from the galley to the engine room. All of that was exposed when we took apart the engine room flooring to make our wreck repairs, so I had a very good picture, including some taken during the rehab, of what that looked like in my mind. I'd been convinced that one of the original plastic water lines had ruptured, been cut, or somehow otherwise let a free flow of water proceed out of our tank and into the bilge. However, in a very convoluted story and position of which I'll spare you the details, I discovered that those lines were intact, and, instead, there was a failure some place in the engine room of a hot water line. Again shortening the story, I made that repair in a very contorted position, but it's all working again - so I can be in hot water in my shower tonight! While I was in the engine room I attended to a couple of other minor and small maintenance items, and, since it was very hot due to our having moved anchorages, was very glad to be outside where the breeze is still very cool, when I was finished. And, also while I was in the engine room, Lydia went off in the dinghy to take a non-functioning wind machine (tells what direction and force the wind is at the top of the mast) off to be UPSd to the manufacturer for repair, to be returned to us in NY. Since I didn't need the water lines I got out of the bed, I put the bed back together after I'd put away the lines, addressed the leaking rudder post and checked on the autopilot. All is well in both regards, now. I'll spare you the rest of the stuff we puttered on, but the reason, really, that we didn't leave was that the weather looked pretty crummy in the morning, and the forecast was still for sort of lumpy going, along with some relatively brisk winds. However, the biggest reason is that tomorrow (today's date) promises much better winds and waves, and we got to do lots of "cruising" - boat repairs in our exotic location. We quickly made the decision to take advantage of a better weather window to do some repairs as well as get more rest, though that's about all we've done in the time we've been here, so it will be easy going for us as it's only a day's (overnight) sail up to Sandy Hook. So, we finished our chores, and, as we were headed out in the dinghy, what should appear than another Seven Seas Cruising Association boat, about to anchor. They're Commodores, however, whereas we're lowly Associates. They've been cruising full time since 1983, have a 14 year old daughter aboard, and have just graduated a son from the US Naval Academy. You bet they're proud parents. As it happens, they're going in the same direction as we, and will likely be leaving about the same time. We had a lovely time getting to know them a little bit, and we're sure we'll hear more from and about them. Lydia had been a bit depressed by the failure of the water and instrument and the other minor stuff, but was greatly heartened by my rather simple (if convoluted in achievement) solution to the water problem. She's also starting to accept that any 30 year old systems are likely to require attention. She's also become more aware of the fact that most of our instruments were put on the boat 15 or more years ago, and likely will need replacement, if not service, along the way. The reality of the prior owner having many receipts where NEW instruments had to be sent back under warranty also brought home that a marine environment is very unforgiving, and stuff sometimes doesn't last as long as we'd like. And, finally, while in the engine room, I noted that the heat strips for the wind generator's diversion (send overcharging power to the heat strips, not the battery when it's full) dump were hot. As the battery was very well down, this was very confusing. That would explain the high drain we'd been having that we couldn't figure out. So, I disconnected the heat strips, and suddenly, everything works, again. The solar panels keep up with the daily load. The wind generator, as little as it's making without our being at sea, is enough to charge the battery. And our battery no longer takes a dive every time we turn something on. In the very overcast conditions that persisted all today, we were making 15 or more solar amps, well over our usual load at anchor; in sunny conditions, we'll have much more, and any wind generation we get will be a bonus. So, all in all, a great day, and I look forward to being in hot water again tonight (our engine makes very hot water, which means we don't have to use more than a smidgen to make the cold water, which isn't very cold, warm enough to enjoy the shower). With any luck, the next you'll hear from us will be from Sandy Hook. L8R Skip Morgan 461 #2 SV Flying Pig KI4MPC See our galleries at www.justpickone.org/skip/gallery ! Follow us at http://groups.google.com/group/flyingpiglog and/or http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheFlyingPigLog "You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it come true. You may have to work for it however." (and) "There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in its hands. You seek problems because you need their gifts." (Richard Bach, in The Reluctant Messiah) |
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