On Nov 6, 8:18 pm, "Capt. JG" wrote:
wrote in message

oups.com...



No, seriosly, I think you are misunderestimating the distances and
thus complaining about non-issues.

No seriously, I didn't. I have a fair amount of experience in the North Bay
of SF especially, and wakes are not a big deal.



Here is the test:

If another boater cuts you off close enough to fling some old fish
heads on his bridge, you have the right to do so. Just do it. Fish
heads, anything biodegradable, in case you miss. You will soon see if
they really are that close, it is hard to aim fish heads well over
more than 50 feet, I would guess. Ask me how I know.

Gross. No thanks.

Also, if you really were going just half a knot, the kayaker could
have moved out of your way easily. They are capable of accelerating to
about five knots in not time. And trust me, he would have, if you had
been really close. He just didn't think you were too close.

You're right in that he didn't think, but we were too close. As I said
previously, it was my impression after thinking about it that he couldn't
control his kayak. I think he was a total novice.

Btw., having no engine does not put you in 'unable to maneuver '
status. It just makes you a sailboat, col-reg-wise, doesn't it?

I did have an engine, and I told him that we were having engine trouble. So,
I'm not sure what you're asking.

So, what had happened with the engine? We are all curious to hear.

I'm waiting to hear...

Captain Jack Sparrow

Right.





On Nov 6, 11:44 am, "Capt. JG" wrote:
Taught a class this last weekend through one of the local schools.
Saturday,
wind was light, so we practiced a lot of motoring skills aboard a newer
Hunter 32. Typically, the second day is devoted to sailing skills, such
as
COBs and the usual tacking/jibing/points of sail, etc.

The wind picked up a bit in mid-afternoon, and we got some good COB
practice. Ate lunch under sail, and since anchoring knowledge is part of
the
class, I decided to get us over to the Cone Rock area for a bit of
practice.
Sailing there, a big cabin cruiser came up on us from the starboard
stern...
must have been going 10+ kts, with a huge wake.

At first I thought he was going to cut us off to the point of us having
to
take evasive action, but he weaved around enough to clear our side and
bow.
The whole time we're waving and gesturing to slow down, since it was
going
to be close and the wake was going to be huge. He kept right on going,
and
as he got abeam, had the middle finger flying. What a jerk. Fortunately,
we
were all holding on at this point, so no one was hurt or thrown off the
boat, which could easily have been the case.

Ok, so we proceeded to sail, then got to a good spot to turn on the
engine
and drop the sails. Did this, motored about 200 meters, when the cooling
water hi temp alarm came on. I was able to kill the engine within 20
seconds
or so. A couple of the students were still up by the mast, so the main
came
back up without a hitch. As soon as they scrambled back to the cockpit, I
popped the furling line for the jib, it came out, and we got moving
again.

We did a visual inspection of the engine... double checked that the raw
water intake was open, oil level, fresh water level, feel for excessive
heat, sniff test for something burning, belts are on and not slipping. I
had
someone turn the engine back on and I put my hand over the raw water
exhaust
(it's under the transom, and you can be fooled by air bubbling vs. water
exiting). Water was definitely coming out, the water was luke warm at
most,
but the alarm was on. Also, I noticed oil on the absorbant pad underneath
the engine... not a lot, but there was none in the morning... something
happened. Well, we were sailing, so it didn't matter right now, and I
shut
down the engine after about a minute. Even though the water was only warm
at
most, I was starting to see steam coming out of the exhaust. I started
thinking it might be a blown head gasket, one reason was it seemed overly
rough at low idle.

Since we were headed back to base anyway at this point, I figured I'd
give
them a ring (cell phone had great reception) and let the base manager
know
what was up and ask if he had any suggestions. He had none beyond what
I'd
already done, so I told him we'd be back in about an hour at most, and I
would call him again if I thought we couldn't make it back to either the
slip or an end tie near the base. I think he appreciated me not hailing
them
on the VHF... dirty laundry in public and all that.

So, we're sailing down the Sausalito channel. Toward the end of the
channel,
where we need to go, it gets rather narrow, and it's quite easy to run
aground if you get outside the markers. As we get to a particularly
narrow
spot (still under sail, which was good practice for the students), three
kayakers come out of a marina and are slowly paddling ahead of us on our
port side just outside the channel. I can see that they're totally
unaware
of us and edging closer and closer to the channel, obviously going to
head
across it.

When I got within earshot, I called over to them, saying, please stay out
of
the channel... we're having engine trouble and can't maneauver. One asked
me
where he should be, and I said, anywhere except in front of me is fine.
Another one stopped paddling, waiting for us to go by. The third guy kept
going! Slowly! Unbelievable. So, I said, Sir, if you keep going, we're
going
to run you over. Please get out of the channel. He said ok, but kept
going!
So, I turned on the engine again, figuring I could use it for 30 seconds
without damage, since it had been off for over 30 minutes. We got around
him, barely. I thanked him for getting out of our way, and I think he
thought I was serious. Jeez... Then, I turned off the engine.

Well, the final leg was sailing down the fairway, very light wind at this
point... under 2kts, but we made a beautiful docking, and all ended well.

--
"j" ganz

--
"j" ganz

So, Captain John Goose, what DID happen with the engine?

Just got an email from the maintenance crew who looked at the engine
situation.... interestingly, we did check the coolant level, which was fine.
So, whomever said the impeller, was dead on...

(edited slightly) The engine lost coolant (which was the consequence of an
overheat situation earlier in the month) and was running hot (in the
185-190+ deg range), which was enough to activate the over-heat alarm and to
still run "as if the alarm was a false negative." The raw-water cooling was
working, but the blades of the impeller had been deformed causing the
quantity of cooling water running through the heat-exchanger to be
insufficient to cool the engine to within it's operating temperature range,
thus causing the alarm.


We will routinely replace raw water impellers in all overheating situation
in the future, as well as positively check the flow of raw water cooling
throughout the complete system: through-hull to mixing elbow.

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

On Sat, 10 Nov 2007 11:23:06 -0800, "Capt. JG"
wrote:

We will routinely replace raw water impellers in all overheating situation
in the future, as well as positively check the flow of raw water cooling
throughout the complete system: through-hull to mixing elbow.

Based on my experience with the small Yanmar in my genset, I'd
recommend being even more proactive than that. The impellers seem to
self destruct after about 200 hours so it's better to replace them on
a periodic basis before that happens. One nice feature on my genset
is a temperature sensor on the exhaust elbow. It trips as soon as
cooling water flow starts to slow down. Supposedly you can buy the
sensors at Home Depot for minimal $$$s and attach them with hose
clamps.

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 10 Nov 2007 11:23:06 -0800, "Capt. JG"
wrote:

We will routinely replace raw water impellers in all overheating situation
in the future, as well as positively check the flow of raw water cooling
throughout the complete system: through-hull to mixing elbow.

Based on my experience with the small Yanmar in my genset, I'd
recommend being even more proactive than that. The impellers seem to
self destruct after about 200 hours so it's better to replace them on
a periodic basis before that happens. One nice feature on my genset
is a temperature sensor on the exhaust elbow. It trips as soon as
cooling water flow starts to slow down. Supposedly you can buy the
sensors at Home Depot for minimal $$$s and attach them with hose
clamps.


Fortunately, I'm not the one responsible for the engines or boats for that
matter. I will take the advice under advisement for mine, however.

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

"Capt. JG" wrote in message
...
Just got an email from the maintenance crew who looked at the engine
situation.... interestingly, we did check the coolant level, which was
fine. So, whomever said the impeller, was dead on...

(edited slightly) The engine lost coolant (which was the consequence of an
overheat situation earlier in the month) and was running hot (in the
185-190+ deg range), which was enough to activate the over-heat alarm and
to still run "as if the alarm was a false negative." The raw-water cooling
was working, but the blades of the impeller had been deformed causing the
quantity of cooling water running through the heat-exchanger to be
insufficient to cool the engine to within it's operating temperature
range, thus causing the alarm.


We will routinely replace raw water impellers in all overheating situation
in the future, as well as positively check the flow of raw water cooling
throughout the complete system: through-hull to mixing elbow.

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

Been there, seen that.
The problem is that as the impellers age the lobes get stiff and do not
spring back into position quickly enough after passing the hump that
squeezes the water along its way.
It is during this 'spring-back' period that the impeller lobe is supposed to
seal itself against the casing and draw water into the gap between the
impellers. When spring-back is too slow the pump throughput gradually
reduces due to poor sealing and/or insufficient water drawn into the gaps
between lobes..