New Sails

 New sails arrived and with there being no wind it was an ideal opportunity to fit them. Testing them will have to wait for a breeze.

The main sail has a deep third reef and the logo looks great.

The spare gooseneck is a great fit and when the main gooseneck has been welded up ti should be an even better fit. 

More progress and new plans

 It has been a long time since my last post and here are some of the reasons:

A storm jib, I'll need that for my planned trip to Newport, RI, USA in 2022. 

During the last four months I have been trying to get sea miles under my belt while completing preparations for JC 2022. The start date is 8th May 2022 and I still have almost 60 items on the to do list. I have closed out over 30 of the larger jobs including: additional winches, rigging overhaul, re-bedding windows, RF systems, electrical systems, replacement running rigging, ordering new sails, solar panels, weather proofing and sleeping / stowage arrangements.

My plans for the trip are in their early stages but I intend to follow a more southerly route so that I have ports of refuge such as Azores and Bermuda to run to rather than the shorter Northerly route. Ice and fog scare me and the storms are normally more frequent and severe on the northerly great circle route. My estimated passage duration is 40 days but this could well be longer.

Work left to do includes: fit and tune new sails, service and refit the Sea Feather self steering gear, strengthen the gooseneck fitting and generally secure the boat for offshore sailing.   

Progress on jobs

 A couple of trips to the boat since strict lock down lifted and things are coming along. I am hoping that I have dodged a bullet with the dip stick problem. After getting it out with a set of large mole grips I have straightened it out, changed the oil and so far all seems good. I have installed a gimbal from my jet boil and a vice in the cabin which can double as a table bracket. On the big job list; I have almost completed replacing the lower stays. The old ones were undersized at 1/8" and of indeterminate age. I have fitted 5mm stays with swaged eyes at the mast end and swageless eyes at deck level. All with the help of a friend whilst the mast was up. Other jobs include checking out the sail wardrobe and fitting a proper sea bunk. Photos to follow.

Mooring check and a problem

 I visited Louisa to check the moorings and timed it so that I had a full tide onboard. The moorings were fine and I checked a couple of other club boats. One was very twisted so I reset the lines, another, my old Achilles 24, was OK but the sail cover had come off so I retied it. Back on Louisa I fitted a swivel to the mooring buoy but as I haven't built up any trust in it yet I fitted a safety line. While on board I made progress on the heating which I am calling finished for now and the solar panels. I also tried a dry fit of the winch bases and I think that they are good enough to make the actual bases in agba. As normal I charged the batteries up with the engine and whilst doing this the engine started to make a very strange noise. It sounded like it was about to let go so I turned it off pronto. Upon checking I found that the dipstick was loose. When I tried to pull it out it was stuck in the engine so I assume it had come loose and the oily end had caught on the crank shaft and been bent. After trying to extract it for 30 mins I gave up. My plan is to change the engine oil and filter and check for metal fragments. If bad, I might flush the engine out with diesel but if no too bad I'll resort to checking the oil level by pumping the oil out into a calibrated container. I suspect that the dipstick is made from stainless steel but if not I'll place a couple of strong magnets under the sump to hold the metal filings. 

Heating update

 The basic install is complete but it needs some further minor changes, namely more insulation. I made a trip to Louisa, the first in over 2 months, on the pretext of checking the moorings after storm Bella over the Christmas period. The moorings were fine, only half a dozen turns on the mooring lines to take out. My guess would be that some kind person at the club had tended the lines. I took paraphernalia with me to progress several jobs; winch fitment, solar panel fittings, various measurements and items to find. One of the jobs I was keen to progress was the heating, specifically the transom flange. The bolts need changing out because try as I might I couldn't tighten then up. 

The heater is located in the engine bay above the stern gland and fits in very nicely below the access hatch in the cockpit. All of the exhaust pipe is insulated and where other hoses cross its path they are also insulated. The insulation on the exhaust pipe gets too hot to touch for more than a second or two so I intend to insulate it with a second layer of the same material and then wrap it in foil tape. Also on the list of follow up jobs is replacement of the fuel hose with better quality hose, addition of a fuel cut off valve, additional support for the fuel tank, proper installation of the control panel and isolator and insulation of the air duct. 

The air it produces is a good temperature and should heat the cabin up nicely once I trust the CO levels. I have a monitor which goes off when I use my Origo spirit stove so it is only a question of time before I rely on the heater.

 

Tier 4

I really hope that the title of this post makes no sense to anyone in a few years time. Louisa has been in Tier 3 for the past 6 weeks and now both I and Louisa have been put in Tier 4. I suspect that this will last for around 2 months so it is going to be March / Easter before I get to check her moorings. That is 4 months. Worried yes, but hopefully someone at the club is keeping an eye on things.  

COVID-19

 Another couple of weeks before I can contemplate a visit to Louisa, this is getting a bit boring now!