Things to do
Empty fuel tank via polisher into jerry cans and clean out said tank. There be growlies growing in there. I have opened the tank, felt the dirt in the fuel the the polisher fuel pump stopped working. It is working now, I just have to get off my ass.
Re-attach jib roller furling. Need new sheave (pulley) on top of the mast plus a new halyard (rope).
Install dinghy davits. Shudder. That won't be an easy job. Crawling in the lazzarets to install backing plates and nuts will be a nightmare.
Fix BOTH deck hatches. I cracked both with my damned weight smashing down on them in rough seas. Curse my masculine physique.
Re-bed (re-seal) all port lights (windows). Drip, drip..drip....drip, dripdripdrip.
Learn to use the fucking sewing machine and make covers for our sun damaged jerry cans. And maybe a new bimini.
Find and patch leaks in the dinghy....again. Folks, buy a hard dinghy, trust me.
Remove all fluids from engine, and flush the cooling system with muratic acid and try and get the operating temperature down from 190 to a respectable 160 degrees F.
Remove dinette table, sand down and re-varnish.
That is not all but will do for now.
Monday, December 24, 2018
Thursday, December 6, 2018
Renewing our Guatemalan Visa
It was a hairy, scary journey from Frontera, Rio Dulce to Livingston in order to renew our tourist visas. First off we get in overcrowded chicken buses then grab a launcha.
On the way there, a Collectiva, a chicken bus, identical to the one we were on was totaled, with a couple of dead bodies hanging out of the wreckage. We decided to take a launch back after our overnight stay in a hostel.
The actual re-checking in was simple.
It was fun except for the deaths. That scared the shit out of me.
On the way there, a Collectiva, a chicken bus, identical to the one we were on was totaled, with a couple of dead bodies hanging out of the wreckage. We decided to take a launch back after our overnight stay in a hostel.
The actual re-checking in was simple.
It was fun except for the deaths. That scared the shit out of me.
Over heating Perkins
190 F, or 95 C, that's how hot the mighty Perkins have been running.
Obviously something is blocking the circulation somewhere, I am suspecting growth in my raw water thru-hull.
Or it could be a heat exchanger blocked.
Or the oil cooler has build up.
Or the closed loop, (anti-freeze/coolant), has scaled up.
Or the exhaust system has a carbon build up and is restricting flow.
Well, the raw water pump is new, I removed the heat exchange and descaled it, not that it needed it and the discharge out the exhaust seems good.
Soooo, I will try the easiest, (seems to me), way first. I will examine the exhaust system.
Then I must drain the closed loop and oil sump.
Remove the oil cooler and inspect and clean then install the oil cooler.
With the oil cooler installed, I must rig up a way to flush the closed loop of any build up. I have ideas.
Good thing we are here in Guatemala for a year or two as this is going to take some time. This does not even come close to the amount of upper deck work that remains to be done in order to continue our journey to wherever.
Obviously something is blocking the circulation somewhere, I am suspecting growth in my raw water thru-hull.
Or it could be a heat exchanger blocked.
Or the oil cooler has build up.
Or the closed loop, (anti-freeze/coolant), has scaled up.
Or the exhaust system has a carbon build up and is restricting flow.
Well, the raw water pump is new, I removed the heat exchange and descaled it, not that it needed it and the discharge out the exhaust seems good.
Soooo, I will try the easiest, (seems to me), way first. I will examine the exhaust system.
Then I must drain the closed loop and oil sump.
Remove the oil cooler and inspect and clean then install the oil cooler.
With the oil cooler installed, I must rig up a way to flush the closed loop of any build up. I have ideas.
Good thing we are here in Guatemala for a year or two as this is going to take some time. This does not even come close to the amount of upper deck work that remains to be done in order to continue our journey to wherever.
Friday, October 12, 2018
Rio Dulce, Guatemala....what a trip down!
We have been in Rio Dulce for about six weeks now. It is the rainy season and boy, does it ever rain almost every night. Torrents I tell you.
It took us around 12 days to get here from Isla Mujara, Mexico. We were plagued with problems. Starting with the Yucatan Current. I hate sailing into currents, I really do. It took a lot of jigging, or tacking if you will, before we found a sweet spot that eliminated most of the current. Hugging the shoreline and keep the depth between 60 and a 140 feet seemed to do the trick. only took almost two days to find that out. Master Mariners indeed.
Bad thing happened and it was 100% my fault. Normally we take the sails down at three in the afternoon and motor through the night. It was such a perfect sailing day with light to moderate winds off our port beam. Three sails up. I said we will wait an extra hour before dowsing the sails. Well in just 45 minutes, a squall hit us and almost laid us flat. Started the engine to turn us into the wind and we were laid flat again, and the engine raw water intake sucked air and fried the impeller. Rats. No engine and wind just killing us. Wait! Whats that sound? Why, it's just the jib tearing itself in half. Rats. All we could do was spill the stay sail and main. Even with those two spilling and the jib torn in two we still did a ridiculously respectable 6 1/2 knots. Not in my wildest dreams can I get this tub to do 6 1/2 knots.
So, no engine, we "sailed" the night until I could repair the engine in the morning. I was too hot and I would have been BBQ'd on it changing the impeller.
Next morning, we fixed the engine and managed to lower the remaining sails. We found out we popped out the top two main sail lugs that guide the sail up the mast. There was still about 6' of jib still up the stay.
We motor to and drop anchor in Tobacco Cay in Belize for four day to get our Mojo back.
After we left Belize it was a a day and night trip to get to Livingston, Guatemala to clear in.
Clearing in was a snap. A launcha pulled up with all the officials we needed on board. It cost extra but we didn't have to chase any official down!
I talk later about the wonderful trip upriver, a total opposite of our trip down, thank god.
It took us around 12 days to get here from Isla Mujara, Mexico. We were plagued with problems. Starting with the Yucatan Current. I hate sailing into currents, I really do. It took a lot of jigging, or tacking if you will, before we found a sweet spot that eliminated most of the current. Hugging the shoreline and keep the depth between 60 and a 140 feet seemed to do the trick. only took almost two days to find that out. Master Mariners indeed.
Bad thing happened and it was 100% my fault. Normally we take the sails down at three in the afternoon and motor through the night. It was such a perfect sailing day with light to moderate winds off our port beam. Three sails up. I said we will wait an extra hour before dowsing the sails. Well in just 45 minutes, a squall hit us and almost laid us flat. Started the engine to turn us into the wind and we were laid flat again, and the engine raw water intake sucked air and fried the impeller. Rats. No engine and wind just killing us. Wait! Whats that sound? Why, it's just the jib tearing itself in half. Rats. All we could do was spill the stay sail and main. Even with those two spilling and the jib torn in two we still did a ridiculously respectable 6 1/2 knots. Not in my wildest dreams can I get this tub to do 6 1/2 knots.
So, no engine, we "sailed" the night until I could repair the engine in the morning. I was too hot and I would have been BBQ'd on it changing the impeller.
Next morning, we fixed the engine and managed to lower the remaining sails. We found out we popped out the top two main sail lugs that guide the sail up the mast. There was still about 6' of jib still up the stay.
We motor to and drop anchor in Tobacco Cay in Belize for four day to get our Mojo back.
After we left Belize it was a a day and night trip to get to Livingston, Guatemala to clear in.
Clearing in was a snap. A launcha pulled up with all the officials we needed on board. It cost extra but we didn't have to chase any official down!
I talk later about the wonderful trip upriver, a total opposite of our trip down, thank god.
Sunday, March 18, 2018
What went wrong this month:(
FUDGE!
That's the nice rated of my mood right now.
Getting ready to leave Marathon, Florida when the fresh water cooling pump went South when we tested the engine. A new one is on order from the U.K.
Today, the wife and I decided to work on the roller furling, there is always something acting up with it. I am not a huge fan of roller furling to start with. Well, it was a bitch to unfurl, and a bitch to furl. More so than normal. The cherry on the icing on this turd cake was the halyard, (rope that hauls the sail up to the top of the mast), parted and the metal end of the sail passed through my wife's hair, but missing her skull, thankfully.
Depressing as it is, the good news is that I a officially retiring the whole roller furling system and going back to the old school Hank on sails. We have two spare ones:)
That is a lot of sail we are not going to use. I must learn to use the sewing machine. There are a lot of projects on the back burner; outboard motor cover, two bicycle bags, winch covers, windlass cover, hatch shades....the UV down here is murderous, gear has to be protected.
That's the nice rated of my mood right now.
Getting ready to leave Marathon, Florida when the fresh water cooling pump went South when we tested the engine. A new one is on order from the U.K.
Today, the wife and I decided to work on the roller furling, there is always something acting up with it. I am not a huge fan of roller furling to start with. Well, it was a bitch to unfurl, and a bitch to furl. More so than normal. The cherry on the icing on this turd cake was the halyard, (rope that hauls the sail up to the top of the mast), parted and the metal end of the sail passed through my wife's hair, but missing her skull, thankfully.
Depressing as it is, the good news is that I a officially retiring the whole roller furling system and going back to the old school Hank on sails. We have two spare ones:)
That is a lot of sail we are not going to use. I must learn to use the sewing machine. There are a lot of projects on the back burner; outboard motor cover, two bicycle bags, winch covers, windlass cover, hatch shades....the UV down here is murderous, gear has to be protected.
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Saturday, January 20, 2018
Tuesday, January 9, 2018
A long time since blogging.
Wow, it's been a while. A fair bit happened like, well, Hurricain Irma for starters. A failed starter, and a hostile West Coast of Florida.
We left Vero Beach after repairing our blown gearbox, motored South along the Intracoastal Waterway, and anchored at Jenson Beach (around a mere 10 mile trip). We like this anchorage as there is absolutely no flying critters!
Went to start the engine, nothing but a click. Did the usual checks, all wires seemed good, battery fully charged , power to the solenoid confirmed.
Called TowBoatUS and got towed back to Vero Beach City Marina. Back to our mooring ball. 3 days to Irma.
Secured the boat, took down all sails and boom and put them below.
Quadrupled the lines to the mooing ball.
Spent two nights in a Hurricain shelter then back to the boat. Everything hunky dory.
Took a week to straighten out the boat, and two more weeks before I even looked at the starter, I was kind of shell shocked over this.
Removed the starter and sent it away, there was a huge short in it. Installed it and....nothing.
I admit there was some choice words thrown about, and maybe a tool or two. I was mad.
The starter did not have easy access.
But before I went at it, cooler minds (the wife) prevailed. So we took out the ignition switch to see if a wire parted company there. The switch was partially melted from the short. Don't ask me why, electricity is not my bag, among a lot of other things.
Surpringly, we had good luck here, there was a brand new starter on board!!!!!!
Install switch and vroom, diesel starts right away.
Divide to leave the mooring ball and anchor in the mangroves for a couple of months to save up money...ok, ok, I was still shel shocked and had to get my mojo back.
Had word that our sailing buddy has engine problems in Cape Coral in the West Coast, or the Gulf Coast of Florida if you prefer. And the sheriff was hassling him almost daily and the Tarpon Marina dock master wouldn't even grant him dinghy dock privileges.
So we upped anchor and set out once more.
Again we anchored at Jenson Beach. No problems.
We turned into the Okeechobee Waterway....strong current, but in our favorite:)
Did the usual locks and bridges, moored on Dolphins which are huge wooden pilons lashed together with another set 60-70 feet away. You tie a bow line to one then reverse and tie a stern line to the other the adjust the lines and Bobs your uncle.
Well, seeing as I can't revers this pig of a boat backwards if my life depended on it, I used our dinghy and brought the line to the second dolphin. Now Bobs your uncle.
Now we are tied to the Dolphins outside of Clewiston. Now, we read up on Clewiston and we were told it is crime ridden, dangerous and just plain mean, these are the reviews we read from other sailors.
We left Vero Beach after repairing our blown gearbox, motored South along the Intracoastal Waterway, and anchored at Jenson Beach (around a mere 10 mile trip). We like this anchorage as there is absolutely no flying critters!
Went to start the engine, nothing but a click. Did the usual checks, all wires seemed good, battery fully charged , power to the solenoid confirmed.
Called TowBoatUS and got towed back to Vero Beach City Marina. Back to our mooring ball. 3 days to Irma.
Secured the boat, took down all sails and boom and put them below.
Quadrupled the lines to the mooing ball.
Spent two nights in a Hurricain shelter then back to the boat. Everything hunky dory.
Took a week to straighten out the boat, and two more weeks before I even looked at the starter, I was kind of shell shocked over this.
Removed the starter and sent it away, there was a huge short in it. Installed it and....nothing.
I admit there was some choice words thrown about, and maybe a tool or two. I was mad.
The starter did not have easy access.
But before I went at it, cooler minds (the wife) prevailed. So we took out the ignition switch to see if a wire parted company there. The switch was partially melted from the short. Don't ask me why, electricity is not my bag, among a lot of other things.
Surpringly, we had good luck here, there was a brand new starter on board!!!!!!
Install switch and vroom, diesel starts right away.
Divide to leave the mooring ball and anchor in the mangroves for a couple of months to save up money...ok, ok, I was still shel shocked and had to get my mojo back.
Had word that our sailing buddy has engine problems in Cape Coral in the West Coast, or the Gulf Coast of Florida if you prefer. And the sheriff was hassling him almost daily and the Tarpon Marina dock master wouldn't even grant him dinghy dock privileges.
So we upped anchor and set out once more.
Again we anchored at Jenson Beach. No problems.
We turned into the Okeechobee Waterway....strong current, but in our favorite:)
Did the usual locks and bridges, moored on Dolphins which are huge wooden pilons lashed together with another set 60-70 feet away. You tie a bow line to one then reverse and tie a stern line to the other the adjust the lines and Bobs your uncle.
Well, seeing as I can't revers this pig of a boat backwards if my life depended on it, I used our dinghy and brought the line to the second dolphin. Now Bobs your uncle.
Now we are tied to the Dolphins outside of Clewiston. Now, we read up on Clewiston and we were told it is crime ridden, dangerous and just plain mean, these are the reviews we read from other sailors.
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