Deltaville Marina: Part 1
At some point we realised just how useful it is to have time at the dock rather than trying to do it all on the hard, particularly when it comes to adjusting or finetuning all this expensive gear we have on board. So after we splash, we head to the dock for a few days at least. In 2011, we spent quite some time there. After all, we were prepping for an Atlantic Crossing. So, everything needed to work perfectly!
a. Freshwater System. A couple of those PVC fittings broke so a lot of freshwater ended up in the bilge as I filled water tanks and then turned on the pressure water system. A breather line came away from the hull fitting sending more freshwater into the bilge and I had to add a short extension to the original hose. Oh well, the bilges love a bit of fresh water circulated through them.
At some point we realised just how useful it is to have time at the dock rather than trying to do it all on the hard, particularly when it comes to adjusting or finetuning all this expensive gear we have on board. So after we splash, we head to the dock for a few days at least. In 2011, we spent quite some time there. After all, we were prepping for an Atlantic Crossing. So, everything needed to work perfectly!
a. Freshwater System. A couple of those PVC fittings broke so a lot of freshwater ended up in the bilge as I filled water tanks and then turned on the pressure water system. A breather line came away from the hull fitting sending more freshwater into the bilge and I had to add a short extension to the original hose. Oh well, the bilges love a bit of fresh water circulated through them.
b. Manual Toilet. The two anti-syphon valves on the inlet and outlet lines to the manual toilet decided to fail at the same time so I had to replace them. No leaks now, which has made the whole thing much more ‘attractive’.
More motoring up the Chesapeake with BW at the helm |
d. Regalvanize Anchor Chain and Second Anchor. The chain and second anchor were quite rusted in places so I was able to get it all regalvanised at Ashland near Richmond . They did a good job and it cost about a third of a new chain. Since my chain was not that old nor showing any obvious signs of excessive wear, this seemed like a sensible solution. All we have to do now is mark the various depths (with cable ties) and then put it all back on board.
e. Spinnaker Pole End Fittings. I purchased two new Ronstan spinnaker pole ends and Crew put them on the pole, after I broke one of them (a plastic fitting - not Ronstan) last year in a simple and not particularly stressful situation. The fittings I purchased in Australia , brought them with me, then found that there was one or two millimetres difference in diameter of the pole and Ronstan fittings. My Crew had to grind some of the raised sections down and then they fitted perfectly. These aluminium fittings are much more robust than the ones they replaced.
First flight - new spinnaker feels the breeze on Chesapeake Bay |
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