2023: Now for the Sails

Taking Stock of the Sails

Indeed, I love all my Doyle sails, as they are well built ie strong fabric, good shape, well sized for our boat, and have needed only minimal maintenance.  We have replaced the UV sunbrella stitching only once in all our years of ownership (now 16), and also a bit of repair to the yankee luff.  The yankee and the staysail furl and unfurl easily every time and they set very well IMHO.

In Mast Furling Mainsail

The in-mast furling mainsail not so much.  It's a fantastic sail...when it works. When it furls in and out fine, I love it.  When it won’t unfurl, it really pees me off.  There is never a problem furling it, unfurling is a different matter.  It becomes a huge chore, with help from at least a couple of others, to extract it from the mast...

Readers, and hopefully sympathisers, will recall that I had the mast re-tuned in 2023 to make it straighter.  The back story is that after replacing all the standing rigging in 2018, the mast was put back on the boat with a major bend in it – a no no for in-mast furling gear, so it needed correcting.  Quite frankly, after an enormous amount of research and the re-tuning of the mast in 2023, I believe it can only be a user error.  What I mean is this:  

At times, it works perfectly.  At others it does not.  So, I've concluded that it must occur as a consequence of user error.  I should add that I had the mainsail flattened a bit in 2018 so, all things considered, it should not have changed much over the last five years since 3 of those 5 the boat wasn’t being sailed.  So watch this space.  I might add that, as at Sep23, a basic new cross cut one will cost upwards of USD 3500.  We could all do without that!

Stay tuned.

2017 & 2018: Benefits of a Shakedown Cruise

Ongoing Saga: #9

Mast Step Repair.  A piece of the aluminium casting at the back of the mast step came away when I was adjusting the mainsail not long after we had launched and, fortunately, were just doing a quick "shakedown" cruise along the Portuguese coast to Faro and back. 

Not pretty but so thankful we were not out in the deep blue briney

This piece had always held a number of ss shackles holding blocks that led lines back to the cockpit.  The boat had always been set up this way and, I guess, over the years the ss shackles had worn into the aluminium casting until it eventually failed.  At the same time it exposed two (of the 4) bolts that held the mast base in place.   Interestingly, below the aluminium mast base is a ss plate that has vertical edging with holes that accommodate shackles attached to blocks.  On the rear side of the ss plate there are also holes that had simply not been used as the shackles had been attached to the aluminium mast base instead.

Inspecting the damage

Sopromar Boatyard repaired the mast base by fabricating a stainless steel bracket that covered the broken area, utilizing the two exposed bolts, and then to reinforce things the fabricated bracket was welded to the ss mast base plate.  Any gap between the new ‘cap’ and the original mast base was filled with silicone sealant.  

You'll be pleased to know:  It held perfectly during our 2017/2018 Atlantic crossing and was left in place on the recommendation of the chief rigger when we subsequently had the standing rigging replaced in Saint Martin by FKG Rigging.

Repair all done & we're off to Madeira

2016: Run for Cover...

The anchoring field was busy in June

The plan for this year was to cover Italy and Malta.  First stops were ports we missed on our 2015 “round the Adriatic tour”, then cross to Malta, head up to Sicily and finally meander up the Italian west coast taking time to hit all THE tourist spots.  Haul out decisions would be made on the fly; hoping for somewhere along the French or Spanish coast.  Big plans and bigger problem - namely our limiting 90 day visa!  We’ve moaned about this before on the WJ3 blog but the difference with the middle section of the Med is that there is nowhere “close” to run and hide.  

Greece:
2016 began with the usual boatyard chores in Aktio - two weeks of hard slog, but who can deny it's a pleasant life.  WJ3 was treated to a professional polishing, the shower sump was unblocked, the anchor line replaced, rusty bicycles serviced and bow thruster batteries sorted out (they had not charged in our absence).  We needed an electrician to sort the battery issue out.  Finally, WJ3’s rigging was inspected – an insurance requirement.

Aktio in Preveza - a great place to haul your boat

On splashing, the engine started…that was good, but the generator again chose to be obstinate.  Hmmm, something to look at whilst on anchor, we thought.  Launching Bruce (the dinghy) too was something of a concern as the outboard stubbornly refused to function and more alarmingly, began to fill with water.  Drat!  Someone had stolen our dinghy bung – and of course, it’s a US fitting in an EU world.  To add to post-launch miseries, the bow thruster continued to be obstinate, crying out for even more professional help.  So there we sat, afloat with not much working.  Sound familiar?

Within a day of splashing, we moved into the Preveza Marina and so our precious Visa Days ticked by whilst we attended to:

Generator Coolant Pump.  It was leaking and I wasn't sure how to remove it as it's part of the engine, not a separate item like the saltwater pump.  I had a local German mechanic look at it (we’d used him before) and, on inspection, he pronounced it dead.  It was badly corroded and needed to be replaced with a new one.  This was at the start of the season at Preveza, Greece, and so we had to wait three weeks for the replacement part to be quoted, ordered and then delivered – from the US of course.  It took about an hour to put the pump on.  The generator ran fine thereafter.  I won’t mention the cost except to say that it was enormous, even the mechanic was embarrassed to tell us.

Time for a last swim at Jumping Fish Bay

Outboard Motor Not Starting.  Again, right at the start of the season, the outboard wouldn’t start, even though all was working fine at the end of the season when I run it until the carburetor ran out of fuel.  In hindsight, I should have run it in the yard before launching, but didn’t; an oversight on my part.  Anyway, after trying for some time I pulled the carburetor apart and inspected it for cleanliness.  It looked clean, but after I put it back on, it still wouldn’t start.  A kindly fellow on a nearby boat came over in his dinghy and freely offered advice, but despite his remedies, it still would not start.  Time for some searching on the web!  One useful piece of advice was that “a clean looking carbie does not necessarily mean it IS clean”.  This YouTuber advised to clean it to be sure, especially by inserting a thin wire into every orifice possible.  Well, I did this and the outboard started just fine.  So, big lesson here is that just because a carbie looks clean doesn’t mean it is and so do what I eventually did.  I’ll freely admit I did not see anything suspicious as I prodded and probed with my fine piece of wire.
  
Refrigerator Re-gassing.  Ahhh, yet again we had to have the refrigerator motor/evaporator re-gassed with the unusual hard-to-locate gas required for our Grunert 110 volt fridge.  Our reliable mechanic, although licenced, was not available so we contacted a local guy recommended by the marina.  Short story is he tried to rip us off by quoting and then trying to raise the price on the day.  Also, he tried to convince us to do more modifications than necessary.  Anyway, the fridge worked once it was re-gassed.  This little episode, apart from expensive now annual re-gassings, prompted much discussion on “a better way” to refrigerate given that our little WAECO battler was working brilliantly and running diligently on 12 volt sunshine power.

AIS.  We had purchased a GME AIST 120 and I fitted it next to the chart table, connected to our laptop via the program CD that came with it, and yet another antenna was fitted to the pushpit.  It works okey but we have since passed a number of ships at quite close range and there has been no signal received from them at all.  I certainly would not rely on it. 

There's more to follow....

Sad to be leaving our favourite Taverna over near Aktio

2015: In the Yard & Keeping Busy

Preveza, Greece

Welcome to 2015....... Who'd a thought!

In the Yard

(The plan this year was to do a loop of the Adriatic ending back in Preveza.  Given all the work we'd done on WJ3, we figured on an "easy" prep time in the yard...  Of course you'd never believe that just didn't happen.  Our plans were delayed - big time - and we had to cut short the route.  Still, I'm probably not telling boat owners anything new.) 

All's quiet at Aktio

A view from on high

Engine Raw water inlet Hose.  Last year the hose started to leak and I taped it up (with you-beaut very stretchy silicone tape) so it no longer leaked.  Nevertheless, the hose was clearly failing so this year I replaced it, this time with clear stainless steel reinforced hose.  It runs cold water only as it is between the inlet raw water filter/strainer and the raw water engine pump.  This hose was different to the ‘black’ hose I threw out (which was also looking decidedly worse for wear and likely to leak in one or two other spots) but advice was that this clear hose was quite adequate for the job and, besides, you can observe the water in the hose.  So, as soon as it was fitted, would you believe, there was another water leak – water could be observed/felt dripping from the (new) inlet hose near the water pump.  See up-coming post for the result under Siphon Valve Broken.

Sewing.  The dodger, bimini and the dinghy boat cover needed extensive resewing of most seams plus some repairs to rips in the bimini.  Stitching has been the first to go on these coverings, unlike the acrylic which seems to last forever, and the more I repaired the more I found it needed work. 

It’s quite simple really, just pull on the area around a seam and, if the sewing comes apart easily, then it needs to be resewn.  I reckon I did most of the bimini and dodger.   Same for much of the dinghy cover. 

The (summer) awning also needed repairs and I discovered that ‘shade cloth aint shade cloth, Sol’.  Our shade cloth is easily chafed so I will replace it next year even though it’s only a few years old.  Many boats use shade cloth and they are not well supported on the boom etc and flap around madly, unlike our awning which was made to measure and is well secured to stays etc.  Nevertheless, they don’t seem to damage as readily as ours has done.

Baby donkey had grown quite a bit during our absence

Standing Rig Check.  Our insurers, Pantaenius, asked for a rig check as the rigging was now eight years old.  A local rigging company in Preveza duly obliged and the rig was thoroughly inspected over the space of an hour, no problems found and passed by insurance.  The riggers were a couple of local guys, as helpful as could be with all sorts of advice and just thoroughly nice blokes.  Their shop is located at Cleopatra Marina.

Chandlery.  We'd discovered Cleopatra Marina/Boatyard's well stocked chandlery and obliging staff on arrival in 2014.  And made very good use of it in 2015 too!

Another view over Preveza taken whilst servicing the mast
Can you just imagine Cleopatra & Augustus having a big boating battle in here!

2009: Year 2 - Work in Trinidad

PowerBoats Yard, Chaguaramus: Part 1

PowerBoats Yard - Our Neighbours

We set aside another 2 months of our cruising season to add a few little extras in Trinidad.  Power Boat Yard was a good choice in every respect and we enjoyed getting to know the locals, other cruisers and experiencing life in Trinidad, the capital of “ridim”, mon!  At this stage we had finished our surveyor's report of essential "things to do" and now wanted some repairs or additions to make life a little easier....

Move 'em Out!

Cutter Rig.  I wanted a more easily handled sail arrangement and so we added an inner forestay and new staysail.  WJ3 is now a cutter.  I would heartily recommend our rigging people – Trinidad Rigging – and his local staff who were very easy to work with and totally professional. 

The sailmaker’s new sail appeared to fit okay and looked fine to me.  However, despite my many requests, he never came to check the fitted sail to make sure it was a tailored fitting – very disappointing. 

More Canvas Work.    More canvas work was planned and David, the canvas man at Power Boats (marina/boatyard where we stayed in Trinidad) made side and rear shade cloth curtains for the bimini.  These additions completed the bimini/dodger ensemble so that we can keep both sun and bugs out of the cockpit while allowing the main hatchway to be kept open when it rains.  We have our very own bug house now!  David made another smaller awning for the foredeck and this makes it even cooler when at anchor – great.  Even better, we don’t need to do the “hatches” song & dance routine when it rains, as it frequently does in the tropics.  The bimini also needed stitching in odd places and its PVC window needed to be replaced.  I couldn’t see through it to check the set of my sails.  We also had a cover for Bruce (our dinghy) made to protect him against nasty UV rays.  Now he has his very own “coat”.  David was very patient and professional; working hard to ensure we were completely happy and that his product was delivered on time.  He is highly recommended.

Showing off our Trini renovations in a very friendly Marina Turks Caicos

Insect Screens.   You wouldn’t think these were important until one is set upon by mozzies, can’t-see-ums, etc which can be a daily occurrence in the Caribbean, US Intracoastal Waterway, and Bahamas.  We have screens for most coach house deck hatches.  The Galley Slave is allergic to burning mozzie coils, however we can get away with one lighted in the saloon while keeping screens over our hatches above our bunk in the forward cabin.  This seems to sort out any bugs that make it into our cabin.  With the Hella fans running it is relatively comfortable even in the heat of the tropics. Their biggest issue is having to take them out before we can close the hatches if it rains...so back to the drawing board but, they'll do for now! 

Engine Insulation.  I replaced engine and generator insulation as the old insulation was coming away and the old foam was becoming powdery – an easy job to do myself.  I simply cut out the required shape and applied contact cement and/or pins/buttons, which all made for a secure attachment.

Generator Upgrade & Repairs.  We had a coolant reservoir fitted to the generator (same as more modern versions) by a professional mechanic and it’s now much easier to control coolant levels, especially when at sea. 

I also replaced my raw water impellor when I noticed there was only a relatively small flow of water being expelled through the exhaust.  Removed impellor plus bits of impellor blades and replaced with spare. I now do this routinely for both the engine and generator at the start of each season – I keep the old impellors that are undamaged, as spares. 

2008: Year 1 - Work in the BVI

Nanny Cay, BVI: Part 1

After purchasing WJ3, I followed the surveyor’s report (made prior to purchase) to address those things that needed to be fixed.  Most of this work was carried out in BVI by me, my son (when not surfing or generally schmoozing) and contractors where necessary.

Bow Fitting.  Condemned in the initial survey, there were supposed to be hairline cracks in the bow fitting. I tried to replace it. Hunter sent me the wrong fitting though, so I had to send it back.  Eventually we had the original bow fitting stain tested; no cracks found, so we put it back on after reinforcing the bow area with more fibreglass.  This included replacing two damaged plastic rollers @ $200 each (wow!). Got my money back from Hunter after a lot of mucking around and wasted time. 

Anchor & Anchor Well. I purchased a larger anchor as one of my first purchases (a Rocna) – use it all the time with 300+’ of 5/16’’ tested chain (equivalent to 3/8’’ normal chain) – holds very well and digs in quickly -  great peace of mind, especially when you leave the boat on its own.  Anchor Well reinforcing bracket needed fibreglass repair as it had partially delaminated – did it myself. Enlarged drain holes to make them more flush with bottom of anchor well. Put plastic grating down to raise chain a bit above floor where there is often water sitting. A couple of studs in the anchor winch needed to be loosened as they had seized in place, needed to remove the winch to do it in a workshop.  Winch appeared to be fairly new but I had the electric wiring serviced and refitted.

Lifelines.  Replaced with all new wire and terminals by rigger.

New rigging installation by Richardsons in BVI

Mast and Standing Rigging.  Replaced all wire with new.  Had mast-steps fitted all the way up tot the top of the mast.  Spinnaker pole purchased and a mast track attached to the front of the mast, new wind instrument, main topping lift and halyard added, goose neck fitting re-bushed (plus a spare one purchased), repaired Selden boom vang fitting on bottom of boom by fixing the vang in place (rather than it sliding backwards and forwards which in effect meant it didn’t work), plus serviced mast and jib furlers.  Fitted new luff feeder for jib. 

Rudder.   I replaced the rudder that originally came with the boat – it had a fibreglass/carbon stock and there have been a number of failures on other boats.  Mine had a bit of water leaking around the join of the stock to the rudder indicating a crack perhaps.  Whether fibreglass rudder stocks are good or bad  (since some other boat manufacturers also use fibreglass stocks) could be debated perhaps however I wasn’t going to take any more chances than necessary and also Hunter sell stainless-stock rudders, which must indicate something.  Another Hunter 460 at the yard where I bought the boat also replaced his rudder for the same reason and the new rudders and their stocks appear to be very substantial – clearly a major improvement on the fibreglass ones.  Makes for peace of mind when sailing. 

 

Main Engine.  Changed oil, fuel filters, etc and had engine checked (twice).  Primary fuel filter also used to get a bit dirty and has needed cleaning but seems to have fixed any problems with regular engine running, turnover of fuel, and regular inspections/cleaning/changing of primary filter.  Cleaned up engine and sprayed with CRC heavy duty corrosion inhibitor – great stuff. Engine mounts may need replacement in future but appear to be ok for now.

Propeller Shaft Strut.  This needed repair as a line appeared to have wrapped itself around the prop shaft and bent the strut.  Prop shaft withdrawn, checked for straightness, and then put back.  Prop strut bent and needed removal and straightening before being refitted.  New cutlass bearing also fitted at this time.  Prop also needed a blade repaired.  All have worked fine since being repaired and put back together.

Engine Throttle Control.  This had to be replaced with a new one.  I employed a local guy to help me do this and it turned out to be the wrong way round ie when the throttle/gear lever was pushed forward the engine engaged reverse.  I fixed it myself in the end.

Northern Lights 6kw Generator.  Initially, new filters, oil changed.  Raw water pump bearing replaced by contractor as pump leaked.