Peppermint Decks

Last summer I posted this. Well, that was one half of the forward cabin top. This last weekend I finally got around to doing the other half. You can't rush these things...

Old caulking removed.

Masked and ready for caulking.

Still got to get that genset back together...

Back to the Grindstone

Back to work. Well, actually, off to Germany for work...and a little skiing in Austria. It's tough. No sailing this weekend though, as now I'm back I have to rip into all the jobs that Kamalii created (boats do that) over the Xmas break. First up, fixing the starboard genset.

I rebuilt the raw water pump yesterday, so now both gensets have fully refurbed pumps. But the real issue on the starboard gennie is the wet exhaust elbow, where the sea water is injected into the exhaust. Hot exhaust gases + salt water = plenty of corrosion. These things are basically wear parts, they always rot out eventually. And in this case it came apart spectacularly, which is surprising given that I visually inspected it a few months ago and there was nothing apparently dodgy about it.

Anyway, this morning I took everything apart (28 degrees, 1001% humidity, it sucked) but being a boat it could not possibly go smoothly, and the last bolt holding the elbow sheared off. Now I have a stub of a bolt sticking out that is fused to the exhaust header. Off to work to get the blowtorch and Ezi-Outs...

Raw water pump being dissasembled. An easy job - very seldom that happens on a boat.

Bit of a mess.

Rather knackered...

We also today pulled out all of the anchor chain on to the dock and then rolled out all the twists in it (a LOT of twists) and then loaded it back in. Only took a couple of hours. 130m of 1/2" chain in 29 degrees...no need for the gym today. Rum earned.

Oh, and in an exciting development Emma has ventured into the aft bilge - to recover something she managed to lose down there. This is excellent news, now I know I have someone else to send down there.  :-)

New bilge troll

Dude, have you seen my posts?

I've just noticed that the couple of posts I've made with my phone have not come through. That's 1 point against you, Mr. Google.

The big blow was lots of "fun". At one point we counted over a dozen vessels re-anchoring at once in the bay, with winds clocking 50kts - 60kts. Apart from when one motorboat re-anchored over our anchor and then tripped it when they hauled up again, we did not budge, though spent much of the night swinging very close to a small fishing boat - but he seemed calm about it all.

Since then, it's been fantastic weather, and some great sailing, though the last few days have been almost no wind. Simon, Stephanie and Matt joined us in the Bay of Islands and we had some great sailing out across the bay. We sailed through the Tall Ships Regatta, which if course we should have been in, except we didn't know it was on. Some great yachts. I'm sure a lot of people were wondering why we were going the wrong way.

Since then we've motor-sailed down to Whangaruru, and then down to the Hen and Chicken Islands, where we spent the night anchored in South Cove on Lady Alice Island. The H&C's are a nature reserve and landing is prohibited. The bird life is amazing, and sunrise with all the birds was just fantastic.

We are now down at Kawau, and will head home tomorrow.

So far the only issues with the boat are both gensets failing, and continued problems with air in the main engine fuel line. The gensets have been a comedy; the starboard unit's wet exhaust bend fractured (internal corrosion, as they tend to do), but that's OK, as we have another genset. Except within a few hours the raw water pump on the port genset let go (yes, the same unit I had to replace the impeller on last season. This time the water seal let go AND the impeller shredded itself). So I swapped the water pump from the starboard genset to the port. Problem solved. Except the oil seal on the pump then let go and pumped half a litre of oil all over the place. Gods of Boating, what have I done to offend thee?! Anyway, have fully rebuilt the pump and the port genset now runs great, and a new wet exhaust bend for the starboard genset is in the mail.

Air in the main engine fuel line is a real PITA, though I have set things up so I can bleed it off under way, but it means every 40 minutes or so under motor I have to pop down to the engine room to do it. I will be ordering a vacuum test kit and and going right over the fuel lines - enough is enough.

I could really use another week (or 3) out here, but work calls. Sigh.

Blowing a Shitburger

Looks like a Rhodes to me. Everyone kept claiming to have seen us here-or-there, now we know why. "Windhaven" - a beautiful yacht.

It was Isi's idea. Honest.

Sailing for sailing's sake. Happy man.

Changed the mainsail reefing system to a 2-line system and it's waaaay easier to reef now.

Simon displays the correct attitude.

Sunset, Hen and Chickens.

South Cove, Lady Alice Island.

Off to Kawau - no wind.

Always good to get some quality time with your device.

The Calm Before the Storm

Going to blow like snot over the next few days, but this is what we had this morning as we left Whangaroa for the Bay of Islands.

Happy New Year!

Hope you all have a good one.

The traditional New Years Eve varnishing of the foremast.

Whangaroa Harbour (outer part)