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3rd Friday on the hard and an excellent break

by steve, on April 8th, 2011 (Attitude, Boree, Callisto, El Regalo, Imagine, Leu Cat, New Zealand, Proximity, Scream, Tahina)

The weather this week has been very alternating.  Every other day we have variable weather and on the alternate days we have a consistently good day.  Yesterday was a consistently good day.  Confused?  Because we had an afternoon event planned we had a shortened work day but we still made progress :

  • Sanded all the gelcoat touch ups
  • Replaced temporary split pin at top of mast
  • Added a layer of varnish to the shower sill
  • Picked up new code zero halyard
  • Replaced old main halyard (which was in the code zero halyard’s position) with new code zero halyard
  • Assembled gooseneck twice.  First time I thought I had it on the boom upside down but I discovered I was wrong about this after removing it.
  • Installed new main sheet
  • Reattached sail bag
  • 80% inflated dinghy (which was returned from having handle/rollock reattached)
  • Filed off ridges from inside boom in order to install new sheave for outhaul/third reef

On the external projects more progress was made than anticipated.  The dinghy arrived.  The anchor roller strengthening is now complete.  The chain chute is complete.  The props / shafts were returned from having a hole drilled and pin inserted. The new sheave was cut.  Our window inserts are now expected early next week and I postponed the forestay work to Monday.

I actually had a little time to study a few Euler problems and have now developed a strategy to solve one of them which I’ll implement over the weekend.  It’s interesting going back to them as at first they all look far too complicated to solve but sooner or later dormant brain cells wake up from their slumber and go to work.

Around 2:30pm we broke for the day and cleaned up for our afternoon out.  The town of Whangarei was putting on a farewell seminar/show for the cruisers who’ve spent time (and presumably quite a lot of money) here in the town – particularly on services to their ocean battered boats.  First was a very impressive traditional Maori challenge, far better than the one we saw at the Maori experience in Rotorua.

Next we had a half hour lecture by weather guru Bob McDavitt.  For those that don’t know him, he puts out an excellent cruising forecast each Sunday that makes a relevant read every Sunday.  As such he practically received a heroes welcome by the cruisers as a result of this service.  He does offer professional guidance / route planning to those that wish it.  His half hour brief was very informative.  He confirmed the weather scenario for leaving north that I’m now already anticipating.  More importantly he helped us understand the broader context for the weather patterns and their near term impact.  We’re in what’s called a declining La Nina situation which historically extends the cyclone season.  Thus the general recommendation is not to leave until May.  This fits our general plan which was to be ready by the third week in April and to take the first available weather window.  That window should now appear early May.  This extra time allows us the opportunity to flex our new wings (once installed) with a sail, perhaps, up to Opua before we leave.

Next was the BBQ which was a fine feast.  I thought I was taking a little of everything but my plate ended up piled high.  Having had a light and early lunch I was famished and polished off the lot.

Finally we were given a cultural Maori performance by a national competition winning local singing group.  Again – far better than the ones we’ve seen at tourist attractions.  We are lucky to have the opportunity in our lives to go cruising and further privileged to be given such joyful, harmonious and passionate performances.

We were not alone for this farewell presentation.  We sat amongst old friends from the ‘class of ’10’ puddle jumpers : Attitude, Boree, Callisto, El Regallo, Imagine, Leu Cat, Proximity, Scream & Tahina.  There were plenty of others there too and the sad thing is was our need to catch up with old friends prevented us from really making any new.

Being in the company of so many friends and having the Polynesian dancing and singing going on made most, if not all, of us keen to start our crossing and get back out into the wonders of the South Pacific.  Just got to get the boat work finished !!!!!

We finished the evening by inviting Frank and Karen over to a messy Dignity to share a bottle of wine.  Almost like being back out on the water.  Except for the gentle rocking.  The slapping of waves.  The warm nights.  The beautiful beaches.  The great snorkeling.  No yard dust.  Not having to pee in a bucket.  Ok – so not quite so similar but we’re on our way soon.

ADDED LATER: All too easy. Euler problem nailed. Off to work.

Category: Attitude, Boree, Callisto, El Regalo, Imagine, Leu Cat, New Zealand, Proximity, Scream, Tahina | Here is my comment

3rd Thursday on the hard

by steve, on April 7th, 2011 (Endless, New Zealand, Tahina)

The weather returned to the similar variability that we saw on Tuesday coupled with strong winds. This affected our project work somewhat but they’re beginning to wind down now. First, what we got up to :

  • I spent a short period of time researching Fiji internet pricing.  Vodaphone seem to have some good deals and excellent coverage.  It looks like we’ll have a good combination of island paradise and connectivity.
  • Helen went into town to do the laundry.  There is one here but the one in town is better.  She picked up another item for our ditch bag and some food.
  • I picked up the props which had been inspected and rebalanced.  I learned that one of them had been sitting in contact with the shaft key which might have induced vibrations.  We have heard some from time to time and now we know the most likely cause and what to do about it.
  • I talked to yard master Peter to discuss drilling holes for locking pins into the shafts and nuts and also to grind down the errant key.  We also discussed ETA for rest of work.  Splash now looks like next Friday or following Monday subject to weather and slipway availability.
  • I communicated with the sailmaker to let them know when we expect to be back in the water.  Our new sails are now ready and will be fitted soon after splashing.
  • I communicated with the town marina to line up a berth for a few days after splash for sail fitting and final provisioning.
  • Helen applied one more coat of paint to the window surrounds and later painstakingly peeled all the masking tape off.  The latter didn’t go too well so some areas will need a touch up.
  • I spent 2-3 hours disassembling one winch, cleaning all the old grease off, applying new grease then reassembling.  It definitely runs smoother that the others.  Three more to go.
  • I tightened the nuts for the stainless steel rail above the nacelle and taped the new cotter rings (replaced prior day) to prevent them catching on bridle (which I believe caused prior damage)
  • Helen applied first layer of varnish to wooden sill above door in our shower where combination of sunlight and water had peeled varnish.
  • I attempted to reassemble gooseneck and ran into a couple of problems.  The only nylon spacers I could obtain were too fat so I sanded them thinner.  This required a lot of pressure against the sandpaper which was applied via my thumb.  I managed to sand a small circle off my thumb which stung like hell for the rest of the day.  The new pin between the gooseneck and the boom was slightly too fat so I had to send that back to be machined down a fraction.
  • I picked up our new hull zinc
  • The stainless steel assembly for our chain chute arrived.  It looks quite phallic.  I took pictures.

As our own projects begin to wind down I have collated the external projects so I can track them.  Here is where they stand with anticipated (though not necessarily expected) ETAs  :

Anchor roller Expected complete today (Friday)
Chain chute Chute complete.  Fitting anticipated Friday/Monday
Window inserts Should be available today
Prop key/pins Monday
Prop seals/coupling Tuesday/Wednesday
Bottom paint Monday/Tuesday
Hull cleaning Wednesday/Thursday
Forestay fix Monday
Nacelle guard Today/Monday
Sheave for 3rd reef Monday
Dinghy handle / rollock Monday
Splash Next Friday / following Monday

Other news from the yard.  Tahina hauled yesterday, good to see them.  Looks like Endless will be coming back onto the hard today due to leaking sail drive.  Poor guys.

This afternoon we get a bit of a break as it’s the cruiser BBQ/cultural show/weather brief.  We’re looking forward to getting out of here for a bit.

Category: Endless, New Zealand, Tahina | Here is my comment

2nd Wednesday on the hard

by steve, on April 6th, 2011 (Endless, New Zealand)

The threatened variable weather varied from the forecast by staying steadily pleasant all day long. We got back into full swing :

  • I removed more of the batteries from under the starboard aft bunk to allow access to the shaft.
  • With the area now fully accessible and with Helen’s help we fished through the wire that will control the wind gen cut off relay.
  • Russ, the chap replacing our shaft seals/couplings arrived to work on starboard shaft.
  • I went into town to drop off the plexiglass panels to be overlayed with perforated and printed vinyl.  While out I picked up an extra couple of items for ditch bag.
  • Helen spent most of the day carefully masking off the four windows and applying 2 coats of paint.  One more coat required.
  • Once Russ had left I reinstalled three batteries bringing us up to 8 6V batteries (rather than our normal 12).  Allows us to run power tools, etc. with ease off the batteries and avoid excessive electrolysis due to solar charging.
  • Installed new bridle
  • Reattached straightened starboard bow rail, reattached and tightened safety lines.  All look much neater now.
  • Installed new fuse holder/fuse
  • Removed (again) port davit pulleys and filed down stainless steel to allow free turning.  Lost another spacer/washer down davit.  Could not fine spare.
  • Completed running the control wire for the wind gen cut off.  Found it 1 meter to short.  Cursed myself for cutting 1 meter off it for something else last week (I thought I had more than enough).
  • Went to chandlers to buy replacement washer for davit and extra wire.
  • Fixed missing meter of control wire, connected to previously installed switch and tested – it all worked.  Yay.  No more climbing out onto the back of the boat mid-ocean before and after using the sideband radio.
  • Organized pickup of dinghy in order to have new handle and rollock glued on.
  • Replaced some bent cotter rings.
  • Removed both prop shafts scraping crud off previously inaccessible sections.
  • Thoroughly cleaned both shafts and prop nuts with hydrochloric acid.
  • Prepared some mail for the US.

Other progress has been made by our various workers.  The build up and strengthening around the anchor roller is now close to completion.  The gooseneck is fixed and has been returned.  Gelcoat work is now fully finished.  We were shown how to sand the remaining pieces down which we’ll do when we please.  The preliminary work on our rudder bearings is complete. Work progresses on the improvements to our chain locker.

There’s a definite sense that we’re over the top of the hill on the boat work and that it is more downhill from here.  Talk has begun of our hull clean and bottom painting happening early next week after which we’ll splash.  Exciting stuff. The big unknown right now is the timing for our replacement shaft seals.

We used the BBQ last night and met up with a few of the others here.  This included Petr and Kiki on Endless who shouldn’t have been there.  They’d splashed that day but had to be hauled back out due to problems controlling the engines.  Turns out a control cable had been damaged during work to their boat.  It’s sorted out now and hopefully they’ll be off today.  It reminds me how important the pre splash checks will be to make sure all is in order before and after the splash.  We’ll be going into the water with all the floors and beds apart so I can inspect all the through hulls and shaft seals to ensure none of the work we’ve done has led to any issues.

Category: Endless, New Zealand | Here is my comment

2nd Tuesday on the hard

by steve, on April 5th, 2011 (Attitude, New Zealand)

The run of good weather has finally broken. Tuesday was a crazy day alternating between blue skies, freezing rains and gale force winds. While we pushed on with our task list we lost a little momentum almost certainly due to the constraints imposed by the weather. With no further ado, here is what we accomplished :

  • Contacted Leu Cat and made joint order for clamshell vents (what I previously called scoops)
  • Scheduled rigger for Friday afternoon visit to fix top of forestay
  • Shopped to find replacement washers for our prop nuts only to learn this is a bad way to secure the nuts.  This has led to a new project to create holes for locking pins.
  • Took dinhy handle to store to order new one and discuss cleaning debris from old handle removal.  Now need to figure out how to get dinghy to them,
  • Opened up both stern bunks to allow access to seals and couplings.  Chap came in afternoon to work on port side.  I need to remove more batteries to allow access to starboard side this morning.
  • Researched appropriate paint to use on plexiglass and bought some.
  • Found alternate source for plexiglass who would supply and cut to size for less than Bunnings.  Cancelled Bunnings order and bought plexiglass.
  • Took plexiglass to signwriters and discuss job/choose font for lettering.
  • Checked all four plexiglass panels on boat.  Vertical dimension fine.  Horizontal dimension <2mm too narrow.  Probably not noticeable when all is done.
  • Lugged all 5 dive tanks out of locker, down the ladder, into the car then into dive store where regulators are being serviced for promised free fill.  Learned they’d have to charge us $100 each for inspection first and another $190 each to research missing ID number required in NZ.  Lugged 5 tanks pack to car, out of the car, up the ladder and back into locker without fill.  Also learned regulator servicing is still awaiting parts which I was told were in stock.
  • Removed top of two winches to begin service.  Decided job was to messy in windy/rainy conditions so deferred this to a later day.
  • Found a melted fuse holder – probably a dirty contact.  Bought new one.
  • Made a list of things needed for ditch bag.  Bought some.

Dan has been continuing the gradual work on our anchor roller and begun looking into creating an improvement to our chain locker which will stop the chain from piling up.  Ross, who’s looking at our seals and couplings spent some time removing the old ones on the port side so he can measure up and order new ones for each side.  Ominously he mentioned he’d thought we had imperial sized components rather than metric which is used on all French boats.  Perhaps he was diverted by the US registration.  This may mean having to wait longer for parts.  Hope not.

While out and about we bumped into Kathy from Attitude.  They’ve been having to do a lot of work on their boat.  She said that it was hard to remember the life on tranquil blue waters anchored off exotic islands.  Sort of feeling that way ourselves at the moment.

We finished the day with a visit to another Indian Restaurant in town for which we had a two for one meal offer.  Turned out we couldn’t bring our own wine in conjunction with the offer and so we didn’t end up saving very much.  Nice to get out though.

Category: Attitude, New Zealand | One reader has left a comment, here is mine

2nd Monday on the hard

by steve, on April 4th, 2011 (New Zealand, Tahina)

These blog titles are getting a little boring but the muse is not with me on them. Although we were forecast rain, it never materialized (in fact, Whangarei was the hottest place in the country) so progress remained good.  We had expected the guy who’s going to look at out shaft seals/couplings to show up but this has been postponed to Tuesday.  That shifted the project list around somewhat but didn’t slow us down :

  • We collectively made a number of visits to the yard store to return the borrowed glue gun/glue, order a zinc, look for plexiglass paint, borrow/return hydraulic prop puller
  • Researched suppliers for perforated vinyl.  Found and phoned store in Whangarei.  Should visit later this week.
  • Visited Bunnings to collect plexiglass.  It wasn’t in yet !!!
  • Check yard and marina office for packages we were told were there.  None found.
  • Trace screw holes for missing nacelle scoop in order to find right one.  Learned from store they’re difficult and expensive to source in NZ and discovered Leu Cat is looking for one too.  May talk to David about this.
  • Talked to workmeister, Peter, to pic up our diagrams of where we’d found gelcoat spots in the past.  Glad I did as there were some we’d missed on weekend inspection.  Also cancelled visit from fridge guy as ours are working ok.  Got information on propeller inspector in town.
  • Removed both propellers and took them into town for inspection/balancing.
  • Bought tickets for April 8th BBQ/lecture by weather guru Bob McDavitt in town.
  • Took loop to rigger to make spare and discussed forestay fix.  Job is dependent on my replacing / fixing worn halyards.
  • Bought and installed davit bolts / washers.  Lost one washer down the inside of the davit and had to go back for more.  Learned that one pulley is rubbing on davit so new job added to list to file this down.
  • Replaced main halyard with one purchased last week.  This involved ascending mast to remove pin / switch halyards.  The replacement split pins I had were too small so I used one as a temporary replacement – will need to go up again with bigger pin.
  • Replaced code zero halyard with old main halyard to see if worn section would be in ok position.  It wasn’t.  Need a new code zero halyard.  (Note – we learned during the rigging inspection that the code zero halyard had been rubbing at the top due to the way we place it while not in use.  Bugger.)
  • Ordered new code zero halyard and bought bigger split pins.
  • Reviewed trademe auction for superfluous camera housing.  Auction has been won but no contact from winner.
  • Visited dinghy repair store to discuss removal/replacement of broken handle.
  • Removed broken dinghy handle from front of dinghy.  This was a disastrous mess as handle broke apart and left patchy layer on dinghy.  More work ahead on this one.

Other work progressed on the boat throughout the day.  Helen continued her fight against progressive dirt accumulation from all sources including a thorough clean of the kitchen metals (taps, hobs, ovens, etc.).  Dan was round to progress the work on the anchor roller strengthening and gelcoat touch ups.  The guy from the stainless steel outfit was round many times fine tuning the curves on our nacelle protector.  It’s looking good.  He also dropped off our straightened bow rail which we’ll reattach.

Frank from Tahina was round again to talk to the yard and we had the usual project chat.  He’s hauling on Thursday.  We’d originally thought we’d be splashed by then but I’m pretty sure we won’t now.

Category: New Zealand, Tahina | Here is my comment
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