Progress with Electronics Problems

Maritime Electronics was able to repair the Raymarine ST60+ depth and wind displays whose connectors had been heavily damage from corrosion.  The charge was $120 which I thought to be reasonable, considering the alternative of purchasing new heads. 

New connectors for ST60+ displays

I managed to spend some time on the boat yesterday (Saturday) morning had taken one step back with the Seatalk network: whereas on the previous visit the C120 chart plotter had begun to report the position of the boat, during this visit it knew nothing beyond where the cursor was on the chart. 

We are in the middle of an early heat wave and the temperature today is expected to go above 41C (106F) so I was up shortly after 5 AM and was at the boat just after 6 AM to get as much work as possible before the heat set in.  Conditions were very good and I managed the delicate work of fitting 7 new connectors for the instruments with no problem.  I then tested the units and was pleased to see that I was getting depth readings but wasn't surprised to find that I still had no wind data.  Worse, the autopilot head was still reporting "Seatalk Failure" and the the C120 was getting to data from the various instruments.

With my new confidence with those tiny Seatalk connectors I decided to have on last look at the connections into the Autopilot head at the binnacle, and just as well I did because the middle connector had not been properly inserted.  When I repositioned that connector the Seatalk network came alive and the C120 was reporting boat position, speed, heading, and depth.

At this point I think that I have gone as far as practicable with the electronics.  The radar is not working, and my strong suspicion is that the problem is in the upper part of the cable which was repaired in situ up the mast in Argentina.  The wind system is not working and I suspect that the problem is also up the mast at the masthead unit.  I commented during my passage around the Horn that the wind masthead unit has the toughest life of any component on the boat.  It had to endure day after day of gales and heavy rolling with heaven knows the strength of wind surges.

I then 90 minutes going through the boat's spares and materials and removed 7 plastic containers and buckets of material for storage in Darlington.

I will contact Maritime Electronics this week and arrange a visit to the boat in the new year.
 

Work on Electronics

Pachuca's Raymarine electronics system is not working very well.  The components that are not working are:

- Radar
- ST60+ depth sounder
- ST60+ wind instrument
- Autopilot (even with the new head that I brought back from the USA
- Flux gate compass

The only thing that is working is the C120 multifunction display, which can display charts but no position or wind and depth data.

I am pretty sure that the problem with the radar is the cable, which was heavily repaired with soldering while we were in Argentina.  That leaves the other components.

YUK!

BLAH!

BARF!

Fortunately I began my investigation by removing the panel above the companionway that houses the ST60+ wind and depth displays and I was shocked at what I found.  During those months of rough sailing from La Paz onwards salt water had found its way behind the panel and heavily corroded the connections to the displays.  The connectors were corroded into the posts and is several cases the connectors held and it was the wires that broke.  In one case it was the post that gave way.  The photos tell the sad story.

I immediately took the displays to my old friends at Maritime Electronics for cleanup, assessment, and possible repair.  I certainly hope that they can be salvaged.  When the instruments are back in place - be they the repaired originals or new ones - I will try the system again.  I will also arrange a visit to check the radar system.  When everything is working again I will put a rubber seal between the wind instrument panel and the companionway bulkhead to prevent a repetition.

I marveled at how quick and easy was to deliver the displays for repair after a 10 minute drive, in contrast to the weeks and sometimes months of waiting for repairs while in foreign ports.  It will be a long time, if ever, before I take this easy availability of parts and services for granted.

The house renovation is taking priority over the boat but I plan to spend time on the boat whenever I get the opportunity in order to get her ready for sea again.  I have removed bags of clothing from the boat so that I can wash everything - including the bags - and return only a modest amount of it.  I have also begun removing unnecessary equipment, materials, and tools.  The electronic repairs is a lead time item that I have already started.  There is some urgent varnishing and stainless steel polishing that I want to finish by the end of January.  The hull is in good shape and I might get by with sending a diver to clean it in the water.  The rigging, sails, and engine, and communications system are in top condition. 

Replaced the Oil Pressure Sensor

I haven't been able to give Pachuca much attention because my efforts are currently focused on the house renovation project.  Every week or ten days I visit the boat to have a look around and depart with a cart load of material to take to Darlington for storage.  However, this morning I gave the engine some attention because it had not been run since shortly after my arrival in Fremantle last April.  My first task was to swap out the oil pressure sensor that Mark Jochems had ordered for me during my visit to Port Townsend.

The faulty sensor had caused me a lot of worry during my passage from South Africa because during engine runs the oil pressure alarm would begin to sound at random times.  The big question was whether there really was low oil pressure or the sensor was faulty.  Until that question was resolved I was forced to shut down the engine whenever the alarm became active. 

Ready to unscrew faulty sensor

Replacement sensor above

Fortunately Mark continued to provide his outstanding support from half way around the world and through days of interaction with him via Sailmail and performing various maneuvers on the engine under his instruction he concluded that the problem wasn't real and the fault lay with a faulty sensor.  The ultimate responsibility of running the engine with an active oil pressure alarm was mine and I had enough confidence in the investigation that we had done to go for it and simply ignore the alarm.  My safe arrival in Fremantle after many hours of engine runs vindicate the decision.

Today I had a look at the placement sensor (Part ID VOP 21250645, Product No. 262567) and was relieved to see that the existing wire harness would fit nicely into the new unit.  I then used a 23mm spanner (wrench) to remove the faulty sensor while using a 15mm spanner to hold back the fitting that it was screwed into.  Fitting the new part was straight forward, though I was wary of over tightening the part with the large 23mm spanner.

I then went through the engine starting sequence that is so engrained in my head that is second nature: (1) Check the oil level, coolant level, and belt tension (all good), (2) Ensure that the raw water inlet and exhaust valves are open (they were), (3) Turn on the engine master electrical switch, (4) At the cockpit activate the engine panel and wait for the two "beeps" informing me that all is well, (5) Set throttle to neutral, (6) Hit the starter button.  The engine burst to life on the first try with the starter.  I set the control to "reverse" to give the engine some load and ran it for about 30 minutes at 1000 rpm, until the temperature was at a steady 196F and the volt meter was running at a healthy 14.5V.  Afterward I checked the oil pressure sensor for leaking around the joint and found no problem.

The V berth section had been smelling a bit musty for a while so I removed all items of clothing stored in about 6 bags and eventually took them to the car so that I can wash everything, including the bags.  I will store the clean clothes and bags in Darlington and decide later what I will return to the boat.  On the next visit I will remove all of the wool blankets for washing.

I also removed the storm jib that Victor had sent to me and Brenda lugged in her baggage when she joined me in Argentina.  In the afternoon Stephen and I visited Victor and I returned the storm jib to Victor, explaining that I had not been able to have it up on my staysail when rounding the Horn because the staysail at the time was jury rig with bulldog clamps, but at least he could say that his boat Chiquita's storm jib had been around Cape Horn.

Continuing the Blog

I have decided to continue this blog because I need a repository of activities with Pachuca, and rather than starting a new blog I may as well maintain the continuity of this one.  The original scope of this blog was the preparation and hopefully a successful circumnavigation of the world.  I will now extend that scope to include an open ended chronicle what happens to Pachuca after the circumnavigation.

So let this entry of 24 November 2013 be the demarcation between the circumnavigation and post circumnavigation eras.

Presentation to Fremantle Sailing Club

Cruising Section Topic Night
A Circumnavigation After Retirement By Robert Morales
Thursday 17 October 2013 at 7.30 - 9pm in the Wardroom
Dinner: Please join the FSC Cruising Section for dinner in the Galley from 1800. Bookings are appreciated by the Restaurant Staff 9435 8800.

The presentation evening went very well.

I met Kim Klaka, head of the Cruising Section at 5.30 PM and he was very helpful assisting me in setting up my laptop in the presentation room.  Once we were sure that the projection and sound were working OK we returned downstairs to the dining room for the traditional pre-presentation dinner of the members of the cruising section.  Brenda, Coral and I were seated with Kim and his wife Annette  on one side and Jim and Margaret Putt on the other.  It was great to see Margaret again, for the first time since my departure in 2008.  Dinner for Brenda and myself was generously provided by the Cruising Section, which I appreciated very much.
 
For my talk I was honoured by the presence of Bob Kucera, the commodore of the club, and was surprised see old friends.  Victor had driven down from Kalaroo, Bob and Jean Porter had driven from Darlington, and one of the men who had accompanied me on my sea trial of Pachuca had driven all  of the way from Dwellingup on just a few hours' notice.

Kim introducing Robert

Robert Showing Video

I was allowed a full 90 minutes for the delivery, and that extra 30 minutes over the time allocated to me at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival allowed me to proceed at a more relaxed pace. 

After the presentation Kim presented me with a gift of two beautiful drinks glasses with the FSC on the sides.  These solid impact resistant glasses will be part of Pachuca's inventory for special occasions.

One of the highlights of the evening for me was meeting Sue and John Rogers.  John had helped with the building of Pachuca in 1983 and I was hoping to keep in touch with him and learn as much of the history of the boat as possible.  Better yet, he told me that Frank, the mining engineer who had Pachuca built is returning to Perth from New Zealand and I am very much looking forward to having a few sessions (and perhaps sails) with him.  John, by the way, confirmed that Frank had invented a device for extracting gold without the use of arsenic and that the name "Pachuca" was probably related to the city of Pachuca in Mexico.

On the Board

I discovered today that the Fremantle Sailing Club put my name on the list of the club's world circumnavigators without any fanfare.

Fanfare or not, for me it was an ambition realized.  I like to think that long after my time the names of myself and my boat will still be on that board.  I feel humbled to share the space with the incomparable Jon Sanders and friends Jim and Margaret Putt, the epitome of cruising couples.

Presentations and New Blog

On 8 September at the 2013 Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival I made a presentation titled "A Circumnavigation After Retirement."

 My biggest problem was reducing the amount of information to fit in the one hour allotted to me.  The first outline was 7 pages in length and in my first rehearsal I ran out of time after covering our stay in New Zealand, with 4 more years of sailing to go.  I was eventually able to present a comprehensive and coherent story by relying heavily on projections from my laptop computer, with its efficient displays of slides, routes, photographs, video clips, spreadsheets, etc.

The presentation was well received with standing room only, but I had the advantage of having the audience packed with friends and relatives too numerous to mention.  I'll never know how many people glanced into the packed room and decided to move on.

For me the invitation to speak at the 2013 PTWBF, which I consider the world's mecca of wooden boat activity, to be a singular honor and privilege that is one of the jewels in the crown my circumnavigation effort.

Two more jewels will complete the crown.

On 17 October I will give a presentation to the Cruising Section of the Fremantle Sailing Club. That presentation will be easy given the material that I prepared for the PTWBF and the fact that this time I will be able to speak for 90 minutes with a following 30 minutes for questions and discussion.

The other jewel will be the placement of the names of myself and Pachuca on the surprisingly short list of members of the Fremantle Sailing Club who have completed a world circumnavigation. This list is on display at the club foyer.

I have started a new blog to cover the renovation of my cottage in Darlington, Western Australia.  This will be a topic very different and much more prosaic than a circumnavigating the world and I do not expect there to be much interest in it.  However, the motivation is the same as that which drove me to starting http://pachucaroundtheworld.blogspot.com/, which is to keep my relatives and friends informed in an efficient and non-intrusive way.  And as I learned from the first blog, it is a great way for me to document information that will be useful and valuable to me in the future.

The new blog is http://roberthomerenovation.blogspot.com.au/.