Teak Block, Package Arrived, Low Bow, Rescue

I arrived at the boat just before 8 AM and found the wooden block that Reggie had produced.  It was cut to perfection out of a 35mm (1.5") thick piece of teak.  I then visited Reggie who was working on the deck of Ozark Lady and he charged me only 200 pesos for the job.  What a bargain!  Just the piece of teak was worth 200 pesos to me. I gave him an extra 50 pesos for doing the job so quickly.

Raymarine Fluxgate Compass

For the last 2 days I've been arriving at the boat early enough to hear the 8 AM Club Cruceros net on VHF 22.  That was how I learned that Rick had arrived in La Paz.  Today I heard that there was a large package for Pachuca at the "bottom of the mail box".  It turned out to be the Raymarine flux gate compass that I had ordered 2 weeks earlier, and it was in the Club Cruceros mailbox.  (The dark display at the rear in the photo is the Trimble repeater that I recently removed from the binnacle.) I was wondering why it had wound up in Club Crucero's hands instead of at the Marina office, to where it was addressed.  David told me that it had not gone through the Mexican postal system.  I asked how the US Postal Service had gotten it to La Paz.  He said that they must have their own means, possibly through Mail Call in San Diego.  Better yet, no duty had been charged.  David says that the Mexican Aduana is very inconsistent regarding duty on items valued at less than $1,000 - sometimes it charges and sometimes it doesn't.  Anyway, I have safely received the package at a grand total of $32.57 via USPS vs close to $140 plus over $50 customs duty for the GPS via UPS.  This experience has made me less reluctant to order items from Defender and other internet sites.

I've had several comments regarding Pachuca's very low bow.  In fact she is now sitting slightly up at the bow, according to her painted waterline.  The accompanying photo shows the stark contrast of Pachuca's bow (the low one with the metal plate) with that of two sail boats on the near side and two motor boats on the far side.  You can see why the lower chain locker drain takes water in when the boat dips into the waves.

How Low Can You Go

At the Club Cruceros net session I heard the captain's account of his loss of power and steerage.  The vessel is a 40,000 lb sail boat that lost engine power at 6.30 AM due to a blocked fuel line while its batteries were low.  They were 25 nm out of La Paz and tried sailing in light winds up the Cerralvo but were forced to turn back.  I know that channel.  It can act as a wind tunnel and can have serious tidal currents.  Another sailboat came to their aid but its engine was not strong enough to successfully tow the stricken vessel.  Unfortunately the tow line somehow fouled the rudder, if I heard correctly, robbing them of steerage.  At this point they would have put out their general distress call.  I think that it was the next morning, when they figured that they were 3 hours from hitting the rocks and getting nervous, that they saw a Mexican navy vessel approaching through the mist.  The sailboat was put under tow with Mexican navy personnel on the sailboat and the sailboat crew on the navy ship.  A navy man explained that it is their policy to ensure the safety of the crew and boat, which means that the rescued crew must ride on the navy boat.  Outside of the entrance the La Paz Marina pangas took over and brought the boat in for a happy ending.  The sailboat captain seemed very relieved, happy, and grateful, and who can blame him: the entire operation was a credit to everyone involved.  I am particularly impressed with the Mexican navy. I keep hearing over and over how prompt and helpful they are to boats in distress.

Projects for the Week

John the rigger will visit the boat on Wednesday or Thursday morning to (1) mount the cheek block above the trysail track (2) Cut and fit the trysail halyard (3) file the join of the two sections of the trysail track to eliminate the discontinuities of a slight misalignment that forces me to manually pass the sail slides through (4) probably fix another cleat to the mast.

Today I got a visit from Sergio, a welder of excellent repute, and his helper regarding the fabrication of an emergency tiller that will fit over the end of my rudder post, which can be accessed by removing a plate on the cockpit floor. 

Jak and I had discussions about this and I kept working on the problem after his departure.  A few days ago Bob Carrol and I threw some ideas around and he came up with some very good suggestions.  Why, for example, settle for hand steering with an emergency tiller when I can design the tiller to be controlled by the Monitor wind steering. 

But then a couple of points emerged from the discussion that made me doubt that an emergency tiller was worth the trouble. 

For one thing, Pachuca has a Cobra pedestal steering linkage which uses a gear and shafts supported by bearings.  This is considered a very reliable system because it does not rely on chains or cables that can break or jump out of position.  Thanks to Reg Kelly in Perth, we removed the pedestal and had it refurbished shortly before my departure from Australia.  Two of the three bearings were found to be seized.  But the gears and shafts were in excellent condition and with new bearings the unit was good as new.

There is also the autopilot, which uses an electro-mechanical linear drive to operate directly on the rudder post.  So if the linkage failed without jamming up the autopilot would steer the boat.  Even if the linkage jammed, it would take a bit of work, but I think that I'd be able to disconnect the linkage between the wheel arm and the rudder post, giving sole control to the autopilot.

However, in the end I decided to have an emergency tiller made as a matter of "duty of care" because I would be very hard on myself if I lost the boat for lack of one.

So I spent several hours yesterday producing mechanical drawings to scale on graph paper.  The tiller will be tall, to the level of the cockpit rails so that I will be able to easily either lash the tiller or connect it to the Monitor control lines.  The tiller handle will face aft to achieve the 20" minimum length specified for the Monitor.  It will be supported 2/3 of the way up by a collar to be held in place by lines running from the aft corners of the cockpit to the forward winches on the opposite sides.  I expected the material to be mild steel but they suggested 1.5" diameter stainless steel.   Those drawings came in very handy at today's discussion with the welders.  They took the them away and will give me a quotation tomorrow. 

By amazing coincidence a distress call came in to the 8 AM session on VHF 22 from a boat 25 miles out that has lost both its autopilot and manual steering.  Then later in the morning David Miller told me how his spare tiller saved his bacon when he had a broken autopilot and the steering chain broke as he was leaving an anchorage with bad weather on the way.

In the morning I started work on mounting the new GPS on the binnacle.  I removed the faulty Trimble repeater then started to drill holes in the stainless steel support.  After drilling for 5 minutes and getting nowhere with the hard metal it dawned on me (Duh!) that I could use the four existing holes to mount a nice piece of teak upon which I could mount the GPS.  This would have the advantage of giving me a greater area of choice for positioning the unit.  I telephoned Reggie the carpenter and an hour later he was on board to discuss and basically design the piece.  He suggested improvements for both the positioning (i.e. make the board bigger to get the GPS antenna clear of the holding bar and better eye level) and mounting (i.e. use screws rather than thru bolts).  He hopes to have the finished piece, close to an inch thick and with all edges nicely rounded, tomorrow.

I plan to set up the GPS wiring in the morning.  The tricky part will be squeezing the 6-core cable through the fitting at the cockpit floor.  At minimum I must provide power to the GPS.  However, I'll take up Jak's advice and connect the NMEA wires to the VHF radio and its DSC capability. (DSC: "Digital Selective Calling".  At the push of a button the radio can send a distress call on Ch 70 in less than a second, that can include your location if the radio is connected to a GPS. http://www.boatus.com/husick/c_dsc.asp provides a readable description of DSC.)

Staysail Work

Large Snap Block on Padeye. Note Angle of Aft Block

I spent several hours experimenting with staysail setups using the padeyes on the forward winch platforms.  The padeyes are 21" (520mm) from the center line of the boat, whereas the jib tracks that I was using are 44" (1130mm) from the center line.  Ideally the blocks for the staysail jibs should be 28"-32" from the center line of the boat.  The new turning block position now allows me to pass the sheets between the shrouds and the mast, rather than between two of the shrouds.  For the first time I'll be able to heave to without having the weather sheet making a tight bend around the inner shroud. 

A big question of my mind was the vertical angle at which the sheet meets the sail when it passes through the new block position.  I found the angle maybe a bit high, with the sheet line projecting to just above the half way mark of the luff of the sail, but it was good enough for me. 

I had an issue with the strength of the platforms supporting the padeyes, given that they flare up from the deck - not the best geometry for strength.  However, those four platforms on the cabin were designed for winches in the harsh conditions of ocean racing, and they are well backed with aluminum plates.  So I'll use the padeyes and be vigilant for cracks around the platforms. To help things I replaced the small flat washers on the thru fittings with wide ones, spreading the load on the backing plates.

Staysail in Back Winded Heave to Position 

Padeye Backing Plate

From the turning blocks at the padeye the staysail sheets must pass through a block on the main jib track.  There are two jib lead cars on each track.  Initially it looked like I would have to purchase new cars with flexible blocks because the staysail sheets encountered the blocks at too great an angle (i.e. too far to the side, rather than the front).  But then I tried moving the rear blocks as far aft as possible and sheeting through them.  The new angle was good enough, in my opinion, saving me several hundred dollars worth of cars and blocks (not to mention transport costs).  This leaves the rest of the tracks for the forward blocks, through which I will run the main jib sheets.

My Ship Has Come In (Figuratively Speaking)

Rick arrived and with him came the package of equipment  for the trysail halyard from San Diego.

Goodies from San Diego

To the left of the photo is the shackle by which the peak of the sail will be lifted.  Below that are the cheek block and pad, which is used to deal with the curved surface of the mast.  To the right is 176 ft of line.  Part of it will make up the new trysail halyard and the majority of it will be used to replace the main halyard. 

Four people on both sides of the border put this together on short notice and I am grateful to all of them. 

Sea Anchor Chain and Dynaplate

The 18 ft diameter sea anchor parachute has been set with a chain off the bow roller.  The idea was to provide a chafe-free attachment to the boat.  Even though Para-Anchors Australia had given the OK for this I developed reservations when I became aware of the phenomenal loadings that can be place on the sea anchor line.  The bow roller assembly also supports the headstay.  Were that assembly to be ripped off the bow there would be high likelihood that I would lose the mast, with all that implies.

Today I purchased 3 meters of 10mm (3/8") chain and 2 shackles and set up a connection from the parachute line to the Samson post.  Were that post to give way I'd wind with a big hole in the forecastle, but at least I would still have a mast.

The photos show the new set up.  Bear in mind that when the sea anchor is deployed the red line stretched to the front of the boat. 

I've stowed the chain and will connect it to the red parachute line somewhere between La Paz and the equator.

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I've ordered a Dynaplate grounding plate from the local Lopez Marine.  It is to be strapped to the exterior of the hull at the stern and below the water line during my next haul out in a month or two.  I will then use four copper ribbons to connect the tuner to each of the four bolts that will protrude through the hull.  This should provide optimal RF grounding for the HF radio. 

I've ordered the largest of the series, the "Super Dynaplate", with dimensions 18" x 6" x 1/2".  The price on the Downwind Marine web site is $488 (http://www.downwindmarine.com/Grounding-Plate-Super-Dynaplate-18-x-6-x-1-2-p-17544.html).  Then I would have to deal with shipping and have to do advance work to make sure that I receive the item duty free.  For laughs I got the UPS pricing for shipment from San Diego to La Paz, and I got into near hysterics at the quotation of $216.28. Then I'd still have to deal with the Aduana (i.e. customs).

Lopez Marine will deliver it within 3 weeks for $608 all up, including customs and sales tax. 

I really missed the boat two weeks ago when I placed the order to be picked up by a friend when he passes through on his return to La Paz, but I hadn't come to a decision at the time. 

Installing the Dynaplate will necessitate the removal of the four large batteries under the cockpit floor.  The boat yard insists on this sort of work being done by their personnel, and that suits me.  However, I'll be watching everything like a hawk and won't hesitate to speak my piece.

Planning Return to Oz

Yesterday I did a rough outline of my return to Australia using a great piece of software based on Google Maps (http://www.freemaptools.com/measure-distance.htm).  I got cumulative distances in nautical miles to the points that I specified in the attached photo.  It appears that Great Circle routes are used for the computations, and I am more likely to take slightly longer rhumb line routes.

The distances in nautical miles between points and (cumulative) , rounded to the nearest 100, that I got are:

1. La Paz to Horn, 5700 (5700)
2. Horn to Cape Town, 3900 (9600)
3. Cape Town to Fremantle, 4400 (14000)

Jeanne Socrates aboard Nereida was west of Cabo San Lucas on 13 November last year and would have made the Horn on about 7 January had she not been knocked down less than 200 nm from the Horn on 5 January.  I make that 55 days from Cabo San Lucas to the Horn.

This is an important guide to me.  I will quote section 9.66.01 of my copy of Ocean Passages for the World on the topic of rounding the Horn west to east:

"Rounding the Horn from W to E is a comparatively easy matter, for the prevailing winds are favourable and the current near Cabo de Hornos sets strongly east.  The passage is usually made between 56 [degrees] S and 57 [degrees] 30' S, to the N of the W-bound route.  December and January are the most favourable months; June and July, when E'ly winds are not unusual, are the least favourable.  Heavy W'ly gales, with snow and hail, may be expected in August and September; in winter, a track about 80 miles S of Cabo de Hornos is recommended"

The salient information for me is "comparatively easy" (comforting, but doesn't really mean "easy") and December and January as the most favorable months.  This is why I will aim for a rounding in late December, giving me a few weeks of slack either way.  Nereida made a fast passage, helped by her propensity to use the engine when the wind died down.  She would have made it from Cabo in 55 days. Given what is at stake I won't plan on achieving anywhere near her speed.  I'll probably leave around mid-October, giving me a comfortable 75 days or so to make my date with the Horn.

Standoffs and Check Valves

A cable connects the upper part of my backstay which acts the HF radio antenna to the tuner, down in the lazarette.  This cable runs along the lower part of the backstay that is not part of the antenna.  It is highly recommended that the cable be held off the backstay in order to eliminate coupling/signal loss between the cable and the backstay. 

Cutting Offsets

Today I finally got around to offsetting the cable.  The idea is to use a tube as the offset and use a plastic cable tie passing through the tube to hold the cable firmly to the backstay.  Where possible I used lengths of 5/16" fuel line hosing because I had it in stock and it is strong with a small diameter.  After some experimenting I settled on the technique of using a saw to cut the lengths of hose and wire cutters to cut out V-section seats for the backstay and cable.  A tape measure, marking pen, and cable ties were the other elements of the project.

Offsets along swages and fittings required larger diameter tubing and for that I used 25 mm reinforced water hose.

Recommended standoff distance ranges from 20 mm to 75 mm.  I chose a friend's recommendation of 30 mm.

Enlarge to see cable offset from the backstay

I consider this Version 1.0 of the offset.  If it holds up I'll stay with it because it is easy enough to maintain.  Otherwise V 2.0 will use rigid plastic piping.

Then I decided to follow up on Jak's suggestion to put a check valve just behind the intake of the 1 1/2" Whale Gusher bilge pump.  A check valve allows water to pass one way but not the other.  The hose has a long run to the drain at the lazarette and after I stopped pumping any water in the hose would drain back into the bilge. 

Finally I gave some protection to a cable passing from one solar panel to the other.  The sun has been cooking the insulation pretty badly.  I found a length of white1/2" water hose in my bodega, cut it to length, cut it lengthwise with a Stanley knife, then fitted it over the section of exposed wire.  I then fastened the hose tight with plastic ties.  That seemed to work OK.

New check valves on large Whale Gusher and smaller electric pump hoses

Spray Dodger Back On

I put the spray dodger back on and boy, did I miss it while it was off.  Pachuca is a different boat without her dodger.  I mention it because I learned something about zipper maintenance yesterday.

After several attempts to free a stuck zipper I took the dodger to Snug Harbor Sails only a half block from the apartment.  Doug was as relaxed and affable as usual.  After 15 minutes of talk about the boating scene I showed him the problem.  He said that the metal tab had swelled due to corrosion and managed to pry it off without damaging the nylon zipper.  He fitted a new nylon tab, which involved cutting the end of the zipper and sewing on a stopper after the new tab was in position.

He told me that it is a good idea to run a chap stick up and down the zippers twice a year.  Then he mentioned that another method was to apply Vaseline with a small brush.   Back at the boat I think I did better than that.  I spent about an hour applying lanolin grease to the zippers and tabs.  This is a made-in-Australia product that the New Zealand mechanics swore by.  I'll be very dutiful this zipper maintenance because it important that I be able to remove the spray dodger quickly and easily to prepare for really, really heavy weather.

I then showed him a rough sketch of a proposal to cover the lazarette doors with waterproof material, fixing the material with battens around the door frame, with a zippered area in the middle large enough to allow me to open the lazarette doors.  He didn't laugh me out of the shop and in fact showed me the material that he could use.  I will visit him today with a scale drawing of the job.

Where am I?

I put together the navigation station now that the electrical work is over.  The photo shows four of my sources of GPS positon: the Lowrance on the left, the Trimble in the middle, the Raymarine at the right, and the laptop on the desk. 

The Lowrance Globalnav II is still trying to figure out where it is.  I've left it disconnected since Fremantle as a backup in case of lightening strike.  It's now woken up in a different decade and on the other side of the world.  It has acquired satellites but after 1 hour is still trying to figure out where it is.  It is either very slow or faulty.  Time will tell.

The laptop is displaying my location using the GpsDataLogger software, produced here in La Paz by David.  It accurately shows me in my slip, whereas the chart plotter shows me 150 yards out of position (coordinates are correct, but the chart is slightly off).

I've got 3 laptops running C-Map and GpsDataLogger.  If the electronics fail there is always paper: 3 small scale charts of the Pacific Ocean and one larger scale chart of Drake passage, to be used with one of three sextants that I have on board.

To the right of the laptop is the new Garmin 152H GPS that arrived today.  It's a great little unit but represents how not to get new equipment into Mexico.  Due to sloppy instructions on my part the $269 GPS was shipped to La Paz by UPS for $140.  Then on reception I had to pay over $50 import duty. The marina office made the mistake of paying the money without consulting with me and the chances of clawing back that money are slim and not worth the fight.

Never again.

Jak Back to Port Townsend

Jak returned to Port Townsend today about 1.5 weeks earlier than planned. 

The purpose of Jak's visit was to help me  do some important work on the boat, become familiar with it, and suggest improvements to better prepare her for the Horn.  The plan worked very well and thanks to Jak's visit Pachuca will be a much better prepared boat.  The blog entries during the last 2 weeks describes the enormous amount of work that we completed.  The re mounting of the cockpit instruments yesterday morning represented the end of the tasks requiring Jak's assistance.  I've still got plenty to do, but some of these tasks depend await procurement of parts and all of them are jobs that I can do alone.  Our most important achievements my perspective were the repair and trimming down of the electrical system, the installation of the engine exhaust valve, and investigation of the leaks and strategies to stop (or minimize) them. 

Somewhere along the way Jak decided that rounding the Horn on Pachuca was not for him and I certainly respect and support his decision.  Nobody has to explain why they don't want to go on a 3-month voyage in a small boat that includes the Horn and Drake passage, some of the most difficult waters in the planet.  His being positioned to make a well informed decision on this important matter represents, I think, another success of the visit.

My outlook for the voyage is still OK.  It's all about tradeoffs.  Sure, I'll miss out on the companionship, enhanced safety, and practical help of somebody else on board.  On the other hand I'll be sailing out of La Paz with a full 3-month water supply in the tanks and a lighter boat due to fewer provisions.  Fortunately I like my own company and fare well out there on my own - if you can call almost daily messages to key friends and relatives being on your own.  And let's not forget that it was my original intention make the rounding on my own.

Jak will still be helping me from Port Townsend, with the fabrication of some custom-made improvements to the boat and procurement of special equipment that I may require.  For this I am grateful to both him and his wife Corine who will probably wind up doing a lot of sewing.

I am planning to visit Kingston and Port Townsend for 3 or 4 weeks between mid-August and mid-September.  It will be good to see family and friends before my big departure, bring back a lot of boat parts, and of course attend the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival just one more time. 

I've already taken the first step of this plan.  Jak found what appears to be a great storm jib for sale on the internet.  It is described as of heavy Dacron with hanks and a wire luff and dimensions of: luff 18' 3", leach 15', foot 9' 7".  That places it between Chiquita's 60 sq ft storm jib and Pachuca's staysail in size.  The condition is rated as "like new /10" (i.e. 10 out of 10).  At $300 plus $25 delivery I purchased it and am having it sent to Arnold's home.

Cockpit Instruments Installed

Yesterday morning we reassembled area around the main hatch.

We pressed into position the sliding hatch "turtle" or "garage" which is not fixed to the boat by screws or  sealant.  We then mounted the fiberglass instrument case, bedding it down on 3M 4200, and using new 1/2" screws that were shorter than the originals, in order to avoid problems with long screws digging into the sliding hatch.  This instrument case does hold down the aft end of the turtle. We then connected the instruments and screwed down the new teak instrument facing.  What a joy that was, screwing into solid teak backing instead of the thin fiberglass that kept stripping out and requiring thicker screws.  We decided not try not bedding the teak face onto the instrument case because it is so much easier to remove that panel without having to deal with sticky and messy sealant.

There are now only three instruments on the display panel, all Raymarine.  To the left is the "Lifetag" man overboard base station.  Next is the ST60+ wind display and to the right is the ST60+ depth display.

New Instrument Panel, and S/S saddles on Left Side of Plexiglass Entrance

We then dealt with the method of ensuring that the plexiglass that slides into the companionway entrance does not slide out in a knockdown or rollover.  I decided on two small  stainless steel saddles, one on each side, to which I can attach lines that will allow me to lash down the plexiglass from either the inside or outside.  Jak did the honors with the drilling because I wasn't sure how the material would behave under a drill.  It drilled very easily,  of course.  Later I'll put small cleats on each side of the companionway for the hold-down lines.

New Display Panel and Other Progress

Yesterday afternoon I started looking for a good carpenter to replace the wooden cockpit instrument panel above the companionway.

Two of the four displays had been removed, leaving two holes that would have to be covered over.  There were also plenty of drill holes reflecting a long history of service.  There was another problem: the panel was fixed to the fiberglass housing with six screws directly into the fiberglass.  Over time some of the holes had stripped, requiring larger diameter screws, which was untenable in the long run.  I needed to be able to screw the panel into wood behind the fiberlgass.

I checked the Club Cruceros web site and saw the names of 4 carpenters, but there are carpenters and there are carpenters.  I needed on who could do good finishing work.  I visited Dave who suggested two persons, both of whom spoke good English because they are American.  I had the contact details of only one, Reggie Brillant, so I gave him a call.  I introduced myself and asked him if he could do a small job for me.  "How long will you be here?" he asked.  "Until November" was my reply.  He like that answer and asked about the job.  When I told him that I was at Marina de La Paz he said that so was he, on a job.  I told him that I was in slip 317 and as luck would have it he was on a large boat at the end of the jetty.

New Teak Instrument Panel, With Old Above It

I took the old panel, the fiberglass housing, and a sketch to him. I told him that it would have to be pretty good wood to stand up to the elements and he replied that only teak would do.  He suggested thicker wood for the panel, cut for a snugger fit on the housing.  We discussed the instrument hole measurements and I wound up giving him one of the Raymarine displays.  He said that he'd try to do it that night.

When I arrived at the boat today at 7.45 AM there it was: a beautifully finished teak panel cut to perfection.  I visited Reggie at the boat and soon settled the account with him: $60 USD for the teak and $60 USD for 1.5 hours of labor.

From the time I started looking for a carpenter until I had the finished product spanned less than 20 hours.  Ya gotta win a few.

More Redundant Wiring Bites the Dust.

Today we did more electrical work.  We tracked down and removed another few cables.  Jak put the VHF radio on the SSB breaker instead of directly onto the power bus bars.  At his suggestion we rerouted the USB cable between the Pactor modem and the navigation desk behind the electrical panel instead of outside, in front of the main switches.  I fitted RF ferrite chokes on three cables at the Pactor modem, so that there is now a choke at each end of these cables as prescribed.

I spotted a small plastic cleat at the shop and fitted it at the nav station desk so that now I can easily lash the lid down to ensure that it cannot fly open in a rollover.

Screwdriver Points to Area of Water Seepage

We also did more cabin leak work.  Our water test indicated that we had indeed stopped the leak into the port side of the cabin.  Unfortunately Jak spotted a few drops of water peeping out of the starboard side of the main ceiling panel.  We dropped the panel and the analysis was not good.  Water seems to be finding its way into a fiberglass channel containing an arch of wood passing from one side of the cabin to the other.  We discussed remedial action and it the end we both agreed that the proper way is to fix the problem on the outside, to prevent the water from getting in, rather than from the inside.  In order to do this I need access to that large cavity between the vents in which I had poured epoxy the previous day.  I've come up with the idea of cutting access slots or holes into this part of the deck so that I can assess the situation and make the necessary repairs.  After the repair the access ports would be either fiberglassed as before or covered with screw-down sheets of fiberglass or Starboard for easy removal in the future.

I don't want to do that sort of work in La Paz.  A project like that can lead you down a big mine, and I want to tackle it in my home port of Fremantle where I'll have access to skills, advice, materials, tools, etc. 

Screwdriver on Section Requiring Access

Like I told Jak, I don't mind spending money on tools to help me do my work, but in the 110 volt world of La Paz any power tool that I purchase will have to be left behind.  So I'll put up with that nuisance leak during my return to Australia. 

Having said that, I am extremely satisfied with the leaks situation.  Thanks to the very productive work with Jak I think that I have a very good insight into the dynamics of the leaks through the chain locker, the cabin, and the lazarette.  Insight is the precursor to workarounds in the short term and proper fixes in the long term.

Epoxy Work

This morning we did leak repairs.  Fortunately I had plenty of West System 105 epoxy resin, 206 slow hardener, and 405 filler material (to turn epoxy into a paste) on hand from my Hawaii days.

The plan was to pour epoxy down the vent openings to fill the drains up to the outlet level.  We were working blind but the hope was that we would get relief from reducing the amount of water pooling in the drain (only about 5mm deep) and perhaps sealing cracks in the process.  That work went well.  I poured about 6 oz of epoxy on the port side and about 4 oz on the starboard side, being careful not to raise the levels higher than the bottom of the drain holes.

Epoxy down large hole at left to bottom of drain at right

I then used the 405 to make a paste out of 2 oz of epoxy and filled in the areas containing the cracks where we had seen water leaking inside the port side of the cabin.  Thus we were trying to stop this leak by patching both the inside and outside of the cabin.  I then used the paste to seal a hole on the starboard side in the pots & pans cupboard.  It wasn't until Arnold saw water literally squirting out of that tiny hold that I understood why that area got pretty wet in certain conditions.  That may stop the water from getting into the cupboard but does not answer the question of how the water is getting into that channel to start with, because it isn't as simple as a hole straight through to the deck.  This channel could be the join between the hull and topside. Perhaps our planned sealing of the very leaky galley vent that is nearby might solve the root cause.

Port side of cabin

Both shipments from the USA are taking longer that I had expected.  The GPS is being held up at Juarez, apparently because the Mexican customs wants more documentation.  I then sent a query to Defender about the status of the shipment of the fluxgate compass and got a prompt reply that it may take up to 3 weeks.  That's fine, but the shipment is via USPS which I know now is the US Postal Service, which suggests to me that the package will be passed on to the Mexican postal service.  I find this pretty shocking, given the abysmal reputation of the Mexican postal service.  No wonder Defender's delivery charge was only about $35 vs the whopping $140 for the compass shipment. 

Cupboard on starboard side

All I can do is be patient and see how these endeavors resolve themselves.  Having said that, it is highly unlikely that I will try shipping merchandise into Mexico again.  I think that I have a better shot at getting help from the constant stream of sailors driving between La Paz and San Diego.

 

Exhaust Valve Installed

This morning we finished one of the major tasks on our agenda: the installation of a 2" stainless steel ball valve for the engine exhaust. 

 We started off by a visit to Joel at the workshop where he loaned me several tools for the job.

The hole that had accommodated the old thru hull fitting was only 1 or 2 mm in diameter too small and Jak used a grinding attachment on the electric drill to ream out the hole until the fit was adequate but nice and snug.  Jak noted that the Starboard backing was not sitting quite flush on the surface so we cut off the corners to turn it into an octagonal piece.  I cleaned around the exterior side of the hole with thinner and Jak put a nice bead of 3M 5200 sealant around the inside of the flange fitting.  At this point I took a measurement and confirmed that the hull is 10mm (2/5") thick.  He then handed me the fitting and pushed it through the hole from the outside.

New Seacock for the Exhaust System

Jak did the inside work, fitting the Starboard backing on a bed of 5200 then screwing the fitting tight while I kept it from turning by using the open jaws of adjustable pliers on the ridges in the inside of the fitting provided for that purpose.  Then he threaded on the ball cock valve and the hose fitting on top of that, using "Rectorseal" pipe thread sealant.  I cut only enough of the exhaust hose to yield a square cut, which means that we would have lost maybe 5" of length in the hose.  Part if not all of this was made up by the length of the ball valve. Jak clamped the hose on, which mercifully fit quite easily over the brass fitting and after a bit of cleaning the job was done. 

The travel of the ball valve lever is perfect for access through the access to the lazarette.  I was amazed at how easily the handle turns, given that it is such a big valve.  The reason is partly due to Jak, who told me about methods of regularly lubricating the ball valve.  Until then I had been under the impression that these valves were maintenance free.  Anyway, before mounting the ball valve I coated the surface of the ball with a generous amount of waterproof grease.  I plan to regularly work the valve and keep it lubricated because it is important that it is functionally there when I need it.

I looked up at the loop of the exhaust hose and was pleased to see that it still arcs up to the inside surface of the coaming.  What was my first line of defense against the invasion of salt water into the engine through the exhaust hose has now become my second line of defense. 

There was nothing else to be done because we are awaiting parts.  I suggested to Jak that he do something that I've wanted to do but haven't gotten around to doing: take a handful of change and grab the first bus that comes by and see where it takes him.  It seems to me that hopping from bus to bus would be a great way to see the city and many of its people.

I stayed back to try to relocate the autopilot computer for easier access.  Connecting the wires of the new fluxgate compass will impossible in its present location.

Leak Findings

Yesterday morning we did some water testing in the cockpit area.  Water is dripping through the emergency steering access plate onto the steering gear below.  Raising the level of water on the cockpit floor to just below the lip of the access to the lazarette did not result in any water passing through.  However, when I poured cupfuls of water onto the back of the seat and let it run over the doors to the lazarette much of that water found its way into the lazarette.  From there it literally poured through several holes at the floor of the lazarette into the bilge.  There are 7 of these holes through which hoses of various sizes pass. 

Emergency Steering and Lazarette Doors

Putting a drain in the lazarette might be of some help, but isn't feasible because access difficulties in retrofitting one.  Besides, the lazarette floor is so close to the water line that a check valve would be required to prevent water from passing up the drain due to following seas or pitching of the boat.  I'm not sure how reliable a small check valve would be in that setting.

I agree with Jak's opinion that access to the lazarette should be from a well designed lid at the top, forming part of the seat, and not on the side, where the flimsy and doors with no attempt at sealing are exposed to water pooling on the cockpit floor.   Gooping sealant around the hoses is no solution since water will eventually find its way down below, and even if the sealant held I don't want salt water swishing around that floor where my gas cylinders and other equipment is housed.  The only real solution is to prevent water from getting into the lazarette and our current plan is to remove the doors and replace them with a screwed-in sheet of fiberglass with water tight access portals for manipulating the exhaust and gas cylinder valves.  This is a clumsy workaround but may be the only way to staunch the enormous amount of water that the boat has been shipping when in very rough conditions.

We then turned our attention to the chain locker.  After emptying the chain locker and removing the upper level I plugged the four drain holes with paper and we filled it up almost to the top.  As I expected there was no leakage into the cabin.  However, after proceeding to fill the locker to the top we got a serious leak around the hawse pipe.  Serious water was pouring into the V-berth area.  I'll be doing a better job of fiberglassing that area and while I'm at it plug up the hole that carries the cable to the windlass foot switch. We won't need that cable because I will not install a new battery for the windlass until after my return to Australia.

This stilll leaves the problem of the chain locker filling up with sea water when beating in heavy seas.  The only proper solution is to re engineer the access to the locker with a watertight door - much too big a job to do in La Paz.  We're kicking around workaround ideas such as filling the area with foam or inflatable floatation bags to prevent too much water from invading the space.  I'm a bit more sanguine about the problem than Jak.  I figure that by lightening the bow in moving all chain and anchors aft and driving the boat less hard, much of that problem will disappear.  For example, there could be a rule that when the bow begins to plunge below the waves it is time to ease off.

This morning I fixed an embarrassing mistake that Jak had found.  I had complained in an earlier blog that the main halyard would no longer self tail on the winch, probably due thickening. In fact the halyard would not self tail because last time I serviced the winch I transposed two sets of clutches which reversed the motion of the drum.  I didn't notice the reversal and simply wound the halyard in the reverse direction, but that made the rope run counter to the direction of the self tailing jaws. 

We then turned our attention to the emergency steering plate on the cockpit sole.  Jak removed the plate, which was held down by screws, and saw that there was no sealant underneath.  We replaced the screws with thru bolts and bedded the plate down with 3M 4200 which I had in store.

28 year old fitting finally off.  Note cut nut.

I saw Joel at mid morning and asked him when he would get a chance to attend to our stubborn exhaust thru hull fitting.  He said that he'd try to come at around 1 PM.  Shortly after 1 PM he arrived and we got to work.  He couldn't get the nut to turn and deemed using a torch too dangerous around the fiberglass, so he decided to cut through the nut with a chisel.  He the asked for a drill and between the drilling and the chisel work he managed to sever the nut.  After that there was a hard hour of painstakingly hammering the nut off.  When the nut had been backed half way I launched the Zodiac and helped from below.  Soon I asked him for a stilson pipe wrench and was able to grip the flange.  Working across the barriers of language and hull we managed to coordinate our effort well enough to finish the job in 2 hours. 

With some fast work, luck, and good friends the 176 ft of rope, cheek block with pad, and thimble that are required to set up a dedicated halyard for the trysail and replace my main halyard have been purchased in San Diego by John and will be picked up and brought to La Paz by Rick at the end of the month.  Thanks, fellows.

Progress Report

On Thursday morning Jak and I cut out the backing for the exhaust thru-hull fitting.  I promptly returned the rest of the Starboard to Earl because he was shipping his boat to the US Northwest by lifter transport ship on Saturday.

Backing Block for Exhaust Fitting

We then got onto other things. During the engine replacement I had seen that the sliding engine cover was well fastened to a base that was held down by only one screw.  On Friday we fastened the base fore and aft and think that it will now stay in position during a rollover.  We then decided how to fasten hinged navigation table so that it will not flip open and empty the contents of the desk during a rollover, and must find a small cleat next week to finish that job.

Yesterday was very busy and productive.  We dropped some ceiling panels and began our search for leaks by gently pouring cupfuls of water around the sliding hatch area.  It took a while but after 20 minutes Jak spotted water seeping through a crack in the fiberglass and running along the underside of the deck to the port side.  Jak said that the "garage" or "turtle" under which the main hatch slides must come off.  I agreed that it had to come off but I had never been game to do it myself and had been planning to do it after my return to Fremantle.  To remove the garage we first had to remove the spray dodger and instrument panel.  While we were doing this John the rigger showed up and I went to the mast to work with him.

Simplified Electric Panel

John's brief was to put up to possibly 5 large cleats on the mast, and to bolt a cheek block above the end of the trysail track for a halyard.  He began by examining the existing setup and found that my lazy jack lines were passing down on the wrong side of the steps and the jib halyard turning block was too far back on the mast base, leading to chafing at the exit slot.  He then threads and bolted on two large cleats, one on each side of the mast.  The used Schaefer cheek block that he brought with him had seen better days so we decided to postpone that task until I can bring in a new cheek block from the USA.  He will also use a file to deal with a slight misalignment of the two sections of track for the storm trysail.  This misalignment results in most of the slide refusing to pass that joint without manual help, which would be quite risky in rough weather given that the joint is about 15 ft off the deck.

When John was finished the mast area looked much neater. Each side of the mast now has two small cleats and 2 large ones.  The 2 small ones are used for the flag and lazy jack lines.  The large ones are used for halyards.  Every line now has its own cleat and there is no more double or triple use of small cleats.  When John puts up the cheek block for the trysail halyard he will fix another cleat for that line.

 Before he left I asked John about the possibility of extending the track up the front of the mast so that I could get the spinnaker pole off the deck and up the front of the mast where it should be.  John and I do not plan to use the pole for flying the symmetrical spinnaker.  The outcome was that John has offered to purchase the pole because it is just about the right size for his boat.  I agreed, and we will settle the terms later.  It will be great to reduce the weight and clutter on the foredeck by getting rid of that pole.  There is a second identical pole in my garage in Western Australia.

In the meantime Jak had removed the garage and for the first time I was able to see the area that I knew was the key to the leaks on the port side of the cabin.  Jak has suggested a plan of using epoxy resin to fix the problem (which is not as simple as filling in a crack), that makes sense to me.  We must wait a few days for the area to dry out and in the meantime we will try to find the cause of the leak on the starboard side of the cabin.  This will require the dropping of more ceiling panels, but I expected that.

Today we investigated the source of the leak on the starboard side of the cabin but we saw no leak after using a hose to play copious amounts of water along the toe rail, deck, and various fittings.  Perhaps more water is required to saturate the problem area.  Maybe it is as simple as some of the water that comes down through the vent above the galley stove finding its way to the site of the leak.  (We plan to remove that vent and the two plastic Dorade vents on the cockpit coaming and seal the holes with fiberglass.)


John came by and we agreed on a price of $80 for the spinnaker pole.  I am happy to be rid of it because it represents useless weight that clutters up the foredeck.  ... Besides, I have another one in my garage in Darlington.


Joel was not able to remove that exhaust hose thru-hull fitting this week so I am hoping for a visit from him on Monday or Tuesday.  Once that troublesome fitting is out we think that the rest of the job will be straight forward and relatively fast.

Exhaust Effort

Removal of the exhaust thru-hull fitting has been more difficult that I had expected.

This morning we went to the workshop and borrowed some tools from Joel for unscrewing and removing the fitting.  Jak put a lot of force on the big nut with big adjustable pliers while preventing the fitting from spinning with a pipe wrench, with no luck.  I tried tapping the nut hard all around then borrowed some serious penetrating oil from another boat.  We let the penetrating oil do its work for an hour then had another go at unscrewing the nut and got nowhere.  Rather than risk damage to our hands or to the hull from frantic efforts we walked over to the workshop and I engaged Joel to do the job, suggesting that he may have to apply some heat to break the seal on the thread.  He is very busy because a lot of people are having last minute work done before departing the area ahead of the beginning of the hurricane season in June, but he will try to do the work on Friday.

While waiting for the penetrating oil to do its thing we put up the storm trysail and Jak saw what a hassle it is go get the slides past the join of the two sections of the track.  We'll be doing more work on this problem.  Even though the trysail has its own track and we may be able to set up a dedicated halyard, swapping to the trysail will not be as simple as dropping the mainsail and raising the trysail because the mainsail must be either zipped up in its cover or lashed with shock cord, then the lazy jacks must be dropped, which all means working on the cabin at at the mast.

When the wind is from a more favorable direction we'll hoist the mainsail and try to figure out why it is so difficult to raise.  In preparation for that work I purchased a can of Boeshield T-9 waterproof lubrication that Jan recommended highly.  According to the label, T9 was developed by the Boeing aircraft company for the lubrication and protection of aircraft components.

Jak then stayed at the boat to wash it down and I headed of to find a zinc anode for the propeller shaft as well as a hole cutter for use on the starboard backing material as well as for slightly enlarging the hole through the hull.  Dave kindly loaned me his electric drill and hole cutter bit, but did not have a cutter of the required 2 3/8" diameter.  I peddled the bicycle to the center of town and visited three hardware stores, then peddled back past the marina to Arcos where I found what I needed.

The GPS that Jak had ordered on my behalf cannot be delivered in Mexico because his billing address is in the USA, so it will be delivered to his home in Port Townsend and Corine will ship it to La Paz (Thanks Corine!)  One would think that Visa and other plastic cards would be considered world cards useable anywhere on the planet.  This seems to be the case with ATMs where I have had no problem in getting cash.  But with on line purchasing there seem to be problems with having a billing address in one country and delivery in another.  Two sites accepted my Visa card but would allow delivery in a wide variety of countries except the USA.  Go figure.

I've just noticed that this is Wednesday 11 May.  Tonight will mark the end of Jak's first week in La Paz.  It is amazing how much we have gotten done in these 7 days.

Two More Days

Yesterday Jak began the day by looking into the problem with the BEP Voltage Sensitive Relay Module - the piece of equipment that ensures that the House receives charging from the alternator when the Starter bank reaches 12.8V.  I could not find any documentation on the unit but fortunately was able to find the installation guide on the Web.  Jak was soon able to identify a missing wire (probably severed during the fire and removed by me during the cleanup) and in short time had the module working.  We started up the engine and immediately the module sensed that the Starter bank was "full" and allowed charge current to pass to the House bank.

Second Cigarett Lighter Plug

Jak then turned his attention to the installation of a second cigarette lighter plug that I thought was warranted for the navigation table, both for capacity and redundancy.  Jak went across the street to Seamar and purchased a marine grade plug and soon had it installed below the existing one.  These plugs will supply power to the laptop at the navigation table, which is indispensable to my Sailmail communications.

The fluxgate compass that gives heading information to the autopilot had stopped after the fire and as expected we found that a section of its cable had been burned and severed.  I sent a query to Raymarine regarding the feasibility of either re joining the 5 individual wires with solder or replacing the entire cable.  Their response was to purchase a new compass.  I have ordered the compass ($146.99 plus shipment) for delivery to Marina de La Paz.

We had been discussing the usefulness of having a GPS display at the binnacle to replace the $600 Trimble repeater that lasted only about 3 weeks in the tempestuous Southern Ocean.  I have ordered a Garmin 152H  (https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=156&ra=true) that has a 4" grayscale display and a built in antenna.  It meets a waterproofing standard of 30 minutes at 1 meter below the surface.  The total of this order came to $321.00 and delivery will be to Marina de La Paz.  After it arrives I will remove the Trimble repeater, set up electric power for the GPS, then engage a stainless steel man to make the required changes for mounting the unit securely on the binnacle.

Port Battery Held Down

Starboard Battery, 1 Batten and 2 Straps

During our wiring work Jak noted that the battery hold-down setup on the port side was pretty weak.  Restraint of batteries becomes important were the boat to - dare I say it? - roll over.  It would have been much simpler to have designed proper restraints when these batteries were installed in New Zealand but that was not done and months later I did my best to retrofit some straps.  Anyway, we came up with the idea of putting boards across the top of the batteries and this we did: two boards across the top of the port battery, one board across the top of the starboard battery where the strap setup is fairly strong.

Almost as an afterthought we began work yesterday afternoon on the engine exhaust outlet.  We had decided that installing a 2" ball cock valve was the only foolproof way of protecting the engine from the ingress of water up the exhaust hose.  Jak has such a valve on his boat and it has worked well for him.  This will add the complication of always having to be sure that the valve is open before I start the engine, not to mention the regular lubrication and working of the valve to make sure that it does not freeze up.  But I'm willing to pay that price for the certainty of no sea water ever reaching the engine from the rear.  I will come up with some fool proof procedure to avoid the calamity of starting the engine with either the exhaust or cooling water valves closed.

Blue Sea Through Engine Exhaust Port

We tried to get away with just the valve and a hose adapter but discovered we could not match the existing thru hull fitting, which meant that I had to purchase that too.  The fittings and some clamps and sealant totalled a whopping $286.

The existing exhaust thru-hull fitting has no backing plate - the skin fitting is fixed solely on the fiberglass hull with no support.  That may have been OK with the current setup but we figured that the loadings from turning the handle to open and close the new valve would require the use of a backing plate.  This led to the task of finding good wood or, we thought, possible "starboard" for the job.  Starboard is attractive because it is tough, relatively easy to work, and does not degenerate.  Then there was the problem of tools.  I would need a plug-in electric drill  and some hole cutters. 

Thick Starboard and Pieces To Be Fitted

I got smart and went to the morning coffee table of the Palapa of Knowledge, Truth, and Wisdom for advice.  I got advice on where to get the wood.  When I mentioned starboard one of the men told me that he could supply me with a piece for thick starboard.  Another told me that he could lend me not only the drill but possibly hole cutters of the required size.

This afternoon I was given a fairly large sheet of 1" thick starboard.  I only need to cut out a piece 4" x 4" and will return the rest.  Purchasing a sheet of the material would have been extremely expensive.

The new thru-hull fitting has a slightly bigger diameter than the old one, so we will have to do hole cutting through the hull, about 2' above the water line.  We plan to launch the Zodiac so that one of us can work from outside the boat.

Two Days of Electrical Work

We've spent the last two days getting through what we think is the bulk of the electrical work.  We have seen the worst of the damage and bad as it was, at least we know that we'll be able to recover and make improvements along the way.  ... And the damage was indeed worse than I had expected.  Brenda and I were lucky to get back to La Paz with as much equipment functionality as we had, let alone even having a boat to bring back.

Typical Damage to Wiring

The first damaged wire that we tackled was the one between the electric bilge pump and the electrical panel.  Jak replaced that with a new one (marine grade, of course).  Fitting the cable required the removal of the starboard battery which must weigh about 80 lbs.  Jak wasn't too happy with the strapping down of the battery and our solution required pieces of wood.  A bus trip to Home Depot was a disappointment because all they seemed to sell was wood trimmings.  Fortunately I recalled some pieces of timber that I had stored in the bodega and they proved to be almost perfect for the job.

I discovered more wire damage in the section next to the navigation station and the first damaged wire that I pulled up was the nearly severed one from the flux gate compass.  This cable contains 4 small wires and one ground and I have sent a message to Raymarine regarding the feasibility of either replacing the wire or repairing it by soldering.  At worst I can replace the compass - at a price of about $200 USD.

Another damaged wire turned out to be one going to the non-working Trimble GPS repeater at the binnacle, and this led to a difficult but productive exercise of removing 5 obsolete 'B&G' redundant cables passing from the chart table to the electrical panel and also to display area in the cockpit above the companionway.  Jak then spent a couple of hours tidying up the wiring behind the breakers and at the end of the second day the wiring behind the main panel was leaner and more orderly than I had ever thought possible.  I figure that about 2/3 of the wiring in that area has been removed. 

We try to do the bulk of our work in the relative cool of the morning, usually starting at about 8.30 AM.  We then try to finish shortly after noon - one day as late as 3 PM - when the heat of the day sets in.  Some afternoons are hotter than others, depending on the strength and direction of the wind.  Yesterday we decided to return to the boat to do some work on deck with sails.  When I entered the cabin at 4.30 PM the temperature was a full 100F but fortunately things cooled down to about 90F after I opened the hatches.

The task was to see how we could sheet the staysail and storm jib.  On top of the cabin are 4 pads to support support deck winches in a full ocean racing configuration.  The front pads have strong and well backed stainless steel U-bolts that fortunately I had decided to leave in place when we did a lot of work on those pads in Port Townsend (removing badly cracked teak caps, filling in holes, painting), thinking that they might be useful as anchor points for rope lashings.  Jak thought that they were in a good postion for fixing sheet blocks for the sails.  I was somewhat skeptical because although the points were at about the right distance from the center of the boat it would be a fluke if it were to yield the correct sheet angle to the tacks of both sails.  Besides, that would be too easy.  I had already resigned myself to putting in short tracks with all of the associated expense and trouble.

Fortunately Jak's assessment proved to be correct.  For both sails a projection of the sheet from the block and through the tack intersected the luff at about half way up.  All of a sudden a major task had evaporated.  However, we still have  some work to do because we will have to pass the sheet through a block on the track in order to get a good angle to the turning blocks at the coaming that lead to the cockpit winches.  There are already two forward blocks on cars on those tracks, previously used for the staysail sheets which are much too far from the center of the boat and require that the sheets pass between two shrouds.  However, we think that we'll require more flexible blocks for this role, such that they can be pulled to the angle and orientation required by the change of direction of the sheet.

Replaced Sections of Hoses

Another task that evaporated was the replacement of the anchor windlass battery.  Jak questioned the need to install a new battery since we plan to do very little anchor work in our run around the Horn.  That made sense to me.  Better to wait until I get back to Australia to replace the battery.  I know that I can crank the windlass with a winch handle for any unexpected anchor work.  It looks like the solution to the problem of charging the windlass battery at a moderate rate is a simple one.  Jak tells me that there are voltage regulators with 12V input available on the market.  I'll set up such a regulator between the "house" bank and the windlass battery.
 
Jak pronounced the staysail to be very good, as I had expected.

However,  although we agreed that the storm jib that Victor had sent from Australia was the perfect size and well made and brand new, we reluctantly came to the conclusion that it is a bit light for the high winds (60 kts, and maybe more) that it may have to deal with.  We figure that if the sail blows in high winds we'll be left with ribbons of sail at the end of the storm, and  I don't want to risk demolishing that fine sail.  I didn't have much luck finding a good second hand sail here in La Paz, and Jak said that he'd look for one when he gets back to the USA.

As for Victor's sail, it hasn't been a waste.  It is very small, light, and will be easy to carry back to Australia.  I have visions of handing the sail back to Victor, still in pristine condition, and informing him that part of his fine boat Chiquita has rounded the Horn.

First Day of Work

Jak and I got a lot done on our first day of work on the boat.

We traced one damaged wire to the electric bilge pump and Jak noticed that some of the hose clamps were badly corroded.  We put 8 stainless steel hose clamps in two sizes and a check valve on our shopping list. 

Jak at Work.  The White bucket contains parts removed.

Three of the damaged wires connected the port side cabin gel battery to the "Next Step" regulator that had been disconnected when the engine was replaced.  I drew a diagram of all 8 wires connected to the regulator and removed them all.  Two of the wires were from the big Balmar alternator that had been on the Sabb engine, three of the wires were from the Gel battery, two went to the pos and neg bus bars, and one was coiled up an not connected to anything.  I've got the technical data on the regulator in case I ever decide to use it again. 

While Jak worked on the hose clamps I removed the stiff ground wires that passed from the HF tuner in the lazarette to keel bolts in the bilge.  They  were doing no good and cluttered up the place.

Jak greatly simplified the mess of wires behind the electrical panel by removing 5 instruments, a buzzer, and a light that had been part of the Sabb engine setup.  The panel now has 7 holes in it but that's a small price to pay for the removal of the clutter.

We also looked at the damage done to the filler and vent hoses to the port water tank and decided to replace the damaged ends with new hosing using joiners.

We finished the day by visiting three chandlers looking for clamps, a check valve, and electric cabling.  We were pretty successful and were set for the next day's work.  

We didn't knock off until after 2 PM, well after the heat of the day had set in.  Tall icy drinks at the cafe fixed that then we headed for the apartment and the air conditioning.