Tracks

With valuable advice from Steve Meeks of North Sails I have managed to lay down the tracks for the new spray dodger.  I reported a problem to Steve regarding the need to force the stiff plastic tracks to fit a compound curve of two axes which I thought an impossible task which would necessitate my laying three separate sections of tracks.  Steve told me that it was very important to lay one track if possible in order to ensure that water would not pass through into the companionway and described the technique of sawing slots along the flange to facilitate bending on that axis. 

Starboard Track

Port Track

I laid the first track but had a gap of perhaps 10mm at the major bend and telephoned Steve to get his OK before I laid the second track.  Within 30 minutes he was on the boat and pronounced my work OK but suggested a method of getting one more screw at the bend to reduce the gap.  I did what he suggested and reduced the gap by 2/3.  I used the experience of the first track to lay the port track with a much tighter and neater fit. 

At this point Steve is able to visit the boat and fit the mock up of the new spray dodger, though in the morning I will lift the tracks then bed them down on a stiff sealant, possibly 3M 5200.  This will prevent any water from the side getting past the spray dodger and into the companionway.

The tracks show in the photos are upside down by design.  The dodger will fit over the track with the bolt rope inserted into the track from below.  This will look neater and protect the track from UV rays.

While Steve was here I told him that I had learned from a nearby boat that the island of St Helena (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Helena) had recently laid down 25 moorings for visiting boats, 10 of which were rated for boats over 50 ft in length. What a great idea!  Since St Helena administers Tristan da Cunha there is hope that Tristan will one day lay down moorings. 

Steve topped my news by telling me that St Helena is laying down a runway suitable for large commercial jet liners.  I asked him if the island was big enough in the commercial sense to accommodate such big airplanes and he doubted it, but that is what they are doing.  He told me that the mail ship service to St Helena is scheduled to end in 2014.  It is a neat run from Cape Town to St Helena, the Ascension Island I think, then on to UK.  Friends of Brenda and I from the Fremantle Sailing Club have done that trip.

Tonight I received a message from Francois aboard his boat Glenn4 that he had managed to drop anchor at Tristan da Cuhna and expects to arrive in Cape Town of 4 Frebruary.

Brenda Arrived OK

Robert aboard Pachuca with Alice and Marianna

Brenda at Woodstock MiCity Bus Station

V and A Marina where True Blue Lies

Brenda made it OK to Cape Town as planned on Sunday morning the 27th.  The plane was 30 minutes early out of Johannesburg, arriving at 10.00 AM, but that didn't matter because I was at the airport 90 minutes early.  The bus connections from Woodstock Station near the yacht club to the airport were a dream but because I had never made the trip before I allowed plenty of time.  The buses from Woodstock station  run about every 20 minutes, the ride into the Civic Centre station takes about 10 minutes.  From there the buses to the airport depart every 20 minutes or so, and the ride to the airport takes only 20 minutes.  It was all convenient, fast, and cheap. 

I met Brenda who was in remarkably good shape after the trip and we got the next MiCity bus back into the Civic Centre station in the city then took a cab from there to RCYC.  The wind at the Civic Centre station was amazing.  It was rocking the bus so hard that we wondered if it would fall over, and  we saw a guy walking about 40 degrees to the wind.  Brenda had to be restrained from being literally blown away as she was trying to get into the cab.  Welcome to Cape Town, Brenda.

We had lunch at the club and I kept on the lookout for Alice, who had arrived a few days earlier from Simonstown on her boat True Blue.  Of all the tables in the club with people, the one next to us had a trio with a smiling lady who looked like an Alice to me.  I discussed the possibility with Brenda of fronting up to the table and asking if her name was Alice but as usual shyness and reserve prevailed.

What I thought was a defunct facility is in use

Brenda was very tired so she retired to the V-berth for a nap after lunch and I lay down on the cabin settee.  About an hour later I heard a female voice hailing us and I went topside to find that the person whom I had thought looked like an Alice was indeed her.  In the cabin later she confided that to her I had looked like a Robert, so there we were.  With her was Derek, an experienced sailor out of UK who has a boat with his wife Anthea across the fairway practically at my stern.  There was also young Marianna who at 20 years of age had recently flown from the Seattle area to join Alice and Ann to crew the boat to the Caribbean, Panama Canal, and Hawaii, the conclusion of the circumnavigation. 

Alice and I had a great chat about our experiences and Port Townsend, but before we could reminisce about our wonderful stays at Ala Wai Boat Harbor in Honolulu, and Carey and The Fuel Dock in particular, she was forced to leave in order to catch their ride back to the V&A marina. 

Brenda befriending Nelson Mandela of four SA Nobel Peace Price Laureates

Young Marianna knows Port Townsend well and told me that I looked very familiar to her.  I told her proudly that I had visited the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival for 3 years running, and she agreed that our paths may have crossed there.  She knows Kingston well and wondered if maybe there was a connection through twin brother Arnold who lives there.  Marianna has a “shack” on an island on the Hood Canal,which I found very interesting.


Today, Monday, Brenda and I set off on an ambitious project to take buses to the V&A waterfront, tour the place, then visit True Blue in the afternoon.  During a morning session with Diana in which I paid for my stay at the club until the end of February I learned that there are a couple of good supermarkets in the V&A area that I had missed during my first two visits.

Alice's "True Blue", in company with Condos owned by Richard Branson, Oprah Winfrey, and other luminaries

We set off shortly before noon and did as planned, including a visit to the Information center where we made tentative arrangements for a great all-day mini bus tour that will take us around the entire Cape peninsula but will focus mainly on a visit to Cape Point, known to the rest of the modern world as the Cape of Good Hope, and to the earlier world as the Cape of Storms.  Along the way we will pass through Hout Bay and Simonstown, which are of interest to me.

We made it to Alice's boat at about 2.30 PM but found nobody on board which was not a surprise because she had told us that she had an appointment during the middle of the day.  But never mind, as fate would have it, bad weather has postponed her departure from Cape Town from Tuesday (tomorrow) to about a week later, so we hoped to have a good visit with her later.

Brenda and I were very tired after all that so while Brenda waited outside on a bench I went into the Pick 'n Pay supermarket and purchased some essential items.  We then caught the bus and returned to RCYC.  We missed our stop because only the rear door of the articulated bus opened at the station, leaving us staring dumbly at the immobile front door.  Not to worry.  We got off at the next station, at Paarden Eiland, and a returning bus was waiting for us so that we were able to make a fast return. 

Photos from Ricardo

As luck would have it I encountered Ricardo and his wife sailing on their boat as I was motoring out of the Angra region bound for Cape Town.

On the way from Brazil to South Africa

Happy Captain blissfully unaware of the rough seas awaiting him

Ricardo sent the two attached photos which I appreciated very much because it is rare that I see photos of myself and the boat out at sea.  The background is a reminder of the spectacular setting of the Angra region.

Engine Serviced and Status from North Sails

I started the day by cleaning the galley cupboards and the stove and its surrounds, removing all dust and other material from the removal of the galley vent.  This was an appetizer for the main event of the day, servicing the engine.

It was after 9 AM when I finished that task and visited Action Yachting to see what motor oils they had in stock.  They sold Shell 15W40, which was identical to the 5 liters of Shell oil that I had purchased in Tahiti and was stored under the starboard quarter berth.  I fell into the trap of believing the Volvo manual's statement that the engine took 6.5 liters of oil so I purchased a second 5 liter container of Shell oil. 

Once I had the oil supply and new filter (my last) at the ready I ran the engine for 15 minutes to warm up the oil and stir it up a bit.  Then I used my hand pump very effectively to suck the old oil out  of the sump and deposit it into an empty oil container that I had carried for the purpose from Brazil.  When I heard the sucking sound I pumped harder to make sure that I removed all oil within my reach.  But that removed oil totaled just over 4.5 liter.  I then sacrificed an old towel and placed it below the engine and removed the oil filter, which may have accounted for another 0.5 liters of oil.  That meant that there was 1.5 liters of old oil remaining in the sump, but there was nothing that I could do about it.

After screwing in the new filter I poured in the new oil and found that the engine took exactly 5 liters.  That meant that I had purchased the additional 5 liters of Shell oil unnecessarily, although it will be useful as spare oil in the unlikely event that I need it, and will most definitely provide the supply for the next oil change.  (I've also got 5 liters of Dela 15W40 in store.)  I have made a note in the Volvo manual that only 5.0 liters is required for an oil change.

The Volvo engine presented as she is: near new condition

The manual did not specify a change cycle for the transmission.  I checked its ATF oil level and found it to be spot on and as clear as the day I had changed it, so did not do another change.

This engine oil change was at 369.9 engine hours.  The last oil change had been at 235.5 engine hours at Mar del Plata, so I had changed the oil after 134.4 hours of running time under the criterion that the oil should be changed after 500 hours of running time.  However, there is a time dimension to this and I noted that in 2 months it would have been 12 months since my last oil change and I would have been forced to do another oil change engine hours or no engine hours.  That would have placed me back in Australia but it was just as well to get it done now because when I reached Australia would be very busy seeing my friends then flying off to the USA for the June 50th "wrong end of life" class reunion.

I was asked during my later years of high school for the school newspaper what was my pet peeve.  My reply was "greasy grease guns".  I've got this thing about cleaning up afterwards so I spent a good hour cleaning the engine and its surrounds with warm soapy water.  I noted that the engine is still solidly mounted according to the superb design (thanks, Max) and implementation in La Paz Mexico.

Then I attacked the storage area under the navigation seat which had been contaminated with oil from the grease gun and sump oil pump and salt water from the heavy rolling during the passage from Brazil.  I removed all of the parts and tools, cleaned out the compartment, then took everything to the jetty and flushed it all in fresh water.  I then laid them on the jetty to dry in the sun and went on to other things.  Later I sprayed everything with WD40, wiped it down, and repacked it into the storage area.

After lunch I contacted Steve Meek of North Sails.  I had not heard from him since Monday and still did not have a quotation for their work.  To his credit he was at Pachuca within 2 hours  When he visited he confirmed that he had sent his quotation to me via email, that the mainsail was ready with its re stitching and 3rd reef, as was the small lee cloth that I had requested for the starboard berth.  He brought with him the plastic track that I had told him that I was ready for.  Now that I have removed all of the press studs from the old spray dodger and filled the holes with epoxy I can now fit the new side tracks on a bed of 3M 5200.  I will let Steve know when that is done so that he can come down and fit a mockup of the new spray dodger.

The quotation for the work is as follows.  If I am publishing trade secrets it is for the good, because in my opinion it exemplifies the moderate prices of work in South Africa:

 2 PVc weathercloths @495.00 each  (AUD $53)  (This is for the heavy
Dodger)   R6400.00 (AUD $685)
Mainsail cover R4844.00  (AUD $518)
Pvc leecloth R140.00  (AUD $15)
Above prices exclude VAT@14 %

 I expect to claw back the VAT before I depart SA.

I consider the prices very reasonable.  To quote part of my response to  Steve: "Thank you for the quotations.  They look fine to me.  I have learned that price is secondary to quality and the important thing is that I have confidence in the standard of work that North Sails will do."  But if we're going to talk money, let's compare the $685 AUD that I will be paying for the new spray dodger with the $1,830 AUD that I paid in Sep 2007 for a spray dodger and a simple cover over my bimini and two zip-on drop down sun screens. 

Side Deck Sealed

"foam" core from below

"R" the genial assistant working away

Topside

Below, fiberglassed

Topside

Topside, patched and fiberglassed

Underside finished with 4 layers of fiberglass

Topside finished.  No More Tripping or Leaking!!!!

"USB" type electrical connection

New insulated connectors

Brackets for light placed anywhere along light strip

Result not pretty, but BRILLIANT

Titus and his assistant (who told me his name and it starts with “R” but it is an unusual one that I can't recall) did a brilliant job of removing the galley exhaust vent and fiberglassing the hole through the side deck.  They started yesterday morning and finished today at about noon.

I had been worried about the rough and irregular hole that had been cut for the exhaust fan but they finessed the problem by cutting a rectangle through the deck before they began their work.  The deck is made like a sandwich, with “foam” filler in the middle and a rather thin layer of fiberglass above and below.  They started by epoxying in a rectangular piece of foam into the hole that they had cut. Then they ground out the surrounding fibreglass on the topside and put a layer of fiberlgass covering the foam patch and extending into the surrounding deck.  Down below they put 4 layers of fibreglass to support the patch. 

Toward the end Titus approached me with the blue non-skid paint that they were going to apply over the patch, stating that it was darker than the surrounding deck and did I wanted it toned down a bit.  I responded that the blue paint was fine because I planned to repaint the deck back in Australia.  Besides, why bother to try to match a badly faded deck paint?  When he finished the told me that he had considered applying the blue paint to some patches that I had painted white but figured that he'd leave well enough alone.  I agreed and thanked him for thinking about it.

While the two were working inside of the boat they had teased me about my stash of wine bottles.  I was so pleased with the job that they had done that I gave Titus a bottle of Argentinian red and his assistant a bottle of Argentinian white because that is what he preferred.  I shook their hands and thanked them for a job wonderfully well done.

Later I visited David, the manager of Action Yachting and told him that Titus and his assistant had done a brilliant job on the boat.  David didn't seem surprised and told me that he would prepare the bill later in the afternoon.  I wasn't surprised either because the shipwright working on the boat next door had told me that Titus is a top fibreglass man with many years of experience.

At one point in the process I was told that I could put the ceiling panel back up so I began working on that as well as installing the new LED strip to replace the twin-tube neon light that had been servicing the galley.  The light is sensitive to polarity but once I sorted that out the installation went well, though the actual fixing of the light and cabling took a bit of time  In the accompanying photo you will see a USB-like electrical connection to the light strip.  There is a purpose to this.  At the other end of the strip is a “female” “USB” connector.  This means that one strip can be plugged directly into another.  In my case I have only a second strip, which will act as a backup or, if needs by, can be added to the strip over the galley to yield more light.

The result is not aesthetically pretty, but when night fell that tiny strip provided much more illumination than the neon tubes, and should serve me well during my passage to Australia.  When I renovate the galley I will replace the ceiling panel above – no more need for that round opening for the vent – and will install a more attractive light.  But in the meantime functionality rules and the new LED light is excellent.

After a late lunch and nap I pushed on and reinstalled the 9 kg cylinder that had just been filled.  I spent plenty of time securing both the large cylinder and the smaller 2.5 kg cylinder with shock cords around their waist.  The shock cord is fixed to a thick marine plywood housing for the cylinders, but because the housing is accommodating cylinders of sizes that it was not designed for and because the joints had been only nailed and not glued, it is coming apart, but it's OK, because I'm sure that the frame will support me until I reach Australia.  During the rough passage to Tristan da Cunha the small cylinder had jumped out and over its restraints and wound upon the port side of the lazarette.  Fortunately the hose held and there was no damage.  Today I passed heavy shock cord over the tops of both of the cylinders and I expect them to stay in place even in – heaven forbid – a rollover.  (Note that this problem did not occur in rounding the Horn, another testament to the rough passage from Brazil to Tristan da Cunha.)

While securing the cylinders I kept thinking over the problem of gas supply.  If I started using the newly filled gas cylinder it it might or might not last until I got to Australia, depending on how much in-house cooking Brenda and I did in the coming month.  I thought of continuing to use the smaller cylinder and refilling it before I departed for Australia but I had spent so much time securing both cylinders that I really didn't want to tamper with them in the future. My solution was to release the spare 9 kg cylinder that Rick had given me off the stern rail, place it free standing on the lazarette floor, and connect it up.  Before I leave for Australia I'll mount Rick's cylinder back on the stern rail and begin using the other 9 kg cylinder which I know will be full.  This should ensure a passage to Australia without the need to swap large cylinders in a rolling sea.

I still had a bit of time so I hosed the boat down from one end to the other.  Three railroad cars had caught fire a few days earlier which had deposited quite a bit of soot on the boat.  Besides that there were the remnants of the work of my resealing the windows and the fiberglass work.  While I was at it I filled up the internal water tanks.  After that, somewhat damp and soggy, I went for my hot shower, shave, and a tall beer followed by a glass of house red.  The wind was calm and I enjoyed very much the vista of the marina.

Gas Cylinder and Water Vane

I spent over two hours trimming off the excess sealant from both sides of the windows.  I learned the hard way that it is much easier to let the surplus material harden for a day so that it can be peeled off like rubber.

Holes to be Filled Above Window and Back

Handy Epoxy Stick

Repaired Monitor Water Vane

Then I removed the old press studs that were used to fasten the spray dodger to the coaming.  Most of them were broken and frequently next to an open hole where a previous press stud had been.  I filled every hole with epoxy and tomorrow I will sand the epoxy flush with the surface of the coaming.  I've included a photo of the neat tube of epoxy that I purchased in the USA over a year ago.  The idea is to cut off what you think that you'll need, remove the paper covering, then mix it the green outer layer with the inner core thoroughly into a consistent paste.  I've used it before and it works very well - with minimal waste.  The photo shows the holes before I filled them in.  The red mark with the arrow is the starting point of the new track which will be bedded down on 3M 5200 had have many screws holding it down.

At 4 PM I walked over to Action Yachting and found that the gas cylinder that I had dropped on yesterday morning had been filled.  Better yet, the Monitor water vane that I had also dropped off yesterday for welding was back good as new.  Filling the 9 kg gas cylinder cost R250 (about $25) and the welding job was only R350, which I consider very reasonable given that all I had to do was to drop it off and pick it up at the shp at the end of the jetty, with a 1 day turnaround.

The photo shows the plate at the top of the water vane firmly in its proper position again.

Boat Windows Resealed

Splashdown, Low Loader at Left

Yesterday I managed to reseal all six cabin windows.  The process involved removing lots of screws, scraping off the old sealant, the applying marine grade silicone sealant to the window and cabin surfaces, then mounting the window back on.  I worked until 7 PM but wanted to get the entire job behind me. 

Mast Being Stepped

First Window Being Resealed

The windows are showing their age, with lots of minor fracturing particularly around the screw holes.  Fortunately all of the fracturing is in the zone where the windows are bedded down onto the cabin with sealant.  They should see me to Fremantle OK but will be replaced when I repaint the cabin of the boat.  I think that it will be a good idea of putting washers under the screws when I mount the new windows.

Today I'll trim off the excess sealant then remove the spray dodger press studs and fill the holes with epoxy in preparation for the new spray dodger.

I received an email from Steve at North Sails last night, and he was preparing his quotations which I should receive today.

Yesterday I received a visit from David, the manager of Action Yachting, and the workman who will be doing the fiberglass work on the side deck.   I asked the workman his name and introduced myself to Titus with a handshake.

I'm including photos of a new catamaran that was lifted off a low loader and plunked into the water yesterday.  The people in this boat yard know their business and I would have no hesitation in having Pachuca lifted out by them if it became a necessity.

Productive Sunday

I had a very productive Sunday. One thing led to another and I didn't want to stop so I managed to get a lot done.

Although the wind speed from the south was predicted to be 36 km vs 43 km the day before when it had been so windy, the actual conditions were much milder, even though there was a bit of a table cloth on the mountain. I sat I the cockpit watching the wind clock around three complete circles and decided that it was safe enough to drop the headsail. The first step in dropping the headsail is to roll it out completely, which means that any wind from aft can be lethal.

New Boat Fenders

At Bottom, new 90 degree twist Harken Shackle at Peak

2nd shackle at tack of sail, eliminating strop twist

What deteriorating fenders can do to the side of the boat

Plate at right to be welded to look like left.  Note rope damage.

Beautiful Aussie Flag Under Beautiful SA Flag

The main reason why I wanted to drop the sail was to fit a shackle with a 90 degree twist at the peak. From the time that I have owned the boat the strop at the peak of the sail has lined up with the shackle so that there was a cruel 90 degree twist in the strop, which seemed to me put undue load on it. In Brazil I had added a second shackle to avoid this twist, during my recent visit to the boat shop I had purchased a harken 8mm shackle with a 90 degree twist. It was a similar story with the lower (tack) end of the sail.

I managed to drop the sail and was pleased to see that the new shackle fit perfectly. After I had fitted it I let the sail lay on the side deck and took the opportunity to tighten the headstay. While under sail I had judged the headstay to be too loose but for me,  judging the tension of the headstay is much easier without the enormous weight of the headsail on it.

I first eased the inner forestay by 3 turns then tightened the backstay by 2 turns, using the biggest screwdriver I had because of the enormous force required to rotate the Gibb turnbuckle. I then tightened the lower and intermediate shrouds by 1.5 turns and judged the cap shrouds to be OK. I then tightened the inner forestay and was pleased with the result. The rigging is tight but this is not a wooden boat susceptible to hogging and sagging, and can take the loads, particularly with the strong and well fixed chainplates. Looking back, my rigging failures have been due to metal fatigue at the swages rather than tensile loads. We arrived in Hawaii with broken wires at the headstay swage (we're lucky we didn't lose the mast, actually). Dan at Port Townsend Rigging told me that the failure of my lower port shroud at the swage during the run to the Horn and been due to fatigue. It was the same case with the failure of the inner forestay at about the same time. (Dan told me that I didn't lose the mast because it is stepped at the keel and had it been stepped at the deck I would not have made it to Argentina. Also, I've mentioned before that the mast is a “lamp post” with big cross section and thick walls.)

The wind had picked up while I was tightening the rigging so I made plans for lashing the sail to the rail until we got a calm day, but right on queue the wind died down as I finished the rigging work and it had steadied from the bow of the boat. I have always worried about feeding the bolt rope into the track while working alone at raising the headsail, probably because in my early days of sailing I was dealing with badly deteriorated bolt ropes with practically non existent feeders on various boats. Profurl provides a decent feeder, the new sail's bolt rope is in perfect condition, and I little trouble in raising the sail at the mast while keeping an eye out that the bolt rope was roughly aligned with the track. Things got too heavy when the sail was 3 meters from the top so I cleated it off at the mast, took up the slack to the winch, then released the cleat which caused the sail to drop maybe a half meter, then winched the rest of the sail up.

Once the sail was up I removed the shackle at the tack and added a second one to remove the 90 degree twist in the strop. I'll probably leave this setup at the tack as is because Profurl has provided a special shackle for the tack and I don't want to replace it with a Harken with 90 degree twist.

After a lunch break (with obligatory nap) I went over the stern and removed the Monitor watervane. The top plate had separated and one of the lines had been damaged after working its way into the gap (see photograph). I hope to have the plate welded in the coming week.

Then I went to the galley and dropped the ceiling panel go get access to the underside of the side deck where the vent will be removed and the hole fiberglassed. In order to be able to completely remove the panel I disconnected and removed the twin-tube neon light serving the galley. I had a good look at the neon light, saw that it was tired looking with the ends of the tubes getting dark. I have spare tubes but know from past experience that when they fail they do so suddenly with no warning. The light had been on Pachuca when I purchased her in 2005 and had served me well, but maybe it was time to retire it.

I had purchased two strips of LED lights at Fisheries Supply in Seattle and did the preliminary work to fitting one of them for the galley when I put the ceiling panel back up. I used a much improved style of crimp-on connectors that are fully insulated, meaning that plugged or unplugged there is no danger of either the positive or negative wires coming into contact with anything.

Anyway, the site is now ready for the fiberglass people. David had spoken of somehow fixing a plastic sheet under the opening of the vent to capture all of the material dropping down from the work but I figure that simply laying my blue tarp over the stove and icebox will be sufficient.

The main gas cylinder had run out this very morning. It had served the boat for at least a month in Argentina, during my passage to Brazil, my stay in Brazil, the passage to South Africa, and several weeks here RCYC, so I certainly could not complain. I switched to the smaller backup cylinder after breakfast and in the afternoon got down 'n dirty and removed the empty cylinder. I've been told that I can drop the cylinder off at Action Yachting to get it refilled. … Let's hope that I don't get hassles due to compatibility or certification issues. The large size cylinder that Rick gave me in La Paz is on the stern rail, full, and ready to go.

Then I attended to the sad looking Australian flag flying off the stern of the boat. It was faded, the end starting to tatter, and two stars worn through. I go to great lengths to show flag respect to my host countries but had shamefully fallen short of the mark with my own Australian flag. I mounted a new and bright flag that Brenda had brought on her Argentina visit and it looked great.

As darkness approached I was showered, shaved, beered, and enjoying a wine, very satisfied that more steps had been taken to prepare Pachuca for sea. The headsail was set up as I wanted it, the rigging was tight for the next departure, and preparations had been made for the fiberglass work, repair of the Monitor watervane, and refilling the gas cylinder.

I'll have to end on a sad note.  Rick, a member of the Palapa of Truth, Wisdom, and Knowledge  at La Paz, for whom I came to feel privileged as a friend, is fading away  in a hospice in the USA from cancer.  I understand that Rick is comfortable, surrounded by loving family and friends, and is ready to depart, which sounds like the Rick that I know.  Farewell my good friend. 

As for the rest of us, let's be good to each other and ourselves while we're still on the planet.

Visit to Boat Shop

I was up at 5 AM because I had an early night, hitting the sack at just after 7 PM. At just after 8.30 AM I left the boat and made it to Seaport Supply just after they opened at 9 AM.

The first item on my list was a replacement for the solar powered fan that ventilates the head when I am not cruising and have it capped off. They had one with the correct OD (outside diameter) but the fan and section that fit through the deck had too much diameter to fit through the hole on the deck and I certainly was not inclined to enlarge the hole. I am to telephone them on Monday morning to find out if they have been able to source one with the correct size for me.

I then purchased 11 meters of 8mm Spectra Dyneema rope for the Monitor control lines, two s/s shackles, and 12 meters of 7mm shock cord.

The shock cord is interesting. Steve of North Sails had told me that one of the big traps when reefing and tying down all of the cringles (grommets) along the reefing line to the boom is that when the reef is shaken out if even only one of the cringles is still held to the boom the mainsail will tear. They have repaired many sails where in the heat of battle or perhaps in darkness dealing with fatigue this has happened. A solution is to tie a length of shock cord to the mast then spiral it along the boom passing it through every reef cringle then under the boom to support the surplus sail and tie it off at the end of the boom. With this set-up the shock cord will give before the mainsail tears if a mistake is made. Steve told me something that I didn't know. The cringles along the reef line are not designed to take the load of the wind on the sail. Their only purpose is to hold up the surplus sail off the deck. Without this information I would have probably overloaded the cringles and damaged the sail.

Then I selected four new boat fenders. Fortunately I had been wise enough to take the length and diameter of my existing fenders which made the selection process much easier. Each fender cost only R231 each, which was equivalent to about $23 USD and a bit less in Aussie dollars, which I considered a bargain.

The total bill came out to R1646.95 but I will be able to claw back the R202.26 VAT tax.

As I was winding up the purchase Steve the manager mentioned my car and I told him that I was walking and would probably take the bus to RCYC. He gave me a disturbed look and I said 'Hey, I'm on a boat and I'm used to walking.' That man got the cashier, Joline (not sure of the spelling) to leave her post and drive me to the marina. I told him that I didn't mind the walking but he insisted. Just then the assistant who had set me up with the boat fenders showed up with some cord with which I could tie pairs of fenders together and drape them over my neck. I told Steve that I was really OK because if a car hit me I would be well protected by the fenders. He had a genuine laugh then asked Joline to drive me to the RCYC.

Joline is a Cape Town girl but her employer International Paints had transferred her to Durban. She didn't like Durban and besides, her family were here and she had her 4 year old child to think of so she came back to Cape Town. I told her that if that is how she felt she had done the right thing. I told her that I liked everything about Cape Town except the wind: the people, the climate, the setting, the food, etc. She agreed. We got to the yacht club and she offered to help me carry the fenders to the boat but I told her that she had done enough for me and I would be OK. I asked her to thank Steve for arranging the transport.

I'm getting to really like this place Cape Town.

Thanks to the ride I was back at the boat at 10.30 AM which gave me a shot a walking to the Food Lovers' Market before they closed for the weekend, whenever that would be. I arrived at the market at 11.30 AM and learned that on Saturdays they close at 3 PM. Nevertheless their salad and meat selection was limited but I love a bargain and purchased two hefty salads on special for only R250 each.

On the way back to the boat I spotted a liquor store. I must have passed it a dozen times and never noticed it. The bottles of wine ranged for R27 to R100 so I chose two middle of the range wines for a total cost of less than R100 ($10.00) for two bottles. At the moment I am sipping a “Leopard's Leap” 2010 Merlot “based in Franschoeck, in the heart of South Africa's wine district.” It's a bloody good drop – better than the vin ordinaire that I've been getting at the club. In reserve is a “Du Toitslkloof Cellar” Shiraz from 2009 which I'll try out in a day or two.

The wind was gentle when I returned from my food foray so I installed the new Spectra control lines on the Monitor the got my wrenches out to adjust the unit so that when airvane was vertical the watervane was lined up with the boat's lubber line and keel and discovered that in the tranquility of the harbor everything lined up perfectly.

I was tired and it was getting late but I pushed on and topped up the internal fuel tanks, which took about 32 liters and represented a consumption of 1.6 liters per hour. As usual, even though the spare fuel had been treated with anti algae additive I added more into the tanks before the pour.

I don't want these algal bugs Dead on Arrival, I want them Dead Before Arrival.

A Walk to Paarden Eiland

Yesterday afternoon I braved the second day of strong winds to make the walk to a new part of the city for me, Paarden Eiland, along the coast toward the NE and away from the city center.  My immediate objectives were to visit North Sails and find the boat shops that Steve had told me were in the area.  There were the other usual benefits of exploration, becoming familiar with the area the best way, on foot, and exercise.

It took me over an hour to find North Sails because the Google map showing its location was of necessity simplified and there were many streets not show.  Nevertheless after several wrong turns and help from people along the way I crossed the Liesbeek River and found the place.  Steve was not in but I spoke with one of his colleagues and left a sketch of another very simple job request: a lee cloth measuring 700mm x 600mm for the starboard quarter berth area.  I am tired of having cargo fall out into the quarter berth crossover during heavy heels to port and this should stop that.  There is a lee cloth on the port quarter berth from the days when Arnold slept there, and it works very well, enabling me to cram the bunk high with gear.

I then trekked back to Paarden Eiland Road and found the two boat shops.  The one that attracted me more was Seaport Supply, which I found to be the best boat shop since the USA.  I told the young man that this was just a reconnaissance mission because I felt tired and disheveled after having been walking around in the wind and heavy traffic for hours.  They have spectra rope for new Monitor wind steering control lines, though they are 8mm in diameter and not the 6mm recommended by Scanmar.  They've got a reasonable selection of boat fenders and the ones suitable for my boat were amazingly  cheap at around R200.  I will return today (Saturday) with my shopping list.  Fortunately the bus station is only a few meters away at the next corner, which will be helpful because I expect to be carrying 4 boat fenders,

I then set off back to the club satisfied that I was now familiar with the light industrial zone of the city that seemed top have every conceivable service for cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, boats, ships, people (clothing, appliances, and medical), etc.

I had set off at 2 PM and got back to the club much more tired than I would have expected from a 3 hour walk, which I attributed to the high wind and heavy traffic.  There is something debilitating about strong gusty winds - it seems to suck the energy out of me.  It seemed like a constant battle to keep my footing and not be thrown over a rail or onto the road.  The wrap around sun glasses protected my eyes from the grit but I could feel it grinding between my teeth.

Crossing the busy Marine drive from the container terminal road was a trap that is going to get somebody killed.  The first time I crossed it I set off on the green "walk" signal just as a double lane of traffic took off like race cars on their green light to make a left turn into my path.  I found myself literally running for my life through this traffic that was in too much of a hurry to be concerned about an insignificant pedestrian.  I had to make the crossing a second time but this time I let the wall of traffic make its turn and get past.  By then the "walk" sign was flashing so I stepped onto the road to dash across quickly.  On my second step a car making a right turn onto the highway from behind caught my eye and I stopped just in time to have the car whiz by like a bull passing the toreador as the driver yelled something at me.  All I needed was a red cape.  Ole!  Seriously, that "walk" sign is a trap for the unwary, who has a choice:  ignore the lights and run like hell when you see an opening, or obey the "walk" sign and wake up in intensive care taking comfort from the knowledge that you were legally in the right.

When I reached the club I headed straight for the bar and washed down the grit in my teeth with a tall half liter glass of cold drought beer.  Later after a long hot shower I visited the bar again and enjoyed two glasses of their house red while I looked out on the maria and watched the wind throwing the boats around like corks.

I had survived the day and life was looking pretty good again.

Mainsail at Loft, Fiberglass Work

I was up at dawn yesterday to find the wind very light and after breakfast I serviced the 1st of the two remaining winches.  At 9 AM I telephoned Steve at North Sails and suggested that I raise the mainsail for him to come and see. He agreed and by the time he arrived at 10.15 AM the mainsail was fully up. I had the usual difficulty of raising the sail from the cockpit using the winch so I jumped the halyard at the mast and I got the sail 4/5 of the way to the top with amazing ease. Even though I purchased a top of the line turning block for the base of the mast, I reckon that that 90 degree turn is what has been causing my problems. I am going to experiment with jumping the mainsail halyard at the mast as far as I can, cleating it off, taking up the slack to the winch, then going back to the mast and undoing the cleat. If this works I may put a winch at the mast and do the raising from there.

Vent to be removed and deck sealed

Mainsail up, with Stack Pack hanging down

Nice clean layout with no lazy jacks or stack pack

Note two existing sets of reefing points

Steve and I had a very good session. He liked the sail, stating that it was of good heavy material and well reinforced at the various stress points. He could tell by looking that the sail needed a third reef and he described just where he would put the new reef line, about 2 meters above the 2^nd reef along a line of stitching mid way between two battens. He asked me to send data on my storm trysail to give him an indication of how much area of sail the 3^rd reef would yield. 

This morning I sent him the following data on the trysail:   luff: 4.61m (15' 2"), leech 5.81m (19' 1"), foot 2.91m (9' 6.5"), yielding an area of 6.7 sq meters (72 sq ft).  This compares with the 144 sq ft that I calculated for the mainsail at the 2nd reef.  The third reef should give me an area between the two.  I also told him that the mainsail and stack pack dated from 2005.

He had a look at the clearance between the boom and the spray dodger when the full mainsail is up and found it to be a satisfactory 9".  This will allow him to raise the back of the spray dodger 2 or 3 inches, allowing drainage of water forward along the top and making my access to the companionway a bit easier.  Before he left I asked him if he had all the information that he needed to proceed with the new spray dodger and the canvas to be fitted to the sides of the cockpit frame and he replied that he had everything that he needed.  I reminded him that I would need the side tracks for the spray dodger so that I could fix them into position ahead of time.

He expected to visit the club this morning at around 10 AM and could have two of his men pick up the mainsail, so I undertook to have the sail on the deck ready for the pickup.  I started off by removing both lazy jacks and as I did that I realized what a great job I had done in setting them up in Argentina.  They were strong, well fitting, and would have lasted for years.  Nevertheless it felt great to bring them down, although I packed them away carefully just in case I find later that I need them again.  I then removed the stack pack (sail cover) and folded it way, although most likely I will put it in the garbage where it belongs.  I say that in spite of the great work that Pato Salas had done in Argentina to repair and improve the stack pack.  After his work it was a joy to zip and unzip it and the plastic tubes on the side were now straight and matched the blue color of the canvas material.  Nevertheless there is only so much a patch up can do to to improve a fundamentally flawed design.  I then freed the mainsail and spent over an hour flaking it across the boom as best I could then lashing it in a bundle with about 7 straps and laying it on the side deck.  I forgot to mention that Steve had told me that the battens would not have to be removed, which saved me a lot of time and effort in removing them and later re inserting them.  It meant, though, that the bundle was quite long.

This morning about about 10.15 two men came and carried the sail on their shoulders with no problem.  While they were here one of them asked me what work was to be done on the sail.  After I told him he asked me when I would be departing Cape Town.  When I told him early March he replied No Problem because they'd have the sail back in about a week. 

I then attacked the starboard quarter berth in earnest and gave it the best cleaning since leaving La Paz.  While I had the opportunity I sprayed liberal quantities of WD 40 on the joint there the autopilot linear drives meets the steering quadrant.  I then repacked the area and must have made a few improvements because at the end there seemed to be more free space and light coming in from the side window.  When that was finished I cleaned the area between the quarter berth, taking the trouble to lift the floor in order to inspect and clean the area around the propeller shaft and dripless packing.  Then I figured that as long as the area was clear I may as well drain some fuel from the bottom of the diesel tanks.  The port tank required a piece of wire to get things flowing but thereafter it flowed well and I got neither water nor those black gooey globs associated with algal growth.  The port tank was just as good, with no evidence of water.  I was pleased and relieved at this, given the extremely rough seas that we had encountered on the passage from Brazil.  I worry about water entering the tanks through the air vents.

It is interesting how random events can lead to a productive result.  A few days earlier I had taken a photograph of the fiberglass work being done on Vinny's boat to seal the holes left in the hull after the marine head had been removed.  I remembered marveling at the ease with which these fiberbglass men could fill in a hole capable of withstanding the stresses of an ocean passage.  This morning I tripped twice on that useless vent on the side deck.  It was a vent retrofitted by some ham fisted person from the look of the hole that he cut through the side deck, so that an exhaust fan could suck up cooking fumes from the stove.  When I purchased the boat I found two bare wires, so my guess was that sea water had come down the vent and ruined the fan.  For me it was a leak-prone tripping hazard.  Pretty well on the spur of the moment I went to Action Yachting and asked it they could arrange to have the vent hole fiberglassed over.  Within 20 minutes David, the manager who had been so helpful with my communications dongle, was at the boat and we discussed the job.  Their patch will have a smoother surface than the non-skid texture of the boat's but will flush with the deck and plenty strong enough.  David will schedule the job for next week.  It will be great to never have a leak from there again and never again trip on the vent scoop.

In the afternoon I set off to find the bus that would take me into the city.   The bus station was actually quite close to the marina.  I walked to the end of the marina then  up some steps to pedestrian foot bridge that took me above the may rail tracks and the highway.  However, halfway along the footpath is a set of stairs that leads to the bus station.  It may be a bus, but in all other aspects it is more like a train, complete with dedicated roadway, platform, and side access like a subway.  At the station I purchased an electronic card and loaded it up with enough for 10 trips.  The end of the line is the Civic Center, which was only a short walk from the heart of the city.

I wandered around the city until I found  a unisex salon and got a terrific haircut from Dulcie.  We chatted away about my sailing adventures and when I told her that I was going to shave off my beard she offered to cut the bulk of it off with her electric cutters, leaving me with just a stubble to shave off.  The hair, eyebrows, beard, and mustache trim came out to only 100 rand.  I then went on to the Food Lover's Market and got another 3 days' supply of food.  I then took the bus Thibault Square in the middle of the city to the Civic Center where I caught the bus back to Woodstock Station, my stop.

When I got off the train I saw the clouds cascading down the face of Table Mountain like an avalanche and knew that we were in for a big blow at the marina.  The clouds are known as "The Tablecloth" and are a sure indication of strong winds at the marina.  Sure enough walking along the footbridge was a challenge and the marina jetties were a particular hazard, certainly a danger for light adults or children.  I turned on the wind instrument and saw a gust of over 45 kts but I wouldn't be surprised if some were reaching 50 kts.

 I then went for a shower then had my first shave since Brazil.  While I was toweling off an older gentleman came in wearing diving gear.  After a couple of minutes he said "Did you go around the Horn?"  "Wow, news gets around fast." I said.  He replied that he had noticed the ring on my ear, which I had totally forgotten about.  I explained how I had indeed rounded the Horn west-to-east with the cape to my left, which entitled me to wear the ring on my left ear.  As I left I thanked him for noticing the earring and its meaning.  He was the first that I know of, and I hope that there will be others.

Afterwards of course was the obligatory half liter glass of cold draft beer.

Winches Serviced

Today was a sunny but windy day so I decided to stay on the boat and begins servicing the winches.  By 7 PM I had serviced the 4 cockpit winches, Maxwell two-speed self tailing 28's.  Four winches in one day was a new record for me, but servicing regularly seems to pay big dividends in the ease with which the winches can be taken apart and cleaned.

First winch ready for cleaning and lubrication.  Note sheet to guard against parts and tools going overboard.

I found that the lanolin grease that I had used in my last service in Argentina had worked very well.  The old grease was much easier to remove than the standard winch grease.

At the end of the day the four winches were moving and clicking like new ones so I rewarded myself with a long hot shower and a tall draft beer followed by 2 glasses of house red at the bar.

Early tomorrow I will tackle the 2 Maxwell 22's on the cabin.  Because they are smaller they are easier to service so I think that I can do them in the time that it takes to service one of the 28's.  If the wind is light as expected I will then raise the mainsail and call Steve to come and have a look.

After the winches are serviced the only major hands on maintenance task will be an oil and filter change of the engine,

Contact with North Sails

I telephoned Steve Meek at North Sails this morning and we had discussions that exceeded all of my expectations.

From the moment we began speaking on the telephone I felt that we were talking the same language and had the same ideas about the issues.

After introducing myself and explaining my situation I asked him if he could make a new canvas spray dodger for me, and he replied No Problem.  I told him that he could use the existing dodger as a template but there was one modification that I wanted to discuss with him.

The next question was could he restitch my mainsail because it had done a lot of miles and I was worried about UV damage to the stitching.  He agreed that it was a good idea and he would put two additional rows of stitching on the sail.

I then told him that I wanted to discuss with him the possibility of a new mainsail cover and when I described my setup with a stack pack and lazy jacks he passed some interesting opinions on stack packs.  He thinks that they are necessary on certain boats, for example on big catamarans where the boom is too high for easy reach, but he would not recommend one for a cruising boat like mine because it results in thousands of miles of sailing with the stack pack hanging or tucked into the sides of the boom,  As for lazy jacks, he had doubts about them being worthwhile.  That launched me into a monologue of everything that I hate about my lazy jacks, and he could understand my problems.  He thinks that lazy jacks are useful for the initial drop of the sail, but it should be a simple matter to jump on the cabin and tie the sail to the boom.  I liked what I was hearing and I thanked him for letting me know that I wasn't some sort of extremist on the issue.

Steve arrived at the boat just after noon and we spent an extremely productive 2 hours discussing the work.  When he learned that I had only two sets of reefing points he expressed some reservation which got me started on my regular complaint that the second reef leaves me with too much canvas for sailing or even heaving to in heavy weather.  He told me that he could add a third reef to the sail.  We looked at a method of adding a third reefing line and I concluded that it would be too complicated, what with a cheek block on the boom, 2 more blocks at the mast, another line into the cockpit where there was no room in the organizer or the cleats.  I jumped at Steve's suggestion that I simply move the 1st reef line to the 3rd reef point when I go to the 2nd reef and expect worsening weather.  I will master that technique because I will be determined to make it work. 

He then took measurements for the sail cover and described how it would be constructed and fit.  I had suggested that the front of the cover should be tied at the front of the mast in order to let air pass through to dry the sail but he advised to have a zipper to prevent dust and grime from being brought in by the wind.  This made sense to me, so zipper it will be.  I complained that the mast steps never line up with the openings provided for them on the stack pack and he told me that his measurements were for the sail cover to go over the mast steps, with a strip of reenforcing inside of the cover.  That sounded good to me.  I then asked him if we would have to put slides along the foot of the sail and here I learned something new.  I had thought that the mainsail was loose footed as a necessity in order to allow the stack pack to slide on, but in fact a loose footed mainsail is preferred because it yields a better sail shape.

So it was settled: an ordinary sail cover, no lazy jacks, and I would be able to sail with a clean boom where I could see the entire sail and not have canvas hanging off the sides.  No longer would I have to deal with lazy jacks that got hung up at the ends of the battens when raising the mainsail.  It was exactly the setup that I wanted to return to.

We then had a look at the spray dodger.  With no comment or prompting from me the first thing he said was that he didn't like those press studs used to fix the canvas to the coaming.   Bingo!  Bulls Eye!  That was exactly the modification that I wanted to discuss.  He said that a track and a bolt rope as there was along the front of the dodger was the way that he would do it, which was the solution that I would have suggested.  So we'll have the dodger firmly fixed along the sides with strong and well sealed tracks.  He suggested raising the back end of the dodger a few inches, and I agreed, pending an examination that I describe below.  Steve agreed that 2 windows was preferable to one big one, and although they don't use window covers much in Cape Town he agreed to provide them after I explained the strong summer sun in Western Australia.

I also asked him if I could try out an idea with him that me might think a bit loopy. He replied that he does all sort of special things for people.  I told him how when hove to the boat will not point sufficiently into the weather because there is not enough windage aft of the mast.  My idea was to fix heavy canvas material on the upper half of the side of the cockpit frame.  This would provide an area of resistance of roughly 0.5 by 2 meters, or 1 sq meter.  That may not sound like much, but in a gale it could provide a significant turning moment mostly behind the wheel.

Steve though that it would work so we discussed its design.  He came up with the idea of extending it to the davits for that extra bit of area, which made sense.  The material will be strong, relatively cheap, not very UV resistant, though I don't think that it will be an issue since I would expect to use the material only in heavy weather.  The canvas will be fixed to the frame at the 4 corners and along the horizontal bar at the bottom.  Steve did not think that the zipper for fixing the sun shades would be strong enough for the job so the entire upper edge will be unsupported.

Then there was the question of one canvas which could be fixed to the appropriate side for heaving to, or two canvases.  I was leaning toward two in order to have them both set up and feel free to heave to on either side.  Steve then thought that using one canvas on each side will create a "slot" affect (i.e. the wind speeding up between the two canvases as per Bernoulli's Theorem) which would add to the turning moment on the stern.  So two canvases it will be.

If this canvas idea works it will transform my heave to experience.  I might even be able to heave to with the storm trysail or the 3rd reef of the mainsail.  

Steve then returned to North Sails - which is only about 2 km away - to work out his quotations.  My task is to fully raise the mainsail on the first quiet day (the wind is howling today) and call Steve so that he can plan the location of the third reef and, most importantly, measure the clearance between the boom and the spray dodger to determine if raising it a few inches is feasible. 

I asked Steve if he had enough time to do the work given that I was departing for Australia on 4 March.  He replied that there is plenty of time.  He said that they do sail repairs in 3 or 4 days, maybe a day or 2 later if there is a regatta on.  He saw no problem in getting the work done on time.

We also had a discussion about Vinny.  It turns out that Vinny has been around the Cape area for over a year.  Somehow he managed to beach his boat near Simons Town and it had to be dragged off.  Even back then he was on crutches.  I had assumed that Vinny had broken his leg during the collision with the container but no, it's an old break.  Vinny had told me that it would take time to heal, but gee, a year sounds like sufficient time to me  He had had his 50' boat at the corner only a few feet from Pachuca's present location and apparently the dog drove people nuts by barking at everyone who came by.  The yacht club just doesn't want him around and yet there he still was.  Steve pointed to where his bow was sticking out a few feet from behind another boat.  He had sneaked to the end of the jetty overnight which explains why I had not seen him at the VandA marina. 

Steve knew Vinny's present boat quite well.  He went out on her first sail in the late 70's.  They had a spinnaker up, broached, and when the boat came back up the mast was on the side broken.  Steve thinks that the boat is not very suitable for cruising and could definitely do with a second set of spreaders.  I said that I doubted that Vinny would go to the trouble and expense.  I was too busy today to visit Vinny but if he is still there in the morning I'll pay him a call.

Steve and I talked a bit about Jon Sanders whom he had met twice over the past couple of decades.  I told him that my experiences had greatly increased my respect for Jon as an outstanding sailor.  To do a triple non stop circumnavigation both ways means that you can't pick the optimal season or the optimal direction (e.g. rounding the Horn East to West) which means that you take the worst that nature can throw at you. 

Steve himself is an accomplished sailor, with from memory 3 Cape Town - Rio races and many other international ocean races under his belt.  He told me that he had a place on one of the Whitbread races but decided to return to SA for personal reasons.