They
say the definition of cruising is: traveling to exotic ports of call
to work on your boat! It sounds funny, but it is true. The more you
use the boat, the more things need fixing. After two years almost of
sailing around the Pacific, the engine heat exchanger decided to
start leaking at the end cap. So Mike used JB Weld, a metal epoxy,
to put it back together. He had already sanded off the bad part and
some paint.
This is
what the inside of a heat exchanger looks like.
The end
cap goes over all those little holes.
And it
is ready to be reinstalled on the diesel engine.
When
Kevin came to visit, he brought us new bearings for the roller furler
on our headstay. It was getting harder and harder to pull in and
out. And look they upgraded the design with a flushing hole to clean
out saltwater remnants, good idea!
To do
the job we had to take apart the whole forestay, so we tied it down
to the bow pulpit and used two halyard to support the mast while we
were working.
We used
the jib halyard to hold up the top end of the furler.
We also
used the jib halyard to support the foils, so they don't bend too
far. This is the part the sail slides up, actually it is several
sections, fastened together.
All
done and ready to hoist the sail back up!
A boat
is a never ending project. So if you want to get away from the dock,
or anchorage, get it as ready as you can, and go for it!! Don't
worry there will be more projects to do later! The hardest part of
going cruising, is the leaving!!!!
Hi Shelly, This is Olivier from Chugach, you and Mike offered me a beer when at Pitcairn anchorage earlier this year, together with some tips on les Marquises –which proved good-. We briefely saw each other again in Mangareva…and that is all . I hope you and Mike are well, you are probably working somewhere on your french Polynesia temporary admission paperwork . Chugach is in Hiva Oa on the hard, I am currently in France, I return on Chugach on August 20. Next season – a year from now-, I am planning to go to les Australes, and again I am looking for tips, as I remember you have been there. Soggy Paws is mute on the topic, I have not found much info on the web. Can you point me at some some useful documentation on the web ? And I’ll appreciate any advice you can give me.I hope we will cross each other again.
ReplyDeleteAll the best, Olivier