By C45Sanctuary on 8/19/2010 12:00 AM

We departed just after 700 this morning under engine power.  By 730, we were well out into the bay.  We had some decent winds from the SSW (about 10 knots), so I cut the engine (manual process again, that stop switch needs to be replaced).  Under sail, we managed to hit 6.2 knots on the way to Mud Island.  Then, when we turned to take the winds across the port beam, we picked up some more speed.  We maintained 7.2 knots for several minutes with about 10 knots of wind from an ideal (270 relative) direction.  The sailing was so fast we were back in port by 1030.  We'd managed to go further in three hours under sail than we had in five hours the day before; and half of yesterday's distance was motoring (at max achievable RPM) at a slower pace than we could achieve today with sail power.

After returning to port, I decided to disassemble the cockpit enclosure.  There is too much remaining undone to do it here at the dock.  Plus, I am going to make some minor modifications to my design.  All of that will progress much faster at the workshop.

By C45Sanctuary on 8/18/2010 12:00 AM

We cleared the docks just after 7am.  I motored all the way to the lighthouse, checking the bilge on regular occasions.  I did not see any additional accumulation of oil.  Maybe that problem is fixed.  The low-RPM issue, however, still remains.  When in gear, it tops out at about 1700 RPM when cruising.  That's about 800 less than it should be.

We arrived at the lighthouse just after 830.  I turned into the wind, raised the sails, turned to catch the wind, then attempted to stop the engine.  The stop swith on the engine is giving me grief; it will need to be replaced.  I think I will handle that task myself.  After manually stopping the engine (open the engine compartment and manually move the kill switch) we were sailing with a light breeze.

A very light breeze.

Winds were from the SSW at about 5 knots.  We managed just under 3 knots through the water.  As the morning progressed, the winds died down to nothing several times and the summer heat increased.  We had a few minor rain showers to cool us off.  Then, around 1230, I started the engine and motored back to the dock.  Maybe the winds will be better tomorrow.

By C45Sanctuary on 8/17/2010 12:00 AM

I had the bright idea to turn Sanctuary so she was mooked Mediterranean-style (bow out). The winds were almost non-existent so it would be a simple matter to just use docking lines for the maneuver.  Craig was out and about, and he suggested I start the engine to aid in the process.  I was thinking that the engine was completely unneccessary and just added complexity.  However, Craig's advice is always spot-on, so I went down below to connect the backup starter battery.  (I had not cracked open the battery compartment to do cable inspections, so jumping the engine was the easier solution). I noticed the bilge wasn't completely dry when I removed the floor panels.  When I stepped up out of the engine compartment, and put my foot on the floor, I discovered the liquid in the bilge was NOT water ... it was oil.  A lot of it. Well, that is definitely going to put a damper on my sailing plans for Wednesday and Thursday.

Craig went with me to Gatewood Marine.  Both Gene and Mr. Gatewood were there.  Craig spoke first, about how I was pretty upset.  Which wasn't true because, by this point in time, I have become numb to the incessant chain of bad events.  I let them know there was a massive amount of oil in the bilge.  I didn't see where it was leaking from, but it was probably caused yesterday when I ran the engine for about ten minutes.  We left, and I decided that today was not the day to mess with the mooring lines.  Mediterranean-style docking would have to wait for another day.

Gene arrived a few minutes later.  Between the two of us, we spent the better part of five hours removing the oil from the bilge.  The entire time Gene was thinking the oil leak was probably a hole in the oil pan (which I could not fathom being the source).  It just didn't fit the known facts.  If there was a hole in the oil pan, then I would have seen oil in the bilge before, or the amount of oil would have been a little bit, building up over time as a hole in the pan grew larger.  This was a LOT of oil, and it all occurred in the past 24 hours.  It probably occurred in the ten minutes when I was running the engine.

After the bilge was cleaned (very tiring work) we started the engine.  Within a few seconds, Gene identified the source of the oil leak: One of the oil hoses he had replaced before going on vacation.  That made a lot more sense and it fit all of the known facts.  The hose fittings were tightened.  I then ran the engine for about half an hour and verified the oil leak had been corrected.  Most of the daylight hours were consumed working on the engine.  However, I had a lot more to accomplish before I could turn in for the night.

By C45Sanctuary on 8/17/2010 12:00 AM

Due to the massive amount of time spent correcting the engine problem, I was unable to install and configure everything I had planned for today.  I contented myself with running the cabling for the radar sensor, removing the old cabling for the old radar and chart plotter (without cutting the old cable; I was giving my old system to Craig), and doing various electrical work at the breaker panel.

Four of the old breakers were completely recycled.  The more I dig around at the wiring panel, the more I am amazed that ANYTHING works at all.  Installing the new electronics should have been a straightforward excercise in removing one set of wires and replacing a new set to the same breakers.  However ... it is never that simple.

I decided that this would be a good time to put in three bus bars (positive, ground, and negative).  The existing mess uses jumpered connection bars; it is unsightly, inefficient, and causes a significant amount of confusion when adding or removing circuits.  I won't replace the existing mess entirely on the first day; I will, however, install new circuits by adhering to best practice standards.  The old stuff will be migrated to the standard as time and energy permit.  Fortunately, I had the entire NMEA 2000 network, as well as the NavNet3D network, already pre-configured at my workshop back at home port.  If I had to do much more than pull some wires and connect a few circuits, this project would not have produced any usable results today.

By late evening, the radar sensor was communicating with the chart plotter (MFD-8).  The chart plotter was talking to the NEMA 2000 network (GPS, Compass).  All of this was usable from the helm station.  None of it, beyond the basic electrical wiring, is in a finished state.  It is good enough to use tomorrow but it still needs a lot of additional work.

By C45Sanctuary on 8/16/2010 12:00 AM

I just learned this morning that my summer vacation is over at the end of this week.  A company I worked for in the past needs someone with my skills set to do some project work for them.  That means I have just a few days remaining to go sailing at least one time this summer.  So much for spending two months with the winds in the sails. The good news is I convinced my sister to go sailing with me this week, if I can manage to get the engine working long enough to get away from the dock.

I assumed the starter is still disconnected (Gene the mechanic said he left it disconnected, right before he went on vacation for two weeks).  I visited Gatewood Marine and verified it was still disconnected.  I asked them to reconnect it, and get the engine working, before my sister arrives.  I would really suck to be stuck at the dock, with a willing deck hand available, just because the engine project that was started almost six months ago is still unfinished.

Gene and Mr Gatewood both arrived early this afternoon and reconnected the starter.  There was still a problem starting the engine, as if there wasn't enough power from the battery bank.  Likely a loose cable.  Gene mentioned something about poking around in the battery compartment on a previous visit.  I'm not sure why he would be messing around in there, since it was not on the list of things for him to do.  The engine started with the aide of my backup starter battery and some jumper cables.  Gene and Mr. Gatewood departed right after the engine was started.  I ran it out of gear for two or three minutes, verifying that the RPM could range from 1200 to 2700 without engaging the transmission.  With the transmission engaged, the max RPM is about 1450.  I ran it for another five minutes or so and checked the prop wash.  It wasn't as strong as it should be, but it should be enough to get underway and maintain steerage.