Thursday, March 16, 2017
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
031617
It’s been a quiet few days of 40 kt winds and temps in the 50°s. The boat has been surprisingly very dry and I’m waiting for some sun to vet the electrical system and how well the solar panels charge the batteries over and above the draw from the fridge and freezer. There’s little else to draw them down that matters and the pocket engineer in me wants to find the operating parameters in the system. The sun will also fortunately dry out the teak deck and allow me to get the new prism installed as well as rebed some of the strips that have come up from the deck. Little things here and there to patch up before we leave. The prisms are an old, frankly wonderful invention, that can be found in a lot of places, the first of which coming to mind for some reason are the sidewalks in Seattle in the area of the underground. Basically they were set in ship decks to allow a generous amount of light to spread into the cabin below using a deceivingly small opening. These are about 8” long and only about 2” wide which maintains the structural integrity of the deck and anyone standing on them along with the possible constant wash of seawater possible on an ocean passage, but they let in quite a bit of light down below. Granted this Tayana has hatches in all the key places for ventilation and comfortable living, but it’s a nice touch for ambiance and you really don’t need to turn on a light. I came across these at an important time in my life after my master’s thesis was successfully concluded and I was given an octagonal one as a reward for a job well done. Maybe I’ll find my own ship’s deck to insert it in some day.
The oil has been changed in the generator and in the diesel motor. Every 100 hours with synthetic keeps them bulletproof and reliable. Not the only thing they need, but a critical thing to keep them happy. A new starter on the motor and a backup in case we need it. Never hurts to have backups in all cases and we are fully stocked with hoses, oil, belts, impellers, filters, and most other misc. parts that could fail.
Because of the torrential rains lately the marina has become a sludge of debris and mud instead of clean sea water and that means no watermaking. The membranes in the cylinders which are highly pressured to force fresh water through, leaving the salt behind after being filtered twice with a 20 micron and 5 micron filter are still fragile and it’s just not worth the risk to the watermaker. Not a problem in our marina because there’s a central building that houses the dock master’s office as well as showers, restrooms, and laundry services. Everything is a $2NZ coin including the shower but not the restrooms. It’s actually luxurious how long of a hot shower you can take for about $1.40US. I took a really quick shower expecting it to not be very much water but then I waited and waited and waited for it to either turn cold or cut off completely. Let’s just say I’m going to take my time on the next one.
Apologies if these seem like ramblings. They may become stream of consciousness more and more as we head out into the open seas. We are waiting for the first weather window after March 20th. We actually have a local weather guru called McBob Weather who provides historically based weather advice based on the highs and lows that come spinning off the eastern coast of Australia. Right now they are pretty consistently just south of 40°S but as we get later in the year they start to creep north, which could be advantageous, but we don’t want to wait that long. The lows here spin clockwise and so the northern side of the system blows all of its winds to the east which is ideal for us going on a run east, at least initially…
Explanation: “This is a consequence of a balance between the force imparted by horizontal pressure difference, friction against the earth's surface, and something called the Coriolis effect, which causes moving air parcels (and other objects not in contact with the earth's surface) to deflect to the left of their original direction in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa.”
Then the real test comes in when to turn to port and dash north. The risk if you look at Windytv.com in this area is that the lulls split the two sections of the earth from the roaring 40s and the trade winds that prevail westbound closer to the equator. Purgatory is not where you want to be and requires motoring… or a lot of patience… of which we only have about a week of fuel, leaving a reserve for when we arrive at our destination. Although arriving and anchoring can be done under sail, after a fatiguing month long trip across an ocean, putting demands on your crew at that point is foolish. Dropping the sails, motoring into an anchorage and dropping the hook is a welcome conclusion to a long haul. Now that’s not to say that’s what we will be doing, but it’s the smarter choice depending on the severity of the passage.
John, or canvas artiste is well on his way to finishing a full enclosure for the center cockpit on the Tayana. He is quite the sculptor, showing up every few days when the wind has died with endless rolls of canvas material from Germany (so you know it’s good) and literally clamping it to the frame, taking measurements, marking key points and literally drawing the frame on the fabric so when he returns to his shop, he knows exactly where the zippers go, snaps are located, and how it will fit into the big picture. It’s a pretty interesting process to watch and I’m looking forward to putting it to the test out there. There are so many things to consider when making one of these. Shade in the tropics, windows on the top to view the sails when at the helm. Windows on the sides for visibility in pour weather and fog but ventilation when warm and raining so it doesn’t fog up. Views between the dodger, which covers the gangway and hatch necessary when fully enclosed, and the bimini, which covers the majority of the cockpit behind the dodger. You need as much visibility as possible in the worst possible driving wind and rain. To contrast that with a cooling breeze in the blazing sun of the tropics can be a challenge and I think he has designed us a wonderful compromise. Surely it will be tested on this -10,000 mile journey we are about to embark on.
The oil has been changed in the generator and in the diesel motor. Every 100 hours with synthetic keeps them bulletproof and reliable. Not the only thing they need, but a critical thing to keep them happy. A new starter on the motor and a backup in case we need it. Never hurts to have backups in all cases and we are fully stocked with hoses, oil, belts, impellers, filters, and most other misc. parts that could fail.
Because of the torrential rains lately the marina has become a sludge of debris and mud instead of clean sea water and that means no watermaking. The membranes in the cylinders which are highly pressured to force fresh water through, leaving the salt behind after being filtered twice with a 20 micron and 5 micron filter are still fragile and it’s just not worth the risk to the watermaker. Not a problem in our marina because there’s a central building that houses the dock master’s office as well as showers, restrooms, and laundry services. Everything is a $2NZ coin including the shower but not the restrooms. It’s actually luxurious how long of a hot shower you can take for about $1.40US. I took a really quick shower expecting it to not be very much water but then I waited and waited and waited for it to either turn cold or cut off completely. Let’s just say I’m going to take my time on the next one.
Apologies if these seem like ramblings. They may become stream of consciousness more and more as we head out into the open seas. We are waiting for the first weather window after March 20th. We actually have a local weather guru called McBob Weather who provides historically based weather advice based on the highs and lows that come spinning off the eastern coast of Australia. Right now they are pretty consistently just south of 40°S but as we get later in the year they start to creep north, which could be advantageous, but we don’t want to wait that long. The lows here spin clockwise and so the northern side of the system blows all of its winds to the east which is ideal for us going on a run east, at least initially…
Explanation: “This is a consequence of a balance between the force imparted by horizontal pressure difference, friction against the earth's surface, and something called the Coriolis effect, which causes moving air parcels (and other objects not in contact with the earth's surface) to deflect to the left of their original direction in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa.”
Then the real test comes in when to turn to port and dash north. The risk if you look at Windytv.com in this area is that the lulls split the two sections of the earth from the roaring 40s and the trade winds that prevail westbound closer to the equator. Purgatory is not where you want to be and requires motoring… or a lot of patience… of which we only have about a week of fuel, leaving a reserve for when we arrive at our destination. Although arriving and anchoring can be done under sail, after a fatiguing month long trip across an ocean, putting demands on your crew at that point is foolish. Dropping the sails, motoring into an anchorage and dropping the hook is a welcome conclusion to a long haul. Now that’s not to say that’s what we will be doing, but it’s the smarter choice depending on the severity of the passage.
John, or canvas artiste is well on his way to finishing a full enclosure for the center cockpit on the Tayana. He is quite the sculptor, showing up every few days when the wind has died with endless rolls of canvas material from Germany (so you know it’s good) and literally clamping it to the frame, taking measurements, marking key points and literally drawing the frame on the fabric so when he returns to his shop, he knows exactly where the zippers go, snaps are located, and how it will fit into the big picture. It’s a pretty interesting process to watch and I’m looking forward to putting it to the test out there. There are so many things to consider when making one of these. Shade in the tropics, windows on the top to view the sails when at the helm. Windows on the sides for visibility in pour weather and fog but ventilation when warm and raining so it doesn’t fog up. Views between the dodger, which covers the gangway and hatch necessary when fully enclosed, and the bimini, which covers the majority of the cockpit behind the dodger. You need as much visibility as possible in the worst possible driving wind and rain. To contrast that with a cooling breeze in the blazing sun of the tropics can be a challenge and I think he has designed us a wonderful compromise. Surely it will be tested on this -10,000 mile journey we are about to embark on.
030917
Pulling prisms out of the deck and having them replaced with plexiglass at a Cactus Plastics place in Petone. There’s a leak around the prism as it has shattered, so all the bedding needed to come out and the hole cleaned up and sealed. It’s been raining for two days and I found a small leak where two old screw holes were next to a hatch. Should be easy enough to seal up pushing a black waterproof bonding agent up into the holes. We added sail tape to a repair in the genoa that was done with a patch sewn only on one side, so it’s best to seal the actual tear in the sail to prevent it from growing. The dingy was lowered to the water and pumped back up to check if the Yamaha 15hp was operational. Started the first time after a couple pumps of the primer bulb and the choke pulled out. Runs like a top. The trimaran is an ongoing pleasure to sail in a range of winds as the sail is furlable and the whole boat is rowable with outriggers on either side. Trying to watch out for too much sun as it burns pretty quickly here. The flip flop tan is in full force.
The water maker routine is easy now. Every morning I’m woken up by the generator or the whistle of a boiling tea kettle for coffee in a huge stainless steal coffee press for four people. Breakfast is usually bread or croissants with butter and jam usually around 8 and we’ve gotten into a routine of working on projects or running errands in the morning and leaving the afternoons for leisure and whatever we decide needs planning. I’ve got three books on yachtsmanship and seamanship to peruse as well as cruising guides for NZ, French Polynesia and the surrounding islands. They describe popular cruising destinations and the approaches to get into anchorage. The atolls are especially challenging and offer the extra challenge of encountering fast moving currents as the atolls empty and fill with every tidal change. We have been discussing the position of the lows that swirl clockwise down here and how taking advantage of the easterly winds along the northern fringe of them will give us the best winds east until we need to turn north to our chosen destination. We were thinking about heading north along NZ and then departing east but the farther north we go the more we risk the lulls that plague the 40-30 range between the trades and the roaring 40s. It can be deadly to morale and your fuel supply to either spend days on end dead in the water with the sail flapping from the wave motion or burning much of your available fuel just getting to your destination. Those big white flappy things are supposed to be put to good use. That’s the whole point.
It’s been cool and crisp today with a lull in the winds which will extend into tomorrow when we finally put MoonDancer into motion towards the fuel docks. My first opportunity to see just how big and how much momentum she really has is coming soon as well as to find out just how bad the windage is on something this size. Phil and Nell are talking about a new sailboat, something a little smaller actually, and I don’t blame them. Everything is big on this sailboat and the power generated by the sails is enormous. There will be no grabbing a sheet to get it under control. There is either plan ahead and be prepared when they fill and the boat slide forward through the foam and blue or just let it go and get control of it when the sails aren’t full of wind. The forces will pick you up and launch you off the boat in a split second. First things to learn on the agenda: heaving to and man overboard drills. Two critical maneuvers when you’re on a long distance sail and safety is a priority.
030617
Ran water line to transom for fresh water rinse down, sealed forward hatch, rewired the compass light, and we had Moroccan pork chops for dinner. Ha! Finally found something comprehendible on the SSB, a National Public Radio broadcast from NZ. DEPARTURE IS GETTING CLOSE. The stack pack (long bag along the boom that the sail falls into as you release the halyard) comes tomorrow as well as the bimini. Time to fuel up at the fuel dock. The first boat movement since arriving in NZ. Time for man overboard drills.
030517
Mutiny on the Bounty story and history of the ship. Watched White Squall.
John came to measure for the bimini
Side boards for fuel tanks installed
Sailed the tri in gusty winds and had to reef.
40kt gusts
No luck with SSB yet.
030417
John is here to fit the Bimini now after finishing the dodger. He really did a great job and the quality of workmanship is outstanding. We are making new rail boards to lash fuel and water tanks to the rails on either side of the mast. It’s critical for these to be fixed to the rails and the tanks are ratchet strapped down to them for security. Blue for water, red for gasoline and yellow for diesel. Got it. It has gotten very windy today but it’s clear. We have seen 40+ kts of wind this afternoon. We got the jib and staysail back from the sail maker with matching fabric to the dodger so things are really starting to look sharp with the navy blue hull and silver steel standing rigging. One blown bike tire inner tube fixed and that pretty much sums up the day.
030217
Mostly it was work today. Generator is running smoothly thanks to some help and we pulled the drogue out to make sure everything was ready. We have to rig it for ready deployment in a bad storm if necessary. Got interviewed, Replaced a nav light on the bow and got some boards to lash the extra fuel tanks to. Got a lot done actually. Oh and heard some great stories about a recent stag party. Travis our mechanic is getting married soon and told some wild stories about him in a tutu hitchhiking 20 miles with a waxed chest and split nipples. Evidently they don’t mess around here in NZ and he was freely calling them cunts (a term of endearment here apparently).
030117
Engine Oil change
Computer pickup
Nell to grocery store for dinner for beaf Wellington
Bought gas cans but no gas
Put together the Trimaran and sailed it first off. The sun was intense and the wind came up in the evening.
Great story from Phil involving rescue services for stranded mariners in England. Amazing charity and it's ALL volunteer. Hopefully I can get him to tell some of these stories on camera.
022817
Dropped off laptop/iPad. Nell had a pregnant MacBook air (he battery had expanded and was making the casing bloated) and I needed a new screen on my iPad mini. It was $160 NZ for a new screen and he said it would be done before the end of the day. Now that’s service. Alternately I got an estimate in the states and it was to send it back to Apple for $250 and you get a new one. Suppose that isn’t a bad deal for a new iPad mini but it would probably take a week.
There was no doubt I would need a wide brimmed hat here and something to hold my sunglasses around my neck Lots of work mid day and sunscreen/shade is a must.
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