Tamsyn's version of the weekend

Had a relaxed drive down to the boat on Friday afternoon - fixed the new engine cover on (without its sound insulation for now) after doing some last minute adjustments with a rasp file. Will need to revarnish the top edge but the basic replacement is essentially complete. Next step is to work out how to add extension flaps so when it is raised as a cockpit table, the table actually reaches the seats. Will also need to work out whether it's worth trying to refit sound insulation on the remaining parts next to the engine that don't actually need to slide (supports for the extensions) or whether some form of seal round the edge of the engine hatch would do.

Took down the foresail to take photos and measurements for a replacement only to find the previous owner had put it up wrong! So we set it up properly and it looks a lot better now, though still somewhat tatty. Can't wait to see the new one in a few weeks time....

Went out for dinner at Shamrock Quay and discovered that not only does the bar let dogs in, they get treated like royalty! I had taken Pippin's travel bowl which folds up small to fit in my pocket but when I filled it with water from the sink in the loos, one of the staff came to our table with a proper dog bowl filled with water from the kitchen. When I emptied her travel bowl to put the meat and vegetable scraps from our dinner plates into it, another member of staff came and offered to transfer the food to a foil dish for her! So pampered pooch thinks we should go back.... We would have stayed longer but the guys who were engaged to perform live music seemed to think it was ok to put trashy taped music on at high volume while they finished setting up and had their first drink. If it had been demo tapes of their music at a reasonable volume, we might have been tempted to hang around, but having the latest pop music hits screaming at you so loudly you can't hear yourself think, never mind hold a conversation, while you try to relax at the start of your weekend is not our idea of fun. So we headed back to the boat relatively early and chilled out in peace and quiet.


Saturday started off with the ominous sound of rain, though it was only light. It was also cold and windy as Pippin and I discovered when we went for our morning walk. She decided to bring a huge log back from the local nature reserve and was most disgruntled when we refused to let her bring it onboard. The forecast for the rest of the day was F5 with occasional F6 and more rain but the outlook was better so we decided to head out for a bit of sailing then have dinner at the Folly Inn, with an easy trip back on Sunday. So much for well laid plans.


Mark got into the dinghy to ensure the silette leg was well greased and moving freely as we were having a few problems locking it in the down position and we soon had it working smoothly. Whilst he went to wash all the grease off himself, I brought the dinghy back on board and secured it. We did all our usual engine checks, warmed up the engine, checked water output, sorted our lines & fenders etc and planned how best to leave the pontoon.


Whilst sorting lines, I had the strong feeling that I should prepare a line ready for re-mooring "just in case", as well as slipping a line for leaving. I have learned from hard experience never to ignore such 'intuition' so I readied another line and we were set to go.


All went as planned until we got about 50 yards from the pontoon and Mark attempted to turn Talia around to face down river. At that point, an alarm started screaming so loudly in the cockpit I could hear it on the foredeck and when I asked if everything was ok, the response was "Get back here, NOW!"


It was the engine overheat alarm and when I looked over the back, there was no water coming out of the exhaust. Since we were only 50 yards from the pontoon, the best bet seemed to be to get back over there and tie up again quickly so we could turn the engine off. Since the bow line was already prepared (thanks intuition!), it only took a few seconds to prepare a stern line and we were safely secured less than 5 minutes after the alarm went off.

After checking the water intake (me in the dinghy with a desk brush!), the seacock and inlet pipe (lots of water to be mopped but gave us the opportunity to put a second jubilee clip on the hose) and the water strainer, it was time to get brave and dismantle the engine. Mark has covered the details but I was petrified I would wreck something that would cost a fortune to fix. In the end though, it was our only choice to try and gain some experience of sorting out basic problems ourselves which will be essential when we eventually set off round the world. So I started undoing nuts, taking lots of photos and scribbling nervous notes about every step I took.....

Ironically, the most difficult part turned out to be sourcing new parts. I was able to put everything back together again relatively easily, tightening up the belts as I did so (they had seemed a bit loose before I started) and after a heart-stopping 30 second trial when no water came out of the exhaust, the pump started working again on the second attempt after I'd primed it with lots of water. I have discovered lots of important facts like: our engine takes about 50 seconds to warm up (as opposed to the 30 seconds declared in the manual); despite what other people tell you NEVER use petroleum based lubricants on impellers (ditch the Vaseline!); it can be more scary tied up on a pontoon than it can in a rough sea in a F8 gale !!

I am still ecstatic that I managed to fix the problem myself and I'm hoping that the oil change will not be too difficult either.

Productive weekend ?

So in one way it was a really bad weekend. We were due for a trip out, probably only to the Folly, the first “leisure outing” we would have had following our “delivery trip”.

On Friday night we correctly hoisted the newly repaired Genoa (the ex owner had never correctly got that set up) and took some measurements for the new Genoa on order.

It was raining on Saturday but with promises for better weather on Sunday so we donned our oilies and started the engine, warmed it up, checked water exhaust etc and set off. With wind and tide pinning us on the pontoon, I used my ex-Mac technique of vectored thrust using the steerable outboard leg to pull the boat to lie at about 30 degrees to the pontoon before dropping a pre-slipped line at the bow.

This needed quite a lot of revs but ultimately went well and without a hitch and we were soon in the middle of the river Itchen and just turning to head downstream when an ear piercing alarm went off and an ominous red light appeared on the instrument panel.

"Well, that’s great" I thought, "I now know the engine overheating light is functioning correctly - not !"

So after first thoughts of "@!#$" I realised there was no way we could anchor or sail here so I turned at low revs to make my way back to the pontoon. My second ever attempt to get to the pontoon and I had to get it right as I needed to turn the engine off NOW !

Luckily the same wind and tide that had pinned us in when we left now allowed us to glide back without too much difficulty.

Tied up, engine off, change underpants. Nothing is actually on fire so it can't be that bad.

The next hour we spent quadruple checking the engine sea cock (we did have it open), looking for plastic bags on the intake (none), removing the water inlet sea cock and checking that the water started to sink the boat (it did), and checking the strainer (empty) and finally coming to the conclusion that we needed to check the water pump and have a look at the impeller.

When the manufacturer of my boat (Prout) and the makers of my engine (Yanmar) came up with the installation they ran loads of workshops with titles like:

"How can we make the really obvious and 'simple' maintenance as hard as possible?"

For proof see this photo - impeller tucked behind water pump belt on the left.

It was in this context that Tamsyn took both the alternator drive belt and the water pump drive belt off, reached down at an impossible angle to undo jubilee clips on inlet and outlet hoses and finally at about 3:00 PM on Saturday got the water pump out.

Then of course the heat had "welded" the cover on. But friendly boat neighbour John soon helped us lever this off. We then picked two missing blades from the impeller from the raw water pipe work but realised we were still missing one piece. We had to find this or it would clog the water flow elsewhere in the engine. So Tamsyn dismantled yet more pipe work and found the missing piece.

And we went shopping for a new impeller. Of course none appeared to be available in the whole of the Solent for our exact pump.

Throughout all of this Tamsyn has been a star, she tackled the task with gusto whilst I was busy filing a hole in the foredeck for an electric cable. I am really am lucky to have her as my wife and many boating blokes must be very jealous.

On Monday morning Tamsyn finally found the correct spare in Bursledon and refitted the new one whilst I was at work.

At 11:47 I received an elated text message "jumping up and down here. Dog thinks I have flipped!" saying the engine was fully functional and spitting out plenty of water.

So in the end it was a productive weekend. We got plenty of jobs done, debunked the first of the engine maintenance bogey men and now have a shiny new impeller in place.

But with a repaired sail, and a fixed engine I could do with a less dramatic weekend next time we try to go out.

Everything is on the web...

So my boat has a Trapezoidal fuel tank. The sight gauge is quite difficult to read so I decided to make a simple dipstick.

Obviously if you dip a tank with a triangular cross section a half full tank is not halfway up the dipstick. So I was just getting my thinking cap on to do the maths but of course I can just be lazy. Everything is on the net.

Someone has already solved the problem and written a handy on-line calculator here

I have to confess I am feeling a bit lazy though !

Chichester to Quayside (Southampton) - 04/04/08

We walked the dog in the morning so didn't get underway until 10:15. We were now on homeground now so nothing too difficult in terms of navigation. We were up Southampton water and the all the way up the Itchen to Talia's new home - Quayside Marina by 15:30.


Unfortunately there wasn't enough water in the on the tidal pontoon so we rafted to the boat on the hammerhead and waited until 18:30 to put the boat back in her spot.


And here she is ! Home at last !




By a coincidence we were allocated (for now anyway) a berth next to another Mac just like ours so this photo shows a nice comparison of the old and the new.



Total distance for entire trip 218 miles on the log.

Eastbourne to Chichester - 03/04/08

We exited the lock at 09:10 and had breakfast on the way. We were originally planning to go to Littlehampton but as we started to make good progress we realised we would be waiting at Anchor until about 19:30 to get into the tidal entrance. So instead we plugged on making 6.1 knots with 2800 rpm with 1/2 knots +ve tide and decided to go for it

By 15:00 we had spotted the Isle of Wight with 12.5 miles to go to the Looe passage past Selsey Bill.

Sadly as the tide turned by 17:00 we were plugging a foul tide and could only make 3.7 knots over the ground as we approached the Looe Channel. It seemed to take forever to get through but eventually it passed uneventfully and we were anchored of East Head on Chichester Harbour by 19:30.

Folkstone to Eastbourne - 02/04/08

We raised anchor at 08:30 and set off for Dungeness. We motored in flat calm to start with but as we rounded the not very picturesque power station at lunchtime there was a bit more wind and we managed to grab an extra 1.5 knots by getting the main and staysail up.With the sails set, it was full on Bacon butties for lunch - our first meal underway and very civilised it was too.



Beachey Head was a nice sight and the cliffs looked much nicer here than at Dover - but maybe it was just the weather being somewhat different.

The local lifeboat was out having a play - some exercises with the Navy as far as we could work out from the VHF. It made for some good photos though.

We were locked in to Sovereign Harbour Eastbourne by 18:00 and picked up fuel at very reasonable prices. And a takeaway curry for dinner

Dover to Folkestone - 01/04/2008

The plan, as ever was different from reality. We hoped to get to Eastbourne but were headed into very strong winds as soon as we left Dover harbour and so diverted to Folkestone. We took shelter in the lee of the breakwater of the disused Ro-ro ferry entrance. It was only 7 miles achieved but it took us 4 hours. Of course as soon as we anchored it all started to calm down but by that point we had had enough for the day.


Anchored in Folkestone harbour the morning after the night before - no sign of the gale force winds and horrific seas now! Looking back towards Dover.

Clear skies and little puffs of cloud - it never ceases to amaze us how quickly the weather can turn from one state to another within a few hours.

Sharing the anchorage with the Coastguard. There didn't seem to be anyone on board that we could see but they had their generator running non-stop the whole time we were there.

More antics to get Pippin ashore. This time Tamsyn has to row against wind and tidal eddies to reach the old ferry wall and the ladders.

After testing the ladder, Tamsyn is somewhat precariously perched on the bow of the dinghy trying to unclip Pippin from the boat and clip her onto the harness across Tamsyn's shoulder.

Even more precarious perching, in the attempt to get a reluctant puppy into position so Tamsyn can have two hands free for climbing 40 feet up the ladder!

First part accomplished, now all they have to do is get to the top, go for a walk and reverse the whole process to get back to the boat.....

Ramsgate to Dover - 31/03/08

We slipped the lines at 10:20 and radioed Port Control for permission to leave, set a course for the North Quern cardinal and followed the cost round to Dover. The conditions were immediately completely different from the tip to Dover. Flat seas and sunshine.

It wasn't long before we were sighting the famous "White Cliffs" - we had no wind but with a ripped Genny we were happy to motor in the calm. With the tides soon sucking us into Dover harbour it wasn't long before we were in protected wasters again. We did have to wait before being allowed to enter, but they were very polite and efficient.

We were soon motoring up into the inner harbour where the marina basins are.

By 14:00 we were all tied up and enjoying a relaxing beer on the foredeck.

Dover did charge us 1.5 times, apparently we could have avoided this by going in the locked tidal basin but we wanted the flexibility of access times. The were very polite and it only came to £31.50. We walked in town and did some stocking up on supplies before getting an early night.

Walton-On-The-Naze to Ramsgate - 29/03/08

OK so first things first, we were supposed to get to Dover on the first hop but it didn't quite turn out that way.

It all started quietly enough, the first shot is us gently motor sailing out of Walton Backwaters with most of the Genoa up at 06:30 having dropped our lines at 05:50. You can just see the cranes of Harwich in the distance.

A very gentle sea state at this point. We managed a cup of tea on the go and were settling ourselves in for a long but hopefully uneventful passage. Although cold, it was a bright morning and we had the "windows" folded up for visibility and started to make some good progress as we pushed out of the backwaters with the Ebb tide with us.

We turned South at the High Hill No4 buoy and headed for the Medusa Buoy still motor sailing. By 08:30 we were skirting Gunfleet Sands - leaving them to port with a keen eye on the depth sounder.

The latest weather we had was predicting a SW F5-6. Which was far from ideal but we knew we had to make a start and should not be impossible to manage in our "new" but very seaworthy boat.

Only about 3 hours in to the trip did we hear a F8 Gale warning come over the radio. Great, we thought, should we turn back ? By now we had made a good 3 hours of progress and it seemed so quiet out here, what could possibly go wrong ?

By 10:00 the sea was just starting to build but things were only minor at this point and we were still making cracking progress: with motor, main and genny, we were making 7 knots over the ground and were reluctant to give up our good progress.

So we plugged onwards...

By 11:00 we turned more South headed for Fisherman's Gat.

By 12:00 the seas and wind had really got up (F7/F8 I think) and we were just winding in a bit more Genny when disaster struck and it ripped along the leech. It was only a small rip but we knew we needed to wind it all in to prevent further damage. So up went the Stay sail but our boat speed dropped and hopes of Dover disappeared. Being the first time we had ever rigged the Stay sail and the prevailing conditions, we struggled to get the halyard all the way up resulting in the diabolical shape in the picture below.

With this reduced speed the tide turned foul on us as we were approaching St Margarets and we realised it would take forever to get to Dover so we diverted to Ramsgate and were safely tied up at 18:30: a long and eventful day but no-one got hurt and I didn't even ding the boat getting into the finger pontoon. Mind you, the marina was empty !

This presented one tiny problem - Ramsgate marina (being anal, inward looking and discriminatory) doesn't allow dogs which is why we had planned to avoid it in the first place. So guess what that is inside the rucksack that Tamsyn is carrying !

We stayed there two nights and poor Pippin had to be "smuggled" along the pontoon for every walk ( 5 return trips!) - poor thing. We won't be deliberately returning to Ramsgate in a hurry. Mind you they did only charge us £36 for two nights. We did tell them we were a cat and as far as I can work out they did surcharge us 50% but then only charged us one night. We did ask for two nights.

We also found a broken kite on the beach from which we salvaged a thin plastic tube to turn into a fuel tank dipstick. Can't beat that make do and mend spirit.