There are Few 90 Degree Angles in a Yacht

Great news came with a telephone call on Friday to tell us that the crane was working again and that we are booked in for next Tuesday morning to have the mast taken down and then immediately following that BV will be lifted out.  Next week will therefore be very busy with both projects being worked on simultaneously.  It should however clear the last of the big projects; everything else on the list of jobs to do is stuff we'd like to get done but isn't important enough to stop us going.

We were only able to spend a short time down on BV this weekend because Nicky had to go back into work on Sunday to clear some work so that she can take a day off to be there for taking down the mast and the lift-out.  However, that still left enough time to lay the cable and connect up the contents gauge for the holding tank.  Laying cables is always an interesting game and this proved to be no exception as we found a new hidden compartment.  Typically getting access to it meant taking apart various shelves and pieces of trim but eventually we were able to drill the holes through the bulkheads knowing what was on the other side.  Also, we had to run some mousing lines to pull the cable through one barely accessible and tight gap underneath the locker beside the chart table.  Ultimately, after several hours, the 5 metres of cable was in position and we then soldered the connections at each end and hooked it up to the 12 volt busbars.  The sensor is pictured on the right.  Once we proved it all worked, we taped up the wires to stop them from being snagged and covered the metal strips with spinnaker repair tape so there is less chance of their getting damaged.  We also had to fill the tank with water and empty it so that the gauge could be calibrated at each extreme.  That allowed us to check the manual pump out system.  Just one connection needed to be tightened; much better to discover that with clean fresh water than with the tank's intended future contents.

The next project we started was to make a shelf for the port lazarette.  After 20 mins doubled up in a position of which any Yoga practitioner would have been proud, I emerged from the lazarette with a set of measurements.  The version-1 template of the shelf was cut in thin hardboard and then it was back into the Yoga 'stress position' in the locker to see what needed adjusting.  This little exercise proved once again that there are very few 90 degree angles in a yacht and that it is always worth taking the time to make a template in cheap material.  After another session with the saw and we now have version-2 of the template which I have brought home to cut out in plywood.  Once I'm happy that is sound I'll be able to mark up the angles for cutting the wood that will stiffen the edges.  I suspect that they will take several adjustments to get right.  It seems a lot of work for a shelf but there is enough wasted storage space in that corner of the lazarette to justify the effort.

One other job we tackled was re-sealing two deck glands.  We had noticed a couple of drips of water from the side of the headlining near the mast last winter.  When we investigated, nothing was very obvious as a source and we eventually put it down to condensation (but with a slight degree of suspicion).  After spending a few days onboard last week during some fairly heavy rain and with the headlining under the mast down, we spotted a tiny leak from a screw-hole for one of the deck glands at the base of the mast.  It wasn't a massive job to fix but it was really satisfying to finally get to the bottom of where the small drips of water had come from and to know that it is all now sealed up.  Another bonus from the delay in getting the mast down.

Last but not least, the kettle got some attention to make the lid spring back firmly so that it whistles properly again.  A screw had stripped its threads so we left it in pieces with some filler drying.  The test run to see if the whistle works properly will be brewing up for a cup of tea when we are down for the big lift out.  Lets hope the wind stays low enough for taking the mast down.