Barry Tidies Up

Broken die - cue major headache!

All was not well on day one of our visit to BV this week. The troublesome seized footblock was the main task to tackle. Just a thread to cut in the hole that we'd drilled last week and then we'd be ready to put in a bolt. With the bolt gripping the stuck shaft and, using a jury rigged puller, just a few turns of a nut and our 'headache' would be cured.

Perhaps because I was thinking through how easy it would be to rebuild the footblock when I had drawn out the stuck shaft, or perhaps because I had work-hardened the stainless steel when I had drilled the hole, either way the initial promising progress cutting the thread came to a sickening halt with a small crack as the die snapped. Not good news as dies are made from extremely hard steel so there would be no hope of drilling out the stuck fragment. The headache had become a migraine!

Then came another distraction. The generator, which had been quietly chugging away charging the batteries and heating a tank of water, started kicking out white smoke and then automatically shut down; the first time it has ever done that.

The symptoms were fairly characteristic of a lack of cooling water and so we checked the seawater inlet for blockages. Once we had confirmed that was clear we pulled apart the waterpump and found the source of our problem; the rubber impeller had shed two flaps. Another first for us. In 10 years of yacht ownership we had changed numerous rubber impellers, always replacing what looked like perfectly serviceable ones so I was starting to get sceptical about the requirement for annual changes. This was the first time we had actually had an impeller fail but after this experience I guess we'll keep up the annual change routine.

Back to the footblock problem. Plan B had failed. Plan C was to revert to Plan A and try to remove the whole footblock (but using potentially destructive force) and Plan D was to cut the footblock into little pieces and remove it that way. Either way forward seriously risked damaging the boat. Perhaps time for a second opinion.

Fortunately, I had just made contact with the shipwright who we have asked to remove the cabin windows for us in January so that we can re-bed the glass and resolve the leaking window. That is another task that will involve more brute force and potential destruction than we are comfortable with, so Barry Tidy the shipwright seemed the perfect chap to consult. Maybe he would have some tricks up his sleeve to remove our troublesome footblock.

Much sucking of teeth indicated that there were no magic tricks. This was confirmed when Barry deployed a large hammer and chisel; admittedly a much larger hammer and chisel than we had used. Fifteen minutes later our fears were confirmed when Barry announced that he would definitely damage the gelcoat and probably badly.

Having accepted the potential consequences and given the go ahead we cringed below as the thwacks of his hammer reverberated around the hull. In what seemed an age, the only interruptions were a request for a hacksaw blade and a long thin kitchen knife. And then, suddenly, silence.

"It's your lucky day" Barry called out. The footblock had popped off the adhesive bed of Sikaflex and with only minor damage to the gelcoat.

We checked our watches; despite seeming much longer, it had only taken Barry half an hour to free up the block. Great work which augurs well for the windows project he will tackle in January.

Much relieved we tidied up the base and, with a small amount of additional work, we now have a fully functional starboard footblock for the genoa sheet. Headache cured - hurrah!