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!

Customer Research

My grown-up children came over to stay for the weekend and we spent several hours researching where they want to go in the Mediterranean. Our role in this adventure is clearly to move BV to suitable locations so that they can fly out and enjoy lazing about in their choice of idyllic locations. Seems to be a fair trade-off for not being closer to home next year for day to day life-support.

It did prove to be a very useful exercise though. Along with charts, pilot books and the Internet we also studied month by month historical data for the winds and currents. It highlighted that on our current timeline, after enjoying some time on the Atlantic coast of Spain and Portugal, we have to accept that the winds will most likely be against us when we get into the Western Mediterranean. Getting anywhere until we are about as far east as Sardinia is likely to involve sailing hard on the wind with lots of extra sea miles tacking backwards and forwards. East of Sardinia life is likely to get a lot easier with winds on the beam and BV sailing more upright; faster sailing pointing directly towards our destinations.

Understanding the extra time it might take, and the potential conditions getting from the Straits of Gibraltar on to the Balearics and then Corsica and Sardinia, is important for developing our plan. I'm starting to wonder if my kids have got it right - just get your folks to do all the hard work and simply fly in to enjoy the top locations!

As well as the more cognitive planning and dreaming, Nicky and I hired an electric plane to tackled the forecabin door. We had removed this last week and brought it home because the wood swells enough in winter for the door to stick slightly in the frame. After some careful work with a mallet and chisel the recesses for the hinges had been completed and all that was left was to plane off around 2 millimetres of the inside edge.

It seemed like small task but my heart was in my mouth as I 'drove' the electric plane along the edge of the door. One slip and the damage to the door would have either been very obvious to the eye, or need some much more experienced carpentry skills than I have to rebuild the inside edge of the door.

I did however pass my 'electric plane driving test' and we now have a forecabin door with the hinges accurately recessed and ready for varnishing. It was definitely not the most important job but the sticky door in winter had been a minor irritation since we have owned BV and we are far better placed to do the job properly here rather than half way around the Mediterranean.

A Room with a View

Under clear blue skies we made our way down to BV and discovered that the cockpit tent had been finished. Along with the clear blue skies there was also a bitingly cold wind that would normally see us staying down below as much as possible; perfect for trying out our new 'room'. With all of the new canvas panels in place, BV looks far from elegant when viewed from the outside. However, from inside the cockpit tent, it feels completely different. We have over 6 ft of headroom and big windows to view the scenery through; it feels cavernous. It was great to be able to eat and work in the cockpit, protected from the elements.


Given our plans for next spring to explore Galicia (which has a reputation for a lot of rain) on our way down to the Mediterranean, we think the new cockpit enclosure will add a lot to our quality of life when in port, especially outside of the warmer summer months.

Before our new-found enthusiasm for working in the cockpit wore off, we tackled a job we'd been putting off for weeks. Resewing the leather steering wheel cover is no fun in a cold and exposed cockpit but, with the new tent in place, we no longer had a good excuse not to tick off that job. The finished wheel looks great and was well worth the time.

As well as that cosmetic work we pulled out all of the life jackets, replaced the auto-inflation components and then pumped them up with the footpump so that we could check they have no leaks. Sadly all of the lights were also close to their expiry dates too so the chandlery did a very good trade in supplying us with new lights as well as the re-arming kits.

We also dug out the flares, checked they were in-date and reminded ourselves how to set them off. The lifejackets had to remain fully inflated for 24hrs making the cabin feel very cluttered with emergency gear. Partly that was also because we'd taken off the forward cabin door and emptied some of the galley lockers so that we could add some layers of varnish.

We particularly want to revarnish the galley area before we set off so that it is protected against the steam and heat from the cooker when we are heeled over. The lockers all seemed very bare without the usual piles of crockery in them but, even though it is not the best varnishing weather, it makes sense to get the layers of varnish on now to make more time for exploring next year.

The cabin door came off because we have found that it sticks slightly but only during the winter months because the wood swells very slightly in the damper winter air. We have re-cut the recesses for the hinges and will take the door home to plane off a couple of millimetres from the edge and then revarnish.

The seized footblock is still proving to be a major headache. There is now a large hole drilled most of the way through the centre of the stuck shaft. However, even with the application of a bolt extractor and beefy spanner it remains stuck fast. Next step is to cut a thread in the hole so that we can make a puller to see if that will allow the shaft to be drawn out. It's very frustrating when we have the replacement part but just can't get the old one apart or off. I'm sure anyone who has worked on restoring an old car or machinery will sympathise; there always seems to be just one stuck bolt that holds up progress!

Aside from labelling up the new switches and fuses linked with the now completed rewiring work, we also tried out a windscoop we have made. We chose to make one with effectively 4 scoops combined so that whichever direction the wind comes from one of them should always be pointing into wind. It is attached to the forward hatch and diverts the air down into the cabin. Working with the electric fans we have already fitted, we hope the combined effect will make a well ventilated and cooler boat to live in when we find ourselves in hotter climates.

So, once again we found ourselves travelling home after a few days working on BV with the car full of bits of wood, mostly cabin doors and the odd floorboard or two which will go into 'Nicky's painting and varnishing shop' for some tidying up and a few extra layers of varnish. We are definitely making progress but there still seems a lot to do before we will be fully ready. Less than four months to go!

Headlinings and Headaches

Again, I'm afraid, this post falls into the category of being a record of our preparations rather than interesting photographs and tales of exciting world travels. Aside from the odd short excursion, that is likely to stay the same until we set off properly in around 4 months time. Hopefully still of some interest though.

Not that any sane person would have really wanted to go out sailing this week. The view from the cabin was distinctly grey and wet as a series of F8-11 gales blew through.

Nicky completed an RYA Radar course; a day spent in the classroom followed by a day at sea putting it all into practice with a few exercises. I'm not sure that she learned much new on what we had taught ourselves from reading the books but technically if you have a radar fitted to your yacht you should have received formal training on how to use it.

Battery temperature sensor

With the rain beating down I spent that time finishing off various projects down below in the cabin (close to a steady supply of hot coffee and biscuits). The NMEA and other wiring associated with fitting the new chartplotter is all now tidied up and I fitted a small electric cooling fan to the compartment that contains the HF radio. The battery temperature sensor for the new battery charger arrived in the post so the cable needed running from the batteries, which are housed in a compartment in the middle of the boat, to the machinery room at the starboard quarter. The little grey sensor is bolted onto the negative terminal so that it can measure the core temperature conducted through the metal.

Running-backstay block protectors

Between rain showers the new padded protectors we have made were sewn onto the running backstays. These blocks are as big as your hand and can swing about potentially bumping into the boom or shrouds. Previously they had leather patches sewn onto them but the patches were curling at the edges and looking very tatty. Modifying the design slightly to hold the material and padding more tightly around the block seems to have worked out well and they certainly look smarter.












We were also visited by the guys who made our bimini. We have asked them to make up a series of removable panels which connecting the bimini sunscreen to the sprayhood. This should allow us to relax in the sheltered cockpit and watch the world go by even if it is raining or particularly cold. We're hoping it will prove to be a nice quality of life improver when we move onboard full time. It should also provide us with loads of extra space to dry things like oilskins after a wet passage without bringing all of that moisture into the cabin area. It was very exciting to see how far they had got and to see how they had made up templates from white material for the more complex panels to make sure that the final ones are an exact fit. It looks good so far and might even be finished by next week.

With Nicky back onboard we set about finishing the insulation of the deckhead. Just the area in the forepeak was left to do but it was still a fiddly job as the headlining trim panels needed to come down and then the insulation carefully wiggled into position.

The spares locker

We also pulled everything out of the 'spares' locker under the bunk in the forepeak. Lifting the panels at the base of that locker we  found some useful extra storage space we didn't know we had around the holding tank there; that will come in handy for the spare alternator and boxes of new oil and fuel filters. This was the start of a big project to make up a catalogue of everything we have onboard and where it is stowed, along with identifying what other spares we need to get hold of before Spring.

It was an extremely productive week but not everything went according to plan. We knew that the starboard foot block for the genoa sheet needed some serious attention as it had been getting very stiff with the block now only turning when it is under load. I'd taken a brief look at it a couple of years ago but the components would not come apart and I didn't have the time to try to fix it without compromising sailing adventures.

Theoretically the spindle should slide out easily when the securing screw has been removed. The reality, after 12 years of exposure to the sea environment, is an immovable pin. We have managed to track down two replacement footblocks (not easy as they are now a discontinued model) but getting the whole unit off will be a major achievement. The block is very securely attached to the deck and, whilst the two aft bolts come out, the U-bolt at the front will not budge. A real headache.

Taking this 'headache' in stages we have started to drill out the central pin. It's 10mm in diameter and about 4 cm long so it will take some time to do, but if that works we may be able to use the existing housing attached to the deck but with the new moving parts. Whether we do just that or move onto removing the whole thing we don't know yet. It's certainly going to keep us entertained over the next few weeks. We did take the opportunity to replace the genoa cars as they are likely to get a hammering over the next few years and we found some nice ones with side rollers when we were searching for the new footblocks. I think they have become my early Chrsitmas present.

Phew, after all that work it was time to go home and carry on with painting the passarelle and the shelf for the aft lazarette.

Stepping Ashore in the Med

Mooring in the Med is generally done with the stern (or the bow) of your yacht facing the quay. That leaves a gap which needs to be overcome to allow you to get ashore. Passerelles are apparently the thing to have when cruising in the Med to allow you to gracefully step from your yacht to the quay. We don't have one so I went looking for what was available when we were at the Southampton Boat Show.

It seems to depend on what boat you have. It looks as though motorboats must have a super-duper hydraulically powered passerelle which cost about the same as a small yacht. Superyachts' passerelles appear to be designed in from the start allowing them to emerge from behind secret panels; they are even remotely controlled so that, at the press of a button on a key-fob, they can be retracted or extended when you are ashore. Yachts like ours, however, apparently just need an 'ordinary' aluminium and teak runged passerelle or perhaps a posher composite one.

Whilst gazing at examples of these passerelles (somewhat amazed at how many noughts there seemed to be on the price-tags) I was pounced upon by the sales lady. She assured me that I could be in serious danger of a hernia if I went for an 'ordinary' aluminium and teak runged passerelle. What I needed was their special carbon fibre passerelle. Light, stylish and incredibly strong. So strong in fact that it could take the weight of six bikini clad models; she showed me the pictures of it doing just that. A passerelle therefore went on the list of essential requirements.

The start of the passerelle project

For some unknown reason BV's Financial Director was not similarly convinced of the 'essential' requirement to be able to simultaneously host six bikini clad models on our passerelle. For the passerelle project I was therefore issued with a scaffolding plank and some sandpaper (admittedly at 1/100th of the cost of the carbon fibre passerelle) so that I could turn the rough plank into a thing of beauty.

Drilling, shaping and sanding is now complete; just the painting to go.

With sanding and painting the theme for this week's work we also turned our attentions to the shelf for the lazarette; a project which had somewhat stalled. The carpentry was finished with the inclusion of a cutout and the shelf has now moved on to the painting phase. The cutout will allow the Pela oil extractor to be stored in the back corner of the lazarette which is currently unused dead space; a neat solution we think.

Having just redone our First Aid qualifications Nicky set about checking the contents of BV's First Aid Kit. Amazingly even bandages have a shelf life. To set us up for our travels we therefore
decided to replace everything close to expiry date so that we won't have to worry about restocking the kit for a couple of years. The poor assistant in the pharmacy must have thought that we were serious hypercondriacs as we unloaded our basket at the check-out.

Routine Maintenance

Sadly there have been no exciting travel adventures to photograph and show you. Nicky spent last week revalidating her dinghy instructor qualifications and I took the opportunity to spend 2 days on a Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) getting my RYA Powerboat Level 2 qualification (Lots of fun on a 4.5m RIB with an 80 HP engine on the back).  Both us then spent a day in the classroom renewing our RYA First Aid qualification so that we are up to date for our commercial endorsements. That was the out on the water 'fix' for us, so this week we have spent a few days down on BV completing some more mundane maintenance.

Our Pela oil extractor in action

Since owning BV we have always changed the oil in her engine twice a year. Fresh oil just prior to winter and then another change around Easter ready for the heavier summer use. Probably overkill but marine engines are very expensive to replace so hopefully our regular oil change regime will prolong the life of our engine. The first task this week was therefore an oil change for the main engine and the generator. It's difficult to put a drip tray under a boat engine to drain out the oil so we make life very easy by using a Pela vacuum pump to suck the old oil out through a thin tube we put down the dipstick pipe; a brilliantly simple and very effective bit of equipment we will be taking with us on our travels.


Next we turned our attentions to the fuel system and replaced all of the fuel filters and a  new air filter seemed to complete the oily work.



However, changing the fuel filters puts air in the fuel system and diesel engines don't run too well on just air so we spent what seemed to be an hour head down repeatedly pressing a small lever on the low pressure lift pump to prime the fuel pipes and filters getting rid of the air. It was very satisfying when we fired up the engine and it ran smoothly without missing a beat.

We've found that our Duogen wind and water generator needs its bearings replacing regularly. In our experience it's pretty much the only bad bit about the Duogen. At some stage I'll get around to asking other owners if they have the same problems with theirs, but in the meantime we just accept that every year we have to completely strip down the generator and replace the two main bearings and the shaft seal. Not too difficult to do but you need to make sure that you keep your fingers clear when you are putting it back together as there are some big magnets that always seem to pull together sharply potentially nipping stray fingers (mine!). Seems a fair price to pay for the free energy whilst we sail along.

Our mini NMEA 2000 network

When we weren't tinkering with the oily engine and generator we carried on with the task of fitting the new chart plotter display. The best way of getting the AIS data to the new chart plotter was by adding an NMEA 2000 network. This is made up of a backbone cable which theoretically runs the length of the boat to which you add in a T-piece wherever you need to plug in an NMEA 2000 compatible piece

of equipment. It seems to be well thought out and is very expandable by separating the plugs and adding in more T-pieces or longer cables as they are needed. At the moment we just have two electronic gadgets that need to talk to each other on NMEA 2000 so our 'backbone' is as short as it can be. It's made up of just three T-pieces (one for the plotter, one for the AIS and the third for the power cable). End caps which contain resistors have to be fitted. It is definitely 'plug in and play' with none of the foibles of the older NMEA 0183 network; I just wish the components weren't so overpriced!

Along with the wiring we had to do a bit of carpentry to mount the display and we took the opportunity to revarnish the wooden panel whilst it was pulled apart. Lots of work but the end result looks good and we now have our navigation station updated and ready to go with all of the separate components 'talking' to each other properly.

The Mysteries of NMEA 0183

We ordered a new battery charger and GPS chartplotter when we were at the Southampton Boatshow. What we had onboard worked but the old GPS chartplotter wasn't modern enough to show AIS data. We'd tried using a notebook to display this whilst we were away in France but notebooks are not really designed to be used at sea and need to be secured. We found it frustrating to set it up and wanted something more robust that would monitor for potential conflicting traffic all of the time.

The new battery charger is only a little bit more powerful than the last one but it has three big advantages.

Firstly, it knows the right voltages and charge rates to deal with our modern AGM batteries. Having fitted new AGM batteries we don't want to risk any damage to them from by being charged at the wrong voltages.

Secondly, the charger can be fitted with a battery temperature sensor (still to be delivered) so that it adjusts the charging voltages to compensate for hot climates. Ideal given that we plan to sail in hotter climates.

Thirdly, the new charger works with US and European mains voltages and frequencies so Blue Velvet is now equipped for worldwide travel.

Fitting the new charger went very smoothly. It is effectively a very updated version of the old charger and, happily, all of the existing wiring reached. To install it we just needed to drill a couple of fixing holes and solder on and connect some different terminals. Integrating the new GPS plotter was more complex.

With its two configurable NMEA 0183 comms channels I had hoped to save myself the hassle and expense of having to fit a new NMEA2000 data network to link the plotter and the AIS. So, before cutting any panels, we connected up the wiring and ran a series of tests. The problem is that the NMEA 0183 network only likes to have one thing 'talking' on each comms channel whilst everything else listens. With a GPS aerial, an AIS, a plotter and a network of wind, speed and depth sensors all wanting to 'talk' there is plenty of scope for interference.

The other minor problem for us is that we want to use our existing GPS aerial mounted on the pushpit. The new plotter does have its own internal GPS aerial but that does not get such a good signal as the one mounted outside (probably because we have lined the deckhead with heat reflective metal insulation sheets). After several hours of trying out all of the options we concluded that the only way to get a really stable GPS signal around the network, without any interference, was to dedicate one of the plotter comms channels to the outside GPS aerial. That meant no free NMEA 0183 comms channel to configure for the higher data-rate AIS. Blue Velvet will therefore need to have an NMEA 2000 network added so that the AIS can talk to the GPS plotter. At least that will configure her for the future as any new equipment is likely to be able to plug into the more capable NMEA 2000 network.

A Fishy Tale

Nicky and I escaped for a few days sailing (plus a bit of technical work along the way). We listened to Solent Coastguard's warning about lots of debris from the rivers which had been washed down by heavy rain, and we noted the brown water and lots of floating sticks when we stopped at Lymington. At 0400hrs when the fridge (which is water cooled) woke me up making some unhappy noises, I assumed that the pump had sucked up some leaves or rubbish so switched it off and left clearing it until the morning. Once we were up in the morning, after a quick bit of testing, it was clear that no water was getting to the cooling pump; debris in the inlet... must be. Yes the inlet was blocked, but not by debris.  Surprisingly, a fish had got completely jammed inside the inlet and stopcock. The only thing we had onboard of the right dimensions to push it out was the handle of one of our wooden cooking spoons. Not ideal but it worked and we now have cool wine and beer again...bliss! Important enough I think to add a dedicated long piece of doweling to our shopping list to have onboard in case it ever happens again.

We had one very misty day with no wind and so used the time usefully to get out our storm sails and set them up so that we know how to get the correct sheeting angles.

Storm jib and trysail

They look the part and are very strongly made but I dearly hope that we are never in such bad weather that we have to use them in earnest.

Hillwalking Temporarily Halts Preparations

The view from the cottage we stayed in

Nicky and I have just returned from a week of hillwalking in the English Lake District. We had excellent weather and walked 105 kilometres in 6 days climbing everything 'big' we could get to in the time. Seeing the beautiful scenery in autumnal colours certainly justified the pause in work on BV. We also now know that we will definitely need to find space for our hiking boots when we finally pack BV.

A great few days away but now we are back (aside from sending off our tax returns), it should be full steam ahead on BV prep.

Looking SE from Pavey Ark

Harrison Stickle and Langdale Fell

Glenridding on the shore of Ullswater 

Striding Edge - our route up Helvellyn

Looking North from Helvellyn

The evening view from our cottage

The House Looks Like a Sail Loft!

Replacing the sacrificial UV protection strip

Now that we are back home I needed to spend a bit of time giving the genoa and the staysail some TLC. There were a few runs of stitching that needed redoing because the thread had been weakened by UV light, a couple of patches to attach to reinforce some worn spots on the sails, plus a section of the sacrificial UV protection on the staysail needed replacing. Nothing too major. However, when I unpacked the foresails at home I quickly realised that 750 square feet of sail and our living room don't go too well together. The staysail, which looks fairly small and insignificant when it is on BV, seemed to fill all of the available space in the living room. The genoa, which is three times the size, was definitely a bit of a monster to manhandle around and work on.

The UV protection strip on our staysail gets a bit of a battering from the genoa sheets which run across it at every tack if the staysail is furled. So whilst it is a pain to do, it is better to replace the strip promptly before there is any risk of damage to the sailcloth below it. The old adage 'a stitch in time saves nine' seemed very apt.

All in all it took a day and a half to complete everything; far longer than I expected. On the plus side I only got a couple of stab wounds from the awl when I was hand stitching a really thick area near the clew. I think it worked out as 16 layers of sailcloth and acrylic fabric so it was a bit much to fit under the foot of the sewing machine.

It's not just been work on the sails. One of the lightbulbs in the main compass had blown whilst we were away so you couldn't read the compass very well at night when on port tack. Replacing that was another job that seemed like it should be a relatively quick fix but turned out to be a little more fiddly; a common theme on boat jobs it seems! What looked like a simple 'undo 3 screws and lift out the compass' job ended up as a 'take the compass surround apart in situ so that the compass could then be lifted out' job. Fiddly but a lot easier than disturbing the stainless steel work, wiring and radar display. Typically, access to some of the screws was awkward and needed some improvisation. Having got it all apart, changing the tiny bulb took just seconds to do. With the compass removed we got rare access to the upper gears for the steering wheel so they got a healthy dose of gear grease before everything went back together. 'Change compass light bulb' crossed off the list of jobs and, having disturbed it, 'swing the compass' added to the list.... I think we are making progress but the list never seems to get shorter!

I also managed to tidy up the way that the bottom mainsheet block is attached to the traveler. When we got BV the bottom block used to flop over and catch so, as a 'quick' fix, we had supported it with a short length of large diameter hose pushed over the shackle and attachment loop. Not pretty but it has worked for the last 5 years with an annual replacement of the hose which cracked. However, at the Southampton Boat Show last week I finally found a suitable spring to hold up the mainsheet block - a much more elegant solution than a piece of 38mm sanitary pipe!