Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Wind Whisperer
I went down to the boat on Saturday. They were predicting gusts to 65 knots - a perfect day to get blown away. I spent the morning replacing the last of the old reading lamps with the newer frosted glass lamps. Soldering wires, drilling holes, driving screws, I kept an eye on the wind speed while I worked, taking a peek whenever the din outside rallied in ferocity. Sometime around 5 when the shrouds started to howl, I figured it was time to take advantage of the front row seats. I carried up a folding cushion and settled in to watch the cacophony. The Fury of flogging tarps on the Aurora bridge added to a thousand banging halyards. Over all the percusion, the wind sang a keening, wailing anthem. I sat and watched in silence, a whisperer in its midst.
Monday, October 17, 2016
The water maker is up and running!
It took a few weeks to get there, but Quijote can finally desalinate water. The fun started by rewiring an unused circuit breaker to provide power. Curiously the previous owner disconnected the power wires and left the ends free for me to try and find. A more cynical mind would wonder if he wanted me to be able to test the water maker before buying the boat.
The next obstacle was to try and figure out the source of sea water. I started pulling floorboards and found a sea strainer and through-hull valve under screwed down floorboards. I would classify that under the shoddy installation department. If the hose was severed and water started gushing in, I might have found myself ankle deep in water, not knowing where the water was coming from. Every other through-hull has an access port that can be lifted from the floor.
I replaced the sea strainer and moved it into the engine room with all the other components of the system. I also started work on an access port through the floorboard.
With that it was time to start troubleshooting. I installed new filters and fired it up. It was encouraging to hear the pump come on and see things proceeding properly, but it was no surprise to then find it generating errors. First it told me the filters need to be checked even though they were new. That problem turned out to be bad pressure sensors. Then it started shutting down with a salinity probe failure, so I replaced the salinity probe.
With that, the system seems to work. Granted it's working in Lake Union where the salinity of the water is about 70ppm. Less than 750ppm is classified as "fresh," while puget sound is in the tens of thousands of ppm. It'll be interesting to try it in real salt water when I get the boat out in Puget Sound, but at least everything is behaving without generating errors.
Two cheers for Quijote! We'll cheer once more when we get a cup of fresh water from Puget Sound. To that end, I installed a sample valve that will let me sample the water before diverting it to the water tanks.
The next obstacle was to try and figure out the source of sea water. I started pulling floorboards and found a sea strainer and through-hull valve under screwed down floorboards. I would classify that under the shoddy installation department. If the hose was severed and water started gushing in, I might have found myself ankle deep in water, not knowing where the water was coming from. Every other through-hull has an access port that can be lifted from the floor.
I replaced the sea strainer and moved it into the engine room with all the other components of the system. I also started work on an access port through the floorboard.
With that it was time to start troubleshooting. I installed new filters and fired it up. It was encouraging to hear the pump come on and see things proceeding properly, but it was no surprise to then find it generating errors. First it told me the filters need to be checked even though they were new. That problem turned out to be bad pressure sensors. Then it started shutting down with a salinity probe failure, so I replaced the salinity probe.
With that, the system seems to work. Granted it's working in Lake Union where the salinity of the water is about 70ppm. Less than 750ppm is classified as "fresh," while puget sound is in the tens of thousands of ppm. It'll be interesting to try it in real salt water when I get the boat out in Puget Sound, but at least everything is behaving without generating errors.
Two cheers for Quijote! We'll cheer once more when we get a cup of fresh water from Puget Sound. To that end, I installed a sample valve that will let me sample the water before diverting it to the water tanks.
New Quijote Blog
This is the first post in a new Quijote blog that will keep interested folks up to date on all things Quijote. I expect it will detail maintenance, local trips, and future plans. So stay tuned!
Since returning from our epic trip to Glacier bay this summer (see svquijote.blogspot.com), I've been mostly focused on maintenance and repair aboard Quijote. I'll tell you what I've been up to in coming posts shortly.
Sad to say I haven't been out sailing since my return; preferring to putter around the boat and work instead. In fact the main sail has been removed for repair, so I don't expect to get out any time soon. Looking at that weather, maybe it's just as well.
This Thursday I will meet with Carol Hasse from Port Townsend Sails to take measurements for storm sails and to hand off the mainsail for repair. The mainsail needs a couple of things that I know of. The sail is mast furled and as such has a small corner of the clew that is exposed to sunlight when furled. That small bit of sail is covered with fabric for protection against UV. The barrier has done it's job, but now needs to be replaced.
The sail has vertical battens that give it, with its positive roach, a better shape than it would have without battens Some of the stitching that connects the batten pockets to the sail have started to deteriorate and will need to be reinforced or replaced.
That's what's coming; next I'll talk about what's been done since we returned. I'm sure you can hardly wait.
Since returning from our epic trip to Glacier bay this summer (see svquijote.blogspot.com), I've been mostly focused on maintenance and repair aboard Quijote. I'll tell you what I've been up to in coming posts shortly.
Sad to say I haven't been out sailing since my return; preferring to putter around the boat and work instead. In fact the main sail has been removed for repair, so I don't expect to get out any time soon. Looking at that weather, maybe it's just as well.
This Thursday I will meet with Carol Hasse from Port Townsend Sails to take measurements for storm sails and to hand off the mainsail for repair. The mainsail needs a couple of things that I know of. The sail is mast furled and as such has a small corner of the clew that is exposed to sunlight when furled. That small bit of sail is covered with fabric for protection against UV. The barrier has done it's job, but now needs to be replaced.
The sail has vertical battens that give it, with its positive roach, a better shape than it would have without battens Some of the stitching that connects the batten pockets to the sail have started to deteriorate and will need to be reinforced or replaced.
That's what's coming; next I'll talk about what's been done since we returned. I'm sure you can hardly wait.
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