Sunday, September 18, 2011
Maintenance
Yesterday I did some routine maintenance. The Westerbeke 44B diesel engine had 138 hours which means that we've put 100 hours on Spray since we bought her almost two years ago. I changed the engine oil, oil filter, pencil zinc anode, and fuel pump filter. I used the Chevron DELO 400 LE 15w-40 oil which the mechanics in the area recommend. This was the third oil and filter change since we've owned Spray. In July 2007 Spray was re-powered by the previous owner down at Driscoll's in San Diego. The engine was manufactured in June 2007 so it is requires the low sulfur lubricating oils. I also added distilled water to the starter and house batteries. I started the engine and verified that there were no leaks. The engine purred like a kitten and is ready for our next trip to the islands!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
All Islander Rendezvous 2011 - Cat Harbor
Last week LeeAnne and I took Spray on a four day weekend trip to attend the 2011 All Islander Rendezvous at Catalina Harbor on Santa Catalina Island. We loaded Spray on Wed, Sept 7th and left our slip in Channel Islands Harbor at 5:30 AM Thursday. We motored directly towards the West end of Catalina at a little over 6 knots in calm seas and light wind. By mid-morning we had light and variable winds from behind so we continued powering. We came across a couple of large groups of common dolphins that seemed to be in a hurry to find their next meal. We tried sailing for an hour or so in the afternoon; however, the wind was still light and variable blowing from our stern. We finally gave up and continued motoring to the West end and then to Catalina Head where we saw several small groups of Rizzo's Dolphins. Once in Cat Harbor, we hailed the Harbormaster on channel 9 and picked up our assigned mooring (F4) at approximately 3:30 PM.
This was Bubba's first long trip aboard Spray and we gave him a small dose of Dramamine to prevent him from getting seasick. The medication made him rather drowsy and, as hoped, he didn't get seasick. We took the dinghy to shore and walked to the Two Harbors side. It has been about 20 years since LeeAnne and I sailed out boat to the Isthmus and we were curious to see how much it had changed. The Two Harbors side was a bit more developed with nice public restrooms with showers, a visitors center, and rental shop for snorkel, SCUBA, kayak, disc golf, etc. The general store and Harbor Reef restaurant were still there and seem to have expanded.
Behind us there were three Islander Freeport 41's from San Diego and an Islander 36' sloop from Ventura for a total of five Islanders. Brad from Big Tuna, the middle Islander Freeport 41, came over on his dinghy to welcome us and provide an update on the plans for the weekend. It turned out that the FOGgers moderator and Rendezvous organizer, Don Grass, had a breakdown with Grasshopper and was unable to attend.
On Friday night we had a group barbecue and pot-luck at the picnic area just above the Cat Harbor dinghy dock. This was our first opportunity to meet the other Islander attendees. We first met Islander Freeport 41 owners Dave and Kim from Canta Libre, Brad, his wife Nikki and daughter Dawn from Big Tuna, Hank and Brandy from Windscape, and Phil and Anne from Mouse Pad, the Islander 36' sloop. It was great meeting the others and hearing about their sailing adventures and/or plans. It turns out that Phil has owned Mouse Pad for many years and has sailed her extensively in Mexico and across the Pacific all the way to New Zealand.
The next day we slept in longer than normal and again went to Two harbors to walk Bubba and shower. On the way back to Spray Hank hailed us over to his boat and invited us aboard for a tour. That night we all met at the Harbor Reef restaurant for a wonderful dinner.
On Sunday morning we dropped the mooring at 6:30 AM for our return trip to Channel Islands Harbor. We motored in very flat seas and no wind at 6.8 kts for most of the way. The wind picked up in the early afternoon so we sailed on a broad/beam port reach for the last 2-1/2 hours. We used the autopilot the entire time in both directions and it worked flawlessly. Also, the AIS from the VHF radio integrated with the chartplotter informed us of all nearby commercial vessels. It was great being able to determine their name, course, speed, heading, destination, etc. with a push of the buttons. This was the first time we had a chance to use our rigid inflatable boat with the 8 HP outboard... and it worked very well. It was also the first time we used the Honda generator to heat the water and charge our batteries.
All in all it was a great trip! We had pleasant weather, met delightful and interesting people, got to see Two Harbors again for the first time in 20 years, learned that Bubba can indeed handle long trips, and Spray worked wonderfully. After running the diesel engine for approx 18 hours, our fuel gauge went from slightly above 1/2 tank to slightly below 1/2 tank and we ended with 138 total hours on the engine. Here are some pics (the Friday night pics are from Brad):
This was Bubba's first long trip aboard Spray and we gave him a small dose of Dramamine to prevent him from getting seasick. The medication made him rather drowsy and, as hoped, he didn't get seasick. We took the dinghy to shore and walked to the Two Harbors side. It has been about 20 years since LeeAnne and I sailed out boat to the Isthmus and we were curious to see how much it had changed. The Two Harbors side was a bit more developed with nice public restrooms with showers, a visitors center, and rental shop for snorkel, SCUBA, kayak, disc golf, etc. The general store and Harbor Reef restaurant were still there and seem to have expanded.
Behind us there were three Islander Freeport 41's from San Diego and an Islander 36' sloop from Ventura for a total of five Islanders. Brad from Big Tuna, the middle Islander Freeport 41, came over on his dinghy to welcome us and provide an update on the plans for the weekend. It turned out that the FOGgers moderator and Rendezvous organizer, Don Grass, had a breakdown with Grasshopper and was unable to attend.
On Friday night we had a group barbecue and pot-luck at the picnic area just above the Cat Harbor dinghy dock. This was our first opportunity to meet the other Islander attendees. We first met Islander Freeport 41 owners Dave and Kim from Canta Libre, Brad, his wife Nikki and daughter Dawn from Big Tuna, Hank and Brandy from Windscape, and Phil and Anne from Mouse Pad, the Islander 36' sloop. It was great meeting the others and hearing about their sailing adventures and/or plans. It turns out that Phil has owned Mouse Pad for many years and has sailed her extensively in Mexico and across the Pacific all the way to New Zealand.
The next day we slept in longer than normal and again went to Two harbors to walk Bubba and shower. On the way back to Spray Hank hailed us over to his boat and invited us aboard for a tour. That night we all met at the Harbor Reef restaurant for a wonderful dinner.
On Sunday morning we dropped the mooring at 6:30 AM for our return trip to Channel Islands Harbor. We motored in very flat seas and no wind at 6.8 kts for most of the way. The wind picked up in the early afternoon so we sailed on a broad/beam port reach for the last 2-1/2 hours. We used the autopilot the entire time in both directions and it worked flawlessly. Also, the AIS from the VHF radio integrated with the chartplotter informed us of all nearby commercial vessels. It was great being able to determine their name, course, speed, heading, destination, etc. with a push of the buttons. This was the first time we had a chance to use our rigid inflatable boat with the 8 HP outboard... and it worked very well. It was also the first time we used the Honda generator to heat the water and charge our batteries.
All in all it was a great trip! We had pleasant weather, met delightful and interesting people, got to see Two Harbors again for the first time in 20 years, learned that Bubba can indeed handle long trips, and Spray worked wonderfully. After running the diesel engine for approx 18 hours, our fuel gauge went from slightly above 1/2 tank to slightly below 1/2 tank and we ended with 138 total hours on the engine. Here are some pics (the Friday night pics are from Brad):
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| The Three Islander Freeport 41's |
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| Bubba asking for a belly rub |
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| Spray with Mouse Pad in background |
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| Friday Night BBQ |
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| Cheers! |
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| The two babies |
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| Sat night dinner at the Harbor Reef |
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| LeeAnne & Bubba napping on return trip |
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Sailing with parents and new spinnaker
Today we had a nice afternoon sail with my parents and got to fly our new cruising spinnaker. This was my first several hour sail aboard Spray since completing the Transpac race to Hawai'i. My parents owned sailboats from the late 1970s thru the 1990 and sailed extensively along the Southern California coast. However, they sold their boats when the moved inland and haven't sailed for over 10 years. Fortunately, it was a beautiful day with good wind, calm seas, and plenty of sun. We wanted to try our new cruising spinnaker which we just picked up from Ullman Sails yesterday. I got a great deal on the sail plus a new ATN sleeve and it fit Spray very well. The sail was designed and ordered for my dock neighbors Tom and Kelly for their Hunter 37. Unfortunately for them, and good for me, the sailmaker built the sail in turquoise rather than the dark blue color that was ordered.
The spinnaker worked nicely. It was easy to hoist and douse with the ATN sleeve. I attached the tack line to a block on the anchor roller bail and secured it at the bow cleat. The sheet was run outside the lifelines to a block at the quarter. Everything worked as it should and we sailed back down the coast at 7-7 knots. Here are some pics of our sail.
The spinnaker worked nicely. It was easy to hoist and douse with the ATN sleeve. I attached the tack line to a block on the anchor roller bail and secured it at the bow cleat. The sheet was run outside the lifelines to a block at the quarter. Everything worked as it should and we sailed back down the coast at 7-7 knots. Here are some pics of our sail.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Charlie & Bill's Memorial Day Adventure
The day after Memorial Day, Bill and Charlie headed out towards Santa Cruz Island for a week long trip The morning winds were light and the seas were kind of choppy so they decided to motor over. Unfortunately, about 2/3 the way over the engine died. Charlie figured that pounding into the swells caused some debris from the fuel tank to clog the fuel system. Not wanting to diagnose and fix the problem in the heavy seas, they decided to sail Spray back to the marina in Channel Islands Harbor. They had a great sail back with building winds and following seas. They were able to sail right up to the end-tie on D dock and were greeted by Dave and Chris for an uneventful landing. After a brief rest, some lunch and a couple of beers, they flushed and replaced the Racor fuel filter / water separator. Although the filter / separator contained some debris and water from the tank, the source of the engine failure was a dislodged glob of blue sealant that plugged the intake line to the filter. They removed the offending glob of sealant, cleaned the filter bowl, replaced the filter, and the engine fired right up.
On Wed morning, they left bright and early with plans to sail around Anacapa Island and into Smugglers Cove on Santa Cruz Island. By the time they got to oil platform Gina, the winds were blowing over 20 kts so they reefed the main and Genoa. The wind built to a steady 35-45 knots as they approached Anacap Island and the seas grew to 4-6 feet. When they got to the back side of Anacapa, the seas flattened out as predicted. However, the winds continuted to blow at 35-45 knots. When they got to the gap between Anacapa and Santa Cruz Island, the sea got choppy and the wind started gusting to 55 knots. They continued to Smugglers hoping that the island would provide some shelter from the wind. It did not. The unrelenting winds continuted to blow 35-45 knots. The only other boat in sight was the Coast Guard Cutter waiting in standby to rescue those in trouble. Charlie and Bill decided to return to CI Harbor and wait out the storm. The return trip was very quick with strong wind and following seas. Spray's new Raymarine X-10 Smartpilot auto-pilot did an excellent job of steering while under sail and power, even with the high winds and 6-8 foot following seas. Charlie was glad that he opted for the heavy duty below decks auto-pilot.
The winds continued to blow at over 30 knots through the next day. On Friday morning they departed once again for Santa Cruz Island. This time they headed directly for Prisoners Harbor. They encounted over a thoushnd dolphins on the way over. They sailed into and empy Prisoners Harbor and had a nice lunch.
On Wed morning, they left bright and early with plans to sail around Anacapa Island and into Smugglers Cove on Santa Cruz Island. By the time they got to oil platform Gina, the winds were blowing over 20 kts so they reefed the main and Genoa. The wind built to a steady 35-45 knots as they approached Anacap Island and the seas grew to 4-6 feet. When they got to the back side of Anacapa, the seas flattened out as predicted. However, the winds continuted to blow at 35-45 knots. When they got to the gap between Anacapa and Santa Cruz Island, the sea got choppy and the wind started gusting to 55 knots. They continued to Smugglers hoping that the island would provide some shelter from the wind. It did not. The unrelenting winds continuted to blow 35-45 knots. The only other boat in sight was the Coast Guard Cutter waiting in standby to rescue those in trouble. Charlie and Bill decided to return to CI Harbor and wait out the storm. The return trip was very quick with strong wind and following seas. Spray's new Raymarine X-10 Smartpilot auto-pilot did an excellent job of steering while under sail and power, even with the high winds and 6-8 foot following seas. Charlie was glad that he opted for the heavy duty below decks auto-pilot.
The winds continued to blow at over 30 knots through the next day. On Friday morning they departed once again for Santa Cruz Island. This time they headed directly for Prisoners Harbor. They encounted over a thoushnd dolphins on the way over. They sailed into and empy Prisoners Harbor and had a nice lunch.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Autopilot.... Finally!
This has by far been the longest, most complicated, and expensive project so far. We ordered a Raymarine X-10 Smartpilot system back in August 2010 intending to have it ready before the Islander Freeport Rendezvous at Catalina the week after Labor Day. Unfortunately, we quickly learned that the product was back ordered and nobody had them in stock. We finally got the parts delivered in November; however, due to bad weather, backed up projects, and the holidays, we were unable to start the install until after the new year.
Mike did the install. Our original plan was to re-use as much of the original Sharp autopilot installation setup as possible. We had the original rusted carbon steel tiller arm custom replicated in stainless steel. Mike discovered that the Type 1 linear drive unit would not fit in the original mounting location with the new tiller arm. He ordered a Type 2 long linear drive and tried mounting it on the other side. That didn't work either due to interference with the fuel tank.. He rotated the tiller arm 90 degrees, switched back to the Type 1 linear drive, and moved the mount to under the propane locker. The new mounting location seemed to work. It's solid and accessible via the rear port locker in case it needs to be removed in an emergency. Of course, we now have three new holes in the cockpit floor that need to be sealed!
Our next complication was that the original rudder stop was set to about 70 degrees from center. The Raymarine autopilot requires no more than 35 degrees from center. It turns out that the ABYC standard is 35 degrees and more than that causes the rudder to stall. This explains why LeeAnne lost steering a couple of times when Spray was overpowered and she had the helm all the way over. I took Spray to the boatyard and had them modify the rudder stop to max out at 35 degrees from center. Unfortunately, they screwed up and it now stops at only 25 degrees from center which really limits our maneuverability in and out of the slip. Mike will try to grind down the starboard ends to get an extra 5 or 10 degrees.
We commissioned the autopilot last weekend and it seems to work great! I'm looking forward to being able to do other things like trim the sail, remove fenders, and get refreshments while underway. It'll be even better when we integrate the autopilot with a new GPS/Chartplotter and wind instrument.
Mike did the install. Our original plan was to re-use as much of the original Sharp autopilot installation setup as possible. We had the original rusted carbon steel tiller arm custom replicated in stainless steel. Mike discovered that the Type 1 linear drive unit would not fit in the original mounting location with the new tiller arm. He ordered a Type 2 long linear drive and tried mounting it on the other side. That didn't work either due to interference with the fuel tank.. He rotated the tiller arm 90 degrees, switched back to the Type 1 linear drive, and moved the mount to under the propane locker. The new mounting location seemed to work. It's solid and accessible via the rear port locker in case it needs to be removed in an emergency. Of course, we now have three new holes in the cockpit floor that need to be sealed!
Our next complication was that the original rudder stop was set to about 70 degrees from center. The Raymarine autopilot requires no more than 35 degrees from center. It turns out that the ABYC standard is 35 degrees and more than that causes the rudder to stall. This explains why LeeAnne lost steering a couple of times when Spray was overpowered and she had the helm all the way over. I took Spray to the boatyard and had them modify the rudder stop to max out at 35 degrees from center. Unfortunately, they screwed up and it now stops at only 25 degrees from center which really limits our maneuverability in and out of the slip. Mike will try to grind down the starboard ends to get an extra 5 or 10 degrees.
We commissioned the autopilot last weekend and it seems to work great! I'm looking forward to being able to do other things like trim the sail, remove fenders, and get refreshments while underway. It'll be even better when we integrate the autopilot with a new GPS/Chartplotter and wind instrument.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Great Sailing Weekend!
Last weekend we had a couple of great day sails with our firends Sandy & Bill from Costa Rica. The conditions were excellent both days with clear skies, warm weather, flat seas, and moderate wind. On Saturday we just did a day sail up and down the coast. We attempted to use our cruising spinnaker for the first time since we had extra crew with our friend Dave. Unfortunatley, the dousing sock got jammed and we were unable to fully raise the spinnaker.
On Sunday we left earlier and headed for Anacapa Island where we planned to anchor for lunch and return in the afternoon. On the way over we saw lots of marine life including a pod of Risso's Dolphins, porpoise, sea lions, etc. Our friends Tom and Dave from D dock met us there on their boats. It was a beautiful afternoon and we had a chance to enjoy our lunch and relax. Our return sail was exciting with good wind and smooth seas.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Light Maintenance
It's been very overcast over the past few weeks so we took the opportunity to give Spray some maintenance and improvements. Mike from Boatyard Electric installed a new Rule automatic 1,100 GPH bilge pump, a new fuel gauge, and replaced the fuel gauge sending unit. Spray didn't have a fuel guage when we acquired her. Now we no longer have to guess how much fuel is in the tank (more than we relly need). Although the original bilge pump worked OK, Charlie wanted a higher volume pump for the extra margin of safety. The original diaphragm pump is still in place to serve as a backup, if needed.Last weekend Charlie replaced the wet exhaust hose clamps in the port stern locker. The original hose clamps had broken free and the hose was moving around a bit while under power.
Charlie took the day off work today and changed the engine oil (~6 quarts of Chevron DELO 400 15W-40), relaced the oil filter (Westerbeke 36918), and replaced the sacraficial pencil zinc (0-A) even though it had minimal wear. At a total of 81.5 hours on the engine, it had been only a little over 40 hours since the last oil and filter change. Charlie mainly wanted to see how much effort it would take to change the oil. He was pleased that the job was rather easy with minimal mess using his maunal oil changer.
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