Flagged Up
The Ship’s Cat gets stuck into the ARC Manual to ensure that everything is under control and the rally flag is ready for the port spreader
Category: Preparation
Keep Sahara Out
Time to service the main sail starting at the head and working down. With in-boom furling this area is exposed to UV so we are replacing the sacrificial UV cover. Removing the stitching and opening the UV strip an amount of Saharan sand fell out on each side. We knew we were carrying sand but machine washing didn’t make any difference. Unpicking is labour intensive and usually involves a loss of blood but the worst aspect of the job is removing the old acrylic glue from the old seam tape. The sacrificial UV strip removed
Getting our bearings
The hydraulic headsail furling started to open up at sea one day and, after opening the cap on the furling unit and starting to diagnose the problem, a couple of steel bearings dropped overboard and some of the nylon bearings were seen to have been crushed. Now carrying vital spare bearings, some of which need fitting immediately, as the headsail furling grease had dried out at some stage allowing some balls to drop over the side when the bearing was first loosened. The bearings are a 50/50 mix of 6mm 316 steel ball bearings with a crush rating of 2,040kg
Spare Ribs?
Found one! Fortunately we found a spare rib on which to attach the SSB mounting frame. The mix of aluminium and teak mounting points with their varied expansion/contraction in rates in differing temperatures are a concern but the choices were few: There is plenty of space and cool air around the SSB unit which can operate at 125 deg centigrade
1,700 Newts
Validating the fixing needs of the main SSB did not reveal much. Allowing for the 13.5kg unit a free fall drop of 5 metres resulting in a sudden dead stop (no distance allowed for deceleration) requires an overall fittings strength of 1.7 kilonewtons. The issue is then finding the shear capacity of A4 bolts in kN/mm2. Stainless steel may have a tensile strength of 500 n/mm2 and an M6 bolt should have , leaving aside 1mm for thread, a total load area of 19mm and therefore tensile strength of 9.5kN. Not the same as shear but the load value indicates
The weekend? A complete bender!
With wiring unwrapped from all that it seeks to cling to, pull down, get snagged on the interfacing of Wotsit A to Wotsit B, C and D may, fingers crossed, be finished. The last job then is to fit the 14 kilo Icom ‘briefcase’ somehwere cool, near the chart table, near the power source and away from anything else that dislikes heat. Add to that the momentum that this will gain under movement and it turns into a structural engineering problem. The process of elimination begins – can’t drill here, not under the freezer, too low in the bilge, too
Month T-6 Searching for a good omen
As the days start getting longer we search intensely just like the ancient mariner for a sign, an omen, a simple indication that we are on the right journey. We have listened to the rigging; not a sound. We have searched the sky; not an Albatross to be seen in the grey murk as the rains pour down. We have stirred the bilge water and peered into the depths; nothing. We have raked the sump oil and peeked behind the headlining; nothing. Alas the sign of a great omen has yet to make itself known so on onward we go
You can lead a horse to water
But first you have to make the water! So the watermaker is contemplating life on-board – where will it live, where will its pump go, what seacocks will be added, how will the filters be installed and where will the pipework have to go. Feel another headache coming on for which I need…….water. Once the watermaker is in place we plan on waiting for the darkest night to onboard the horse and see what happens. 02/13 Latest update – it is now very difficult to find a horse in the UK! We are fitting the watermaker modules to the bulkheads
The Three Metz-ateers
Meet AIS, VHF (back up) and SSB DSC now in place and the operation requires jackstays and harness on land as ice covers the decks and 65 metres of cable to run…soon to be about 120m with the addition of WiFi and SSB radio connections And add Alfa WiFi We have added Alfa marine WiFi which feeds straight through to a wireless router. Not that keen on the Alfa designed mounting bracket as it is not a closed ring bracket but will run with it for the time being. Almost half way through the cable runs from the stern utilising
Month T-7
The relentless countdown to departure ticks away so a quick readiness check; Where’s the watermaker – hallway Where’s the tri-colour – kitchen Where’s the DSC antenna – garage the VHF antenna – rear cabin AIS antenna – shop New chain – boatyard Foghorn – shop Bilge pumps – shop SSB Radio – shop Ocean life jackets – shop New sails – in manufacture Dyneema for gybe preventer – shop The next round of joinery removal, mast climbing, cable running, soldering and heavy gear placement is just around the corner – can’t wait! This month is about securing the