Keeping, keeping at It.

In spite of the optimistic email that I sent to all of the crew yesterday (April 1st,2010) declaring that all of the work had been done, there is actually a long way to go.

The U bolt photo at left is a good example. I've two new ones but do not want to go to the top of the mast until the shrouds are back on. The mounting brackets for the spreaders are back on the mast and the tangs for the running backs and lower diagonals as well. (Four or five hours up the mast yesterday in 30 knot winds. (No April fool.) But I could not pull the cables up to get the pins in. Working on it.

I ended up removing the turnbuckles completely to put more slack in the wires. (I hope you are as fascinated as I am by these minutiae.) And I think I'll take them to Moo to see if the somewhat corroded threads can be cleaned up so they will be easier to use. (Not a given since left-handed metric threads are involved.) Actually, I think I'll do it myself. All it takes is time.

Up the mast again this morning with Ron Dodini, a friend from KYC, handling the safety line and hauling tools up and down on the spare jib halyard (an hour or two in 25 knots and rain) and I got the lower diagonals in finally. (Weather sucks.) There was a solid black wall of wind and rain coming across the bay so I bailed out. The running backs can wait until tomorrow.

Another thing I'm going to do tomorrow is replace the VHF antenna on the top of the mast. Hope that helps the performance. I hooked the antenna up directly to the radio for a test, and learned something interesting. It did not seem to be working even though the tester was giving it high marks. Then by accident I discovered that the performance depends very sensitively on the antenna orientation. Very, very sensitive to the direction it is aimed. (If you want to know if a "high gain' antenna is better (or not) contact me.)

It is sort of hard to see but Ric recently replaced 2nd anchor (lunch hook) with a new anchor, new 30 ft chain and 200 ft of brand new nylon rode.
this arrangement is a little better than the race requirements call for. The primary anchor at 48 lb and with 200 ft of chain is way better than required.

The next item is the Spray Curtain just inside the hatch that protects the electronics from the  spray generated by the "rooster tail"  thrown up by the boat as the downwind speed exceeds normal limits. The bolt rope on the top edge was getting ratty so it has been replaced. It needs to be cleaned.

Each crew member gets a shelf for their personal gear. That is mainly stuff like clothes, books, video games, exercise DVDs, handheld GPS (In case Navigator get's lost.), etc. There is some space for toilet gear in the head and foul weather gear goes into the hanging locker behind the head. Some people try to sneak in their own private supply of chocolate or other goodies but this is officially frowned upon.

Some more PFD testing took place. There are 5 on the boat that are up to date and would pass inspection. One is mine and Ric is using one (that Tina could use if she wants to), the other three are spares. Other crew could use them if they do not have their own. I kind of like to have my own. There are spare parts for all of them.

No Mast Today

Not going up the mast today. Gusts to 50 predicted.

But that was not really the problem. I was still waiting for parts. Finally, after a couple hours messing around (partly with bringing PFDs up to date) I decided to head for Maupunapuna and Hawaii Nut and Bolt to pick up some hardware that I was going to need. Nylock nuts, stainless cotter pins, etc. And, as I had hoped, I got a call, while I was there, telling me that the fabrication and repair work was done. (Photo tomorrow.)

Boy, talk about Murphy's Law. I had just bought new stainless Nylock nuts for the U bolts that were being fabricated. Just for fun I tried out the new nuts while sitting in the parking lot at Moo's Machine Works. They almost fit but not quite. Moo (himself) was strolling by and asked me if there was a problem. I showed him what was bothering me. With a big smile he explained that, as a special favor to me, he had cut Imperial threads rather than metric. That way, he explained, the nuts I needed would be easier to find and less expensive. What a great guy!

I might have discovered the problem back at the boat or worse up the mast. Any way, back to Hawaii Nut & Bolt to swap the four nuts for ones with English threads. (Actually, Moo was right, the new nuts were $14 cheaper than the metric ones.)

Back at the harbor waves were breaking against the breakwater and there was spray in the air everywhere. Down below it was nice and cozy. So, I found inside stuff to do. You could almost ignore the wind except that every 5 minutes or so a gust would jerk the boat and I'd have to grab something to keep my balance.

That's it for today. Hope to start putting things back together tomorrow. Depends on the weather.

Sunday, March 28th, 2010

Makes me sad to see the boat sitting at the dock week after week, but there are so many things to do getting ready for the delivery and race that get in the way. Fortunately Ric & Marie Lucia, Caroline, my slip neighbor Tom  and Ann (with friends) showed up last weekend in one of those rare windows of opportunity between working on the motor and working on the mast. We had a great day out in the ocean. Now it is back to the old grind.

OK. This is a quiz. How many of you know what the next photo is. Right! It is an inflated PFD (Personal Flotation Device) being tested to make sure that it doesn't leak. Normally you blow into the fill tube (visible in the photo) to inflate the device for this test but we had an old CO2 cartridge so we (Ric and I) decided to pull the cord and let it blow itself up. It worked fine.

Then with another old cartridge and an old automatic release pill we decided to pour some water on it to see if the automatic inflation would still work. It worked fine again. In fact it even worked a third time when I made a mistake assembling the unit and accidentally set off a good new cartridge. In the photo note the strobe light and whistle fastened to the inflation tube. This PFD also carries two small rocket flares and a signal mirror. It has a couple stripes of reflecting tape and the name of the owner and the name of the boat are written on it. Most of these details are necessary to meet the requirements of the OSR (as quoted below).

5.01	Lifejacket
5.01.1	Each crew member shall have a lifejacket as follows:-
	a) equipped with a whistle
	b) fitted with marine grade retro-reflective material (OSR 4.18)
	c) compatible with the wearer's safety harness
	d) if inflatable, regularly checked for air retention
	e) clearly marked with the yacht's or wearer's name
5.01.2	A lifejacket shall have:
	a) at least 150N buoyancy, arranged to securely suspend an unconscious man face upwards at approximately 45 degrees to the water surface - in accordance with ISO 12402 - 3 (level 150) or equivalent (for persons of larger than average build the ISO 12402 – 2 (level 275) jacket should be considered);
	b) a crotch strap or thigh straps;
	US SAILING prescribes that OSR 5.01.2 b) shall not apply but recommends that lifejackets have a crotch strap or thigh straps.
	c) a lifejacket light in accordance with SOLAS LSA code 2.2.3 (white, >0.75 candelas, >8 hours);
	d) if inflatable have a compressed gas inflation system.
	It is strongly recommended that a lifejacket has:
	e) a splashguard/sprayhood See ISO 12402 - 8;
	f) A PLB unit (as with other types of EPIRB, should be properly registered with the appropriate authority)
	US SAILING prescribes that for Categories 0, 1, 2, 3 either a Type 1 U.S. Coast Guard approved floatation device or an inflatable personal floatation device meeting the definition in the above paragraph and manufactured to either British national or European Community standards. A light should be fitted and a crotch strap is recommended on each lifejacket. Each inflatable device should be inflated and inspected annually. Service dates shall be marked on the floatation devices. This inflatable device may be integrated with a safety harness (see OSR 5.02).
	US SAILING prescribes that all personnel on deck shall wear personal floatation while starting and finishing without exception, and at all other times except when the Captain of the boat directs that it may be set aside.
	US SAILING note: As is true of all of these regulations, the prescriptions above do not necessarily replace the requirements of other governing authorities. One of the things keeping us from sailing is the need to clear up the "Recommendations" that the (previously mentioned) surveyor made. One of those Recommendations concerned the Mast Step that needed to be "cleaned up, painted and preserved". As you can see from the photo this area of the boat is now beautiful and shiny. You could do surgery here. Well, maybe that is an exaggeration, but it sure looks a lot better. It turns out that the really big projects are up the mast. The webbing ladder is a really big help. Some boat workers go up and down masts with a simple "bos'n" chair. I have never been happy with that  arrangement (above the first spreader). For some people the ladder is enough. I like to have someone tending a safety line as well. It is a long way down. The two worn U bolts at the masthead were tough to remove but a special BH tool finally did the job. There is no standard place to buy things like this so new ones will have to be fabricated. "Moo's Machine Shop" They will probably cost less than if they were made of gold. Now I'm working on the upper spreader brackets. It turns out that (evil design) they can't be removed like you would expect with the removal of 8 pop rivets. Nope! Their removal requires the removal of the running back stays, the lower diagonal shrouds, the mounting plates for the shrouds and the compression sleeve bolt assembly inside the mast that normally holds the mounting brackets. Ridiculous!!!!

Fashion Show

The latest on what cutting edge fashions this year's Pacific Cup sailor will be wearing.

Actually, this photo essay covers only the heavy duty stuff that the delivery crew will need for at least the last half of the trip, and the racing crew will need for the first 4-5 days. Anytime you are sailing in the ocean anywhere in the vicinity of San Francisco it is going to be COLD.

A good place to start is the beginning. Check out the polypropylene long johns. You will be so happy you have these (maybe bring a couple pair). Then there are the shorts and tee shirts.

I often just wear the longjohns, shorts and boots when I am below and out of the weather. As it starts to warm up (during the race) the tee shirts get rationed out so they last until the end of the race. That reminds me; it is good to have a laundry bag that is odor tight.

Next are the shoes and boots. A leaky old boot could spoil the whole trip. In addition good boat shoes  are important. Maybe two pair. Note the sequence: cotton liner socks, wool over that (poly might be better) then Gortex socks (from REI) and then the boots. Warm feet are a blessing.

Gloves and hats are next. One (or two) really good hats against the cold and one hat against the sun. Then as many gloves as you can afford. Remember, all night long it is often squally. That means that you are going to get wet again and again. Usually things don't dry down inside the boat, so if it is wet it will probably stay wet. Sometimes toward the end of the race there will be nice sunny says where things will dry out outside (and blow away) but don't count on it. Kneepads are also a good idea for those occasions when we we get into serious race mode.

The next layer is fleece. This particular pair have probably crossed the Pacific Ocean sixteen times. One pair is probably enough. Or two if you have space.

That means that this is a pretty good spot to pause and talk about space. Each person has a little more than a cubic foot of space for clothing and personal effects. This has proven adequate in the past. There is also a hanging locker (and other space) in the forward compartment for foul weather gear, PFDs, tethers and boots. There is also space for toilet kits above the (non-functioning) sink opposite the head. If you absolutely must sneak a chocolate bar (or the like) aboard, then do it. But, generally speaking people are discouraged from bringing food aboard. If you want to have something special, let us know and we'll get it.

Back to the subject at hand. Marine Fashion.

This is a "Coastal" jacket. It would do the job, but it is not very long in the waist (and there is no drawstring) so something heavier is preferred. On the fore deck, for example, when the boat is occasionally putting its bow under. So, if you have something like the "Offshore" jacket shown in the next photo, then bring it along as well.

Finally, it is time to pull it all together and make a true fashion statement. Our model has kindly agreed to don the whole outfit (in spite of the blazing sun and balmy Hawaiian weather). So this is the final product. Note the brilliant lime green of the hood and the shiny patches of reflecting tape (Required by the OSR, Section 5.)

This is probably a good place to remind all crew members of their personal responsibility to be acquainted (and comply) with the Notice of Race  the Offshore Special Regulations. These both appear on the Pacific Cup website. These documents are detailed and confusing. So, if you have questions now is the time to ask.

The Survey is Behind Us

The Insurance Survey went pretty smoothly. The same surveyor as 4 years ago, so the long winded recitation of the boats condition and equipment is nearly identical. The surveyor checked the usual suspects but really wanted to see how well we had fixed the discrepancies he found the last time. I think we passed that one with flying colors.

Even some of the problems noted are similar (not identical) to ones from before. The biggest pain is probably going to be some repair work on the mast boots for the upper spreaders. (The stainless steel bracket that holds the mast end of the spreader in the correct position.) They will have to be removed and repaired (or replaced) and that means letting the spreaders slack and probably half a dozen trips up the mast. The repairs (or fabrication) will have to be done in a professional metalwork shop. ( All it takes is Money and Time.)

There are a couple other problems up the mast but I'm going to get depressed if I continue along this line, so enough! There aren't really any pressing problems so I'm going sailing Sunday. Blow the dust off the boat.

Round the Bend

The day started out pretty much as usual with a lot of overcast and blustery conditions. This time, instead of rain, we had mist, fog, vog, whatever. Anywhere you looked the view just faded into grey.

I have been leaving the main hatch (under the doger) completely open when I'm away from the boat and there is a fan running below. The intention is to blow out some of the stink. It seems to be working.

In fact, miracle of miracles, I spent most of today cleaning the boat rather than making it dirty. (Which is the essence of what we have been doing most days for the last month or so.) It doesn't feel right to not be making a mess. I also didn't break anything, or injure myself in any way. An altogether fine day. Even changed the engine oil and washed the dirty dishes.

In case you are starting to get worried that I will run out of things to do, and start getting into (idle hands) trouble, you can console yourself with the fact that an Insurance Survey is scheduled for Friday. Surveyors have a code of conduct that requires them to find fault or risk being shunned by their colleagues. So, the results of the survey will probably keep us busy for awhile.

I also ran a SWR check (That's Standing Wave Ratio for the nerds in the audience.) on the VHF radio. It failed. Probably needs a new antenna. Also, it looks like the screen on the GPS is failing. Probably time for a new one. (Now there is a  project: providing power, mounting, connection to autopilot and computer, mounting antenna, etc.)

Oh yes. A glance at the latest update of the ToDo List confirms that there is no real danger of running out of things to do.

Monday Morning (says it all)

As is often the case there was a bit of drama in the sky over Kaneohe Bay just before dawn. The cloud in the photo exploded into existence and was gone in a matter of minutes.

The main task for the day was to (endlich) finish installing the new wiring harness on the engine and connecting it up to the new engine panel. I actually managed to get that done (in fits and starts) before the day was done. The problems were nothing special, just the well known domino effect.

At one point I found a wire that wasn't connected to anything. So, I decided to trace it back. That was going to be impossible without removing it. So,what the heck, I decided to remove it. After spending the next hour or so in many dirty, awkward and uncomfortable positions I finally located the other end of the wire. It was connected to an unlabeled switch which was protected by a fuse that had been removed.

In the course of pursuing this odyssey I uncovered one of the battery banks and discovered that the water level in the batteries was low. So, of course, I interrupted the wire pulling that had interrupted the engine rewiring to fill the batteries. That project, in turn, had to be interrupted to go and buy some distilled water because the onboard supply had slipped away.

Which brings us to the next photo. Here you see the reason that I had to make a trip to the store for distilled water. The bottle of water that I had stored on the boat for just such an event had disintegrated. Simply died of old age. So, be cautious if you have water set aside somewhere for emergencies. When you need to use you might be in for a nasty surprise. At least, on the boat, the leaking water didn't do any damage. It just ran into the bilge and was pumped overboard.

Somewhere along the way all these projects got finished and the boat doctor's attention turned to the bow running lights that were not functioning. It was back to the Sherlock Holmes approach with volt meter in hand but some pretty awkward places to work up in the bow. Without Ric's help I had to go back and forth between the control panel at the nav station and the bow about a dozen times. (Not really suitable activity for someone who ought to be in an old folk's home playing checkers.) Some of the wiring was left over from when the boat was built and it runs inside a tube in the fiberglass that is not accessible. I have a couple spare breakers on an auxiliary power panel by the sink in the forward compartment, so, when I got fed up with fooling around with the meters and old wires, I just rewired the light from scratch. And that takes care of that.

As an aside let me mention that I hit my head pretty seriously on a metal fitting on the overhead in the extreme forward bow compartment. It hurt, but I tried to ignore it because I was busy and had my hands full at the time. Then I forgot about it. It wasn't until much later in the day (after getting someone to help me put up the mast ladder, after talking to a couple other boat owners, after doing some shopping on the way home) that I finally saw myself in the bathroom mirror at home. There was a gash across my forehead and dried blood running down my cheek that I had been unaware of.  I might have been arrested for frightening children (and small animals).

The Story of My Life

Some problem arises (In this case -- with the boat race prep.) and a campaign is mounted to address it. Which quickly gets out of hand, and is followed by:

• Major effort
• Major time commitment
• Major expense
• Stress
• Frustration
• Concern

This is followed by resolution, where the casual observer might be inclined to remark that, "It looks pretty much like it did before you started."

A case in point is the propane delivery system for the stove already discussed in a previous blog. Initially, it seemed to be ok, but a crimp on one of the hoses was rusty so we (Ric and I) decided to replace  it. Since we also wanted to clean the cockpit locker where the tank is stowed we pulled the tank and took it to be topped off. While the tank was out we cleaned the storage space, replaced the rusted hose and put a couple layers of zinc anti-rust paint on the pressure regulator mounting brackets and the tie down hooks.

Finally, Saturday morning just after dawn on Kaneohe Bay, with all the pieces back in place, (And the stove re-mounted, after a complete re-building of the gimbal system.) it was time to just turn it on to be sure everything was working. (Did I mention the broken handle on the breaker switch that powers the propane regulator solenoid valve? That had also been replaced. So, we were good to go!) Well, you probably could see this coming. It didn't work.


The entire morning was spent tracing and solving the problem. First it was necessary to determine that the switch was getting voltage and that it was passing it on when closed. The next step was to check for current in the activated circuit. None. (By the way, I recently popped for a pricey clamp-on ammeter. (So cool. Exactly the right tool for the job.)  The next hour or so was occupied by slowly cutting the wiring apart looking for the problem and a minimally invasive resolution. (Short of simply replacing everything.)  Some time was spent with the expression E = IR, where E = 13, R = 12 and I = 0. In the course of this investigation a spare battery was used to successfully exercise the solenoid. Then the solenoid was activated using a spare set of wires that just happened to be laying around. Finally, in the face of overwhelming evidence, it was time to begin surgery on the installed wiring. The picture tells the story.

Even though the crimp on butt fitting was inside the shrink on rubber tube it had corroded in such a way that it would pass on voltage but not current. By the way, this is the second time I have seen this in the last couple weeks. It seems obvious now, but the shrink tubing is not effective in sealing two parallel wires. The little space between the wires leaks.

The offending joint was replaced with a properly insulated one and now everything works like a charm. And, you guessed it, the whole installation looks (and functions) pretty much like it did before we started.

New Crew Resume - Kathy McGraw

 

1985:  Learned to sail on Lake Merritt, joined Cal Sailing Club.

1986:  Took sailing/cruising course in Greece.

1986-1995:  Continued sailing/racing with the Cal Sailing Club and out of the Berkeley Yacht Club—lots of Vallejo races, Three Bridge Fiasco’s, etc.  Took various classes—Coast Guard Boating class, CPR, North U Racing tactics. 

1995 to 1998:  Spent three years in Palau, Micronesia.  Owned “I’Batku” (26 foot AMF Paceship).    

1997/1998:  Commodore of the Royal Belau Yacht Club.  Organized sailing camp for kids.    

1998:  Returned to the Bay Area and sailing/racing the Bay. 

2002-2008:  Volunteered with the Pacific Cup organization for the 2002, 2004, 2006, and

2008 races. 

2003—2006:  Served on the Board of Directors of the Berkeley Yacht Club.

2006:  Crewed on “Vanessa,” (Beneteau 57), in the Pac Cup.

2006—2008:  Served as Secretary of the Pac Cup Board.  Crewed on “No Ka Oi” (Gibsea 43) during the Drake’s Bay race.  Helped deliver “No Ka Oi” after the Pac Cup from Kaneohe to Ko Olina.

2009:  Crewed on “Inspired Environments” (Beneteau 40.7) for the the Midwinter races and the crewed Farallones race.  Crewed on “Final Approach” (Lidgard 60) for the Windjammers (Santa Cruz) race, and “Sorcery” (82 foot maxi) for the Half Moon Bay race.

Ongoing:  Crew on “London Calling,” (Santana 22), for Berkeley Yacht Club Chowders and Friday night races. 

cold, Cold, COld, COLd, COLD

I can't believe how cold and windy it has been here. I think there was even one day where the temperature never got over 70. Dark low clouds and gusty, squally patches of rain. Sure will be glad to see summer. On the other hand, I was not able to get much sympathy from Donna (at US Sailing) who looked out her window and reported 40 deg. (and snowing).

Since the engine work has been completed we've moved on to the galley and the stove and propane system. Ric has topped off the propane and replaced the hose from the tank to the regulator. (A second complete regulator and hose assembly is in the spares.) The propane locker needed to be cleaned and some of the fittings were badly rusted, so they were cleaned up and given a coat of zinc paint. Now it's beautiful and ready to go. The stove maintenance is a bigger project. In the past the stove sometimes would jam when it would swing on its gimbals. Because of its weight and the tight fit it was really hard to get it out so we could work on it. I'm servicing the aluminum mounting flanges and I used a router to remove some of the wood trim where it was sticking. I hope that solves the problem.

A little "sticker shock" yesterday when I dropped about a "boat buck" at Liferaft & Marine Safety Equipment Inc. For that I got a re-certified MoM, some new flares and two new fire extinguishers with (much) better brackets.

Tsunami

Potentially pretty exciting stuff.

Sometime around 8:30 pm HST, Friday, February 26th  there was a big earthquake in Chile that sent a Tsunami out into the Pacific Ocean. That pretty quickly got the attention of a lot of people in Hawaii. Somewhere around midnight Donna's ex-husband, Bill Austin, called her with the news that the wave was expected around 11:00 am and that people were taking it seriously. He suggested that Donna and Richard take Addiction out into the open ocean a couple miles. A general warning was scheduled by the civil defense people for 7:00 am but a lot of people were getting the word before that. Phone calls from the mainland were common, and I even got an email from Ulli in Germany. What a world we live in, the wonders of the information age! 

Donna  called me around 6:00 am to give me a heads up. I called Ric and he said that he was on his way to the Red Cross Civil Defense headquarters in Diamond Crater. I think that I was still waking up when I realized that I was in my truck and headed for the boat. At the Pali lookout and all along the road near the peak it was already packed with cars even though there was no official warning so far. As the highest point around and with a good view of the windward side I guess it seemed like the logical place to party and wait out the crisis.  Indeed, later in the day, on my way home the area was still packed. By that time people had set up tents and picnic tables, barbecues were going, Frisbees flying and you could hear guitars and music all along the way. I think that if there is a world ending crisis I want to be in Hawaii when it happens.

A little after I arrived at the boat (after leaving the truck on high ground) the sirens went off and even the AM radio station that is on Ch. 160 of my SSB switched over to tsunami coverage. The Makani Kai homeowners association scheduled a meeting for 8:00 am and the general chat on the dock seemed to indicate that people were not going to take it seriously. Since I had my heart set on a day out in the open ocean I figured there wasn't much point in sticking around. So I got Cirrus ready to go and headed out.

One motivation for going out was to put some more hours on the engine. Since we did some major work on the engine a couple weeks ago I wanted to run it as much as possible before putting the engine cover back on just to be sure there aren't any fuel, oil or water leaks. (This was a good thing to do.) The engine got a lot of exercise. There wasn't a breath of wind all day. No, let me take that back. What actually happened was that there was a light breeze that followed me around all day so I wasn't able to generate more than a couple of knots relative wind even by motoring. A couple attempts to shut off the engine and unfurl the jib (The main traveler is being repaired.) met with complete failure.

On my way out the Sampan Channel the tide was pretty low and the sandbar was high and dry. I saw a helicopter land by Kapapa Island just seaward of the sandbar and wondered if  it had something to do with the tsunami warning.  About a quarter mile beyond R2 I went below to get my PFD and tether. When I came back up on deck I was looking right down the blow hole of a whale that was only about 50 ft away. It was off the port quarter and headed NW up the coast, so I must have almost run over it. Actually, with all the breathing plumes and lifted tails there must have been at least two of them maybe more.


That was it for excitement. I went out about seven miles, shut off the engine and just drifted around for a couple hours until it was pretty clear it was going to be safe to head back in. At some point I got a call from Ric telling me that there was a Civil Defense all clear. Apparently there were 3 or 4 little surges that passed by the islands where the water went down a couple feet and then back up, but it was all pretty boring. No stories to tell in the bar later.


Most of the time I was the only boat out there except for a couple fishing boats. Later I saw a couple of small sails. This was in dramatic contrast to the other side of the island where there were a hundreds of boats in the ocean off of Waikiki and the Navy emptied out Pearl Harbor. Someone could have made a mint setting up a cold beer and deli concession. The tsunami was scheduled to arrive just at lunch time.

Really low tide.

Last night Ric and Maria-Lucia talked me into taking Cirrus out for a trial run even though the engine cover is still off and there are some pieces of the main sheet traveler missing. The occasion was an unusually low tide. Almost -1 ft. That's a lot for Hawaii. The normal tidal range here is only a foot or two, and negative tides are fairly rare.

It was still light when we pushed off at about 6:00 pm and the lowest point was not expected until 7:08. I think we dragged a little getting out of the harbor but kept going. For our first adventure I decided to check out the Kaneohe YC channel. So, we lined up on the range and took it straight in until we went hard aground about halfway to the bulkhead. Since we really hit pretty hard and the tide was still going out we put considerable energy into wiggling our way off the sand bar. We also checked the outside channel. It is very narrow but seems to be much deeper.

After that we headed out toward the main bay, with exposed coral reefs everywhere. At this point we decided to put out the jib and shut off the engine since we had about 10-12 knots of reaching wind. As we neared the Sampan Channel there were a lot more exposed reefs and large sandy areas. Finally, a couple miles further west, we turned out of the main channel and headed toward "the sandbar" just as it started to get really dark. The bar itself was spectacular. There were miles of sand and Kapapa Island was high and dry. Finding our way back to the main channel and then heading back to the main part of the bay in the pitch dark was a bit of a challenge. But fun. Not all of the familiar buoys and day markers are lighted. So we all kept a good lookout and compared notes from time to time. "Is that the next red buoy or a car stopping at a stop sign?"

Finally, around 9:00 we found the range for Makani Kai and headed back in to the dock. During the evening the weather had been really mixed with clouds and gusty winds and the threat of sprinkles, but we were lucky and only had a few drops here and there. All in all it was a great evening.

On a practical note, it is interesting how one's night sailing skills atrophy with lack of use. There were a few tense moments, and everyone was giving the navigation their undivided attention. Since learning stuff  (or re-learning) is so much fun, we'll have to go again soon.

We are good to go!!!!!

It's like I've been holding my breath for a month or so. Finally, at about 12:00, Sunday, February 21st, 2010, Ric and I put the finishing touches on the engine repair work and started her up. What a relief.

The primary task was replacing the gear cover gasket, a big deal. But we took the opportunity to clean the sea water strainer, to replace some of the fuel pump to injector plumbing, service the air cleaner, replace a worn cooling water hose and adjust the belts. Since the injector pump to cylinder pipes had been removed some serious air bleeding was required, but once that was done she started right up. Next we are going to change the oil, do some cosmetic work on the engine housing and replace the wiring harness with a new one that connects everything to the new engine control panel. I hope we can get Cirrus off the dock sometime later this week.

Thursday night saw the first gathering of the Cirrus, PC2010 racing crew. Chris was visiting Oahu with his with his wife and her sister and husband, so they hosted the party at the vacation home they had rented. At the last minute Ulli decided not to fly in from Germany and Marie-Pierre had another commitment, but the rest of us were there.

Some of the items coming up in the "preparation pipeline" are new stickers for the EPIRBs, getting the liferaft and MOM recertified, some new emergency flares and some new fishing lures. We're also going to pull the stove out so we can clean behind it and maybe fix the sticky gimbals so it swings more smoothly. I want to rig the emergency rudder and (while we are at it) probably replace the platform on the back of the boat. It looks like the board back there is starting to rot and the ladder mounts are starting to pull out. Always something.

The ToDo List is now a public Google Doc so you can check in any time you want to see how things are going.

OWNER/SKIPPER PROFILE

Bill Myers

Retired nuclear scientist living in Hawaii

Owner of Cirrus since 1996
Sixteen Pacific Ocean crossings to date including two Transpacs and 7 PacCup races
Detailed resume at nav.org
Email: navigator.bill @gmail.com

Sloooooooooooooooooow Start

I thought I was going to whip the boat into shape during the last couple weeks of January and then race about practicing fancy sailing maneuvers in preparation for the race. Finding a serious leak in one of the engine gaskets slowed things down (It is the "gear cover" on the front of the engine.) and then a bout of stomach flu (That required a 911 call and kept me away from the bowling alleys for a week.) really put the damper on things.

At any rate, I'm back and the pace is starting to pick up. I have decided that I'm in a little over my head with the gasket replacement project, so I'm trying to schedule a visit from a local Yanmar mechanic that I have a lot of respect for. I'm sure he can give me a hand and the two of us ought to be able to fix it in one shot. But he's a busy guy and hard to pin down. I have also purchased a new engine control panel and installed it. Wonder of wonders, it cost less than $1000. By the way, check out the photo of the tachometer just as it was collapsing into a pile of rust. I still have to wire in the new panel, but that's probably only a couple days work. One of the problems is that, even though it's winter, sitting at the dock the boat becomes intolerably hot in the afternoons.

For the last couple days I've been working on hooking up the Pactor III, SSB modem that I loaned to Lindsey last summer for TP2009. Sounds simple enough. Right? As usual the devil is in the details. As is normal for this sort of thing the SSB is mounted up, out of the way in a cramped corner. I had removed the modem without moving anything but it just wasn't going to work in reverse.

So, I started by disassembling the computer printer mounting platform that was in the way of the electrical panel that has to be moved to get at the bracket that holds the SSB. Then one of the mounting knobs was frozen (rusted) and, in spite of my best efforts, I broke it off. When every thing was opened up it was clear that we must have had a drip on the radio at some point that we did not notice. It seems to be OK except for a lot of rust. I cleaned it up and gave it a couple coats of paint with a high zinc content. Now it's all back together and I hooked up the computer yesterday to check out the Sailmail and weather fax programs.

In spite the interference from all of the other boats and a marina that is tucked down in a little gully I was able to swap some emails and even get a (barely recognizable) weather fax from Pt. Reyes. That's good because I wanted Chris to have something to play with when he comes this weekend to visit.

Another recent project was to renew the sound and temperature insulation on the inside of the engine enclosure. The old foam and foil stuff was starting to fall apart from old age and heat and fumes. As usual it turned into a multi day job. To start with the old stuff didn't want to leave. In spite of the fact that it was crumbling the gummy original installation adhesive was still holding on. Getting it off was a long slow process with acetone and a putty knife. Then it turned out that I didn't like the mounting hardware that the new foam came with, so a trip to Hawaii Nut & Bolt was indicated. Finally got it and it looks great. Of course, (and this seems to be a characteristic of many of these little projects) no one will see it.

Ric was checking the propane system and noted that one of the hose fittings had rusted off and that the regulator looks pretty bad. Good that propane is relatively low pressure. We'll probably get a new hose and put something on the regulator to slow down the corrosion. There is an old (kind of ratty) spare unit available if we need it. Ric is also going to see if something can be done about the sticky stove gimbal.