I’ll post bits from time to time, maybe not always in date order.
This was yesterday, 30/6/2012. A fairly uneventful day until...
I’ve known for a little while I’d have to get more diesel on board because we use about 5 litres a day in the generator for all ‘house power’.
I trundled off in the dinghy loaded up with empty jerry cans. I figured it would also be a good opportunity to pull the dinghy up on a boat ramp and replace the leaky old bung with a new one.
Well, that didn’t go too well. The new bung was too small for the drain hole from the inside, but there seemed to be a ridge halfway through that narrowed the hole. Obviously the bung must be for that narrower diameter. Just need to force it a bit deeper.
Suddenly it went right through! The dinghy has had a bodgie repair at some time and the narrower sleeve was just glued in from the outside with some kind of gunk. Now I’d pushed it half out again.
Return of the knot in the gut. It’s becoming a way too familiar feeling.
Looks like a dinghy replacement is on the cards because the pontoons need to be pumped regularly too.
Shoved the bodgmmpoied bit back in along with the old bung and fingers crossed it will hold a while longer.
At the fuel wharf my new best friend, ‘Peter’ had some good news for us. Turns out that once we have Port Authority paperwork showing we are leaving, he can sell us fuel duty free. A saving of around 18c/litre. So instead of doing a few trips and taking on 200 lts as planned, I just bought enough to see us through a couple of weeks.
By the time I’d loaded the jerries back on deck and poured them into the tank I was dripping. It’s a normal state around here as soon as you move a muscle.
The locals will tell you, “We lov’ aar hut watherrr”, usually from the air conditioned comfort of the store or taxi you happen to be in.
If saunas are good for you we’ve got to be getting healthier.
Sandy found some ants around the other day, so she spent today going through all the lockers, throwing out heaps of ant infested and out of date stuff. Some she salvaged and sealed in new bags using a fancy Italian vacuum sealer gadget that came with the boat. The vacuum is poor but the heat sealer is great. Each locker in the galley and dinette areas got scrubbed, barrier sprayed and ant and cockroach baited. This is OUR boat!!
Came the evening. Sandy is still bonding with her galley/dinette area, and I fired up the genny, turned on the inverter/charger, and turned on the water maker. All checked and working just fine.
An hour later I hear a new sound. Popped up to the cockpit to see if it’s the sound of a power boat going by. Nothing in sight.
I hate new sounds!!! This one sounded like a pump running freely, probably dry.
Water maker! Checked the water maker locker. It’s dead. Nothing flowing. Turned it off at the power board. Noise keeps going. Hunt through the ship looking for the noise. Eventually I feel it under my feet in the workshop cabin. Lift the floor panel – There it is!.
Now why would it be doing that? These pumps are designed to automatically come on when pressure in the line drops, like when you turn on a tap. Close the tap, pressure builds up again and turns off the pump. It’s how all our fresh water system works.
So, no turn off means no pressure build up. That’s one of 2 things. A leak in the system, or we’re out of water. Can’t be. I’ve been making over 150 lts/day. Plenty for 2 people to drink and shower.
Went to the control panel and turned off the pumps master switch. Silence at last! I’d already turned off the generator to try and find the new noise.
If we’ve lost all our water I need to switch to the starboard tank, which is kept full as a backup. I can’t remember where the changeover valves are. Andrew and Elaine left in such a rush there were things on the to do list with them that never happened.
Opened the engine compartment and climbed down. Eventually managed to track the water lines from the bottom of the tanks. Bingo! Valves on the fo’ard bulkhead near the galley. But none of the lines lead back to the noisy pump.
Well, eventual outcome. I found the fresh water pump on the other side of the valves bulkhead. Fresh water pumping system intact! YeeeeHaaa! Pump master switch confirms it, but the other pump still runs with the master switch turned on.
There is a nasty little switch on the panel in front of the double sink bowls in the galley. It’s sole purpose is to pump salt water up to the deck hose. With all the frenetic galley activity Sandy had bumped it, but with the generator going and the actual pump so far aft, never noticed it.
The trouble is, the water intake for the pump is the same one for letting water in to the watermaker. Pump on = no water to the watermaker.
So, hoping like hell that the watermaker just turned itself off when it got hot. Or we’ve cooked it and have a major problem. Won’t know until I try it again tomorrow.
Are we having fun yet?