Sailing Cambio

Category: Maintenance

  • Now that we’ve sailed the boat a few times we have the shared vocabulary

    Now that we’ve sailed the boat a few times we have the shared vocabulary

    Thursday May 26, At the Dock (what am I chicken with 20 knots of wind?)

    Now that we’ve sailed the boat a few times we have the shared vocabulary, (not necessarily right, but mutually understandable) we declined to go out in 20 knots even though the boat can easily handle it.  I’m still sore from my solo performance at the mast and we have other things to do.   Like try to find the connecting wire for the Seatalk cable.   If anyone reads this it is just a female to female seatalk wire that we need.  That took up a half a day (with breakfast at Rozies). 

    The rest of the day was spent inspecting the boat and brainstorming the things that we should be doing.   In no particular order this is the high lights of the work that we should complete before August 1 (my imposed deadline)

    • Raise dodger above the companionway (This is a priority.  I’m too tall)
    • Fix the mainsheet cheekblock on cabintop.  Consider a double cheekblock to bring more function to the cockpit for short handed sailing
    • Latch to keep forward box /seat cover closed
    • Fix 1st reef line clew inside front of boom
    • SSB radio to fix
    • Clean and sort davit lines and motor lift.
    • Change the topping lift shackle
    • Varnish gunnels
    • Apply teak deck caulking
    • Fix compass light
    • High frequency antenna for weatherfax
    • Check sink drainage.  It’s substantially plugged likely with coffee grounds
    • T Install seatalk to NMEA2000 cable
    • VHF splitter for the AIS
    • Dinghy/Outboard, pickup and send serial #s to insurance
    • New cockpit cushions
    • Fix seat cushion on forward box seat
    • Apply for MMSI (VHF, Epirb)
    • Register the boat federally
    • Check Windlass and test methods for dropping both anchors
    • Install line for pennant on starboard side of mast
    • Wash solar panel
    • Fix Sail Cover
    • Adjust permanent dock lines. 
    • Obtain temporary dock lines for visiting ports.
    • Fix leaks in Port Aft deck hatch in the salon
    • Shine 2 mast winches
    • Wipe clean stations and safety rails
    • Tighten Allen screws in cockpit cover.  Get plastic washers 3/8 hole
    • Exercise all hands on anchor raising and test the process
    • Clean under the cockpit sole
    • Find and test emergency tiller post
    • Add and connect eye hooks to floor boards
    • Create MOB lift harness
    • Install seizing wire to relevant blocks
    • Install cotter rings where necessary
    • Wash fenders
    • Organize mast ropes with fresh elastic knobs

    That’s a lot but we have time and this is guide of stuff to do.  Do I have 30 minutes to do one task or 2 days to do another? 

    Took apart the compass to find out why the compass light was not working and we now understand.  This will be a 20 minute fix if we get the right bulbs and machine screw.  GAK! 

    Tomorrow, they forecast rain so we’ll shop for small stuff in the morning and then join Pierre for an all you can eat sushi afternoon.  Jeff goes back home on Saturday and I go back to being a single boat owner.  Jeff has been an incredible help in logic, knowledge, and effort.

  • Seatalk isn’t my friend

    Seatalk isn’t my friend

    Wednesday May 25, At the Dock

    I don’t know how the weather channel can say that the wind is 12km and Predictwind says it is 13 knots.  It was blowing and we took the time to fix the reef lines and untangle the main halyard.  

    Jeff worked on one of the last pieces of the backup electronics system.  It’s the one where his system connects to the Raymarine system to give it AIS and the Raymarine connects back to his system to feed  it depth, wind direction and speed.   He ordered the Seatalk cable and it turns out that the cable he got needed yet another cable to interconnect between the two systems.  The lesson I take from this is that Seatalk isn’t my friend as every day we are delayed having to order another connector or wire.  

    The entertainment system is fully operational.  We can play movies off the hard drive and music off the existing sound system from the same hard drive.    But we only watched Captain Ron a few days ago and mostly because Jeff had not seen it and the line “If something is going wrong it will go wrong out there.” is a good lesson.

  • Jeff and I went for lively and vigorous sail in 12 knot winds

    Tuesday May 24, 2022, sailing off Port Dalhousie

    So I’ve let my old Shark crew manage the foredeck the last few sails. They survived because Cambio has, basically, the typical sloop rig and all they had to do is to figure out where the main halyard, the Genoa sheets and Mainsheets are.  There were no reef points on a Shark so we haven’t got reef points down perfectly yet.  

    Today Jeff and I went for a lively and vigorous sail in 12 knot winds.  I did everything forward of the steering station.  After all if I’m single handing like I often did on the Shark, I’d better be experienced at managing the foredeck and the pit.  Now, after the sail, I can say I’ve not been this tired in a long time.   And it is a completely different perspective than being the fat boy on the wheel while the others manage the foredeck.  

    No other sailboats went out today.  When we got in around 4:30 and started putting away the sails and fixing the reef lines which were hopelessly twisted, a number of people walked along the docks and complimented the boat’s appearance and introduced themselves.    I haven’t had time to have a hand in earning the compliments so I’ve got to pass those comments on to Al, the previous owner. Still, it’s nice to hear them.   He and Linda also deserve kudos for working this boat as a duo.    

    So what I learned today is that I have to get into better shape and I have to rearrange a bit of the running rigging.   And to stow the rum better so that when we heel 20 degrees it doesn’t jump out of the shelving and roll across the floor to our shock.     

  • Remarkable Things

    Remarkable Things

    Saturday May 21, 2022 Port Dalhousie

    Today Jeff finished a number of remarkable things on the boat while I did the parts shopping and did laundry.  This was the first day we had both shore power and hot water for showers on the boat, which we did not have.   

    The Pi chart plotter is complete and it has 12 volt and 5 volt conversions.  This powers the Pi computer, the USB hub which connects the GPS, AIS and an HDD which serves up movies and music.  This works from Android phones, tablets, Apple products and who knows what else.  It also is the base for charging the rechargeables like phones, tablets, batteries etc.

    Quite a remarkable achievement by Jeff.   By comparison, I shopped for wood glue.

    We didn’t leave the dock today because of heavy thunderstorms but we can’t sail every day due to weather and working on the boat.  The next weather window is Monday and Tuesday and I can’t wait to sail again.  

    I have to learn how to single hand this boat.  It will be strenuous but in principle it is mechanically the same as the Shark I’ve sailed for 30 years.   Main, Genoa, etc.  The reefing lines will take me a bit of time to work with.  The Shark didn’t have them.  I’ve still got a lot to learn on a lot of blue water cruising topics.  Actually I have tons to learn and I’m looking forward to it.

  • The usual trinity of Canadian Tire, JT electronics, and my house

    The usual trinity of Canadian Tire, JT electronics, and my house

    Friday May 20, Port Dalhousie

    Today rained in the morning and was glorious in the afternoon, except for 20 Km winds from the SSW.  

    We spent the morning visiting the usual trinity of Canadian Tire, JT electronics, and my house and returned the 30 amp extension cord to Amazon (at Purolator) 

    After the shopping trip the rain stopped and it became that glorious day.   Like we planned it.

    Jeff crawled under the galley sink and put a new hose clamp on the problem hose and tightened up all the hose clamps within reach.  

    I had no trouble getting out of the dock, but the Port Dalhousie Yacht Club gas dock made things difficult to dock.  But we got her done.   We filled with water, mostly lost during yesterday’s ‘problem’.   We also thought it was a good idea to fill with diesel as the tanks were half full (thanks Al).   It took almost $400 but I plan on it lasting until August or longer.  Nice kid named Cameron runs the gas dock.   It was a challenge getting off the gas dock because of gusts but we did it with his help.  

    Coming into my dock was a nightmare.  Jeff was in 3 places at once trying to tame this 23,000 lb beast and after a while we got the beast back in her lair.

    Jeff had a great set of successes today.  He managed to install components of the Pi system he built.  The AIS registered a ping in the Welland Canal. The pitch, yaw and roll sensor works well.  The chart plotter shows us right where we are supposed to be, and the rest of the land mass and lake are right where they are supposed to be.   This system is supposed to be redundant to the Raymarine system but it will be handy to have in the navigation station.   The GPS works fine but we’ll put it on the radar mast for better line of sight signal acquisition.

    Al, the previous owner, worked hard to eliminate propane from the boat.   He also worked hard to make it electrical systems 12 volt.   Jeff has taken that a bit further by adding 5 volt USB charging stations in the boat, which is a little more redundancy with rechargeables.  Navionics will work on phone, and laptop which are charged by 5w.   

    Jeff also wired up the music server that Pi serves from a hard drive.  We had Jimmy Buffett and Elton John with dinner tonight. 

  • We finally got our shore power going

    We finally got our shore power going

    Thursday May 19 2022 Port Dalhousie

    Cold morning.  Brrr.  Warming up to 20 or so with no wind.   We finally got our shore power going and that is a game changer.  Hot water, unlimited power, Induction hob, and unlimited charging of all the electronics.  Yay.   Batteries at 130 v again.  It is a big relief.  The 110 v inverter made a loud startling noise when the house battery dropped below 9 volts and startled me.   It was just a low voltage alarm.

    So we were sitting there in the salon chatting and all of a sudden a gushing sound erupted.  Water was flowing and we had a WTF moment.  I traced the water from the bilge to the apparent leak and was  able to shut off the water pump on the breaker and pump out the bilge.  All seemed lost from there.  Jeff took the flashlight and dug a little deeper and found that a hose under the sink had worked its way off and was gushing water.   He was able to work it back on and reinstall the pipe clamp.  

    The only damage was, well there was no damage except our potable water seems to be empty.   While the previous owner was showing me around the boat he turned on a tap and it gurgle out.   He said that it was because of an empty tank, which he filled before we accepted the boat (see previous about how valuable a fabulous seller can be).  And Jeff and I proved a method to follow from the symptom (running water) to the problem (faulty hose) to a fix.     We haven’t gotten spare hose clamps, o-rings, screws, fuses, and the like yet.   Jeff had a far better diagnostic skill than I did.

    We didn’t sail today but there was no wind so no fault of ours. 

    The diesel tank is half full and the water empty and no idea about the black water so we will have to go do the filling and emptying tomorrow if the wind isn’t too high.  

  • There are many signs that he worked hard and smart to pass over a great boat to me

    There are many signs that he worked hard and smart to pass over a great boat to me

    Monday May 16 2022

    It rained all day yesterday, so we went shopping for electronics stuff and stayed in the boat.  Jeff achieved 4 big goals; moving the outboard motor stand from the starboard side to the port side aft, permanently mounting the wifi extender, fixing the Weems and Plath clock and tide clock, and stopped the halyards from clacking in the wind.  But we have consistent wifi despite the marina’s poor wifi. 

    All the fire extinguishers are charged.   At the time of the survey one of them was discharged and the previous owner, Al must have charged it between the survey and the turnover of the boat to me.  There are many signs that he worked hard and smart to pass over a great boat to me and every time we see another it reminds me that this is a great boat coming from a great previous owner.  

    Just an anecdote:  I read the Cambio logs online which were written by Al’s wife Linda, before buying the boat and one sentence stood out. “ I make dinner and Al tries to relax on the park bench but everyone wants to talk to him about our boat. I think he is enjoying it and of course is very proud of it and us.”  In all the “how to buy a sailboat” articles I read, nowhere does it say to check out the character of the seller.  But there it is in one sentence written by the side of an Oswego lock without intent to sell that lets you know that this seller cared about his boat.