Tuesday, 27 September 2011
panel development continues
The panel was painted last night, and was dry enough to re-engrave the writing this evening, so that it now shows through in a bright silver colour... then she got two coats of lacquer.... tomorrow night, I can fit the LEDs and switches.... then some piccies...
gosh, its big!
Got home from work this evening, to be proudly presented with a new ensign. A lovely stitched one of very nice quality.
When we bought Phoenix, she was handed over with a very tatty little ensign, originally no more than 18" on the long edge, with perhaps 4" worn away with the ravages of time.
Now, i'm sure this ensign has a story or two to tell, and she'll now enter stately retirement, no doubt on C's wall.... but Phoenix really needed a new one.
So, 'er indoors secretly ordered one...
Only, its a 2 yard ensign... yes, that's 6' on the long edge... its 'effin enormous!
I think she'll wear it well... the Dutch would look on with secret admiration... even Guapa will have to admit its a beauty, even if he'll question the colour scheme!! :)
Only remaining issue is where on earth to fly it (yes, I know that should be wear it, but lets face it... mos people would just think I was odd if I wrote that!)... she has no ensign staff, instead flying the ensign rather messily from one of the davits to the stern at a wierd angle.... do we buy a big ensign staff for the transom, do we fit a proper ensign staff to hoist up the mizzen, or is she flown off the backstay.... I think we'll treat ourselves to an enormous ensign staff...
...and then we can fly her with pride!
When we bought Phoenix, she was handed over with a very tatty little ensign, originally no more than 18" on the long edge, with perhaps 4" worn away with the ravages of time.
Now, i'm sure this ensign has a story or two to tell, and she'll now enter stately retirement, no doubt on C's wall.... but Phoenix really needed a new one.
So, 'er indoors secretly ordered one...
Only, its a 2 yard ensign... yes, that's 6' on the long edge... its 'effin enormous!
I think she'll wear it well... the Dutch would look on with secret admiration... even Guapa will have to admit its a beauty, even if he'll question the colour scheme!! :)
Only remaining issue is where on earth to fly it (yes, I know that should be wear it, but lets face it... mos people would just think I was odd if I wrote that!)... she has no ensign staff, instead flying the ensign rather messily from one of the davits to the stern at a wierd angle.... do we buy a big ensign staff for the transom, do we fit a proper ensign staff to hoist up the mizzen, or is she flown off the backstay.... I think we'll treat ourselves to an enormous ensign staff...
...and then we can fly her with pride!
Monday, 26 September 2011
switch panel
Rather pleased with myself...
I spent several hours on Sunday, carefully marking out my switch panel on a sheet of aluminium, and then decided to bite the bullet, and got out my Dremel, and engraved it myself... (after quite a few practice runs on a few scraps, tetsing technique and painting/lacquering/engraving order).
Its still got work to be done, but it looks rather good even if I do say so myself!
I spent several hours on Sunday, carefully marking out my switch panel on a sheet of aluminium, and then decided to bite the bullet, and got out my Dremel, and engraved it myself... (after quite a few practice runs on a few scraps, tetsing technique and painting/lacquering/engraving order).
Its still got work to be done, but it looks rather good even if I do say so myself!
Saturday, 24 September 2011
Bit of wiring
Spent the day pulling bits of wire out of the boat...
In fact mostly removing the old instruments, so trying to keep the cabling intact so that it has some eBay value, even if it is as museum pieces!
This involved removing loads of trim... Which was a good thing as it helped me track down one of the few leaks we've got... One of the chain plates on the mizzen lowers... A spot of sealant should have resolved that... And also plugging up the radar cable hole.
Domestic batteries dont seem great... But not sure if its the wiring or the batteries... They didnt seem to work, but had 12.7V across the terminals...
Also, the battery charger seems to have bitten the dust after the 'leak' earlier this week.
So now the wiring removal can begin and the rewire to follow... All the bits arrived.
Im also going to replumb I think... Its OK-ish, but a tidy install will keep it all reliable.
Looks like i've got a lot to do!
Monday, 19 September 2011
crikey, that was close!
Phone call at lunchtime..... "Hello... I think your boat is sinking!"
Eek....
Guy in the yard spotted that she looked a little bit stern down.. and took the time to have a quick peek through a porthole..
They immediately got on board and thankfully, water level had only made it to the sole boards.... engine almost completely submerged though..
So, they got a pump on board.... I rapidly cancel afternoon meetings and jump in the car....
By the time I get there 2 hours later, they've already pumped her dry, whipped the injectors out and emptied some water from the cylinders, flushed the starter and alternator with fresh water, and have her running happily....
They'll also do a couple of oil changes tomorrow, and also a precautionary change of the gearbox oil.... as well as let her run for long enough to dry out properly.
And the cause?... my fault really.... a pipe failed to the aft heads, and i'd failed to close the seacock.... normally something i'm fastidious about, but missed this one when doing my rounds upon leaving, instead closing a no longer used one by mistake.... whoops.
It appears that we've been very very very lucky.... due to the yard guys being observant, very deep bilges, and Shotley's quick and effective action.
We'll see how starter and alternator fair, but its not the end of the world to replace them if I need to over the winter... (viva la simple non electronic engine!)
By the time I left at 16:00 you'd have never known it had happened.
So that'll be a bottle of good stuff then!
Eek....
Guy in the yard spotted that she looked a little bit stern down.. and took the time to have a quick peek through a porthole..
They immediately got on board and thankfully, water level had only made it to the sole boards.... engine almost completely submerged though..
So, they got a pump on board.... I rapidly cancel afternoon meetings and jump in the car....
By the time I get there 2 hours later, they've already pumped her dry, whipped the injectors out and emptied some water from the cylinders, flushed the starter and alternator with fresh water, and have her running happily....
They'll also do a couple of oil changes tomorrow, and also a precautionary change of the gearbox oil.... as well as let her run for long enough to dry out properly.
And the cause?... my fault really.... a pipe failed to the aft heads, and i'd failed to close the seacock.... normally something i'm fastidious about, but missed this one when doing my rounds upon leaving, instead closing a no longer used one by mistake.... whoops.
It appears that we've been very very very lucky.... due to the yard guys being observant, very deep bilges, and Shotley's quick and effective action.
We'll see how starter and alternator fair, but its not the end of the world to replace them if I need to over the winter... (viva la simple non electronic engine!)
By the time I left at 16:00 you'd have never known it had happened.
So that'll be a bottle of good stuff then!
Sunday, 18 September 2011
switch panel
I'm going to have a go at making my own switch panel up for Phoenix.
There's nothing really too wrong with the current one, but as with most boats of her age, it's had switches added, labels changed, the addition of a few dymo labels, and various bit and other pieces that make it look tatty.
I just happen to have a sheet of 2mm aluminium in the garage left over from a kit car project many years ago, and so, have ordered a pile of toggle switches and some leds for indicator lights.
My plan is to cut the panel to shape and make the holes for the switches and lights, and then take it to a local trophy engraver to get the correct 'labels' added by engraving. I'm wondering how to make the text stand out, so may well paint the panel in a jet black once cut to shape, so that the engraving stands out in a nice shiny aluminium.... if its not clear enough, I could then work some white paint into the recessed text.
While i'm at it, I may well relocate the 3 gauges that currently exist on board... 1 voltage gauge, and two current gauges... these would add a nce professional touch to the panel.
There's a fair bit of cable behind the panel, as there will be 20 switches on it, so also need to put some though into making this neat and reliable.
Will let you know how I get on, with hopefully some pictures!
There's nothing really too wrong with the current one, but as with most boats of her age, it's had switches added, labels changed, the addition of a few dymo labels, and various bit and other pieces that make it look tatty.
I just happen to have a sheet of 2mm aluminium in the garage left over from a kit car project many years ago, and so, have ordered a pile of toggle switches and some leds for indicator lights.
My plan is to cut the panel to shape and make the holes for the switches and lights, and then take it to a local trophy engraver to get the correct 'labels' added by engraving. I'm wondering how to make the text stand out, so may well paint the panel in a jet black once cut to shape, so that the engraving stands out in a nice shiny aluminium.... if its not clear enough, I could then work some white paint into the recessed text.
While i'm at it, I may well relocate the 3 gauges that currently exist on board... 1 voltage gauge, and two current gauges... these would add a nce professional touch to the panel.
There's a fair bit of cable behind the panel, as there will be 20 switches on it, so also need to put some though into making this neat and reliable.
Will let you know how I get on, with hopefully some pictures!
and now the work begins
We've got a list of jobs to do on Phoenix as long as your arm.... with decisions that need to be made on the basis of avilable time and budget with regards to priorities.
So.... first two major priorities are to get the wiring completed, and the exterior varnishing.... weather may play a part in the varnishing, so we'll just have to play that one by ear.... and that leaves the wiring.
I've created a new wiring diagram for her.... I intend to completely rip out the current wiring and start again.
Having completed the wiring diagram, and done some quick adding up, it appears that there is over 750m of wire aboard!
Initially, i'll reclad the engine room, as its looking a bit tired, an use this as a catalyst to refix the equipment in there neatly, relocate all batteries to the engine room, and then work outwards from there with the wiring.
I also intend to fit a Sterling A2B to manage the batteries and alternator a bit better...
That'll be another chunk of cash then!
So.... first two major priorities are to get the wiring completed, and the exterior varnishing.... weather may play a part in the varnishing, so we'll just have to play that one by ear.... and that leaves the wiring.
I've created a new wiring diagram for her.... I intend to completely rip out the current wiring and start again.
Having completed the wiring diagram, and done some quick adding up, it appears that there is over 750m of wire aboard!
Initially, i'll reclad the engine room, as its looking a bit tired, an use this as a catalyst to refix the equipment in there neatly, relocate all batteries to the engine room, and then work outwards from there with the wiring.
I also intend to fit a Sterling A2B to manage the batteries and alternator a bit better...
That'll be another chunk of cash then!
Sunday, 11 September 2011
so, she's delivered!
Finally, the day had come to collect Phoenix of Hamble (from now on i'll just stick the name 'Phoenix')... i'd been watching the weather forecast closel for a few days, as the remnants of Hurricane Katia sped across the atlantic preceeded and followed by a series of vicious lows squeezing against the high over mainland Europe causing blustery and occasionally downright windy SW'lys across the UK.
I'd arranged a friday off work to give us a 3 day weekend for the delivery for a bit of contingency, and relaxed somewhat as I saw a clear weather window for Friday and Saturday, with Sunday still looking pretty rough. When I say a weather window, I mean that the forecast was only for a F5 to F6!
Initial challenge was that the previous weekend, i'd been down to the boat and loaded lots of kit onboard for the delivery trip, and fixed a few things required by the insurers for the trip... i'd also had a rigger on board making sure that the rigging was safe... new bilge pump fitted etc etc... along the way, I discovered that the new Schaeffer furler, lovely as it was, has a bolt rope size of 5mm, and the genoa with an 8mm bolt rope was never going to fit!... so a logistical nightmare to get the sail to a suitable sailmaker who had the tme and willingness to do the work, and then get it collected. Once again, my fabulous friends rallied to the cause, and Jim collected, while Roger picked it up afterwards.... many many thanks guys.... and a big hoorah to Wilkinson sails in Burnham who did the job for me, to a high standard, and with a really helpful attitude... highly recommended!
I also discovered that the one leak I knew about had unfortunately dripped straight into the engine start battery box... which had nicely contained the water, but its fair to say that the battery had seen better days after several weeks underwater!!!
So, gathering my crew (Jim and Alan - thanks for your help - much appreciated) at Shotley on Thursday evening, we loaded up the genoa, new battery, clothes, and a ton of other stuff, and set off... when I say set off, I mean drove to the train station... i'd planned on hiring a car for a one way trip, but that proved harder done than said.... with companies unable to deliver or collect out of hours to the locations needed, or at least at any sensible costs... and the train was a grand total of £57 for the 3 of us... it meant lugging everything across London, but the saving was worth it!
So... by midnight, after facing the challenge of underground stairs with so much kit, we rolled into Portsmouth station, and a short taxi ride via the supemarket to collect food (a great 'bloke' shop - where the trolley never stops moving, and things are grabbed as you go by), we made it to Port Solent...
And then we all crashed out for the night exhausted.
High water was 10:24 the next day, and we wanted this for an easy exit... so by 06:30 we were up, getting the jobs that still needed doing done.... the rigging final tightening, split pins added, the genoa fitted, etc etc...
a quick trip to the office to settle any outstanding berthing fees (ouch!) and we set off... me absolutely full of trepidation, as long keels are famous for going where they like in reverse... so I was pleased that with a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, we made it out safely, and then onto the fuel berth... fuel filler cap was stuck so I had to fill directly into the tank... fill being a relative term, as I 'only' put £200 in... its big tank.
And then, on free flow, we swept out into Portsmouth harbour.
You could almost hear Phoenix sigh with relief... back out at sea, with sails bent on.... she knew what was coming.
A short motor out through the small boats channel, and into the Solent...
The forecast F5 to F6 was somewhat pessimistic... perhaps 5 to 6kts.
And so we set a course for the forts, and then on outside the Looe passage... with the tide against us once we cleared the Solent, we felt it would be quicker to go outside where the rate would be much lower. By the time we turned properly east outside the Looe channel, we had around 12 to 15kts of wind, and so we set the sails and turned the engine off.
She sails like a witch!
A steady 6 kts STW, and she felt magnificent on the helm... i'm going to like her!
And so the trip continued.... after a couple of hours, the wind dropped again, and beside a small moment of panic when the engine wouldn't start, until I realised that I hadn't opened the battery switch properly, we motored. And motored. And motored.
The engine is amazing. 1300rpm and 7.5kts STW.... brilliant!
By the time we had been going a few hours it had started getting foggy, and like most things electrical on Phoenix at present, the radar didn't work. But we plugged on... in the fog pastBrighton and on to Eastbourne. By this time we'd already decided that with the forecast for Sunday, we'd do the whole trip in one go, and so we established a watch pattern, and I took first shift 22:00 to midnight.
Easy really... no traffic... no wind... no course changes!
At midnight, Alan relieved me, and I went to get my head down for my 4 hours, and slept like a log... I was awakened at 04:00 to find us just off North Foeland, where Jim pointed out to me a forest of lights. The new London Array windfarm... not on my 2004 charts. But it was OK... we could see the southerly cardinal, and just left that well to port.
By the time Alan came back on watch at 06:00, we were just approaching the Kentish Knock bouy in the Thames Estuary, and I was awake and fresh, so stayed up. We had what proved to be a completely uneventful trip... perhaps enough to sail on occasions, but marginal enough to not bother trying.
And at 08:30, Walton headland came into sight....
As we approcahed the entrance to Shotley, I glanced at my watch... amazing 25hrs, Portsmouth to Shotley... and average of 7.4kts.
The lock was painless, easy in fact, and the berth not much harder.
In and tied up, with not so much as a hiccup. Can't ask more than that!
...and now to get on with the massive jobs list!
Miles logged 185nm
Miles this season 185nm
Miles since this blog started 5,891nm
I'd arranged a friday off work to give us a 3 day weekend for the delivery for a bit of contingency, and relaxed somewhat as I saw a clear weather window for Friday and Saturday, with Sunday still looking pretty rough. When I say a weather window, I mean that the forecast was only for a F5 to F6!
Initial challenge was that the previous weekend, i'd been down to the boat and loaded lots of kit onboard for the delivery trip, and fixed a few things required by the insurers for the trip... i'd also had a rigger on board making sure that the rigging was safe... new bilge pump fitted etc etc... along the way, I discovered that the new Schaeffer furler, lovely as it was, has a bolt rope size of 5mm, and the genoa with an 8mm bolt rope was never going to fit!... so a logistical nightmare to get the sail to a suitable sailmaker who had the tme and willingness to do the work, and then get it collected. Once again, my fabulous friends rallied to the cause, and Jim collected, while Roger picked it up afterwards.... many many thanks guys.... and a big hoorah to Wilkinson sails in Burnham who did the job for me, to a high standard, and with a really helpful attitude... highly recommended!
I also discovered that the one leak I knew about had unfortunately dripped straight into the engine start battery box... which had nicely contained the water, but its fair to say that the battery had seen better days after several weeks underwater!!!
So, gathering my crew (Jim and Alan - thanks for your help - much appreciated) at Shotley on Thursday evening, we loaded up the genoa, new battery, clothes, and a ton of other stuff, and set off... when I say set off, I mean drove to the train station... i'd planned on hiring a car for a one way trip, but that proved harder done than said.... with companies unable to deliver or collect out of hours to the locations needed, or at least at any sensible costs... and the train was a grand total of £57 for the 3 of us... it meant lugging everything across London, but the saving was worth it!
So... by midnight, after facing the challenge of underground stairs with so much kit, we rolled into Portsmouth station, and a short taxi ride via the supemarket to collect food (a great 'bloke' shop - where the trolley never stops moving, and things are grabbed as you go by), we made it to Port Solent...
And then we all crashed out for the night exhausted.
High water was 10:24 the next day, and we wanted this for an easy exit... so by 06:30 we were up, getting the jobs that still needed doing done.... the rigging final tightening, split pins added, the genoa fitted, etc etc...
a quick trip to the office to settle any outstanding berthing fees (ouch!) and we set off... me absolutely full of trepidation, as long keels are famous for going where they like in reverse... so I was pleased that with a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, we made it out safely, and then onto the fuel berth... fuel filler cap was stuck so I had to fill directly into the tank... fill being a relative term, as I 'only' put £200 in... its big tank.
And then, on free flow, we swept out into Portsmouth harbour.
You could almost hear Phoenix sigh with relief... back out at sea, with sails bent on.... she knew what was coming.
A short motor out through the small boats channel, and into the Solent...
The forecast F5 to F6 was somewhat pessimistic... perhaps 5 to 6kts.
And so we set a course for the forts, and then on outside the Looe passage... with the tide against us once we cleared the Solent, we felt it would be quicker to go outside where the rate would be much lower. By the time we turned properly east outside the Looe channel, we had around 12 to 15kts of wind, and so we set the sails and turned the engine off.
She sails like a witch!
A steady 6 kts STW, and she felt magnificent on the helm... i'm going to like her!
And so the trip continued.... after a couple of hours, the wind dropped again, and beside a small moment of panic when the engine wouldn't start, until I realised that I hadn't opened the battery switch properly, we motored. And motored. And motored.
The engine is amazing. 1300rpm and 7.5kts STW.... brilliant!
By the time we had been going a few hours it had started getting foggy, and like most things electrical on Phoenix at present, the radar didn't work. But we plugged on... in the fog pastBrighton and on to Eastbourne. By this time we'd already decided that with the forecast for Sunday, we'd do the whole trip in one go, and so we established a watch pattern, and I took first shift 22:00 to midnight.
Easy really... no traffic... no wind... no course changes!
At midnight, Alan relieved me, and I went to get my head down for my 4 hours, and slept like a log... I was awakened at 04:00 to find us just off North Foeland, where Jim pointed out to me a forest of lights. The new London Array windfarm... not on my 2004 charts. But it was OK... we could see the southerly cardinal, and just left that well to port.
By the time Alan came back on watch at 06:00, we were just approaching the Kentish Knock bouy in the Thames Estuary, and I was awake and fresh, so stayed up. We had what proved to be a completely uneventful trip... perhaps enough to sail on occasions, but marginal enough to not bother trying.
And at 08:30, Walton headland came into sight....
As we approcahed the entrance to Shotley, I glanced at my watch... amazing 25hrs, Portsmouth to Shotley... and average of 7.4kts.
The lock was painless, easy in fact, and the berth not much harder.
In and tied up, with not so much as a hiccup. Can't ask more than that!
...and now to get on with the massive jobs list!
Miles logged 185nm
Miles this season 185nm
Miles since this blog started 5,891nm
Friday, 2 September 2011
The plan comes together
Fire extinguishers and bilge pump arrived today... More to come tomorrow.
So much to do this weekend in prep it's crazy!
Not sure if I'll be able to bend the sails on as the rigger still has a bit of work to do on the rigging... But he's coming over Saturday morning, so can discuss then...
I'm slightly nervous about the delivery trip... New boat, unknown quantity, and not a lot (actually none) of miles under my belt this year due to sales process... But got a great crew with loads of experience, so really I'm just fretting over nothing!
I've sorted the 'essentials' to take down... It's a huge pile even when restricted to only safety critical and ability to eat!
Thursday, 1 September 2011
Hoorah!
OK.... after a glorious family holiday which was pleasant, but has delayed an update, i've finally something to report...
Last week we concluded the sale of 'Morgana', and the purchase of 'Phoenix of Hamble'...
So we are now the proud owners of a 45' ketch of heavy build and long keel!
Now begins the work to get her back round to her home berth.
The usual challenges exist with the insurance.. its all in place, but there are a few things that need to be done in order for the insurance company to provide cover for her while at sea.
The list amongst other things includes replacing/repairing both the manual and automatic bilge pumps, servicing some seacocks, adding some split pins to the rigging (yes - she didn't have any!) and various other small tasks such as getting 3 fire extinguishers on board.
There are also a few things that we wanted to get done prior to the delivery trip outside of the insurance companies demands such as getting the brand new furling gear fitted, which has involved finding and organising a rigger, who has also found another minor problem with the backstay bottle screw, also being sorted...
So i've been setting the world of eCommerce on fire, as well as my credit card getting things organised...
Down to her this weekend to take a heap of bits needed for the delivery trip like charts, almanacs, tools, flares, etc etc, and to retrive any clutter that remains on board...
While i'm there I need to see if the bolt ropes on the genoa or yankee fits the new furler, and if not grab one and work out how to get it modified in time, otherwise the trip back will be with a foresail...
We're meeting the previous owner saturday morning to do a handover, just confirming things like engine start/stop procedure etc... as well as to hand over paperwork.
And then its the delivery trip the following weekend with the help of my good friends Jim and Alan...
More to report soon!
Last week we concluded the sale of 'Morgana', and the purchase of 'Phoenix of Hamble'...
So we are now the proud owners of a 45' ketch of heavy build and long keel!
Now begins the work to get her back round to her home berth.
The usual challenges exist with the insurance.. its all in place, but there are a few things that need to be done in order for the insurance company to provide cover for her while at sea.
The list amongst other things includes replacing/repairing both the manual and automatic bilge pumps, servicing some seacocks, adding some split pins to the rigging (yes - she didn't have any!) and various other small tasks such as getting 3 fire extinguishers on board.
There are also a few things that we wanted to get done prior to the delivery trip outside of the insurance companies demands such as getting the brand new furling gear fitted, which has involved finding and organising a rigger, who has also found another minor problem with the backstay bottle screw, also being sorted...
So i've been setting the world of eCommerce on fire, as well as my credit card getting things organised...
Down to her this weekend to take a heap of bits needed for the delivery trip like charts, almanacs, tools, flares, etc etc, and to retrive any clutter that remains on board...
While i'm there I need to see if the bolt ropes on the genoa or yankee fits the new furler, and if not grab one and work out how to get it modified in time, otherwise the trip back will be with a foresail...
We're meeting the previous owner saturday morning to do a handover, just confirming things like engine start/stop procedure etc... as well as to hand over paperwork.
And then its the delivery trip the following weekend with the help of my good friends Jim and Alan...
More to report soon!
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