Graduation to Freedom

Some order aboard and the list keep increasing

The quarter birth is empty and with cushion! Unbelievable! Don't remember the last time that I saw that area clear. The GPS and sonar are in place, with the fixed cables. Still not in love with the supporting arm, since it can't go all the way back. Once you go to the quarter birth is just frequent to touch the head there. I'm not worried to get hurt, it's just rounded wood, but that thing will break at some point. When I can, I'll do something about it.

I took all the primary anchor chain out to inspect, and finally a decent inspection on the forestay's chainplate. The good news is that the outside looks good and the hull might be just over an inch thick, so it's structurally solid. The backing plate in the other side is crap. It's an oxidate 1/8 aluminum plate, what is equal to paper. I'm building a new one with stainless which will have arms that will be anchored on both sides with carbon fiber. I need to substitute the eye that was on the lowest screw and is used as the final anchor hooking point. It's all oxidate and I could see only two threads inside it.

I slept for few hours last night, actually I passed out as usual. Woke up in the middle of night and have been organizing things around. Now I need some more sleep, and hopefully later today the carbon piece go to the mast. I primed it last night. I can see some dark clouds. I hope don't rain.

AIS + pad eyes

Too tired to go on the details. Major acomplishments of the day are - Pad eye installed with backing plates made of high density fiber glass. They will be the anchoring point for the runners and the spinnaker sheet.  Thanks for Bill that came here to help me, would be a torture to do it by myself.The other good news is the installation of my new VHF with AIS receiver. I'm counting on the AIS to let me know of cargo boats getting closer.

Cleanning day

I'm tired of lose tools and need to jump everywhere I go. I never hit my head so many times, it's getting ridiculous! Today was an organizing day. I concluded some unfinished projects to be able to consume the material, store tools and once more change some storage positions. Eventually I'll find the best distribution. Well, I still have stuff around, but I'm close to conclude it.

Tomorrow I need to finish the staysail, what I actually should have done today. That means new pad eyes on the quarter aft, which I'll use to anchor the runners and the spinnaker sheets. I need to do some grinding with the Dremel to take the washers out. Oh well, still some work before be able to glue.

I feel much better with the boat getting organized. I was getting pretty irritated.

Forgot about the engine. Strange, I had some difficulties to start the engine today, maybe the cold?!? Some air on the line?! IThe first thing that I tried was bleed the system. The racor was with low level, not sure why. Could I have a leak somewhere in the line. Once I made it work, I tested to charge the batteries with the Balmar. During that I change some sets on the controller to fine tune. I'm glad that I installed the half power switcher, I wanted to do that for a while. On this way I can have some electricity while motoring easier.

As usual, I'm passing out. Need to sleep.

Electrical, almost done

Well, some progress today, but no conclusions. I climbed the mast some 4 times today. Found a bad shive on the mast for the spinnaker pole toping lift. Sanded the staysail topmast piece, and made the whole for the runners. I think it's decided, will be Spectra and not wires for the back runners.
The engine + extras panel is almost ready. I reconnected the alternator and controls, mmm, before the the alternator controler didn't have any fuse. I was lucky. I made several changes, but the coolest one is the toggle to short circuit the alternator temperature. Doing that, the alternator go to 50% of it's power. It will be usefull while motorsailing.

I moved the inverter/charger controler for the engine panel as well, and there is a new fuse box just outside.

I'm passing out. I need to sleep. now

I have the power (partially)

The 120V side is working since yesterday, what includes the feeding for the charger/inverter. Today I finished the battery connections. I thought would be faster.

I spent a considerable time just planning how to change, but I still avoided cut cables. I'll let it run for a while to be sure if that's what I want. I mostly increased the thickness of the wires, re-did some terminal connections and organize the wires. I took several ones out. There were some amazing things like a AWG 8, or 6 I'm not sure, for the neutral feeding of the major circuit breaker panel, and a AWG 12 for the hot wire (+).

A simple but good improvement was to cover the batteries terminators not used with liquid isolator. I'm already glad to have done that. While working I left a wrench that felt exactly touching two opposite poles!!!! Lucky covered.

O yeah, I just remembered that the damn 14mm wrench is under the engine, in the middle of the hoses. Will be tricky to reach there while I have a mess everywhere. I need to finish this electrical project before be able to organize things.

Tomorrow I'll start with the engine/alternator controls/others, then test the AC and alternator charging. I would like to have the permanent power cables for the GPS and sounder working as well, and would be happy if I can finish leaving the new VHF/AIS receiver working. I'm counting on that radio against the big ships.

I need to go back to the staysail topmast piece. Probably will be too cold to glue on the mast, but I should leave it ready.

My patience is going away again. I want to leave.

Electrical problems

Few days ago I discover that one of the batteries was warming up. I took all them off the system. Removed everything that was connected to them and let it rest for a while. Few hours later the warming battery had felt from to 12.4, while all the other ones kept in 12.8. OK, a bad battery sucking the power from all the others. I called a friend that have a nice discount at Westmarine and we went right the way to buy a new one. More batteries might die soon, but I can't afford change all 6! Yes I have 5 house batteries and a start one, $280 each piece! I'm glad the the previous owners had the money to invest on her.

Then I realized that they are Westmarine batteries, and have a warranty. Oh well, here starts another story. We're jumping this part, but I just wanted to register (for my self) the bitch that first attended me. Making everything complicated. She even want to reduce one month on the pro-ratio price because was already close to the end of the month. I'm always impressed by people like that. She might have a miserable life to behave like that. Luckly the manager was there, a lady, calm and super nice. We finished the deal with laughs. That's why she is the manager. Later I discover that she is friend of Skeet. When I bought Harmony, 100m after leave the drydock, the engine shutdown. Contaminated fuel, but the details go in another story, another day. Back to the story, Skeet hold us in a small dock behind a house on the river, while I was downstairs trying to make the engine to work. That house is owned buy the manager that resolved my battery problems. The world move in circles.

OK, back to the original story. I need to short here and start to work. The 120V is ready. I was up until 4:30AM two nights ago to do it. Now I've been working on the mast connection of my staysail and on the 12V system. I spent some time to figure out how should be the AC inverter/charger, high performance alternator and solar together. I think I got it now. Hopefully I'll finish it today.

Good times hidden around the corner

Yesterday I was tired of all this. Not pissed anymore like the previous days, but tired, starving and not excited at all , when one of my racing skippers call me inviting to a party at the Coral Reef Yacht club. Fantastic, I had a ride both ways, ate so much but so much with some Appelton special series. Couldn't ask better. That was another time walking around on my converse between dresses and ties. Hahahaha.

I have the grear

My liferaft arrived. Damn expensive thing that I hope never use it.
Now I have all the gear that I need. The latest arrivals were:
liferaft, EPIRB, Iridium (Satellite phone), external antenna for the
GPS. Now it's missing only to finish the topmast staysail piece with
Skeet.

This is the time

The time is getting short. Last night I went to bed 1AM. I'm tired,
but I'm impressed with how much I've been eating. Actually not much, I
guess be hungry don't bother me anymore. As usual for these days, I
didn't get lunch yesterday, but decided to cook something on early
evening. I though I was preparing enough food for dinner and lunch
today. Ha, I ate everything.

Skeet is helping me again with the top mast connection of the
staysail, my first carbon fiber piece. Hopefully we'll finish today.
My climbing gear arrived as well, so I finally can climb easily the
mast.

Last night I was working on the insulation of the engine room. Yes I
don't need that to leave, but I do need space aboard to move around
and find things. I'm trying to alternate between fundamental jobs and
consume material to clear space.

On the previous night I finished the port cleat, the last job on the
wet storage. So last night I could dump stuff inside it.

I cleared the deck and now I have all my shit on Harmony's deck. Trust
me, it's a lot of stuff. I need to select what is going with me, what
needs to find a new home and what is trash. It's not easy to do
everything by yourself.

Yesterday I also empty the fuel tank. Looks like good stuff. That's
great, I was always wandering if I did a good job on the tank cap, or
if there were any leaks. Long time ago I took the fuel gauge off, and
instead I'm just using a stick. But I never marked the Stick. I'll do
it now, as I fill it. The problem that pop on my mind is - if I don't
have the boat well balanced, I'll have a bad measurement. What I'll do
is keep a log on the logbook of length on the stick, with enough data
and a scientist I might be able to calibrate it wrongly.

OK, it's no so cold anymore, no excuses for be still in the bed.

Tuff day

Today was a tuff day. I got irritated several times. Just hard work,
on strange positions. Some hours inside my micro engine room with the
feet almost on the neck! These are moments that I'm glad to practice
some yoga. I'm not a big guy, and flexible. A inch bigger in any
direction or less flexibility and I couldn't do it. This is real,
yachting with rich friends is something else. I hurt myself
everywhere, including a light burning on the hand trying to soft down
a hose.

Today I did more roles on the boat, 2 on the transom. One for the
backup bilge pump and another for the second cockpit drain. I'm still
missing a hose for the drain. I made a little "table" a foot over the
bottom of the bilge. The 4 times stronger backup pump will stay dry
and hopefully last long, but ready to shoot if the water raise more
than a foot.

There is a new line hanger on the dry storage. Yeah, that's right. I
know that don't sounds like a fundamental thing for my trip, but I got
proud and happy to have done it. I realize that I have more lines then
I thought. Too bad that I don't have 2 spinnaker sheets. I might
finishing buying a whole roll just for that.

The EPIRB arrived. I ran the test and got a green light, so should be
fine right?! The New VHF with AIS receiver arrived as well. At some
point I need to start the electrical projects, what also include the
solar panels. Mmm, several hours of work on that. One of the batteries
is warming up, I don't like that. Not sure yet what to do about it. I
ordered a marine breaker for 80 Amp to go just after the batteries. I
want to move the switcher closer and use a thicker wire.

Since I was already on the engine room, I fixed the leaks on the shaft
pipe. An finished with the stuffing box. If still leaks, is just a
little. The exhaust hoses are fixed, but I'm not sure how happy am I
with that. If it get loose the half coupling will chafe it again. I
know how to make it better, with 1-2 hours of work.

Tomorrow I should inspect the forestay chainplate. Looks fine, but I
didn't carefully look at it yet.

The count down started, for real.