Newsletter January 2006 < click on text to go back to news page

It was ages ago since I had any time to update our website. I hope that not too many of our readers have got tired of this and left us for good. Now, for the first time in over a year I have the interest, time and good feelings to continue the information of our project.

Looking back on year 2005, I am glad, literary, to be alive. Too many personal tragedies, disappointments on the boat work and other things beyond our control eventually lead to me, Chris, being hospitalized. The latter, of course, put a temporarily halt to the project. We had finally launched the boat, tested out the systems and were on our way to the Mediterranean when we had to seek shelter for a storm on the Bay of Biscay. After a week in the marina I suffered a massive heart attack. Thank God we were in a marina when it happened. I got the best treatment possible and I am on a speedy way to recover. There were of course complications after the initial hospitalisation, which has now been treated in Sweden (my home country). I had to, instead of a by-pass operation, have so called “stents” (stent is a meshed stainless steel wire tube) inserted in the lower left coronary artery. It was a painless operation of 3 hours duration. I was awake all the time and could follow the procedures on 4 big monitors. It was very interesting, especially as I had a pedagogic doctor doing the procedure.

Let us go back to where I left you last time, in December 2004.

Béa and I continued our work on the boat almost every day. I had a temporary job in my old company, very welcome job as it filled our empty boat cash. Béa got a job later on this spring 2005, a job she still has and will continue with until this autumn. Anyway, every spare time was spent on the boat. Béa was doing a tremendously good job painting all the interiors. She was painting the primer paint with a gasmask, then sanding this two or three times before rolling on the final paint. Without her excellent work, the boat would still be on land.

Béa had been feeling not too well since Christmas 2004, both of us had the idea that it was a bad flue she did not overcome. This “flue” became worse until finally she had a temperature way above normal and heavy pain in the bowel. Our family doctor sent her straight to hospital for tests. During three days the doctors were scratching their heads and had no idea what she suffered from. In a few days she had lost 10% of her body weight and her life in general was at risk. I almost lost her. It was decided to operate for “whatever it was”. Two specialist doctors (both with their own speciality) performed the operation. A hidden abscess, which could be found neither on x-ray nor on scanning, was found. It was very close to “explode”. The days before we were told to be prepare for cancer and other things. You can imagine that life was not good for us and any thought on our project was just not there. It could as well be the end of a dream. But Béa recovered and got a job a couple of months later. However, it was a tremendous shock for both of us. We started to look at life in a different way, first thing being happy to wake up every day in good health. Now our project was more important than ever. We will never know when it could be too late and we are not wasting any time to get on the sea in our boat.

I stopped my temporary job in the “old” company, to work full time on the boat as from July 2005. The better “grip on time” as I mentioned in the previous letter proved not to be true. Delays and further delays with the launch now become more and more frustrating. In July and August the vacation period is in full swing in Belgium and elsewhere on the continent, to get something done is almost impossible. Our carpenter had his vacation, we had problems to find new people for special jobs on the boat and when we finally found them, they were of course booked well ahead. So we suffered delays due to vacation, new people who could start only later and a lot of late deliveries from companies we had ordered equipment from. My adrenalin and stress hormones, in the body, start to build up drastically. At the time I was not worried at all, although I had warnings from the body that I ignored.

Finally, in mid October we launched the boat. It was late in the year and not at all the right season to proceed with the cruise to the Mediterranean. We continued anyway, another winter in Belgium was not a serious option, we could not waste any more time, “let’s get on with it”. It was not a rational decision, but more a decision to avoid mental break down.

We spent two weeks on final bunkering and testing of equipment, performing the last adjustments of radios and auto pilots (yes we have two, one hydraulic Autohelm 7000 and one back up wheel pilot Autohelm 4000). We checked out the toilet system, the watermaker, bilge pumps and other important equipment. I have to say, that the waste systems with its freefall worked better than anticipated and that was a relief. Thank you “Headmistress”, founder of Peal Products, Peggy Hall and thank you Owen Morgan. The 28^th of October 2005 we were ready to cast off and we did. Early in the morning we sailed away to get the right direction of the current in the Dover Strait at the time of passing.

The first part was uneventful, then closer to the Dover Strait, “old” sea and current hit each other and we had a most uncomfortable sailing I have had in years. Well, sailing is not the correct word, as I wanted to check our engine for a few days to start with. We were motoring these days because I have to trust the engine when I really need it and continuous running for a few days would prove the quality of the engine, gearbox and the new drive-line (coupling, shaft and bearings). It all worked well and the next day I had to try some sailing. I tried to hoist the mainsail, on the third reef, but did not manage too well, as I had not prepared the sail correctly in the strong wind, I lost the lazy jacks on one side and had all the main dancing on deck. It took me a while to sort this mess up and just secured the main to the boom. Next in turn to try was the genoa, the main head sail. Wow, it was fantastic, easy to get out on its roller system and what a drive it gave the boat. The log showed a continuous 9 to 9.7 knots, at times over 10 knots. This was in approximately force 5. Now the sea had decided to come from one direction most of the time and the boat balance with the sail up was of course comfortable. The boat behaved nice and well with slow movements even in the rough seas of the night before. In other words a joy to sail. During the day of the 29^th we had problems to receive updates on the weather grib files. But with the good forecast of the weather ahead for the Biscay crossing we were not too worried. We had followed the weather for weeks ahead and every day showed the same, more or less, for the period of our estimated crossing date. It was only a short transmission from the Solent Coast guard to another ship that got me cautious.

The message from the Coast Guard was; heavy weather in area Sole and Fitzroy up to at times force 9. We had 4 hours to the closest harbour and decided to get there as soon as possible, we did arrive later that evening. Where, I will tell you in the next letter.

Arriving in the “shelter marina”, only a couple of yards from the pontoon, I had to slow down a lot and put the gear in reverse at low engine RPM. Nothing happened, absolutely nothing, except for a strange noise from the engine box. We were not able to move by our own, period. With the little inertia motion we had I could steer away from the pontoon and my son (I haven’t mentioned this before, but he was the only other crew member on this part of the cruise) launched the anchor at safe distance from the pontoon. Later we had the harbourmasters boat to tug us into a place along the pontoon.

What had happened? Well, we had planned to attach an extra alternator, as back up, to the propeller shaft and a pulley was fitted to this shaft, but we had not yet fitted the alternator. Again the “professional” Ship Support had made a job that could have ended in catastrophe. In fitting the pulley for the planned alternator, they had to drill holes that fitted the holes already on one of the coupling wheels on the propeller shaft. They had missed to line up the drilled holes with the original in the coupling. No problems, they thought, the holes were just drilled again with a new diameter 2mm larger than the originals. It would not matter how tight we had secured the bolts, this pulley would sooner or later move freely in any direction. It would also continue in one direction when the propeller shaft was put in reverse, rotating in the other direction. This would result in, the worse case, cutting clean all the 6 connecting bolts between the propeller shaft and the coupling wheel. It did.

Seven days later I was in a hospital having suffered a massive heart attack. I was later told that the quick arrive of the ambulance and a short way to the hospital saved my life. I want to thank the professional ambulance crew and the emergency/intensive care cardiac ward for saving my life. Modern emergency transport, where the treatment can start already in the ambulance and ECG that can be transmitted direct to the hospital will save many lives.

Well, this is the story of what has happened so far. I am back in my home country, Sweden to recover for some months and the boat continues its journey with other crewmembers to the Mediterranean, somewhere along the way I will be onboard again, but that is another story and the next letter. Béa continues her job overseas until late summer, when she will join me on the boat, hopefully in a nice place somewhere in the Med.

Before I end this letter I want to update you all with what the final equipment installed.

We ended up with an AC generator set in the end, remember all our thinking fore and against. A genset from Alaska Diesel “Northern Light” of 5KW was installed. It is a little 3 cylinder genset which was introduced to Europe some years ago. We got it for a very competitive price (all included, also a sound enclosure), in fact we got this genset for the same price as for a one cylinder 3KW Fisher Panda for example. We also ended up with a 24 volt 300 Amp Hour battery bank, Gel batteries from Victron Energy. We have 12 volt 100 Amp Hour starter batteries, one for the main engine and one for the genset. Another two of the same kind in the front, coupled in series to get 24 volt for the Windlass and the Watermaker. The latter placed in the front store room, which was the only space left for it and have show to be very convenient.

To continue the electric system, we now have 12 and 24 volt DC and 220 volt AC onboard. 12 volt for some instruments and radios where 24 volt cannot be found. 24 volt for most of the main electric circuit, lighting, pumps and watermaker. 220 volt for chargers, Micro Owen and some “luxury” galley implements, toaster, mixer, etc. From the shore power via an Isolation Transformer or from the genset the 220 volt current reaches a Power Manager Transfer Switch (So called Power Man). This switch decides which should be the 220 volt power source, depending on availability or demand in KW. We can also get the 220 volt from the Victron Phoenix Multi Plus, a combined Charger/Inverter with an Inverter capacity of 3 KW 220 volts AC up to 30 Amp. It charges 24 volt DC up to 70 Amp. When the power is not enough from the inverter, it starts the genset or switches to shore power, if connected. Another feature is; if the shore power is not enough (one can preset the intake Amp from shore power) the extra power is taken from the batteries via the inverter in series with shore power, or switches over to the genset. A very smart system.

The watermaker is a 24 volt 100 litres per hour type from Schenker. It has no high pressure pump, but it amplifies the pressure by its double hydraulic circuit before it enters the membranes. Less moving parts and very easy to maintain, we are very happy with this machine.

The heating system finally became the first that we had planned with. The Webasto diesel driven water heater was installed. We have an accumulator tank for the hot water, which is heated either with the Webasto or from a 220 volt cartridge, size is 55 litres for the tank.

The three diesel tanks of 1450 litres, where one of 300 litres is now unusable, became 950 litres in total due to a fault and miscalculation of Ship Support. We had a verbal guaranty (verbal is not enough, we have learnt this with hard cash) that the total capacity should be 1400 litres for the three tanks.

Communication consists of 2 VHF radios, one with “Sel Call”, “MMSI”. One ICOM 700 Pro HF SSB. One Iridium satellite telephone, it works like a wonder, including the data set that was included in the price. When connected with the Iridium Data module, it is just as if I was connected with a LAN or WLAN connection somewhere on land. The problem I had in receiving the weather data was in the computer itself. I never discovered what it was, later it worked again. I have now connected the back up “steam machine” an older desk top PC, just in case this happens again. Of course we have a couple of cell phones for shore communications, these will be fitted with local “Pay & Go” sim cards.

For navigation we use paper charts from the “Admiralty” and various pilot books. On the data side we use the MaxSea original program. I started to buy the version 9 when it came out many years ago, it has now been updated to version 11. Originally I bought this navigation program via SetSail.com for a quarter of the list price, this was only for an introduction period. We have 3 independent GPS receivers, where two have their own display. One is a hand held back up. We have double log and the usual wind instruments. All the instruments are second hand Autohelm ST 50 with Sea Talk. As long as they are working we will keep them, but when one goes they will all be replaced with new ones.

On the interior side nothing has changed and we are very happy with the final result. We have good ventilation in all the cupboards it seems and things remain in place, even in very bad seas. I will insert the finished interior pictures when I am onboard again, I just forgot to take those pictures before we left Belgium. I have a few with half ready interior which I will insert at the same time as this News Letter.

The only thing changed on the exterior is the new fitted swimming platform at the stern. We constructed this one more for safety reasons than anything else, but it has become a more practical thing than we thought it to be. There is one thing I will change later on this platform. Now it is fitted rigid to the stern and it is making a lot of strain on the mounting points when we get a “choppy stop sea”. When the stern dips fast and heavy through the water surface, I am scared that the mounting points in the hull GRP can crack open. This has to be changed so that the platform can pivot up along the stern and locked when sailing.

Well, I hope that our friends and readers of this site have been encouraged, with this letter, to continue to follow us on our journey that has just started, but temporarily come to a halt. The next letter will be when I (Chris) will join Sea Otter on her way to the Mediterranean.

All the best,

Béa and Chris.