So this is for those of you interested in some of the more technical parts of sailing, specifically what we had to fix and replace along the way. Most of this we did when we were on Menorca where we spent two and a half weeks waiting on various parts and weather windows.
First up – we replaced the life raft. We lost it on the passage to Menorca (see that post). It was really my own fault, I never actually checked that the previous owner had installed it in a way that is suitable for rough weather. The picture here is the original. A close look will show that the straps do not go around the stainless steel platform, so a wave simply rotated the liferaft up, and slid it sideways out of the recess moulded for it in the hull. The replacement was a little smaller (but still 6 person), so I had to put a platform on the tubing otherwise it would fall through.
We also replaced the wind instruments. What came with the boat was a clever solid state wind gauge that no longer worked reliably. Any label had long since worn off or been bleached by the sun, so no amount of googleing on my part helped at all. So out it comes. At the top of the mast I cut the cable (and made sure not to lose the end, as that will be used to pull the new cable in) and removed the old one. The new one need a couple of holes drilled to mount it, then feed the new cable in at the top while Maggie pulls it through the bottom. Reconnect the wires to the display, and hooray it works!!! Wish I had a couple of pictures to show you, but I guess not.
Another thing we fixed without getting pictures was our jib, or Genoa. That is the triangular sail at the front that rolls up around the forestay (the steel cable at the bow holding the mast up). It was getting pretty beat up, and the stitching all along the leech and foot was falling apart. We used some of our sail repair tape to hold it together long enough to get fixed. We found a nice sailmaker lady in Mahon, Menorca who took it in and re-did all the stitching for us. Then 180 Euros later our sail is all sparkly and new-like again. The verdict was that it was just the stitching and the sun protection layer wearing out, the sail itself is still in good condition.
Our electric winch was also giving us grief. When I pulled it apart for cleaning and servicing, I could see that one of the holes that held a gear shaft was worn oval, and the gear was leaning over into the stretched out hole, and of course that is not good for long term wear and tear on a set of gears! The winch is so old that there are no spare parts available, so our options were to either replace the entire winch (about $3000), or repair the one we have. We chose to repair.
So off into the industrial part of Mahon in the pouring rain with winch in hand looking for a machine shop. The first place we were advised to go could not help, but suggested somewhere else. They could not help, but pointed us to a third place, who were very friendly, spoke no english, and could not help. But one of the customers there translated for us, and pointed us to yet another option. The last place was run by a friendly old coot who only spoke spanish. With hand gestures, and using felt tip marker on the wall (really!) we communicated what we needed, and he promised it to be done in 2 days for 30 or 40 euros (he wrote the amount on the wall). He did a great job filling in the hole, and machining a new hole in the correct location.
We stopped for coffee and pastries after dropping off the winch, and that customer from the other shop that translated found us again, and told us that he was with a sailboat rigging outfit just around the corner, and invited us to pop in after our coffee. So we did and found the rigging shop in Mahon. Good thing too, as a couple of days later we noticed that the aluminum casting at the base of the boom, where it attaches to the mast was cracked!! Frick! That is kind of an important piece.
Look closely where the bolt runs through, and you can see the metal is cracked through. When I discovered this, the sails were up. I used some Dyneema line (super strong, and expensive rope) to try and stabilize it until the sails came down.
So a quick email to the riggers (we picked up their card) with pictures, and they were on it. We got a replacement within 5 days.
While the riggers were there, I figured it would be a good idea to have them look at the rest of the system and make sure there were no nasty surprises waiting for us on some dark and stormy night. He used a jewelers loupe to inspect each fitting, and sure enough, there was a surprise. The steel eye attached to the forestay (cable at the front of the boat holding the mast from falling over backwards) had a series of stress cracks in it. So that needs to be replaced. To get that eye off, you need to tilt the mast forward to take the tension off it. To do that you need to loosen the turnbuckles on the main stays (cables at the side of the boat holding the mast up). I think the last time they were moved was about a decade ago. The port side one eventually did loosen up, but the starboard side one would not budge. In fact they bent it trying to unscrew it. So the turnbuckles need to be replaced as well.
The new turnbuckles are longer than the originals, which means that the swaged cable ends could not be simply moved to the new turnbuckle, but new ends have to be swaged onto the shortened cable. The riggers had a swaging machine that they put on the roof. The mainstays were cut, new ends fitted and swaged right there on the roof, then put back with new turnbuckles. The new ones are much heavier and shinier than the originals.
The only other thing we had to replace was a propellor. I have two spares on board, but not the cones and bolts that are used to attach it. So we had to wait again for replacement parts to arrive. When they did get there, I was in the water putting the port side propellor on. That was kind of gross as the harbour water is nasty stuff. People on boats poop in it, there is oil and gas and who knows what else. The next day I was not feeling so good, and actually ended up seasick for the first time in my life! It was the poopy harbour water – thats my story and I’m sticking with it.