Saturday morning a little twist that shouldn't have caused any problem pulled a muscle in my back. I mean really, I was picking up a towel. Ouch. Problem #1. Fortunately this didn't stop us from going out sailing but it likely would have if Allen hadn't been in Galveston and came over to go out with us. I wasn't able to move very fast and standing was about the only position that was comfortable.
We motored past the Kemah Boardwalk about 11:30 and headed out onto Galveston Bay. It was in the 60's, partly cloudy and a nice wind for sailing.We raised the sails and sailed over here and then over there, just sailing all different angles to the wind to get a feel for everything. The boat handled very well and we were able to get her up to 7.5 knots a couple of times. For a little bit there was another boat on the same tack as us off our starboard side. I doubt they knew we were racing but I certainly was! We kicked their butt! I will say that this was greatly due to Allen continually trimming the sails to get the most speed out of the boat.
About 2:30 we headed for the channel to take us back to the marina. Once me made the first marker we turned into the wind and dropped our sails. That completed, we began motoring our way in. About half way in the motor started stumbling. We made it almost all the way to the Kemah Boardwalk and it died. Problem #2. We drifted a bit and then dropped the anchor. Me, being the invalid I was, stayed above as Allen and Susan went below to see if they could figure out what was wrong. About this time we lost our GPS fix. No idea what caused that to happen. Problem #3. When there is no GPS fix, the chartplotter doesn't know where you are so it can't display an appropriate chart. So it doesn't display anything.
Susan spotted that the primer bulb in the fuel line was collapsed. Allen figured the fuel line had to be clogged so the two of them set about resolving that issue. Trying to be of some use I called BoatUS and requested a tow. Fortunately, on Friday, I had signed up for free towing with them. $158 annual fee for free towing. Another one of those things sailors all agree on, sign up for BoatUS towing if you're sailing the US coast. They gave me an estimated 35 minutes before someone would be there. 30 minutes later Allen and Susan had the fuel line unplugged and I was able to get the engine started and running smoothly. We were now well planted in the mud just outside the channel. We were able to power through the mud (there goes the new paint on the bottom of the keel), bring up the anchor and get on our way again. Yes, I called BoatUS back and informed them we were moving again and no longer needed the tow.
Still no GPS but the channel is well marked. We made it back to the marina and once again was able to dock without hitting anything. This time I used the bow thruster a bit too. Every time I used the bow thruster, the Chartplotter would lose power and then power back up. Problem #3.5.
Once we were tied up it seemed like an appropriate time for Susan to try out her new bosun's chair. There were a few things up the mast that needed to be fixed. There is a deck light about half way up that was burned out and the chord that you attach small flags to, can be fun flags or quarantine flags when you sail into a harbor of a new country, was broken. Here's a picture of Susan, half way up the mast.
Any of you that know me know there is no way I'm going up there! She thought it was fun. Good for her, she can go anytime she likes. This did draw some of our friends out to see what was going on. Dave and Kelly came down from Kona Breeze to watch. Bryan and Cindy had a good view from the cockpit of their boat. I stood under her to catch her if she fell. Yeah, right! Susan said she was going to offer her mast climbing services for $500. Don't tell her but I'd pay lots more than that to not have to go up the mast.
From Yahoo it appears the proper name for the chord one attaches flags to is a flag halyard. We have a new one of those now and I'm surprised there isn't an Atlanta Braves flag up yet, she did bring it with her. The light that is just above Susan's hand is the deck light that was out. Seems kinda funny it's a headlight for a tractor. Didn't have one to replace it at the time but we do now. I guess that means she gets to go back up the mast next weekend.
So all in all, even with 3.5 problems, it was a great weekend. We do have some work to do before we go back out though. First of all we must clean the fuel tank and "polish" (filter) the fuel. That means siphoning all the diesel out, going in through the 6" access port in the fuel tank and scrubbing and cleaning the inside of the tank and then put the fuel back in after running it through a good filter. The fuel tank should be kept full as much as possible. When it's not full condensation will form on the inner walls of the tank and then drip into the fuel. Add water to diesel fuel and you not only have water in your fuel but you create an environment where nasty stuff can grow. This is likely what caused problem #2. The boat had 1/4 of a tank of fuel when we got it, no telling how long it had been that way.
The other problem that has to be fixed before we can go back out is the GPS / Chartplotter. Not sure what the deal is here. There is an external GPS antennae but supposedly the chartplotter has its own internal one as well. Too many sunken pipelines and such to be sailing around Galveston Bay without a chartplotter.
That's all for now, fair winds.
Brian
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