A warm hello to all of you following the progress of the M/V Sephina:
This week saw more significant progress towards launch:
We got the electronic compass operating. The magnetic card compass is not properly installed and is all but useless. So it was critical to get the electronic compass functioning. Once we launch, we will calibrate the compass, a process known as swinging the compass, to establish the deviation at any given heading. (Variation on an electronic compass can be factored in digitally.)
And we got the main engine running - the Caterpillar 3304 purrs like a kitten. Great sound to hear - and much quieter than the GMC diesels that I'm more familiar with. (Now I know why they call the GMs 'Screamin' Jimmies'.)
Genset is another story. It needs a fuel filter which I don't have. Its funny - I have no fewer than 50 assorted fuel and oil filters on board, except for the one I need...But once I have the filter, I'm confident she'll run just fine. It's a Lugger 3 banger mated to a Northern Lights 12 kW generator. The genset will provide us with 110/220 VAC while under way.
I also freed up the gear shift cable, which was frozen, so we now have a gear box as well.
Some of the harbor guys came and repositioned the jack stands on the boat, so we could finish the areas of the bottom that the jack stands were covering. They are now scraped, primed and painted. I also polished the propeller to a nice smooth finish, barnacles removed, so we're good to go there.
We've ordered sacrificial zincs (13 of them) which we should have on Sunday. Then, one or two small issues and we are ready to launch. Barring anything unforseen, we should be in the water before next Shabbat.
Speaking of unforseen: we had our first major setback of sorts. You will recall from last week that I was busy trying to understand the fuel distribution and polishing system. But I was confused about the location of the fuel storage tanks, which I could not see - at least from the ER.
There are several access hatches around the boat - big steel plates held in place by 20 or so screws, haven't been cracked in years. So I started opening them. I wanted to visually inspect those tanks, and I knew they were located forward of the forward ER bulkhead. The only way to get to it is from an access hatch in the main stateroom, just aft of the head. (There is another access hatch in the head itself which I opened earlier - and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it looked like the day the boat was built: painted, rust-free and dry. Yay!)
The problem with this hatch is that at some point, the previous owner (hereinafter known as the PO) divided the (once spacious) owner's stateroom into two smaller (cramped) cabins, and built the partition wall right over this hatch. (Who thought this was a good idea??) Anyway, I had to deconstruct the cabin wall to get to this hatch. When I opened it up, what to my wondering eyes should appear? Diesel fuel. The hold was filled to the brim with fuel, hundreds of gallons. (Imagine opening your basement door and seeing water up the top step.) This was very bad - this hold should have looked like the other one, clean and dry. Fuel tank rupture? Maybe the rumors about the PO dumping diesel overboard were true...
In order to diagnose the problem, I had to get it pumped out, and the harbormaster very kindly arranged to get a special vane pump and 500 gallon tank to drain the hold. This we did on Wednesday. Turns out 50 or so gallons of diesel was floating on what was mostly water. I managed to skim most of the diesel off the water, thinking it might be salvageable (and since marine diesel in Hoonah is $3.80 a gallon). But the water doubled the mystery: where did 500+ gallons of water and diesel come from?
Once the hold was pumped, I got into a bathing suit and climbed down into this (very cramped hold). Visual inspection revealed no obvious source of water or diesel, just a lot of rust and sludge. I've been monitoring this hold since Wednesday, still dry as a bone. And its been raining heavily, so its not rainwater.
So my working theory for now is that the multiple fresh water leaks in the head immediately forward of that hold, both on the supply & drain side (which I've already fixed) made their way into that hold. The PO clearly knew about this problem, because there were globs and globs of bathtub caulk along the bulkheads and access hatch. Instead of fixing the problem at the source, they tried to fix it with a little glue and duct tape. Over many years of neglect, that drip-drip-drip of water filled the hold. Brilliant.
As for the diesel: it was only 50 gallons, and if there was a rupture in one of the tanks, that tank should be filled with water. Yet both port and starboard tanks appear to be empty. So for now, both tanks are suspect until I can pressure test them for integrity.
But now at least I have some clarity about the disposition of the fuel tankage: a forward tank under the forward stateroom; a large starboard tank amidships in the aforementioned hold; a smaller port midships tank in the same hold; and an after tank under the aft stateroom.
The two 275 gallon tanks in the ER are described as day tanks, while others are considered fuel storage tanks. The idea is to pump a metered amount of fuel into the day tank (port or starboard) from one or more fuel storage tanks so you can monitor your fuel consumption as you go.
I initially thought the two tanks in the ER were the port and starboard midships storage tanks, and a small 30 gallon tank in front of the main engine was the day tank. I thought this because I am not familiar with a two day tank setup, and because 275 gallons is pretty big for a day tank (they're usually between 60 - 100 gallons.) But by the same token, the 30 gallon tank I thought was the day tank is kind of small for that purpose - you'd have to refill it every 6 hours or risk running the engine dry. And we none of us want to do that, especially at sea.
And that also explains why the 30 gallon tank is plumbed to supply the Hurricane diesel heat system for the boat (of course inoperative.)
As long as I can fill the two day tanks from fill tubes on deck, I can run just fine off of those for now and deal with the integrity of the fuel storage tanks later.
So in light of the foregoing, I hope to be posting to this blog next week with my feet in the water.
Shabbat Shalom from the Last Frontier's Last Frontier - Hoonah, Alaska.
Hi Rabbi!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry my reply is so long delayed. Since I really enjoy reading your blog, I don't want to squeeze the readings between the myriad of annoying chores which seem constantly to plague me, so I reserve my replies for times I set-aside when I can listen to quiet music and leisurely read through your blog.
I've been reading your blog of September 20 and hope that, as of this writing, 'your feet are in the water'.
I am relieved you're no longer being tormented by the "Screamin' Jimmies' - it's probably even worse than my tinnitus (ringing in the ears, a high-pitched tone that is ever constant, unless the ambient noise is even worse. But, as the Serenity Prayer puts it, so far at least, I've retained the serenity of accepting my tinnitus as well as the wisdom of not trying to pursue hopeless and ineffective remedies. And I'm sure my tinnitus is bequeathed to me for a higher purpose, and someday (Olam Haba) I'll understand why and be grateful. And I have days when I can hardly wait!
I'm amazed by the amount of, and technical challenges of, getting the Sephina in ship-shape order, and am happy to read that some of the harbor people have pitched-in to help out with the heavy stuff. I imagine that those guys had to lift up the boat in order to reposition the jack-stands - and your boat sounds very big and very, very heavy.
I'm very impressed with your skill and tenacity in problem-solving. That couldn't have been much fun immersed in what must've been freezing cold water while you were inspecting the diesel/water flooding underneath the partition that the PO had built - maybe to conceal the leak? But I shouldn't ascribe base motives, likely just an innocent and poorly-conceived jury-rigging.
I'm also amazed that the PO was not on top of the maintenance of his boat - his livelihood after all! Things like that, topics relating to qualities of character and personality, fascinate and mystify me. And again, likely in Olam Haba (to which I very much look forward and for which I am sometimes impatient to reach) I'll understand why such challenges are visited on people who seem very much not up to the challenge.
I'm not clear about the depth sounder. If it tells you how much water is beneath the keel in real time, isn't that too late? Don't you need to know the depth of the water that's ahead of you, into which you're heading, before you're grounded?
The two Israeli couples you'd met must've been shocked to meet you! What a great experience - the 'ka incidence' of it all - and appreciating it for what it is: Heaven sent.
Two questions (well, one plus a compound question): What does 'ER' stand for? In light of my erstwhile work, I can't help reading it as hospital related. And:
What does 'Sephina' mean - and from where does the name derive?
As I've said before, these exploits of yours have the makings of a terrific, first-class adventure novel. Please keep your blog going so you can publish it for the masses to read and enjoy, a vicarious adventure that I am certainly enjoying!
Be well, with warm regards!
Rony.