The New Wiring

 I've significantly simplified the wiring for this season. Hopefully, it will be more reliable. So far, the indications are good.

I bought a proper crimp tool for the SuperSeal connectors. It's wonderful. I also got a box of connectors with 1, 2, 4 and 6 way versions. This gave me some ideas but if I do it again I'll simplify even further.

We should finally have a reliable anchor light. I just tested it and it's working and all the transitions have really good crimps on the SuperSeal connectors. I used a 6 way SuperSeal to unify the running light and anchor light wiring. But it needed a pair of 3 way gel crimps to split the port and starboard feeds and the whole thing would have been simpler using just gel crimps in the cabin and SuperSeals on deck.

I've replaced the trio of motorcycle accessories with a single unit. It has two USB A, 2 USB C and a voltmeter. I've re-used one of the existing cables for most of the run but re-purposed some thick single core for the rest. It's too thick to crimp so I've used chock blocks. It didn't work at first. I used the provided cable with spades and an inline fuse and the fuse holder wasn't making contact with the fuse. A bit of bending bits inside sorted it 

The new cabin lights are really bright. Good for reading. We have one over each bench, something we should have done years ago.

I rewired the cockpit wiring to the stern light and tiller pilot. The stern light is minimalist, bell wire replaced cat5. The tiller pilot uses thick mains wire directly to the chock blocks by the battery switch with a new 2 way bulkhead socket and inline plug on the tiller pilot flex. We lose all the NMEA stuff but we have no intention to use it. This way it should never crash due to lack of voltage.

The bilge pump was working but the float switch was not. The wire had broken at the chock blocks. I replaced that with a 2 way gel crimp to join the float switch to 12V and a 3 way gel crimp to connect the pump to both the float switch and the manual switch. I had to file down the insulation on the float switch wires to fit the crimps but it should be more reliable, both mechanically and electrically.

Afloat in Ullapool harbour

There is always more to do once a boat is afloat, and once again Julian was head down with the electrics. By the end of the day we had practically all the electrics rerun, new working cabin lights, and the float switch working properly again.

I did a bit of plumbing, empting the water tanks, then removing a mysterious small tank which has been on Robinetta since we bought her. Once I brought the foot long and 6" in diameter rusty metal ovoid into the light we were finally able to read that it was a hot water expansion cylinder. Why it was there, on a boat where hot water only came from the kettle, is a total mystery. Loch Broom Hardware provided a short length of water pipe to connect the pipe work back together, and the old tank was donated to a mystified harbour master to add to the metal recycling.

The throttle and gear lever had seemed very stiff yesterday, and the clutch button would not move. A squirt of WD40, followed by a careful clean and regrease made them work smoothly again. I should clean this more often!

Bending on the main sail was the next task, and after that we needed a break, so visited Ullapool Museum which is now open for the season, before going to collect the car. The glorious spring weather meant that the two mile walk along the main road from the harbour to the yard was surprisingly pleasant. Although it seemed quite busy most times when I drove along it, when walking the cars are spaced far enough apart that birdsong dominated the sound scape.

A trip to Tesco to provision Robinetta for our trip north was followed by a Fish and Chip supper eaten in the cockpit. We needed our coats on as the evening was chilly, but the view meant we did not want to go below.

We are heading south tomorrow to take the car and trailer home, but hope to be back aboard on Friday.

Launch Day at last

I woke quite early at the sound of yard machinery in motion, and after a cup of tea I got dressed and down the ladder to see that another yacht was being launched on the morning tide. She got off without problems, and it was interesting to see the procedure before doing it ourselves. Every yard we have been in has a different way of getting boats into the water and it is impossible to know what to expect.

It took a while for the yard to clear the machines out of the shed entrance so Robinetta could be loaded onto the trailer and pulled out. The first thing to leave the shed once the way was clear was the mast, and then there was a pause while Tim cut back the bulwark so we could get the bowsprit in place without damaging it. The bowsprit has lost quite a lot of varnish over last season and this winter, and the wood is also damaged. We will have to make this good as soon as possible.

Robinetta was out of the shed by half ten, and I made good the anti-fouling where the props had been. We had used up all of out Teamac D last Friday, so Tim found us the tail end of a tin of red antifouling he had left over. This was a hard anti-fouling, rather than an eroding one, and we will have to have a look at the end of the season to see what a difference it makes.

Once the mast went in Julian and I got on with untangling the ropes and tying the shrouds to their dead eyes. Mast dressing errors became apparent, as always, but this time we had the luxury of Julian being lifted up on a pallet by a forklift to sort things out. Tim also came on board and put in the mast wedges, which was very helpful.

When rigging the boom with its roller reefing we realised we were missing an eye bolt in the deck fittings. Julian trawled though his pictures to find evidence of its existence, and Tim found where the old bolt went, then fitted it. A quick job for him, but a problem for us if we had delayed working on the rigging.

Rain rolled in at lunch time, so we ate in the cabin rather than going for a picnic, but the sun soon came back out and I headed outside to fit the mast boot while Julian got on with wiring up the radio and AIS receiver.

By mid afternoon we had had enough, and went to Ullapool for a cup of tea and cake, and to use the toilet. Unfortunately the public toilets are out of action due to vandalism, but there are enough eateries with their own facilities that the lack of toilets at the yard does not matter too much.

We were back in the yard by half four, and carried on getting Robinetta ready to go back in the water until 7pm. By then the tide was high enough to launch, and since Robinetta was ready there was no point waiting.

Tim came aboard as we went into the water, and checked that the seacocks that he had fettled were not leaking. He was impressed with how tight her planking was after a winter in the shed, with no obvious leaks along the seams. I will have a good look in the morning in case there are any slow seeps, which sometimes happens.

The engine started on the first push of the button. Hurrah! We had the fuel tank switched one in, one out, as I had forgotten which let the fuel through. I will have to look it up again.

Worm was also launched for us, with her painter being passed over the bow before she was pushed in. She was actually needed today, as Tim sculled himself ashore in her, after he finished his checks. I then pulled Worm back to Robinetta, as the trailer was pushed deeper, then Robinetta floated off, and Julian put her into reverse. The gear controller is very stiff, so we need to grease it.

A short motor to Ullapool harbour in the evening sun shine had both Julian and me smiling. Being on the water was lovely. We called up the harbour on the main radio, and got no answer, but they responded to the handheld. We could hear them on the main radio, but they could only hear us on the handheld. Something to investigate for the morning.

Once we were moored up we went out for a curry, accompanied by a bottle of celebratory Cava bought from Tesco.

Today was a good day.

Working on Robinetta, Day 7

First job of the day was going into Ullapool for a cooked breakfast. We had a leisurely one at The Bothy, before heading back to Robinetta, where we got the anchor and its chain back on board.

Julian spent the rest of the morning sorting out the stern light and tiller pilot power sockets in the cockpit, then after lunch he refashioned the bulkhead mounting that originally held the Seafarer depth gauge. Last season this held a 12v car socket, together with 4 USB charging sockets, and a voltmeter for the batteries. This has now been replaced with a much smaller installation, that does not have the 12V car socket which we never used. This required Julian to cover the hole in the mounting, but luckily there were plenty of bits of spare wood lying around. The navigation lights were also reconnected.

In comparison I did not feel like I did much. Lots of miscellaneous tidying up, getting the blocks sorted out to go on the horse, and setting up the bowsprit. In the course of doing this I realised that the hole in the bulwarks that Tim had mended fouled the bowsprit as it went through, making it very difficult to bring in. I need to ask him to free this up tomorrow when he gets back from holiday. The wind got up a bit late afternoon, so I closed the shed doors to stop them banging.

Julian and I decided to go to film night held at the ferry terminal in the evening. We miscalculated the timing, arriving before the venue opened, so went to the Ferry Inn and had a pleasant light meal of a starter portion of mussels each, with a single portion of chips. We shared a table with an Australian couple on a car tour of Scotland and had a pleasant conversation about good places to visit, before we headed over to see the film.

Climbing the ladder in the shed to get into Robinetta’s cabin when we got back in the dark is something I will be glad not to have to do again, but not really a problem.

Working on Robinetta, Day 6

Julian declared that I would stay as the project manager, so after we arrived in the yard at half nine I put him in charge of dressing the mast while I got on with sorting out the cabin. He occasionally called me to have a look at what he was doing and this seems to have worked well as a way to make sure things are in the right place. Monday, when the mast goes in will be the proof of the approach! It would be good not to have to go up the mast this year. We had a picnic lunch, then headed back to Ullapool mid afternoon for a cup of tea to celebrate the mast dressing being complete.

mast head with additional AIS reciever

The cabin is now ready for reoccupation, just as well since we are sleeping aboard tonight.

The only electrics that got completed before we stopped for the night were the reconnecting of the port and starboard navigation lights, so we went to bed by the light of battery lanterns rather than Robinetta’s own lights. Not a problem.

Working on Robinetta, Day 5

 Alex's last day working on Robinetta. He used the rollers to paint on a full coat of antifoul on Thursday. That took three quarters of a 2.5 litre tin, so this morning he just put a second coat on the rudder, before using the remainder just below the water line, where more weed grows. He also covered the patchwork of prepared areas above the water line with blue paint. Robinetta is not getting a complete paint job this year, and the fresh paint is slightly darker than what is already there, but the difference is invisible from a couple of metres away, and will be gone by the time the sun has been on the hull for half a season. He also patched the white paint where it needed it.

The mast varnish needs time to harden, so no more coats went on there after Thursday, but the tiller did get a layer. Alex then passed up the fully painted toilet bowl and support, and that completed his part on the fit out and I drove him to Inverness, and put him on a train to go home.

I had planned to go to the chandlers while in Inverness, but failed to check when they closed; Gaelforce Marine close an hour earlier on a Friday, at 4pm instead of 5pm, so they were closed by the time Julian and I met up there. Very annoying, but my own fault.

Julian and I then drove back to Ullapool. We have one night in the cottage, then will move on to Robinetta; in the shed before her launch, then properly aboard.

Working on Robinetta, Day 4

Tim had removed the heads pump to get access to refix the bits, and when I went to put it back I realised that a couple of the screws had failed, and would need replacing. This gave me the impetus to resited the heads pump by about an inch. This should stop the pump handle from fouling on the edge of the storage shelf as it had been doing for a couple of years. Alex has been repainting the floor support for the toilet bowl, and once this is dry I will be able to put the whole of the forepeak back in working order.

Rebuilding the galley is not going so well. I had real problems reconnecting the sink drain with the thru hull. Once I put the storage shelves in place access will get even worse, so I needed to get the drain fixed ASAP. Hopefully it is now done, and won't leak. We rarely use the sink, and always keep the thru hull closed, so I refuse to worry if I can't use the plug hole.

I also needed to refit the gimbals for the stove. I thought it was done, then tried  to fit the stove in place, and the gimbal supports pulled out. I need longer screws! The  rest of the galley went back with a little cutting needed on the crockery shelving, due to the doubled rib behind it.

The anti fouling is mostly done, just needing a second coat to the areas that get most heavily infested which will happen tomorrow.  The mast varnishing has has a lick and a promise, while the tiller may get up to five coats before we need to use it.

I have installed the cabin cushions, so everything feels a lot more comfortable.

You will notice a lack of any mention of electrics. That will be Julian's task once he gets here tomorrow evening.

Working on Robinetta, day 3

 This set of posts is mostly to keep a record of what we have done to get Robinetta ready to go back in the water, and how long it took, so I suspect it is not of general interest!

The cabin ceiling is now painted, and the cabin sides washed down. They will not be getting painted this year. The galley is ready to refit. The mast has had one coat of varnish, and the tiller 2.

The underseat locker lids have had a new coat of white paint. They look lovely, but really show up the rest of the installation. However everything will be hidden beneath the seat cushions when in use.

The last thing Alex and I did before leaving for the evening was putting on a full coat of metaclor primer. Tomorrow is antifouling day.

Working on Robinetta, day 2

 There comes a time in every project when there is a feeling that it will never be done on time. That was today.

Alex has made good progress on the hull, but it is all prep work. By the end of the day the bare wood on the lower hull has a coat of primer, but the patches needs another coat before the full tie coat goes no. The same is true for the patches on blue hull, so it still feels like there is a long way to go. The wooden plinth for the heads has one coat of primer, so needs another before it gets its final coat before being installed.

I had been working on the interior, washing, filling, and painting. The floor boards are now clean, and sitting outside so they do not get paint on them. Nowhere is ready to be put back together, although there is some progress on the galley.

Working on Robinetta, day 1

View from the "wash station"

Constant flowing water

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weather makes a huge difference to the experience of working on a boat, and we could not have wished for better weather. Warm sun and a slight breeze meant that the lack of mains water at the yard was irrelevant. A culverted stream runs under the boat yard to discharge clean water onto a pebbled beach. Sitting on a convenient rock, surrounded by beautiful scenery, made washing a year's accumulated grime off the heads and the floor boards more of a pleasure than a chore.

 Alex is concentrating on the exterior of Robinetta, and with 5 days of guaranteed time undercover she should look lovely by the time we launch (hopefully Tuesday). My tasks on the interior might take longer. We have not been able to do a deep clean since we left Tollesbury back in 2021, and the inside of the boat is filthy. That means the painting has to be delayed, and some of it might be put off for yet another year.