Emptying the anchor locker

Went to Mersea with Julian today, not nearly such a nice day as Thursday; it was raining when we got there, and felt as though it would stay that way all day despite the forecast. Luckily it soon dried out, and we got all the things done we wanted to.

The forepeak is now empty of its anchors and anchor locker, with the bolts though the stem finally accessible for checking. The floor bolts that were not replaced in the bow when the ones in the main cabin were done back when we first bought Robinetta can now be reached too. I think we'll ask Paul Drake to check them and replace if needed, he's coming to have a look at Robinetta on Monday.

Julian did some epoxying at the stern where the cap rail had been pulled up, and he also removed the rotten strip of iroko that covered the gap between the fibreglassed deck and the transom. That will have to be replaced, but its a simple enough job once we find the right bit of wood. After that he sanded down the mast where it had been damaged by the gaff saddle.

A good days work once the weather relented. The more we can get done this early in the maintenance season the better!

The diesel leak has been traced by Olly, when he winterised the engine for us. The fuel lift pump diaphragm is leaking. We've decided to get a new pump rather than just the diaphragm as the costs are pretty similar once the labour is factored in. Julian will buy it, then Olly will fit it when he gets the engine ready in the spring. He's pretty sure that that is the only leak, but time will tell.

Where the water comes in

Today was my first chance to get to West Mersea for a while due to work and weather, but it was a great day to go. Bright warm sun shine, and only a little breeze. The yard had moved Robinetta again, as the car park had been shrunk to only fit about ten cars, and she should not need to be moved again this winter. That meant I was able to get the electric hook up in place, so now I'll be able to brew up with the electric kettle.

The decks were damp with dew when I got there, but since I'd brought the heat gun and now had power I could burn the loose paint off the foredeck bulwark, which dried out the wood before I smoothed it down with the sander. I last painted this area before we left Shotley, and its not in bad condition overall, so I did not try to strip it totally. It's got a coat of grey metallic primer on all the bare bits now, and I'll probably leave it like that until the spring.

There is a distinct gap between the deck and the hull on the port side of the foredeck. The stopping has failed, and the caulking beneath is very loose. This may well be the source of one of our leaks this summer. 

As the wood of the hull dried out in the sun it was possible to see where a couple of areas stayed damp, as water trapped inside the hull leaked out. Paul had packed the one at the stern with bitumen when he recaulked it, but it looks as though it will need more attention this winter.

 

With the weather so perfect for it I sanded down where the mooring had abraded the antifouling down to bare wood and gave it a coat of underwater primer. The wood was in good condition and dry, so it made sense to get paint on it.

The old cooker had to go, so that went in the car to take to the dump, then I put the cover on the foredeck. There's rain forecast for tomorrow, and I want to keep it out of the boat as much as I can.

Mast out

We heard that the mast had been taken out on Friday, so headed for Mersea. Julian got on with undressing the mast, while I weatherproofed where the mast goes through the deck.

It was sunny and warm for the time of year, so we got fish and chips from the Oyster Bar and ate in Robinetta's cockpit. Very pleasant.

While I was emptying the fresh water from the tanks (which needed draining) I used it to clean up the foredeck and wash the cabin sides and remaining cockpit cap rail, all of which were in dire need of Varnol. They got one coat, which will give some protection over the winter.

Next time I go I must remember to take the foredeck cover. That will make the boat a whole lot drier inside!

The electric bilge pump was not working, so Julian looked at the fuse which seemed fine to both of us. He then renewed all the electrical connections, but it would still not work, and when he looked at the fuse again it now seemed broken.... Grr. A new fuse, and it worked, but the pump was not sending the water up the pipe any more, just spraying it around. Julian fished around in the bilges and found the missing 0-ring, mended the pump, put it back in position, then declared himself done for the day. I don't blame him!

Spilt Diesel

The smell of Diesel in the cabin had not gone away in the weeks since we last used the engine and it became obvious why when I lifted the floorboards to see the bilges. There was a nasty film of diesel on top of the bilge water, and moping out the bilges was unpleasant. I did not know what to do with the contaminated water in the bucket (just tipping it out is not an option!) but the yard advised me to use container with a tap at the bottom to separate it out, then take the diesel bit to a proper disposal facility. I sacrificed our water carrier, and it worked well. The water settled out below the diesel within ten minutes, and could then be run off and tipped away normally. I'll wait to get rid of the diesel container until the leak has been traced and repaired and I know I won't need to do it again.

Meanwhile Julian had been taking off the boom and tying all the shrouds and halyards to the mast to make it easier to get it out.

Taking stuff home

All the sails, the bowsprit and the gaff are now safely at home. Looking around the hull, there are a few obvious places where the water is trickling out of the bilges. As expected it is all around the garboard strakes. Especially at the front where there was a huge gap between the keel and the garboard which Paul filled with bitumen. I think that needs a spline. On the starboard stern there is a lot of wood missing from the garboard and screws are showing. A tingle is also dripping. There is no real evidence of any problem caused by the incident at Rye. I took off the port cap rail above the bulwark in the cockpit. It is rotten at the back but the half ribs seem ok. One is stretched but I don't think anything needs to be done. I will see if the cap rail can be repaired. Apart from the last 6" it's fine. Maybe I can scarf a new end on. 

Out of the water

Robinetta was lifted out today, so it seems like the right time to post the season's stats. It felt like we started the season nice and early, in April, and had a lot of sailing over the summer, but having her hauled out for a couple of weeks in May, and out for the winter in early September has given us a shorter time afloat than normal. It was a challenging year, with the trip round to Cowes, but an interesting one.

Robinetta sailed 595 miles, in 34 days, which once again gives us 17.5 miles a day on average. We spent more time on the boat than that, with days ashore, and regattas though! Our engine use was higher than normal, with 98 engine hours since the full service, and 9 hours before. That's a total of 107 engine hours for the year which reflects the motor sailing we did on passage.

It's been four weeks since I hurt my left hand and everything is healing at an impressive rate. I've just been given the go ahead to use it fully, but it will be a while before my index finger is back to normal, and it still needs physiotherapy to get full use back. Winter work will be slow! 

End of the sailing season

Robinetta is now safely back in West Mersea which is a huge relief. I've been aboard for the last two trips, and I did helm for a fair amount of time coming across the Thames, but I can only do that under ideal conditions, when there is not much wind, and trying to handle the ropes is a bad idea. It gets frustrating! Rather than trying too hard and risk overusing my hand while sailing, we're going to get Robinetta out of the water earlier than planned.

The trip round to Cowes was quite hard on the boat, and she's letting in more water than we like. Also there was a strong smell of diesel in the cabin on the trip from Ramsgate that we want to investigate. The mast has sustained some damage and could do with sanding down and revarnishing, so we're going to get that out (which will make it easier to redo the masthead light and fit a new ariel). The cooker needs changing which means all my work on the galley will need redoing... In other words there's a lot of work waiting, so we might as well get on with it.