Return to Oriental

Two weeks elapsed after my return from the Caribbean before my first trip back to Oriental, Sea Harbour, and Six Knot Grin.

Because of the unusually cold winter and my Caribbean odyssey, this was only my second trip down since the first of the year.  On my last trip down, a problem had developed with the engine overheating which had not been resolved.  I had also bought new bronze-tinted plexiglass for my two hatch covers and solar-powered vent fans for each as well as a couple new LED salon lights and a new faucet for the galley.  I had my work cut out for me.

Because I was installing vent fans in the center of each hatch, I felt that I could get away with using the thinner and cheaper 1/4" thickness of plexiglass rather than the original 1/2" thickness.  Belatedly, I realized that the 1/2" provides the additional thickness required to countersink the screws.  Rather than abandon the project I installed the new plexiglass with stainless steel pan head screws which gives it a studded look.  A torrential downpour that evening baptized the new hatch covers and proved them leakproof.

The solar vents are set so that one draws in and the other exhausts air.  Not much air movement but enough to get some circulation going when the boat is closed up.

The engine proved to be more of a problem.  I removed the thermostat to allow any remaining engine scale to pass through with the exhaust water and ran the engine at the dock both at idle and under load in gear.

It appeared to be passing water through the engine to the exhaust efficiently.  I hoped the problem was solved but when I tried to turn off the engine the ignition switch failed.  I had to remove the coil wire to stop it.

In the process of replacing the ignition switch with a new one I had onboard, I neglected to turn off the 12-volt power at the battery switch and fried the wires to the engine gauges.  One step forward - two steps back.  Now I have to figure out the problem with the gauges before I can risk taking the boat away from the dock without an operating engine temperature gauge.  A local expert suggests that it may just require the replacement of the ground wire rather than new gauges.  That unfortunately has to top the list for my next trip down.  

On a much brighter note,  our search for a suitable dinghy is over!   Sea Harbour friends, Bob and Robyn Buntin recently bought a dinghy that proved to be too heavy for their liking.  It's built like a RIB, rigid hull inflatable, but it's all fiberglass.  It's very stable and even has a flat 10" wide tread pattern on the bow and gunnels that will support your weight. It has many of the advantages of a RIB without the worries of deflation.

Since stability is more important to us than weight, it's a natural.  We'll tow it behind Six Knot Grin when we plan to overnight and store it in the dinghy rack at Sea Harbour the rest of the time.

Sea Harbour slips are beginning to fill up.  The empty slip on our port side is now occupied by a Catalina 27, owned by a nice couple, our age, Roger and Mary Brown, who live in New Bern.  We spent quite a bit of time getting to know each other and I sailed with them on Sunday.  I introduced them to South River.  I look forward to introducing them to June.