08-27-2023 Boat project week, heading south

We spent our last Sunday afternoon in Setauket, NY on boat projects.  It was a cloudy morning, so Kris decided that engine work should be done - she removed the exhaust mixing elbow, and heat exchanger, and cleaned both.   We had done this to the port engine when we had to install our new heat exchanger casing, and there was a surprising amount of debris that came out of the heat exchanger - so it was time to do the starboard engine now.

You can see some buildup in our mixing elbow that needs cleaned out.  This is 3 years worth of buildup.

To clean the mixing elbow, Kris got out the Dremel and ground out the hardened gunk on the sides of the stainless elbow.  Her Dremel extension she had gotten a couple of years ago has paid for itself, for working in small areas.

Kris showing her Dremel attachment, and please notice the scrape on the right wrist, and blood stains on the short - sacrificing the body for the good of the boat.

Heat exchanger soaking in vinegar solution - it really cleans and breaks down all the yuck quite well.

While Kris was engine tinkering, Dean got out the polish, and polished the stainless and buffed and waxed part of the topsides.  

Next day was putting heat exchanger back in, and rebuilding a spare raw water pump.   Our water pump had gone bad almost a year ago, and we got a new one, but kept the old one to rebuild.   Kris had been putting it off, but since she had to move it out of storage to work on the heat exchanger, she decided it was time to do it.   Dean continued to work on buffing and waxing the topsides.

Working on rebuilding the raw water pump

Had to take a break when Dean announced we had visitors.

These swans came right to the boat expecting to be fed - could not let them down.

With the engine projects done, Kris moved over to cleaning and decided the green growth on the dodger needed to come off.   Removed the dodger parts, and headed to the shower with them, to clean with a bleach, dishsoap water mix.

Its been a wet summer, and the green and black mold and dirt needed to come off.

Our shower is nice and large, and is not just for cleaning bodies.

So much better looking clean

We had decent winds on Tuesday to move further west, so off we went as soon as the morning rains stopped.   Weird sailing day, started with a double reefed main, and ended with flat seas and no wind and had to motor.   When we went to raise anchor the windlass worked for 90% of the raising, but then stopped.   When we dropped anchor, it stopped, so Kris took a hammer to the motor - and it started up again - so we figured the motor brushes might  be the culprit.

Our next anchorage was Port Washington, and as we got in later in the afternoon, the windlass project had to wait until the next day.    We did some troubleshooting, and Kris found no issues with the solenoids, so we decided that the motor needed to come out.

Windlass solenoids looked good, and functioned properly

Windlass motor apart and being worked on.

The windlass motor was quite rusty, so dean cleaned it up thoroughly, and painted it.   Kris removed all the brushes, and sanded them down.  They all had a weird ledge on them where than did not contact the commutator, so hoping that maybe was part of the issue.    Put it all back together, and seems to work well now, but time will tell.   We also took the windlass partially apart, and changed the orientation of the motor in regards to the wet chain coming in the locker, so hopefully will get less rust.

Next day we went out for a nice lunch at a Tex-Mex restaurant, and got some groceries, and relaxed on the boat.

Day after we walked up to the post office, as we had sold some line cutters for our prop that we no longer wanted on Ebay and had to mail them.   We walked by a protest going on by the local glaziers union, protesting some non-union workers doing jobs that they felt they had a contract to do.   It was a peaceful protest, but we enjoyed the giant rat inflatables they had put up to draw attention.

Next day we hiked back up the hardware store, as Dean had discovered a leak in a 3 way valve used in our water maker system.   Could not find a 3 way valve, but had a nice visit with the owner of the hardware store.  Has been in business for 100 plus years, and 3 generations of the family.

Shields Hardware in Port Washington - 100 years, and 3 generations.

We picked up a cheap valve that we can use until we get a replacement shipped.   Boat projects sometimes are about a way to get something working, until you can get the right parts to fix correctly.

We have been watching the weather looking for a good time to head south, as we must be in Baltimore area by September 8th, for Kris to fly back to Boise.   Nothing great coming, but unfortunately something not great coming.

Big purple swirls are bad

Hurricane Franklin is making its way north, as well as Tropical depression 10.  If we wait for Franklin to pass, we are pushing our schedule to make it to Baltimore.    So we have a small window to leave Saturday the 26th, at night, and arrive in the Deleware bay before Franklin affects the waves or wind in our route - so leaving tonight, will motor the east river in the dark, through New York City around 10:00 tonight, and overnight getting into Lewes, DE Sunday night.    

Wish us safe travels.