What a nigh we had. No wind, no waves, just a silk
smooth swell, stars all the way to the horizon. Some so low you thought they
where lanterns from ships. One of the stars I named tonight, the Lantern Star.
We are aiming for Orion of course, the star that leads sailors going west. We
have not seen a boat or ship for more than 48 hours now.
My father died this date one year ago, so sitting
watching this bright stars, the milky way so grand, so vast, so...
empty.
Makes me feel small. This ocean makes me so small.
Life is so small and short. I do not think that my father and I really
understood that when we spoke last time, a couple of days before the 15th of
December, that a year later just precise, we would be out in the Atlantic Ocean.
He knew what it was about, in a way, he worked with ships all his life and have
always being supportive with my mad ideas (one time he went bananas though, and
that was when I was accepted as soldier in the UN piece corp in Sinai, he made
me say no than ks by offering something I could not resist). So a few days
before he left us, he asked me, in a very friendly way, about our preparations.
What do you do if you get fire on board? What do you do if...
He always followed my trips, always wanted to be
contacted, not to check, but for safety. He thaught me how to use collect
call when I was in the USA . He was always the one who wanted to know how it was
when we came back. He also contacted a long lasting friend, in private and in
business, a sea captain and shipsowner, Dag Engström who offered himself as a DP
(Designated Person). So in a way Dag has taken my fathers roll being our safety
string ashore. Thank you Dag!
My father David ashes where spread in the sea on
his request, so Ellinor said today, the sea looks different today, like
rolling hills of grass, peacfeul, yet so big, just to help you think about
him.
Impeller problem chapter 4
After running the engine for almost 2 days, I
wanted to take a service stop today. The kids loved it, more swimming around the
boat!
As the engine cooled down I started to check oil
etc. Getting to the fan belts there was an intense dripping of salt water from
the back of the impeller house. -WHAT NOW? I opened the impeller house (Im
getting good at this) and checked the sealing towards the shaft. Looked good. So
why was it leaking? Well I decided this was nothing we could do anything about
here. So we closed the house and Ellinor made a rug and line construction to
lead the water away from the alternator at least. We had some pie, fired up
the engine and off we go. We looked at the water coming out and it felt like
less than normal. So I stared at the termometer and yes it was above working
temperature (85 degrees). Looked in the engine room and the leak was intense.
Now the engine was getting close to boil. Shut off. The kids loved it, more
swimming in the ocean (Whats wrong with them! We should implement more fear in
them!)
I start to read in a very good book that helps to
find problems. When I see the suggestion of clening the heat exchanger I
remember.
Last time our impeller went broke it shattered
hundreds of pieces of rubber. And I was thinking that some of them might have
gone into the engine. Talking to a friend in another boat he suggested to
backwash the system instead of taking the heat exchanger apart (And I promise,
that thing requires a rubber man to get close to). This is something I should
have done but negleted as the engine has been running well. But never for so
long time as now.
So Ellinor prepared the fire hose from deck, and we
took it into the boat, connected it to the outflow of raw cooling water to the
muffler. and gave the engine an enema (lavemang) that it will never forget. And
yes out came rubber pieces!
Put the whole thing back again and now she runs
much cooler. Hope it lasts for a while. Thank you Calle at S/Y Elin for being
such a creative person!
But as you can see! Everything not taken care off
will end up as the skippers responsibility. The sea is a hard
judge.
Now we are getting closer to St Lucia and we are
eager to see land!