It is always said it is not good to be over confident. Simon and I had discussed how well everything was working, apart from a few minor issues all was good.
Over the next 12 hours however Shimshal decided we needed to be warned not to become complacent.
Firstly there was a sharp rap on the cabin roof, Sally found a small roller just sitting there, the question was, where had it come from?. Well 20 minutes of looking found that it was just a guide roller from the boom retainer. Nothing which was critical or needed instant repair. The roller has been stashed away and can be replaced once the main sail can be stowed. It will be 10 minutes with a battery drill and a new bolt.
Next, the generator was started for the afternoon battery charge, it didn't sound right and quickly shut down. The generator is cooled by fresh water which is circulated round the engine and electric generator.
The fresh water, is in turn cooled by sea water, the seawater is discharged into the exhaust pipe both cooling it and making it quiet. The strange noise and the fact that the exhaust was overheating pointed to the sea water cooling loop not working. The inlet valve and sea water strainer were checked for blockage, we pumped air through with the dingy pump and listened for bubbles, as that seemed good things pointed to the salt water pump. This is a rubber impeller pump, unfortunately access is terrible and last time it was changed required the generator unbolting and moving sideways. Job shelved until the sea calmed down as 100kg of generator loose with the boat rolling is a bad idea. Main engine started and batteries charged.
Later that night our course became irratic, the auto pilot was trying to correct but would not hold the course. 10 minutes of hand steering and investigation concluded we weren't fixing it that night so Hal, the wind vane, was put in charge and night watches continued peacefully once more. Thankfully both of these important systems had independent backup so no big problems.
The next morning some more fiddling traced the steering fault to the electric actuator which moves the rudder to steer the boat. More importantly when no steering input is needed it holds the rudder still. The bit of the mechanism which holds the rudder still had failed. The actuator is 15 years old and has had a hard life so can't be blamed.
Simon carries quite a few spares on board, perhaps more than most. A spare impeller for the generator was produced and amazingly there was a complete replacement steering actuator under our bunk.
Whilst hand steering here in the Pacific with 4 crew would not be too tough, Shimshal has spent much of her life far north in the cold with only 2 crew. Hand steering here would be hard work and even dangerous, hence the spare.
Changing the actuator was not difficult, it is however hidden away in the aft locker, (with the rudder stock and the rest of the steering gear), once the locker is empty there is no choice other than to get in. Simon did the electrical connection, then, after some function testing and whilst Simon cooled off I took my turn and completed the mechanical exchange.
Lunch, a cool off and, as the seas were flatter, we launched into the generator. Whilst it was possible to access the pump and remove the old impeller access was just too restricted to put the new one back in. We did confirm our diagnosis though as one of the impeller lobes was completely gone. (No idea where it is now, probably shredded and out the exhaust pipe).
Generator unbolted, using levers and pieces of wood we moved it sideways 4 inches giving just enough room to fit the replacement impeller and rebuild the pump. Put everything back together, prime the pump and on with the battery charge.
A very satisfying day of fixing things finished off with fresh baked scones with jam.
All systems now restored and the crew are bonding with Hal, the wind vane, he has been left in charge and we are all getting more confidence in his ability to steer.
It apparently is also said that ocean cruising is just fixing boats in exotic places, there may be some truth in that.
Tim