April 22-23, 2023 - Saturday and Sunday
Saturday began with the joys of replacing a bilge pump hose... It ended up being something of a chore. Not so much routing and connecting of the hose, but the cramped space I had to get into to work on it. The section near the pump is fairly easy to get to. The thru-hull it leads to is in the bottom of the stern locker at the back of the transom. That end was the difficult one. For one, the stern locker hatch is not very large, so it is awkward for me to get into it. Second, there is not much depth, so getting down inside is not easy. There is a raised plywood floor at the bottom of the locker to make stowing gear easier and to keep things from falling down into the bilge. The hose is under this floor, so had to be removed.
Eventually, after much grunting and some swearing, I had the floor removed and could get to the hose. The hose I was replacing was similar to vacuum cleaner hose. Not too strong and easily split open - not ideal for a bilge pump... The new hose went in fairly easily. I measured it and cut off the excess. This new hose was quite stiff and needed to be heated to fit it on. After getting it hot with the heat gun, it went on quite well. New hose clamps completed the installation.
The electric auto pilot was next on my list. The auto pilot lets you control the helm automatically. It is a little bit like the windvane, but follows a compass heading, not the direction of the wind. It would be very useful when motoring (no wind) or when changing sails. I did not tried using the auto pilot last year, so had no idea what condition it was in. I checked where it connected to the rudder post and it all looked okay, so I turned on the power and put a battery in the remote controller. Surprisingly, it came right on and started working. I will need to read up on it some more. At the moment I can only change the course manually, so will have to figure out how to get it to follow a compass heading. Anyway, so far so good!
With the hose replaced and the auto pilot working, it was time to put the stern locker back together. I decided to get rid of some of the items that were in the locker. There were several sticks of PVC pipe, an old tarp, some rope that was past its useful life, etc. Then I reloaded the stern anchor rode, spare dock lines and a few other items. I want to leave some space in there for other things, so removed the drogue that was stored there too. The drogue is used to slow the boat down in heavy seas. It is basically a brake system you drag behind the boat on a long rope. It is not likely I will need to use it, but if I do, it will be easier to grab it out of the v-berth than in the stern locker.
Sunday I went shopping. I had been running low on food and wanted to get something to make boarding the boat from the pier easier and safer. I walked to Walmart/Sam's Club and stocked up on food and bought a small collapsible ladder. I had too much stuff to carry on the bus, so ordered an Uber. My first time using Uber! The driver arrived quickly and it worked really well.
The walk down the pier was not fun, but I made it back and unpacked. So nice to have some fresh fruit and veggies.
My last major project was to prepare a board to go under my jerry cans to protect the deck. Last year, when we fueled up in Cabo San Jose, I noticed the cans were wearing through the deck with the motion of the boat. These cans contain extra diesel fuel to extend the motoring range for the boat. My diesel tank is only 30 gallons, so with the four cans on deck, we can carry a total of 50 gallons, giving me a range of about 500 miles.
Board for jerry cans
I cut the board to the length needed and glued some foam on the bottom of the board to keep it from sliding around and scratching the paint. I left some gaps to help water drain under the board. I think it will work fine.
Lastly, I tried out the new boarding ladder. It is quite a step up (or down) when boarding or disembarking Pierless so I have been looking for a solution. Last year I bought a small stool, but it proved too flimsy, especially after it was warmed up by the relentless sunshine here in Mazatlan. The ladder is fairly small, will fold down flat for stowage and seems quite stable. I think it will work out well for now.
Boarding ladder
I’m enjoying your blog. Thank you. I’m still waiting to hear if you are getting close to departing and I’m hoping I’ll be able to track your progress like your previous launch. I asked earlier about fishing, but I believe you don’t consume them. It seems like that would be a handy meal.
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