Never write:All well on board 12.57N 66.30W
Salsa af Stavsnas
Ellinor Ristoff Staffan Ehde
Fri 8 Feb 2013 19:44
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The wind is steady at about 11 knots, in a way it's
nice, in another way it could be more. The waves are a little high for this
windstrength, so the sails flapflop about every minute.
Yesterday, late afternoon, I came to think that I
have to send a position report to our DP Dag Engström (DP= Designated
Person).
Since I was in the midst of cooking I did it fast.
Reported our position and the words: All well on board.
Just when I pressed the send
button: then it happened, the thing you fear the most. The
automatic bildge pump started going! I opened the boardfloor and yes , there was
a stream of salt water coming from somewhere. I woke Ellinor up and we
started to search for the "heart of the spring". That is a terrible job because
the boat is stowed in every possible pocket of air. So Ellinor started short
ahead of the bildge and I started under the kitchen sink to move backwards. But
first I opened the machine room to make sure there was nothing happening there.
Our generator was on charging batteries.I could not see anything just opening
the machine room. So I moved to the area below the fridges (they have
waterintake to cool), there was a good amount of water springing about but not
from the fridges, where can it come from? What is behind the wall? I got back to
the machine room and all the way into the ganerator and there it was, the
generators cooling water was coming out of the box (that _expression_ was funny).
Cut off the engine, closed the valve and that finished the job for the bildge
pump. Now the question was what have gone wrong with the gen? Well we finished
dinner and I took a look around and could not find out anything more than the
water was coming from under the generator that unfortunally in this case is
mounted in a... case. There are two holes in the bottom and thats where the
water came from. All hoses going to and from the box where fine. A nightmare
question came up, the Swedish boat Maribelle, also a Hallberg Rassy had to
change the entire generator (a Fisher Panda) because the system had corroded and
I think cooling water was coming out in the engine. I had to stay cool, working
in the engine room was terrible, the engine to hot, I was tired and needed
sleep. We closed down everything on board that used power, only the VHF and the
lanternas where on. Later on we could start the plotter on power safe mode. The
wind was not strong enought to create power for the fridges and we had to let
them stay closed til the sun came up and we got solar power, we hoped. Thank god
our windpilot works, it uses no power, only wind!
During the night watch I read the Fisher Panda
manual wich is one of the best I have ever seen, read about how the whole
cooling system is set up and after breakfast this morning I put on the dirty
clothes, headlamp and decided to get in there and find the leak.
To make a long story short I found it under the
engine (inside the box) and after 5 hours of hard work we managed to start it
without any fountains.
Now we can be spoiled kids again, drinking fridge
cool water and the system is up and running.
All is well right now on board... (Do I
dare?)
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