Departed Wollongong

Where Next?
Bob Williams
Fri 11 Jun 2021 09:53

1900 Position: 34 42.0 S   150 54.3 E
Course South  Speed 5 knots
Wind: W, F4   Sea: slight  Swell: SE 1 meter
Weather: clear, cool
Days run: 18nm

Once again I have decided upon an afternoon start to this next passage. The winds are forecast to be mostly in the west for tonight and tomorrow so they should make for a good beam reach down the coast. Once we get in the vicinity of Gabo Island marking the entrance to Bass Strait, sometime late tomorrow or early Sunday, the wind will freshen considerably. We will assess the situation then and decide whether to continue on to Port Philip or whether to shelter in Twofold Bay until the conditions are more favourable.

I have had to deal with one minor drama shortly after sailing. We had had cleared the Tom Thumb Islands and were settling down into passage routine when I could hear a strange noise. Initially I thought it was the rigging thrumming but as I listened more closely I determined its source was under the cabin sole … an electric motor perhaps? I looked at the ammeter and sure enough it was showing that five amps were being drawn, quite a bit more than is usual. I checked under the saloon sole and found the freshwater pump whirring away with small fountain of water spurting from the hose passing under the engine. I turned the water pump off and investigated further. It turned out that an in-line valve had failed. So now I have lost most of the contents of the port water tank to the bilge. Fortunately we have plenty of water in the starboard tank which is completely independent of the pressurised water system, utilising manual pumps in the galley and the heads. It is no big deal losing so much fresh water on a relatively short coastal passage but it certainly could have caused me more concern if we were in the middle of a long ocean crossing.

Anyway, another small job to add to my to do list. I never would have thought a valve could fail in such a catastrophic manner. I shall certainly look for one of better quality to replace it.

All is well.